Weekly Security Report Weekly Report week1 week1
PORT HARCOURT AND ENVIRONS
Six Killed In Rivers Communal Clash
At least six persons have been feared killed in a renewed communal clash between two Ogoni communities, K-Dere and B-Dere, in Gokana LGA of Rivers State. The police said that marauding youths from K-Dere community, on Tuesday, carried out a reprisal attack against their B-Dere neighbours. The armed K-Dere youths razed down several houses and shot many people, but the police were yet to estimate the total number of lives lost and the exact number of building torched. Violence erupted penultimate Monday when some youths from B-Dere abducted a K-Dere man and his wife. This forced the youths K-Dere to mobilise on a rescue mission, but they were rebuffed by the captors. Security operatives rescued the victims, but as the security agents departed, B-Dere youths attacked K-Dere community and shot some persons. Governor Chibuike Amaechi has set up a judicial commission of inquiry to probe the feud.
Explosions at Bayelsa Political Rally
Twin explosions rocked a political rally in Bayelsa state on Wednesday, Police commissioner, Aliyu Musa, confirmed. Musa confirmed that "it was dynamite the attackers planted". Two people were wounded in the explosion at a ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally held at a primary school in Yenagoa, minutes before Beinmo Rufus Spiff, who is challenging incumbent governor Timipre Sylva was readying to address supporters and declare his candidacy for governorship. Political tensions have been building up in the run-up to party primaries due early January ahead of elections in April.
Abia Rights Activist Gunned Down
A rights activist and President of Justice and Peace Foundation; Chidi Nwosu, was in the early hours of Wednesday, killed by gunmen in Abia State. It was reported that Nwosu was trailed to his house by the armed men around 1am and shot dead. His wife and 5-year-old daughter were locked up in the toilet as they shot him. Nwosu, 39, had spent the better part of his life fighting against human rights violations in Nigeria with particular focus on Abia state.
Bonny LNG Resumes Production
Nigeria LNG said its liquefaction plant on the Bonny Island in Rivers state restarted production after being shut down on December 22 by a power cut, Ifeanyi Mbanefo, a company spokesman, said. Four trains are running and normal services will resume soon, he added. The company, which operates six production trains at the Bonny plant, has long-term contracts with buyers in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Portugal and France and also sells on the spot market.
Presidential Adviser on Amnesty Quits
Nigeria's presidential advisor on the Niger Delta, Timi Alaibe, who is also in charge the amnesty programme for ex-militants in the region, has resigned from the job. Alaibe had reportedly informed President Goodluck Jonathan that he will be resigning his appointment with effect from January 1 to contest for the governorship of Bayelsa State in the 2011 general elections, a statement from the presidency disclosed. Alaibe, oversaw the implementation of the amnesty, and a retraining programme for the ex-militants. He is also a past Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). President Jonathan accepted the resignation of Alaibe.
Stolen Child Found in Enugu
The police at Ndiegoro Station in Aba, Abia State, Wednesday, at Ugbowo in Awgu LGA of Enugu State, recovered an alleged stolen two-year-old baby. Following reports on December 21, by one Obinna Ofornagoro that his Nephew, Sochima, had been stolen; the police swung into action and two days later, traced and arrested the said Chioma Udeh, who allegedly stole the child. On interrogation, she confessed to the crime that she gave the baby to her lover, Ifeanyi Nwobodo. Chioma confessed that she stole the baby, pretending that he was their son in order to make Ifeanyi marry her. A senior police officer confirmed the incident. He assured that the suspects would be charged to court after investigations.
South-South Delegates Endorse Jonathan for 2011
Ahead of the January 13, 2011 presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South-south delegates of the party on Thursday unanimously endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole candidate. The delegates, who converged in Port Harcourt, at the Rivers state Government House were drawn from the South-south geo-political zone, namely Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta States. President Jonathan, in attendance at the meeting, said he was completely convinced about what the governors, members of the National Assembly, and elders of the zone had told him on the position of delegates from the zone concerning his candidature and thanked them for their support and assured them that he and Vice-President Namadi Sambo would work with governors of the zone to meet the aspirations of the people.
BENIN/WARRI/ESCRAVOS
Cultists Kill Two in Delta on Christmas Day
Suspected cultist, on Christmas day, shot dead two persons in Asaba, Delta State. It was gathered that the victims, two young boys in their 20s, were cut down by bullets allegedly fired by cult boys. Their death brought to three the number of persons killed in similar fashion within the festive period. In a bid to check the spread of the killings, security operatives launched an onslaught on suspected cultists and arrested 25 while they recovered two English-made pistols, axes and a mask.
Security Operatives Recover Stolen Transformer
After close to five years in darkness, relief came to the people of Oko in Oshimili South LGA of Delta State when security operatives last weekend, recovered a multi-million naira 300kva electricity transformer allocated to the community under self-help projects but was allegedly stolen by unknown persons. The item recovered in an uncompleted building, has been returned to the community by the police amidst jubilations by the people. Oko community few months ago raised an alarm over the missing transformer reportedly delivered to them since March 2010 by the self-help project in collaboration with the Rural Development Agency (RDA).
Delta Re-Run: INEC Clears 14 Candidates
A list containing 14 candidates has been released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the Delta State re-run elections which has been fixed for January 6 next year. The list signed by the INEC resident electoral commissioner for Delta State, Ogbudu Ada, contained the 14 governorship candidates and their deputies. These include Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan whose tenure was cut short by the Court of Appeal judgement, which overturned his April 14 2007 election victory, Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege of the Republican Party of Nigeria (RPN) and Great Odveje Ogboru of Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), amongst others. Meanwhile, a protest on Wednesday, paralyzed work in Asaba over INEC’s inability to display voters’ names and registers. Leader of the protesters, a one-time secretary of NUPENG, Chief Frank Ovie Kokorie, said that INEC’s inability to display the voters’ names and registers’ portends bad omen for the electorate.
Coalition Wants Delta REC Removed
Delta Coalition for Change has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to redeploy, with immediate effect, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Gabriel Ogbudu-Ada and all the electoral officers in the state. The group alleged that the REC has already compromised his integrity and is incapable of conducting a credible re-run election in the state. Former electoral commissioner, Chief Atuyoke Ejughemre, who is also the chieftain of the group, said that the INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, inherited some bad eggs from his predecessor, Maurice Iwu, that need to be purged from the system. Ejughemre warned that the re-run election in the state could trigger violence unless urgent steps are taken to address the internal problems facing the INEC.
LAGOS AND ENVIRONS
Union Leader Shot Dead in Ibadan
Unknown gunmen, on Thursday, shot dead a factional leader of a transport workers' union in Ibadan. Lateef Salako, 58, also known as Eleweomo, was murdered on his way back from a political rally in Ibadan. The police boss in the state, Baba Adisa Bolanta, confirmed the killing. The motive was unknown. The state branch of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers Union has been split into factions for months with Salako disputing its leadership with another unionist, Lateef Akinsola. This has led to several violent clashes, leaving many people dead.
Two Drown in Lagos Bus Crash
Two persons, on Wednesday, drowned in an accident involving a commercial bus, which lost control and hit the pavement of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos and flung the passengers into the lagoon. Police spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, who confirmed the accident, said local fishermen and officers from the Marine Unit of the Police Force conducted a search and recovered the body of the two passengers. The accident follows, an accident, a day earlier involving a trailer loaded with petroleum products, which allegedly suffered a break failure. It was said to have swerved off the road and went up in flames. A Mercedes Benz car parked by the roadside for sale, a motorcycle and a container shop by the roadside was burnt beyond recognition.
Ekiti Police Smash Eight-Man Robbery Gang
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Ekiti State Police Command has arrested a suspected armed robber, Kenneth George, alongside eight members of his gang, including two women. The suspects were arrested when the SARS, led by its Commander in the state, Ogbonna Okoronkwo, swooped on their hideout on Monday. Guns, cutlasses, charms, masks, cartridges, Indian hemp, machetes and money in foreign and local currencies were recovered from them. George alleged that the weapons recovered from him were given to him by ousted governor of the state, Mr. Segun Oni, during the 2009 governorship re-run. But the spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Lekan Adekambi, denied the allegation on the Oni. One of the female suspects is alleged to be the wife of a Police Inspector and concubine to George. The Police Inspector has reportedly been arrested and he denies knowledge of the relationship between his wife and George.
Campaign Bus Seized With Arms
A bus belonging to the Goodluck Jonathan/Namadi Sambo Presidential Campaign organisation was seized with arms in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State on Monday. The bus was detained at the Ijebu Igbo police station, but was later transferred to Abeokuta headquarters. Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said items recovered from it included a pump action rifle and seven cartridges traced to the owner, Leke Adekoya. He confirmed that the gun was licensed. According to Adejobi, the driver was beaten up by civilians who arrested him before the bus was taken to the police station. The driver received injuries and is now in hospital.
Two get Jail Terms for Theft
An Abeokuta Magistrate’s Court on Thursday sentenced two men, Leke Shoyemi (30) and Saburi Shode (26) to a total of three years imprisonment for stealing in a church. Police Prosecutor, Sunday Eigbejiale, alleged that the accused committed the offence on November 12 at Fire Branch Church, Abeokuta. He said the accused stole a refrigerator, a guitar, two bags of rice, a trumpet, two cartons of malt drinks and other items, amounting to N750000. The prosecutor tendered all the items as exhibits. Although the accused pleaded guilty to the charge, they appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy.
Would-be Victims Dispossesses Bandits of Arms
A four-man armed robbery gang met its waterloo after its would be victim one of its members of a gun and overpowered him in Ibadan. The target reportedly confronted his attackers and succeeded in hijacking the robbers’ gun, while the accomplice fled. The suspect, Sunny Onyema, from Imo State, who was later handed over to the police, was beaten to a pulp by a mob. It was learnt that the suspect later led the police to the bandits’ hideout, where other members of the gang were arrested. The Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, Mr. Adeyinka Ajimuda, said the suspects had supplied vital information that would assist the police in their investigation.
PHCN Worker Kills Man over Disconnection of Light
An electricity worker with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) on Christmas Eve killed a Septuagenarian following an argument over power disconnection. The deceased, 70-year-old Yekini Adesanya, reportedly collapsed after he was allegedly pushed to the PHCN worker, Ibukun Agbodo, for challenging the disconnection of power from his house The Police Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Police command, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the story, saying that investigation had commenced and the suspect is in custody.
GENERAL
Death Toll in Attacks Rises Above 80
The death toll from the recent Jos violence has risen to at least 80 following a series of bomb blasts, attacks on churches and reprisals. A number of houses were also burnt when clashes broke out penultimate Sunday in the wake of the Christmas Eve bomb blasts, according to Police Commissioner, Abdulrahman Akano. The Special Military Task Force (STF) deployed in the area arrested three men who were trying to attack buildings with dynamite, the STF spokesman, Captain Charles Okocha, disclosed. Authorities have increased the level of security in Abuja, to forestall a spill-over of the violence, following reprisal. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed, said that about 1000 'informants' had been deployed in different parts of the FCT. Meanwhile, suspected members of an Islamist sect, Boko Haram, attacked three churches in Maiduguri, leaving six people dead and one church burnt.
11 Feared Dead New Year Eve’s Explosions in Abuja
Two bombs explosions rocked the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on New Year’s Eve killing at least 11 persons. The first detonated at the mammy market of Mogadishu Barracks (formerly Abacha barracks), while the second was at the Jikwoi area, Karu. An earlier report had it that the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility, but MEND through its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, denied having anything to do with the explosions. Many other people were also injured in the attacks. Following the blasts, soldiers and policemen promptly cordoned off the areas affected. President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the latest bomb blasts. The Police Public Relations Officer for the FCT, Jimoh Moshood said that members of the bomb disposal unit had been deployed to the affected areas. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Oluseyi Petinrin, visiting the scene of the incident, cautioned Nigerians to be wary of strangers dropping bags near them and walking away pretending to be back.
Jonathan, Mark Send New Year Messages to Nigerian
President Goodluck Jonathan and other leaders ushered Nigerians into the New Year, 2011. In his New Year message to the nation, President Jonathan pledged that his administration would work even harder in the coming months to ensure that ordinary Nigerians begin to feel the tangible benefits of the economic growth recorded by the country in recent years. The President said the Federal Government would give particular attention to the effective implementation of the new national job creation scheme for which N50 billion has been earmarked in the 2011 Appropriation bill to create thousands of new jobs for the country’s unemployed youth. The President of the Senate, David Mark, reiterated that a new Nigeria was still possible with the cooperation of all Nigerians.
92 Arrested over Sect Attacks
Security operatives have arrested at least 92 suspected members of a radical Islamist sect, Boko Haram in raids after a series of attacks that killed eight people in Maiduguri, Borno state police commissioner, Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar, disclosed on Thursday. Eight people including three policemen were killed in five separate attacks by gunmen suspected of being Boko Haram members in the city late Wednesday, military and police officials said. Policemen raided the house of the sect's alleged bankroller where materials linking him to the sect were found. The materials found included chemicals used in bomb making, audio tapes of the late sect leader's preaching and machetes, Abubakar said. The sect claimed responsibility for multiple explosions in Jos in which at least 80 people were killed in attacks and in reprisal killings.
3 Dismissed Cops Remanded In Prison over Rape
The three police men suspected of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl and keeping her for 28 days under sexual exploitation were sent to prison by a Kano Magistrate on Wednesday. This followed their dismissal by the police authorities. The three dismissed police officers were docked before Magistrate Khadija Dahiru Musdapher of Kano Magistrate Court. The police first report, read out to the suspects by the court’s registrar, recounted how the three police officers’ perpetrated the alleged offence which is contrary to the provisions of the penal court laws. The dismissed police officers alongside three civilian accomplices, who are still at large, were charged with illegal abduction and rape.
NSCDC Deploys 5,000 Personnel to Jos
Following the multiple bomb blasts which claimed many lives in Jos, Plateau State on Christmas Eve, security has been beefed up within and around the Jos metropolis with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deploying additional 5,000 men. The Commandant General of NSCDC, Ade Abolurin, said the additional men were sourced from the neighbouring states. He affirmed government’s resolve to fish out the perpetrators of the Jos bombings. He said that government was on top of the situation and that President Goodluck Jonathan was leaving no stone unturned to unravel the attacks.
Suspected Islamists Kill Two
Gunmen suspected to be part of a radical Islamic sect that claimed responsibility for Christmas Eve attacks that killed dozens on Tuesday shot dead two policemen in northern Nigeria, police said. In two separate attacks in the northern city of Maiduguri, suspected Boko Haram gunmen killed a policeman and retired police officer while three civilians suffered gunshot wounds, Borno state police spokesman Lawal Abdullahi, confirmed. No arrest had been made. This attack came a day after the sect claimed responsibility for multiple Christmas Eve explosions in Jos. At least 80 people were killed in those attacks and in reprisal killings. The group also claimed to be behind the attack on three churches in Maiduguri on the same day in which six people were killed and a church was burnt down.
NEMA Cautions against Reckless Driving
Motorists have been warned to be wary of fake number plates currently being issued in Lagos State. This warning is coming on the heels of alleged presence of syndicates specialising in fabricating fake number plates. Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned politicians to prevail upon their supporters to shun reckless driving and carrying of combustible petroleum products in their vehicles during electioneering campaigns to avoid loss of lives.
Governor’s Police Aides Die in Car Crash
Two policemen attached to the convoy of Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State died on Tuesday, while some other people sustained injuries, following an auto crash on the Kaduna-Abuja Highway. The convoy was travelling from Kano to Abuja when the accident occurred. It was learnt that the accident was caused by a burst tyre while the convoy was on the highway.
SSS Arrests Three over Alleged SMS Threat
The State Security Service (SSS) Niger State Command has smashed a syndicate of three persons, which allegedly specialised in sending Short Message Service (SMS) to top government officials in the state, including Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu and Secretary to the State Government, Yahaya Kuta, threatening and accusing them of financial misappropriation. The suspects were arrested on December 23 in Minna, following a search at their residence. According to the state SSS Director, Larry Obagwu, used in sending the malicious messages was recovered from the suspects. Parading the suspects before the media in Minna, Obagwu said the syndicate confessed to the crime.
Police Minister Threatens to Sanction Contractors
The Minister of Police Affairs, Humphrey Enemakwu Abah, has warned contractors handling police projects nationwide to either deliver or have their contracts terminated and blacklisted. He gave the warning while on a pre-commissioning visit to the newly constructed aircraft hangar of the Nigeria Police at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. According to the minister, while the current administration would not tolerate project abandonment under any guise, it would also not accept poorly executed projects. The minister, who was accompanied by the Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, further charged officers and men of the Police on the need to improve their maintenance culture.
INTERNATIONAL
ECOWAS Military Option on Gbagbo Suspended
The West Africa regional bloc, ECOWAS, had vowed to use force to wrest Laurent Gbagbo from the presidential palace if he did not agree on Tuesday to step aside for the recognized winner of the November elections, Alassane Ouattara. The presidents of Sierra Leone, Benin and Cape Verde delivered the ultimatum on behalf of ECOWAS, hoping to escort Gbagbo into exile. He however refused to budge. The delegation reported on Wednesday on its mission to Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan. ECOWAS gave Gbagbo more time, though defence officials from member states were meeting in Abuja. ECOWAS has sent combat troops to several nations in the last two decades. The United Nations declared Gbagbo the loser of the presidential runoff vote held on November 28. Chaos in his country has already kept him in power five years beyond his mandate. The United States and other world powers have insisted that Gbagbo hand over power to Ouattara.
Somali Pirates Release German Tanker, Seize Another
Pirates off Somalia’s coast, Monday, released a German flagged chemical tanker with its crew of 22 after receiving a ransom. But on the same day, the pirates seized an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged ship with 8 crew members in the Gulf of Aden. Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said so far it was unclear who owned the vessel. The German tanker-the Marshall Islands flagged MT Marida Marguerite was seized in May by pirates firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. Pirates are making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms from seizing merchant ships in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, despite efforts by foreign navies to clamp down on such attacks.
India Tightens Security Over Terror Plot
The India government has increased security in major cities across the country after receiving information that a Pakistan-based militant group was planning an attack over New Year’s weekend. More police were deployed to city streets. Airports and railway stations and the popular beach resort state of Goa all tightened security following intelligence reports that the banned militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba was planning to target these places. India has taken even minor terror threats seriously since a three-day terrorist siege in 2008 killed 166 people in Mumbai. Security has been high in Mumbai since Friday, when police began searching for four men who authorities believe entered the city to carry out a terrorist attack. Computer-aided photographs of the four suspects were released.
Australia Calls for Help for Flood Victims
With 1,000 evacuations and 38 regions declared natural disaster areas, Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned “unprecedented” flooding would worsen after entire towns were cut off and soldiers airlifted hundreds of people from north eastern towns. Heavy rains unleashed by a tropical cyclone have left vast tracts of the state of Queensland under water. Gillard launched a public appeal for relief funds, pledging one million dollars of government funds to help victims. Hundreds fled their homes in the coastal city of Bundaberg, north of Brisbane, and in nearby Emerald, while the inundated town of Theodore was completely emptied by soldiers with Black Hawk helicopters.
NATO Strikes Kill Taliban in Tora Bora
Afghan and foreign forces killed at least five Taliban insurgents in assaults in Afghanistan‘s Tora Bora mountains, the former hideout of al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. Insurgents had recently begun gathering in the remote Tora Bora area in the eastern province of Nangarhar to prepare attacks, said provincial police chief, Ali Shah Paktiawal. Afghan police and NATO officials said forces were conducting operations throughout the area to root out the insurgents. Taliban and other insurgents have long been able to slip across the border from Afghanistan into sanctuaries in the largely lawless ethnic Pashtun tribal belt of northwest Pakistan. Paktiawal said the attack killed at least five.
Drug Gang Threatens War in Guatemala
Men claiming to belong to the Zetas drug gang forced radio stations to broadcast a threat of war in a northern Guatemalan province where the government declared a state of siege recently, authorities said on Tuesday. The men arrived at three radio stations in the northern city of Coban and threatened to burn the premises down and kill journalists and their families if the message was not broadcast, Interior Ministry spokesman, Nery Morales said. Guatemala declared a state of siege on December 19 in the northern province of Alta Verapaz, a prime corridor for smuggling drugs from Honduras to Mexico and a bastion of Mexico‘s brutal Zetas drug gang. The government deployed 300 soldiers to join about 500 police in patrolling the province. Security forces have captured 21 suspected Zeta members and seized 150 weapons -including assault rifles and grenade launchers- since the operations began.
Bomb Blast Kills 14 Civilians in Afghanistan
A roadside bomb blew up next to a minibus at a crowded intersection on a major highway in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least 14 civilians, officials said. The blast struck the minibus in the Lashkar Gah-Sangin district in Helmand province on the main road running from the city of Kandahar to Heart. Daoud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Helmand governor's office, said four others were wounded in the blast. President Hamid Karzai condemned the bombing. Helmand is one of the Taliban's strongholds in southern Afghanistan. It has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the war and an area where NATO has poured in troops in a bid to quell the insurgency.
Sri Lanka Disowns UN Probe on War Crimes
Sri Lanka said on Thursday it would not allow a United Nations panel to conduct an independent probe into the country‘s 25-year war. The government said in a statement the UN panel can only testify before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), a state-created body that human rights groups say lacks the credibility needed to look into alleged human rights violations by the military against Tamil Tiger rebels, especially in the last few months of the conflict. Government spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, disclosed this in a statement in response to demands by opposition parties to clarify a recent statement that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would allow a three-member panel appointed by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, into the country to take part in the LLRC. Sri Lanka has vigorously fought against Western pressure to allow an international investigation into allegations that war crimes were committed during the final months of a 25-year civil war with the Tamil Tiger separatists.
Police Officers, Doctor Shot Dead in Mexico
Gunmen, believed to be linked to drug cartels, killed four police officers and a doctor in coordinated attacks in and around the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, authorities disclosed on Thursday. Three officers were wounded in Wednesday's attacks, according to spokesman for the Security Council in northern Nuevo Leon state, Jorge Domene. In one of the attacks, gunmen opened fire on a Monterrey police station, killing a medical doctor who was administering tests to employees at the station and wounding three officers. In two other attacks, gunmen killed two police officers, a man and a woman. Monterrey has been rocked by drug-cartel battles. Six people were found dead on Thursday in the southern state of Guerrero, according to a state police statement. Also on Thursday, the navy said in a statement that it had captured four suspects linked to drug-cartel activities, including two females under the age of 18. Four assault rifles were recovered from their vehicles, and one of the male suspects claimed to be a hit man for the Gulf drug cartel.
Tornado Kills 3 in NW Arkansas on New Year’s Eve
A tornado sliced through parts of north western Arkansas on New Year‘s Eve, killing at least three people, injuring several others and knocking out power supply. Washington County sheriff‘s dispatcher, Josh Howerton, said the storm touched down near the center of the community. Several flights to and from the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport at Highfill, in Benton County, were delayed or cancelled Friday morning as officials worked to clear storm debris littering the runway. The region has been bracing for severe weather for much of the week.
Former Israeli President Convicted of Rape
Former Israeli President, Moshe Katsav, was convicted on Thursday of raping an employee when he was a Cabinet minister. This is the most serious criminal charges ever brought against a high-ranking official in Israel. Katsav, 65, likely faces from four to 16 years in prison for the crimes, which included two counts of raping an employee in 1998 when he was tourism minister and lesser counts of indecent acts and sexual harassment involving two other women who worked for him when he was president. Katsav has denied the rape charges, claiming he was a victim of a political witch hunt. He was ordered to surrender his passport while awaiting sentencing at a date that has not yet been set.
Bus Crash Kills 14 Tourists
A tour bus at the weekend slammed into a truck in southern Egypt, killing eight American tourists and injuring 21 others. The bus was taking a tour group on the journey from Aswan to the ancient temples of Abu Simbel, when it ran into the truck parked on the side of a single lane desert road. The Egyptian driver and a guide were also injured in the accident. Egyptian security officials said the hurt Americans were first transferred to a military hospital for treatment and then 10 of the injured, including two Egyptians, were airlifted to a hospital in Cairo. An official of Misr Tours, which was running the bus service, said the accident occurred around dawn while it was still dark shortly after the bus left Aswan. An estimated 8,000 people die in car accidents annually in Egypt.
Somalis Nabbed In Netherlands over Terrorism Plot
Police in the Netherlands have arrested 12 Somalis suspected of plotting a terrorist attack in the country. The prosecutors said the 12 men aged between 19 and 48 were arrested penultimate Friday after a message was received from the Dutch intelligence and security service, AIVD. They added that a telephone shop and four houses in Rotterdam were searched, as well as two motel rooms in Gilze-Rijen, a village in the south of the country, but that no weapons or explosives were found. Meanwhile, Suspected Somali pirates have hijacked a merchant ship with 27 crew members off the Sultanate of Oman, according to the head of a regional maritime group and the European Union Naval Force of Somalia.
Nine Arraigned Over Bomb Plot
A week after their arrest in pre-dawn raids, nine men were on Monday, arraigned in a London court on charges of terrorism, including plotting bombings in Britain. The men have been charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion, or explosions between October 1 and November 20 this year, police said. The men are also alleged to have tested incendiary materials. Sue Hemming, of the counter-terrorism division of Britain’s prosecution service, confirmed the charges. She said sufficient evidence had been uncovered leading to the charges. Similarly, a package bomb was, Monday, found at the Greek Embassy in Rome, three days after mail bombs exploded at two other embassies injuring two people. Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman, Gregoris Delavekouras, said that no one was harmed in the incident.
NATO, Afghanistan Differ on Deadly Raid
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-led force in Afghanistan has rejected Kabul’s accusation that foreign forces had violated a security pact by conducting a night raid in the capital in which two guards were killed. Under the 2008 deal, Afghan authorities have to approve and lead all security operations in the capital. But the Ministry of Interior (MOI) has said that foreign forces ignored the security rules and it was unaware of Friday’s operation. Raids by foreign forces, deeply unpopular among ordinary Afghans, are a source of friction between the NATO force and the government.