Kurdish Gangsters Arrested On Charges Of People Smuggling

February 6, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Raids have taken place across England in an operation to tackle people smuggling involving suspected Kurdish gangsters.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said 350 officers were involved in the raids in Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Stockton, Newcastle, Hastings and London.

Officers raided about 20 addresses and made 21 arrests in the major operation.

The gang is suspected of charging up to £10,000 per head to smuggle migrants in the back of lorries across the Channel.

As well as residential properties, a number of car washes believed to be linked to money laundering activities were also raided.

Welsh Man Jailed For Possessing Prohibited Weapons

February 6, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A holidaymaker has been jailed for four years for trying to bring home 38 weapons which he said were "souvenirs".

Father-of-two Ryan Sullivan, 24, of Cardiff, had been on a break with his girlfriend and children when he returned from Bulgaria in July 2017.

Border Force staff at Cardiff Airport airport found items including knuckle dusters, stun guns and nunchucks, the city's crown court heard. Sullivan admitting possessing prohibited weapons.

The court heard he tried to smuggle the weapons disguised as mobile phones and torches.

Suspected Terrorist Salah Abdeslam Refuses To Speak At Belgian Court

February 5, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The sole surviving suspect from the 2015 Paris terror attacks is refusing to speak any further in a Belgian court, where he is on trial over the gunfight that led to his arrest.

Salah Abdeslam has said he will not respond to questions from the judge. "My silence does not make me a criminal, it's my defence," he said.

Computer Hacker Wins Appeal Against Extradition

February 5, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Alleged computer hacker Lauri Love has won his High Court appeal against his extradition to the US.

Mr Love, 32, from Stradishall, Suffolk, who was first arrested in October 2013, is suspected of hacking into FBI, US Central Bank and Nasa systems.

Bomb Dropped In Syria Believed To Contain Chlorine

February 5, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Nine people were treated for breathing difficulties after a bomb believed to be filled with chlorine was dropped on a rebel-held town in Syria, medics say.

The Syria Civil Defence said three of its rescue workers were among the casualties from the attack on Saraqeb, in the north-western province of Idlib. The Syrian opposition said the bomb was dropped by a government helicopter.

Another 20 people were reportedly killed in conventional government and Russian air strikes elsewhere in Idlib.

Anti-Terror Measures For Eton College To Be Put In Place

February 2, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Eton College is to install anti-terror bollards to prevent "hostile vehicle attacks" on tourists in the town.

The exclusive public school in Berkshire will place 38 bollards around its Memorial Buildings on Slough Road.

The area is earmarked by the South East Counter Terrorism Unit as a "vulnerable" area where people "congregate".

The existing bollards will be replaced by those designed to withstand a terrorist attack.

Thousands are expected to visit the area for the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor, on 19 May.

French Military Helicopter Crash Kills At Least Five

February 2, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Two army helicopters have collided in southern France, killing at least five people, police and officials say.

The crash happened at Carcès lake, just north of St Tropez. Rescuers are at the scene, in the Var region, searching for a sixth person who was aboard one of the helicopters.

It is not clear what caused the crash. Both Gazelle helicopters belonged to a military flying school called Ealat, officials said. It trains pilots for the army and other military services.

Brawl Between Afghans And Eritreans In Calais Leaves Many Injured

February 2, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

At least five migrants have been shot during a mass brawl between Afghans and Eritreans in the French port city of Calais, local officials say.

A 37-year-old Afghan man is suspected of firing shots at a queue for food handouts. Four Eritreans aged between 16 to 18 are in a critical condition.

Hundreds of migrants have converged on the area in an attempt to cross the Channel to the UK.

A sprawling camp known as the "Jungle" was dismantled near Calais in 2016.

Inmate Murdered At Wormwood Scrubs Prison

February 1, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Four men have been arrested on suspicion of murdering an inmate who was stabbed to death at Wormwood Scrubs prison.

Police said 25-year-old Saleh Khader was found with stab wounds at the west London jail at about 15:19 GMT on Wednesday. He was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics.

Two men aged 21, a 20-year-old and a 23-year-old man, who are all prisoners at the jail, remain in police custody.

The Met Police said the victim's next of kin had been informed and a post-mortem examination would be held in due course.

IS And Taliban Control Or Threaten 70% Of Afghanistan

January 31, 2018 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Taliban fighters, whom US-led forces spent billions of dollars trying to defeat, are now openly active in 70% of Afghanistan.

Months of research across the country shows that the Taliban now control or threaten much more territory than when foreign combat troops left in 2014.

The Afghan government played down the report, saying it controls most areas. But recent attacks claimed by Taliban and Islamic State group militants have killed scores in Kabul and elsewhere.