Russia on Monday remanded in custody two men suspected of planning an attack in Saint Petersburg during New Year’s festivities and pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on its Web site that the two men had been detained on Friday based on information provided from “American partners,” and that both have confessed to preparing attacks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday thanked US President Donald Trump for intelligence that helped foil the attack.
The men are 22-year-old Nikita Semyonov and 23-year-old Georgiy Chernyshov, the local court service said in a statement following a closed hearing on Monday in Saint Petersburg, after a judge ruled that they be held pending the investigation.
The duo planned attacks in a central shopping center and a cathedral that is a major tourist attraction, and had sent images to the IS to confirm the targets, the Fontanka news site reported, citing an FSB source.
A video released by the FSB showed the arrest of two Slavic-looking men and a raid on their apartment, which contained munitions, knives, electrical cables and black clothing.
One of the men in court on Monday seemed to have bruises on his face, an Agence France-Presse photographer said.
A video released by the FSB to Russian news agencies showed one of the suspects, his face masked, pledging allegiance to the IS in Arabic.
Although Moscow and Washington are at odds on many issues, both regularly stress their mutual determination to fight terrorism.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
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RELAXED: After talks on Ukraine and trade, the French president met with students while his wife visited pandas, after the pair parted ways with their Chinese counterparts French President Emmanuel Macron concluded his fourth state visit to China yesterday in Chengdu, striking a more relaxed note after tough discussions on Ukraine and trade with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) a day earlier. Far from the imposing Great Hall of the People in Beijing where the two leaders held talks, Xi and China’s first lady, Peng Liyuan (彭麗媛), showed Macron and his wife Brigitte around the centuries-old Dujiangyan Dam, a World Heritage Site set against the mountainous landscape of Sichuan Province. Macron was told through an interpreter about the ancient irrigation system, which dates back to the third century
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