International
Israel vows to ‘eliminate’ new Hamas leader as war enters 11th month
Israel vows to ‘eliminate’ new Hamas leader as war enters 11th month
JERUSALEM: Israel vowed to “eliminate” new Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind of the October 7 attack, whose appointment further inflamed regional tensions as the Gaza war entered its 11th month on Wednesday.
The naming of Sinwar to lead the Palestinian militant group came as Israel braced for potential Iranian retaliation over the killing of his predecessor Ismael Haniyeh last week in Tehran.
Speaking at a military base on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “determined” to defend itself.
“We are prepared both defensively and offensively,” he told new recruits.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said late Tuesday that Sinwar’s promotion was “yet another compelling reason to swiftly eliminate him and wipe this vile organization off the face of the earth.”
Sinwar — Hamas’s leader in Gaza since 2017 — has not been seen since the October 7 attack, which was the deadliest in Israel’s history.
A senior Hamas official told AFP that the selection of Sinwar sent a message that the organization “continues its path of resistance.”
Hamas’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah congratulated Sinwar and said the appointment affirms “the enemy… has failed to achieve its objectives” by killing Hamas leaders and officials.
Analysts believe Sinwar has been both more reluctant to agree to a Gaza ceasefire and closer to Tehran than Haniyeh, who lived in Qatar.
“If a ceasefire deal seemed unlikely upon Haniyeh’s death, it is even less likely under Sinwar,” according to Rita Katz, executive director of the SITE Intelligence Group.
“The group will only lean further into its hard-line militant strategy of recent years,” she added.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that it was up to Sinwar to help achieve a ceasefire, saying he “has been and remains the primary decider.”
Civilians in both Israel and Gaza met Sinwar’s appointment with unease.
Mohammad Al-Sharif, a displaced Gazan, told AFP: “He is a fighter. How will negotiations take place?“
In Tel Aviv, logistics company manger Hanan, who did not want to give his second name, said Sinwar’s appointment meant Hamas “did not see fit to look for someone less militant, someone with a less murderous approach.”
Iran-backed Hezbollah has also pledged to avenge the deaths of Haniyeh and its own military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike in Beirut hours earlier.
In a televised address to mark one week since Shukr’s death, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday his group would retaliate “alone or in the context of a unified response from all the axis” of Iran-backed groups in the region.
The United States, which has sent extra warships and jets to the region, urged both Iran and Israel to avoid an escalation.
President Joe Biden had calls with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, the Qatari emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday.
“No one should escalate this conflict. We’ve been engaged in intense diplomacy with allies and partners, communicating that message directly to Iran. We communicated that message directly to Israel,” Blinken told reporters.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a telephone call that the West “should immediately stop selling arms and supporting” Israel if it wants to prevent war, his office said.
The Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation met on Wednesday to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
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Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara, whose country currently chairs the bloc, said the “heinous” killing of Haniyeh risked “leading to a wider conflict that could involve the entire region.”
Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s killing but confirmed it had carried out the strike on Shukr.
It held the Hezbollah commander responsible for a rocket attack in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights that killed 12 children.
Hezbollah has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli troops throughout the Gaza war.
The group said Tuesday that six of its fighters were killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon and that it had launched “dozens of Katyusha rockets” at a military base in the Golan Heights in retaliation.
Numerous airlines have suspended flights to Lebanon or limited them to daylight hours.
The Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the Palestinian group’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, has already drawn in Iran-backed militants in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 39 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,677 people, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.
The toll included two dozen deaths in the past 24 hours, according to ministry figures.
Israel said that its air force had “struck dozens of terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip” over the past day.
Israel vows to ‘eliminate’ new Hamas leader as war enters 11th month
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International
Gunmen Injure 12 in Shooting Near Ohio Festival in US
Gunmen Injure 12 in Shooting Near Ohio Festival in US
At least 12 people were injured in a shooting near a community festival in the U.S. state of Ohio, prompting a major police response and an ongoing manhunt for the suspects involved.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening near the Old West End Festival in Toledo, according to the Toledo Police Department, one of the city’s largest annual cultural events celebrating the historic Old West End district.
Police said officers responded to reports of gunfire at about 5:37 p.m. local time near the festival grounds around the intersection of Delaware Avenue and Robinwood Avenue, where large crowds had gathered for music, food vendors, and community activities.
Authorities confirmed that multiple victims were struck during the shooting, and emergency responders quickly transported the injured to nearby hospitals for treatment.
In an update, officials said 10 victims were in stable condition, while two others remained in critical condition as medical teams continued to provide care.
Speaking on the incident, Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joe said preliminary investigations suggest the shooting may have stemmed from an exchange of gunfire between two individuals.
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“It appeared that two people fired weapons and they were probably shooting at each other,” he said, adding that victims ranged in age from 16 to 61 years.
Earlier, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz told local broadcaster WTOL 11 that all injured victims were expected to survive, describing the attack as a disturbing disruption to a long-standing community celebration.
The Old West End Festival is a two-day annual event that attracts thousands of attendees and features live music, food stalls, house tours, and cultural exhibitions across one of the largest historic districts in the United States.
Following the incident, police cordoned off parts of the festival area and launched an intensive investigation, focusing on the surrounding streets where the shooting occurred. Officers are reviewing surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts to identify those responsible.
Videos circulating on social media showed festival-goers running for safety as multiple gunshots rang out, while emergency responders attended to victims and transported some on stretchers. Authorities said the footage is being reviewed as part of the investigation, though it has not yet been independently verified.
Reacting to the shooting, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expressed concern and offered support to victims and law enforcement officials.
“I am deeply concerned about the situation in Toledo tonight,” he said. “Summer festivals should be safe spaces for families… and we are confident that law enforcement will locate the suspects involved in this senseless crime.”
Police confirmed that no arrests had been made as of the latest update, but said active efforts were ongoing to track down the suspects and determine the exact motive behind the shooting.
Authorities urged members of the public with information to come forward as investigations continue.
Gunmen Injure 12 in Shooting Near Ohio Festival in US
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International
How a Nigerian Man Bypassed TSA, Boarded United Flight Using Fake Boarding Pass
How a Nigerian Man Bypassed TSA, Boarded United Flight Using Fake Boarding Pass
A major security scare erupted at a United States airport after a man allegedly bypassed boarding procedures and boarded a departing passenger aircraft, forcing authorities to halt the flight and launch an extensive security operation. The suspect, Abdulrahman Oluwatumike Oriyomi, now faces a felony charge for the May 18, 2026, incident at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas.
According to court documents and investigators, Oriyomi passed through a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Terminal C after presenting identification and having his photo taken. Despite possessing an invalid boarding document, he was allowed through security screening into the sterile area of the airport. He then moved between different sections of the terminal and attempted to access multiple departure gates.
Authorities said he unsuccessfully tried to scan a boarding pass at several gates. His first attempt was for a 7:18 a.m. United Airlines flight to Los Angeles, which failed. More than an hour later, he appeared at another gate where United Flight 469 was preparing for departure to the same destination. Investigators allege that while gate agents were attending to passengers, Oriyomi took advantage of the distraction, pretended to show his boarding pass, slipped past the podium, and proceeded down the jet bridge onto the aircraft without authorization.
Once on board, witnesses reported that Oriyomi initially sat in an aisle seat next to a female passenger before moving around the cabin. The passenger later realized the seat had already been purchased by another traveler. Court records indicate Oriyomi then retreated to a restroom as the plane pushed back from the gate and began taxiing for departure.
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The security breach was not discovered until the aircraft had already begun taxiing away from the gate. Flight attendants were alerted that someone was inside an aircraft restroom. When they made contact with Oriyomi, he identified himself as “Mr. Lopez” and reportedly asked to sit in the jump seat because the flight was full. A flight attendant checked the passenger manifest and discovered no authorized passenger under that name. The crew immediately notified the cockpit, prompting the captain to order the aircraft back to the gate.
The incident triggered a large-scale response involving airport police, the FBI, the TSA, airline security officials, the Houston Police Department’s Explosive Detection K-9 Unit, and other law enforcement agencies. Passengers were ordered off the aircraft while security teams searched the plane and conducted precautionary checks, including screening for possible explosives. No explosives or other threats were found.
The disruption delayed the Los Angeles-bound flight for approximately three hours and affected normal airport operations.
Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage and examined the boarding document allegedly used by Oriyomi. A boarding pass image recovered from his mobile device was determined to be fraudulent because key information and the scannable QR code required for verification were missing. A Bush Airport representative concluded the document was fake, and authorities determined that Oriyomi’s original airline reservation had been canceled due to nonpayment.
Following the investigation, prosecutors charged Oriyomi with impairing or interrupting the operation of a critical infrastructure facility, a felony offense under Texas law that alleges he disrupted both airport and airline operations. Prosecutors argued that the alleged incident delayed a flight carrying a full plane of passengers for approximately three hours and prompted responses from multiple law enforcement and security agencies.
A judge set his bond at $25,000 and imposed conditions prohibiting him from entering any airport, surrendering any passports or travel documents, refraining from possessing firearms, and submitting to electronic monitoring if ordered by the court. If convicted, he could face significant penalties under Texas law.
Aviation security experts have raised concerns about the incident, pointing to multiple failures in airport screening procedures. Michael Matranga, a former Secret Service agent who now runs the consulting group M6 Global Defense, told ABC7 that TSA agents should never have allowed Oriyomi through security without a valid boarding pass. “I think this is a pretty significant breach, not just because of the fact that he ended up on the plane; it’s the multiple layers and failures to even get on the plane,” Matranga said. He suggested that at a minimum, the agents directly involved and potentially the entire cadre of agents at the airport need to be retrained on policy and consistency.
Authorities have stated that there is currently no indication the incident was terrorism-related. Investigators have not publicly disclosed a motive for Oriyomi’s actions. Reports indicate he worked as a tax consultant before his arrest and has no known prior criminal record.
Oriyomi was initially questioned and given a trespass warning on the day of the incident, but charges were not filed until June 1, 2026. He was arrested on June 5. The case is pending in Harris County’s 180th District Court. United Airlines declined to comment and referred questions to law enforcement. A response from the TSA was not immediately available.
How a Nigerian Man Bypassed TSA, Boarded United Flight Using Fake Boarding Pass
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International
Nigerian Man Jailed for Life for Stabbing Friend Over Debt in London
Nigerian Man Jailed for Life for Stabbing Friend Over Debt in London
A 36-year-old Nigerian man, Fawaz Abdulkareem, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the fatal stabbing of a friend during a dispute over money at a high-rise flat in Vauxhall, south London. Abdulkareem must serve a minimum of 17 years before he can be considered for parole.
Croydon Crown Court heard that Abdulkareem murdered 32-year-old Daniel Manuel on July 5, 2025, following an argument inside the defendant’s 14th-floor flat on Bondway. The court was told that what began as a social evening between friends ended in extreme violence, followed by a clumsy attempt to cover up the crime.
According to prosecutors, Abdulkareem and Manuel had spent the evening together at a nightclub before returning to Abdulkareem’s apartment with a group of friends. In the early hours of the morning, an argument erupted over a debt that Abdulkareem owed Manuel. During the altercation, Abdulkareem armed himself with a kitchen knife and stabbed Manuel three times. One of the wounds, forensic evidence later showed, was inflicted while the victim’s back was turned, undermining the defendant’s later claim of self-defence.
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The Metropolitan Police arrived at the scene at approximately 5:38 am following reports of a stabbing. Officers found Daniel Manuel suffering from serious injuries in the lobby of the apartment block. Despite emergency first aid from police, paramedics, and hospital staff, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators established that after the stabbing, Abdulkareem left the flat with the knife still tucked into his waistband. He removed his T-shirt to hide the weapon as he walked through communal areas. When he realised emergency services were approaching, he discarded the blade by throwing it from the 14th-floor window of the building. The knife was later recovered by police. One of the first officers on the scene noticed blood on Abdulkareem’s clothing and arrested him immediately.
Throughout the trial at Croydon Crown Court, Abdulkareem claimed he had acted in self-defence. However, a jury rejected his account and found him guilty of murder and possession of a bladed article on May 21, 2026. On June 5, 2026, the court sentenced Abdulkareem to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
In a powerful victim impact statement read to the court, Daniel Manuel’s wife, Zulal, described the profound and lasting damage caused by his death. “Daniel was not just my husband, he was my partner, my home, my emotional safety and the person I built my entire life around,” she said. “Losing him in such a violent and sudden way has completely shattered my world. This loss has affected every part of my life – emotionally, physically, financially. I am still trying to survive the aftermath of it.”
Detective Inspector Luke Hampton, who led the investigation for the Metropolitan Police, spoke after the sentencing. “Daniel was murdered in a moment of extreme violence by a man he thought was his friend,” Hampton said. “Abdulkareem tried to deceive police, recklessly throwing the murder weapon from the window of the 14th floor of a tower block and cruelly claiming it was Daniel who had attacked him. Met detectives saw through his lies and worked hard to secure a conviction. His claims of self-defence were dismissed by the jury.” He added: “Our thoughts remain with Daniel’s family, and we hope this sentence provides them with some measure of comfort.” The Metropolitan Police said the case underscores ongoing efforts to tackle serious violent crime and bring offenders to justice across London.
Nigerian Man Jailed for Life for Stabbing Friend Over Debt in London
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