Page 6 - aruba-today-20201017

A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 17 OctOber 2020
French leader decries terrorist beheading of teacher

By ELAINE GANLEY recent months, in the Dijon
Associated Press region, the Mediterranean
PARIS (AP) — French Presi- city of Nice, and the west-
dent Emmanuel Macron ern town of Saint-Dizier, be-
denounced what he called lieved linked to local crimi-
an "Islamist terrorist attack" nal activity.
against a history teacher The attack came as Ma-
decapitated in a Paris sub- cron is pushing for a new
urb Friday, urging the na- law against what he calls
tion to stand united against domestic "separatism," no-
extremism. tably by Islamic radicals
The teacher had discussed accused of indoctrinating
caricatures of Islam's Proph- vulnerable people through
et Muhammad with his home schools, extremist
class, authorities said. The preaching and other ac-
suspected attacker was tivities.
shot to death by police af- France has the largest Mus-
ter Friday's beheading. lim population in Western
The French anti-terrorism Europe with up to 5 million
prosecutor opened an in- members, and Islam is the
vestigation concerning country's No. 2 religion.
murder with a suspected "We didn't see this coming,"
terrorist motive, the pros- Conflans resident Remi Tell
ecutor's office said. French police officers gather outside a high school after a history teacher who opened a discussion said on CNews TV station.
Macron visited the school with students on caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad was beheaded, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020 He described the town as
in Conflans-Saint-Honorine, north of Paris. Police have shot the suspected killer dead.
where the teacher worked Associated Press peaceful.
in the town of Conflans- It was the second terrorism-
Saint-Honorine and met gether as citizens," he said. threats after opening a That information could not related incident since the
with staff after the slaying. The gruesome killing of the discussion "for a debate" be immediately confirmed. opening of an ongoing trial
An Associated Press report- teacher occurred in the about the caricatures The two officials could not on the newsroom massa-
er saw three ambulances town of Conflans-Sainte- about 10 days ago, the po- be named because they cre in Jan. 2015 at the sa-
arrive at the scene, and Honorine while the suspect lice official told The Associ- were not authorized to tirical newspaper Charlie
heavily armed police sur- was killed by police in ad- ated Press. The parent of a discuss ongoing investiga- Hebdo after the publica-
rounding the area and po- joining Eragny. student had filed a com- tions. tion of caricatures of the
lice vans lining leafy nearby A police official said the plaint against the teacher, France has offered asylum prophet of Islam. As the trial
streets. suspect, armed with a knife another police official said, to many Chechens since opened, the paper repub-
"One of our compatriots and an airsoft gun — which adding that the suspected the Russian military waged lished caricatures of the
was murdered today be- fires plastic pellets — was killer did not have a child war against Islamist sepa- prophet to underscore the
cause he taught ... the shot dead about 600 me- at the school. The suspect's ratists in Chechnya in the right of freedom of expres-
freedom of expression, the ters (yards) from where the identity was not made pub- 1990s and early 2000s, and sion. Exactly three weeks
freedom to believe or not male teacher was killed af- lic. there are Chechen com- ago, a young man from
believe," Macron said. ter he failed to respond to The suspect's identity was munities scattered around Pakistan was arrested after
He said the attack shouldn't orders to put down his arms, not made public. French France. stabbing, outside the news-
divide France because and acted in a threatening media reported that the France has seen occa- paper's former offices, two
that's what the extremists manner. suspect was an 18-year-old sional violence involving people who suffered non
want. "We must stand all to- The teacher had received Chechen, born in Moscow. its Chechen community in life-threatening injuries.q

Canadian FM sees exiled Belarus opposition figure in Vilnius

be on your side." with European leaders in- nouskaya said after her
"In fact I believe you can cluding French President talks with Champagne.
expect that (the) entire in- Emmanuel Macron and Tsikhanouskaya has
ternational community will German Chancellor Ange- warned the government
be together with you and la Merkel. in Minsk that she will call a
the people of Belarus for The United States and the nationwide strike in Belarus
the democratic future of European Union have de- later this month unless Lu-
your country," Champagne nounced Belarus' elec- kashenko, who got a sixth
said after the meeting, on tion as neither free nor fair term in office in August, re-
the last leg of his European and introduced sanctions signs, releases political pris-
tour. Champagne has said against Belarusian officials oners and stops the violent
Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya speaks the result of the Aug. 9 pres- responsible for alleged crackdown on protesters.
as Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne idential elections in Belarus, vote-rigging and a crack- Earlier Friday, Belarusian
looks on during a press conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, Friday, which gave the country's down on protests. authorities announced that
Oct. 16, 2020. long-standing strongman, "This is a very clear sign to they have issued an arrest
Associated Press
President Alexander Lu- the criminals in Belarus that warrant for Tsikhanouskaya,
By LIUDAS DAPKUS Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, kashenko, a landslide vic- the international commu- who fled to neighboring
Associated Press who is in exile in Lithuania, tory strongly disputed by nity is watching them and Lithuania after the election,
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — during a meeting Friday. the opposition, was "fraud- they should think twice be- accusing her of "attempts
Canada's foreign minister Francois-Philippe Cham- ulent." Champagne's visit fore (unleashing) another to overthrow constitutional
pledged support for top pagne told Tsikhanouskaya to the Baltic country follows wave of violence against order" and of being a threat
Belarusian opposition figure that Canada "will always Tsikhanouskaya's meetings their own people," Tsikha- to national security.q