Car bombs, gunmen kill 7 in Iraq
Seven people died in a series of attacks in Iraq on Monday, including three killed when a car bomb exploded in a Baghdad shopping area.
The late morning attack in the capital’s western Mansour neighbourhood came a day after a car bombing killed five people outside a Baghdad police station during an early morning shift change. Monday’s blast also wounded at least nine people and damaged several shops, according to security and hospital officials.
Although violence has fallen sharply in recent years, Iraqi security forces still struggle to stop deadly attacks from happening as US troops prepare to withdraw. The attacks threaten to further destabilise the country as political leaders jostle for control three months after indecisive parliamentary elections.
***
Burglar jailed for raid on Gerrard home
London: An “extremely violent” burglar was jailed on Monday for threatening to abduct the children of England captain Steven Gerrard during a raid on the Liverpool midfielder’s home.
Martin Wilson, 22, was part of a mob who smashed their way into the Reds skipper’s mansion while he was away playing for Liverpool in the Champions League in December 2007.
Gerrard’s wife Alex Curran confronted the gang, who demanded she hand over jewellery and the contents of a safe or else they would “take her kids”, Liverpool crown court in northwest England heard.
The couple’s two children are now aged six and four.
Wilson pleaded guilty to the burglary last month. He was sentenced on Monday to serve seven years and four months in prison.
—AFP
***
Mexico: 39 bodies found in mass grave
Mexico City: At least 39 bodies have been found in a mass grave in Mexico, officials said.
The grave, perhaps the largest yet found in Mexico, may contain up to 100 bodies, but it is extremely deep, making it difficult for emergency services personnel to recover the remains, said Guerrero state attorney general Albertico Guinto.
The bodies were dumped in an air shaft at the San Francisco de Cuadra mine in Taxco, 187 km south of Mexico City, Guerrero state police chief Valentin Diaz said on Sunday.
The grave was found May 29, after locals complained about smell emanating from the area.
—IANS/EFE
Post new comment