A US federal judge has dismissed all charges against five guards from US security firm Blackwater over the killing of 17 Iraqis in 2007. The five, contracted to defend US diplomatic personnel, were accused of opening fire on a crowd in Baghdad. District Judge Ricardo Urbina said the US justice department had used evidence prosecutors were not supposed to have. The five had all pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. A sixth guard admitted killing at least one Iraqi. The killings, which took place in Nisoor Square, Baghdad, strained Iraq’s relationship with the US and raised questions about US contractors operating in war zones. Lawyers for the five guards say they were acting in self-defence, but witnesses and family members of those killed maintain that the shooting on 16 September 2007 was unprovoked. Plea deal The disputed evidence concerned statements the guards gave to state department investigators, which they were told would not be used to bring a criminal case. This limited immunity deal meant that prosecutors should have built their case against the men without using the statements. But Judge Urbina said prosecutors had failed to do so, and that the US government’s explanation for this was “contradictory, unbelievable and lacking in credibility”. Justice department spokesman Dean Boyd told the Associated Press news agency: “We’re obviously disappointed by the decision. We’re still in the process of reviewing the opinion and considering our options.” Here’s a guy that’s a decorated war hero who we maintain should never have been charged in the first place Steven McCool Lawyer for Donald Ball The five guards were Donald Ball, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nick Slatten and Paul Slough – all of whom are decorated military veterans. As well as the 14 counts of manslaughter, they had faced 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge that carries a 30-year minimum sentence. Their lawyers said the men were thrilled by the ruling. “It’s tremendously gratifying to see the court allow us to celebrate the new year the way it has,” said Bill Coffield, who represents Mr Liberty. “It really invigorates your belief in our court system.” Donald Ball’s lawyer, Steven McCool, said it felt like the “weight of the world” had been lifted from his client’s shoulders. “Here’s a guy that’s a decorated war hero who we maintain should never have been charged in the first place,” he said. A sixth Blackwater employee, Jeremy Ridgeway, had agreed to a plea deal in return for testifying against his colleagues.
US President Barack Obama has received reports on the security lapses that allegedly allowed a Nigerian to smuggle a bomb onto a transatlantic airliner. He ordered the reviews after denouncing “systemic” failures in the handling of the alleged bombing attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on Christmas Day. They are expected to say agencies failed to share key information. The US was reportedly aware weeks ago that “a Nigerian” in Yemen was preparing an attack. Mr Obama said he would study the preliminary reports on Friday and over the weekend before meeting security chiefs on Tuesday. ‘Different path’ Nigerian officials say Mr Abdulmutallab had begun his journey in Ghana and spent less than half an hour in Nigeria before boarding a flight to Amsterdam. There he changed planes for a US-bound flight with 289 people aboard. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has been charged over the incident He was tackled by passengers and crew as he allegedly tried to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear using a liquid-filled syringe, shortly before Northwest Airlines Flight 253 landed in Detroit. He has been charged with attempting to destroy an aircraft and is being held at a federal prison in Michigan. The US news website Politico quoted officials involved in the security reviews as saying information that could have prevented the failed attack had been “vague but available” to intelligence agencies. The Washington Post reported that agencies under scrutiny include the CIA, the National Security Agency, the State Department, and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) – which was established after the September 2001 attacks on the US to collate and connect intelligence sharing efforts. “The right information did not get to the right people – there’s no question about that,” a senior intelligence official told the newspaper. “If all known information had been provided, we would have been down a different path.” Father’s warning After the attempt, Mr Obama acknowledged that security failures had allowed the 23-year-old to fly to the US despite family members warning officials in November that he had extremist views. US FLIGHT ADVICE Only one item of hand luggage, including items bought airside BA and Virgin Atlantic not charging to check in extra hand luggage Check in wrapped presents Passengers subject to “pat-down” searches before boarding, on top of usual security checks Customers to remain seated during final hour of flight No access to hand luggage and a ban on leaving possessions or blankets on laps during this hour US failed to join dots How are travellers screened? Q&A: ‘Jet bomber’ case Read your comments The US president said he wanted to know why the warning from Mr Abdulmutallab’s father did not lead to the accused being placed on a no-fly list. “Had this critical information been shared… the suspect would have never been allowed to board that plane for America,” said Mr Obama. Mr Abdulmutallab’s father visited the US embassy in Nigeria in November to seek help in finding his son, whom he said had gone to Yemen – a known recruiting and training ground for al-Qaeda. The father’s warning was passed on by the US Department of State on 20 November. It went not only to all US diplomatic missions and to the State Department in Washington, as well as the NCTC. However, Mr Abdulmutallab’s existing US tourist visa – giving him multiple entry rights for two years from June 2008 – was not revoked. ‘No concerns’ A group calling itself al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the botched attack. Mr Abdulmutallab has reportedly told investigators that he trained in Yemen with al-Qaeda from August to early December, after an earlier visit to the country in 2004-2005. Unnamed Yemeni security officials said he had stayed on in Yemen illegally after his visa expired three months ago and should have been prevented from leaving the country, AP reports. He had a visa to study Arabic at an institute in the capital, Sanaa, officials were quoted as telling the agency, but his student visa expired on 21 September.
An artwork by Impressionist artist Edgar Degas has been stolen from a Marseilles museum, police have said. Les Choristes (The Chorus) was missing when staff at the Catini Museum opened the premises on Thursday morning. There were no signs of a break-in, said Jacques Dallest, the French city’s public prosecutor. Local police originally said that its value was ?26m, but France’s national museum service subsequently put its worth at ?710,000. The item was on loan from the Musee D’Orsay, in Paris, as part of an exhibition of Degas’ work which was due to come an end on 3 January. The museum will now remain closed while the theft is being investigated, including the examination of CCTV footage from security cameras. Mr Dallest also told Agence France Presse that police are looking into the possibility that the painting was stolen by an intruder, a visitor or a museum insider. Les Choristes, painted around 1876, is a colourful pastel work which depicts a male line of singers in the midst of performance. Earlier this year, Degas’ bronze sculpture of a young female dancer sold at auction in London for ?13.3m.
Seven CIA agents were killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan, the US agency’s director, Leon Panetta, has confirmed. A bomber wearing an explosive vest entered Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost Province, near Pakistan. A Taliban spokesman said a member of the group working for the Afghan army had carried out the attack. Earlier reports said eight people had been killed in the attack – the worst against US intelligence officials since 1983.
Countries around the world are beginning to hold celebratory events to welcome in 2010. New Year arrived first in the South Pacific. At midnight local time (1100 GMT) fireworks were set off over Auckland’s Sky Tower in New Zealand. A massive fireworks display has taken place in Sydney, Australia, with some 5,000kg of explosives sent up around around the famous harbour bridge. An estimated 1.5 million attended the city’s dramatic show. Fireworks were launched from the bridge, from boats in the harbour and from buildings around the waterfront. Crowds had been gathering since the early morning, some of them camping overnight to secure the best vantage point for the 12-minute midnight fireworks display. The state premier of New South Wales, Kristina Keneally, described the celebrations as the “best show on Earth”. Police minister Michael Daley warned those attending to avoid excessive drinking. “If you’re one of these fools that can’t handle their grog and likes to go out and ruin other people’s nights, make yourself a new year’s resolution to grow up and behave yourself and start practising that on New Year’s Eve,” he said. The Sydney Morning Herald said the display would cost some A$264,000 (US$237,500; ?147,000). ‘Magical’ display The Japanese capital, Tokyo, was greeting the new year in traditional style, with bells rung in temples at midnight. The city’s Sensoji Temple has been draped with banners wishing visitors a happy new year. No major events were planned on mainland China – which celebrates the change of the lunar new year instead – but a fireworks display will be staged over Hong Kong’s waterfront skyline. Thousands of people are also expected to gather at Indonesia’s National Monument for a display. Despite heavy snowfall and temperatures down to -10C (14F), celebrations were planned for Red Square in Moscow. “I wish everybody spiritual well-being in the coming year. I wish health to the children and all the best to all in the new year,” said one city resident. In the French capital Paris, the Eiffel Tower will be the scene of a “unique and magical” display, said city officials. People bought fireworks in the Philippines to ward off bad spirits The creator of the show, Bernard Schmitt, told the AFP news agency that one one point the tower would “transform itself into a giant Christmas tree with tinsel”. London’s show will focus around the huge London Eye wheel on the banks of the River Thames. Those attending have been warned to prepare for temperatures of around 0C (32F). Further west, an estimated one million people are expected to be in New York’s Times Square to join in the countdown to midnight and see the famous New Year ball descend from its flagpole. Security is high in the square, with partygoers banned from taking rucksacks or large bags into the area. “We assume here that New York is the No 1 terrorist target in America,” the city’s Police Commissioner Raymond W Kelly was quoted as saying by the New York Times. How are you celebrating new year’s eve? Where were you 10 years ago and how have your celebrations changed since the start of the millennium? Send us your comments and pictures using the form below In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100 . If you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions
Several people have been shot dead at a shopping centre in the southern Finnish city of Espoo, near the capital, Helsinki, Finland’s media report. Four people have been killed, according to the website of the Finnish national broadcaster, YLE, though this has not been confirmed. Police and ambulances are at the scene, but there are no reports of the gunman having been stopped. The incident is Finland’s third major shooting in the past two years. Thursday’s bloodshed reportedly broke out at about 1000 local time (0800 GMT) at the Sello shopping centre. My parents were just going up the escalator from the first floor when police started shouting at them to get out of the building Antti BBC reader, Espoo A witness said an employee of the Prisma grocery store was left lying on the floor of the shop, and that a man dressed in black was seen walking toward the Citymarket store. A separate, unconfirmed, report said one person had been shot twice in the head and another in the stomach. Parts of the shopping centre were closed and trains were not stopping at the local railway station, YLE said. Gun laws tightened There is a long tradition of hunting in Finland, which has vast areas of forest and wilderness, but until recently gun crime has been rare. Parts of the shopping centre were evacuated and closed after the attack But two deadly shootings in recent years focused attention on gun laws in a country where young people were permitted to own and use a firearm at 15 years of age if they had parental consent. In November 2007, an 18-year-old went on a gun rampage at his school in Tuusula, killing seven pupils and a teacher, before turning the gun on himself. He had posted a video warning of the attack on the internet. Then, in September 2008, a 22-year-old trainee chef killed 10 people at a college before killing himself. He, too, had put a video on the internet showing himself shooting a gun. After doing that he was interviewed by police, but they decided it was not sufficient reason to revoke his gun licence. After the second attack, stricter rules on permits for pistols and revolvers were introduced. Handgun permits would no longer be granted to first-time applicants, the interior ministry said. Instead, they must train for at least a year at a gun club before being allowed to apply for a permit. All applicants must also provide a note from a doctor about their mental health and sit an interview with police. Are you in the area? Have you been affected by these events? Send us your comments using the form below In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100 . If you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions
Pakistani soldiers have raided a hospital in South Waziristan, killing at least four suspected militants and capturing 18, the military has said. It said that the hospital, in the town of Wana, was being used by Islamist fighters operating in the area. Those killed were believed to be of Arab and Sudanese origin. The army has often said it is targeting foreign militants in Pakistan’s north-western tribal areas, who it says form the backbone of the insurgency. A security official told the BBC that the raid followed a tip-off that wounded militants were being brought to the hospital from Sherwangi, a Taliban-held area under attack by the army. “Commandos and security forces raided the hospital. Militants fired on the troops and in the gunfight, which lasted more than four hours, four militants and a woman were killed, while 22 others were arrested,” an official told the AFP news agency. “One soldier was also injured. The three dead militants appear to be Arabs and one of Sudanese origin.” The identity of the woman was not initially clear, the official said. Ground offensive Soldiers also captured 18 militants – some of whom were wounded – the army said. But witnesses said that those arrested included hospital staff and patients with no apparent links to the Taliban. A security official told the BBC that the operation continued until early on Thursday morning. The hospital is owned by an influential cleric and former parliamentarian, Maulana Noor Mohammad, who is close to a major religious party of the country, the JUI(F). South Waziristan is a Taliban stronghold targeted by the army in a major ground offensive in mid-October. About 30,000 soldiers secured much of the tribal territory, but many militants are believed to have fled to other tribal areas in the north-west to avoid the fighting. The offensive sparked a wave of violence in retaliation that has killed about 500 people over the past two months, including a bombing against a Sha Muslim procession in the southern city of Karachi on Monday that killed 44 people. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing on Wednesday.
Thousands of mourners have gathered in Indonesia to pay their respects to the former president, Abdurrahman Wahid, as his funeral was held in East Java. Often referred to by his nickname, Gus Dur, Wahid led the country from 1999 to 2001. He died on Wednesday aged 69. He was the first elected president after the fall of the Suharto regime. Mourners wept as they lit candles and burned incense for a leader who was widely renowned for his tolerance and openness to other faiths and ideas. Wahid was removed from office in 2001 over unproven allegations of corruption, but remained politically active until his final years. Rich diversity A memorial service for Wahid was led by the current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Less than two years after his election, he was a politically isolated man Obituary: Abdurrahman Wahid The former leader was buried in his East Java hometown, Jombang, where about 5,000 supporters gathered to welcome his motorcade. His supporters have held vigils at mosques, churches, temples and schools. Such was the emotion in Jakarta that Gus Dur’s wheelchair-bound widow, Shinta Nuriyah, and tearful daughter Yenny, were swamped by crowds. The Jakarta Post newspaper reported that news of Gus Dur’s death had prompted spontaneous prayer gatherings across the country – and not only among fellow Muslims. Abdurrahman Wahid had been frail for some time and was nearly blind Jakarta Archbishop Julius Darmaatmadja SJ said Gus Dur had left an indelible mark on people of all faiths. “He was a Muslim, but he became a blessing to all faiths,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. The leaders of Indonesia’s political elite gathered at the funeral. “We just lost a great statesman who fought to keep the country pluralist, while fighting fundamentalism,” lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis said. “He was a true democrat, respecting even his political foes.” Messages of condolence also poured in from abroad. The White House said Wahid had been “a pivotal figure” in Indonesia’s transition to a free government, who “will be remembered for his commitment to democratic principles, inclusive politics, and religious tolerance”. Surprising victory The partially blind Muslim cleric came to power after defeating Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of founding President Sukarno, in October 1999. His win was a surprise – Mrs Megawati’s party had won far more votes in the legislative polls – and a testament to Wahid’s ability to build coalitions with other parties. He used this skill to try to bring unity in the tumultuous post-Suharto years. Educated in Indonesia, Egypt, Iraq and Canada, Wahid had a reputation for religious tolerance and moderate politics. But he not been in the job long before his opponents accused him of failing to tackle the economic crisis, and doing little to resolve the secessionist conflicts in several provinces of Indonesia. In July 2001, less than two years into the job, he was sacked by the country’s national assembly amid unproven allegations of corruption and incompetence. As well as his prominent political role, he was also a leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, a Muslim group with some 40 million members – and one of the largest independent Islamic organisations in the world. He suffered several strokes and was confined to a wheelchair in his later years, but despite his fading health he remained an influential figure in politics.
Iran organised the kidnapping in Iraq of British hostage Peter Moore – freed on Wednesday after two-and-a-half years in captivity – it has been claimed. The Guardian newspaper says Mr Moore and his four bodyguards were taken to a camp inside Iran within a day. Three of the bodyguards were killed; the fourth is also thought to be dead. There are suggestions that Mr Moore was seized because his IT work was designed to show aid flowing into Iraq was being diverted to groups supported by Iran. The Guardian quoted an unnamed former Revolutionary Guard saying: “It was an Iranian kidnap, led by the Revolutionary Guard, carried out by the al-Quds brigade. “My contact works for al-Quds. He took part in the planning of the kidnap and he watched the kidnapping as it was taking place. He told me that they spent two days at the Qasser Shiereen camp. They then took them deep inside Iran.” Witnesses The newspaper also said a serving Iraqi government minister with close links to Iran had told its reporter it was an Iranian Revolutionary Guard operation. “You don’t think for a moment that those militia groups from Sadr City could have carried out a high-level kidnapping like this one,” he is quoted as saying. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said the newspaper’s investigation did not provide conclusive proof the men were taken to Iran. But he said the witnesses appeared to be credible and some had been re-interviewed by the BBC. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Fran and Pauline Sweeney said Mr Moore “sounded well and was cracking jokes” He said: “It has long been known that the Shi’ite group who have been holding the men have links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. But British officials have always been reluctant to point the finger at Iran.” But our correspondent said when he asked US General David Petraeus, the US’s top military commander in the region, for his view this month, he said he thought “it was 90% certain” the Britons had been held in Iran. The Foreign Office said it had no evidence to back up the claims. “We are not in a position to say with any certainty where they were held during each and every single day of their two-and-a-half years in captivity,” a spokesman said. Hostages’ bodies On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the IT consultant from Lincoln, who was captured in Baghdad in May 2007, was in good health and “absolutely delighted” to be free. The bodies of Jason Swindlehurst, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, and Jason Creswell, of Glasgow, were returned to the UK in June 2009, followed by that of Alec MacLachlan, of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, in September. Mr Miliband said British officials believed the fourth guard – Alan McMenemy from Glasgow – was probably also dead and called for the immediate release of his body. Mr Moore was in the British Embassy in Baghdad and would be reunited with his family as soon as possible, Mr Miliband said. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “He is seeing a doctor and speaking to people there. Our main priority is his welfare and to look after him and ensure he is in as fit a state as he can be. That will come before any formal debriefing sessions.” Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. David Miliband: “I am pleased to confirm that Peter Moore has been released today” Mr Moore had been working for US management consultancy Bearingpoint in Iraq. The other men were security contractors employed to guard him. The group was captured at the Iraqi Ministry of Finance by about 40 men disguised as Iraqi policemen. They were understood to belong to an obscure militia known as the Islamic Shia Resistance, which demanded the release of up to nine of their associates held in US military custody since early 2007. Several had already been handed to the Iraqi government and some had since been freed under the reconciliation process. Frank Gardner said a senior Whitehall official had confirmed that Qais Al-Khaz’ali – the leader of the group that kidnapped the five Britons in Baghdad – was released “very recently” by the US to the Iraqi authorities. “The main person the abductors wanted back, I’m told, is out of US custody… and handed over to the Iraqis,” he said. Qais Al-Khazaali had been suspected of involvement in the kidnapping and eventual killing of five US soldiers, our correspondent added.
Lawyers for young heirs of an Argentine media empire say police raided their homes amid suspicions they were victims of state-organised forced adoption. The alleged raid took place a day after Felipe and Marcela Noble complied with a court order and gave blood samples. The pair were adopted by media mogul Ernestina Herrera de Noble in 1976. Campaigners allege that they are the offspring of political prisoners who gave birth while in custody during the country’s period of military rule. They believe the biological parents of the siblings were killed in prisons and their babies were then taken by the state. Under the country’s former regime, babies were often given to families considered loyal to the military. ‘Surprised’ The Noble family’s lawyer Jorge Anzorreguy said that both toothbrushes and hairbrushes were seized during the raid at their homes on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The raid, he alleges, was carried out under an order of a judge. Argentine officials have refused to confirm or deny that the raid took place. Mr Anzorreguy described 33-year-old Marcela as “surprised” at the raid. “Bearing in mind that she voluntarily provided a sample yesterday, she wasn’t expecting this,” he said. Groups for the murder victims of Argentina’s military era say Tuesday’s blood samples are not reliable enough. They were taken at a federal agency rather than the state-run National Bank of Genetic Data – which holds DNA samples of families of the disappeared. The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo group, which seeks to find some 500 children born to prisoners or abducted along with their parents during the 1976-1983 dictatorship, has demanded that the DNA be collected at the data bank. Last month, the Congress backed a proposal from the group, allowing the forced extraction of DNA from adults who may be the children of political prisoners – even when they do not want to know.
