Page 2 - Aruba Today

A2
UP FRONTFriday 8 January 2016
Man in fake explosives vest killed in Paris
LORI HINNANT
ELAINE GANLEY
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — A man wear-
ing a fake explosives vest
and wielding a butcher
knife was shot to death by
police outside a Paris po-
lice station Thursday, jolting — saluting their valor in pro-
an already anxious French
capital with a new dose
of fear as the nation grimly
Police officers secure the perimeter near the scene of a fatal shooting which took place at a
police station in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2016. French officials say a man armed with a knife was
shot to death by officers at a police station in northern Paris. Two officials say the man had wires
extending from his clothing, and an explosives squad is on site.
marked a year of terror that
started with the newsroom
massacre at the Charlie
Hebdo satirical magazine.
The assailant — who shout-
ed “Allahu akbar!” or “God
is great!”— as he waved
the knife at officers, was
carrying a document with
an emblem of the Islamic
State group and “an un-
equivocal claim of respon-
sibility in Arabic,” the pros- shops to close. Metro sta-
ecutor’s office said.
The extremist group
claimed responsibility for
the Jan. 7, 2015, attack at
Charlie Hebdo and on a
kosher grocery store three
days later that killed 17
people. The Islamic State
group also claimed the
Nov. 13 attacks on Paris
cafes, restaurants, a sports
stadium and a music hall
that killed 130 people.
Thursday’s attempted at-
tack shortly before noon in
Paris’ multi-ethnic Goutte
d’Or neighborhood came
almost one year to the min-
ute after two Islamic ex-
tremists burst into the offices above the station and pro-
of Charlie Hebdo, killing 11
people. Just moments ear-
lier, President Francois Hol-
lande had paid respects
to fallen security forces —
three of whom were killed
last year in terrorist violence with a bomb-detecting ro-
tecting “this way of life, the
one that terrorists want to
attack.”
The fallen were killed “so
that we can live free,” Hol-
lande said, describing the
November attacks as “acts
of war.” But there was no
reprieve for France.
Scores of police descend-
ed Thursday on the north-
ern neighborhood that was
the site of the attempted
attack, blocking it off to
pedestrians and ordering
tions in the area, which is
not far from the Montmar-
tre district that is home to
the Sacre Coeur Cathe-
dral, were closed and bus-
es halted, leaving scores of
residents, including many
elderly, to walk long dis-
tances only to find they
could not get into their
homes.
“It’s like the Charlie Heb-
do affair isn’t over,” said
Nora Borrias, a 27-year-old
waiting for her barricaded
street to reopen. She said
she no longer feels a sense
of safety.
Video shot from a window
Britain’s Cameron in Germany,
Hungary to pursue EU changes
GEIR MOULSON
vided to The Associated PABLO GORONDI
Press showed the suspect’s BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)
body lying on the ground — British Prime Minister
in a pool of blood as a David Cameron sought
sniffer dog was called in to push forward his cam-
to check the body, along paign for changes to the
European Union during a
bot. More video aired later visit to Germany and Hun-
on iTele TV showed a police gary on Thursday, arguing
explosives specialist cut- that his proposals would
ting open the dead man’s benefit the bloc as well as
the U.K.
Cameron was in the Alps
for a meeting of the Chris-
tian Social Union, the
Bavaria-only sister party
to Chancellor Angela
(AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Merkel’s conservatives.
He also met Merkel at the
jacket to check for live ex- gathering Wednesday
plosives. evening.
Alexis Mukenge, who wit- Cameron has committed
nessed the shooting, told to holding a referendum
iTele that police shouted, on Britain’s EU member-
“Stop! Move back!” be- ship by the end of 2017.
fore firing twice at the man, Before that, he is seeking
who immediately fell to the a new deal for Britain,
ground. most controversially in-
Authorities did not publicly cluding welfare limits for
identify the suspect. How- other EU nationals intend-
ever, a French security offi- ed to control migration.
cial said police were “work- He hopes to seal a deal at
ing on the hypothesis” that an EU summit next month
the assailant is a 20-year- and hold the referendum
old Moroccan who was later this year. “I’m confi-
involved in a minor 2013 dent with goodwill — and
robbery in the southern Var there is goodwill, I think, on Orban said. Up to 200,000
region. all sides — we can bring
The official, who spoke on these negotiations to a
condition of anonymity be- conclusion and then hold
cause he was not autho- the referendum,” Camer-
rized to discuss the case, on said after meeting with
said that while the finger- the CSU’s lawmakers.
prints of the dead attacker He said that Britain,
matched those of the rob- like EU heavyweight Ger-
bery suspect, who identi- many, believes in the free
fied himself at the time as movement of workers,
Ali Sallah of Casablanca, “but we want to make
the assailant in Thursday’s sure that ... our welfare
attack appeared older system is not an unnatural
than 20.q draw to Britain.”
Cameron wrote in an op-
ed for German daily Bild
published earlier Thurs-
day that the changes
he wants “will benefit
the EU too, and Germany
can help deliver them.”
Merkel called Wednesday
for work toward “decisions
that could lead, out of our
own interest, to getting a
sensible package so that
Great Britain can remain
part of the EU.”
Prime Minister Mark Rutte
of the Netherlands, which
holds the EU presidency,
said he was hopeful an
agreement could be
reached at the Feb. 18-19
summit in Brussels.
“I am relatively optimis-
tic,” Rutte said. “But, still,
a lot of work needs to be
done.” In Hungary, Cam-
eron got support from
Prime Minister Viktor Or-
ban in three of the four re-
form themes he has been
advocating for.
The government of Hun-
gary, an EU member since
2004, has frequently been
at odds with Brussels.
“In some, we would go
even further,” Orban said,
thanking Cameron for
his reform proposals such
as the goal to cut EU bu-
reaucracy and increase
competitiveness. “There
is a spiritual and strategic
agreement between us.”
Orban also said he agreed
with combating abuses in
the welfare system, but
said figures showed that
Hungarian workers in Brit-
ain paid more in taxes
than what they got back
in benefits.
“We will find the solutions
... that are good for Hun-
garian workers and also
serve the objectives of
the British government,”
Hungarians are believed
to be living in Britain.
Cameron said that his
proposal to limit welfare
payments to workers from
other EU countries dur-
ing the first four years of
their stay in Britain “won’t
come off the table unless
something equally impor-
tant is put in its place.”
“We are open to listening
to ideas,” Cameron said.
Orban said the members
of the so-called Visegrad
Group — Hungary, Po-
land, the Czech Republic
and Slovakia — wanted to
reach a joint agreement
with Britain on that topic.
Orban also emphasized
that Hungarian workers in
Britain should not be seen
as migrants.
“We are not migrants in
the United Kingdom but
citizens of the European
Union who can freely
choose work everywhere
within the EU,” Orban said,
adding that Hungarians
wanted to work in Britain,
not be freeloadersq