Syrian doctor gets life sentence in Germany for slayings, torture under Assad
According to German prosecutors, Alaa Mousa, 40, abused and killed prisoners suspected to be enemies
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NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Mother of kidnapped journalist Austin Tice details recently declassified intel
The documents, she said, showed who was holding Tice and even included details about his captivity down to the times he was taken to seek medical treatment. 'When he had something [wrong] about his teeth, they took him to a dentist. When he had some stomach issues, they took him to doctor,' she said, without offering details about when the documents alleged this to have happened. Austin Tice was a freelance writer contributing coverage of Syria's civil war to outlets including the Washington Post when he was abducted on or around August 13, 2012, at age 31. Numerous US officials have said the search for Tice has yielded little credible, verifiable information. Journalist Austin Tice went missing in Syria in 2012 and has not been heard from since. Photo / Getty Images A Post investigation into the Austin Tice case found that despite efforts that stretched across three US administrations involving diplomats, spies, businessmen, religious figures, journalists, and investigators, solid information about his fate remains elusive, in large part because of obstructions by the Bashar al-Assad regime. The Assad Government repeatedly denied holding Tice. The files that the Tice family showed at today's event included raw intelligence documents, information collected from various sources over the years but are uncorroborated. Information that is considered credible by US intelligence agencies is generally designated with a level of confidence that influences the weight it should be given in decision-making. Since the Assad regime collapsed in December, the 'low-confidence' CIA assessment – which the family disputes – is that Tice is dead. Debra Tice shared several pieces of information on her son's case that she said she learned from reviewing the intelligence files. Soon after Tice disappeared, she said, the Syrian Government attempted to send him back to the US. 'The Syrian Government reached out to Hillary Clinton and wanted her to come and get Austin in … August of 2012, and she declined,' she said. The family didn't provide documents at the event to support the claim that the then-US secretary of state refused to bring Austin Tice home days after he disappeared. Two former US officials with knowledge of the case said that no such offer was ever made and that the Syrian Government never even acknowledged holding Tice to the US Government. 'In fact, they vigorously denied any knowledge of Austin right to the end,' one former official said. The Tice family said that between the Trump Administration's decision to grant them access to classified intelligence documents and the collapse of the Assad government, there has been a flood of new information on the case over the past year. Debra Tice said the new information has only fuelled her determination to maintain attention on her son's case. 'We know Austin is alive. We need to find him,' she said. The last visual proof of life of Austin Tice was a video that emerged weeks after he disappeared showing him blindfolded and held by armed men. The video quickly aroused suspicions that it was manufactured to intentionally mislead, making it appear as though Islamist militants had captured him. After the fall of Assad, the Tice family hoped that as Syria's network of repressive detention centres crumbled, new information about their son's case would be unearthed. But after thousands of people were released from Assad regime prisons across the country, Tice did not emerge. - Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Melbourne double murder: Claims accused walked into bottle shop ‘soaked in blood'
Staff could reportedly be heard in CCTV footage saying Judd was 'soaked in blood'. 'He asked for napkins and water to clean the blood,' one staff member told the publication. 'I didn't want any trouble so we let him come inside and buy whatever he wants.' It comes after claims emerged on Wednesday that the accused killer also dined out on fast food just minutes after the crime. Witnesses said they saw a man 'covered in blood' ordering McDonald's about 2km from where the victims were killed. The man was accompanied by two German shepherds wearing bandannas and 'stood at the food pick up counter wiping the blood on his hands with tissues,' according to one diner. An employee at McDonald's said the man ordered a Coke Zero and two medium cheeseburgers without pickles. Earlier that night, before the alleged double murder, a man matching the description of Judd was seen in footage, obtained by 7News, leaving a Melbourne Bunnings hardware store with what appeared to be a stake and a jerry can in his arms. The Bunnings is in Notting Hill, just 1.5km from Georgopoulos and Gunn's Mount Waverley home. Moments later, about 8.10pm on Monday, the same man was captured on dashcam footage approaching Ferntree Gully Rd. At 9.55 that evening, police swarmed Georgopoulos and Gunn's home after neighbours heard screaming and called the emergency number, triple-zero. Athena Georgopoulos died alongside her partner, Andrew Gunn, in Mount Waverley. Judd was arrested hours later. Footage shows the moment a man with a bloodied shirt and no shoes was handcuffed and taken away by police. Judd fronted Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday for a brief administrative hearing, charged with two counts of murder. Flanked by two guards, he stumbled as he entered the court. 'I beg your pardon, yeah, I'm all good,' he said. Judd was wearing a dark-coloured T-shirt and sported a short beard and hair spiked up in a faux-hawk. At one point, he smiled and winked at members of the media. The court was told police were seeking an extra 10 weeks to prepare a brief of evidence in the case. Police allege the accused was known to the couple and that one of the victims lived in the unit. Dog dispute could hold key An argument over dogs may have caused friction between Gunn and his alleged murderer. Neighbours had reportedly noted tension between Judd, who was known to many locals, and Gunn over his beloved German shepherd, which rarely left his side. Judd himself owns two German shepherds and was often sighted around the area with the dogs in tow, including on the evening Gunn and Georgopoulos were killed. According to the Herald Sun, Gunn and Judd may have been involved in an argument about the sale and ownership of other dogs. Friends of Gunn told the Herald Sun: 'That's what spun me out when I heard about [the deaths], because he and his dog went everywhere together and Dragon wouldn't let anyone near him.' An image of two German shepherds with bandannas waiting outside a McDonald's just after 11pm on Monday was shared on social media. Expectant mother's heartbreaking final moments Hours before she was killed, Georgopoulos, who was five months pregnant, had been on the phone to family and friends on Monday to reveal the gender of her baby. During the conversation, the 39-year-old told loved ones she was excited to be expecting a baby girl, the Herald Sun reports. Georgopoulos and Gunn had been together for around three years and were excited to welcome their 'miracle' baby. 'She thought she would never be able to have children … because of her age,' Georgopoulos' aunt, Patty Dilveridis Dilveridis, told the publication. Georgopoulos' mother, Petty, is devastated by her daughter's death. Georgopoulos had been her mother's primary carer, with Petty suffering from health issues. Mother-to-be Athena Georgopoulos was allegedly murdered. In a heartbreaking post on social media, Petty paid tribute to her daughter and future granddaughter, who was due in just four months. 'My dear, you left life so unfairly. I can't yet believe that you were so happy on your last days,' she wrote in Greek on Facebook. 'We dreamed together about my grandchildren that would bring to your heart's desire and suddenly everything went out in one night, cutting the thread of your life and my granddaughter who would've been born in four months. 'Even if they separated us I will always love you forever, welcome my daughter to the life of the angels.' Neighbours shocked Half a dozen homes remained cordoned off on Adrienne Cres in Mount Waverley on Wednesday morning as neighbours expressed their shock at what had occurred. Dimmi, a woman who knew Georgopoulos and her mother, said she was devastated to read about the news on Facebook. 'I came back and said to my husband, some murder happened here. On Monday when it happened, I went to bed around 12 o'clock and didn't hear anything,' Dimmi told She said Georgopoulos kept to herself, so much so that she was not aware the pregnant mother was living a few doors down. 'I didn't even know she lives there. I'm Greek too, so I was so close to her mother, but didn't see her for about 10 months. 'I've been here for 25 years, I walk along this street all the time but never saw her. 'I'm going to ring her mum, I'm in shock now. I don't know much about the girl who passed away, but I knew her when she was young. They used to come to my house all the time. 'She was a lovely girl. A very nice girl. I'm so, so sad.' Another neighbour, Mary, said she too had also never seen Georgopoulos despite living several doors up the road. 'Everybody is shocked here. It's amazing that it's just happened so close. I've spoken to others in the street and they said they didn't hear anything.' A man walking his dogs on Adrienne Cres on Wednesday morning said locals had reported some trouble from the apartment where the couple died. 'I've lived here for 30 years and we've never had problems.' Several officers remained at the scene as neighbours woke to letters in the mail from Victoria police. 'Recently there was a serious incident in your local area,' the letter read. 'Monash police are committed to community safety and in support we provide this letter to offer additional crime prevention assistance and reassurance. 'If you require any further assistance with welfare support services, please don't hesitate to make contact.' Inside the tiny unit, officers allegedly found Gunn's mutilated body next to the body of Georgopoulos. The alleged motive remains unclear, though reports suggest drugs may have been a factor. Detectives said they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the killings and confirmed a weapon, although not a firearm, was used in the alleged murder. Graffiti was visible on the couple's home with one message reading 'Karma is not a menu' and references to veganism, such as 'meat is murder'. "Karma has no menu" was written on the home where the bodies were found. Photo / 7NEWS Other phrases were also visible, including 'betrayal, unpredictable, inevitable'. 'Police are aware of graffiti on the property in Mount Waverley where the bodies of two people were located last night,' a police spokesperson said. 'Homicide squad detectives will work to determine if the graffiti is relevant to the murder investigation.' Speaking from the scene on Tuesday morning, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas of the Melbourne homicide squad said the man in custody was known to the pair. 'We believe that there is a link between our suspect and the address,' Thomas said. 'Police were called at about 9.20pm in relation to a welfare check at the address based on some yelling that was heard from the property. 'A second call was then made that suggested it was perhaps more urgent than what the first call was and police arrived minutes later, and obviously they found the male and female inside the premises deceased. 'We believe he [the suspect] may be of no fixed place of abode. 'It appears to be targeted and our suspect is known to the address.' Police are appealing for witnesses or anybody with information or footage to come forward.
NZ Herald
07-08-2025
- NZ Herald
Clown mask-wearing fugitive identified as suspect in German family murder
Meisner's body was found 600m away from the crime scene, partially underwater in a river, this week, bringing to an end a four-month-long manhunt. A firearm, possibly used to commit the murders, was found next to Meisner's remains. Detectives said that because the body was badly decomposed, the cause and exact time of death can no longer be determined. Police do not yet know if Meisner took his own life, died from injuries sustained during the crime, or whether there was another cause of death. But they do believe they have their killer. Meisner, who has been nicknamed the 'Westerwald Killer' by the German press, was believed to have fled through a window and was the focus of an international manhunt for nearly four months. Videos on social media of Meisner show him maniacally laughing behind a clown mask in a video posted online on April 26, nearly three weeks after the murders. Another video posted the same day shows him stripped to his underwear and pouring buckets of ice water over his head. It is unclear whether the TikTok account was run by Meisner himself or posted on his behalf. Meisner, a father of five, had previously spent time in prison after headbutting and stabbing his ex-wife. Overwhelming evidence points to Meisner A spokesman for Koblenz Police said: 'Since the overwhelming evidence clearly points to the person who has been sought for months as the perpetrator, and there are no indications of other perpetrators, the investigation comes to an end with the death of the only possible suspect.' Mario Mannweiler, senior public prosecutor, added: 'The fact that the whereabouts of the suspected perpetrator remained unknown for months has troubled us. 'The fact that the suspect is no longer alive was an obvious option for many reasons, but without a body, other options had to be pursued. In any case, I'm relieved that this has now come to an end.' The body was found on swampy farmland between Weitefeld and Neunkhausen in Altenkirchen, a west German district near the city of Cologne. Police had issued an arrest warrant for Meisner with a reward of up to €10,000 leading to his capture. Interpol confirmed that a Red Notice had been issued for his arrest after a request by German authorities. The notice listed his place of birth as Nowokusminka in Kazakhstan. Koblenz Police issued an arrest warrant for Meisner along with a reward of up to €10,000 ($19.5k) leading to his capture. Photo / Supplied A physical description issued by authorities described Meisner as 5ft 7in tall, weighing 75kg, of Kazakh descent, with blue-grey eyes, brown hair, scarring on his arms and face, and a tattoo on the back of his left hand that spells 'Katja' in Russian. In 2011, Meisner was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison after attempting to murder his ex-wife, Theresa. According to reports, during a heated argument 14 years ago, he headbutted her, then pulled a knife from the knife block and stabbed her in the back. Meisner is said to have run into a shed to grab a second knife and resume the attack, but was stopped by one of his sons. Asked neighbour if he could lick her Theresa managed to escape with non-life-threatening injuries. His mother, Alwina, 82, who lives in a neighbouring town to Weitefeld, said in an interview three days after the attack that her son had likely gone to ground nearby. She told Bild newspaper: 'Alexander built a house here, he has five children and ten grandchildren. He's been to prison before. I don't know what's going on in his mind. 'No, I won't let him in if he's standing at the door and ringing the bell. But I'm almost certain he's hiding somewhere nearby.' Melanie Hoechtlen, the suspect's 46-year-old neighbour, recounted being harassed by Meisner. She told Bild: 'I moved here with my husband in October 2023. I thought he deserved a second chance. He ambushed my dog and me on the path. Then he came close and asked if he could lick me. 'I reported him back then. He said he had been a lone fighter in his homeland of Kazakhstan and knew how to survive in the forest for weeks. I told the tip line that they should search the forest.' A tribute to the family published by relatives in a council newsletter in May reads: 'Incredibly incomprehensible, none of us can and will ever understand. Voices that were familiar to us are silent. 'The people who were always there are no longer here. What remains are happy memories that no one can take away from us. 'In the name of all members of the Sigismund family and the Schulze family. The funeral, with subsequent urn burials, took place in the presence of the closest family and friends.'
