Friday, April 03, 2009
'Please stop': Taliban flog girl, 17, as she begs for mercy in 'honour' punishment
By Debra Killalea
Last updated at 12:16 PM on 03rd April 2009
This is the chilling moment a 17-year-old Pakistani girl is punished in a horrific flogging by Taliban militants for being seen with a man who is not her husband.
Mobile phone footage shows the girl begging for mercy as she receives 37 lashes at the hands of her brother while two others hold her down.
'Please stop it,' she begs but the men completely disregard her desperate pleas and pathetic attempts to defend herself.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW
Swat flogging
The girl, 17, is held down by two men as a third raises a whip to flog her
The footage ends when the injured girl is dragged away into a nearby building.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan claimed responsibility for the flogging in today's Guardian, which obtained footage of the shocking act.
He said it was the Taliban's right to thrash women and that the girl was being punished for coming out of her house with another man who was not her husband.
But some claim the commander ordered the flogging to get revenge after the girl refused to accept a marriage proposal.
Swat flogging
The man, believed to be the girl's brother, brings the whip down as she tries in vain to protect herself
Pashtun documentary maker Samar Minallah, who lived in Swat for two years in the late 1990s, handed the footage to the media.
The footage has sparked alarm across Pakistan and the west, which fears the Taliban is seeking to extend its influence across the region.
The girl in the video, named as Chaand, was punished in Matta in the Swat Valley.
She did not receive a trial and was punished according to the suspicions of one neighbour.
Ms Minallah said the incident had taken place within the last 10 days, following the signing of a peace deal between the provincial government and militants which saw them gain control of the valley's judicial system.
Swat flogging
He gets ready to raise his whip again as the two men continue to hold her down
She said the video is being circulated because the Taliban wanted people to see it.
'They want to give the message that this is taking place after the peace deal because this is something they ideologically believe in,' she said.
Journalists and human rights workers have confirmed the video was recent, but could not say exactly when it was taken.
Human rights officials also claim that the Taliban have committed many atrocities since the peace deal was signed with officials settling disputes 'according to their whims.'
Mingora, the largest city in Swat district, has been under a mixture of traditional and Islamic law since the peace deal was signed on February 15.
Although the Taliban do not control the courts, they continue to carry out punishments in some regional areas.
The punishment is not the first to be dished out since the peace deal was signed with some sources claiming women have been whipped for harmless activities such as shopping.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
'Worse than the Taliban' - new law rolls back rights for Afghan women
A burqa-clad Afghan woman
A burqa-clad Afghan woman walks in an old bazaar in Kabul. Photograph: Ahmad Masood/REUTERS
Hamid Karzai has been accused of trying to win votes in Afghanistan's presidential election by backing a law the UN says legalises rape within marriage and bans wives from stepping outside their homes without their husbands' permission.
The Afghan president signed the law earlier this month, despite condemnation by human rights activists and some MPs that it flouts the constitution's equal rights provisions.
Jon Boone reveals Afghanistan's new law denying women's rights Link to this audio
The final document has not been published, but the law is believed to contain articles that rule women cannot leave the house without their husbands' permission, that they can only seek work, education or visit the doctor with their husbands' permission, and that they cannot refuse their husband sex.
A briefing document prepared by the United Nations Development Fund for Women also warns that the law grants custody of children to fathers and grandfathers only.
Senator Humaira Namati, a member of the upper house of the Afghan parliament, said the law was "worse than during the Taliban". "Anyone who spoke out was accused of being against Islam," she said.
The Afghan constitution allows for Shias, who are thought to represent about 10% of the population, to have a separate family law based on traditional Shia jurisprudence. But the constitution and various international treaties signed by Afghanistan guarantee equal rights for women.
Shinkai Zahine Karokhail, like other female parliamentarians, complained that after an initial deal the law was passed with unprecedented speed and limited debate. "They wanted to pass it almost like a secret negotiation," she said. "There were lots of things that we wanted to change, but they didn't want to discuss it because Karzai wants to please the Shia before the election."
Although the ministry of justice confirmed the bill was signed by Karzai at some point this month, there is confusion about the full contents of the final law, which human rights activists have struggled to obtain a copy of. The justice ministry said the law would not be published until various "technical problems" had been ironed out.
After seven years leading Afghanistan, Karzai is increasingly unpopular at home and abroad and the presidential election in August is expected to be extremely closely fought. A western diplomat said the law represented a "big tick in the box" for the powerful council of Shia clerics.
Leaders of the Hazara minority, which is regarded as the most important bloc of swing voters in the election, also demanded the new law.
Ustad Mohammad Akbari, an MP and the leader of a Hazara political party, said the president had supported the law in order to curry favour among the Hazaras. But he said the law actually protected women's rights.
"Men and women have equal rights under Islam but there are differences in the way men and women are created. Men are stronger and women are a little bit weaker; even in the west you do not see women working as firefighters."
Akbari said the law gave a woman the right to refuse sexual intercourse with her husband if she was unwell or had another reasonable "excuse". And he said a woman would not be obliged to remain in her house if an emergency forced her to leave without permission.
The international community has so far shied away from publicly questioning such a politically sensitive issue.
"It is going to be tricky to change because it gets us into territory of being accused of not respecting Afghan culture, which is always difficult," a western diplomat in Kabul admitted.
Soraya Sobhrang, the head of women's affairs at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, said western silence had been "disastrous for women's rights in Afghanistan".
"What the international community has done is really shameful. If they had got more involved in the process when it was discussed in parliament we could have stopped it. Because of the election I am not sure we can change it now. It's too late for that."
But another senior western diplomat said foreign embassies would intervene when the law is finally published.
Some female politicians have taken a more pragmatic stance, saying their fight in parliament's lower house succeeded in improving the law, including raising the original proposed marriage age of girls from nine to 16 and removing completely provisions for temporary marriages.
"It's not really 100% perfect, but compared to the earlier drafts it's a huge improvement," said Shukria Barakzai, an MP. "Before this was passed family issues were decided by customary law, so this is a big improvement."
Karzai's spokesman declined to comment on the new law.
--------
NEW AFGHAN LAW 'LEGALISES RAPE'
Story Image
Hamid Karzai signed law making it legal for men to 'rape' their wives
Thursday April 2,2009
A new Afghan law makes it legal for men to rape their wives, human rights groups and some Afghan politicians said.
They accused President Hamid Karzai of signing the legislation to bolster his re-election prospects.
Critics worry the legislation undermines hard-won rights for women enacted after the fall of the Taliban's strict Islamist regime.
The law - which some politicians say was never debated in parliament - is intended to regulate family life inside Afghanistan's Shiite community, which makes up about 20% of the country's 30 million population. The law does not affect Afghan Sunnis.
One of the most controversial articles stipulates the wife "is bound to preen for her husband as and when he desires". "As long as the husband is not travelling, he has the right to have sexual intercourse with his wife every fourth night," Article 132 of the law says. "Unless the wife is ill or has any kind of illness that intercourse could aggravate, the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband."
One provision also appears to protect the woman's right to sex inside marriage saying the "man should not avoid having sexual relations with his wife longer than once every four months."
The law's critics say Karzai signed the legislation in the past month only for political gains several months before the country's presidential election.
The United Nations Development Fund for Women, or Unifem, said the law "legalises the rape of a wife by her husband". "The law violates women's rights and human rights in numerous ways," a Unifem statement said.
The US is "very concerned" about the law, said State Department spokesman Robert Wood. "We urge President Karzai to review the law's legal status to correct provisions of the law that limit or restrict women's rights."
Wood added that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had met with female Afghan politicians in The Hague and had assured them that "women's rights are going to be paramount in this administration's foreign policy, not an afterthought."
A burqa-clad Afghan woman walks in an old bazaar in Kabul. Photograph: Ahmad Masood/REUTERS
Hamid Karzai has been accused of trying to win votes in Afghanistan's presidential election by backing a law the UN says legalises rape within marriage and bans wives from stepping outside their homes without their husbands' permission.
The Afghan president signed the law earlier this month, despite condemnation by human rights activists and some MPs that it flouts the constitution's equal rights provisions.
Jon Boone reveals Afghanistan's new law denying women's rights Link to this audio
The final document has not been published, but the law is believed to contain articles that rule women cannot leave the house without their husbands' permission, that they can only seek work, education or visit the doctor with their husbands' permission, and that they cannot refuse their husband sex.
A briefing document prepared by the United Nations Development Fund for Women also warns that the law grants custody of children to fathers and grandfathers only.
Senator Humaira Namati, a member of the upper house of the Afghan parliament, said the law was "worse than during the Taliban". "Anyone who spoke out was accused of being against Islam," she said.
The Afghan constitution allows for Shias, who are thought to represent about 10% of the population, to have a separate family law based on traditional Shia jurisprudence. But the constitution and various international treaties signed by Afghanistan guarantee equal rights for women.
Shinkai Zahine Karokhail, like other female parliamentarians, complained that after an initial deal the law was passed with unprecedented speed and limited debate. "They wanted to pass it almost like a secret negotiation," she said. "There were lots of things that we wanted to change, but they didn't want to discuss it because Karzai wants to please the Shia before the election."
Although the ministry of justice confirmed the bill was signed by Karzai at some point this month, there is confusion about the full contents of the final law, which human rights activists have struggled to obtain a copy of. The justice ministry said the law would not be published until various "technical problems" had been ironed out.
After seven years leading Afghanistan, Karzai is increasingly unpopular at home and abroad and the presidential election in August is expected to be extremely closely fought. A western diplomat said the law represented a "big tick in the box" for the powerful council of Shia clerics.
Leaders of the Hazara minority, which is regarded as the most important bloc of swing voters in the election, also demanded the new law.
Ustad Mohammad Akbari, an MP and the leader of a Hazara political party, said the president had supported the law in order to curry favour among the Hazaras. But he said the law actually protected women's rights.
"Men and women have equal rights under Islam but there are differences in the way men and women are created. Men are stronger and women are a little bit weaker; even in the west you do not see women working as firefighters."
Akbari said the law gave a woman the right to refuse sexual intercourse with her husband if she was unwell or had another reasonable "excuse". And he said a woman would not be obliged to remain in her house if an emergency forced her to leave without permission.
The international community has so far shied away from publicly questioning such a politically sensitive issue.
"It is going to be tricky to change because it gets us into territory of being accused of not respecting Afghan culture, which is always difficult," a western diplomat in Kabul admitted.
Soraya Sobhrang, the head of women's affairs at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, said western silence had been "disastrous for women's rights in Afghanistan".
"What the international community has done is really shameful. If they had got more involved in the process when it was discussed in parliament we could have stopped it. Because of the election I am not sure we can change it now. It's too late for that."
But another senior western diplomat said foreign embassies would intervene when the law is finally published.
Some female politicians have taken a more pragmatic stance, saying their fight in parliament's lower house succeeded in improving the law, including raising the original proposed marriage age of girls from nine to 16 and removing completely provisions for temporary marriages.
"It's not really 100% perfect, but compared to the earlier drafts it's a huge improvement," said Shukria Barakzai, an MP. "Before this was passed family issues were decided by customary law, so this is a big improvement."
Karzai's spokesman declined to comment on the new law.
--------
NEW AFGHAN LAW 'LEGALISES RAPE'
Story Image
Hamid Karzai signed law making it legal for men to 'rape' their wives
Thursday April 2,2009
A new Afghan law makes it legal for men to rape their wives, human rights groups and some Afghan politicians said.
They accused President Hamid Karzai of signing the legislation to bolster his re-election prospects.
Critics worry the legislation undermines hard-won rights for women enacted after the fall of the Taliban's strict Islamist regime.
The law - which some politicians say was never debated in parliament - is intended to regulate family life inside Afghanistan's Shiite community, which makes up about 20% of the country's 30 million population. The law does not affect Afghan Sunnis.
One of the most controversial articles stipulates the wife "is bound to preen for her husband as and when he desires". "As long as the husband is not travelling, he has the right to have sexual intercourse with his wife every fourth night," Article 132 of the law says. "Unless the wife is ill or has any kind of illness that intercourse could aggravate, the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband."
One provision also appears to protect the woman's right to sex inside marriage saying the "man should not avoid having sexual relations with his wife longer than once every four months."
The law's critics say Karzai signed the legislation in the past month only for political gains several months before the country's presidential election.
The United Nations Development Fund for Women, or Unifem, said the law "legalises the rape of a wife by her husband". "The law violates women's rights and human rights in numerous ways," a Unifem statement said.
The US is "very concerned" about the law, said State Department spokesman Robert Wood. "We urge President Karzai to review the law's legal status to correct provisions of the law that limit or restrict women's rights."
Wood added that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had met with female Afghan politicians in The Hague and had assured them that "women's rights are going to be paramount in this administration's foreign policy, not an afterthought."
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saudi prince questions king's deputy appointment
Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:47am EDT
* A brother of Saudi king objects to deputy PM nomination
* He says nomination may make interior minister crown prince
* Prince Talal urges king to clarify his appointment
By Souhail Karam
RIYADH, March 28 (Reuters) - A brother of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has started a rare public debate over the succession by questioning the appointment of the kingdom's interior minister as second deputy prime minister -- a position that would normally place him second in line to the throne.
The statement, by Prince Talal bin Abdul-Aziz, came after the Saudi royal court announced on Friday the appointment of Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz as second deputy prime minister, a promotion that means he will run the kingdom when the monarch and crown prince are away.
The role would normally go to First Deputy Prime Minister Crown Prince Sultan, but he is convalescing in the United States after surgery earlier this year.
Prince Talal said the monarch needs to make sure the appointment served purely an "administrative purpose".
"I call on the royal court to clarify what is meant by this nomination and that it does not mean that he (Prince Nayef) will become crown prince," Prince Talal said in a faxed statement sent to Reuters.
"The latest nomination of the second deputy prime minister will give the impression that he will automatically become crown prince," said Prince Talal, who is also the father of billionaire businessman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.
The statement was authenticated by a personal assistant of Prince Talal, who like both King Abdullah and Prince Nayef is a son of the kingdom's founder, the late King Abdul-Aziz al-Saud.
A CONSERVATIVE FORCE
Prince Talal said the appointment of Nayef as crown prince should be decided by the Allegiance Council, made up of the most prominent members of the al-Saud family who would vote to appoint future crown princes.
The decision to set up the council in 2006 aimed at replacing an even more opaque previous policy consisting of naming "the eldest and most able" son of late King Abdul-Aziz to the post of Crown Prince.
Prince Nayef, believed to be 75, is perceived as one of the most conservative forces in the kingdom and an opponent of reforms that may reduce the clout of both the monarchy and the religious establishment in the kingdom, the world's leading oil exporter.
He told reporters earlier this week that he does not see a need either for women to be members of a quasi-parliament or elections to its membership.
Prince Talal, on the other hand, has long been one of the most vocal supporters of reforms among the ruling al-Saud family.
An Interior Ministry spokesman declined to comment on the statement saying that only the royal court was eligible to comment on such issues. The court's public relations officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Western diplomats and analysts said Prince Nayef's appointment improve his chances of becoming the next crown prince.
"There is no other explanation to this appointment. Prince Talal's statement reflects this," said Khalid al-Dakhil, a political science lecturer at King Saud University.
A diplomat added: "It is fair to talk about the Allegiance Council if there is a vacancy. Prince Nayef's appointment suggests the inevitability that he is to become crown prince".
A Saudi analyst close to official circles said Prince Nayef's appointment followed discussions among the top members of the royal family, but could not say if Prince Talal took part in these talks.
"Everything is possible behind those closed doors, they have agreed. The law allows the king to name one deputy or several deputies or remove them ... The allegiance council is not needed now since the position of crown prince is not vacant".
The appointment of Prince Nayef, which a royal decree said was "made in the interest of the public good", will put the interior minister in charge of running Saudia Arabia during an expected two-week absence by King Abdullah.
The monarch is expected to attend an Arab summit next week in Qatar before heading to London for a G20 summit early in April.
Diplomats and analysts say Prince Talal's push for reforms is shared by only a minority of several thousands of Saudi princes. "He has a history," one diplomat said.
Saudi authorities revoked in the early 1960s Prince Talal's passport when he sought to press for a constitutional monarchy and allied himself to late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, then an arch-foe of the Saudi monarchy.
Prince Talal later toned down his rhetoric to be able to return to the kingdom.
Over the more than 30 years he has spent as Interior Minister, Prince Nayef has had to deal with a bloody siege at the Grand Mosque of Mecca in 1979 and a wave of bombings led by al-Qaeda sympathisers and aimed at toppling the monarchy.
(Editing by Samia Nakhoul)
----
RIYADH: A leading Saudi-owned newspaper reported Saturday that four Libyan-recruited would-be assassins of Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz were members of Al Qaeda, the network blamed for the terror that has hit Saudi Arabia in the past 13 months.
Saudi officials have not commented on the alleged plot to murder Abdullah or spoken of retaliatory measures, but Asharq Al-Awsat’s claim came as other Saudi newspapers assailed Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi for the second day in a row.
The daily Okaz also sought to link Libya to the wave of bombings and shootings which began in Saudi Arabia in May 2003, quoting unspecified sources as “not ruling out the involvement of Libyan intelligence in some of the recent bombings and killings.”
The New York Times reported on Thursday that two people involved in a plot to fire rockets at Abdullah’s motorcade had been detained in the United States and Saudi Arabia and that the plot was being investigated by Washington, Riyadh and London.
The two were named as Abdurahman Almoudi, an American arrested in October for violating a US ban on travel to Libya, and Colonel Mohammed Ismael, a Libyan intelligence officer captured by Egyptian police in November after he fled Saudi Arabia where he tried to pay four Saudi militants. Libya has denied the allegations.
Reporting from Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat said Ismael fled from the Rea Sea port city to Cairo last November after he saw Saudi security forces besieging a hotel in nearby Mecca in which the four Saudis affiliated to Al Qaeda, and who were supposed to carry out the assassination, were staying.
The four were to use shoulder-held or armor-piercing missiles in the assassination, it said, adding that the hotel was located opposite the palace where Abdullah was due to stay.
The plot was uncovered thanks to the measures Saudi Arabia has introduced to monitor the flow of money into the country, the paper quoted reliable sources as saying in a reference to the tighter controls meant to prevent terror financing which began after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
An employee in a branch of Al-Rajhi Bank in Mecca became suspicious of a one-million-dollar transfer to Ismael, who said it was meant to cover the expenses of Gaddafi ‘s wife during a pilgrimage trip to the Muslim holy city.
Saudi authorities put Ismael under surveillance and eventually raided a hotel apartment where the four Saudi Al Qaeda recruits were staying and arrested them, prompting the Libyan intelligence officer to flee to Egypt.
Security authorities immediately contacted their Egyptian counterparts, who arrested Ismael as soon as he landed in Cairo and put him on a plane back to Saudi Arabia, the paper said.
The daily Al-Watan gave a slightly different account of the run-up to Ismael’s flight to Egypt but named a second Libyan security agent — Abdul Fattah al-Ghosh — who accompanied him and was sent back to Saudi Arabia. afp
----
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Saudi crown prince to convalesce in Morocco -SPA
29 Apr 2009 09:39:17 GMT
Source: Reuters
RIYADH, April 29 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, who had surgery in New York in February, will spend time in Morocco before returning home, the official news agency SPA reported late on Tuesday.
Prince Sultan, deputy leader of the world's biggest oil exporter, will leave the United States on Wednesday to convalesce in Morocco, SPA quoted one of his sons Prince Fahd bin Sultan as saying.
"He then will return soon to the homeland, God willing, to perform his functions and duties for the service of religion and the nation," said Prince Fahd, governor of Tabuk region.
Prince Turki bin Sultan, another son of the prince and an assistant information minister, said in remarks carried by SPA earlier on Tuesday his father would return to Saudi Arabia soon.
Saudi media at the time described the treatment undertaken by Prince Sultan, who is thought to be 84, as successful but did not say what he was treated for.
Prince Sultan left the kingdom, an absolute monarchy closely allied to Washington, in November for medical tests in the United States, Saudi media said. He then returned to Morocco for a prescribed convalescence before flying back to New York for the surgery in February.
In March, King Abdullah appointed Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz as second deputy prime minister, a promotion that would normally place him second in line to the throne after Sultan. The position means he will run the kingdom when both the monarch and crown prince are away.
Al Qaeda launched a failed campaign of violence to destabilise the Gulf Arab country from 2003 to 2006.
Prince Sultan had an intestinal cyst removed in Saudi Arabia in 2005 and he visited the Swiss city of Geneva in April 2008 for what were described as routine tests. (Reporting by Souhail Karam; Editing by Andrew Hammond and Dominic Evans)
* A brother of Saudi king objects to deputy PM nomination
* He says nomination may make interior minister crown prince
* Prince Talal urges king to clarify his appointment
By Souhail Karam
RIYADH, March 28 (Reuters) - A brother of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has started a rare public debate over the succession by questioning the appointment of the kingdom's interior minister as second deputy prime minister -- a position that would normally place him second in line to the throne.
The statement, by Prince Talal bin Abdul-Aziz, came after the Saudi royal court announced on Friday the appointment of Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz as second deputy prime minister, a promotion that means he will run the kingdom when the monarch and crown prince are away.
The role would normally go to First Deputy Prime Minister Crown Prince Sultan, but he is convalescing in the United States after surgery earlier this year.
Prince Talal said the monarch needs to make sure the appointment served purely an "administrative purpose".
"I call on the royal court to clarify what is meant by this nomination and that it does not mean that he (Prince Nayef) will become crown prince," Prince Talal said in a faxed statement sent to Reuters.
"The latest nomination of the second deputy prime minister will give the impression that he will automatically become crown prince," said Prince Talal, who is also the father of billionaire businessman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.
The statement was authenticated by a personal assistant of Prince Talal, who like both King Abdullah and Prince Nayef is a son of the kingdom's founder, the late King Abdul-Aziz al-Saud.
A CONSERVATIVE FORCE
Prince Talal said the appointment of Nayef as crown prince should be decided by the Allegiance Council, made up of the most prominent members of the al-Saud family who would vote to appoint future crown princes.
The decision to set up the council in 2006 aimed at replacing an even more opaque previous policy consisting of naming "the eldest and most able" son of late King Abdul-Aziz to the post of Crown Prince.
Prince Nayef, believed to be 75, is perceived as one of the most conservative forces in the kingdom and an opponent of reforms that may reduce the clout of both the monarchy and the religious establishment in the kingdom, the world's leading oil exporter.
He told reporters earlier this week that he does not see a need either for women to be members of a quasi-parliament or elections to its membership.
Prince Talal, on the other hand, has long been one of the most vocal supporters of reforms among the ruling al-Saud family.
An Interior Ministry spokesman declined to comment on the statement saying that only the royal court was eligible to comment on such issues. The court's public relations officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Western diplomats and analysts said Prince Nayef's appointment improve his chances of becoming the next crown prince.
"There is no other explanation to this appointment. Prince Talal's statement reflects this," said Khalid al-Dakhil, a political science lecturer at King Saud University.
A diplomat added: "It is fair to talk about the Allegiance Council if there is a vacancy. Prince Nayef's appointment suggests the inevitability that he is to become crown prince".
A Saudi analyst close to official circles said Prince Nayef's appointment followed discussions among the top members of the royal family, but could not say if Prince Talal took part in these talks.
"Everything is possible behind those closed doors, they have agreed. The law allows the king to name one deputy or several deputies or remove them ... The allegiance council is not needed now since the position of crown prince is not vacant".
The appointment of Prince Nayef, which a royal decree said was "made in the interest of the public good", will put the interior minister in charge of running Saudia Arabia during an expected two-week absence by King Abdullah.
The monarch is expected to attend an Arab summit next week in Qatar before heading to London for a G20 summit early in April.
Diplomats and analysts say Prince Talal's push for reforms is shared by only a minority of several thousands of Saudi princes. "He has a history," one diplomat said.
Saudi authorities revoked in the early 1960s Prince Talal's passport when he sought to press for a constitutional monarchy and allied himself to late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, then an arch-foe of the Saudi monarchy.
Prince Talal later toned down his rhetoric to be able to return to the kingdom.
Over the more than 30 years he has spent as Interior Minister, Prince Nayef has had to deal with a bloody siege at the Grand Mosque of Mecca in 1979 and a wave of bombings led by al-Qaeda sympathisers and aimed at toppling the monarchy.
(Editing by Samia Nakhoul)
----
Al Qaeda behind Libyan plot to murder Saudi prince
RIYADH: A leading Saudi-owned newspaper reported Saturday that four Libyan-recruited would-be assassins of Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz were members of Al Qaeda, the network blamed for the terror that has hit Saudi Arabia in the past 13 months.
Saudi officials have not commented on the alleged plot to murder Abdullah or spoken of retaliatory measures, but Asharq Al-Awsat’s claim came as other Saudi newspapers assailed Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi for the second day in a row.
The daily Okaz also sought to link Libya to the wave of bombings and shootings which began in Saudi Arabia in May 2003, quoting unspecified sources as “not ruling out the involvement of Libyan intelligence in some of the recent bombings and killings.”
The New York Times reported on Thursday that two people involved in a plot to fire rockets at Abdullah’s motorcade had been detained in the United States and Saudi Arabia and that the plot was being investigated by Washington, Riyadh and London.
The two were named as Abdurahman Almoudi, an American arrested in October for violating a US ban on travel to Libya, and Colonel Mohammed Ismael, a Libyan intelligence officer captured by Egyptian police in November after he fled Saudi Arabia where he tried to pay four Saudi militants. Libya has denied the allegations.
Reporting from Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat said Ismael fled from the Rea Sea port city to Cairo last November after he saw Saudi security forces besieging a hotel in nearby Mecca in which the four Saudis affiliated to Al Qaeda, and who were supposed to carry out the assassination, were staying.
The four were to use shoulder-held or armor-piercing missiles in the assassination, it said, adding that the hotel was located opposite the palace where Abdullah was due to stay.
The plot was uncovered thanks to the measures Saudi Arabia has introduced to monitor the flow of money into the country, the paper quoted reliable sources as saying in a reference to the tighter controls meant to prevent terror financing which began after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
An employee in a branch of Al-Rajhi Bank in Mecca became suspicious of a one-million-dollar transfer to Ismael, who said it was meant to cover the expenses of Gaddafi ‘s wife during a pilgrimage trip to the Muslim holy city.
Saudi authorities put Ismael under surveillance and eventually raided a hotel apartment where the four Saudi Al Qaeda recruits were staying and arrested them, prompting the Libyan intelligence officer to flee to Egypt.
Security authorities immediately contacted their Egyptian counterparts, who arrested Ismael as soon as he landed in Cairo and put him on a plane back to Saudi Arabia, the paper said.
The daily Al-Watan gave a slightly different account of the run-up to Ismael’s flight to Egypt but named a second Libyan security agent — Abdul Fattah al-Ghosh — who accompanied him and was sent back to Saudi Arabia. afp
----
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Saudi crown prince to convalesce in Morocco -SPA
29 Apr 2009 09:39:17 GMT
Source: Reuters
RIYADH, April 29 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, who had surgery in New York in February, will spend time in Morocco before returning home, the official news agency SPA reported late on Tuesday.
Prince Sultan, deputy leader of the world's biggest oil exporter, will leave the United States on Wednesday to convalesce in Morocco, SPA quoted one of his sons Prince Fahd bin Sultan as saying.
"He then will return soon to the homeland, God willing, to perform his functions and duties for the service of religion and the nation," said Prince Fahd, governor of Tabuk region.
Prince Turki bin Sultan, another son of the prince and an assistant information minister, said in remarks carried by SPA earlier on Tuesday his father would return to Saudi Arabia soon.
Saudi media at the time described the treatment undertaken by Prince Sultan, who is thought to be 84, as successful but did not say what he was treated for.
Prince Sultan left the kingdom, an absolute monarchy closely allied to Washington, in November for medical tests in the United States, Saudi media said. He then returned to Morocco for a prescribed convalescence before flying back to New York for the surgery in February.
In March, King Abdullah appointed Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz as second deputy prime minister, a promotion that would normally place him second in line to the throne after Sultan. The position means he will run the kingdom when both the monarch and crown prince are away.
Al Qaeda launched a failed campaign of violence to destabilise the Gulf Arab country from 2003 to 2006.
Prince Sultan had an intestinal cyst removed in Saudi Arabia in 2005 and he visited the Swiss city of Geneva in April 2008 for what were described as routine tests. (Reporting by Souhail Karam; Editing by Andrew Hammond and Dominic Evans)
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Pakistan police academy attack: At least 10 dead
Militants armed with assault rifles and hand grenades attacked a police training academy in eastern Pakistan, killing at least ten officers and wounding about 50.
By Isambard Wilkinson in Islamabad
Last Updated: 6:32AM BST 30 Mar 2009
Police said between 20 and 25 gunmen, dressed as police officers, were involved in the attack. Details were still emerging, but it appeared the gunmen had taken several of the 500 trainees hostage within the Manawan centre's mosque.
The attack is the latest in a wave of violence against Pakistani security personnel less than a month after the deadly ambush of Sri Lanka's cricket team in the same city, Lahore.
An intelligence officer said 10 people had been killed and 50 wounded.
The attack occurred as dozens of police officers carried out morning drills.
Television news footage showed police officers and paramilitary rangers surrounding the parameter wall of the training centre.
A police armoured personnel carrier (APC) entered the compound and an exchange of fire, including what appeared to be a grenade explosion, broke out. The APC then withdrew.
Police officers sprayed the compound with sporadic, poorly-directed rifle rounds.
The attack came as Pakistan has become the centre of world attention, following President Barack Obama's new strategy to combat militancy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"It is a complete panic here. We do not have any idea how many the attackers are, and how many of them are dead, or hiding in nearby buildings," said police officer, Syed Ahmad. "We are fighting them."
Most of the attacks have been centred in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
However, in early March, a group of gunmen ambushed the visiting cricket team in a city square, sparking a battle that left six police officers and a driver dead and wounded several of the players.
------------
30 Mar 2009 07:00:44 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For a related FACTBOX click on [nSP461671]) (Adds quotes, details)
By Mohsin Raza
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 30 (Reuters) - Militants holed up in a police training centre in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday after storming the building, with estimates of the dead ranging up to 20.
Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said 52 police were wounded in the attack but gave no word on the number killed, while Geo News television channel said the toll was 20.
Paramilitary troops laid siege, firing from rooftops of surrounding buildings, while the gunmen returned fire and threw grenades to keep the police at bay.
"Our elite squad has surrounded the area. God willing, now we will get into the building," Mushtaq Sukhera, senior police official told journalists at the scene.
"I have counted 12 bodies but I dont know exactly how many have been killed," Mohammad Raza, another police officer said.
One wounded policeman said there were 15 to 20 gunmen in the building. It was unclear if any police were being held hostage.
The assault came less than a month after a dozen gunmen attacked Sri Lanka's cricket team in the city, killing six police guards and a bus driver. Those gunmen escaped.
The latest brazen attack will inevitably heighten fears about the mounting insecurity in nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Islamist militants have launched a campaign of violence to destabilise the Muslim state of 170 million people, and the one-year-old civilian government's ability to meet the challenge.
U.S. President Barack Obama made support for President Asif Ali Zardari's government a centrepiece of a review of policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan that was announced on Friday, and which made annihilation of al Qaeda the United States' principle objective.
ATTACKED DURING MORNING DRILL
Police official Sukhera said around 850 young cadets attended the training centre but police were unsure how many were inside at the time of the attack, which began at around 7 a.m. (0200 GMT).
Television channels said several hundred trainees were at the centre when the attackers, some dressed as policemen, struck.
"Some gunmen entered the centre, threw hand grenades and then started firing," said an intelligence agency official who declined to be identified.
Around 15 to 20 attackers were believed to be inside the training centre, a policeman told Geo News television channel while having his head bandaged.
The training centre is on the outskirts of the city, on the road to the nearby border with India.
"The gunmen attacked police recruits from four sides when they were doing their routine morning drills," said a police officer at the scene.
A police armoured personnel carrier (APC) entered the compound and an exchange of fire, including what appeared to be a grenade explosion, broke out, a Reuters photographer at the scene said. The APC then withdrew.
One television station showed pictures of about a dozen police lying on a parade ground. Some appeared to be lifeless while others were crawling to cover.
An army helicopter circled overhead, and police and soldiers were seen carrying wounded to ambulances.
Militant violence has surged in Pakistan since mid-2007, with numerous attacks on the security forces and government and Western targets.
Most of the violence has been in the northwest, in areas along the Afghan border, but there have been attacks in all main cities.
Despite the violence in Lahore, Pakistani stocks <.KSE> and the rupee were both firmer in early trade. (For additional Pakistan and Afghanistan stories see [nSP437509]) (Additional reporting by Kamran Haider and Zeeshan Haider; Writing by Simon Cameron-Moore; Editing by Jerry Norton)
------
Pakistani commandos end academy siege, kill militants
30 Mar 2009 12:33:08 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Pakistani police say academy siege over
* Four militants killed, three arrested
* Police chief says eight cadets killed, scores wounded
* Ten hostages rescued
By Kamran Haider
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 30 (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces took control of a police academy in Lahore on Monday after militants rampaged through the complex, killing at least eight cadets and wounding scores before holing up inside for hours.
"The operation is over. Four terrorists were killed and three arrested," Interior Ministry Secretary Kamal Shah told Reuters. Shah said 89 policemen were wounded.
Punjab police chief Khawaja Khalid Farooq said at least eight recruits were killed though there had been reports the toll would be higher as there were 900 cadets in the academy at the time of the attack.
Three of the militants blew themselves up during the final assault, and commandos rescued 10 police being held hostage.
Television news channels showed jubilant police shouting praise to Allah, making victory signs with their hands, and firing in the air in celebration minutes after a fierce firefight inside the main academy building.
The latest brazen attack will heighten fears about mounting insecurity in nuclear-armed Pakistan. The assault came less than a month after gunmen attacked Sri Lanka's cricket team in Lahore, killing six police guards and a bus driver. Those gunmen escaped.
Islamist militants have launched a campaign of violence to destabilise the Muslim nation of 170 million people, and the one-year-old civilian government's ability to meet the challenge.
U.S. President Barack Obama made support for President Asif Ali Zardari's government a centrepiece of a review of policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan that was announced on Friday.
The principle objective of Obama's strategy is the annihilation of al Qaeda in the two countries.
Salman Taseer, governor of Punjab province, said authorities had reports of four people confirmed killed, although television news channels put the number of dead at 20, including cadets.
One wounded policeman described how the attackers struck while police recruits were going through their regular morning drill on the parade ground in the eastern city.
"A grenade hit the platoon next to ours ... then there was continuous firing for about 20 minutes," the policeman told reporters gathered round his hospital bed.
"A man in light-coloured clothes -- I think they were white -- stood in front of us, firing at us. They wanted to do as much damage as possible."
One witness told Reuters the gunmen attacked in groups of three or four from all sides.
EIGHT-HOUR SIEGE
Some eight to 10 militants attacked the recruits as they performed a regular drill on the parade ground at around 7:30 a.m (0230 GMT), and then went on to occupy the academy's main building.
Another wounded policeman recounted how he escaped when the gunmen burst into a room and began firing indiscriminately.
"I jumped from the second floor," he said. "There were dead bodies all over the place."
Just before 4 p.m., commandos launched an operation to retake the building, according to Major-General Shafqaat Ali, who described it as a joint operation by the army, paramilitary rangers and a crack police squad.
"Our forces stormed the top floor where they were holding positions," Major-General Ali said.
"The operation is over the building is in our control."
The siege had lasted nearly eight hours, with security forces firing from rooftops of nearby buildings, while gunmen returned fire and threw grenades, at one point forcing an armoured personnel carrier to retreat.
Before the siege ended, the police chief said one of the suspected attackers had been caught. Footage showed police kicking a bearded man on the ground before leading him through a throng of journalists.
Reports said the suspect was caught with a grenade in his possession and had an Afghan passport, though a cadet who fled the carnage said he heard the attackers speaking a dialect common to southern Punjab. Lahore is the capital of Punjab province.
If those accounts are correct it would point to a nexus between militants from Afghan border areas in the northwest and Punjabi jihadi groups, like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, that have forged ties with al Qaeda.
LeJ was implicated in several assassination attempts on Pakistan's former president, General Pervez Musharraf, and was blamed for a suicide bomb attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad last September.
Despite the attack in Lahore, Pakistani stocks <.KSE> and the rupee firmed as investors registered relief that a recent political crisis had subsided.
Militant violence has surged in Pakistan since mid-2007, with attacks on security forces and government and Western targets.
While there have been attacks in all Pakistan's big cities, most violence has been in the northwest, near the Afghan border. (For related FACTBOXES click [ID:nSP461671] and [ID:nLU261211], for additional Pakistan and Afghanistan stories see [ID:nSP437509]) (Additional reporting by Mohsin Raza, Robert Birsel and Zeeshan Haider; Writing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
By Isambard Wilkinson in Islamabad
Last Updated: 6:32AM BST 30 Mar 2009
Police said between 20 and 25 gunmen, dressed as police officers, were involved in the attack. Details were still emerging, but it appeared the gunmen had taken several of the 500 trainees hostage within the Manawan centre's mosque.
The attack is the latest in a wave of violence against Pakistani security personnel less than a month after the deadly ambush of Sri Lanka's cricket team in the same city, Lahore.
An intelligence officer said 10 people had been killed and 50 wounded.
The attack occurred as dozens of police officers carried out morning drills.
Television news footage showed police officers and paramilitary rangers surrounding the parameter wall of the training centre.
A police armoured personnel carrier (APC) entered the compound and an exchange of fire, including what appeared to be a grenade explosion, broke out. The APC then withdrew.
Police officers sprayed the compound with sporadic, poorly-directed rifle rounds.
The attack came as Pakistan has become the centre of world attention, following President Barack Obama's new strategy to combat militancy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"It is a complete panic here. We do not have any idea how many the attackers are, and how many of them are dead, or hiding in nearby buildings," said police officer, Syed Ahmad. "We are fighting them."
Most of the attacks have been centred in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
However, in early March, a group of gunmen ambushed the visiting cricket team in a city square, sparking a battle that left six police officers and a driver dead and wounded several of the players.
------------
Militants storm Pakistani police centre
30 Mar 2009 07:00:44 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For a related FACTBOX click on [nSP461671]) (Adds quotes, details)
By Mohsin Raza
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 30 (Reuters) - Militants holed up in a police training centre in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday after storming the building, with estimates of the dead ranging up to 20.
Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said 52 police were wounded in the attack but gave no word on the number killed, while Geo News television channel said the toll was 20.
Paramilitary troops laid siege, firing from rooftops of surrounding buildings, while the gunmen returned fire and threw grenades to keep the police at bay.
"Our elite squad has surrounded the area. God willing, now we will get into the building," Mushtaq Sukhera, senior police official told journalists at the scene.
"I have counted 12 bodies but I dont know exactly how many have been killed," Mohammad Raza, another police officer said.
One wounded policeman said there were 15 to 20 gunmen in the building. It was unclear if any police were being held hostage.
The assault came less than a month after a dozen gunmen attacked Sri Lanka's cricket team in the city, killing six police guards and a bus driver. Those gunmen escaped.
The latest brazen attack will inevitably heighten fears about the mounting insecurity in nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Islamist militants have launched a campaign of violence to destabilise the Muslim state of 170 million people, and the one-year-old civilian government's ability to meet the challenge.
U.S. President Barack Obama made support for President Asif Ali Zardari's government a centrepiece of a review of policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan that was announced on Friday, and which made annihilation of al Qaeda the United States' principle objective.
ATTACKED DURING MORNING DRILL
Police official Sukhera said around 850 young cadets attended the training centre but police were unsure how many were inside at the time of the attack, which began at around 7 a.m. (0200 GMT).
Television channels said several hundred trainees were at the centre when the attackers, some dressed as policemen, struck.
"Some gunmen entered the centre, threw hand grenades and then started firing," said an intelligence agency official who declined to be identified.
Around 15 to 20 attackers were believed to be inside the training centre, a policeman told Geo News television channel while having his head bandaged.
The training centre is on the outskirts of the city, on the road to the nearby border with India.
"The gunmen attacked police recruits from four sides when they were doing their routine morning drills," said a police officer at the scene.
A police armoured personnel carrier (APC) entered the compound and an exchange of fire, including what appeared to be a grenade explosion, broke out, a Reuters photographer at the scene said. The APC then withdrew.
One television station showed pictures of about a dozen police lying on a parade ground. Some appeared to be lifeless while others were crawling to cover.
An army helicopter circled overhead, and police and soldiers were seen carrying wounded to ambulances.
Militant violence has surged in Pakistan since mid-2007, with numerous attacks on the security forces and government and Western targets.
Most of the violence has been in the northwest, in areas along the Afghan border, but there have been attacks in all main cities.
Despite the violence in Lahore, Pakistani stocks <.KSE> and the rupee
------
Pakistani commandos end academy siege, kill militants
30 Mar 2009 12:33:08 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Pakistani police say academy siege over
* Four militants killed, three arrested
* Police chief says eight cadets killed, scores wounded
* Ten hostages rescued
By Kamran Haider
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 30 (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces took control of a police academy in Lahore on Monday after militants rampaged through the complex, killing at least eight cadets and wounding scores before holing up inside for hours.
"The operation is over. Four terrorists were killed and three arrested," Interior Ministry Secretary Kamal Shah told Reuters. Shah said 89 policemen were wounded.
Punjab police chief Khawaja Khalid Farooq said at least eight recruits were killed though there had been reports the toll would be higher as there were 900 cadets in the academy at the time of the attack.
Three of the militants blew themselves up during the final assault, and commandos rescued 10 police being held hostage.
Television news channels showed jubilant police shouting praise to Allah, making victory signs with their hands, and firing in the air in celebration minutes after a fierce firefight inside the main academy building.
The latest brazen attack will heighten fears about mounting insecurity in nuclear-armed Pakistan. The assault came less than a month after gunmen attacked Sri Lanka's cricket team in Lahore, killing six police guards and a bus driver. Those gunmen escaped.
Islamist militants have launched a campaign of violence to destabilise the Muslim nation of 170 million people, and the one-year-old civilian government's ability to meet the challenge.
U.S. President Barack Obama made support for President Asif Ali Zardari's government a centrepiece of a review of policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan that was announced on Friday.
The principle objective of Obama's strategy is the annihilation of al Qaeda in the two countries.
Salman Taseer, governor of Punjab province, said authorities had reports of four people confirmed killed, although television news channels put the number of dead at 20, including cadets.
One wounded policeman described how the attackers struck while police recruits were going through their regular morning drill on the parade ground in the eastern city.
"A grenade hit the platoon next to ours ... then there was continuous firing for about 20 minutes," the policeman told reporters gathered round his hospital bed.
"A man in light-coloured clothes -- I think they were white -- stood in front of us, firing at us. They wanted to do as much damage as possible."
One witness told Reuters the gunmen attacked in groups of three or four from all sides.
EIGHT-HOUR SIEGE
Some eight to 10 militants attacked the recruits as they performed a regular drill on the parade ground at around 7:30 a.m (0230 GMT), and then went on to occupy the academy's main building.
Another wounded policeman recounted how he escaped when the gunmen burst into a room and began firing indiscriminately.
"I jumped from the second floor," he said. "There were dead bodies all over the place."
Just before 4 p.m., commandos launched an operation to retake the building, according to Major-General Shafqaat Ali, who described it as a joint operation by the army, paramilitary rangers and a crack police squad.
"Our forces stormed the top floor where they were holding positions," Major-General Ali said.
"The operation is over the building is in our control."
The siege had lasted nearly eight hours, with security forces firing from rooftops of nearby buildings, while gunmen returned fire and threw grenades, at one point forcing an armoured personnel carrier to retreat.
Before the siege ended, the police chief said one of the suspected attackers had been caught. Footage showed police kicking a bearded man on the ground before leading him through a throng of journalists.
Reports said the suspect was caught with a grenade in his possession and had an Afghan passport, though a cadet who fled the carnage said he heard the attackers speaking a dialect common to southern Punjab. Lahore is the capital of Punjab province.
If those accounts are correct it would point to a nexus between militants from Afghan border areas in the northwest and Punjabi jihadi groups, like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, that have forged ties with al Qaeda.
LeJ was implicated in several assassination attempts on Pakistan's former president, General Pervez Musharraf, and was blamed for a suicide bomb attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad last September.
Despite the attack in Lahore, Pakistani stocks <.KSE> and the rupee
Militant violence has surged in Pakistan since mid-2007, with attacks on security forces and government and Western targets.
While there have been attacks in all Pakistan's big cities, most violence has been in the northwest, near the Afghan border. (For related FACTBOXES click [ID:nSP461671] and [ID:nLU261211], for additional Pakistan and Afghanistan stories see [ID:nSP437509]) (Additional reporting by Mohsin Raza, Robert Birsel and Zeeshan Haider; Writing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
Birth Day Became Death Day
March 30, 2009
Man kills two sisters at birthday party
Claire Sweeney
A children's party turned into a bloodbath when the brother of a girl celebrating her fifth birthday decapitated her and fatally stabbed her 17 year old sister at the weekend.
After murdering the two girls, 23-year-old Kerby Revelus then turned towards his 9-year-old sister, Sarafina, with a knife in his hand before police shot him dead.
The bloody attack happened in the home Mr Revelus and his sisters shared with their parents and grandmother in the Boston suburb of Milton.
The children's parents were away, and their grandmother was doing laundry in the basement at the time.
Related Links
* Eight dead after shooting in US nursing home
* Gunman's rampage kills 10 in Alabama
* Nursing home gunman 'had cancer'
An officer on patrol in the area arrived at the house shortly after Sarafina called the emergency services. Hearing an altercation inside and unable to persuade the young girl to open the door, the officer broke through.
“As the officer entered the door, (Revelus) decapitated (Bianca) in front of him,” Milton police chief Richard G. Wells Jr said. “He actually walked into a killing field. He walked into such carnage, as far as the atrocity of it, I've never seen it.”
Within moments, four police officers were inside and two of them shot Revelus dead as he tried to get to Sarafina, Mr Wells said. Mr Revelus fell, still clutching the knife.
Details about the number of shots and who killed Revelus will be revealed folloiwng an autopsy.
Sarafina was admitted to hospital with wounds to her hands and stab wounds in her abdomen and one of her legs.
"In policing, we see the raw human emotion every day, but to think that a human being could afflict such an atrocious, violent act on his own family is unbelievable," Mr Wells said. "When I walked up to the first officer (on the scene), I could see the whole story right in his face. This just told me that this was something very bad."
Police do not know what sparked the attack but Mr Revelus had 24 hours earlier gotten into a fistfight with a man living next door.
“Blows were exchanged,” Mr Wells said. “I don't know the cause of it, but we're confident that did happen. He had been agitated in the hours that followed that, going into the day and last night.”
Mr Revelus recently served jail time on a gun charge, while in 2004 police were called to the family's house following the report of a domestic violence incident in which he had punched a woman living there.
Officers involved in the attacks on Saturday were receiving counselling from the Boston Police Department stress unit.
Man kills two sisters at birthday party
Claire Sweeney
A children's party turned into a bloodbath when the brother of a girl celebrating her fifth birthday decapitated her and fatally stabbed her 17 year old sister at the weekend.
After murdering the two girls, 23-year-old Kerby Revelus then turned towards his 9-year-old sister, Sarafina, with a knife in his hand before police shot him dead.
The bloody attack happened in the home Mr Revelus and his sisters shared with their parents and grandmother in the Boston suburb of Milton.
The children's parents were away, and their grandmother was doing laundry in the basement at the time.
Related Links
* Eight dead after shooting in US nursing home
* Gunman's rampage kills 10 in Alabama
* Nursing home gunman 'had cancer'
An officer on patrol in the area arrived at the house shortly after Sarafina called the emergency services. Hearing an altercation inside and unable to persuade the young girl to open the door, the officer broke through.
“As the officer entered the door, (Revelus) decapitated (Bianca) in front of him,” Milton police chief Richard G. Wells Jr said. “He actually walked into a killing field. He walked into such carnage, as far as the atrocity of it, I've never seen it.”
Within moments, four police officers were inside and two of them shot Revelus dead as he tried to get to Sarafina, Mr Wells said. Mr Revelus fell, still clutching the knife.
Details about the number of shots and who killed Revelus will be revealed folloiwng an autopsy.
Sarafina was admitted to hospital with wounds to her hands and stab wounds in her abdomen and one of her legs.
"In policing, we see the raw human emotion every day, but to think that a human being could afflict such an atrocious, violent act on his own family is unbelievable," Mr Wells said. "When I walked up to the first officer (on the scene), I could see the whole story right in his face. This just told me that this was something very bad."
Police do not know what sparked the attack but Mr Revelus had 24 hours earlier gotten into a fistfight with a man living next door.
“Blows were exchanged,” Mr Wells said. “I don't know the cause of it, but we're confident that did happen. He had been agitated in the hours that followed that, going into the day and last night.”
Mr Revelus recently served jail time on a gun charge, while in 2004 police were called to the family's house following the report of a domestic violence incident in which he had punched a woman living there.
Officers involved in the attacks on Saturday were receiving counselling from the Boston Police Department stress unit.
Shoddy wiring 'everywhere' on Iraq bases, Army inspector says
From Abbie Boudreau and Scott Bronstein
CNN Special Investigations Unit
Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Thousands of buildings at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan have such poorly installed wiring that American troops face life-threatening risks, a top inspector for the Army says.
These wires installed in Iraq are some of the most important to ensure safety. They all need to be replaced.
These wires installed in Iraq are some of the most important to ensure safety. They all need to be replaced.
"It was horrible -- some of the worst electrical work I've ever seen," said Jim Childs, a master electrician and the top civilian expert in an Army safety survey. Childs told CNN that "with the buildings the way they are, we're playing Russian roulette."
Childs recently returned from Iraq, where he is taking part in a yearlong review aimed at correcting electrical hazards on U.S. bases. He told CNN that thousands of buildings in Iraq and Afghanistan are so badly wired that troops are at serious risk of death or injury.
He said problems are "everywhere" in Iraq, where 18 U.S. troops have died by electrocution since 2003. All deaths occurred in different circumstances and different locations, but many happened on U.S. bases being managed by various military contractors. The Army has reopened investigations in at least five cases, according to Pentagon sources.
Of the nearly 30,000 buildings the Army's "Task Force Safe" has examined so far, Childs said more than half "failed miserably." And 8,527 had such serious problems that inspectors gave them a "flash" warning, meaning repairs had to be completed in four hours or the facility evacuated.
He said the majority of those buildings were wired by contractor KBR, based in Houston, Texas. KBR has faced extensive criticism from Congress over its performance in the war zone. KBR has defended its performance and argued it was not to blame for any fatalities.
Military electrocutions became a national issue about a year ago, after the January 2008 death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A decorated member of the Army's Green Berets, Maseth was electrocuted in his shower at a U.S. base in Baghdad that once served as one of Saddam Hussein's palaces.
His death was blamed on improper grounding and dangerous wiring on his living quarters. Soon after that, the Army asked Childs to help create "Task Force Safe," a team of master electricians assigned to inspect Army posts for electrical dangers.
Childs said the "large majority" of the buildings the task force examined in Iraq had been wired by KBR, which he expected would follow American standards. But the results, he said, were "just horrible."
In one building, "I had them pull a switch out of the wall to look at a switch, and when they pulled it out of the wall, the wires fell out of it," Childs said. Thinking that was an exception, "We pulled the one next to it. They fell off," he said. "It was just very, very poor quality work."
Don't Miss
Much of the work was done by crews from countries beyond Iraq, "with very little supervision by anybody." And many of the problems involved improperly grounded systems that allowed plumbing to conduct electricity, which he said could lead to electric shocks such as the one that killed Maseth.
Childs said service orders on at least two occasions warned of the hazard in Maseth's quarters, and "two simple electrical 101s" should have been checked out by electricians.
"A competent electrical contractor and electrician would have gone to that job site and tried to discover why pipes could have been energized," he said. If they had been, "then Ryan Maseth would not have been electrocuted, in my opinion."
Maseth's family is suing KBR. An Army investigator has recommended that his cause of death be changed to "negligent homicide," accusing the company of failing to properly supervise or inspect its work. The Army has yet to accept the recommendation.
KBR has repeatedly said it was not responsible for Maseth's death or for any of the others and defended its work.
"KBR has worked diligently to address electrical issues when asked," the company told CNN in a written statement. "What is important to remember is the challenging environment in which these issues exist.
"The electrical standards in Iraq are nowhere near those of Western or U.S. standards. Add to this the challenges that exist in a war zone. We have been and remain committed to fully cooperating with the government on this issue."
But Childs said the majority of buildings on U.S. bases were built and wired by KBR since the U.S. invasion.
"They installed the housing units, they installed the electrical, they installed the wiring. They installed it all. And it's wrong," he said. "It's all put in wrong."
KBR was not alone, however. He said the Army survey found problems with every contractor whose work it inspected.
Task Force Safe has yet to inspect another 70,000 buildings in Iraq and has just begun its review of bases in Afghanistan, where contractors have raised similar concerns. In written answers to questions from CNN, Pentagon spokesman Chris Isleib said, "We are correcting hazardous conditions every day."
"This is a huge undertaking but absolutely necessary for the life, health and safety of our service members and civilians," he said. "When we find a defect, we put in an emergency work order and take action immediately to protect the people working or living in those facilities."
But Childs told CNN he is surprised more Americans have not been hurt.
"All the potentials are there," he said. "It just hasn't happened." ================================================================ U.S. drops case against KBR over Iraq private security costs Thu, Nov 15 18:48 PM EST (Reuters) - The United States has dropped its case against the engineering and military contractor KBR Inc over the costs of KBR's private armed security in Iraq. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, in an order posted on Thursday, granted the Justice Department's petition from Wednesday to have its lawsuit dismissed without prejudice, a move that would leave it free to possibly refile the case at a later date. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment. The Justice Department had launched the lawsuit against the Houston-based company in April 2010 for alleged False Claims Act violations for impermissible security costs in billings to the U.S. Army from 2003 to 2006. "The use of armed private security contractors was both reasonable and necessary given the dangerous, life-threatening conditions under which KBR and its subcontractors were asked to perform in Iraq," KBR said in a statement. The contract at issue provided for logistical support, such as food services, transportation, laundry and mail, for military operations. The lawsuit involved KBR and 33 subcontractors. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleged that KBR violated the contract by failing to obtain Army authorization for arming subcontractors and by allowing the use of private security contractors who were not registered with the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior. But KBR countered that it had to hire private security to protect workers in Iraq because the U.S. Army failed to do so. The case was only one of many legal battles for KBR related to work in Iraq. KBR also faces a lawsuit by soldiers who say they were exposed to toxic chemicals at an Iraqi oil industry water treatment plant where KBR ran security. Earlier this month, a jury awarded the 12 plaintiffs in that case $10.2 million in actual damages and $75 million in punitive damages. KBR said it was deciding whether to appeal. The case is United States of America v. Kellogg Brown & Root, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:10-cv-00530 (Reporting by Braden Reddall in San Francisco; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
CNN Special Investigations Unit
Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Thousands of buildings at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan have such poorly installed wiring that American troops face life-threatening risks, a top inspector for the Army says.
These wires installed in Iraq are some of the most important to ensure safety. They all need to be replaced.
These wires installed in Iraq are some of the most important to ensure safety. They all need to be replaced.
"It was horrible -- some of the worst electrical work I've ever seen," said Jim Childs, a master electrician and the top civilian expert in an Army safety survey. Childs told CNN that "with the buildings the way they are, we're playing Russian roulette."
Childs recently returned from Iraq, where he is taking part in a yearlong review aimed at correcting electrical hazards on U.S. bases. He told CNN that thousands of buildings in Iraq and Afghanistan are so badly wired that troops are at serious risk of death or injury.
He said problems are "everywhere" in Iraq, where 18 U.S. troops have died by electrocution since 2003. All deaths occurred in different circumstances and different locations, but many happened on U.S. bases being managed by various military contractors. The Army has reopened investigations in at least five cases, according to Pentagon sources.
Of the nearly 30,000 buildings the Army's "Task Force Safe" has examined so far, Childs said more than half "failed miserably." And 8,527 had such serious problems that inspectors gave them a "flash" warning, meaning repairs had to be completed in four hours or the facility evacuated.
He said the majority of those buildings were wired by contractor KBR, based in Houston, Texas. KBR has faced extensive criticism from Congress over its performance in the war zone. KBR has defended its performance and argued it was not to blame for any fatalities.
Military electrocutions became a national issue about a year ago, after the January 2008 death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A decorated member of the Army's Green Berets, Maseth was electrocuted in his shower at a U.S. base in Baghdad that once served as one of Saddam Hussein's palaces.
His death was blamed on improper grounding and dangerous wiring on his living quarters. Soon after that, the Army asked Childs to help create "Task Force Safe," a team of master electricians assigned to inspect Army posts for electrical dangers.
Childs said the "large majority" of the buildings the task force examined in Iraq had been wired by KBR, which he expected would follow American standards. But the results, he said, were "just horrible."
In one building, "I had them pull a switch out of the wall to look at a switch, and when they pulled it out of the wall, the wires fell out of it," Childs said. Thinking that was an exception, "We pulled the one next to it. They fell off," he said. "It was just very, very poor quality work."
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Much of the work was done by crews from countries beyond Iraq, "with very little supervision by anybody." And many of the problems involved improperly grounded systems that allowed plumbing to conduct electricity, which he said could lead to electric shocks such as the one that killed Maseth.
Childs said service orders on at least two occasions warned of the hazard in Maseth's quarters, and "two simple electrical 101s" should have been checked out by electricians.
"A competent electrical contractor and electrician would have gone to that job site and tried to discover why pipes could have been energized," he said. If they had been, "then Ryan Maseth would not have been electrocuted, in my opinion."
Maseth's family is suing KBR. An Army investigator has recommended that his cause of death be changed to "negligent homicide," accusing the company of failing to properly supervise or inspect its work. The Army has yet to accept the recommendation.
KBR has repeatedly said it was not responsible for Maseth's death or for any of the others and defended its work.
"KBR has worked diligently to address electrical issues when asked," the company told CNN in a written statement. "What is important to remember is the challenging environment in which these issues exist.
"The electrical standards in Iraq are nowhere near those of Western or U.S. standards. Add to this the challenges that exist in a war zone. We have been and remain committed to fully cooperating with the government on this issue."
But Childs said the majority of buildings on U.S. bases were built and wired by KBR since the U.S. invasion.
"They installed the housing units, they installed the electrical, they installed the wiring. They installed it all. And it's wrong," he said. "It's all put in wrong."
KBR was not alone, however. He said the Army survey found problems with every contractor whose work it inspected.
Task Force Safe has yet to inspect another 70,000 buildings in Iraq and has just begun its review of bases in Afghanistan, where contractors have raised similar concerns. In written answers to questions from CNN, Pentagon spokesman Chris Isleib said, "We are correcting hazardous conditions every day."
"This is a huge undertaking but absolutely necessary for the life, health and safety of our service members and civilians," he said. "When we find a defect, we put in an emergency work order and take action immediately to protect the people working or living in those facilities."
But Childs told CNN he is surprised more Americans have not been hurt.
"All the potentials are there," he said. "It just hasn't happened." ================================================================ U.S. drops case against KBR over Iraq private security costs Thu, Nov 15 18:48 PM EST (Reuters) - The United States has dropped its case against the engineering and military contractor KBR Inc over the costs of KBR's private armed security in Iraq. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, in an order posted on Thursday, granted the Justice Department's petition from Wednesday to have its lawsuit dismissed without prejudice, a move that would leave it free to possibly refile the case at a later date. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment. The Justice Department had launched the lawsuit against the Houston-based company in April 2010 for alleged False Claims Act violations for impermissible security costs in billings to the U.S. Army from 2003 to 2006. "The use of armed private security contractors was both reasonable and necessary given the dangerous, life-threatening conditions under which KBR and its subcontractors were asked to perform in Iraq," KBR said in a statement. The contract at issue provided for logistical support, such as food services, transportation, laundry and mail, for military operations. The lawsuit involved KBR and 33 subcontractors. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleged that KBR violated the contract by failing to obtain Army authorization for arming subcontractors and by allowing the use of private security contractors who were not registered with the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior. But KBR countered that it had to hire private security to protect workers in Iraq because the U.S. Army failed to do so. The case was only one of many legal battles for KBR related to work in Iraq. KBR also faces a lawsuit by soldiers who say they were exposed to toxic chemicals at an Iraqi oil industry water treatment plant where KBR ran security. Earlier this month, a jury awarded the 12 plaintiffs in that case $10.2 million in actual damages and $75 million in punitive damages. KBR said it was deciding whether to appeal. The case is United States of America v. Kellogg Brown & Root, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:10-cv-00530 (Reporting by Braden Reddall in San Francisco; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Antarctica to Pyramids _ lights dim for Earth Hour
KRISTEN GELINEAU
Originally published 11:07 a.m., March 28, 2009, updated 10:09 a.m., March 28, 2009
SYDNEY (AP) - The floodlit cream shells of the famed Opera House dimmed Saturday as Sydney became the world's first major city to plunge itself into darkness for the second worldwide Earth Hour, a global campaign to highlight the threat of climate change.
From the Great Pyramids to the Acropolis, the London Eye to the Las Vegas strip, nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries planned to join in the World Wildlife Fund-sponsored event, a time zone-by-time zone plan to dim nonessential lights between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Involvement in the effort has exploded since last year's Earth Hour, which drew participation from 400 cities after Sydney held a solo event in 2007. Interest has spiked ahead of planned negotiations on a new global warming treaty in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December. The last global accord, the Kyoto Protocol, is set to expire in 2012.
Despite the boost in interest from the Copenhagen negotiations, organizers initially worried enthusiasm for this year's event would wane with the world's attention focused largely on the global economic crisis, Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley told The Associated Press. Strangely enough, he said, it's seemed to have the opposite effect.
"Earth Hour has always been a positive campaign; it's always around street parties, not street protests, it's the idea of hope not despair. And I think that's something that's been incredibly important this year because there is so much despair around," he said. "On the other side of it, there's savings in cutting your power usage and being more sustainable and more efficient."
In Australia, people attended candlelit speed-dating events and gathered at outdoor concerts as the hour of darkness rolled through the country. Sydney's glittering harbor was bathed in shadows as lights dimmed on the steel arch of the city's iconic Harbour Bridge and the nearby Opera House.
Earlier Saturday, the Chatham Islands, a group of small islands about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of New Zealand, officially kicked off Earth Hour by switching off its diesel generators. Soon after, the lights of Auckland's Sky Tower, the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand, blinked off.
Forty-four New Zealand towns and cities participated in the event, and more than 60,000 people showed up for an Earth Hour-themed hot air ballooning festival in the city of Hamilton.
At Scott Base in Antarctica, New Zealand's 26-member winter team resorted to minimum safety lighting and switched off appliances and computers.
The U.N.'s headquarters in New York and other of its facilities were dimming their lights for an hour to signal the need for global support for a new climate treaty in Copenhagen in December. The first round of climate negotiations this year begins Sunday in Bonn, Germany.
U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon called Earth Hour "a way for the citizens of the world to send a clear message: They want action on climate change."
"We are on a dangerous path. Our planet is warming. We must change our ways. ... We need sustainable energy for a more climate-friendly, prosperous world," Ban said.
China was participating in the campaign for the first time, with Beijing turning off the lights at its Bird's Nest Stadium and Water Cube, the most prominent venues for the Olympics, according to WWF. Shanghai was also cutting lights in all government buildings and other structures on its waterfront, while Hong Kong, Baoding, Changchun, Dalian, Nanjing and Guangzhou were also participating, WWF said.
However, the official WWF Earth Hour Web site appeared to be blocked in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin on Saturday afternoon. While China rarely gives reasons for blocking Web sites, the campaign coincided with the 50th anniversary of the suppression of an uprising in Tibet that forced the Dalai Lama to go into exile.
In Hong Kong, the government planned to suspend its nightly "Symphony of Lights," which beams lasers and lights into the sky from 44 buildings on the city's famed Victoria Harbor. Landmarks along the harbor also were to switch off nonessential lights for an hour.
Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva pressed a button that switched off the lights on Khao San Road, a famous haven for budget travelers in Bangkok that is packed with bars and outdoor cafes. City officials then hosted an hour-long outdoor seminar on global warming that offered ideas for reducing energy consumption.
The lights also went out at the Grand Palace and other riverside monuments, and on several of the Thai capital's busiest boulevards.
On Bangkok's bustling Silom Road several street vendors hawking pirated DVDs, T-shirts and fake watches chipped in by turning off the bulbs that light their stalls.
Earth Hour organizers say there's no uniform way to measure how much energy is saved worldwide.
Earth Hour 2009 has garnered support from global corporations, nonprofit groups, schools, scientists and celebrities _ including Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett and retired Cape Town Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
McDonald's Corp. planned to dim its arches at 500 locations around the Midwest in the United States. The Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont hotel chains and Coca-Cola Co. also planned to participate.
___
On the Net:
Earth Hour: http://www.earthhour.org
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Earth Hour video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v9bm7yR0HcVY
Originally published 11:07 a.m., March 28, 2009, updated 10:09 a.m., March 28, 2009
SYDNEY (AP) - The floodlit cream shells of the famed Opera House dimmed Saturday as Sydney became the world's first major city to plunge itself into darkness for the second worldwide Earth Hour, a global campaign to highlight the threat of climate change.
From the Great Pyramids to the Acropolis, the London Eye to the Las Vegas strip, nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries planned to join in the World Wildlife Fund-sponsored event, a time zone-by-time zone plan to dim nonessential lights between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Involvement in the effort has exploded since last year's Earth Hour, which drew participation from 400 cities after Sydney held a solo event in 2007. Interest has spiked ahead of planned negotiations on a new global warming treaty in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December. The last global accord, the Kyoto Protocol, is set to expire in 2012.
Despite the boost in interest from the Copenhagen negotiations, organizers initially worried enthusiasm for this year's event would wane with the world's attention focused largely on the global economic crisis, Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley told The Associated Press. Strangely enough, he said, it's seemed to have the opposite effect.
"Earth Hour has always been a positive campaign; it's always around street parties, not street protests, it's the idea of hope not despair. And I think that's something that's been incredibly important this year because there is so much despair around," he said. "On the other side of it, there's savings in cutting your power usage and being more sustainable and more efficient."
In Australia, people attended candlelit speed-dating events and gathered at outdoor concerts as the hour of darkness rolled through the country. Sydney's glittering harbor was bathed in shadows as lights dimmed on the steel arch of the city's iconic Harbour Bridge and the nearby Opera House.
Earlier Saturday, the Chatham Islands, a group of small islands about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of New Zealand, officially kicked off Earth Hour by switching off its diesel generators. Soon after, the lights of Auckland's Sky Tower, the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand, blinked off.
Forty-four New Zealand towns and cities participated in the event, and more than 60,000 people showed up for an Earth Hour-themed hot air ballooning festival in the city of Hamilton.
At Scott Base in Antarctica, New Zealand's 26-member winter team resorted to minimum safety lighting and switched off appliances and computers.
The U.N.'s headquarters in New York and other of its facilities were dimming their lights for an hour to signal the need for global support for a new climate treaty in Copenhagen in December. The first round of climate negotiations this year begins Sunday in Bonn, Germany.
U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon called Earth Hour "a way for the citizens of the world to send a clear message: They want action on climate change."
"We are on a dangerous path. Our planet is warming. We must change our ways. ... We need sustainable energy for a more climate-friendly, prosperous world," Ban said.
China was participating in the campaign for the first time, with Beijing turning off the lights at its Bird's Nest Stadium and Water Cube, the most prominent venues for the Olympics, according to WWF. Shanghai was also cutting lights in all government buildings and other structures on its waterfront, while Hong Kong, Baoding, Changchun, Dalian, Nanjing and Guangzhou were also participating, WWF said.
However, the official WWF Earth Hour Web site appeared to be blocked in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin on Saturday afternoon. While China rarely gives reasons for blocking Web sites, the campaign coincided with the 50th anniversary of the suppression of an uprising in Tibet that forced the Dalai Lama to go into exile.
In Hong Kong, the government planned to suspend its nightly "Symphony of Lights," which beams lasers and lights into the sky from 44 buildings on the city's famed Victoria Harbor. Landmarks along the harbor also were to switch off nonessential lights for an hour.
Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva pressed a button that switched off the lights on Khao San Road, a famous haven for budget travelers in Bangkok that is packed with bars and outdoor cafes. City officials then hosted an hour-long outdoor seminar on global warming that offered ideas for reducing energy consumption.
The lights also went out at the Grand Palace and other riverside monuments, and on several of the Thai capital's busiest boulevards.
On Bangkok's bustling Silom Road several street vendors hawking pirated DVDs, T-shirts and fake watches chipped in by turning off the bulbs that light their stalls.
Earth Hour organizers say there's no uniform way to measure how much energy is saved worldwide.
Earth Hour 2009 has garnered support from global corporations, nonprofit groups, schools, scientists and celebrities _ including Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett and retired Cape Town Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
McDonald's Corp. planned to dim its arches at 500 locations around the Midwest in the United States. The Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont hotel chains and Coca-Cola Co. also planned to participate.
___
On the Net:
Earth Hour: http://www.earthhour.org
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Earth Hour video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v9bm7yR0HcVY
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