Attack
Germany detains Syrian suspected of planning Islamist attack
German authorities have detained a Syrian man on suspicion of planning to carry out an explosives attack motivated by Islamic extremism, officials said Tuesday.
Federal police said officers detained the 28-year-old man early Tuesday in the northern city of Hamburg.
Investigators say the man is suspected of trying to obtain substances online that would have allowed him to manufacturer an explosive belt “in order to carry out an attack against civilian targets.”
Police say the man was encouraged and supported in his action by his 24-year-old brother, who lives in the southern town of Kempten. The men, whose names weren't immediately released, are described as being motivated by “radical Islamist and jihadist” views.
Authorities said they had no information indicating a concrete target for the planned attack.
Police searched properties in Hamburg and Kempten, seizing large amounts of evidence including chemical substances, officials said. Some 250 officers were involved in the operation.
Germany's top security official thanked police, saying their actions “have prevented possible Islamist attack plans.”
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the case showed that the danger of Islamic extremism remained high and pledged that German security agencies would continue to take all information about such threats seriously.
“Germany remains a direct target of Islamist terrorist organizations," she said. "Islamist-motivated lone perpetrators are another significant threat.”
1 killed, 10 wounded as Russian forces hit Ukrainian museum
A Russian missile hit a museum building in a Ukrainian city on Tuesday, killing one of its workers and wounding 10 other people, part of a relentless barrage that comes as Ukraine is readying its forces for an expected spring counteroffensive.
Ukrainian officials said the Russian military used S-300 air defense missiles to attack Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, hitting the museum of local history in the center of the city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video from the site that shows the ruined building and emergency responders examining the damage.
“The terrorist country is doing everything to destroy us completely," Zelenskyy said. “Our history, our culture, our people. Killing Ukrainians with absolutely barbaric methods.”
Also Read: Russia's invasion of Ukraine reveals US ammunition stockpile was unprepared to support a major, ongoing land war
Kharkiv regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said that three people were hospitalized, seven received minor injuries and two others were still believed to be under the debris. Emergency responders were working to recover them.
Kupiansk was captured by Russian forces in the earlier stages of the Russian invasion and was reclaimed by Ukrainian forces in a surprise counteroffensive in September that saw the Russians driven out of broad swaths of the Kharkiv region.
A woman also died in Russian shelling of the town of Dvorichna, near Kupiansk, and two civilians were killed in the eastern Donetsk region, according to the Ukrainian presidential office.
Also Read: Russia's air force accidentally bombs its own city
The Ukrainian military is now preparing for a new massive counteroffensive, relying on the latest supplies of Western battle tanks and other weapons and fresh troops that were trained in the West.
Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine released Monday, described the planned counteroffensive as a “landmark battle in Ukraine’s modern history” that will see the country “reclaim significant areas.”
Lack of security for Japanese prime minister surprised many
The fishermen who tackled the man suspected of the second attack on a Japanese political leader in less than a year were surprised by the lack of security for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Fisherman Tsutomu Konishi was watching Kishida at a campaign event at this fishing port when an object flew overhead and landed near the prime minister, Konishi said. A security officer covered the object with a bulletproof briefcase, Konishi said. The fishermen swarmed the attacker.
“I never thought a crime like this would happen in my hometown, which is a rather small fishing area,” Konishi, 41, said Sunday as he sipped a can of coffee at the port of Saikazaki. “I’m still shocked and stunned."
The prime minister was unhurt but like many others in Japan, Konishi was mulling Sunday what the country should do to better protect public figures.
“At a time when Japan’s serving prime minister was visiting, perhaps we may have needed a metal detector,” Konishi said.
Masaki Nishide, a 55-year-old fisherman from Saikazaki, said most of the people at Saturday’s event were residents and supporters of the local candidate. He said the young man carrying the silver-gray backpack stood out.
Also Read: Japanese PM unhurt after blast during campaign event
“People here all dress like me, and nobody carries a backpack; it was only him,” Nishide said, wearing a sweatsuit and red rubber boots. “If I were in charge of security, I would have asked for a bag check.”
After the failed attack on the prime minister, one of the fishermen grabbed the suspect's neck from behind, another pushed his head down, and Konishi latched onto his leg. They were holding the man as police officers pulled him to the ground.
The chaotic scene was reminiscent of the assassination nine months ago of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which prompted police to tighten their protective measures after an investigation found holes in Abe’s security. Abe, one of Japan’s most influential and divisive politicians, was killed with a homemade gun during a campaign speech.
Also Read: Explosion at Japan port during PM Kishida visit, no injuries
Suspect Tetsuya Yamagami has been charged with murder and several other crimes, including violating gun-control laws.
Authorities have said Yamagami told investigators he killed Abe because of the former prime minister’s apparent links to a religious group that Yamagami hated. In statements and in social media postings attributed to him, Yamagami said his mother's donations to the Unification Church bankrupted his family and ruined his life.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, and with its strict gun control laws, the country has only a handful of gun-related crimes annually. Most of the cases are gang-related, though in recent years there has been growing concern about homemade guns and explosives. There also have been some high-profile cases of random knifing on subways and arson attacks.
Groups of several officers have guarded serving prime ministers. Fewer officers have been watching Cabinet ministers and former leaders.
Compared with the U.S. elections, audience at political campaigns in Japan are often allowed to be quite close to dignitaries. At the campaign event for Kishida the front-row audience was within touching distance.
Only one person, a police official, was hurt, his arm cut by fragments of the device, which didn't fully explode. Police arrested 24-year-old Ryuji Nakamura on suspicion of throwing an explosive in a metal tube at Kishida.
Police sent a special counter-explosives team to the suspect's home in Hyogo prefecture to search for evidence of bomb-making. There are nationwide local elections this month. and Japan is hosting a series of Group of Seven meetings leading up to the May 19-21 leaders' summit in Hiroshima. Diplomats arrived Sunday for the G-7 foreign ministers' meeting in Karuizawa.
Isao Itabashi, a public safety expert, said on NHK TV that the attack raised questions about how election campaigns are being handled. Guarding top politicians in campaigns is logistically hard, and balancing tight security with a free election is also difficult, he said.
Kiyotaka Hamada, 70, a senior member of the local fishing association, said he felt something hit his shoulder just as he heard the bang and was running from the scene. Police took his jacket to see if he'd been hit by a fragment of the explosive.
“I just want to ask the suspect why he had to come here to make trouble," he said.
For Hamada and other fishermen, there's worry also about the expected loss of income from the days they cannot work while the port facilities are closed for the investigation.
“We put so much effort throughout the village to welcome the prime minister here on his first ever visit,” Hamada said. “Now we cannot even go out to sea.”
At least 22 people killed by rebels in eastern Congo: Mayor
At least 22 civilians were killed by extremist rebels in eastern Congo - the group's second large-scale deadly attack of the week, local authorities said Saturday.
Fighters with the Allied Democratic Forces — which has ties to the Islamic State group — attacked people in Beni territory in North Kivu province late Friday evening, said Nicolas Kambale, the mayor of Oicha commune where the attacks occurred.
“The enemy killed them savagely and as we speak we have at least 22 civilians killed who are already in the morgue,” Kambale said Saturday.
Violence has been simmering in eastern Congo for decades where some 120 armed groups have been fighting over land, resources, power and some to defend their communities. Attacks by rebel groups like ADF have increased recently. Since April last year, ADF attacks have killed at least 370 civilians and abducted several hundred more, including a significant number of children, according to the United Nations.
The group, which originally operated in North Kivu province, has spread to neighboring Ituri province, where more than 144,000 people have been displaced between January and February, according to the U.N. Efforts by Congo’s army and Ugandan forces to push them back have yielded little results.
Friday's attack came days after ADF killed more than 30 civilians, including women and children, between the Irumu and Mambasa territories in Ituri.
A spokesman for Congo's army in Beni, Capt. Antony Mwalushayi, said the attack Friday was in retaliation for large-scale offensives that the military has been conducting in the area.
US Embassy expects investigation of alleged assault on journo Zulkarnain's brother
The US Embassy in Dhaka expects an investigation thoroughly into a reported attack on Mahinur Ahmed Khan, brother of UK-based journalist Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami
"We wish Khan a speedy recovery, and we hope the case is thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice," said acting US Embassy Spokesperson Bryan Schiller in a statement on Friday.
Bryan Schiller said the US Embassy is aware of reports that Mahinur was attacked in front of his home in Mirpur last week.
Mahinur Ahmed Khan, 37, came under attack at about 8:00pm on March 17 as he went out to buy some essential items from a shop opposite his house, according to his wife Rubyda Rakhee.
Ferocious fishermen attack cops who lifted their net in Barishal
At least sixteen policemen were injured in an attack by a group of fishermen in the Meghna river on Friday evening.
Bikash Chandra Dey, in charge of Hizla River Police Unit, is among the injured.
They are now receiving treatment at a local hospital, said Sayed Hossain, duty officer of Hizla River Police Unit.
Hizla upazila executive officer Mohammad Tarek Hawladar, said a team, including river police, conducted a drive in the Meghna river sanctuary in Hizla upazila this evening.
While the law enforcers tried to lift a net in the river, the fishermen, who were engaged in netting fish, attacked them, leaving 16 cops injured, the officer said.
Police had to open fire on eight rounds of bullets to bring the situation under control.
Action will be taken against those involved in the attack, said Yunus Miah, officer-in-charge of Hizla Police Station.
‘Suffered a heart attack,’ Sushmita Sen says
Former Miss Universe and Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen says she suffered a heart attack.Sen, in her latest Instagram post today, said she suffered a heart attack a few days ago, reports NDTV."Keep your heart happy and courageous, and it'll stand by you when you need it the most Shona" (Wise words by my father Subir Sen). I suffered a heart attack a couple of days back...Angioplasty done...stent in place...and most importantly, my cardiologist reconfirmed 'I do have a big heart'," she wrote posting a picture with her father Subir Sen."Lots of people to thank for their timely aid and constructive action...will do so in another post," she added in the post."This post is just to keep you (my well-wishers and loved ones) informed of the good news ...that all is well and I am ready for some life again. I love you guys beyond!!!!" — she also wrote.Best-known for starring in movies like “Biwi No 1”, “Main Hoon Na”, “Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya”, “Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge”, and “No Problem”, Sen made her acting comeback with the International Emmy-nominated series “Aarya” and also starred in the second instalment of the show. The actress will soon be seen in the third season of the series, said the report.
Death toll from Islamic State attack in Syria at least 53
The death toll from an attack by the Islamic State group against an army checkpoint and people collecting truffles in central Syria has risen to at least 53, most of them civilians, state media and an opposition war monitor reported Saturday.
The attack near the central town of Sukhna on Friday was the deadliest by the extremist group since so far this year, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor said.
The Observatory said the attack targeted a Syrian army checkpoint and people collecting wild truffles nearby, killing 68 people, including 61 civilians. It said IS fighters reached the area on motorcycles. On Friday, it reported that the attack killed 46.
The Observatory, which tracks Syria’s conflict, said the IS gunmen took advantage of the Feb. 6 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria killing tens of thousands of people to carry out their deadly attack. The attention in Syria has been mostly focused on the earthquake over the past two weeks.
Syria’s state news agency, SANA, quoted the head of the general hospital in the central town of Palmyra as saying that they have received the bodies of 46 civilians and seven soldiers.
Despite their defeat in Syria in March 2019, Islamic State sleeper cells still conduct attacks around Syria and Iraq, where they once declared a “caliphate.”
On Friday, the U.S. military said a helicopter raid led by its forces in northeast Syria left a senior leader with the Islamic State group dead and four American service members wounded. It identified the killed IS commander as Hamza al-Homsi.
Joint operations between the U.S. military and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are common in northeast and eastern Syria along the border with Iraq.
Attack on Navy officer: arrest warrant issued for Irfan Selim
A Dhaka court has issued an arrest warrant for Irfan Selim, son of Dhaka-7 MP Haji Selim, in a case over the unprovoked attack on an off-duty Navy officer in 2021.
Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court Judge Muhammad Asaduzzaman Nur passed the order while rejecting an application for bail by the accused.
The court had earlier set Wednesday (Feb. 8) for hearings, but Ifran was absent from court on account of illness. A time petition was also placed for him, but the court rejected it.
Irfan's counsel, Sri Prannath, prayed for bringing forward the date of hearing due to his personal jobs.
Rejecting the time petition, the court issued the arrest warrant for Irfan and asked for the trial process to be formally initiated through the framing of charges against the five accused, including Irfan.
The court also set March 6 for recording testimonies of witnesses in the case.
The other four accused are his bodyguard Jahidul Mollah, driver Mizanur Rahman, Madina Group Protocol Officer AB Siddique Dipu and associate Kazi Ripon.
Of them, Jahidul has been in jail, Mizanur and Dipu are now out on bail, while Ripon is absconding.
A case was filed with Dhanmondi Police Station against Irfan Selim for assaulting a navy official, Lieutenant Wasif Ahmed Khan, more than two years back. October 26, 2020.
Lt Wasif filed the case against four named, including Irfan Selim, also councillor of ward-30 of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), and 2-3 unnamed persons he accused.
According to the case statement, a private car hit Lt Wasif's motorcycle near Labaid Hospital at Dhanmondi on October 25, 2020 when he along with his wife was returning to their Mohammadpur residence from Nilkhet area.
Members of Rapid action Battalion (Rab) detained Irfan Selim in this connection later.
Read more: Irfan Selim relieved from narcotics case
BCL activists attack Chhatra Odhikar Parishad activist, says a Parishad member
Activists of Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad said that a group of activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League attacked their regular Qwwali programme at the TSC of the Dhaka University on Thursday evening.
But a BCL leader rejected the allegation.
Asif Mahmud, former vice president of DU Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, said that the BCL activists beat a member of their group when he arrived at the TSC to join about a dozen of them who gathered there to sing Qwwali songs.
Mahmud said they left the place after sensing danger, but their friend Lutfor Rahman was attacked when he arrived at the scene late.
Mahmud accused Dhaka University Chhatra League General Secretary S Tanbir Hasan Saikat of asking his followers to attack Lutfor, but he denied the allegation.
After the attack, Lutfor Rahman was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment as he was injured badly, his friends said.
Asked, Saikat said he had no idea about any attack.
Lutfor is a student of Arabic Department of Dhaka University of 2016-17 academic session and was former cultural affairs secretary of Chhatra Odhikar parishad of DU unit. He is also one of the founders of Silsila, the Qwwali music brand of Dhaka University.
Read more: 4 BCL leaders arrested over attack at Barishal University dormitory