Greek terrorists accused of bomb attacks

Greek terrorists accused of bomb attacks: "Greek terrorists are suspected of unleashing an unprecedented two-day wave of mail bombings targeting embassies in Athens, international organizations and foreign leaders, with devices exploding Tuesday at the Russian and Swiss embassies and German authorities destroying a bomb sent to Chancellor Angela Merkel.
By Tuesday evening, at least 11 mail bombs had been detected in the Greek capital - one addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and eight to the embassies of Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia and Switzerland."

Yemen: Al-Qaeda insider told Saudis of bomb plot - World - GMANews.TV - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News

Yemen: Al-Qaeda insider told Saudis of bomb plot - World - GMANews.TV - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News: "Information that helped thwart the plot of US-bound mail bombs wired to explode on cargo planes came from an al-Qaeda insider who was secreted out of Yemen after surrendering to Saudi authorities, Yemeni security officials said Monday.

The tip reflects how Saudi Arabia has worked aggressively for years to infiltrate al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is operating in the unruly, impoverished nation on its southern doorstep.

The tip came from Jabir al-Fayfi, a Saudi who was held for years at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and was released to Saudi Arabia in 2007. Soon after, he fled Saudi Arabia and joined the al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, until he turned himself in to Saudi authorities in late September.

Yemeni security officials said they believe al-Fayfi may have been a double agent, planted by Saudi Arabia in Yemen among al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants to uncover their plots. The officials said that after his return to the kingdom, he told authorities that al-Qaeda was planning to send bomb-laden packages."

United States, along with four other countries, issued travel warnings about potential terror threats in the Philippines

US, 4 other countries warn of terrorist attacks in PHL - Nation - GMANews.TV - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News: "One week after a near attack by terrorists on its shores, the United States, along with four other countries, issued travel warnings about potential terror threats in the Philippines, particularly in parts of Mindanao.

The US issued on Wednesday (Manila time) a warning against traveling to the Philippines due to “high risk' of terrorist activity not only in southern Philippines, but also in the country’s capital city, Manila.

“Terrorist attacks could be indiscriminate and could occur not only in the southern islands but also in other areas, to include Manila,' the US’ travel warning read.

New Zealand travelers were also advised on Wednesday (Manila time) of “extreme risk' of traveling to the Philippines, particularly in the southern provinces of Basilan and Sulu.

The US’ and New Zealand’s travel warnings came days after three other countries – Australia, United Kingdom and Canada – issued similar travel advisories to its nationals, following the foiled terror attack on the US."

Terrorists Simulated Bomb Delivery Plot in September | Middle East | English

Officials: Terrorists Simulated Bomb Delivery Plot in September | Middle East | English: "U.S. intelligence officials say the shipment of three suspicious packages from Yemen to the U.S. in September was probably a test run for last week's terrorist plot of parcel bombs.

Officials disclosed that the packages sent in September were intercepted by intelligence agents before they reached their final destination of Chicago. They contained books, papers, compact discs and other materials.

Authorities said the Yemeni-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula used the shipments to plan the route and timing for two cartridges (or containers) of computer printer ink that were filled with explosives. The containers were intercepted last week in Britain and Dubai after being shipped from Yemen.

Intelligence officials said they already were aware of the terrorists' interest in attacking the aviation industry, and considered the possibility they would target cargo planes. Officials said the September incident prompted their quick response to last week's plot."

Federal law enforcement authorities have arrested a Northern Virginia man in connection with an alleged plot to carry out a series of BOMBINGS

Federal law enforcement authorities have arrested a Northern Virginia man in connection with an alleged plot to carry out a series of terrorist bombings at stations in the Washington Metro system, according to a federal indictment.

Virgin María told him to buy a flat with money from the faithful

Padre Ángel told the court that the Virgin María told him to buy a flat with money from the faithful

A priest from Picassent in Valencia who is accused of tax fraud has said that being a priest he thought that he did not have to pay any tax.

However the Valencia Archbishopric does not recognise Padre Ángel as a priest at all.

Padre Ángel claims that he has contact with the Virgen María and that he purchased a flat at her request. He set up his own religious order, La Junta de la Esclavitud del Sagrado Corazon de Jesús, (The Order of Slavery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) and purchased the flat and other land in Picassent, Gandía and Valencia with the money donated by the faithful.

He was on the accused bench of the Valencia Provincial Court on Tuesday and now faces a possible eight year prison sentence, accused of defrauding 386,139 € from the taxman between the years 1992 and 2003.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_27672.shtml#ixzz13bRQSMnU

Reuters Cameraman Dies, Leaving Seven Minutes of Violent Footage Behind - Hiro Muramoto - Gizmodo

Reuters Cameraman Dies, Leaving Seven Minutes of Violent Footage Behind - Hiro Muramoto - Gizmodo: "Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto died in a hospital after being shot in a Bangkok protest Saturday. His legacy, beyond his two children, will most likely be the seven minutes of footage found in his camera, turned in by protesters.
Reuters hasn't released the full, uncut footage of the event, but they have shared a few key scenes captured by Muramoto—red-shirted protesters carrying a variety of implements, soldiers collapsing after a grenade explodes nearby—that make the instances behind his eventual death but a small leap of the imagination."

Maurice "Papa Joe" Williams was found guilty of running a drug empire that brought hundreds and possibly thousands of kilos of cocaine to the region

Maurice "Papa Joe" Williams was the puppeteer pulling the strings of a huge central Ohio cocaine-trafficking enterprise, a federal jury decided today.Williams, 34, was found guilty of running a drug empire that brought hundreds and possibly thousands of kilos of cocaine to the region over a 10-year period. Jurors also concluded that Williams was guilty of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and marijuana and using a phone to distribute drugs.Many of Williams' relatives and friends attended the seven-day trial in front of U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus.Local, state and federal law-enforcement agents had been trying to nail Williams and his cohorts for years and finally charged him after wire-tapping 10,000 phone calls and convincing 11 co-conspirators to testify against him.He was indicted on 34 counts in February 2009.Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robyn Hahnert and David DeVillers laid out a case against Williams that had all the makings of a Hollywood thriller: fancy cars, expensive jewelry, drugs stashed in hidden compartments, messages in code.At the center was a man who had the following of a rock star, Hahnert said in closing arguments yesterday.Williams "lived the high life" with expensive cars and beautiful houses, DeVillers said. "Yet he never had a job."As the drug kingpin, Williams hardly ever touched the cocaine and, later, marijuana he brought to the area, DeVillers said."He has everyone else do his bidding. He was the legend. He was Papa Joe."The government built its case on recorded phone conversations between Williams and his assistants, conversations about "smokey robinson" and "nifty" both code words for marijuana and "piggies," the code for a pound of drugs.Police surveillance put Williams at area stash houses where drugs were brought in from Detroit or Atlanta or Houston and then distributed to dealers.And co-conspirators with names like "Little D," "Tone" and "Rabbit" testified that Williams called the shots while carefully ensuring that others did the dirty work of picking up and distributing the drugs.Williams' attorneys, Jeffrey Brandt and Matthew Robinson, did not call any defense witnesses. Instead, they relied on opening and closing statements to drive home the argument that the government had not proved its case against their client."The government has created a story that can't be backed up," Brandt said. He argued that the surveillance testimony, taped phone conversations and evidence found by police weren't enough to convict Williams without corroborating witness testimony.And the prosecution witnesses couldn't be trusted to tell the truth because they were trying to minimize their own prison time by testifying against Williams, Brandt said."I believe in my bones that he's innocent of the offenses of which he's charged," he said.A sentencing date has not been set.

State has “allowed itself to become drug dealer-in-chief”.

Drug users hooked on methadone are pleading with the Government to help them get off drugs completely instead of just parking them on the heroin substitute.
One former addict, Rosie, told The Times methadone is “almost more of a poison than heroin, there doesn’t ever seem to be an end to it”.And Jay, who started smoking heroin before he was 18, said he was given methadone in prison, instead of getting help to become drug-free. Clean
Jay said: “Most junkies I know want to be clean but if you can’t do it when you’re inside, when can you?” And he commented: “I came out needing drugs as much as when I went in.”

The Government is increasing its spending on methadone programmes, despite their low success rate, while only 850 prison inmates were put on an abstinence routine last year.

Residential-based abstinence programmes lasting at least a month have a one in four success rate, but after three years on methadone only three per cent of addicts are drug free, recent studies show. Financial Commentators have pointed out that the methadone industry itself is lucrative. Neil McKeganey, who works at the Centre for Drug Misuse at the University of Glasgow, said: “There’s considerable financial incentive that drug users remain drug dependent.”The Times reports that GPs in many parts of the country get paid around £220 per methadone patient per year and that pharmacists can get £200 administration fees plus about £1.50 per administered dose. Kathy Gyngell, a drugs policy analyst for the Centre for Policy Studies, said prescribing methadone to young offenders has become routine.
She added: “It might appear the easier option but it leads to longer term problems.
“Individuals who historically used their short sentences to gain clean time now feel the necessity to carry on using methadone, as it takes no effort other than presenting themselves at the healthcare door to get it.” The Times’ report concluded with the words of Jay, who is still a drug addict and expects to end up in prison again soon. He was asked why he didn’t just accept methadone every day instead of searching the street for heroin.Jay replied: “But where would it get me?
“All right, the craving for smack’s not there but you soon get the craving for the meth. “Nobody I know on a heroin ’script is getting any better. They’re just surviving.”Commentator Melanie Reid said methadone programmes make drug users into victims rather than encouraging them to transform their behaviour. An editorial in Wednesday’s Times asked why the State has “allowed itself to become drug dealer-in-chief”.The article continued: “Worst of all, methadone is an admission of failure. “It offers no cure beyond lulling people into an ambitionless state of numbness. “It should not be allowed to have the same effect on the debate that it has on its users.

“If methadone is the only solution on offer, we are not asking the right question”, the editorial said.

Chad Schaffner at risk for more life sentences than a cat with nine lives could survive

crime spree that puts Chad Schaffner at risk for more life sentences than a cat with nine lives could survive, the 37-year-old Indiana man yawned.He was equally nonplussed when Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Reeves announced the parolee's probable fate."It would be a total of 12 life sentences consecutive to each other," Reeves said.In just five months, Schaffner robbed 13 banks in six states, including Tennessee. These, however, were no run-of-the-mill heists. Court records show Schaffner, fresh out of prison for two Illinois robberies, seized control of the banks, wielding a gun, issuing orders and threatening to kill tellers.

In heist after heist, he ordered frightened tellers to lie down on the floor as he made his getaway."He told the tellers to lie on the floor and count to 60 and, if they did not comply, that he would return and send them all to hell," Reeves wrote of a July 29 robbery in Hendersonville, N.C.Schaffner told tellers at a Fletcher, N.C., bank that "he had a police scanner and would return and kill them if they called police."In another robbery, Schaffner struck three teller windows at once, walking from window to window with his gun and ordering each teller to fill his bag with cash - sans any dye packs or silent alarms, Reeves wrote.Schaffner, who was nabbed in Missouri in September after a state trooper there recognized him from a media report, is on the receiving end of two powerful weapons in the federal justice system - armed career criminal status and "the hammer."
"The hammer" is a moniker prosecutors have given the harsh consecutive sentencing federal law requires for criminals who use guns to carry out their misdeeds.
In Schaffner's case, the math works this way: As an armed career criminal, he faces life for each robbery and each related count of using a gun in a crime of violence. The hammer means each of those gun crimes will be stacked on top of each other and the life sentence for the bank robberies.Schaffner last month pleaded guilty to robbing banks in Jefferson County and Hamblen County. On Wednesday, he agreed via Assistant Federal Defender Tim Moore to have his out-of-state cases settled here in Greeneville.