Author: Darren Smith

Newly declassified CIA documents show Osama bin Laden was weighing potential attacks on Britain as early as 1998, more than three years before the September 11 attacks — though the files stop short of showing a specific UK target had been chosen. Newly declassified CIA documents have revealed that Osama bin Laden considered attacking Britain on its own soil years before the September 11 attacks. The papers, released by CIA director John Ratcliffe to mark the 25th anniversary of the atrocity, form part of the largest publication of 9/11-related intelligence files to date. The attacks in 2001 killed nearly 3,000…

Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, who denies murdering Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Ross, 38, is reported to have been assaulted by fellow inmates at Korydallos prison in Athens, where he is being held ahead of trial. A 26-year-old Afghan national accused of killing British aid worker Elisabeth Ross has reportedly been assaulted by other inmates at a high-security prison in Athens. Sharif Ahmadzai, a champion boxer who moved to Greece as a child migrant, was arrested after Ms Ross’s decomposed body was discovered inside a suitcase in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the city on 18 July. He was…

A 76-year-old man from Southampton has become the first person arrested under a newly introduced Hampshire Police power banning face coverings at protests, as officers brace for a further large-scale demonstration in Portsmouth this weekend. A 76-year-old man from Southampton has been arrested on suspicion of concealing his identity during a protest outside Portsmouth Guildhall, Hampshire Police have confirmed. It is the first arrest under the force’s newly introduced identity-concealment power, which officers say applies equally to anyone found deliberately covering their face within a designated protest area. Hundreds of people gathered outside the Guildhall as part of a wider…

An Eritrean migrant who should have faced deportation following a 2019 sexual assault conviction was instead allowed to remain in the UK, where he went on to rape a woman during a night out this year, a court has heard. An illegal migrant was freed rather than deported following a sexual assault conviction, only to go on to rape a woman during a night out years later. Eritrean former soldier Radiet Meles, 35, had been expected to face deportation once he completed his sentence for a 2019 sexual assault, but was instead permitted to remain in the UK after serving…

Four people were treated and taken to hospital after a stabbing broke out among a group of men fighting with knives at a KFC on Bromley High Street in southeast London, with police arresting seven males in connection with the incident. Four people have been injured in a reported stabbing on a London high street. Paramedics were called to Bromley High Street in southeast London just after 2pm on Thursday, with London Ambulance Service confirming that four patients were treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. What the ambulance service said A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We…

North Korea has built a new uranium enrichment facility at its Yongbyon nuclear complex capable of housing thousands of centrifuges, the UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned, describing the development as a “cause for serious concern” that shows Pyongyang continuing to expand its nuclear programme despite decades of international sanctions. North Korea has built a new uranium enrichment facility at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has said, describing the development as a “cause for serious concern.” The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the two-storey building could hold up to 28 centrifuge cascades used to enrich…

Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has called for Chelsea to be stripped of their 2017 Premier League title and for Spurs to be crowned champions instead, after Chelsea admitted breaking financial rules during the period they won the trophy, while also confirming Spurs approached him earlier this year during their relegation battle. Mauricio Pochettino believes his Tottenham side from a decade ago, who scored 86 goals and collected 86 points during the 2016-17 season, deserved to be crowned Premier League champions that year, rather than Chelsea, who ultimately won the title. Chelsea have since admitted breaking the rules by making…

A Pennsylvania influencer who runs an online operation targeting suspected child predators has been charged over a violent confrontation that ended in his own stabbing at a New York Tim Hortons, after police found no phone contact ever took place between him and the man he accused. A Pennsylvania influencer has been charged following a violent confrontation in which he was stabbed during a sting operation targeting a suspected child predator in upstate New York. Nicholas Attalla, 34, who operates online under the name “Niky Sal,” was arrested on charges of third-degree assault, criminal nuisance and endangering the welfare of…

More than 2,145 UK flights have been cancelled or disrupted since Tuesday after a technical failure struck National Air Traffic Services’ flight-processing system, with mounting calls for chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign as the government and aviation regulator launch separate investigations into the outage. More than 2,145 flights arriving or departing the UK have been cancelled or otherwise affected since Tuesday, after a technical fault struck National Air Traffic Services’ (Nats) air traffic control systems. The disruption, which has affected an estimated 330,000 passengers, is expected to ease on Thursday as flight schedules gradually return to normal. Despite the…

The M4 in Berkshire has been closed in both directions since Wednesday night following a serious collision, with National Highways warning the motorway is likely to remain shut throughout Thursday’s morning rush hour while a police investigation continues. Drivers are facing a full closure on the M4 in Berkshire following a serious collision, with the motorway expected to remain shut for hours as rush hour traffic gets underway. The road has been closed in both directions between junctions 8/9 for Maidenhead and junction 10 for Reading since the crash occurred at around 9.30pm on Wednesday, 9 September, meaning the closure…