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Türkiye Arrests Suspected Istanbul Church Attack Planner Linked to ISIS

Turkish police officers stand guard in a cordoned off area outside the Santa Maria church, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP)
Turkish police officers stand guard in a cordoned off area outside the Santa Maria church, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP)
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Türkiye Arrests Suspected Istanbul Church Attack Planner Linked to ISIS

Turkish police officers stand guard in a cordoned off area outside the Santa Maria church, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP)
Turkish police officers stand guard in a cordoned off area outside the Santa Maria church, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP)

Turkish authorities have arrested ISIS militant believed to be involved in planning an attack on the Santa Maria Italian Church in Istanbul earlier this year, the country's intelligence agency said on Saturday.

The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) said the suspect, whom it identified as Viskhan Soltamatov, was believed to be the key figure behind the Jan. 28, 2024 attack. He was detained by MIT and police during a joint operation in Istanbul, the agency said, Reuters reported.

MIT said Soltamatov was also believed to have supplied the weapon used in the assault.

One Turkish citizen was killed by two ISIS gunmen at the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church in Istanbul in January.

The church attack was orchestrated by ISIS-linked operatives from the group's Khorasan Province (ISKP), a faction active in Afghanistan. In April, Türkiye had arrested 48 people believed to be linked to the attack.

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World

Cape Verde in Mourning after Children Killed in Bus Crash

An aerial view of residents and relatives of the victims killed in a bus crash gathering during their funeral at Sao Lourenco Church in the town of Sao Lourenco, on the island of Fogo, on September 6, 2026. (Photo by Herculano da Luz / AFP)
An aerial view of residents and relatives of the victims killed in a bus crash gathering during their funeral at Sao Lourenco Church in the town of Sao Lourenco, on the island of Fogo, on September 6, 2026. (Photo by Herculano da Luz / AFP)
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Cape Verde in Mourning after Children Killed in Bus Crash

An aerial view of residents and relatives of the victims killed in a bus crash gathering during their funeral at Sao Lourenco Church in the town of Sao Lourenco, on the island of Fogo, on September 6, 2026. (Photo by Herculano da Luz / AFP)
An aerial view of residents and relatives of the victims killed in a bus crash gathering during their funeral at Sao Lourenco Church in the town of Sao Lourenco, on the island of Fogo, on September 6, 2026. (Photo by Herculano da Luz / AFP)

Cape Verde's government announced two days of mourning on Sunday after 25 people, mostly children and teenagers, were killed in a bus crash.

The west African country's leaders joined a Mass on Sunday at a local church on the island of Fogo, where 18 coffins were on display.

Such accidents are rare in the Atlantic archipelago, where roads are generally in good condition.

Officials said the bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep ravine late on Saturday, following an excursion to a village inside a volcanic crater.

The dead included the bus driver, who organized the excursion every year as a present for the pupils he drove to school during term time.

Prime Minister Francisco Carvalho told public television station TCV he had ordered two days of mourning and promised further measures would be taken.

President Jose Maria Neves, meanwhile, said he would order an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident.

"Right now the priority is to show solidarity with the families of the victims," AFP quoted him as saying.

Emergency personnel worked through the night to rescue victims trapped in the wreckage, in a remote, rocky valley.

Seven victims were buried early on Sunday. The rest were set to be buried later in the day, according to public radio network RCV.

Dionisio Semedo, a doctor at the regional hospital on Fogo, told public TV that 12 people were still receiving treatment, two of whom were in serious condition.

He said bodies and injured people began arriving at the hospital on Saturday night, between 11:00 pm and midnight.

World

Iran's Top Negotiator Threatens 'Faster, More Intense' Response to US Attacks

People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /
People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /
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Iran's Top Negotiator Threatens 'Faster, More Intense' Response to US Attacks

People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /
People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf threatened on Sunday to launch swifter and more forceful responses to US attacks, after Tehran targeted American warships in retaliation for US attacks on tankers.

"The Americans must have understood that the era of proportionate responses has come to an end," said Ghalibaf in a speech carried by state media, adding that "any aggression against Iran's interests and security will receive a faster, more intense and more painful response.”

Iran said Sunday that it struck an unmanned US military boat in the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command, which oversees the US military operations in the Middle East, did not confirm the claim or respond to request for comment. It comes one day after the US said it struck Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran launching ballistic missiles at Navy warships.

World

A Fuel Tanker Explosion in West Iran Kills 11 and Injures 7

A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)
A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)
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A Fuel Tanker Explosion in West Iran Kills 11 and Injures 7

A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)
A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)

A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, state media said.

IRNA reported late Saturday that the tanker hit other cars before bursting into flames near a traffic police station close to the Kurdish city of Sanandaj, some 400 kilometers (248 miles) west of the capital, Tehran. The report cited a faulty brake system, The Associated Press said.

The injured were transferred to hospitals.

In 2018, a similar road accident between a fuel tanker and an intercity passenger bus near Sanandaj killed 15 people and injured four.

Road and traffic accidents annually leave more than 17,000 dead in Iran. Experts blame the high fatality rate on unsafe vehicles, disregard for traffic rules, and inadequate emergency services.