Lincoln Tribune |  |
- Islamic extremist arrested in Florida bomb plot
- Guinea-Bissau President Sanhá dies in Paris at age 64
- Man gets suspended sentence for UK’s largest child porn collection
- GOP Presidential Hopefuls in Final New Hampshire Push
- NCDOT Awards $1.4 Million for Resurfacing Projects in Lincoln and Gaston Counties
| Islamic extremist arrested in Florida bomb plot Posted: 09 Jan 2012 06:07 PM PST TAMPA, FLORIDA (BNO NEWS) -- A Kosovo-born was arrested over the weekend for allegedly plotting to carry out a series of attacks in the city of Tampa in Florida, U.S. prosecutors announced on Monday. Sami Osmakac, 25, was arrested on Saturday evening after a number of meetings with an undercover officer. Osmakac, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, allegedly plotted to attack several locations in Tampa with a car bomb, firearms and other explosives. According to the criminal complaint, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was contacted in late September by a person who said Osmakac and another individual had come into his business and asked if he had any flags which represent al-Qaeda. Osmakac soon after began working for the informant at his business. On November 30, court records indicate Osmakac and the informant drove around the Tampa area while discussing a potential violent attack which Osmakac was seeking to execute. "During this meeting, Osmakac asked the [informant] to help him procure firearms and a belt containing explosives for use in the attack," according to the criminal complaint. During the same meeting, the informant allegedly told Osmakac that he knew someone who would be able to provide firearms and explosive devices. However, unknown to Osmakac, the individual the informant was discussing is in fact an FBI undercover officer. After the informant and Osmakac called the undercover officer on December 19, Osmakac allegedly met with the undercover officer in person. During the meeting, Osmakac told the undercover officer he wished to acquire at least one AK-47-style machine gun, several Uzi submachine guns, at least ten grenades, and an explosive belt with a multi-directional blast range of approximately 15 yards (13.7 meters). Four days later, Osmakac met with the undercover officer again and provided a $500 down payment for the weapons and explosives. "Osmakac also asked the [undercover officer] if he could build explosives that could be placed in three different vehicles and detonated remotely near the location where Osmakac would conduct an attack using the other weapons he previously asked for," the criminal complaint alleged. The undercover officer allegedly told Osmakac that it would be difficult to get three car bombs, but that he could possibly obtain a set of explosives which could be placed in the trunk of a car. "The [undercover officer] further explained that the explosive device for the car would be designed so that it could be triggered by using a cellular phone," the complaint says. For the explosive belt, Osmakac allegedly said it should be built to function both outdoors and in an enclosed space in case he was unable to get inside his intended target. "Osmakac told the [undercover officer] that he wanted the explosive belt to be built to kill people," prosecutors allege. Another follow-up meeting, which was recorded by audio and video devices, took place on January 1st. "I want to do something, something terrifying, like one day, one night, something's going to happen, then six hours later, something else," Osmakac allegedly told the undercover officer. Osmakac described his attack generally by stating that he wanted to get a hotel room, park the car bomb at his target, leave the area, detonate the bomb in the car, and then retrieve the weapons and explosive belt from the hotel. Osmakac identified several places in Tampa as possible targets, but said he was looking for places with big gatherings. Among Osmakac's alleged bomb targets were night clubs in the Ybor City area of Tampa, the Operations Center of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Ybor City, and a business in the South Tampa area of Tampa. During the same meeting on January 1st, Osmakac allegedly asked how far he should be from the car bomb to avoid being injured in the blast. He also expressed his desire to 'take down buildings' and 'kill people inside.' "You know, they saying they like 3 trillion in debt, they like 200 trillion in debt, and after all this money they're spending for homeland security and all this, this is gonna be crushing them, this gonna terrify them," Osmakac is quoted as saying in the criminal complaint. During the second portion of the plot, Osmakac said he wanted to use the explosive belt to enter a building with a lot of people and take hostages. He would then demand for certain prisoners to be released before detonating his explosive belt in an attempt to kill his hostages and police officers. Osmakac also allegedly discussed his desire to attack a U.S. Army base and to take down bridges across the Tampa Bay area, but recognized such a plan would be unrealistic. "I mean, I made many plans, but there's not enough people," he said. At a later point during the same meeting, the undercover officer asked Osmakac when he would be ready to carry out his plan. "I've been ready, man. Whenever we can get this done, I'm ready," he allegedly said. Osmakac later shook his head in the negative when the undercover officer said he could still change his mind because nothing had been delivered yet. "We all have to die, so why not die the Islamic way," Osmakac allegedly told the undercover officer. When the officer asked if he didn't want to have a wife and children first, Osmakac allegedly said that Allah allows people to have children in Jannah (paradise). On Saturday, Osmakac and the undercover officer agreed via text message and a handwritten note to meet at a hotel in Tampa later that day. During the meeting, Osmakac was shown an item in a truck bed which was designed to resemble a vehicle-born improvised explosive device (VBIED). When they later arrived at the hotel room, the undercover officer began showing Osmakac a fully automatic AK-47, ammunition and magazines for the AK-47, a pistol, ammunition and a magazine for the pistol, grenades and an explosive belt. He later gave them to Osmakac, although none of them were functional. After trying on the explosive belt, Osmakac allegedly told the undercover officer to film him with a digital video camera. During the 8-minute video, Osmakac says his belief is that the blood of Muslims is 'more valuable' than that of people who do not believe in Islam. He also said he wanted "pay back" for wrongs he felt were done to Muslims. Following the meeting, Osmakac was taken into custody and charged with one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. (Copyright 2012 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)
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| Guinea-Bissau President Sanhá dies in Paris at age 64 Posted: 09 Jan 2012 03:27 PM PST PARIS (BNO NEWS) -- Guinea-Bissau President Malam Bacai Sanhá died as a result of a long illness at a military hospital in Paris on Monday morning, officials said. He was 64 years old. Sanhá, who came to power in September 2009 following presidential elections, had been receiving medical treatment in Paris since November 2011. Few details about his condition were released, but he was previously hospitalized for diabetes and a drop in hemoglobin. "The Presidency of the Republic comes through this medium to communicate to the Guinean people and the international community, with pain and dismay, that excellency Malam Bacai Sanhá died this morning," a statement from the presidential office said. Officials said Sanhá died at around 11:10 a.m. local time at the Val-de-Grace military hospital in Paris. The government announced a seven-day national mourning period and said details about Sanhá's funeral would be announced at a later time. The death comes just weeks after Rear Admiral Bubo Na Tchuto, the head of the general staff of the Navy, unsuccessfully tried to seize power of the African nation. Few details about the failed coup were released, but clashes had been reported in the country's capital, Bissau. According to the country's constitution, presidential elections must be held within 90 days. Sanhá was the only president of the country to not have been assassinated in office or overthrown. His predecessor, João Bernardo Vieira, was shot dead in March 2009 after a brutal beating. Following Monday's announcement, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was deeply saddened by Sanhá's death and offered his condolences to his family and the people of Guinea-Bissau. "[Ban] pays tribute to President Sanhá's leadership in guiding Guinea-Bissau, at a particularly difficult time in its history," Ban's spokesman said. The spokesman added: "The Secretary-General trusts that the succession arrangements provided for in the Constitution of Guinea-Bissau will be fully respected. He wishes to reassure the national authorities and the people of Guinea-Bissau of the full support of the United Nations." South African President Jacob Zuma also offered his condolences on behalf of his government. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of President Sanhá, the Government and the people of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau during this difficult period of mourning the death of their leader," he said. (Copyright 2012 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)
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| Man gets suspended sentence for UK’s largest child porn collection Posted: 09 Jan 2012 01:39 PM PST LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- A 57-year-old man who possessed one of the largest collections of child pornography ever found in the United Kingdom was sentenced to a suspended jail term on Monday, police said. He will also register as a sex offender. Robert James Barrow, 57, pleaded guilty in July 2011 after police discovered approximately one million images and videos of child pornography on his computer at his home in east London. It was the largest collection ever seized in London from a single individual. "The seizure of images from Barrow is the largest ever seen by my unit in relation to one individual," said Acting Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh of the Pedophile Unit at Scotland Yard. "His activities were on an industrial scale. To put his collection in perspective, it would take 347 days to view the entire collection - allowing 30 seconds per image with no breaks." According to prosecutors, Barrow amassed the collection from a range of sources over a period of about 15 years. Detectives believe he used the pictures for his own gratification as well as sharing them with other like-minded individuals. "Possession of indecent images of children is not a victimless crime as each image possessed or distributed represents a child that has been sexually abused in order that the image can exist," McHugh said. "The circulation of those images around the internet magnifies that abuse." Police said some of the photographs in Barrow's collection were categorized as being Level 5 on the five-level SAP scale which is used to categorize the severity of child pornography. Level 5, the worst of its kind, refers to photographs or videos showing bestiality or sadism. Barrow was sentenced to a 12-month jail sentence suspended for two years, meaning he will not go to jail unless he commits a crime during the two year period. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years, issued a three-month curfew and a sexual offenses prevention order (SOPO). (Copyright 2012 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)
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| GOP Presidential Hopefuls in Final New Hampshire Push Posted: 09 Jan 2012 01:39 PM PST In U.S. presidential politics, all eyes are on the northeastern state of New Hampshire, where six Republican White House hopefuls are competing in Tuesday's presidential primary. Correspondents Jim Malone and Carolyn Presutti preview the GOP primary voting in New Hampshire Romney continues to target President Barack Obama more than his Republican rivals, as he did in a recent ABC television debate. Watch voters in Manchester react at a Ron Paul campaign stop Another factor is former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. Huntsman has staked his entire campaign on a good showing in New Hampshire and says he hopes to draw support from undecided voters like Karen Heller of Manchester.
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| NCDOT Awards $1.4 Million for Resurfacing Projects in Lincoln and Gaston Counties Posted: 09 Jan 2012 01:38 PM PST RALEIGH – N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Gene Conti awarded a contract to resurface 8.3 miles of roads in Lincoln and Gaston counties. A $1.4 million contract was awarded to Blythe Construction Inc. of Charlotte. Work can begin as early as March 15 and be completed by Nov. 15. The following roads in Lincoln County will be resurfaced: 2.5 miles of Buffalo Shoals Road in Boger City from N.C. 27 to Shuford Road; 2.5 miles of Shoal Road north of Cherryville from N.C. 182 to the Gaston County line; and 1.9 miles of Asbury Church Road in Boger City from N.C. 27 to Old Mill Road. The following road in Gaston County will be resurfaced: 1.4 miles of Bud Black Road in Cherryville from N.C. 150 to the Lincoln County line. Resurfacing these sections of roadway will extend the lifespan of the pavement, improve safety and provide a smoother ride for motorists. This is one of 30 contracts totaling $82.6 million awarded by Conti for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina. NCDOT awarded the contracts to the lowest bidders, as required by state law. The bids received on the projects awarded came in about 8 percent, or about $7.2 million, below NCDOT estimates.
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