Italian police yesterday said they had dismantled a network of Muslim radicals that included two former bodyguards of Osama bin Laden and the suspected authors of one of Pakistan’s deadliest terror attacks.
In a move that followed a six-year investigation into an illegal immigration racket run from Sardinia, police on the Mediterranean island ordered the arrest of 18 people in coordinated raids across Italy.
The arrest warrants accuse the suspects of belonging to “an organization dedicated to transnational criminal activities inspired by al-Qaeda and other radical organizations pursuing armed struggle against the West and insurrection against the current government of Pakistan.”
ONGOING RAIDS
At least six of the suspects were detained on Sardinia and raids were continuing at several locations in the regions of Le Marche, Lazio and Lombardy on the Italian mainland.
Italian Minister of the Interior Angelino Alfano described the swoop as “an extraordinary operation” that demonstrated the efficiency of the security services.
“With one sole investigation that started in 2009 we have succeeded in not only dismantling a network of people traffickers, but also [detaining] several individuals accused of conspiring with terrorist aims and others of involvement in attacks,” Alfano said.
Wiretap recordings has led the specialist anti-terrorist unit that conducted the investigation to believe that two of them men arrested had been part of bin Laden’s security detail at some point prior to the late al-Qaeda leader’s slaying by US special forces in Pakistan in May 2011.
BOMBINGS
Some of the men arrested or being sought are suspected of involvement in the October 2009 bombing of the Meena Bazaar in Peshawar, which left more than 100 dead and over 200 people injured.
Many of the victims of the attack were women and children. The authorities blamed the Taliban for carrying out the attack in reprisal for anti-militant actions by government forces. The Taliban denied being involved.
Further details of the alleged terror network on a sleepy island that is a holiday playground for celebrities and some of the world’s richest people were due to be released at a press conference by local prosecutors later yesterday.
PEOPLE SMUGGLING
Police said the Sardinia-based group’s main activity was smuggling Pakistani and Afghan nationals into Europe through Italy, either by securing temporary visas via contacts with corrupt businessmen or helping applicants fraudulently present themselves as victims of ethnic or religious persecution who should be granted asylum in Europe.
Funds raised from this activity were allegedly sent back to radical groups in Pakistan.
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan that have been shaken by nearly 1,600 earthquakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said yesterday. There has been no major physical damage on hardest-hit Akuseki island, even after a magnitude 5.1 quake that struck overnight, said Toshima Mayor Genichiro Kubo, who is based on another island. However, the almost nonstop jolts since June 21 have caused severe stress to area residents, many of whom have been deprived of sleep. Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 had evacuated to the regional hub of Kagoshima by Sunday, while 15 others also left another
CEREMONY EXPECTED: Abdullah Ocalan said he believes in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons, and called on the group to put that into practice The jailed leader of a Kurdish militant group yesterday renewed a call for his fighters to lay down their arms, days before a symbolic disarmament ceremony is expected to take place as a first concrete step in a peace process with the Turkish state. In a seven-minute video message broadcast on pro-Kurdish Medya Haber’s YouTube channel, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said that the peace initiative had reached a stage that required practical steps. “It should be considered natural for you to publicly ensure the disarmament of the relevant groups in a way that addresses the expectations
RSS