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A man who robbed a bank using a bogus bomb made from a box of tissues, black fabric and a television remote control has been jailed.

Ion Craciunescu, 64, pleaded guilty to robbing the Co-operative Bank in Alma Street, Luton, on 7 December.

Bedfordshire Police said he threatened “terrified” staff and told them he would detonate the bomb if his demands were not met. He was jailed for two years at Luton Crown Court.

A police spokeswoman said Craciunescu, a Romanian of no fixed abode, left his bag containing the fake bomb on the counter after demanding money from staff. He then made off with the cash and spent it at adult entertainment venues, hotels and on alcohol. The bomb was later discovered not to be a viable explosive device, but “a bunch of tissues wrapped in a black fabric and a TV remote he stole from a hotel room”.

Det Con Mandy Godfree, said: “The members of staff were genuinely terrified and scared for their life, not knowing that the device left behind at the scene was not viable. “This kind of experience leaves long lasting mental scars which will take time to heal.”

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern has said she will announce detailed gun law reforms within days, after an attack on two mosques left 50 people dead.

Ms Ardern said her cabinet had backed gun law changes “in principle”.

Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a self-described white supremacist, has been charged with murder. Police say the killer used military-style assault weapons modified to make them more deadly for the attack – all of which is legal under current laws.

No specific details were given by the prime minister at her press conference on Monday, but she said they would made clear soon. “This ultimately means that within 10 days of this horrific act of terrorism we will have announced reforms which will, I believe, make our community safer,” she said.

Ms Ardern was appearing alongside her coalition partner and Deputy PM Winston Peters, who has previously opposed changes.

He said he fully supported the prime minister on the issue, adding: “The reality is that after one pm on Friday, our world changed forever and so will our laws.” Ms Ardern said: “We have made a decision as a cabinet, we are unified.”

She also announced that an inquiry would look into the lead-up to the attacks, and what might have been done differently.

A gunman has opened fire inside a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht, killing one person and injuring several others, reports say.

The area in the west of the city has been cordoned off by authorities, and emergency services are at the scene.

Authorities said the gunman is still at large. Police have asked people to stay away from the area and schools to keep their doors closed. They say they are investigating a “possible terrorist motive”.

The Dutch anti-terrorism co-ordinator is in touch with local authorities and says the threat level has been temporarily raised to its highest point in Utrecht.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was “deeply concerned” and cancelled his weekly coalition talks.

The shooting took place around the 24 Oktoberplein junction at about 10:45 local time (09:45 GMT). Three helicopters have been despatched.

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Forty-nine people have been killed and at least 20 wounded in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described one alleged gunman, who had Australian citizenship, as an “extremist, right-wing” terrorist. A man in his late twenties was charged with murder and will appear in court on Saturday morning, police confirmed.

Two other men and one woman were detained nearby and firearms seized, Police Commissioner Mike Bush said. He said police had determined that one of the people detained was not involved in the incident, and officers were working to understand if the other two were connected.

The shooting was the deadliest in the country’s history.

One gunman live-streamed footage of his rampage to Facebook, filmed with a head-mounted camera. The footage showed him firing indiscriminately at men, women and children from close range inside the Al-Noor mosque.

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A former British soldier faces murder charges over the killing of two people on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972.

The Public Prosecution Service said there was enough evidence to prosecute Soldier F for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney. He also faces charges for the attempted murders of Patrick O’Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and Michael Quinn.

Thirteen people were shot dead at a civil rights march on 30 January 1972. The day became known as Bloody Sunday – one of the darkest days of the Northern Ireland Troubles. The shootings led to widespread anger in Derry and further afield.

On the same day as the funerals were held for 11 of the Bloody Sunday victims, the British Embassy in Dublin was burned to the ground by an angry crowd.

The former paratrooper is being referred to only as Soldier F because all military witnesses were granted anonymity through the Saville Inquiry into the circumstances around the killings. The PPS said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute 16 other soldiers and two Official IRA men.

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