Latest news with #Mohammed
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Watching children bundled into dinghies, French police admit they've lost control
Karwan and Sara watch as smugglers hoist their six-year-old son Mohammed and four-year-old daughter Alina onto their shoulders, wade out to sea, and bundle them onto an overloaded dinghy. Behind them, a crowd of 200 or so migrants are herded like cattle, waist-deep in the water, waiting their turn. The smugglers shout and shove them into position. More than 70 passengers are eventually squeezed on board the barely seaworthy vessel, their feet dangling over the side, ready to motor towards Dover. A French police patrol boat lazily circles the inflatable dinghy, watching the chaos unfold. It is 6am on Gravesline beach, and all in a day's work for the smugglers that increasingly control this stretch of sweeping coastline. All they have to do now is wade through the surf and head back unhindered towards the dunes 300 metres away to regroup and plan tomorrow's crossings. The scenes are painfully familiar to any of the 1,200 gendarmes deployed along France's northern beaches. Some of them told The Telegraph they are outmaneuvered and outnumbered by smugglers who adapt their tactics at pace. 'We are helpless… there is a French expression 'donner de la tête', we are overwhelmed and don't know where to start, we don't know where to go, there are so many boats leaving,' says Marc Musiol, a French border police officer in Pas-de-Calais. One well-placed international policing source labelled the situation a 'failure'. Since the beginning of 2025, there have been 22,360 arrivals via small boats into the UK - an almost 60 per cent increase on last year. The numbers are rising as Sir Keir Starmer promised to 'smash the gangs' and hailed a new deal with Emmanuel Macron to stem the tide. Authorities here suggest the 'one-in-one out' pledge is not worth the paper it is written on. Some also pour scorn on Mr Macron for talking tough without following through with 'concrete' changes. The scene on the beaches of Gravesline on Thursday morning is one replicated along the coast of northern France day in day out, when the weather permits. In the early hours, police patrol cars scour the 200km of coastline between the border of Belgium and the Bay de Somme estuary. Police use drones fitted with night vision technology to scan the undulating dunes where the migrants, mostly young adult men, will camp the night before they attempt to cross the Channel. But the distances make it easy for smugglers and migrants to hide from stretched authorities. Gendarmes drive beige 4x4s in teams of three, drive down the shoreline, and survey the waters for inflatable dinghies. 'We are here every night, it is always the same, it never changes,' one officer said as he patrolled a beach car park. 'The migrants are everywhere,' he added, sweeping his arms out. The Telegraph encountered six patrols in the space of two hours during a 3am drive from Calais towards Wimereux, a seaside commune south of Boulogne and another known hotspot for Channel crossings. Interceptions remain scarce. Smugglers launch simultaneous crossings from up to ten different beaches at a time to divide police attention and resources. Pre-inflated dinghies are launched from waterways and canals dozens of kilometres from the pickup point and sail down the coast. The smugglers use weather apps, such as Windy, on their phones to help them plan their crossings. The apps provide up-to-the-second information on wind speed, direction, and the swell. Sentries linked to the smuggling gangs are posted in the dunes and near the camps to watch for the boats. They alert over the phone that the dinghy is arriving and that it is time for its passengers to get on board. Mr Musiol said: 'There are always small groups of smugglers who know our beaches very, very well.' Often carrying nothing other than orange life jackets bought from Decathlon around their necks, the migrants sprint across the beach, hopefully before the police have time to react. Sometimes officers do and fire a salvo of tear gas from grenade launchers. But this is often not enough. 'You have smugglers and their friends who throw stones at the police officers to distract them and to get the migrants onto the boat as quickly as possible,' one officer said. He estimated that there are roughly only three to six police officers for every 50 migrants trying to enter the sea. 'We have a lack of officers and you have a huge, huge amount of the coast to monitor,' he said. 'It is not possible with the number of the personnel the border police have, the gendarmerie, to monitor this entire stretch of coastline and beach.' The camps where migrants live are even more lawless. Inside the main camp at Loon Plage, 12 kilometres south-west of Dunkirk, shootings and stabbings between warring gangs for control of the best beaches is commonplace. On July 8, a 44-year-old Kurd from Iraq was shot five times in the legs at the camp. Around two dozen armed police were deployed that day to quell the violence. The month before, two other migrants were shot dead and another five injured. Balkan crime groups have established themselves as the dominant players in orchestrating the operations, but police sources say East African gangs out of Eritrea, especially, are rivalling them. One police source with knowledge of the people smuggling gangs said efforts to stop the migrants were futile without a strategy to break up the wider smuggling networks. 'If you are dealing with it in Calais, you have failed, you are never going to succeed,' they said. 'You have got to look at it earlier on and deal with the cause of all of these problems. 'They are going to keep trying, a week later, they are going to give it another go. What else are they going to do, camp in Calais for the rest of their life, it's just not realistic.' Locals along the coast here, meanwhile, are fed up with seeing their coastline dominated by years of crisis and inaction. Alain Boonefaes, the deputy mayor of Graveslines, whose remit includes the town's safety and security, admitted the problem is endemic and there is little to be done. Gravelines, a seaside resort town 30km southeast of Dunkirk, relies on tourism for survival but can see up to 350 migrant departures in a single evening. The mayor and many others in the town are deeply sceptical about Mr Macron's one-in-one-out policy agreed with Sir Keir Starmer during the French president's three-day visit to London last week. The trial would allow the UK to return selected numbers of small boat arrivals to France. In exchange, the UK will admit an equal number of asylum seekers with legitimate ties, such as family. Even the police are sceptical. 'Macron has made political announcements and not concrete ones,' Mr Musiol said. 'We have the impression that nothing will change in terms of the police officer's work itself. 'You can put a police officer on every beach on the Opal Coast. The migrants will continue to come. We must stop this problem at the source, that is, in the country of origin.' He said 'there is no lasting solution that could stop the problem' along the coast here and in Britain, where migrants arrive and are ushered into camps and hotels. On Thursday morning, the Telegraph saw first-hand the limits of the policing operation. Gendarmes fired a salvo of tear gas into the sand dunes 300 metres from the shore where hundreds of migrants had camped overnight. Audibly coughing and spluttering, they were led out onto the beach by the smugglers, away from the haze of irritating white smoke and towards the shore. Here they sat and waited for around 10 minutes for the so-called 'taxi boat' to arrive that had been launched from the west on River Aa, which runs through the centre of Gravelines and leads out into the sea. The majority of the migrants were young men from the Middle East or Vietnam. An Iranian family of four - mother and father Karwan and Sara, and son and daughter, Alina and Mohammed - were a rare sight. Sara, one of only three women in the crowd, spoke in broken English of how her family had travelled nearly 9,000 kilometres from Tehran and had journeyed through Turkey and Germany to reach Calais. She held up ten fingers in explanation for the number of days they had spent at one of the camps near Dunkirk. This was their first attempt at a crossing. Sara dabbed tears from her eyes with her headscarf, watching Alina, her pink trousers pulled up to her knees, splash and dance joyfully in the water, oblivious to the perils around her. Her husband, Karwan, gave no answer when asked what had made the family leave Tehran. He waded through the water as a taxi boat, already filled with 50 or so passengers, drew near to the shore. Sara and Karwan walked through the surf holding each other's hands for balance, clutching life jackets in their free hands. Around them, panicked smugglers bullied their human cargo into place. Alina and Mohammad, meanwhile, were carried on the shoulders of smugglers and handed over to migrants already on board the boats, who hauled them in. They were shortly followed by their mother and father, who sat in the centre of the flimsy dinghy. The passengers cheered and waved to those left behind on the beach and sailed, under a police escort, towards the UK. One of those left on the shore was Leo, a 25-year-old aspiring engineering student from Ghazni in eastern Afghanistan, who had paid smugglers €1,500 to ferry him across the Channel. Leo had hoped to join his sister, who had made it into the UK last week via a small boat and is living in Manchester. He said: 'I left because of the Taliban. This was my first go, I will go again, I will go to London. My sister is married. The rest of my family, my papa, my mother, are still in Afghanistan.' Leo had fled his home country at the age of 13, making his way through Iran, Turkey, Germany, Sweden, and now Calais over the course of more than a decade. He followed the others up the hill towards the dune and back to the ramshackle, gang-ridden camp he calls home in Dunkirk.
Daily Record
14 hours ago
- Daily Record
Frantic search launched for pensioner last seen boarding bus to Edinburgh
Police are concerned for Mohammed Raqeeb's welfare and urge anyone with information to come forward. Cops have launched a frantic search in an effort to trace a Scots man who was last seen boarding a bus heading to Edinburgh. Mohammed Raqeeb, 71, was reported missing from Dalkeith and was last seen in the Danderhall area of the town around 3.30pm on Wednesday, July 16, where he was spotted boarding a bus heading for Edinburgh. Officers say he is described as being of South Asian appearance, 5ft 7ins tall, of medium build with grey hair. He was last seen wearing an orange jumper, grey trousers and a grey flat cap. Mohammed may be in the Bathgate area and is known to frequent bars and Indian restaurants. Sergeant Fortune said: 'Our enquiries to trace Mohammed are ongoing, and I am appealing to anyone who has seen him or has any information about his whereabouts to contact us. 'Mohammed could be in the Bathgate area but is also known to visit Edinburgh. 'Concerns are growing for Mohammed's welfare, and we are keen to trace him as soon as possible. "Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 3685 of 16 July, 2025."
Scotsman
a day ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Glasgow dad 'lost everything' as he watched life project Kilmarnock cafe burn to the ground
The Kilmarnock cafe owner was alerted to the fire by one of his customers. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A Kilmarnock cafe owner has spoken out about his shock as he had to watch his business burn to the ground. Hasab Mohammed, 45, lives in Glasgow's southside but made the commute early every morning to his business SixtyOne Cafe on Kilmarnock's King Street. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad After working around 15 years in hospitality, Mr Mohammed had finally saved money to open up his life-long dream of the cafe in November 2024. On Monday night, he received the devastating news that his cafe was on fire along with several other businesses on King Street. He rushed to the scene and said he had to watch his cafe as it burned. The huge blaze ripped through a number of buildings in Kilmarnock on Monday, closing roads and businesses in the town centre. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fire crews were called to a fire on the ground floor of a four-storey building on King Street just before 9pm on Monday, which then spread to neighbouring premises. The fire is now being treated as 'deliberate' while police have launched an investigation. The business owner lives with his wife and three young children and has now launched a GoFundMe page as he says he is 'starting from the ashes'. The huge blaze ripped through a number of buildings in Kilmarnock on Monday | Hasab Mohammed. What he misses most is the 'fantastic' regular customers that would visit his cafe. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It was one of these customers who alerted him to the fire on Monday. Speaking to The Scotsman, Mr Mohammed said: 'One of our regular customers phoned me at about half nine and said 'did you hear about it? your place is on fire?' 'I said that it was no time for a joke but he said he was being serious. 'I rushed over there and saw all the smoke. All I thought was 'it's over. My savings from my whole life, the past 15 to 20 years, it's all done.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'For me it's my first business, when you've saved all your life, it's hard.' GoFundMe launched to help pick up the pieces after fire Currently, due to the devastating blaze and loss of the cafe, he is hoping to make a living from starting JustEat or Deliveroo deliveries. Within the post, he said: 'Last night's fire didn't just take flames to bricks and mortar—it swept through my memories, my present reality, and the dreams I'd worked so hard to build for the future. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Decades of tireless effort, of sacrifice, of saying no to life's smallest luxuries just so I could say yes to one dream: opening my own café. 'Now I find myself starting from ashes. And while the fire took much, it didn't take my spirit. 'I'm reaching out once more, not for charity—but for solidarity. Even the smallest gesture will help rebuild what was lost. I believe in this community because you've helped me rise before, and I know together, we can do it again.' Make sure you keep up to date with news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad SixtyOne cafe opened in November of last year. | Hasab Mohammed. Mr Mohammed added that the fire has also had a large impact on his family. He told The Scotsman: 'My kids keep asking me every single day 'daddy, are we poor now?' 'It's worse. It's like someone's stabbed you in the heart with a big knife. 'I'm going to start again from the ashes.' Mr Mohammed says that he has 'never given up in his life' and is desperately hoping to make money for the future. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Customers say I have the best coffee in Killie' 'Everybody says we have the best coffee in Killie,' he added. 'After the first sip they're like: 'that's what I've been looking for, I wasted my time in Costa'.' Mr Mohammed also added that they were complimented on their 'terrific' food. In particular, a favourite was their mozzarella panini. 'We're not here for money. We're here to serve customers from the bottom of our hearts. 'I don't want to go back there [to the cafe] and wash the ashes after my cafe just burned down in front of me.'
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Killer adds more time to jail term after scissors blade found in HMP Shotts cell
Scott Pearson claimed he armed himself after death threats were made against him at top-security HMP Shotts. A New Stevenston killer serving life for the brutal murder of a security guard has had 13 months added to his jail term after a scissors blade was found in his cell. Scott Pearson claimed he armed himself after death threats were made against him at top-security HMP Shotts. The 28-year-old is serving a minimum 18 years for the murder of Mohammed Abu Sammour at a housing development in Newarthill in 2018. Pearson punched and kicked the dad of four, knocking him unconscious to the ground, before kicking and stamping on his head. He then reversed the victim's own works van over him. Two other men were convicted of the culpable homicide of the 49-year-old site security supervisor. The High Court in Glasgow heard Pearson and his accomplices were walking through the building site as a shortcut. They saw Mohammed's Osprey van and planned to steal it, but he was inside the vehicle and tried to chase them away. He was punched by Pearson and an accomplice who were both wearing knuckledusters. A home owner in the partially-completed housing development heard voices, a van revving and a thud. He went out and found Mohammed lying on the road. His attackers had inflicted 83 injuries on him including fractures to his face and skull, and multiple rib injuries. Pearson fled the scene as Mohammed lay dying. The killer appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Monday when he admitted having an offensive weapon inside HMP Shotts on August 6 last year. An allegation that he had an illegal mobile phone in his cell was dropped. Lewis Devoy, prosecuting, said prison guards found the weapon during a search of the single-occupancy cell. He told the court: 'They recovered what is described as a homemade pouch. It contained half of a pair of scissors that had been fashioned into a blade. 'No explanation was provided by the accused for that item being in his cell. 'He was subjected to internal prison discipline as a result of this matter.' Defence lawyer Mary Ellen Scobbie said the pouch and blade had been given to Pearson by another prisoner. She told the court: 'My client had been advised that his life was under threat. He had already been attacked in prison. 'Due to this threat on his life he was transferred to HMP Kilmarnock. 'His earliest date of liberation is 2036. He has been engaging well with a prison mental health team as he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. 'He wants to complete rehabilitation programmes but realises that if he is to get parole he must comply with prison rules.' Sheriff Michael Higgins told Pearson: 'It's a serious matter to possess such an item, particularly in a prison setting, and has to be marked by deterrence and punishment. 'The custodial sentence requires to run from the conclusion of your current sentence as a sentence that started today would be no punishment at all.' The sheriff noted that Pearson's record included convictions for offences involving weapons and violence.
Canada News.Net
2 days ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
9/11 accused faces trial after court rejects life sentence agreement
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., ruled on July 11 to cancel a plea deal that would have let Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — the man accused of planning the September 11 attacks — avoid the death penalty. The deal had been in the works for two years and was meant to end a legal case that had dragged on for over twenty years. The canceled agreement would have given Mohammed and two other men life in prison without parole, in exchange for pleading guilty and answering questions from the victims' families. The plot Mohammed, a Pakistani national, is accused of leading involved hijacked planes crashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and another into a field in Pennsylvania. The decision means that the long-running military trial at Guantanamo Bay will continue, with no clear end in sight. Families of the 9/11 victims were divided on the proposed deal. Some believed it was the best way to finally get answers and bring closure, while others felt that only a full trial could deliver justice and reveal the whole truth. Part of the deal included a promise that the accused men would answer any remaining questions from the families. However, former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rejected the plea deal last year. He said that a decision as serious as whether to seek the death penalty in a case like 9/11 should be made by the defense secretary, not others. Lawyers for the accused men argued that the deal had already been legally finalized and that Austin was too late in trying to cancel it. A military judge and an appeals court at Guantanamo Bay agreed with the defense. But by a 2-1 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. disagreed and ruled that Austin acted within his rights. The majority of the court said that Austin had the authority to step in and that it was reasonable for him to say the public deserved to see the trial go forward. Two judges, one appointed by Obama and the other by Trump, agreed on this ruling. The third judge, also appointed by Obama, disagreed and said the government failed to prove the military judge made a mistake. Brett Eagleson, whose father died in the attacks, supported the court's decision. He said that plea deals allow the government to quietly end cases without full accountability. He also doubted whether the men would have been honest in answering families' questions. "The only valid way to get answers and seek the truth is through a trial," he said. Elizabeth Miller, who was six when her firefighter father died in the attacks, supported the plea deal. She said that after so many years — it's now 2025 and the trial hasn't even started — it might never happen. She also opposes the death penalty, which made her support the agreement.
