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Twin attacks kill 74 in Uganda
Pakistan cracks down on Punjab outlawed groups
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Vienna shooting trial begins
Qaida magazine
teaches bomb making
Probe blames Israeli navy
for flotilla raid
Polanski free man, Swiss won’t
return him to US
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Twin attacks kill 74 in Uganda
Kampala, July 12 An Al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group claimed responsibility for the carnage at a Kampala sports bar and an Ethiopian restaurant. At least one American was among those killed in the explosions, which US President Barack Obama swiftly condemned as "cowardly". The attacks came days ahead of the July 19-27 African Union summit in Kampala, which the government said would go ahead as planned. "The latest official count is 74 confirmed," Fred Opolot, a Ugandan government spokesman, told AFP without elaborating. The previous death toll provided by the police stood at 64. He said the nationalities of the victims were still being established and added that police were trying to determine if suicide bombers carried out the attacks. "While there is evidence to suggest that there were suicide bombers, at the same time it is thought that the bombs were under some chairs," he told reporters. A US embassy spokeswoman confirmed one American was among the dead and an AFP correspondent saw at least three wounded US citizens at the city's main Mulago hospital, where dozens were rushed in for treatment. Meanwhile, world leaders today condemned the "cowardly" blasts as they watched the broadcast of the World Cup final, an event that was hailed as a triumphant moment for Africa. "These were cowardly attacks during an event that was widely seen as a celebration of African unity," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said of the attacks on two restaurants in the Ugandan capital Kampala yesterday. "The UK will stand with Uganda in fighting such brutal acts of violence and terror," he said in a statement. US President Barack Obama likewise pledged US assistance to Uganda following the violence in which one American was among the victims, a spokesman said. "The president is deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks, and sends his condolences to the people of Uganda and the loved ones of those who have been killed or injured," National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement. — AFP
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Pakistan cracks down on Punjab outlawed groups
Islamabad, July 12 The “unannounced police operation” against proscribed organisations began last night, The News daily reported. The police conducted raids in Rahimyar Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Layyah districts and arrested some 170 activists of Sunni sectarian groups like the Sipah-e-Sahaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. During the operation, 22 offices of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba, a notorious anti-Shia group, were sealed. The Sipah-e-Sahaba is allegedly operating under the new name of Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat. The operation also targeted facilities and members of the banned groups in Lahore, Multan, Sahiwal, Khanewal, Jhang, Bhakkar, Gujrat, Vehari, Rawalpindi and other cities. The arrested activists were taken to unknown locations. Allama Ahmad Ludhianvi, chief of the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, condemned the arrests. In a statement, he said, “preparations were afoot to play a heinous game across the country at the behest of foreign forces”. He said the unjustified arrest of his party’s workers had created an environment of tension and the government’s steps had provoked activists. “I have asked the government to identify terrorists in my party and they would be handed over to the authorities,” he said. Ludhianvi urged activists of his party to exercise restraint. During the raids in Bahawalpur district, six activists of the Sipah-e-Sahaba, Millat-e-Islami and Jaish-e-Muhammad were arrested. Seven and five activists were arrested in Rahimyar Khan and Bahawalnagar respectively. Bahawalnagar district police chief Mehboob Rashid confirmed the arrest of five activists. More arrests are expected, he said. — PTI
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Vienna, July 12 A Sikh preacher was killed and more than a dozen others were wounded, including a second Sikh cleric, during the May 24 incident. The rampage triggered riots in several cities in northern India. The main suspect is charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder. The other five are accused of accessory to murder and attempted intentional aggravated assault. None have been officially identified but the Vienna public prosecutor's office said five are Indian citizens and that the nationality of the sixth suspect is unknown. A verdict is not expected before the end of September. If convicted, the suspects face up to life in prison. — AP
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Qaida magazine
teaches bomb making
Dubai, July 12 The first edition of Yemen-based Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) Inspire magazine was released yesterday, according to SITE Intelligence, a US service that monitors Islamist websites. Inspire, a 67-page publication provided by SITE from jihadist forums that are sometimes password-protected or otherwise difficult to access, appears to have been designed with care. The magazine, which is packed with sleek pictures of Al-Qaida leaders and bright graphics, can also be viewed on the popular online document-sharing website Scribd at: www.scribd.com/doc/34179546/Inspire-Magazine <http://www.scribd.com/doc/34179546/Inspire-Magazine>. Its cover features an image of a silhouetted man with a rifle under the headline “May Our Souls Be Sacrificed For You!,” an article attributed to radical US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.With article titles such as “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom” by the “The AQ Chef,” or a packing list included in “What to Expect in Jihad,” parts of the magazine have a friendly, if extremist, scouting manual feel.
— AFP
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Probe blames Israeli navy
for flotilla raid
Jerusalem, July 12 The 150-page Eiland Commission report criticises intelligence gathering and forward planning. It faults the navy of failing to sufficiently consider the possibility that the commandos would encounter violent resistance when attempting to keep the ships out of Gaza, daily Ha'aretz reported. The internal probe by Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on the deadly raid onboard the Turkish Gaza bound aid ship on May 31 will be released later today. Even though, it doesn't call for action against particular officers, it is to criticise the navy for not cooperating sufficiently with espionage agency Mossad in gathering information ahead of the flotilla's arrival, the daily said.
— PTI
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Polanski free man, Swiss won’t
return him to US
Gstaad, Switzerland, July 12 “He is a free man since 11:30 today,” Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told a news conference in Switzerland’s capital, Berne. “He can go to France or to Poland, anywhere where he will not be arrested.” Widmer-Schlumpf said she had decided against extradition because of potential technical faults in the US request and also because Polanski had for years come to Switzerland in good faith. Polanski, 76, who won a best director Oscar for his portrait of life in the Warsaw Jewish ghetto of World War Two in “The Pianist,” was arrested on September 26 upon arrival in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award at a film festival. He had been under house arrest since December 2009 at his mountain chalet in the chic ski town of Gstaad on a 4.5 million Swiss franc ($4.26 million) bail, his movements constrained by an electronic foot bracelet. — Reuters
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Kampala, July 12
