Teen in court over UK stabbings as Starmer seeks to quell unrest

A prison van believed to be transporting Axel Rudakubana, the 17-year-old charged with the murder of three young girls, departs Liverpool City Magistrates Court in Liverpool, Britain, August 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 01 August 2024
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Teen in court over UK stabbings as Starmer seeks to quell unrest

  • False information online about the background of the suspect led to far-right agitators targeting a mosque and clashing with police in Southport

LONDON: A teenager appeared in court Thursday charged with murdering three girls in a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party as violent protests over the attack erupted in several English cities.
Axel Rudakubana, 17, faces three counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder following the killings Monday in Southport, northwest England.
The attack has shocked the country, and false information online about the background of the suspect led to far-right agitators targetting a mosque and clashing with police in Southport.
 




This combination of pictures created on July 30, 2024 shows handout pictures released by Merseyside Police in London on July 30, 2024, of Alice Dasilva Aguiar (L), Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Bebe King, who died after a mass stabbing in Southport, northern England. (AFP)

Protests also rocked London, and the northern cities of Hartlepool and Manchester on Wednesday night. Police arrested more than 100 people outside Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official Downing Street residence.
Starmer was to hold an emergency meeting Thursday with police chiefs seeking to quell the unrest.
Rudakubana was remanded in a youth detention center during a hearing at Liverpool’s crown court, where a judge lifted normal court reporting restrictions for a minor, ruling that he could be named.
“Continuing to prevent the full reporting has the disadvantage of allowing others to spread misinformation, in a vacuum,” said judge Andrew Menary, lifting the restriction.
While the suspect would normally have had anonymity because of his age, he would in any case have lost it when he turned 18 next Wednesday.
Rudakubana wore a grey tracksuit sweatshirt and at times rocked back and forth and side to side.

The youth is accused of murdering Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine.
He allegedly wounded another eight children and two adults during the attack, which has sparked an outpouring of grief in Southport, a quiet seaside town.
False social media information about him contributed to violent clashes in Southport on Tuesday night, in which bricks were thrown at a mosque and 53 police officers were hurt.
Police have blamed members of the far-right English Defense League grouping, an Islamophobic organization founded 15 years ago whose supporters have been linked to football hooliganism.
The protests spread on Wednesday, including to Downing Street.
Protesters in London threw bottles at police and shouted, “We want our country back” and “Stop the boats” — the latter a reference to small boats bringing irregular migrants across the Channel.
In Hartlepool, northeast England, demonstrators set fire to police cars and threw objects at officers. Police said they had made eight arrests.
Hartlepool police said officers faced “missiles, glass bottles and eggs being thrown at them, with several suffering minor injuries.”
At the meeting with police chiefs, Starmer will pay tribute to the bravery of emergency service workers, a statement by the prime minister’s office said.
He will also say that while the right to protest must be protected, “criminals who exploit that right in order to sow hatred and carry out violent acts will face the full force of the law.”
The Labour government has vowed to clamp down on crime and antisocial behavior.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper promised to ramp up the presence of community police “in every corner of the country.”
Starmer will tell police leaders “that they should not hesitate to use their powers to stop mindless violence in its tracks and make sure justice is served,” the statement from his office said.




A photograph taken on July 30 2024, shows a statement posted on Instagram by US Singer-Songwriter Taylor Swift following the July 29 stabbing rampage at the Hart Space dance studio in Southport, England. (AFP)

 


US military judge reinstates 9/11 mastermind plea deal — official

Updated 5 sec ago
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US military judge reinstates 9/11 mastermind plea deal — official

  • Prosecution can appeal decision but it was not immediately clear if they would do so
  • Agreements triggered anger among some relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks

WASHINGTON: A US military judge has reinstated plea agreements for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants, an official said Thursday, three months after the deals were scrapped by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The agreements — which are understood to take the death penalty off the table — had triggered anger among some relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks, and Austin said that both they and the American public deserved to see the defendants stand trial.
“I can confirm that the military judge has ruled that the pretrial agreements for the three accused are valid and enforceable,” the US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The prosecution has the opportunity to appeal the decision, but it was not immediately clear if they would do so.
The plea deals with Mohammed and two alleged accomplices were announced in late July in a step that appeared to have moved their long-running cases toward resolution after years of being bogged down in pre-trial maneuverings while the defendants remained held at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.
But Austin withdrew the agreements two days after they were announced, saying the decision should rest with him given its significance.
He subsequently told journalists that “the families of the victims, our service members and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out in this case.”
Much of the legal jousting surrounding the men’s cases has focused on whether they could be tried fairly after having undergone methodical torture at the hands of the CIA in the years after 9/11 — a thorny issue that the plea agreements would have avoided.


US military ready to carry out lawful orders of next administration, Pentagon chief says

Updated 07 November 2024
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US military ready to carry out lawful orders of next administration, Pentagon chief says

  • “The US military will also continue to stand apart from the political arena;,” Austin wrote

WASHINGTON: US Défense Secretary Lloyd Austin told troops that the Pentagon was committed to an orderly transition to the incoming administration of Donald Trump, adding that the military would not get involved in politics and was ready to carry out “all lawful orders.”
“The US military will also continue to stand apart from the political arena; to stand guard over our republic with principle and professionalism; and to stand together with the valued allies and partners who deepen our security,” Austin wrote in a memo to troops that was sent out on Wednesday night.


Germany arrests a US citizen over accusations of spying for China

Updated 07 November 2024
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Germany arrests a US citizen over accusations of spying for China

  • The suspect, who was only identified as Martin D., was arrested in Frankfurt
  • His home was being searched

BERLIN: Germany’s federal prosecutor office said it arrested an American citizen on Thursday who allegedly spied for China.
The office said that the suspect, who was only identified as Martin D., was arrested in Frankfurt and that his home was being searched.
The accused, who until recently worked for the US Armed Forces in Germany, is strongly suspected of having agreed to act as an intelligence agent for a foreign secret service.
Earlier this year, he contacted Chinese government agencies and offered to transmit sensitive information from the US military to a Chinese intelligence service, according to an investigation by Germany’s domestic intelligence service.
He had obtained the information in question in the course of his work in the US army, the prosecutor’s statement said, without giving any further information.


Offering Putin Ukraine concessions ‘suicidal’ for Europe: Zelensky

Updated 07 November 2024
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Offering Putin Ukraine concessions ‘suicidal’ for Europe: Zelensky

  • Zelensky blasted those who were urging him to give in to some of President Vladimir Putin’s hard-line demands
  • “There has been much talk about the need to yield to Putin, to back down, to make some concessions ...” Zelensky said

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said it would be “suicidal” for Europe to offer the Kremlin concessions to halt its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to European leaders at a summit in Hungary, Zelensky blasted those who were urging him to give in to some of President Vladimir Putin’s hard-line demands, and urged Europe and the United States not to loosen ties following the election of Donald Trump.
“There has been much talk about the need to yield to Putin, to back down, to make some concessions ... It’s unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all Europe,” Zelensky said, according to a copy of the address provided to AFP by the Ukrainian presidency.
He accused some European leaders, without specifying who, of “strongly” pushing Ukraine to make “concessions to Putin” — something Kyiv says would only embolden the Kremlin leader and encourage further aggression.
“We need sufficient weapons, not support in talks. Hugs with Putin won’t help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse,” Zelensky said.
The summit was being hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has repeatedly railed against the West’s multi-billion dollar support to Kyiv.
Zelensky also urged Europe and the US to preserve their strong ties following Trump’s election victory this week.
The Republican has repeatedly criticized American aid to Ukraine and said he could end the war within hours of taking office.
“We do hope that America will become stronger. This is the kind of America that Europe needs. And a strong Europe is what America needs. This is the connection between allies that must be valued and cannot be lost,” Zelensky said.
As he repeated a call for more Western arms for his struggling army, Zelensky said Europe had to realize that North Korea was effectively “waging war” on the continent.
“North Korea is now, in effect, waging war in Europe. North Korean soldiers are attempting to kill our people on European soil,” he said, referring to reports Pyongyang has deployed troops to Russia to support the invasion.


US military judge reinstates 9/11 mastermind plea deal: official

Updated 07 November 2024
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US military judge reinstates 9/11 mastermind plea deal: official

  • The prosecution has the opportunity to appeal the decision, but it was not immediately clear if they would do so

WASHINGTON: A US military judge has reinstated plea agreements for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants, an official said Thursday, three months after the deals were scrapped by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The agreements — which are understood to take the death penalty off the table — had triggered anger among some relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks, and Austin said that both they and the American public deserved to see the defendants stand trial.
“I can confirm that the military judge has ruled that the pretrial agreements for the three accused are valid and enforceable,” the US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The prosecution has the opportunity to appeal the decision, but it was not immediately clear if they would do so.
The plea deals with Mohammed and two alleged accomplices were announced in late July in a step that appeared to have moved their long-running cases toward resolution after years of being bogged down in pre-trial maneuverings while the defendants remained held at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.
But Austin withdrew the agreements two days after they were announced, saying the decision should rest with him given its significance.
He subsequently told journalists that “the families of the victims, our service members and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out in this case.”
Much of the legal jousting surrounding the men’s cases has focused on whether they could be tried fairly after having undergone methodical torture at the hands of the CIA in the years after 9/11 — a thorny issue that the plea agreements would have avoided.