Tunisian Held In New York Over Canada Train Bomb Plot

A Tunisian man who allegedly met one of the men suspected of plotting to bomb a Canadian train was charged with visa fraud in New York, prosecutors say.

Ahmed Abassi allegedly met Chiheb Esseghaier and attempted to radicalise him, New York prosecutors said.

He came to the US in March and kept contact with an undercover FBI agent before his 22 April arrest, they said.

Mr Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35, are charged with conspiracy to carry out an attack and kill people.

An indictment against Mr Abassi, unsealed on Thursday, alleged he came from Canada and was fraudulently seeking a US work visa in order to "facilitate an act of international terrorism".

US Attorney for Manhattan Preet Bharara said: "As alleged, Ahmed Abassi had an evil purpose for seeking to remain in the United States - to commit acts of terror and develop a network of terrorists here, and to use this country as a base to support the efforts of terrorists internationally."

In recorded conversations between the two men, Mr Abassi expressed his desire to "engage in terrorist acts against targets in the United States and other countries", the justice department said in a statement.

He was arrested at John F Kennedy International Airport, authorities said.

Mr Abassi was also recorded talking about his desire to aid militant groups, including the al-Nusra Front.

That group has been described by the US as a front for al-Qaeda in Iraq, and has gained support in rebel-held parts of Syria.

Canadian media have reported the investigation into Mr Esseghaier and Mr Jaser was launched after a tip-off by a concerned imam in the Toronto Muslim community.

Authorities had been tracking Mr Esseghaier for two years before beginning to investigate the alleged plot in August 2012.

Source: BBC News

Read More

Sailor Dies As America's Cup Boat Capsizes

A sailor has died after a Swedish catamaran capsized during a practice session for the America's Cup in San Francisco Bay, local media report.

The San Francisco Fire Department said the man was one of two people injured when the Artemis Racing catamaran capsized near Treasure Island.

They were brought ashore and one was pronounced dead a short time later.

Artemis is a Swedish team due to race two boats in the America's Cup being held in San Francisco this summer.

Reports said one of the crew had been trapped under the capsized 72ft (22m) boat for about 10 minutes.

The America's Cup website did not confirm the death but said support boats were at the scene to help in the recovery.

San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge was quoted by the Associated Press as saying the two brought to shore were taken to the St Francis Yacht Club where paramedics performed CPR on one of them.

The other person's injuries were not life-threatening, she said.

The rest of the crew from the capsized boat were transferred to a support boat operated by Oracle Racing, which is defending its America's Cup title from last year, officials said.

Lt Jeannie Crump of the Coast Guard said it was not yet clear what caused the boat to capsize.

The America's Cup race is due to run from July until September.

Source: BBC News

Read More

Ohio Kidnapper Could Be Executed

Ohio prosecutors have said they plan to seek aggravated murder charges that could carry the death penalty, against the man suspected of imprisoning three women for about a decade.

The charges relate to alleged forced miscarriages suffered by one victim.

Ariel Castro, 52, was arraigned in court earlier for the kidnap and rape of Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23 and Michelle Knight, 32.

Ms Berry escaped on Monday and was able to raise the alarm.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said the murder charges were based on evidence from one of the women held captive in Mr Castro's house that he had impregnated her, then physically abused and starved her in order to induce miscarriages.

"I fully intend to seek charges for each and every act of sexual violence, rape, each day of kidnapping, every felonious assault, all his attempted murders, and each act of aggravated murder he committed by terminating pregnancies that the offender perpetuated against the hostages during this decade-long ordeal," Mr McGinty told a news conference.

"My office will also engage in a formal process in which we evaluate to seek charges eligible for the death penalty.

"The reality is we still have brutal criminals in our midst who have no respect for the rule of law or human life. The law of Ohio calls for the death penalty for those most depraved criminals who commit aggravated murder during the course of a kidnapping."

"This child kidnapper operated a torture chamber and private prison in the heart of our city," he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Castro appeared in court in Cleveland, handcuffed and dressed in blue overalls. He did not enter a plea.

He is charged with four counts of kidnapping, covering the three initial abduction victims and Jocelyn, Ms Berry's six-year-old daughter, who was apparently conceived and born in captivity.

The former school bus driver also faces three counts of rape, one against each woman.

Source: BBC News

Read More

Ohio Women Were Tied And Chained

Cleveland's police chief has said the three women held captive in an Ohio house for about a decade were restrained with ropes and chains.

Michael McGrath told US broadcaster NBC that investigators believe the victims were allowed out in the backyard occasionally.

He added Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were in good condition "considering the circumstances".

Chief McGrath said a charging decision would come later on Wednesday.

Former school bus driver Ariel Castro, 52, who owns the house where the women were found, has been arrested along with his two brothers, Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50.

Meanwhile, Cleveland public safety director Martin Flask said in a statement that no human remains had been found at the home, after "a thorough search". Police have said they are also searching other properties.

Standing near the scene, Chief McGrath told NBC's Today Show: "Currently, today, we are interviewing the suspects that were arrested here the night before last. They are talking."

He said the women had been allowed out of the house "very rarely".

"They were released out in the backyard once in a while I believe," he said.

Chief McGrath disputed claims by neighbours that police did not fully investigate reports of suspicious activity at 2207 Seymour Avenue, which is in a working-class district.

He said he was "absolutely" sure police did not miss any opportunities to find the women over the years.

Neighbours have told news organisations they had made multiple calls to police about the house to report women crying for help and the noise of pounding on doors.

Chief McGrath said he could not confirm reports that the captives had had multiple pregnancies.

Police have confirmed a six-year-old girl, Jocelyn, who was discovered along with the women, is Ms Berry's daughter. The girl was apparently conceived and born during her mother's captivity.

Ms Berry, 27, arrived at her sister's home shortly before midday on Wednesday. The sister, Beth Serrano, read a statement asking for her family's privacy to be respected.

Ms Berry, who disappeared in 2003 aged 16, escaped with the help of a neighbour who heard her screaming and kicking a door while her alleged captor was out of the house.

When police arrived they also found Ms DeJesus, 23, and Ms Knight, 32, in the house. Ms DeJesus had gone missing aged 14 in 2004, while Ms Knight had disappeared in 2002, aged 20.

Ariel Castro reportedly fled the neighbourhood, and was arrested at a nearby McDonald's restaurant, according to local media. It is unclear when his brothers were detained.

A neighbour, Israel Lugo, told the Associated Press that Ariel Castro had identified Jocelyn as "his girlfriend's daughter" when they went to a nearby park to play last week.

Residents of the mostly Puerto Rican district said the former bus driver, a family friend of Ms DeJesus, had helped hand out fliers to raise awareness of her disappearance and attended a candlelight vigil for her last year.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Johnson said on Tuesday that child welfare officials had paid a visit to Ariel Castro's home in January 2004 because he was reported to have left a child on a school bus while he stopped for lunch.

But no-one answered the door and an inquiry found no criminal intent, officials said.

Puerto Rico-born Ariel Castro was reportedly sacked from his school-bus driving job in November for "lack of judgment". He played bass guitar in Latin music bands in the area.

His son, Anthony Castro, told London's Daily Mail newspaper that he had rarely spoken to his father, adding that the suspect would not let him inside on his last visit to his house.

"The house was always locked," he said. "There were places we could never go. There were locks on the basement. Locks on the attic. Locks on the garage."

Cleveland's police were pilloried in 2009 after the discovery of a home in a poor district where Anthony Sowell had killed 11 women.

Victims' families allege that police had not taken neighbours' reported suspicions seriously enough.

Meanwhile, there has been an online backlash against a self-proclaimed psychic, Sylvia Browne, who in 2004 told Ms Berry's mother, Louwana Miller, on TV that her daughter was dead and that her last words were "goodbye, mom, I love you".

Ms Miller died in 2006 of heart failure, aged 43.

Source: BBC News

Read More

Seven Nato Troops Die In Afghanistan

Seven soldiers serving with Nato's force in Afghanistan have been killed in two attacks, the alliance says.

An Afghan soldier turned his weapon on coalition troops in the western Farah province, reports said, killing two in the latest so-called insider attack.

Earlier, a roadside bomb killed five US soldiers in the southern Kandahar province.

The deaths came after three British troops were killed by a roadside bomb this week in southern Helmand province.

The Taliban launched its annual spring offensive last Sunday, saying it would target foreign military bases and diplomatic areas.

Some 100,000 soldiers are still serving with Isaf, but they are due to be withdrawn by the end of next year.

Nato is in the process of handing security operations to Afghan forces, and some areas have already been transferred.
'We stay committed'
The US-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) released a statement saying: "Two International Security Assistance Force service members were killed when an Afghan National Army soldier turned his weapon against Isaf service members in western Afghanistan today."

It did not disclose the nationalities of the victims, but unnamed American officials later said the victims were US soldiers, AP reported.

As the number of Nato troops killed by their Afghan counterparts continues to rise, analysts wonder how the breakdown of this relationship will have an impact on the scheduled departure of international forces from Afghanistan.

After the earlier roadside bomb in Kandahar, Isaf spokesman Brig Gen Gunter Katz said it had been a "difficult week" for the coalition, but added that the deaths would not change its commitment to the task in Afghanistan.

"Every soldier who dies here in Afghanistan is one too many," he said. "But again, this will not have an effect on our overall campaign. We stay committed and will stay committed in this country to support the Afghans also in the future."

Faisal Javi, a spokesman for Kandahar's governor, said the roadside bomb exploded in Mewand district, which has a strong Taliban presence, but he said the group had not yet claimed responsibility for planting the device.

Saturday's deaths bring the toll for coalition troops in 2013 to 49, including 37 Americans.

Most Nato troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014 - when all combat operations are due to finish - although a small number will remain in support roles.

Read More

5-year-old Boy Accidentally Shoots, Kills 2-year-old Sister In Cumberland County

5-year-old boy who was playing with a .22-caliber rifle accidentally shot and killed his 2-year-old sister in Cumberland County on Tuesday afternoon, according to a news release from the state police.

The shooting happened just after 1 p.m. at a home on Lawson's Bottom Road.

The 2-year-old was taken to Cumberland County Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. An autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday.

Cumberland County Coroner Gary White identified the girl as Caroline Sparks.

He said the children's mother was at home when the shooting occurred, and the gun was a gift the boy received last year.

"It's a Crickett," he said. "It's a little rifle for a kid. ...The little boy's used to shooting the little gun."

White said the gun was kept in a corner, and the family did not realize a shell had been left in it.

He said the shooting will be ruled accidental.
 "Just one of those crazy accidents," White said.  Source: kentucky.com

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/04/30/2621458/5-year-old-boy-accidentally-shoots.html#storylink=cpy

Read More

Jamestown Settlers Ate 14-year-old Girl, Researchers Say

The early American settlers called it "the starving time," and accounts of the winter of 1609-1610 were so ghastly, and so morbid, that scholars weren't sure if the stories were true.

George Percy, then president of the English settlement of Jamestown in Virginia, wrote that settlers ate horses, then cats and dogs, then boots and bits of leather, and, finally, one another.

"One of our colony murdered his wife, ripped the child out of her womb and threw it into the river, and after chopped the mother in pieces and salted her for his food," wrote Percy, who then ordered the man executed.

"Now whether she was better roasted, boyled or carbonado’d [barbecued], I know not, but of such a dish as powdered wife I never heard of," added the famed settler John Smith. "This was that time, which still to this day we called the starving time; it were too vile to say, and scarce to be beleeved, what we endured."

Until now: Researchers said Wednesday that they have discovered the first forensic proof that cannibalism happened at Jamestown during one of its darkest periods.

The announcement was presented by Douglas Owsley, the division head for physical anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, chief archaeologist William Kelso from the Jamestown Rediscovery Project at Preservation Virginia and historian James Horn, vice president of research and historical interpretation at Colonial Williamsburg.

But the biggest name involved with the announcement was "Jane," the nickname given to the remains of a 14-year-old girl found last year in settlement trash from the starving period.

Archaeologists did not find much of Jane -- just part of her skull and part of her leg, or 10% of her body -- but said those remains showed that someone tried to eat her, apparently after she had died of an undetermined cause.

Someone made four small chops to Jane's forehead before an ax or cleaver broke open the back of her skull, the researchers aid. There were also small knife cuts on her jaw and cheek.

“The desperation and overwhelming circumstances faced by the James Fort colonists during the winter of 1609–1610 are reflected in the postmortem treatment of this girl’s body,” Smithsonian anthropologist Owsley said in the announcement. “The recovered bone fragments have unusually patterned cuts and chops that reflect tentativeness, trial and complete lack of experience in butchering animal remains. Nevertheless, the clear intent was to dismember the body, removing the brain and flesh from the face for consumption.”

Researchers took DNA from Jane in case that her real identity could be someday discovered by matching samples with those of her family's descendants, though officials said finding relatives was unlikely.

Tests showed that Jane had a diet of wheat and meat, said officials, who believe she arrived in Jamestown in August 1609, mere months before the worst of the colonists' starvation. That winter, 80% of the settlers died -- about 200 people -- sometimes at the hands of the Native Americans living in the area.

"The 'starving time' was brought about by a trifecta of disasters: disease, a serious shortage of provisions, and a full scale siege by the Powhatans that cut off Jamestown from outside relief," Colonial Williamsburg's researcher Horn said in the announcement. "Survival cannibalism was a last resort; a desperate means of prolonging life at a time when the settlement teetered on the brink of extinction."

By May, the colony's Percy wrote, settlers called out to visitors, "We are starved, we are starved."

One man, Hugh Pryse, "being pinched with extreme famine ... did come openly into the market place blaspheming, exclaiming and crying out that there was no God, alleging that if there were a god he would not suffer his creatures whom he had made and framed to endure those miseries." Pryse was soon killed by Native Americans, Percy wrote, surely in divine punishment for his blasphemy.
Jamestown, although almost abandoned, survived after more settlers and colonists arrived.

The discovery of Jane came as part of a 20-year excavation of the colonists' original settlement. A digital reconstruction of her face will go on display Friday at the Nathalie P. and Alan M. Voorhees Archaearium at Historic Jamestowne and at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington.

Read More

Boston Marathon Bombings: 3 Charged In Connection With Attack

The three young men charged with helping a suspect in last month's fatal bombing attack at the Boston Marathon cover his tracks were handed into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after their initial court appearance on Wednesday.

Kazakhstani nationals Azamat Tazhayakov, 19, and Dias Kadyrbayev, 19, were earlier charged with conspiring to obstruct justice and the third man, a U.S. citizen named Robel Phillipos, was charged with making false statements to investigators.

Two of the men were university classmates of 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who last week was criminally charged with planting homemade pressure-cooker bombs at the marathon finish line on April 15 along with his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Papers filed in federal court said authorities charged tTazhayakov and Kadyrbayev with throwing away a backpack containing fireworks and a laptop computer belonging to alleged bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Tsarnaev, who attended the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, is being held at a prison hospital where he is recovering from gunshot wound sustained in a gun battle with police. His older brother died in the gunfight.

Last week law enforcement officials were seen searching dumps in southeastern Massachusetts.

Kadyrbayev's lawyer said his client was being held for violations of his student visa.

The lawyer, Robert Stahl, said his client was "not a target" of the bombing investigation, but declined to comment on any other specifics. He said his client had "cooperated fully" with investigators and "wants to go home to Kazakhstan."

The parents of the Tsarnaev brothers have said in interviews in the North Caucasus region of Russia that they do not believe their sons were responsible for placing the bombs.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's body has still not been claimed, a spokesman for the state's chief medical examiner said. His widow, Katherine Russell, on Tuesday said she wanted the medical examiner to release her husband's body to his family.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Read More

Second Ricin Suspect Everett Dutschke Due In Court

A Mississippi martial arts instructor is due in court on charges relating to ricin-laced letters that were sent to President Obama, a senator and a judge.

James Everett Dutschke, 41, has been charged with possessing a biological agent with intent to use as a weapon.

He was detained on Sunday, days after police arrested and then released another man, Paul Kevin Curtis.

Investigators, some in hazardous materials suits, searched Mr Dutschke's home, business and vehicles.

The Tupelo man had reportedly been under surveillance.

According to an FBI news release, Mr Dutschke has been charged with "knowingly developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent, toxin and delivery system, for use as a weapon, to wit: ricin".

A lawyer for Mr Dutschke said her client was co-operating with the authorities. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

The letters were sent to the president, Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker and Judge Sadie Holland on 8 April.

On 17 April, authorities arrested Mr Curtis, a 45-year-old local Elvis impersonator. But Mr Curtis was released from jail and charges were dropped six days later.

No evidence of ricin was found in FBI searches of Mr Curtis' home.

The letters were signed: "I am KC and I approve this message." Mr Curtis, who said he had been framed, often ended posts on his Facebook page in a similar manner.

Mr Dutschke and Mr Curtis reportedly knew each other, and Mr Curtis said the two men had discussed publishing a book on an alleged conspiracy Mr Curtis believed he had discovered, to sell body parts on the black market.

But the pair later fell out.

Authorities began investigating Mr Dutschke after Mr Curtis' defence lawyers gave them a list of people they thought might have a reason to hurt their client.

Source: BBC News

Read More

NBA Player Jason Collins Comes Out As Gay

US basketball player Jason Collins has come out as gay, the first active male athlete in a major American professional team sport to do so.

He declared his sexuality in an article for Sports Illustrated which began: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."

Collins said he had struggled with his sexuality for years.

Former NBA player John Amaechi came out as gay in 2007, but he had already retired.

Former US President Bill Clinton was among those who sent messages of support to Collins on Monday.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement: "Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue."

Sports label Nike, which has endorsed Collins, also supported his decision.

"Jason is a Nike athlete. We are a company committed to diversity and inclusion," a statement said.

In the Sports Illustrated article, Collins, who has most recently played for the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics, said: "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.

"But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, 'I'm different.'

"If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."

He added that this month's bombings at the Boston marathon reinforced the conviction that he should talk publicly about his sexuality.

"Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?" Collins wrote.

Collins, who is professionally a free agent, having played 11 seasons in the NBA with six teams, said he had tried to suppress his feelings through relationships with women.

"When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged," he said. "I thought I had to live a certain way.

"I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue."

Collins said he decided he should go public after his former roommate at California's Stanford University, Congressman Joe Kennedy, scion of the Kennedy political dynasty, marched in a Boston gay parade.

Source: BBC News

Read More

Man Charged Over US Ricin Letters

A man has been arrested in Mississippi and charged in connection with the sending of letters containing ricin to President Obama, a senator and a judge.

Everett Dutschke was detained at home in Tupelo on Saturday and handed over to US Marshals, police said.

Mr Dutschke has been charged with possessing a biological agent with intent to use as a weapon.

He has links to a man against whom charges were filed and later dropped, as well as the senator and judge.

Ricin is a naturally occurring protein, found in the castor oil plant, which is highly toxic. It is 6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide.

 

Read More

Suspect in 5 Killings in Illinois Reportedly Nabbed After High-speed Chase

Five people were reportedly killed in a shooting in Manchester, Ill., Wednesday morning prompting the closure of three area schools.

The suspect attempted to run from the scene, got into a high-speed chase with police and shots were fired while the suspect was taken into custody.

One person was injured in the shooting, but the injuries remain unclear. The suspect, the station reports, is in custody. Police said that they do not believe another suspect is at large.

The crime scene was described as a single-story apartment. The relationship between the suspect and the alleged victims was not immediately clear.

Mayor Ronald Drake said he got the call around 4:45 a.m., indicating that there had been a shooting with multiple fatalities.

Drake did not say who the victims were or given any details about the suspect. He told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the victims "lived in federal housing and it's hard to keep up" with their identities because there is so much turnover of residents there.

Illinois State Police spokeswoman Monique Bond says the victims were found early Wednesday morning in the southwestern Illinois community, 50 miles west of Springfield. She didn't have any details on the deaths or the circumstances surrounding the capture of the suspect.

A school superintendent in the area says he was informed by sheriffs early Wednesday morning that the victims had been shot to death. Les Stevens of the North Greene School District says he canceled classes because authorities warned him at the time that the suspect was at large. The district has since been informed that the man was captured.

Classes were cancelled in three area school districts: Northgreene, Winchester and Jacksonville.  Approximately 950 students are affected.

Source: Fox News

Read More

USA Today Founder Allen Neuharth Dead

Allen H. Neuharth, who revolutionized American newspapering by founding USA Today with its colorful layouts and concise storytelling that influenced many media empires, died Friday in his home in Cocoa Beach, Florida, the newspaper said. He was 89.

"The longtime newspaperman, media executive and columnist died after sustaining injuries in a fall at his home," USA Today said.

Neuharth was a former chairman of Gannett, the publisher of USA Today and 81 other newspapers, who made journalistic history when he took a bold risk launching a daily in 1982 that declared itself the first general interest national newspaper. He battled his own board of directors in championing the publication.

Some traditionalists of American journalism criticized USA Today for its emphasis on shorter articles -- calling it "McPaper" -- but the paper developed into an extraordinary success financially and journalistically. The newspaper is now the nation's second-largest daily.

The iconoclastic Neuharth was fond of saying that "the editors who called us McPaper stole our McNuggets."

"Al Neuharth reinvented news,'' USA Today Publisher Larry Kramer said in the newspaper's obituary. "Even in our recent efforts to translate his vision into the modern world of digital journalism, we relied on him to tell us if we were going in the right direction."

Neuharth "was, is and always will be USA Today," Dave Callaway, the editor-in-chief, added. "He holds a remarkable place in the history of American journalism, and the spirit and passion which he brought to our industry will never be extinguished."

Source: CNN

Read More

Boston Marathon Bomber Captured

A teenager suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings is in custody after a local resident found him hiding in a boat in his backyard.

Police said they exchanged gunfire with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, after cornering him in Watertown, near Boston.

He had escaped on foot early on Friday, apparently wounded, after a police shootout that claimed the life of his elder brother, an alleged accomplice.

Three people died and more than 170 were wounded in Monday's bombings.

As news emerged that the teenaged suspect was being treated in hospital, US President Barack Obama promised to seek answers on what had motivated the bombers and whether they had help.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found after a day of lockdown on Boston's streets and a night of bloodshed that had claimed the life of a police officer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Sean Collier, 26, was fatally shot in Cambridge late on Thursday. Then, after a car was hijacked, a gun battle began further west, in Watertown.

A transport police officer was seriously hurt and one of the brothers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was fatally injured.

He had died of bullet wounds and injuries from explosives strapped to his body, a hospital doctor said.

As thousands of Swat team officers scoured the streets for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Boston and its suburbs were brought to a standstill, with residents told to stay indoors.

Despite house-to-house searches in the Watertown area, nothing was found and the trail appeared to have gone cold.

The Tsarnaev Brothers

It was not until 19:00 local time (23:00 GMT), an hour after the city-wide lockdown order was lifted and the transport system had reopened, that the breakthrough came.

A resident of Franklin Street, Watertown, emerged from his home and noticed blood near a boat in his backyard.

Upon opening the tarpaulin covering the boat, he found a man covered in blood in the stern and called police.

Bomb-squad vans and ambulances surrounded the house, while helicopters buzzed overhead.

"The hostage rescue team did try to talk him out but from what I understand, he was not communicative," Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis told reporters.

Officers tossed flash-bang grenades into the boat to disorient the fugitive.

Police said they exchanged gunfire with the suspect for about an hour before moving in and seizing him. Images show the teenager climbing out of the boat and then lying on his back as he is searched by police.

A crowd near the scene cheered as he was taken into custody.

Boston Police Department tweeted: "CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won. Suspect in custody."

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken to a Massachusetts hospital, bleeding and seriously injured with gunshot wounds to the neck and leg, police told reporters.

Source: BBC News

Read More

Search For Answers After Deadly Texas Explosion

A day after a fiery explosion ripped through the heart of a close-knit central Texas town, many questions remain.

What caused the blast, so deafening its ground motion registered as an earthquake?

How many people died and how many were pulled from the charred rubble alive? And how many remain unaccounted for?

Was it the result of criminal activity?

Despite the flurry of questions, one thing is certain. The effect on the small town of West -- population 2,800 -- is massive.
  

The West Fertilizer Company lies in ruins on Thursday, April 18, in the town of West, Texas, after a deadly explosion the evening before damaged buildings for blocks in every direction. An estimated 35 people died in the massive blast.

A chimney is the only part of a home left standing after Wednesday's explosion.

Search and rescue workers comb through what remains of a 50-unit apartment building on April 18.

Workers clean up shattered windows at a store in West, Texas, on April 18.

Debris litters the fields around a fertilizer plant on April 18, the day after the explosion. The blast damaged 50 to 60 homes in a five-block area, officials said.

This satellite image shows West, Texas, as captured on January 30, 2012. The fertilizer plant is on the right center of the photo, just northeast of the oval track of the town's middle school.

A sheriff's deputy comforts a woman at a command post on April 18.

Remains of a fertilizer plant burn in the town of West, Texas, early on April 18.

Water is sprayed at the burning remains of the plant.

Smoke billows into the sky immediately after the explosion, as captured by iReporter Brian Kitchen.

The deadly explosion leveled dozens of homes and damaged other buildings including a school and nursing home, authorities said.

A vehicle is seen near the remains of the fertilizer plant.

With smoke rising in the distance, a law enforcement officer runs a checkpoint at the perimeter about half a mile from the plant.

Waco Police spokesman William Swanton speaks to reporters about the explosion.

Glass from blown-out windows lies shattered on the sidewalk and street after the blast.

Earth-moving equipment rolls through the downtown area in the middle of the night.

Shattered glass covers items in the front of a thrift store.

Brandon Smith removes broken glass from the West Thrift Shop on Thursday.

Workers board up a furniture shop with shattered windows on Thursday.

Source: CNN

Photos: Texas fertilizer plant explodes Photos: Texas fertilizer plant explodes
The fertilizer plant explosion Wednesday night leveled buildings, ripped up walls and threw people on the ground blocks away. About half the town was evacuated, including a nursing home with 133 residents.
Waco Police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton estimated the explosion killed five to 15 people. Authorities said more than 160 people were wounded and some residents remain missing.
It was still unclear early Friday what the exact number of casualties was. Officials are treading cautiously on providing specific numbers on victims, but fire officials confirmed some deaths among their crew.
Five West firefighters, one Dallas firefighter and four emergency responders were killed, the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas said in a statement Thursday.
The blast stunned residents and left behind a trail of charred devastation in the small town.
"There's no way I would have ever dreamed that this would have happened," paramedic Bryce Reed told CNN's "AC 360."
"I mean, it's profound and it's dire, and it hurts like hell," he said. "But, you know, the main thing we wanted to convey is that ... please keep the prayers coming. Please keep the thoughts coming."
When he responded to the scene, it left him speechless, Reed said.
"I can tell you there's absolutely no words that I possess that can convey adequately what I saw," he said. "It went from my hometown and my reality and my existence to a war zone in an instant, and I haven't even had time to process that yet."
He lost some friends, all volunteer emergency workers, just like him.
"People who didn't have to go to that blast, went to that blast," he said. "People who could have stayed at home, they didn't have to go. ... they were all volunteers."
Authorities are still scouring the area for survivors -- and answers.
"We still are holding out some hope," Mayor Tommy Muska said. He said the number of casualties may rise.
The area around the site of remains "very volatile" because of the presence of ammonium nitrate, according to Matt Cawthon, chief deputy sheriff of McLennan County. Ammonium nitrate, a solid fertilizer composed of ammonia and nitrogen, is also a component of explosives widely used in mining.
The explosion tore through the roof of West Fertilizer Co., charring much of the structure and sending massive flames into the air. A deafening boom echoed for miles.
It registered as a 2.1-magnitude earthquake on the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Brad Smith felt his house shake. It's 50 miles away from the plant.
"We didn't know exactly what it was," he said. "The forecast said a line of thunderstorms was going to come through. My wife and I looked up and wondered, 'Did it get here six hours early?' "
Local authorities are working with federal officials, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to determine the cause of the deadly explosion.
Though there are no indications of criminal activity, Swanton said, it has not been ruled out yet.
It's unclear whether the plant had safety problems. But in 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency fined the company that ran the fertilizer plant $2,300 and told the owners to correct problems that included a failure to file a risk management program plan on time.
Seven years ago, the company had a complaint against it for a lingering smell of ammonia, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality website shows.
West is about 75 miles south of Dallas and about 20 miles north of Waco.
The blast came as the nation remains on edge following the Boston Marathon bombing on Monday that killed three and left about 180 injured.
It also coincided almost exactly with the 20th anniversary of a fire in Waco that ended a federal agents' siege against members of the Branch Davidian sect. More than 80 sect members and some federal agents died.
That anniversary is Friday.

Read More

Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Killed; Second At Large

Boston police say one of the two Boston Marathon suspects is dead after an early morning shootout in Watertown, a suburb of Boston.

The showdown with police started late Thursday night near the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. Two suspects purportedly tried to rob a local 7-11 store and shot and killed a campus police officer.

The suspects allegedly then car jacked a victim in a black Mercedes SUV and escaped for 30 minutes, sporadically exchanging gunfire with police.

"They're shooting at us," police could be heard saying over scanners.

At one point, police said on the scanners that the suspects were throwing grenades at them.

One of the suspects, so-called Suspect No. 1 who was shown wearing a black baseball hat in a video released Thursday by the FBI, was killed by police, the Boston police said.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said, "We believe this to be a terrorist. We believe this to be a man who's come here to kill people."

Sam, a local resident in Watertown, told a PBS radio affiliate that he heard a crash at about 12:45 a.m. and then a hail of gunfire.

Massachusetts state police spokesperson Timothy Alben said at a 5:45 a.m. briefing in Watertown that the governor had cancelled all area buses and subway.

Alben asked local residents in the communities around Watertown to stay indoors and directed local businesses not to open. People should not congregate outside, he said.

It's unclear immediately where the suspects came from, whether their plot amounts to domestic or international terrorism.

A doctor from Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center said at a 5:20 a.m. briefing that the mortally injured suspect arrived at the hospital at 1:20 a.m. and was pronounced dead after about 10 minutes. Hospital officials said they aren't aware of the identity of the deceased suspect.

The second suspect is at large and believed to be on foot.

Police have brought in a bus to possibly evacuate the area.

Several wide-eyed residents showed up at the local Dunkin' Donuts franchise, a few metres from the area taped off by police.

“I'm speechless that this is happening here right now and I'm surprised that the two bombers weren't halfway across the country,” said Tim, a Watertown resident who sipped a coffee and watched the scene unfold.

Source: Toronto Star

Read More

Many Injured After Blast at Texas Fertiliser Plant

Many people are reported to be injured and others are trapped in burning buildings after an explosion at a fertiliser plant near Waco in the US state of Texas.

Firefighters, ambulances and six helicopters have been mobilised to deal with the situation.

Several buildings are reported to be on fire, some of them in neighbouring residential areas, KWTX-TV reported.

The blast at the West Fertilizer plant was reported at 19:50 (00:50 GMT).

The cause of the explosion is not yet clear.

TV images showed ambulance crews using a nearby sports field as an emergency treatment area.

"An explosion has ignited adjacent structures to the plant," Waco Assistant Fire Chief Don Yeager told AFP news agency.

One local resident told KWTX-TV that she heard several explosions from 13 miles (20km) away.

"It sounded like three bombs going off very close to us,'' said Lydia Zimmerman.
 

Read More

Obama Ricin Letter Suspect Arrested

An arrest has been made after letters containing suspected ricin were sent to US President Barack Obama and a US senator.

The alleged sender, Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, is a resident of Mississippi.

Initial tests on the letters, identified at remote facilities, showed the presence of the lethal toxin.

The FBI has said there is "no indication of a connection" between the letters and Monday's deadly attack in Boston.

The letters addressed to the president and Republican Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker were both postmarked Memphis, Tennessee, and dated 8 April.

The letters read: "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance," according to US media citing intelligence sources.

They were reportedly signed: "I am KC and I approve this message."

The FBI said Mr Curtis also allegedly sent a third letter positively identified for ricin to a Mississippi justice official.

The contents of the letter intended for President Obama were being sent to an accredited laboratory for further analysis, the FBI said, with results expected in 24 to 48 hours.

Earlier, police questioned a man in the near the US capitol who had a backpack containing sealed envelopes, but he was not taken into custody.

Reports of suspicious packages and envelopes also led to areas within two Senate office buildings being cleared temporarily.

Meanwhile Democratic Senator Carl Levin said an aide had received a suspicious-looking letter and that the authorities were investigating. The staff member had no symptoms, Sen Levin said in a statement, but was staying overnight in hospital as a precaution.

All congressional mail has been sorted and tested off-site since letters laced with anthrax were posted to two senators in 2001.

A spokesman for the Secret Service, which protects the US president and his family, said it was liaising with the US Capitol Police and the FBI to trace the origins of the letters.

Ricin, extracted from castor beans, is 1,000 times more toxic than cyanide.

It can be fatal when inhaled, swallowed or injected, although it is possible to recover from exposure.

Source: BBC News

Read More

Boston Bombs Suspect Seen On Film

Officials investigating the Boston Marathon bombings say they have found images of a potential suspect from surveillance camera footage.

Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy, who was briefed by police, said a man was seen dropping off a bag at the scene.

Earlier, the FBI denied widespread reports that a suspect had been arrested.

Three people died in two blasts near the marathon's finish line on Monday.

Dozens more people remain in hospital, many of them seriously injured.

Mr Murphy said detectives had spotted the potential suspect in surveillance footage from a nearby store, AP news agency reported.

He said he didn't know if investigators had identified the man, but added: "They may be on the verge of arresting someone and that's good."

A planned FBI news conference outlining the progress of the investigation was postponed on Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier, police and journalists arrived at a courthouse in Boston amid confusion over whether a suspect had been held in connection with the attacks.

"Contrary to widespread reporting, there have been no arrests made in connection with the Boston marathon attack," the FBI said in a statement.

"Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate."

The Associated Press reported that the anonymous law enforcement official who was the news agency's source for the report that someone was in custody had insisted it was true, even as it was widely disputed.

President Barack Obama, who plans to attend an interfaith service on Thursday in honour of the victims in Boston, labelled the attack an act of terrorism.

Investigators have been sifting through thousands of pieces of evidence, ranging from video recorded on mobile phones to fragments of shrapnel removed from the victims' legs.

Officials said a circuit board and battery pack - parts of a triggering mechanism - had been recovered and the lid of a pressure cooker, apparently blown off during the explosion, was found on the roof of a nearby building.

The bombs are believed to have consisted of explosives placed in 1.6-gallon (6-litre) pressure cookers, one with shards of metal and ball bearings, the other with nails.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the bombs, which a source said had been placed in black bags and left on the ground.

The twin blasts killed Martin Richard, eight, Krystle Campbell, 29, and Lu Lingzi, a postgraduate student from China.

Doctors treating the wounded say their injuries indicate that the bombs contained metal shards and other shrapnel. A number of victims have had limbs amputated.

Boston Medical Center trauma surgery chief Peter Burke said hospitals were saving "large quantities" of fragments extracted from victims for the police. They include metal, plastic, wood and concrete.

"We have a lot of lower extremity injuries, so I think the damage was low to the ground and wasn't up," Dr Burke said.

"The patients who do have head injuries were blown into things or were hit by fragments that went up."

At least 58 of the injured have been released from various hospitals around the city, according to AP.

Of those that remain, a five-year-old child, a nine-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy were among 17 victims listed as in a critical condition.

The first explosion went off close to the finish line at about 14:50 local time (18:50 GMT) on Monday.

Seconds later, as rescuers were rushing to help the injured, another explosion went off nearby.

The London Marathon - the next major international marathon - is to go ahead on Sunday, with police saying they have well-rehearsed security plans.

Organisers have said they will hold a 30-second silence at the start as a mark of respect.

Source: BBC News

Read More

Amtrak Coast Starlight Derails Near Fremont

An Amtrak train heading to Vancouver, B.C., derailed just north of Fremont Saturday night, but no one aboard was harmed, an Amtrak spokeswoman said.

Amtrak Train No. 14, the Coast Starlight, left Los Angeles at 10:10 a.m. Saturday and was scheduled to arrive in Vancouver at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, spokeswoman Christina Leeds said.

At about 9 p.m., two miles north of Fremont, however, the two wheels of the front truck on the lead locomotive derailed from the track, Leeds said.

Fourteen crew members and 154 passengers were aboard the train at the time of the derailment, but no one was injured, she said.

Leeds said the train left Fremont at about 12:30 a.m., and is scheduled to arrive in Vancouver about four hours later than its original destination.

The cause of the derailment is under investigation.

Source: CBS

Read More