Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 4 February 2020
U.K. to end early release of terror convicts after stabbings

LONDON (AP) — The British Officers had been trailing
government said Monday Amman at the time of Sun-
it will introduce emergency day's attack, police said,
legislation to stop people but were unable to head
convicted of terror crimes off the bloodshed in the
being released after serv- commercial and residen-
ing half their sentences, tial south London neighbor-
following two attacks in hood of Streatham, where
London by recently freed Amman struck outside a
offenders. major pharmacy on a busy
The announcement came shopping afternoon.
the day after an Islamic The intelligence think tank
extremist who had recently SITE reported that the Islam-
been released from prison ic State group claimed that
wounded two people in the south London attack
south London, despite be- was perpetrated by one of
ing under police surveil- its "fighters."
lance. Sudesh Amman, 20, IS has been responsible for
strapped on a fake bomb deadly attacks in Europe
and stabbed two people in the past few years, but
on a busy street before be- also has a track record of
ing shot dead by police. claiming attacks as its own,
"Yesterday's appalling in- often with no evidence to
cident makes the case Police officers inspect a bus as they work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack in the prove it. In some cases, the
plainly for immediate ac- Streatham area of south London Monday Feb. 3, 2020. attacks turned out to be
tion," Justice Secretary Associated Press carried out by perpetrators
Robert Buckland told law- with no known ties to the
makers. "We will therefore of terrorism offenses have people who obviously con- disperse them and try to extremist group.
introduce emergency leg- been released in Britain tinue to pose a threat to stop them reinfecting each The attack in London re-
islation to put an end to after serving time in prison the public has come to the other?" he said. called a November stab-
terrorist offenders getting and more than 200 others end of its useful life." Amman had been con- bing attack carried out
released automatically are currently imprisoned. He said the difficulty is how victed in 2018 of publish- by another man who had
having served half of their Following Sunday's attack to apply new laws retro- ing graphic terrorist videos served prison time for ter-
sentence with no check or and a Nov. 29 attack in spectively to those current- online and had stockpiled rorism offenses. Two people
review." which two people were ly in the system. He added instructions on bomb mak- were killed in that attack.
He said terror convicts killed near London Bridge that de-radicalizing people ing and knife attacks. Counter-terrorism officials
would have to serve at in central London, the gov- is a "very, very difficult thing He was sentenced to three have warned of the threat
least two-thirds of their sen- ernment has vowed to im- to do" and that he was years and four months. posed by militants unless
tences, and wouldn't be pose longer sentences for concerned about the way Taking into account time the government couples
freed before the end of terror crimes and overhaul convicted terrorists in prison served after his arrest, he prison sentences with ef-
their full terms unless the Pa- the conditions under which are handled. was freed a week ago, fective de-radicalization
role Board agreed. offenders are released "Do you detain them en Buckland said. programs.
Buckland said the new rules back into the community. bloc, in one group, and try Police on Monday con- London Mayor Sadiq Khan
would apply to people who "This is a liberal country, it is to keep them together be- tinued to search a hostel of the opposition Labour
are currently serving sen- a tolerant country,'' Prime cause that avoids them, as near the attack site where Party said Sunday's attack
tences as well as those sen- Minister Boris Johnson said. it were, infecting or pass- Amman had been staying, was clearly foreseeable in
tenced in the future. More ""But I think the idea of au- ing the virus of their beliefs and also raided another the wake of the London
than 70 people convicted tomatic early release for to others in jails, or do you property outside of London. Bridge killings. q

4 Iranian separatists arrested in Denmark and Netherlands

COPENHAGEN, Denmark legedly plotting one or gen. If found guilty, they The arrests are also said to has denied wrongdoing
(AP) — Four members more terror attacks in Iran face a potential life sen- be linked to a 2018 police and is being held in pre-
of an Iranian separatist and for membership of a tence, which in Denmark operation over an alleged trial custody. Tehran has
group, the Arab Struggle terrorist organization. is on average 16 years. No Iranian plot to kill one or accused ASMLA for an at-
Movement for the Libera- "We are talking about a further details of those ar- more opponents of the Ira- tack on a military parade
tion of Ahwaz, have been very complex case where rested, including their sex nian government. The op- in the Iranian city of Ahvaz
arrested in Denmark and two countries — Iran and or age, were disclosed. eration briefly cut off the in Sept. 2018, that left at
the Netherlands. Saudi Arabia — are bring- Borch Andersen said the island on which Copen- least 25 people dead. The
Three were arrested Mon- ing internal strife into this arrests in Denmark were hagen sits from the rest of group has condemned
day in Ringsted, 60 kilome- country," Danish security linked to a case in the Neth- Denmark. the violence and said it
ters (40 miles) southwest of service chief Finn Borch erlands where police ar- An unnamed Norwegian was not involved.
Copenhagen, for the sus- Andersen said. rested a 40-year-old man. citizen of Iranian descent Borch Andersen also said
pected spying of people The three members of the Dutch police said that part was arrested in Oct. 2018 a member of an Iranian
and companies for an un- London-based group who of the ASMLA movement on suspicion of helping an intelligence agency who is
named Saudi intelligence were arrested in Denmark has an armed wing that unspecified Iranian intel- not in Denmark, was jailed
service over a period of six could face a pre-trial cus- carries out attacks in Iran, ligence service "to act in in absentia for being the
years from 2012. Another tody hearing Tuesday in mainly against the Iranian Denmark" and of alleged handler of the Norwegian
was arrested in the historic Roskilde, 40 kilometers (25 Revolutionary Guard as involvement in the assas- citizen. No further details
Dutch city of Delft for al- miles) west of Copenha- well as oil and gas fields. sination plot. That suspect were available.q