Charaffe al Mouadan, an Islamic State leader killed by air strikes in Syria last week, was linked to at least two Paris attackers and had trained in a local shooting club with one of them, officials said on Wednesday. In another dimension of the investigation into the Nov. 13 shooting and bombing rampage in Paris in which 130 people died, a source close to the inquiry confirmed a report that said at least one man was suspected of having coordinated the attacks from Belgium via mobile phone as they were being carried out. The disclosures helped flesh out a picture of the Paris attackers and how their operation unfolded, as well as of flaws in France's surveillance and supervision of militant suspects. Al Mouadan, 26, was close to Paris attacker Samy Amimour, a 28-year-old former bus driver who blew himself up in Paris's Bataclan concert hall, the mayor of the Paris suburb where both grew up told Reuters. Both had plans to get to Yemen, a hotbed of Islamist militancy, in 2012 and … [Read more...] about Islamic State leader killed in air strike linked to 2 Paris attackers
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Russia suspends Egypt flights, U.S. boosts security as intelligence points to bomb
Moscow suspended passenger flights to Egypt, and the United States imposed new air travel security requirements in the wake of the crash of a Russian jet in Egypt, as Western officials pointed on Friday to the conclusion it was brought down by a bomb. A group affiliated with Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the crash of an Airbus A321 operated by a Russian carrier on Saturday that was bringing holidaymakers home from a resort on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board were killed in what the militants described as revenge for Russian air strikes in Syria that began more than a month ago. While no official investigation has confirmed that claim of responsibility, countries have been cancelling flights and announcing new precautions, leaving tens of thousands of European and Russian tourists stranded at Red Sea resorts. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced new security measures on Friday, including tighter screening of items before they are … [Read more...] about Russia suspends Egypt flights, U.S. boosts security as intelligence points to bomb
French police investigate beheading suspect’s ‘selfie’ – source
LYON, France - The suspected militant Islamist accused of decapitating his boss and attempting to blow up a gas plant in southeastern France had taken a macabre "selfie" with the severed head before his arrest, a source close to the investigation said on Saturday. Yassim Salhi, a 35-year-old of North African parentage, is being held in the city of Lyon after ramming his delivery van into a warehouse storing gas containers on Friday. He was apprehended minutes later while opening canisters containing flammable chemicals. Police found the head of Herve Cornara, manager of the transport firm that employed Salhi, attached to a fence at the plant owned by U.S. group Air Products, framed by black and white flags bearing Islamic slogans. President Francois Hollande, dealing with new security fears six months after Islamist gunmen killed 17 people at the offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish foodstore, said the incident clearly amounted to a terrorist attack. Salhi, … [Read more...] about French police investigate beheading suspect’s ‘selfie’ – source
Wary of air strikes, Islamic State insurgents change tactics
militants are changing tactics in the face of U.S. air strikes in northern Iraq, ditching conspicuous convoys in favor of motorcycles and planting their black flags on civilian homes, tribal sources and eyewitnesses say. … [Read more...] about Wary of air strikes, Islamic State insurgents change tactics
Second U.S. airline flies direct to HCMC amid travel woes
Second U.S. airline flies direct to HCMC amid travel woes By Mong Binh - The Saigon Times Daily HCMC - Delta Air Lines has realized its plan to launch daily direct service between HCMC and the United States via Tokyo despite doubts about the recovery of global air travel at a time of economic strain and H1N1flu outbreak. On the second flight the airline operates to HCMC, passengers occupied all the 160 seats of Northwest's Boeing 757-200 aircraft which was scheduled to land at Tan Son Nhat around midnight on Tuesday, said Pham Van Hien, chairman and chief executive officer of East Sea Travel and Air Service. For the maiden flight on Monday, there were nearly 80 passengers on board Northwest's plane which arrived at Tan Son Nhat at around 11:40 p.m., 30 minutes behind schedule. The departure time from here is 6:10 a.m. Hien said that in general the load factor for the initial flights would not be high because of the impact of the global economic slump and H1N1 flu. However, he said … [Read more...] about Second U.S. airline flies direct to HCMC amid travel woes