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Suspect in France Knife Attack Charged with Terrorism, Murder

Two people were killed in a knife attack in Romans-sur-Isere on April 4. (AFP)
Two people were killed in a knife attack in Romans-sur-Isere on April 4. (AFP)
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Suspect in France Knife Attack Charged with Terrorism, Murder

Two people were killed in a knife attack in Romans-sur-Isere on April 4. (AFP)
Two people were killed in a knife attack in Romans-sur-Isere on April 4. (AFP)

A man who killed two people in a knife attack in the southeastern French town of Romans-sur-Isere at the weekend has been charged with terrorism offences and murder, the French anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday.

Five people were also wounded in Saturday's attack. The 33-year-old refugee from Sudan probably acted alone, "without having been given any orders by a terrorist organization", the office said in a statement.

It added that the man, who worked locally, had not been known to police forces or intelligence services. He had arrived in France in August 2016 and obtained refugee status in June 2017.

During a subsequent search of his home, authorities found handwritten documents that included arguments about religion and a complaint about living in a “country of non-believers.”

France has experienced a wave of attacks by extremists in recent years.

Bombings and shootings in November 2015 at the Bataclan theater and other sites around Paris killed 130 people, and in July 2016 a militant drove a truck through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86.

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World

UN Right Chief Troubled by Treatment of Pro-Palestinian Protesters at US Universities

A state trooper pepper sprays pro-Palestinian protesters, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, after police vehicles were blocked at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, US April 29, 2024. Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman/USA Today.
A state trooper pepper sprays pro-Palestinian protesters, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, after police vehicles were blocked at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, US April 29, 2024. Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman/USA Today.
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UN Right Chief Troubled by Treatment of Pro-Palestinian Protesters at US Universities

A state trooper pepper sprays pro-Palestinian protesters, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, after police vehicles were blocked at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, US April 29, 2024. Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman/USA Today.
A state trooper pepper sprays pro-Palestinian protesters, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, after police vehicles were blocked at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, US April 29, 2024. Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman/USA Today.

The UN human rights chief said on Tuesday he was "troubled" by heavy-handed actions taken by US security forces during attempts to break up pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.
"I am concerned that some of law enforcement actions across a series of universities appear disproportionate in their impacts," Volker Turk said in a statement sent to journalists, in which he made reference to arrests and sanctions of students.
"It must be clear that legitimate exercises of the freedom of expression cannot be conflated with incitement to violence and hatred," he added.
Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up at many college campuses in the United States following the arrest of demonstrators this month at Columbia University.
The students are calling for universities to separate themselves from companies that are advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza — and in some cases from Israel itself. The number of arrests nationwide has approached 1,000 since New York police arrested demonstrators at Columbia on April 18.
The protests have spread to Canada and Europe, with French police removing dozens of students from the Sorbonne university after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the main courtyard.
Officials are trying to resolve the protests as the academic year winds down, but students have dug in at several high-profile universities.

World

UK Police Arrest Man Wielding a Sword in East London

Footage posted on social media appears to show a man wearing a yellow hooded top carrying a large blade. (The Telegraph)
Footage posted on social media appears to show a man wearing a yellow hooded top carrying a large blade. (The Telegraph)
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UK Police Arrest Man Wielding a Sword in East London

Footage posted on social media appears to show a man wearing a yellow hooded top carrying a large blade. (The Telegraph)
Footage posted on social media appears to show a man wearing a yellow hooded top carrying a large blade. (The Telegraph)

A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and two police officers on Tuesday in the east London community of Hainault before being arrested, police said. The London Ambulance Service said emergency workers treated five people and took them to the hospital.
The incident is not being treated as terror-related, said The Associated Press.
The Metropolitan Police said they were called early Tuesday to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in a residential street and people being stabbed close to the Hainault underground station.
A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene, police said.
No other details were immediately available.
Video on British media showed a man in a yellow hoodie holding a long sword or knife walking near houses in the area.
Witnesses say they heard police shouting to the suspect urging him to put down the weapon as they chased after him.
“This must have been a terrifying incident for those concerned," Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said. “I know the wider community will be feeling shock and alarm. People will want to know what has happened and we will provide more information as soon as we can.”
He added that police do not believe there is a threat to the wider community.
“We are not looking for more suspects,'' he said. ”This incident does not appear to be terror-related."
Transport for London said Hainault underground station was closed due to a police investigation in the area.

World

Kenya Searches for More Than 90 Missing after Floods

A woman and a man take mud and water out of their house in an area heavily affected by torrential rains and flash floods in Mai Mahiu, on April 29, 2024. (Photo by LUIS TATO / AFP)
A woman and a man take mud and water out of their house in an area heavily affected by torrential rains and flash floods in Mai Mahiu, on April 29, 2024. (Photo by LUIS TATO / AFP)
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Kenya Searches for More Than 90 Missing after Floods

A woman and a man take mud and water out of their house in an area heavily affected by torrential rains and flash floods in Mai Mahiu, on April 29, 2024. (Photo by LUIS TATO / AFP)
A woman and a man take mud and water out of their house in an area heavily affected by torrential rains and flash floods in Mai Mahiu, on April 29, 2024. (Photo by LUIS TATO / AFP)

Rescuers were searching on Tuesday for at least 91 people missing in heavy flooding across Kenya, the interior ministry said.
At least 46 people were killed on Monday morning in a mudslide and flash floods in Mai Mahiu town in central Kenya, the ministry said in a situation report, an increase of one on the previous death toll.
Survivors in Mai Mahiu described an onslaught of water that carried away houses, cars and railway tracks, Reuters reported.
"When I opened the door, the water gushed in and made its way through the kitchen," said resident Anne Gachie.
"My husband managed to quickly maneuver and get out. My daughters who were in the next room were swept out of the house by the force of the water."
Fifty-three more people in Mai Mahiu were reported missing, the interior ministry said, while the Kenya Red Cross said its tracing desk had reports of 76 missing.
In all, at least 169 people have died across Kenya from heavy rains and flooding since last month. More than 185,000 have been forced from their homes, according to government data.
Dozens more have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced by intense downpours in Tanzania and Burundi, with scientists saying climate change is causing more intense and frequent extreme weather events.
The eastern county of Garissa, where four people were killed when their boat capsized over the weekend and 23 others were rescued from the floodwaters, has reported 16 people missing, the interior ministry said.
At least 120 people were killed in Kenya late last year by flooding caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon. Those rains followed the worst drought large parts of East Africa had experienced in decades.

World

Mali Forces Kill Senior Figure in ISIS Affiliate

Malian soldiers are pictured during a patrol with soldiers from the new Takuba force near Niger border in Dansongo Circle, Mali August 23, 2021. REUTERS/ Paul Lorgerie
Malian soldiers are pictured during a patrol with soldiers from the new Takuba force near Niger border in Dansongo Circle, Mali August 23, 2021. REUTERS/ Paul Lorgerie
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Mali Forces Kill Senior Figure in ISIS Affiliate

Malian soldiers are pictured during a patrol with soldiers from the new Takuba force near Niger border in Dansongo Circle, Mali August 23, 2021. REUTERS/ Paul Lorgerie
Malian soldiers are pictured during a patrol with soldiers from the new Takuba force near Niger border in Dansongo Circle, Mali August 23, 2021. REUTERS/ Paul Lorgerie

Malian forces killed Abu Huzeifa, a commander for a West African affiliate of the ISIS group, during a large-scale operation in the northern region of Menaka, the Malian authorities said in a statement read on state television on Monday.
Huzeifa's death on Sunday had been confirmed after the operation in the region's Indelimane sector, they said, but did not give further details.
The US State Department's Rewards for Justice program offers a bounty of up to $5 million for information on Huzeifa for his alleged participation in a 2017 attack in neighboring Niger that killed four US and four Nigerien soldiers, Reuters reported.
Over the past decade, attacks by groups linked to al Qaeda and ISIS have killed thousands of people in Mali, Niger, and neighboring Burkina Faso, destabilizing West Africa's central Sahel region.
As of March, the protracted security and humanitarian crisis had displaced over 3 million people in the region, according to the International Organization for Migration.

World

Gunman Kills 6 Worshippers Inside Mosque in Western Afghanistan

A general view of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)
A general view of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)
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Gunman Kills 6 Worshippers Inside Mosque in Western Afghanistan

A general view of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)
A general view of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

A gunman stormed a mosque in western Afghanistan, opening fire and killing six people as they were praying, a Taliban official said Tuesday.

According to Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the Taliban Interior Ministry, the attack happened on Monday night in the district of Guzara in Herat province. He said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that an investigation was underway.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded another worshipper, and the attacker fled the scene. Local media reported that the mosque's imam was among those killed.

“I strongly condemn the attack on the Imam Zaman Mosque,” former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on X. “I consider this terrorist act against all religious and human standards.”

ISIS’ affiliate in Afghanistan is a major Taliban rival and frequently targets schools, hospitals, mosques and Shiite areas throughout the country.

World

Türkiye Detains ISIS Member who Planned Bomb Attack in Istanbul

An image taken from a video published by the Turkish Interior Minister on his “X” account showing security forces while capturing the ISIS terrorist who planned the Istanbul attack
An image taken from a video published by the Turkish Interior Minister on his “X” account showing security forces while capturing the ISIS terrorist who planned the Istanbul attack
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Türkiye Detains ISIS Member who Planned Bomb Attack in Istanbul

An image taken from a video published by the Turkish Interior Minister on his “X” account showing security forces while capturing the ISIS terrorist who planned the Istanbul attack
An image taken from a video published by the Turkish Interior Minister on his “X” account showing security forces while capturing the ISIS terrorist who planned the Istanbul attack

Türkiye has announced that security services foiled an ISIS attempt to carry out a terrorist bomb attack in Istanbul.

“An ISIS terrorist member who allegedly planned a bomb attack, was detained in Istanbul’s Beykoz district,” Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on social media platform X on Monday.

The suspect was arrested during an operation dubbed “Bozdogan 32.”

The Minister said that Turkish security services found that an individual identified by the initials K.A., belongs to the terrorist organization, and has knowledge of bomb making. The suspect was allegedly planning to carry out a bomb attack in Istanbul, he added.

Yerlikaya then explained that the counter-terrorism forces arrested the man at his workplace in the Beykoz region.

The suspect was testing with another person whether an explosion would occur with the chemicals he used.

Yerlikaya said that the chemical substances seized during the raid at the suspect's apartment “were capable of causing large-scale explosions.”

Also, during the operation, the minister said six others were detained on suspicion of ISIS links. A large quantity of bomb-making materials was seized.

“No terrorists will be tolerated. The security services will continue their fight against terrorism with determination,” the Minister affirmed.

Last week, Yerlikaya revealed that Turkish security services have conducted 1,422 operations against ISIS between June 1, 2023 and April 22, 2024.

He said 2,991 suspects were caught in the operations, with 718 arrested and 566 placed under judicial control.

Recently, ISIS renewed its activities in the country after a pause of seven years.

ISIS claimed responsibility for terrorist attacks in Türkiye between 2015 and 2017, which killed more than 300 and wounded dozens. Türkiye designated the group as terrorist in 2013.

ISIS said the attack on the Church was “in response to calls by ISIS leaders to attack Jews and Christians everywhere.”

The shooting at the church in Istanbul marks the first ISIS attack in Türkiye since 2017, when Abdulkadir Masharipov (alias Muhammed al-Khurasani), a man from Uzbekistan, has carried out the New Year's gun attack at Istanbul's Reina nightclub.

Since the deadly attack, Turkish security services have carried out continuous raids on ISIS cells and operatives.

The operations have so far led to the arrest of thousands of suspects, the deportation of nearly 3,000 people, and the denial of entry to the country to more than 5,000 foreign nationals.

World

Iran Warns Europe against Classifying IRGC as Terrorist Organization

Kanaani speaks during a meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and media officials. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Kanaani speaks during a meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and media officials. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
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Iran Warns Europe against Classifying IRGC as Terrorist Organization

Kanaani speaks during a meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and media officials. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Kanaani speaks during a meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and media officials. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

The Iranian Foreign Ministry warned against any European move to classify the Revolutionary Guards on the terrorist list. At the same time, Tehran expressed its determination to move forward in strengthening relations with Russia against what it described as “American unilateralism.”
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution demanding the expansion of sanctions on Iran and the classification of the IRGC on the list of terrorist organizations, following an attack launched by Iran with missiles and drones against Israel, in response to the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Among the motives of European legislators is Iran sending drones and missiles to groups described as “Tehran’s proxy” in the region, as well as Russia, which is waging a war with Ukraine.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that discussions raised during the European meeting were “baseless and irresponsible.”
Iranian media quoted Kanaani as saying during the weekly press conference: “The Revolutionary Guard is an official military force that plays an important role in preserving national security, protecting borders, confronting external and cross-border attacks and threats...”
He added that the IRGC assumed “an important role in development, economic prosperity, and public services for the Iranian people.”
Some countries are pressuring the European Union to find a way to classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.
But officials, led by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, say that they have not yet found a legal basis for such a step, nor are they confident that it will gain the support of all European Union members.
European officials are currently studying a court ruling issued in the German city of Dusseldorf related to the activities of the Revolutionary Guard, which paves the way for efforts to include it on the terrorist list. The United States has classified the IRGC as a terrorist organization since April 2019.
In a related matter, Kanaani said that Moscow and Tehran are working on a comprehensive cooperation agreement document in the long term, which “could give impetus to expanding cooperation between the two countries.” He referred to “common positions on regional and international issues,” including confronting “American unilateralism and combating terrorism.”
In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, signed memorandums of cooperation in Moscow against Western sanctions on the two countries. For three years, the two sides have been studying signing a “20-year comprehensive cooperation agreement” similar to an agreement deal between Tehran and Beijing.

World

US Congress Warns ICC Over Possible Arrest Warrants for Israeli Officials

FILE - Exterior view of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
FILE - Exterior view of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
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US Congress Warns ICC Over Possible Arrest Warrants for Israeli Officials

FILE - Exterior view of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
FILE - Exterior view of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

Members of the US Congress warned the International Criminal Court (ICC) that arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials will be met with US retaliation, sources told Axios on Monday.

The website said that Congress is already drafting legislation to that effect.

Earlier, Axios said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone so far as to urge US President Joe Biden to intervene to help prevent the warrants.

The ICC has been investigating allegations of war crimes against both the Israeli military and Palestinian factions dating back to 2014.

The White House declined to comment on Netanyahu's call with Biden but said “the ICC has no jurisdiction in this situation and we do not support its investigation.”

World

Philippines Accuses China of Damaging its Vessel at Hotly Contested Shoal

FILE PHOTO: Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons towards a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Adrian Portugal/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons towards a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Adrian Portugal/File Photo
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Philippines Accuses China of Damaging its Vessel at Hotly Contested Shoal

FILE PHOTO: Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons towards a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Adrian Portugal/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons towards a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Adrian Portugal/File Photo

The Philippines on Tuesday accused China's coast guard of harassment and damaging one of its boats in a disputed area of the South China Sea, and rejected Beijing's position that it had expelled two vessels from the hotly contested shoal.
The Philippine coast guard said its two vessels stood their ground at the Scarborough Shoal, a key battleground in the South China Sea, but one sustained damage from use of water cannon by two Chinese coast guard ships, Reuters said.
"This damage serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China coast guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels," Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said in a statement.
"They were not deterred and will persist in carrying out their legitimate operations to support Filipino fishermen and ensure their safety."
No country has sovereignty over the strategically located Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing patch used by several countries that is close to major shipping lanes. The shoal falls inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
China has occupied the atoll for more than a decade and waters around its lagoon, which has long been a sanctuary for vessels during storms, have been the site of multiple confrontations in recent years.
China's coast guard said the vessels had been expelled but did not provide details of the incident.
The Philippine' Tarriela said its vessel, the BRP Bagacay, suffered damage to its railing and canopy and China has installed a floating barrier at the shoal's entrance, "effectively restricting access to the area".
The two countries have traded accusations of illegal conduct at the shoal and the Philippines recently summoned a Chinese diplomat to explain the what it calls aggressive maneuvers. China typically accuses the Philippines of encroaching on its territory.
China and Philippines previously said they would seek better communications and management around skirmishes in the vast South China Sea, but tensions have increased recently, as the Philippines forges stronger diplomatic and military ties with the ally the United States.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's expansive claim had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.

World

Scotland's Leader Yousaf Quits After A Year

Humza Yousaf announced his resignation in an appearance at Bute House in Edinburgh - AFP
Humza Yousaf announced his resignation in an appearance at Bute House in Edinburgh - AFP
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Scotland's Leader Yousaf Quits After A Year

Humza Yousaf announced his resignation in an appearance at Bute House in Edinburgh - AFP
Humza Yousaf announced his resignation in an appearance at Bute House in Edinburgh - AFP

Scotland's first minister Humza Yousaf announced his resignation Monday ahead of two confidence votes this week sparked by his ditching of junior coalition partners in a row over climate policy.

The 39-year-old quit following a turbulent year as head of the Scottish government, during which support for his pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) has fallen.

Yousaf said he had "underestimated" the hurt he had caused by ending a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens in the Scottish parliament last week, AFP reported

His government had earlier abandoned ambitious targets for the transition to net-zero carbon emissions, angering the Greens.

The opposition Scottish Conservatives then lodged a vote of no-confidence in Yousaf, which was set for Wednesday and which the first minister was at risk of losing.

Scottish Labour lodged another no-confidence vote against his government.

The Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens all said they would vote against Yousaf in the personal vote, forcing him to seek the backing of the sole lawmaker from the pro-independence Alba party.

Yousaf -- the first Muslim leader of a major UK political party -- told reporters at his official residence that he thought winning was "absolutely possible".

But he added that he was "not willing to trade in my values or principles or do deals with whomever simply for retaining power".

"I have concluded that repairing our relationships across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm," Yousaf said.

Yousaf became Scotland's leader 13 months ago, after Nicola Sturgeon announced her surprise resignation after eight years in the job.

He won a bruising contest that exposed splits in the party between those on the left wing and others closer to the right.

Yousaf said he would continue as first minister until a successor was elected "in order to ensure a smooth and orderly transition", adding that the contest should start "as soon as possible".