Organised Crime Crackdown Sees 1,000 Arrested

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in Europe's biggest-ever co-ordinated assault on organised crime, authorities say.

Those held in the "unprecedented" nine-day operation were suspected of offences including people trafficking, drug smuggling, illegal immigration, tax fraud, counterfeiting, theft and property crime.

Among the drugs seized were 599kg of cocaine, 200kg of heroin and 1.3 tons of cannabis.

Thirty Romanian children were also saved from trafficking, according to police organisation Europol.

Among those arrested was this man in Hungary. Pic: Europol

A total of 1,027 individuals were arrested as part of Operation Archimedes.

Europol chief Rob Wainwright told a news conference: "It's the single largest co-ordinated assault on organised crime ever seen in Europe."

Raids took place this month at hundreds of locations in the European Union, including airports, border-crossing points, ports and "specific crime hot spots" in towns and cities.

Law enforcement officers from 34 countries were involved in the operation, including all 28 EU members along with Australia, Colombia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and the US.

Mr Wainwright said the operation "has led I think to a very significant attack on the whole criminal infrastructure in Europe".

Police arrest another suspect in Greece. Pic: Interpol

He said: "Operation Archimedes is a milestone in attempts by the law enforcement community to deliver concerted action against organised crime groups in Europe.

"The scale of the operation is unprecedented and the outcome... is a reminder to even the most serious criminal groups that the international law enforcement community is determined to combat their illegal activities."

He added that the focus for EU police chiefs at an upcoming conference would be on combining strengths to bring down more organised criminal groups.

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New Phil Spector Prison Mugshots Released

Two new photos of the former record producer and songwriter Phil Spector show the toll prison life has taken on him.

Spector is without his wigs these days

The most recent image, from October 2013, shows a bald, sombre-looking Spector staring straight into the camera.

The 73-year-old is serving 19 years to life after shooting the actress Lana Clarkson at his California mansion in 2003.

An earlier photo of a smiling Spector is dated July 24, 2013.

Before his conviction, Spector was known for the array of wigs he would wear in public and during his two trials in 2007 and 2008.

California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said the October photo was taken when Spector was moved to the prison system's huge California Heath Care Facility in Stockton.

The facility provides medical and mental health care to the state's sickest inmates, including those with chronic conditions.

Ms Thornton said she could not reveal details of Spector's health because of state medical privacy regulations.

Lana Clarkson and Spector during his 2009 trial

Spector always maintained his innocence and claimed Clarkson died from accidental suicide.

A 2013 HBO film called Phil Spector, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Al Pacino as Spector and Dame Helen Mirren as a defence lawyer, depicted a fictionalised account of the murder and trials.        

Spector in court in 2005

Spector became known for his Wall of Sound production method. He worked with a number of huge stars in the 1960s, co-writing the Righteous Brothers hit You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling.

He produced The Beatles' album Let It Be in 1970.

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Inside The F-22 Fighter Targeting IS In Syria

The airstrikes launched on militant targets in northern Syria on Tuesday featured a long-awaited combat debut by the US Air Force's F-22A Raptor.

The stealth fighter jet was part of a second wave of strikes along with F-15 Strike Eagles, F-16s, B-1 bombers and drones, launched from bases across the region.

According to the Pentagon, the targets included the "command and control centre" at the headquarters of Islamic State (IS) in the town of Raqqah.

The F-22 is an all-weather stealth tactical fighter that can carry air-to-air missiles as well as bombs, and perform a variety of roles including electronic warfare.

Built primarily by Lockheed Martin, it is highly prized by the USAF - but it has a history marred by escalating costs and maintenance problems.

F-22s at a US Air Force base in South Korea

The first F-22 flew in 1997 but it was not used over Iraq, Afghanistan or Libya, and it was hit by controversy after a fighter pilot was killed in a crash in Alaska in November 2010.

Air Force officials blamed pilot error but the US Defence Department inspector general later questioned the accuracy of their report.

In 2012, then Defence Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the Air Force to curtail F-22 flights until it had installed backup oxygen generators in the plane after pilots complained about fainting in the cockpit.

Former Pentagon chief Bob Gates capped the F-22 fleet at 187 planes in an attempt to limit spiralling costs.

Nonetheless, the final bill for the fighters was in the region of $67bn (£41bn).

Despite all its problems the USAF regards the F-22 as unrivalled and a key component of its tactical air power.

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Video: Man Reveals Lottery Win To Ecstatic Sons

Cheque Him Out: $425m Jackpot Winner Hides Face

Updated: 9:35am UK, Wednesday 02 April 2014

The sole winner of a $425m (£255m) Powerball jackpot has come forward to claim his prize after more than a month - but still did not show his face.

B Raymond Buxton, from California, accepted his prize - one of the largest Powerball jackpots in history - at the California Lottery headquarters in Sacramento.

In a photo taken after he claimed the money, Mr Buxton covered his face with an oversize cheque.

His t-shirt featured a picture of Yoda, the Star Wars character, and read, "Luck of the Jedi I have".

Mr Buxton is hoping to remain out of the limelight and hired a publicist to avoid speaking directly to the media.

He also will not reveal his age, address or what he did for a living until his very recent retirement.

"He really wants to live a private life as best he can," said his publicist, Sam Singer.

"He was a solidly middle-class American, and today he is a solidly wealthy one."

In a statement, Mr Buxton said he was shocked after hearing about the February 19 drawing.

After the winning numbers were announced, he sat in front of his computer in disbelief. He checked and double-checked his ticket and did not tell anybody.

"Sitting on a ticket of this value was very scary," he said in the statement.

"Once the initial shock passed, I couldn't sleep for days."

Since winning, he has been working with a lawyer and financial adviser to establish new bank accounts, set up a charity and sort out tax issues.

Mr Buxton bought the ticket at the Dixon Landing Chevron station in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Milpitas, about 10 miles (17km) north of San Jose.

He had been having lunch at a Subway restaurant inside the station when he decided to buy another ticket because the jackpot was so large, lottery officials said.

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Teenage Terror Suspect Shot Dead By Police

IS Planned Beheading In Australia, PM Says

Updated: 2:23pm UK, Thursday 18 September 2014

Fears supporters of Islamic State were planning to kidnap a random person and carry out a "demonstration killing" prompted Australia's largest ever anti-terror raids, the prime minister has said.

Asked about reports that the planned attack involved a plot to behead a person in Sydney, Tony Abbott said: "That's the intelligence we received.

"The exhortations - quite direct exhortations - were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in ISIL (also known as IS or ISIS) to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here in this country.

"This is not just suspicion, this is intent and that's why the police and security agencies decided to act in the way they have."

More than 800 officers took part in the operation which saw at least 15 people detained and one charged with a serious "terrorism-related" offence.

The suspects had purchased machetes, balaclavas and military fatigues and planned to record the killing to be released on social media, Australia's ABC News reported. 

Pictures in the Australian media showed a sword being removed from one of the properties

The early morning raids of homes and businesses in Sydney and Brisbane came just days after Australia raised its national terror threat level to "high" for the first time, citing the likelihood of terrorist attacks by Australians radicalised in Iraq or Syria.

One of the suspects arrested made a brief appearance in court on Thursday.

Prosecutors said Omarjan Azari - who is charged with conspiracy to prepare for a terrorist attack- was involved in an alleged plan to "gruesomely" kill someone, an attack that was "clearly designed to shock and horrify" the public.

Court documents accused the 22-year-old of conspiring with former Sydney nightclub bouncer Mohammad Ali Baryalei, 33, who is suspected to be Australia's most senior member of IS in Syria and Iraq.

Prosecutor Michael Allnutt said the charge followed from the interception of a phone call made in recent days.

Police have also issued an arrest warrant for Baryalei.

Sydney is home to around half of Australia's 500,000 Muslims, with the majority living in the western suburbs where the raids were carried out.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the operation showed the reality of the threat facing Australia.

He said: "You know it is of serious concern that right at the heart of our communities we have people that are planning to conduct random attacks.

"Today we work together to make sure that didn't happen. We have disrupted that particular attack."

Australia, which is due to host the G20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane in mid-November, is concerned over the number of its citizens believed to be fighting overseas with Islamist militant groups.

Mr Scipione said: "Our police will continue to work tirelessly to prevent any such attacks but certainly can I stress that right now, is a time for calm.

"We don't need to whip this up.

"We need to let people know that they are safe and certainly from our perspective we know that the work this morning will ensure that all of those plans that may have been on foot have been thwarted."

Up to 160 Australians have either been involved in the fighting in the Middle East or actively supporting it, officials said.

At least 20 are believed to have returned to Australia and pose a national security risk, the head of the country's spy agency said when raising the threat level last week.

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Freed Abu Qatada 'Will Not Be Returning To UK'

Timeline: Qatada Legal Battle

Updated: 10:35am UK, Wednesday 24 September 2014

Abu Qatada challenged and ultimately thwarted every attempt by the Government to detain and deport him for many years.

Here is a timeline of the legal battle.

1993: Abu Qatada claims asylum when he arrives in Britain on a forged passport.

1994: Allowed to stay in Britain.

1995: Issues a "fatwa" justifying the killing of converts from Islam, their wives and children in Algeria.

1998: Applies for indefinite leave to remain in Britain.

1999: April - Convicted in his absence on terror charges in Jordan and sentenced to life imprisonment.

October - Speaks in London advocating the killing of Jews and praising attacks on Americans.

2001: February - Arrested by anti-terror police over involvement in a plot to bomb Strasbourg Christmas market. Officers find him with £170,000 in cash, including £805 in an envelope marked "For the mujahedin in Chechnya".

December - Becomes one of Britain's most wanted men after going on the run from his home in west London.

2002: Arrested by police in a council house in south London and detained in Belmarsh high-security jail.

2005: Freed on conditional bail and placed on a control order but arrested again in August under immigration rules as the Government seeks to deport him to Jordan.

2008: April: Court of Appeal rules deportation would breach his human rights because evidence used against him in Jordan might have been obtained through torture.

May - Granted bail by the immigration tribunal but told he must stay inside for 22 hours a day.

June - Released from Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire and moves into a four-bedroom house in west London.

November - He is rearrested after the Home Office tells an immigration hearing of fears he plans to abscond.

December - Qatada's bail is revoked by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) after hearing secret evidence that the risk of him absconding has increased.

2009: Five Law Lords unanimously back the Government's policy of removing terror suspects from Britain on the basis of assurances from foreign governments and it is ruled he can be deported to Jordan to face a retrial on the terror charges.

He is awarded 2,800 euro (£2,500) compensation by the European Court of Human Rights after the judges rule that his detention without trial in the UK under anti-terrorism powers breached his human rights.

2012: January - European judges rule he can be sent to Jordan with diplomatic assurances but not while "there remains a real risk that evidence obtained by torture will be used against him".

February - He is released on strict bail conditions.

April - Rearrested as the Government prepares to deport him after Jordan gives assurances it will "bend over backwards" to ensure he receives a fair trial.

March - Qatada's legal team loses its bid to have the case heard by the Europe's human rights judges, clearing the way for deportation proceedings to continue.

May and August - Siac rejects Qatada's applications for bail.

October - Siac holds appeal hearing.

November - His appeal is granted and he is granted bail.

December - Qatada is moved to a larger residence in the greater London area.

2013: March 9 - It emerges Qatada has been arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions. He is ordered to stay in custody and sent to Belmarsh.

March 21 - Police reveal the cleric is being investigated over extremist material.

March 27 - Home Secretary Theresa May loses her appeal over Siac's decision to allow Qatada to stay in the UK. The Home Office vows to appeal.

April 17 - The Home Office formally announces that it is seeking leave from the Court of Appeal to take the case to the Supreme Court.

April 22 - The Court of Appeal refuses permission to go to the Supreme Court, forcing the Home Office to appeal directly to the highest court in the land.

April 23 - Theresa May tells MPs she has signed a new treaty with Jordan that should pave the way to deportation, but warns it might take "many months".

May 10 - Qatada's barrister says he will go back to Jordan voluntarily if the treaty on the use of evidence obtained by torture, guaranteeing he will not be tortured, is ratified by the Jordanian parliament.

May 20 - Qatada is refused bail by the Special Immigrations Appeals Commission after "jihadist material" is found on a computer memory stick.

July 2 - The new treaty between Jordan and Britain is fully ratified, sparking claims Qatada could be on a plane within days.

July 3 - A Jordanian government official tells AFP the cleric is due back on Sunday.

July 7 - Flown from RAF Northolt to Jordan

December 10: Pleads not guilty to terrorism charges at a state security court in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

2014: June 26 - Acquitted of conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism over 1998 bomb plots allegations.

September 24 - Acquitted over plot to target Western tourists over the New Year in Jordan in 2000.

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Families Living In Fear In IS-Controlled Raqqa

By Jason Farrell, Sky Correspondent

Children in Syria are being taken from their families to be trained as Islamic State fighters and used as informants, according to a civilian who fled the city of Raqqa.

Former student Abu Abrahim Raqqawi gave Sky News a chilling account of life inside the IS-controlled city where he claimed children are being indoctrinated to become jihadists.

Abu, whose name has been changed, is able to talk because he was smuggled out of Raqqa two weeks ago but remains in regular contact with more than a dozen other underground activists in the city.

"They (IS) say to the young people, those between 16 and 18, 'Okay, we will give you money if you say who are talking about us or are saying something bad about us'.

"There is a camp for under-16 children. They took a lot of children without their families knowing, and it's very bad. It's just a special camp for young people. They make them like a bomb; a time bomb."

The US launched airstrikes against IS targets in Syria on Tuesday and Abu Abrahim said IS members in the city were killed after rockets struck their communications hub and a hospital used exclusively by the militants.

But there are mixed feelings about the Western military intervention.

Abu Abrahim said: "There is anger because the city is being destroyed but some accept they have to do a deal with the devil to get rid of IS.

The US has launched airstrikes against IS targets in Syria

"But others feel if the US cared about the people here, Obama would have acted when President Assad crossed the red line."

Here he is referring to the Syrian leader's alleged use of chemical weapons last year.

"There are a lot of executions, secret executions and public executions, especially after the Friday sermons - crucifying, beheading and things like that," he said.

He provided images to back this up; some showed children watching the gruesome events.

Several Syrian cities and IS strongholds were targetted in the attacks

"There are no hospitals inside the city of Raqqa now. When there is an airstrike (previously from President Assad's forces) wounded people are taken to small hospitals in houses without any equipment," he said.

"They're dying in the street. ISIS have their own hospitals that do not allow citizens to go in."

Abu Abrahim says there is no education in the city and some families are struggling to find food.

He claims IS fighters have also seized people's homes to house foreign fighters, but the biggest problem is access to medicine and hospital treatment.

The group have made rapid advances across swathes of Iraq and Syria

His friends have been filming and taking photographs - posting images on a Facebook page called "Raqqa Is Being Silently Slaughtered".

One of the group was killed by IS when his activities were discovered. Despite being tortured, he didn't release the names of the others.

IS has ousted the Free Syrian Army from Raqqa - the original resistance movement to the Syrian leader Bashar al Assad is much diminished by the terrorist group across Syria.

Abu Abrahim says there is no education for children in Raqqa

Abu Abrahim said: "I think if the West wants to do something to kick ISIS out from Syria, they must bomb the Assad regime. If the Assad regime gets bombed and down, then easily the ISIS regime will get out of Syria because the FSA and all the fighters will just fight ISIS and not both ISIS and Assad."

IS fighters proclaim Raqqa is a paradise, but Abu says normal civilians are struggling for survival - that life in a terrorist-controlled city is one of fear, and lives are being risked to tell the real story of the city.

:: Do you have a question about life in Raqqa for people who are there now? Tweet @SkyNews with the hashtag #SkyAskRaqqa and we will put a selection of them to friends of Abu who still live in the city.

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iPhone 6 Plus Reportedly Bends In Tight Pockets

Apple's new iPhone 6 Plus may bend substantially if put into a tight pocket for a prolonged period of time, some users claim.

A record 10-million units of it and the smaller iPhone 6 were sold within two days of the Friday launch, but some users have complained that their device is more fragile than they expected.

One user, Nelson Cardoz, posted a photograph of a misshapen phone on Twitter with the message: "The iPhone 6 could bend in your pocket! Haha, love you Apple."

He told Sky News that when he contacted Apple about the problem they offered to replace his device.

A YouTube channel called Unbox Therapy uploaded a video of a man using a tight grip to bend the phone out of shape.

The bend appears to occur just below the side-mounted volume buttons.

However, website Cult Of Mac said some users reported similar complaints about the iPhone 5s, as well as Sony, Samsung, BlackBerry and HTC smartphones.

On Monday Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch was its "best ever", and had "shattered" all previous sales records.

The iPhone 6 Plus is Apple's largest ever phone, and features a 5.5-inch screen. The increased size and reduced thickness may be responsible for the bending.

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Obama: We Must Dismantle 'Network Of Death'

US President Barack Obama has called on the world to join together to destroy the Islamic State terrorist group, which he branded a "network of death".

Addressing the United Nations, he vowed to keep up the pressure on the militants, arguing that they only understood the "language of force".

He spoke a day after the US and five Arab allies opened their military operation against Islamic State in Syria with more than 200 airstrikes on some two dozen targets.

The US President said IS must be 'degraded and destroyed'

Prime Minister David Cameron is preparing to recall Parliament on Friday to support UK airstrikes in Iraq.

Sky News understands that British military assets are being readied for attacks on IS.

President Obama said: "The cancer of violent extremism has ravaged so many parts of the Muslim world.

"In this century, we have faced a more lethal and ideological brand of terrorists, who have perverted one of the world's great religions.

"They have embraced a nightmarish vision that would divide the world into adherence and infidels, killing as many innocent civilians as possible.

"America will not base our entire foreign policy on reacting to terrorism.

"At the same time, we have reaffirmed that the US will never be at war with Islam. Islam teaches peace, Muslims the world over aspire to live with dignity and a sense of justice. When it comes to America and Islam, there is no 'us' and 'them' - there is only 'us'.

"We reject any suggestion of a clash of civilisations."

More airstrikes have been carried out against IS targets by the US

President Obama added: "Collectively, we must take concrete steps to address the dangers posed by religiously motivated fanatics, and the trends that fuel their recruitment."

He reiterated his demand that IS "must be degraded and destroyed".

"This group has terrorised all who they come across in Iraq and Syria. Innocent children have been gunned down. Religious minorities have been starved to death.

"No god condones this terror. No grievance justifies these actions.

"There can be no negotiation with this brand of evil. The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force.

"We do not intend to send US troops to occupy foreign lands. Instead, we will support Iraqis and Syrians fighting to reclaim their communities.

"We will train and equip forces fighting these terrorists on the ground.

"Already, over 40 nations have offered to join our coalition. Today I ask the world to join in this effort. Those who have joined ISIL should leave the battlefield while they can.

"Those who continue to fight for a hateful cause will find they are increasingly alone. We will demonstrate that the future belongs to those who build, not those who destroy. That is the first challenge we must meet."

The US military said on Wednesday it had launched five more airstrikes targeting IS: one in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, two west of Baghdad and two southeast of Irbil.

The first US raids on IS targets in Syria were launched on Tuesday, supported by Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Among the areas hit was the IS stronghold of Raqqa where it is thought British aid worker Alan Henning is being held hostage by the group.

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Khorasan Leader Killed In Syria - US Official

Al Qaeda Veterans Targeted In Syria Airstrikes

Updated: 3:05pm UK, Tuesday 23 September 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Hitherto obscure, they fell firmly into American gun sight in the first salvoes of the attack by coalition forces inside Syria.

They are the Khorasan Group - al Qaeda veterans allegedly planning attacks against the West.

Led by Musin al Fadhli, a 33-year-old Kuwaiti who was once so close to Osama bin Laden that he knew about the 9/11 attacks before they happened, the group subscribes to a ferociously anti-Western agenda.

Until a year or so ago, al Fadhli and his deputy Muhsin al Harbi were based in Iran.

They had been in and out of Iranian custody, occasionally subjected to house arrest - but were vital links to funding and recruitment of al Qaeda's operations, especially in Iraq.

They are, according to intelligence sources, now based in Syria. They have joined up with, or added themselves to, the al Nusra Front.

But while this al Qaeda franchise in Syria has focused on fighting the regime of Bashar al Assad and has been locked in combat with Islamic State, Khorasan have focused on anti-Western operations.

"They have been establishing close links to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - in Yemen - where there are some supremely accomplished bomb makers," said one informed intelligence source.

The Pentagon said the airstrikes against Khorasan were because of active intelligence that their agents were plotting an attack in the West.

The UKand several other states have upped the threat level to "severe" in the last few weeks - which indicated there was intelligence that a terrorist attack was 'likely'.

The Khorasan Group, so-called because they draw their members from early Islamic regions that spread into parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan which was known as Khorasan, is an al Qaeda veteran organisation in comparison with the competing Islamist franchise, Islamic State.

It has been losing ground, fame and recruits to IS and arguably needs to show its strength through a 'spectacular' attack on the West to restore its standing in the face of IS's media campaign and stunning territorial gains.

Late last year, an intelligence agency assessment of what has become the Khorasan Group said that al Fadhli "co-ordinates between the al Qaeda leadership and Jabhat al Nusra, which has been among the more effective fighting forces against Assad".

It said: "Al Fadhli now plays a key role in advancing plans for attacks by al Qaeda from Syria, in accordance with Iran's interests."

That last phrase is significant. How could operations by an al Qaeda-related group, a Sunni movement, serve the interests of Iran, a Shia dominated theocracy?

The answer lies in the old cliche that in the Middle East especially, "my enemy's enemy is my friend".

But it also may indicate that Iranian co-operation in allowing or encouraging al Fadhli to move to Syria was a means to boost the Assad regime's case that it was a bulwark against global Islamic terror.

Damascus has argued since the start of the uprising against Mr Assad's rule that it has been fighting "terrorists".

Whatever the truth of the Iranian connection to the Khorasan Group, Pentagon targeting officers can be expected to pursue the old school al Qaeda operatives - they will want to snuff out attempts to revive the brand by spilling blood in the Homeland.

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