Latest news with #terrorplot
News.com.au
01-08-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw mum on resignation rumours after Dural caravan controversy
The future of the Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw is uncertain after speculation within the rank and file that he is planning to leave. The straight-shooting chief of police would not confirm last night that he planned to give four weeks' notice. The AFP gave a statement saying: 'Commissioner Kershaw has not submitted his resignation and the AFP has no further comment at this stage.' Commissioner Kershaw was besieged by intense political pressure in recent months over his handling of the January 19 Dural caravan terror saga, with some accusing him of stonewalling and contributing to a public overreaction to what was later found to be a bogus terror plot. Commissioner Kershaw refused to confirm when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was briefed on the alleged plan to use a caravan in a terrorist act targeting Sydney's Jewish community. Commissioner Kershaw told a Senate committee in February that providing further details could compromise operational integrity: 'I will not provide updates in public forums.' 'Details provided, whether it seems innocuous or not, can have an impact on investigations,' he said. The opposition seized on Kershaw's silence, suggesting the Albanese government may have delayed disclosure for political reasons. 'This is looking more and more like a political cover-up,' former opposition leader Peter Dutton said, calling for an independent inquiry. 'It is inconceivable that the Prime Minister was not briefed on a matter of this gravity at the earliest opportunity.' Commissioner Kershaw has also faced criticism for inconsistencies in briefing protocols. Liberal Senator James Paterson questioned why ministers were informed immediately in previous security incidents but not in this case. 'The public deserves transparency and the reassurance that our security agencies are acting without fear or favour,' he said. Commissioner Kershaw declined to respond directly, saying only, 'I briefed ministers at the appropriate time … I'm not going to speculate – it's not helpful to our investigation.' The pressure intensified after AFP Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett confirmed in March that the caravan plot had been 'a criminal con job' rather than a legitimate terrorist threat. Questions were raised about the AFP and its inaction regarding the public alarm over the alleged threat, which went unchecked for weeks.
The Sun
26-07-2025
- The Sun
Prison reopens unit where Manchester Arena terror plotter Hashem Abedi stabbed & scalded three guards
A PRISON has reopened a unit where Manchester Arena terror plotter Hashem Abedi stabbed and scalded three guards. Extremists held in HMP Frankland's separation centre will in future face a tougher regime and be barred from using the kitchen, sources say. 2 Abedi, 28 — serving 55 years for helping brother Salman plan the 2017 bomb attack which killed 22 — used boiled butter and two 12in knives made from baking trays to attack the officers. All three suffered 'life-threatening' injuries on May 12 and are unlikely to return to work, it is understood. The Co Durham jail horror saw ministers order a review into separation centres. A source said of the 'prison within a prison' unit: 'Huge mistakes were made before Abedi's attack and hard lessons learned. "In future, the regime will be tougher and there will be fewer inmates.' Of the injured staff, he said: 'All know they could have died. "None of the three look like they will return.' The Prison Service confirmed Frankland's separation centre was 'fully staffed and stopping the most dangerous offenders from radicalising others'.
Arab News
23-07-2025
- Arab News
Man built and stashed homemade bombs throughout New York City, prosecutors say
NEW YORK: A New York man accused of plotting to set off homemade explosives he had stashed at sites across Manhattan has been indicted, federal prosecutors said. Michael Gann, 55, built at least seven improvised explosive devices last month with chemicals he bought online in May and took the bombs to Manhattan, according to an indictment handed up Tuesday by a grand jury. Gann, of Long Island, stored some on the devices on the rooftops of adjoining residential buildings and threw another onto the subway tracks on the Williamsburg Bridge, prosecutors said. No one was injured by any of the devices. Gann was arrested in early June near the buildings, and authorities said he he had one of the devices in his possession. Gann put 'countless lives at risk,' Jay Clayton, the interim US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. Gann is charged with attempted destruction of property by means of explosives, transportation of explosive materials, and unlawful possession of destructive devices. He could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted on all counts. A judge ordered Gann detained following a bail hearing. His lawyer, Martin Cohen, declined comment Wednesday.
South China Morning Post
23-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
New York man built and stashed home-made bombs across the city, prosecutors say
A New York man accused of plotting to set off home-made explosives he had stashed at sites across Manhattan has been indicted, federal prosecutors said. Michael Gann, 55, built at least seven improvised explosive devices last month with chemicals he bought online in May and took the bombs to Manhattan, according to an indictment handed up on Tuesday by a grand jury. Gann, of Long Island, stored some on the devices on the rooftops of adjoining residential buildings and threw another onto the subway tracks on the Williamsburg Bridge, prosecutors said. No one was injured by any of the devices. Gann was arrested in early June near the buildings, and authorities said he had one of the devices in his possession. Gann put 'countless lives at risk,' Jay Clayton, the interim US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. Gann is charged with attempted destruction of property by means of explosives, transport of explosive materials, and unlawful possession of destructive devices. He could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
The Independent
23-07-2025
- The Independent
Man built and stashed homemade bombs throughout New York City, prosecutors say
A New York City man accused of plotting to set off homemade explosives he had stashed at sites across Manhattan has been indicted, federal prosecutors said. Michael Gann, 55, built at least seven improvised explosive devices last month with chemicals he bought online in May and took the bombs to Manhattan, according to an indictment handed up Tuesday by a grand jury. Gann stored some on the devices on the rooftops of adjoining residential buildings and threw another onto the subway tracks on the Williamsburg Bridge, prosecutors said. No one was injured by any of the devices. Gann was arrested in early June near the buildings, and authorities said he he had one of the devices in his possession. Gann put 'countless lives at risk,' Jay Clayton, the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. Gann is charged with attempted destruction of property by means of explosives, transportation of explosive materials, and unlawful possession of destructive devices. He could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted on all counts. A judge ordered Gann detained following a bail hearing. His lawyer, Martin Cohen, declined comment Wednesday.
