Gaza hospital in ruins after two-week Israeli raid - BBC

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

By Sean Seddon

BBC News

Israel's military says it has pulled out of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after a two-week military operation that has destroyed much of the hospital complex.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), troops "killed terrorists" and found "numerous weapons and intelligence documents" in the area.

The raid happened after Israel said it had intelligence indicating Hamas was using the hospital as a base to launch attacks.

Hamas denies using medical sites to carry out military operations.

Heavy fighting has been reported around the hospital, the largest in Gaza, in recent weeks.

In a statement following Monday's withdrawal, the IDF said troops had "completed precise operational activity in the area of the Shifa Hospital and exited the area".

"The troops killed terrorists in close-quarter encounters, located numerous weapons and intelligence documents throughout the hospital, while preventing harm to civilians, patients and medical teams."

Earlier, Palestinian media reports said dozens of bodies were found in the vicinity of the complex, citing witnesses and the Hamas-run health ministry.

The BBC has not verified those reports. But the World Health Organization (WHO) has said 21 patients have died in al-Shifa in the past two weeks, while Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said more than 200 "terrorists" were killed.

Reuters

When the raid was first announced, IDF chief spokesman Daniel Hagari said "Hamas terrorists have regrouped inside al-Shifa hospital".

The IDF said then it was launching a "high-precision" operation on the grounds of the hospital and urged displaced civilians sheltering on the grounds to leave immediately.

Witnesses reported heavy gunfire and tanks surrounding the facility when the raid began in the early hours of the morning on 18 March.

Al-Shifa was raided earlier in the conflict after Israel said it had evidence that hostages captured during the 7 October attack were taken there.

Israel has long accused Hamas of using civilian health infrastructure as a cover to launch its operations, which the Palestinian group refutes.

Getty Images

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, has described the situation at al-Shifa hospital as a "siege".

In a post on X - formerly Twitter - made prior to the troops' withdrawal, he said more than 100 people were still inside al-Shifa struggling with a lack of food, water and medical supplies.

But Mr Netanyahu has reiterated that al-Shifa was a "terrorist lair" and praised the efforts of Israeli soldiers for conducting a "precise and surgical" surprise attack.

The Israeli PM made his remarks on Sunday night prior to entering surgery to treat a hernia discovered during a routine check-up.

Early on Monday his office said the operation was successful and Mr Netanyahu was "in good shape and beginning to recover".

The surgery took place amid demonstrations held in Jerusalem fuelled by mounting anger over his government's handling of the war in Gaza. Thousands took to the streets demanding more action to free hostages.

Around 130 people - at least 34 of whom are presumed dead - are still unaccounted for after Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel.

Mr Netanyahu is under pressure from some in Israeli society who believe there has been insufficient progress in rescuing the remaining hostages inside Gaza.

Also on Sunday, seven journalists - including a freelancer working for the BBC - were injured in an Israeli air strike on the grounds of al-Aqsa hospital targeting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group.

The IDF hit a building in the grounds of the hospital which it said PIJ was using as a command centre.

Four members of the PIJ - which is allied with Hamas and participated in the 7 October attack - were killed, the IDF said.

Related Topics

• Middle East
• Israel-Gaza war
• Israel
• Benjamin Netanyahu

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiNWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLW1pZGRsZS1lYXN0LTY4NzA1NzY10gEA?oc=5

2024-04-01 07:16:37Z
CBMiNWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLW1pZGRsZS1lYXN0LTY4NzA1NzY10gEA

Turkish local elections: Opposition stuns Erdogan with historic victory - BBC

REUTERS/Umit Bektas

By Paul Kirby & Cagil Kasapoglu

in London & Istanbul

Turkey's main opposition party has claimed big election victories in the main cities of Istanbul and Ankara.

The results are a significant blow for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had hoped to regain control of the cities less than a year after he claimed a third term as president.

He led the campaign to win in Istanbul, where he grew up and became mayor.

But Ekrem Imamoglu, who first won the city in 2019, scored a second victory for the secular opposition CHP.

Mr Erdogan had vowed a new era in Turkey's megacity of almost 16 million people, but the incumbent mayor of Istanbul secured more than 50% of the vote, defeating the president's AK Party candidate by more than 11 points and almost one million votes.

This was also the first time since Mr Erdogan came to power 21 years ago that his party was defeated across the country at the ballot box.

In the capital Ankara, opposition mayor Mansur Yavas was so far ahead of his rival on 60% that he declared victory when less than half the votes were in. Supporters blocked all the main roads in the city, waving flags and sounding their car horns.

Significantly, the CHP also seized control of Turkey's fourth-biggest city Bursa and Balikesir in the north-west, and retained control of Izmir, Adana and the resort of Antalya.

President Erdogan, 70, acknowledged the election had not gone as he had hoped, but he told supporters in Ankara it would mark "not an end for us but rather a turning point".

Emin Sansar/Anadolu via Getty Images

He has always relied on the "people's will" for his authority and he told supporters he would respect the electorate now too.

Under Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's presidency has amassed sweeping powers, replacing the prime minister. But in the cities, directly elected mayors still have considerable influence.

During the election campaign, Mr Erdogan said this would be his last, because his presidential term ends in 2028.

But critics believed that victory would have encouraged him to revise the constitution so he could stand again. After such a dramatic defeat that is looking very unlikely.

Political scientist Berk Esen said the opposition CHP had delivered the "biggest election defeat of Erdogan's career" and come up with its best results since 1977.

TOLGA BOZOGLU/EPA-EFE

The outcome was a big success for the chairman of the CHP, Ozgur Ozel, who praised voters for deciding to change the face of Turkey in a historic vote: "They want to open the door to a new political climate in our country."

Crowds in Istanbul gathered outside the town hall in Sarachane, one of Istanbul's oldest districts.

They waved Turkish flags and banners showing Ekrem Imamoglu's picture alongside Turkey's founding father Kemal Ataturk, whose poster was draped down the walls of the local authority building.

"I can say that our citizens' trust and faith in us has been rewarded," said Mr Imamoglu.

Both he and Mansur Yavas are seen as potential candidates to run for the presidency in 2028.

"Everything will be fine," Imamoglu supporters chanted as they danced to drums and clarinets in Sarachane, one of Istanbul's oldest districts.

Istanbul's incumbent mayor had first used the slogan when he won the city from Mr Erdogan's party five years ago. Some of the banners in Sarachane used his current slogan, "Full speed ahead".

"They're only local elections but the opposition's victory in big cities is a significant show of force against the ruling party," Imamoglu supporter Yesim Albayrak, 25, told the BBC.

BBC

I am now hoping the country will become a more secular country, respecting human rights, women's rights and childrens rights

Yesim Albayrak
Nurse

Mehmet Bankaci, 27, told the BBC there was a need for change in Turkey: "If Imamoglu or Mansur Yavas had been the CHP candidate in last year's presidential election, they definitely would have won."

Istanbul hosts a fifth of Turkey's population of nearly 85 million people. Control the city and you control a significant portion of Turkey's economy including trade, tourism and finance.

Five years ago, Mr Imamoglu overturned years of AK Party rule in Istanbul with the backing of other opposition parties. But that opposition unity fell apart in the wake of last year's presidential election defeat and the AK Party had high hopes of overturning his 2019 victory.

Ahead of Sunday's election, the vote had been seen as too close to call, with a strong challenge from AK Party candidate Murat Kurum.

But the ruling party has been unable to shake off an economic crisis that has seen inflation rates of 67% and interest rates at 50%.

While broad swathes of the west, south and north of Turkey are now under the control of the opposition CHP, the pro-Kurdish Dem party has won control of much of the south-east.

Mr Erdogan's AK Party continues to dominate central Turkey and had more success in areas of the south-east devastated by the February 2023 double earthquake, including the cities of Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep.

Speaking from the balcony of his party headquarters in Ankara, he promised to use the four years before the next presidential election to "renew ourselves and compensate for our mistakes".

His supporters chanted back: "Stand still, this nation is with you."

About 61 million Turks were eligible to take part in Sunday's election and more than a million young voters were casting their ballots for the first time. Turnout was estimated at more than 77% across the country's 81 provinces.

Related Topics

• Turkey
• Ankara
• Recep Tayyip Erdogan
• Istanbul

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02ODcwNDM3NdIBNGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02ODcwNDM3NS5hbXA?oc=5

2024-04-01 08:50:09Z
CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02ODcwNDM3NdIBNGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02ODcwNDM3NS5hbXA

Remains of missing French toddler Emile Soleil found in French Alps - The Guardian

French investigators have found the remains of a toddler who went missing in 2023, in a case that shocked the nation.

Investigators are now working to determine how the boy died, a prosecutor said on Sunday.

Emile Soleil, aged two and a half, vanished on 8 July last year while staying with his grandparents in an Alpine village.

Two neighbours last saw him walking alone on a street in Le Vernet, 1,200 metres (4,000 feet) up in the French Alps.

“On Saturday, the police were informed of the discovery of bones near the hamlet of Le Vernet,” prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon said.

He added that genetic testing had shown they were the boy’s remains.

“This heartbreaking news was feared,” the child’s parents said in a statement released by their lawyer, Jerome Triomphe.

The parents, both devout Catholics “now know on this Resurrection Sunday that Emile watches over them in the light and tenderness of God,” it said. “But the pain and sorrow remain”.

“The time has come for mourning, contemplation and prayer,” the statement said, asking the family be accorded privacy.

The prosecutor did not give a cause of death, but said that forensic investigators were continuing to analyse the bones, which were spotted by a walker.

A roadblock had been set up on the only road into Le Vernet on Sunday with the prosecutor adding that police were carrying out new searches in the area where the body was found.

Emile disappeared the day after he arrived in the village to stay with his maternal grandparents for the holidays.

He was wearing a yellow T-shirt, white shorts and tiny hiking shoes, investigators said at the time.

A massive search involving police, soldiers, sniffer dogs, a helicopter and drones failed to find any sign of the boy.

Police have started a criminal investigation into a possible abduction but are also considering an accident or a fall as reasons for the toddler’s death.

Officers on Thursday returned to the village, cordoning off the area and summoning 17 people including family members, neighbours and witnesses to re-enact the last moments before he went missing.

Drones flew overhead in the drizzle to capture footage of the re-enactment, but there was no news of any major development.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiemh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS93b3JsZC8yMDI0L2Fwci8wMS9lbWlsZS1zb2xlaWwtbWlzc2luZy1mcmVuY2gtdG9kZGxlci1mcmVuY2gtYWxwcy1ib2R5LWZvdW5kLXJlbWFpbnMtbGUtdmVybmV00gEA?oc=5

2024-04-01 08:15:00Z
CBMiemh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS93b3JsZC8yMDI0L2Fwci8wMS9lbWlsZS1zb2xlaWwtbWlzc2luZy1mcmVuY2gtdG9kZGxlci1mcmVuY2gtYWxwcy1ib2R5LWZvdW5kLXJlbWFpbnMtbGUtdmVybmV00gEA

Turkish elections: Opposition heads for victory in Istanbul and Ankara - BBC

REUTERS/Umit Bektas

By Paul Kirby & Cagil Kasapoglu

in London & Istanbul

Turkey's main opposition party has declared victory in high-stakes elections in the main cities of Istanbul and Ankara.

Ekrem Imamoglu, who first became opposition mayor in Istanbul in 2019, said "the picture pleases us greatly".

A year after Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured a third term as president, he had made it his goal to win back the city where he grew up and became mayor.

But the night belonged to the opposition as it closed in on victory.

With 85% of the vote counted in Istanbul, Mr Imamoglu was more than 10 points ahead of his rival from Mr Erdogan's AK Party.

In the capital Ankara, his colleague in the secular opposition CHP, Mansur Yavas, was so far ahead of his rival on 59% that he declared victory when less than half the votes were in. Supporters blocked all the main roads in the city, waving flags and sounding their car horns.

President Erdogan, 70, had led his party's election campaign in Istanbul, vowing a new era in Turkey's biggest city. The outcome was being as a significant blow for the man who has led Turkey for the past 21 years.

Significantly, the opposition CHP was also on course for victory in many of Turkey's other big cities, including Izmir and Bursa, and the resort of Antalya.

TOLGA BOZOGLU/EPA-EFE

Party chairman Ozgur Ozel said praised voters for deciding to change the face of Turkey in a historic vote: "They want to open the door to a new political climate in our country."

Crowds in Istanbul, a megacity of almost 16 million people, gathered outside one of the main town halls. They waved Turkish flags and banners showing Mr Imamoglu's picture alongside Turkey's founding father Kemal Ataturk, whose poster was draped down the walls of the local authority building.

"I can say that our citizens' trust and faith in us has been rewarded," said Mr Imamoglu.

Both he and Mansur Yavas are seen as potential candidates to run for the presidency in 2028.

"Everything is going to be great," Imamoglu supporters chanted as they danced to drums and clarinets in Sarachane, one of Istanbul's oldest districts.

Istanbul's incumbent mayor had first used the slogan when he won the city from Mr Erdogan's party five years ago. Some of the banners in Sarachane used his current slogan, "Full speed ahead".

"They're only local elections but the opposition's victory in big cities is a significant show of force against the ruling party," Imamoglu supporter Yesim Albayrak, 25, told the BBC.

BBC

I am now hoping the country will become a more secular country, respecting human rights, women's rights and childrens rights

Yesim Albayrak
Nurse

Mehmet Bankaci, 27, told the BBC there was a need for change in Turkey: "If Imamoglu or Mansur Yavas had been the CHP candidate in last year's presidential election, they definitely would have won."

Five years ago, Mr Imamoglu overturned years of AK Party rule in Istanbul with the backing of a unified six-party opposition. But that fell apart in the wake of last year's presidential election defeat and the AK Party had high hopes of overturning his 2019 victory.

The city hosts a fifth of Turkey's population of nearly 85 million people. Control Istanbul and you control a significant portion of Turkey's economy including trade, tourism and finance.

Ahead of Sunday's election, the vote had been seen as too close to call, with the incumbent mayor facing a strong challenge from AK Party candidate Murat Kurum.

But the ruling party has been unable to shake off an economic crisis that has seen inflation rates of 67% and interest rates at 50%.

Mr Erdogan's AK Party has had more success in areas of the south-east devastated by the February 2023 double earthquake. It is leading in the cities of Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep.

About 61 million Turks were eligible to take part in Sunday's election and more than a million young voters were casting their ballots for the first time. Turnout was estimated at more than 76% across the country's 81 provinces.

Murat Kulu/PPO/Handout

Related Topics

• Turkey
• Ankara
• Recep Tayyip Erdogan
• Istanbul

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02ODcwNDM3NdIBNGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02ODcwNDM3NS5hbXA?oc=5

2024-03-31 20:51:21Z
CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02ODcwNDM3NdIBNGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02ODcwNDM3NS5hbXA

Polls open in Turkey local elections in key test of Erdogan’s popularity - Al Jazeera English

Polls have opened in Turkey for local elections in a crucial test for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he seeks to win back control of key urban areas he lost to the opposition five years ago.

Voting stations opened on Sunday at 7am local time (04:00 GMT) in eastern Turkey, with voting elsewhere starting at 8am and ending at 5pm. Initial results are expected by 10pm (19:00 GMT).

The vote is a barometer of Erdogan’s popularity and will decide who gets to control the economic hub of Istanbul and the capital Ankara, both of which he lost in 2019.

The 70-year-old Turkish leader has set his sights on wresting back Istanbul, a city of 16 million people, where he was born and raised, and where he began his political career as mayor in 1994.

“Winning major cities is more of a deal for the opposition, but also it means access to foreign funds, having transnational links with both economic actors and political actors,” Evren Balta, professor of political science at Turkey’s Ozyegin University, told Al Jazeera.

“If you are governing a major global city, it means you have visibility in the international scene.”

A strong showing for Erdogan’s ruling Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party, or the AK Party, would likely harden his resolve to usher in a new constitution – one that would reflect his conservative values and allow him to rule beyond 2028, when his current term ends, analysts say.

For the opposition – divided and demoralised after a defeat in last year’s presidential and parliamentary elections – keeping Istanbul and Ankara would be a tremendous boost and help remobilise supporters.

Some 61 million people, including more than a million first-time voters, are eligible to cast ballots for all metropolitan municipalities, town and district mayorships as well as neighbourhood administrations.

Vote amid cost of living crisis

Turnout is traditionally high in Turkey, but this time the vote comes against the backdrop of a cost of living crisis. Observers say disillusioned opposition supporters could opt to stay home, doubting its ability to change things. Governing party supporters, meanwhile, could also choose not to go to the polls in protest of the economic downturn that has left many struggling to pay for food, utilities and rent.

Some 594,000 security personnel will be on duty across the country to ensure the vote goes smoothly, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

Polls have pointed to a close race between Istanbul’s incumbent mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, of the main opposition, pro-secular Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and the AK Party’s candidate Murat Kurum, a former urbanisation and environment minister.

However, this time, Imamoglu – a popular figure touted as a possible future challenger to Erdogan – is running without the support of some of the parties that helped him to victory in 2019.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said whoever wins the polls will have “far-reaching implications” on Turkey’s politics.

“Imamoglu’s victory might lent him opposition leadership and presidential nomination in 2028. But Kurum’s victory might help President Erdogan strengthen his power base and repair his legacy, particularly the troubled economy and foreign affairs.”

Meanwhile, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the nationalist IYI Party (the Good Party) are fielding their own candidates in the race, which could siphon votes away from Imamoglu.

A six-party opposition alliance led by CHP disintegrated after it failed to remove Erdogan in last year’s election, unable to capitalise on the economic crisis and the government’s initially poor response to last year’s devastating earthquake that killed more than 53,000 people.

One factor working against Erdogan is a rise in support for the Islamist New Welfare Party (YRP) due to its hardline stance against Israel over the war in Gaza and dissatisfaction with the AK Party’s handling of the economy.

In Ankara, incumbent Mayor Mansur Yavas – also seen as a potential future challenger to Erdogan – is expected to retain his post, according to opinion polls.

His challenger – Turgut Altinok, the AK Party candidate and mayor of Ankara’s Kecioren district – has failed to drum up excitement among supporters.

In Turkey’s mainly Kurdish-populated southeast, the DEM Party is expected to win many of the municipalities but it is unclear whether it would be allowed to retain them. In previous years, Erdogan’s government removed elected pro-Kurdish mayors from office for alleged links to Kurdish groups and replaced them with state-appointed trustees.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDI0LzMvMzEvcG9sbHMtb3Blbi1pbi10dXJrZXktbG9jYWwtZWxlY3Rpb25zLWluLWtleS10ZXN0LW9mLWVyZG9nYW5zLXBvcHVsYXJpdHnSAXRodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbGphemVlcmEuY29tL2FtcC9uZXdzLzIwMjQvMy8zMS9wb2xscy1vcGVuLWluLXR1cmtleS1sb2NhbC1lbGVjdGlvbnMtaW4ta2V5LXRlc3Qtb2YtZXJkb2dhbnMtcG9wdWxhcml0eQ?oc=5

2024-03-31 06:42:09Z
CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDI0LzMvMzEvcG9sbHMtb3Blbi1pbi10dXJrZXktbG9jYWwtZWxlY3Rpb25zLWluLWtleS10ZXN0LW9mLWVyZG9nYW5zLXBvcHVsYXJpdHnSAXRodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbGphemVlcmEuY29tL2FtcC9uZXdzLzIwMjQvMy8zMS9wb2xscy1vcGVuLWluLXR1cmtleS1sb2NhbC1lbGVjdGlvbnMtaW4ta2V5LXRlc3Qtb2YtZXJkb2dhbnMtcG9wdWxhcml0eQ

Shocking moment Oregon man narrowly misses being sliced in half by out-of-control saw blade that spun across p - Daily Mail

Shane Reimche entered the Quick Trip Market in Eugene on Thursday just moments before a runaway sore blade sliced into the building's wall

Terrifying CCTV footage shows the four-foot blade hurtle across the adjacent car park from a nearby construction site 

The surveillance footage from inside the store shows the walls shake as the blade struck the wall to the alarm of those inside 

By Alice Wright For Dailymail.Com

Published: 19:02 EDT, 30 March 2024 | Updated: 22:37 EDT, 30 March 2024

Terrifying footage shows the moment an Oregan man dodged death by a second when a runaway saw blade hurtled towards him across a parking lot. 

Shane Reimche entered the Quick Trip Market in Eugene on Thursday, closing the door behind him only for the blade to embed itself into the wall, shaking the entire shop. 

The four-foot blade had come loose from a nearby construction site and barreled towards Reimche, gathering speed as it slipped between parked cars in the lot.  

'I mean, obviously it wasn't my time but probably closest I've ever experienced,' Reimche told ABC News after the frightening ordeal.

'I was walking into the store here, I put my hand on the door and I heard a loud bang and yelling here at the corner,' he recalled.

'Just as a cloud of smoke pops up and I see a guy fall in the ditch, and four-foot blade hurtling at me.

'Last minute I was able to duck behind the counter,' he explained. 

CCTV footage from inside the store shows Reimche looking back into the parking lot, seeing the blade coming at him and ducking swiftly to his left behind the store wall. 

The surveillance footage also shows the walls shake as the blade struck the wall to the alarm of those inside. 

'We were standing behind the counter, all I heard was metal rolling down the street,' said Amit Grewa, the store's owner, who was serving customers at the time. 

'[I thought] It was just wind, all of a sudden we heard a loud bang. It shook the whole store.'  

The construction site where the blade escaped from was dealing with a leaky gas valve at the intersection of Hilyard Street and east 24th Avenue.

The project was overseen by Northwest Natural Gas and two contractors, Brix Paving Northwest and Integrity Traffic. 

'This incident involved a contractor at a NW Natural job site'  Northwest Natural Gas said in a statement.

'We are reviewing our association with this contractor, and we have removed the contractor from other work for us for now. ' 

A contractor on the scene, who witnessed the incident, told ABC News the runaway blade may have become loose due to a missing bolt or there could have been a potential operator error. 

'I had tears all night. It was petrifying. I was shaking in the store,' Remche said the next day.  

'It took a little while before I could talk. That thing was huge you can see the hole in the wall. 

Adding: 'I'm thankful to be here. I was thinking maybe it's my time, I don't think I would've survived being touched by that thing. 

Read more:

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlLTEzMjU1ODQzL1Nob2NraW5nLW1vbWVudC1PcmVnb24tbWFuLW5hcnJvd2x5LW1pc3Nlcy1zbGljZWQtaGFsZi1jb250cm9sLXNhdy1ibGFkZS1zcHVuLXBhcmtpbmctbG90LXNsYW1tZWQtY29udmVuaWVuY2Utc3RvcmUuaHRtbNIBrgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlLTEzMjU1ODQzL2FtcC9TaG9ja2luZy1tb21lbnQtT3JlZ29uLW1hbi1uYXJyb3dseS1taXNzZXMtc2xpY2VkLWhhbGYtY29udHJvbC1zYXctYmxhZGUtc3B1bi1wYXJraW5nLWxvdC1zbGFtbWVkLWNvbnZlbmllbmNlLXN0b3JlLmh0bWw?oc=5

2024-03-30 23:02:45Z
CBMiqgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlLTEzMjU1ODQzL1Nob2NraW5nLW1vbWVudC1PcmVnb24tbWFuLW5hcnJvd2x5LW1pc3Nlcy1zbGljZWQtaGFsZi1jb250cm9sLXNhdy1ibGFkZS1zcHVuLXBhcmtpbmctbG90LXNsYW1tZWQtY29udmVuaWVuY2Utc3RvcmUuaHRtbNIBrgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlLTEzMjU1ODQzL2FtcC9TaG9ja2luZy1tb21lbnQtT3JlZ29uLW1hbi1uYXJyb3dseS1taXNzZXMtc2xpY2VkLWhhbGYtY29udHJvbC1zYXctYmxhZGUtc3B1bi1wYXJraW5nLWxvdC1zbGFtbWVkLWNvbnZlbmllbmNlLXN0b3JlLmh0bWw

Netherlands nightclub standoff ends with hostages freed, suspect in custody - Al Jazeera English

Police said there was no indication of a ‘terrorist motive’ after four people were held in the town of Ede.

An hours-long standoff at a nightclub in the central Netherlands has ended with the release of all the hostages and a suspect in custody, Dutch police said.

“The last hostage has just been released. One person was arrested,” police said on X on Saturday.

The man walked out of the club in the town of Ede, before being ordered by armed police to kneel with his hands on his head. He was then handcuffed and led into a waiting police car.

Earlier, three young hostages walked out of the club with their hands above their heads. A fourth person was released shortly before the suspect was arrested. The hostages were all workers at the club.

Police had said earlier that several people were taken hostage in the building in the centre of Ede, located 85km (53 miles) southeast of Amsterdam.

“We are exceptionally happy that it ended this way. That the victims came out safely and that we were able to arrest this suspect without using violence,” said Marthyne Kunst, head of the regional public prosecutor’s office.

Police stand near the Cafe Petticoat nightclub, where people were taken hostage in Ede, the Netherlands, on March 30, 2024 [Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters]

There was no immediate word on a motive, but police and prosecutors said they did not believe it was a “terrorist” incident.

Police said the hostage-taker was armed with knives, and a backpack he carried was being examined amid reports he had threatened to use explosives.

Kunst told reporters that the man was known to law enforcement authorities and had previously been convicted of threatening behaviour. She gave no further details, citing privacy and the ongoing investigation.

The suspect’s identity was not released. Ede Mayor Rene Verhulst said he was a Dutch citizen.

Authorities also released no details about the four hostages.

Verhulst said that after an emotionally charged morning, “everything is fine. The hostage-taker is arrested by the police and they are now speaking to him. And the hostages are free, they are very emotional.”

‘Confused’ man

Police said they had received reports of a potential hostage situation at 5:15am (04:15 GMT) on Saturday at the Cafe Petticoat, with local media saying a “confused” man burst in as staff were clearing up after a party.

Police spokesman Anne Jan Oosterheert said officers were on the scene within minutes, opening negotiations immediately with the man.

“Luckily, that all went well,” he said, declining to offer details of the negotiations.

The incident prompted a major deployment including riot police and explosives experts.

Police cleared the centre of the town and evacuated the residents of some 150 buildings near the cafe. Trains were diverted away from the town as a precaution.

Images from the scene showed police and firefighters on the streets in a cordoned-off area.

The Netherlands has seen a series of attacks but not on the scale of other European countries, such as France or the United Kingdom.

In 2019, the country was stunned by a shooting spree on a tram in the city of Utrecht that killed four people.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiY2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDI0LzMvMzAvc2V2ZXJhbC1wZW9wbGUtYmVpbmctaGVsZC1ob3N0YWdlLWluLWR1dGNoLXRvd24tcG9saWNlLXNhedIBZ2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vYW1wL25ld3MvMjAyNC8zLzMwL3NldmVyYWwtcGVvcGxlLWJlaW5nLWhlbGQtaG9zdGFnZS1pbi1kdXRjaC10b3duLXBvbGljZS1zYXk?oc=5

2024-03-30 13:40:37Z
CBMiY2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDI0LzMvMzAvc2V2ZXJhbC1wZW9wbGUtYmVpbmctaGVsZC1ob3N0YWdlLWluLWR1dGNoLXRvd24tcG9saWNlLXNhedIBZ2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vYW1wL25ld3MvMjAyNC8zLzMwL3NldmVyYWwtcGVvcGxlLWJlaW5nLWhlbGQtaG9zdGFnZS1pbi1kdXRjaC10b3duLXBvbGljZS1zYXk