BERLIN – German authorities on Saturday arrested a Lebanese student suspected of helping plant two bombs that failed to explode on trains last month, officials said. The 21-year-old man was detained a day after investigators released surveillance camera footage taken at the Cologne station on July 31, the day of the attempted bombing, showing two men with heavy luggage who were believed to have planted the devices. The bombs, made with gas canisters, were found inside suitcases left on board trains. They apparently were supposed to explode simultaneously, 10 minutes before the trains arrived at their stations.
Gaza Strip: Fox kidnapping protest
Palestinian journalists on Saturday protested the kidnapping of a Fox News correspondent and cameraman, as concern about the men’s safety grew. Cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand, and American correspondent Steve Centanni, 60, were taken Monday from their van near the Palestinian security services headquarters in Gaza City. About 30 members of the Palestinian Journalists’ Union gathered outside parliamentary building in Gaza, holding up signs demanding the men be freed. Other signs called for security in Gaza, where armed men wander the streets freely.
France: Avalanche kills climbers
An avalanche on Mont Blanc in the French Alps killed two Frenchmen and injured four Swiss climbers on Saturday, the local government office said. A group of 10 climbers from a Swiss sports club was swept away at an altitude of 12,800 feet shortly after midday as they were scaling Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in western Europe, according to the government office for the region of Haute-Savoie. The others in the group were not injured.
India: Rebels discuss peace plan
A separatist group’s suspension of its military campaign could lead to the end of their 27-year-old rebellion in India’s remote northeast, the group’s representatives said Saturday. The United Liberation Front of Asom announced Friday that it would stop attacking the forces of the Indian government, which announced a unilateral cease-fire Aug. 13. It was the first truce announced by the rebel group since its formation in 1979. An official said rebel representatives planned to meet Indian government officials on Tuesday and may discuss details of a possible prisoner release.
Greece: Religious icon stolen
Police set up roadblocks and launched helicopter searches Saturday for a 700-year-old religious icon that was stolen from a monastery in southern Greece. The Icon of The Virgin Mary, which is credited with miracles, was reported missing Friday at the Orthodox Christian monastery of Elona, near the town of Leonidio, 185 miles southwest of Athens. Thousands of worshippers visit the icon each year, most around Aug. 15, an Orthodox Christian religious holiday in honor of the Virgin Mary.
Italy: Illegal immigrants die at sea
A boat loaded with illegal immigrants heading to Italy from North Africa sank south of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa early Saturday, killing at least 10 people and leaving another 40 missing and presumed dead, officials said. An Italian navy ship spotted the boat before dawn Saturday about 11 miles south of Lampedusa, and sent rescue vessels, a port official said. About 70 people were rescued and 10 bodies were recovered, he said. The rescued migrants told officials there were 120 people on board.
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