Nato Target For Defence Not Reached By Germany

January 19, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Germany plans to boost defence spending by nearly €2bn (£1.7bn; $2.1bn) this year - but it will remain far short of the Nato target.

Nato estimates for 2016 show that only five alliance members - the US, UK, Greece, Poland and Estonia - will spend a minimum of 2% of national output (GDP) on defence, which is the target.

Germany's defence spending of €37bn in 2017 will be 1.2% of GDP.

Adama Barrow To Be Sworn In As Gambia's President In Senegal

January 19, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The man who won The Gambia's disputed election says he will be sworn in as president at the country's embassy in neighbouring Senegal.

The message, posted on Adama Barrow's social media accounts, invited the general public to attend the ceremony.

Last-ditch efforts by regional leaders to convince Yahya Jammeh to step down as president failed overnight. He lost elections last month, but wants the results annulled citing errors in the electoral process.

Iraqi Army Preparing To Retake Mosul

January 18, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The Iraqi army says it is preparing military operations to retake western Mosul, the last urban stronghold in Iraq of so-called Islamic State.

The preparations follow a recent offensive which officials said on Wednesday had recaptured nearly all of the city's east.

Counter-terror chief Talib Shaghati said special forces had retaken all eastern districts assigned to them. Some IS fighters remain holed up in north-eastern districts, he added.

Four Killed In Cancun After Shooting

January 18, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

An attack on the government offices in the Mexican beach resort of Cancun has left four people dead, officials say. Police intervened after gunmen opened fire at the Quintana Roo state attorneys' office. TV showed footage in which intense gunfire could be heard.

One policeman and three suspected attackers died, governor Carlos Joaquin said. Five suspects were arrested. Mr Joaquin described the attack as a reaction by gangsters to his crackdown on organised crime.

CIA Release Declassified Documents

January 18, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

About 13 million pages of declassified documents from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have been released online for the first time.

The files were uploaded following lengthy efforts from freedom of information advocates and a lawsuit against the CIA. The records include intelligence briefings, research papers, UFO sightings and psychic experiments.

Istanbul Nightclub Attacker Thought to Have Trained In Afghanistan

January 17, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The man suspected of carrying out the New Year's Eve attack on a nightclub in Istanbul was trained in Afghanistan, the city's governor says.

Vasip Sahin said the man, named earlier as Uzbek national Abdulkadir Masharipov, was believed to have entered Turkey in January 2016.

Mr Sahin said the suspect had confessed to the attack and that his fingerprints matched those found at the scene. Thirty-nine people died in the attack on the Reina club with dozens wounded.

Citizens of Israel, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia were among the victims.

Report Into Security Of Tunisia Questioned In June 2015

January 17, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The security of a Tunisian resort where 30 Britons were killed in a gun attack in June 2015 had been questioned six months before, an inquest has heard.

A report from January 2015 for the UK government had raised concerns about the beach entrance of the Riu Imperial Marhaba, near Sousse.

Islamist gunman Seifeddine Rezgui killed 10 people on the beach before entering the five-star hotel from the sand - 38 people died in total. He was killed by police an hour later.

The attack was the deadliest on Britons since the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

10 Inmates Released From Guantanamo Bay

January 16, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Oman says it has received 10 prisoners released from the US military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

The foreign ministry said it had responded to a request from the US and acted "out of consideration for the men's humanitarian situation". The statement said the 10, whose nationalities were not revealed, would be offered temporary residency in Oman.

14 Hour Riot In Brazil Prison Leaves 26 Dead

January 16, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

At least 26 people have died during a 14-hour riot in a Brazilian prison, police said.

The revised death toll is three times what was initially reported, and could increase further, the sources said.

On Saturday afternoon, violence erupted between members of rival gangs at Alcacuz prison, starting a riot which lasted until a dawn raid the following day.

Two Shootings Reported In Mexican Clubs

January 16, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

There are reports of two shootings in clubs in the Mexican resort of Playa del Carmen.

People attending the closing night of the BPM electronic music festival at the Blue Parrot club said they had heard shots. Eyewitnesses said they thought as many as five people could have been killed but there has been no confirmation. There are also reports of a second shooting at The Jungle venue, where another BPM event was taking place.

The festival, which is in its 10th year, is popular with foreign tourists, especially from the United States and the United Kingdom.