Govt: Netherlands Has No Consular Access to Dutch Man Detained in Iran

General view of the canals at the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, Netherlands March 10, 2021. REUTERS/Eva Plevier
General view of the canals at the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, Netherlands March 10, 2021. REUTERS/Eva Plevier
TT
20

Govt: Netherlands Has No Consular Access to Dutch Man Detained in Iran

General view of the canals at the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, Netherlands March 10, 2021. REUTERS/Eva Plevier
General view of the canals at the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, Netherlands March 10, 2021. REUTERS/Eva Plevier

The Netherlands said Wednesday it had no consular access to a Dutch man detained in Iran, where authorities say they have arrested dozens of foreigners in connection with mass protests.

"It is disappointing that, despite continuous pressure, the Iranian authorities have so far not granted consular access to this Dutch detainee," the Dutch government said in a letter to parliament.

Iran has repeatedly accused outside forces of stirring up widespread protests triggered by the death in custody of a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman.

Mahsa Amini died three days after her arrest by the country's morality police for allegedly breaching Iran's strict dress code for women.

"Iran has not shared any evidence of the alleged foreign interference," AFP quoted the Dutch government as saying.

On Tuesday Iran's judiciary said it had arrested 40 foreigners during the two months of protests, accusing them of being "implicated in the recent riots".

It did not specify their nationalities, or when or where they were arrested.

In September, Iranian authorities announced the arrest of nine foreigners in connection with the protests, including someone from the Netherlands.



Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 10 in a Restaurant in Northeast Nigeria

FILE - Nigerian soldiers man a checkpoint in Gwoza, northeast, Nigeria, April 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi, File)
FILE - Nigerian soldiers man a checkpoint in Gwoza, northeast, Nigeria, April 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi, File)
TT
20

Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 10 in a Restaurant in Northeast Nigeria

FILE - Nigerian soldiers man a checkpoint in Gwoza, northeast, Nigeria, April 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi, File)
FILE - Nigerian soldiers man a checkpoint in Gwoza, northeast, Nigeria, April 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi, File)

A suicide bomber in Nigeria’s northeast state of Borno killed at least 10 people and injured several others in an explosion in a restaurant, police said Saturday.

The blast occurred in the Konduga area late Friday, police spokesperson Nahum Daso told The Associated Press.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Nigeria’s northeast has been hit by attacks carried out by militants from the Boko Haram group and its splinter, the ISIS West Africa Province.

Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown militants, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their own radical version of Islamic law. The conflict also has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors.

Some 35,000 civilians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced in the northeastern region, according to the UN.

Despite promises by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to address Nigeria’s security challenges, the violence has persisted.