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WORLD NEWS 9
Saturday 12 December 2015
Geneva police authorize public events despite high security
JAMEY KEATEN The greater vigilance has Security officers control the area in front of the French consulate due to a high level of alert, in
Associated PressGENEVA meant the public, private
(AP) — Security officials in security teams and others Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015. Geneva security officials say public events including
Geneva said Friday that have been on a greater
public events, including lookout for suspicious ac- a beloved December costume parade will go ahead as planned this weekend, a day after
a beloved December tivities: At Geneva’s airport,
costume parade, will go bomb squads cordoned announcing a heightened security alert and a hunt for suspects allegedly linked to the radical
ahead as planned this off and suspended access
weekend despite height- to some areas to deal with Islamic State group. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)
ened security measures two pieces of abandoned
and an ongoing hunt for luggage. have been deployed. said there was “no spe- “We are taking the right
suspects allegedly linked Airport spokesman Ber-
to the radical Islamic State trand Staempfli says no Michele Zaccheo, a U.N. cific threat” targeting U.N. kinds of precautionary
group. bomb was found and spokesman in Geneva, personnel, and insisted measures.”q
Swiss officials announced flights were not delayed
enhanced vigilance a day or disrupted. Authorities
earlier and said Geneva located the owner of one
police were searching for bag found abandoned
at least four suspects al- near a security checkpoint,
legedly linked to IS and and another bag was de-
believed to be plotting stroyed by bomb squads.
a “specific” attack in the Staempfli said bomb alerts
city. Authorities have not typically happen at least
identified the suspects. once a week at the airport,
The Geneva department but authorities received
of security said in a state- more reports from passers-
ment Friday that “the level by and security teams on
of vigilance remains un- Friday. Across town, the
changed for now” and head of Geneva security
that the reinforced police met with the top official at
deployments will be main- the U.N. office in Geneva,
tained. It said the public one of the city’s many dip-
can stay informed through lomatic sites where guards
a mobile phone app. carrying submachine guns
Dutch man jailed for smuggling
cocaine, heroin in ambulances
LONDON (AP) — A Dutch Detectives say Schoon’s
man who set up a fake International Ambulance
ambulance company to Team — a company com-
smuggle huge amounts of plete with offices, fake
heroin and cocaine into invoices and a fleet of
Britain was sentenced Fri- vehicles — had made 44
day to 24 years in prison. similar trips from the Neth-
Olof Schoon, 38, pleaded erlands to England in the
guilty last month to con- previous 14 months.
spiring to smuggle drugs Passing sentence Friday
with an estimated value of at Birmingham Crown
more than 1 billion pounds Court, Judge Francis Laird
($1.5 billion). said this was “a highly so-
He and two accomplices phisticated, meticulously
were arrested in June at a planned and well-execut-
parking lot in Smethwick, ed conspiracy involving
central England. Police the importation of Class
found 10 million pounds A drugs on a truly colossal
($15 million) worth of co- scale.”
caine and heroin in secret The accomplices were
compartments inside their jailed for 18 and 25
ambulance. years.q
