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London terror suspects were known to MI5
Lyn Rigby, the mother of murdered soldier Lee Rigby, at a press conference in Greater Manchester on Friday. — Reuters Taliban attack aid group, 7 killed |
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Three hurt after BA plane makes emergency landing
UK fighter jets escort diverted Pakistani plane, 2 arrested
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London terror suspects were known to MI5
London, May 24 But Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said it was impossible to control everyone all the time. “Peers and MPs will do a thorough investigation in terms of what the security forces knew but I’ve seen experts on security explaining how difficult it is in a free society to be able to control everyone,” Pickles was quoted as saying by the BBC. Drummer Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old soldier from the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was hacked to death by the two Islamist extremists near Woolwich barracks on Wednesday. Both Londoners of Nigerian descent were caught on camera-phones and have been identified as 28-year-old Michael Adebolajo and 22-year-old Michael Adebowale. Adebolajo, from a Nigerian churchgoing family who converted to Islam after college, had complained of harassment by MI5 in the last three years after he came to the intelligence agency’s attention. He assumed a Muslim name of Mujahid, which means one who engages in jihad, and began attending demonstrations of the now-banned Islamist group Al Muhajiroun in the UK. Shortly after the attack, Adebolajo was filmed by a passer-by, saying he had carried out the attack because British soldiers killed Muslims every day. Holding a knife and machete in his bloodstained hands, he said: “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” Both suspects, shot by the police shortly after the incident, remain in separate hospitals and are too badly injured to be questioned at present. British PM David Cameron had said yesterday that Parliament’s intelligence and security committee would examine the wider role of the police and MI5, an inquiry that is expected to address any lessons that may need to be learned after counter-terrorism officials decided not to monitor the suspects. — PTI Exiled cleric praises knifeman’s ‘courage’ TRIPOLI (Lebanon): Syrian-born Islamist cleric who taught one of the men accused of hacking to death an off-duty British soldier on a London street praised the attack for its “courage” and said Muslims would see it as a strike on a military target. In an interview in Tripoli, where he has lived since being banished from Britain in 2005, Omar Bakri, founder of banned British Islamist group Al Muhajiroun, said he knew Adebolajo from his lectures a decade ago. — Reuters
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Taliban attack aid group, 7 killed
Kabul, May 24
The International Organisation for Migration said four of its workers were wounded, including an Italian woman badly burned by a grenade at its quarters for international workers. The police said at least five attackers also died. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the assault, the second major strike inside Kabul in a little more than a week. A Nepalese guard and an Afghan police officer providing security to the compound died in the assault, and at least five of the attackers were also dead, said Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayoub Salangi. The blast, however, did not damage the Indian Embassy building, which is located in the area. All embassy staff are safe, sources said. — AP
Kabul, May 24 The attack comes a week after a suicide car bomb targeting a foreign military convoy killed 15 people including five Americans in the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital for nearly a year. The Taliban announced their annual “spring offensive” on April 27, opening a crucial period as local security forces take the lead in the fight against the insurgents. At least two blasts hit the centre of Kabul at about 4 pm (1130 GMT) today, the second day of the Afghan weekend, and gunfire erupted as security forces rushed to the scene. The blast, however, did not damage the Indian embassy building, which is located in the area. All embassy staff are safe, sources said. Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai told AFP the initial blast came close to a hospital run by the NDS intelligence agency and the headquarters of the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF), a government force that provides security for clients including international firms, supply convoys and aid groups. He said gunmen had occupied a building in the attack, which is ongoing. Jawed Kazem, a local shopkeeper, said: “I was sitting in my shop when the explosion happened. It was a big explosion which threw me off my chair, minutes later another explosion happened. “Smoke is rising and gunfire is continuing.” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told AFP that his group was responsible and added that the attack began with a suicide car bombing. The suicide bombing last Thursday was the first major attack in Kabul since March 9 when a bomber on a bicycle killed nine people outside the defence ministry during a visit by US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. — AFP
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Three hurt after BA plane makes emergency landing
London, May 24 London Ambulance Service treated three patients for minor injuries after the emergency landing, the British Airways said on Twitter. “The BA762 returned back to Heathrow shortly after take-off due to a technical fault” the Airways said in a statement. Airport officials initially shut both runways of one of the world’s busiest airports but soon reopened the southern strip. — PTI
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UK fighter jets escort diverted Pakistani plane, 2 arrested
London, May 24 Two unidentified men are being held on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft and they had been removed from the plane, the Essex Police said. Two Royal Air Force fighter jets were deployed alongside the Boeing 777 to escort the Pakistan International Airlines flight travelling from Lahore as it was diverted to Stansted, Britain’s designated counter-terrorism airport. “Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby were launched today to investigate an incident involving a civilian aircraft within UK airspace; further details will be provided when known,” a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said. The MoD has since said that it was now a police matter and its involvement in the incident is over. There are understood to have been 297 passengers on board, besides 11 crew members, who were travelling from Lahore. — PTI
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Indian-Americans hail Srinivasan’s elevation as judge to US top court WikiLeaks releases transcript of US film Pair of Japan melons fetch $15,700 |
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The British Government today defended the country’s security services against criticism they missed signs which might have helped prevent the brutal murder of a soldier on a street of south-east London. MI5 now faces a House of Commons inquiry after it was confirmed the two terror suspects arrested over his murder were known to the national security agency.
At least three persons suffered minor injuries after a British Airways flight today made an emergency landing at London’s Heathrow Airport when one of the engines of the aircraft caught fire, forcing authorities to briefly shut down the Europe’s busiest airport. Heathrow Airport authorities have said that the airport is now “fully operational” and is returning to normal after a temporary shutdown and the cancellation of nearly 200 flights.
Washington: 