Report: Al-Qaeda suspects flee after Turkish gov't blocks raid

Source : TODAY'S ZAMAN

İSTANBULAl-Qaeda-linked Yusuf Al Qadi and Osama Khoutub, who are among the suspects in a major graft probe, have reportedly fled Turkey after the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) blocked a police raid on Wednesday as İstanbul police refused to comply with orders of prosecutors to detain several suspects in the second leg of the investigationThe İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office ordered the detention of 30 suspects, including a number of deputies and businessmen. The İstanbul Police Department, which saw an extensive purge of its top officers over the last week, has not complied with the order, however.News reports suggest that when the list of 30 suspects leaked to media on Wednesday, some of the suspects took precautionary measures to avoid incriminating themselves in the case of a police raid on their homes or offices.And some suspects fled Turkey, including al-Qaeda Turkey operatives Al Qadi and Khoutub, after government blocked the investigation through newly appointed police chiefs who refused to comply with court decision.Prosecutor Muammer Akkaş, who was leading the second round of the probe, was removed from the case. “All my colleagues and the public should know that as a public prosecutor I was prevented from carrying out the investigation,” the prosecutor said in a statement on Thursday, adding that pressure had clearly been placed on the judiciary both from the Public Prosecutor's Office and the police, allowing an opportunity for suspects to destroy the evidence.Akkaş said although he issued detention and search warrants for the suspects and relayed these to the İstanbul Police Department on Wednesday morning, the police department had not complied with his orders."By not implementing the court decisions, police chiefs committed a crime. An opportunity was given to suspects to take measures, escape or mitigate the evidence," he said.Saudi businessman Al Qadi's assests were frozen in Turkey after he was named a financer of terrorism in the international community. News reports point out that the al-Qaeda suspect is allowed to enter Turkey freely and has access to high-level diplomats and security officials, including Undersecretary of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Hakan Fidan.According to claims, former Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin, who left his post on Wednesday in a major Cabinet reshuffle, asked the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor to close the case. 

Keywords: turkey , national news , al qaeda

Jordanians call for closure of Israeli embassy

Source : Xinhua

AMMAN, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of Jordanian activists gathered near the Israeli embassy in Amman Saturday, calling for the closure of the embassy.

During the protest, which they held in rejection of recent attacks by Israeli settlers against worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque,

and breaking into its yards, the demonstrators called for expelling the Israeli ambassador from Amman.

The protesters also tried to approach the Israeli embassy but the security forces dispersed them and prevented them from approaching the embassy.

Last week, the Jordanian government summoned the Israeli ambassador in Amman and voiced its strong condemnation and rejection of breaking into Al Aqsa Mosque, one of most sacred three mosques for Muslims, by a group of radical Israeli settlers.

Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

Saudi Arabia arrests over 300 women and men

Source : http://old.mehrnews.com

TEHRAN, Mar. 2 (MNA) – Security forces in Saudi Arabia have arrested over 300 women and men who were protesting in front of the Attorney General Inspection Office.

In this massive rally yesterday, (Friday) the families of Saudi detainees gathered in front of the Attorney General Inspection Office in ‘Buraydah’, capital of Al-Qassim Province, to protest the illegal arrest and detention of their loved ones.

The website, Aljazeeraalarabianews.com said that 15 of the arrested people were women. The gathering of Saudi citizen and their insistence to continue their sit-in protests brought Saudi security forces to attack them and they arrested more than 300 of the protestors including 15 women.

The participants on this sit-in rally stressed that, until the women are released from custody, they will not accept the negotiation offer by the representative of Qassim Province Emir.

Bahrain: Teargas, Clashes during Protester Funeral

Source : http://www.almanar.com

Bahraini government forces clashed with protesters on Sunday at the funeral of a demonstrator killed by teargas at a previous rally. Violent crackdowns continue as the demonstrators protest against the royal family, ruling for more than 40 years.

Scores of Bahrainis attended the funeral of the protestor Haj Habib Ibrahim Abdullah, which resulted in another demonstration against the ruling Al-Khalifa family’s regime.

Peaceful protesters raised slogans against the regime and called fo release of jailed activists. Al-Khalifa forces fired teargas and birdshot to disperse the crowd.

The demonstration was held at the funeral of Abdullah, who died afte inhaling poisonous teargas. He and his grandson were exposed to letha gas fired by government forces during a peaceful anti-regime demonstration in Malkiya village last Monday. The nine-year-old grandso is now suffering from side effects and is being treated abroad, Ahlul Bay News Agency reports.

Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstration across Bahrain since February 2011, calling for an end to the Al-Khalifa family rule which continues in the country since 1974.

Eighty people have been killed and thousands arrested since the unres began. Many opposition figures have been arrested on the allegation o planning to topple the government.

Bahrain's top court upholds activists’ jail sentences

Via : FRANCE 24

Bahrain’s highest court on Monday upheld the sentences of 13 activists for their role in anti- government protests last year, a defence lawyer said, in a ruling that could spark further unrest in the US-allied Arab state.

Bahrain's highest court upheld sentences against 13 leaders of a 2011 uprising on Monday, a defence lawyer said, in a ruling that could further fuel unrest in the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state. Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based, has been in political turmoil since a protest movement dominated by majority Shi'ite Muslims erupted in February 2011 during a wave of revolts against governments across the Arab world.

The sentences, originally handed down by a military court in 2011 and upheld by a civilian court in September last year, range from five years in prison to life sentences. "This verdict is final, there are no more appeals possible, it is the last stage of litigation," lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi told Reuters by telephone from Manama. Twenty uprising leaders had been sentenced, but only 13 filed appeals. Some had been tried in absentia because they were out of the country or in hiding, Jishi said. The men who received life sentences included rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and opposition leader Hassan Mushaimaa, who has advocated turning the kingdom of Bahrain into a republic.