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Former US Secretary of State Pompeo: ‘Pakistan was preparing for nuclear attack after Balakot surgical strike,’ says US worked to sort things out

OpIndia Staff
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Former US Secretary of State Pompeo: ‘Pakistan was preparing for nuclear attack after Balakot surgical strike,’ says US worked to sort things out

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted that he was roused to speak with his then-Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, who informed him that Pakistan was making preparations for a nuclear attack in the aftermath of the Balakot surgical strike in February 2019, and that India was making preparations for an appropriate response.

Pompeo writes in his new book, ‘Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love,’ which was released on Tuesday, that the event occurred while he was in Hanoi for the US-North Korea Summit on February 27-28, and that his team worked for 24 hrs with both New Delhi and Islamabad to mitigate the crisis.

“I do not think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over into a nuclear conflagration in February 2019. The truth is, I don’t know precisely the answer either; I just know it was too close,” Pompeo writes.

In reaction to the Pulwama terror attack, India’s warplanes bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training centre in Balakot, Pakistan, in February 2019. Pompeo said hat he would never forget the night he was in Hanoi, Vietnam, when India and Pakistan began threatening one other over a generations-long dispute over Kashmir’s northern border area.

“After an Islamist terrorist attack in Kashmir- probably enabled in part by Pakistan’s lax counterterror policies – killed forty Indians, India responded with an air strike against terrorists inside Pakistan. The Pakistanis shot down a plane in a subsequent dogfight and kept the Indian pilot prisoner,” he said.

In the book that was released on Tuesday, the former US Secretary said, “In Hanoi, I was awakened to speak with my Indian counterpart. He believed the Pakistanis had begun to prepare their nuclear weapons for a strike. India, he informed me, was contemplating its own escalation. I asked him to do nothing and give us a minute to sort things out.” He also wrongly referred to Swaraj as ‘he’.

He mentioned that he worked with Ambassador (then National Security Advisor John) Bolton, who was with him in the tiny secure communications facility at their hotel. “I reached the actual leader of Pakistan, (Army chief) General (Qamar Javed) Bajwa, with whom I had engaged many times. I told him what the Indians had told me. He said it wasn’t true,” he claimed.

“As one might expect, he believed the Indians were preparing their nuclear weapons for deployment. It took us a few hours and remarkably good work by our teams on the ground in New Delhi and Islamabad to convince each side that the other was not preparing for nuclear war,” he wrote in the book.

While the Ministry of External Affairs has made no comments in the matter, Pompeo says that no other nation could have done what US did that night to avoid a horrible outcome. “As with all diplomacy, the people working the problem set matter a great deal, at least in the short run. I was fortunate to have great team members in place in India, none more so than Ken Juster, an incredibly capable ambassador. Ken loves India and its people,” he noted.

He also praised other diplomats including David Hale who was the US ambassador to Pakistan then. Pompeo said that the diplomats knew that their relationship with India was a priority. “General McMaster and Admiral Philip Davidson, the head of what came to be renamed the US Indo-Pacific Command, understood India’s importance, too,” he said.

“Although often frustrated by the Indians, US trade representative Robert Lighthizer, a brilliant trade negotiator and a Bob Dole staff alumnus, making him a near-Kansan was a great partner working to deepen economic ties. We all shared the view that America had to make a bold strategic effort to tighten our ties with India and break the mold with new ideas,” Pompeo writes in his book.

‘He did not deserve to live, because he was a Hindu’: Read what has changed in a year since Kishan Bharwad was killed by Islamists

લિંકન સોખડિયા
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‘He did not deserve to live, because he was a Hindu’: Read what has changed in a year since Kishan Bharwad was killed by Islamists

A year ago, on January 25, 2022, a cow-loving Hindu family man from Dhanduka, Gujarat, Kishan Bharwad, was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants. He was allegedly killed for publishing a social media post with a video that included a picture of prophet Mohammed. The assailants who killed Kishan were inspired by Islamic religious leaders who instigated them to carry out ‘jihadi activity’ of killing the ‘blasphemer’. As per Islam, any visual depiction of prophet Muhammad is blasphemy.

So far, eight people have been arrested in the case across India, including six maulanas. Multiple agencies are investigating the case, and links to Pakistan have emerged during the probe. Maulana Mohammad Ayub Jawrawala of Jamalpur, Ahmedabad and Maulana Qamar Gani Usman of Delhi were among those who got arrested. During the investigation, it was revealed that Kishan’s murder was part of a larger conspiracy.

As the incident has completed one year, OpIndia tried to find out the current status of the case, the situation of Kishan’s family and the repercussions of the incident in Dhanduka.

Status of Kishan’s family

When Kishan was murdered, his daughter was only 23 days old. OpIndia contacted his family that lives in Dhanduka. Kishan is survived by his parents, wife, daughter, two brothers and sister. The daughter has now completed one year. The family has not fully recovered from the shock of Kishan’s murder. Their eyes teared up while talking about the case. Everyone in the family misses their beloved Kishan.

His father, Shivabhai Bharwad, spoke openly to OpIndia. When he was alive, Shivabhai recalled, Kishan was among the popular youth of Hindutva ideology. He recalled that on the day of the incident and said he had no idea such an attack could have happened to his son. He had no idea that people with a jihadi mindset were hunting for his son. When he was informed about the incident, he could not believe it.

Shivabhai said that Kishan was religiously active from the beginning. He was always devoted to the religion and known for his Hindutva ideology. Perhaps, his ideology became an eyesore for the jihadis.

Hindu organisations came to support

Shivabhai pointed out that when the reports went out that Kishan was murdered by Islamists, many small and large Hindu organisations across Gujarat rushed to support them. Many functionaries of different organisations came to meet them personally. People have contributed a lot since day one of the legal battle.

The Gujarat government remained like a family

Kishan’s father said the Gujarat government and police provided sufficient support since the day of the incident. At the same time, Home Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, personally visited the family and assured them that all the accused would be caught and punished.

Notably, the police immediately swung into action on the day of the incident. Within hours the accused were found and arrested from every corner of Gujarat. Kishan’s father and other family members expressed their satisfaction with the action taken by the state government and the police so far. They hoped that the accused would get severe punishment.

The situation in Dhandhuka after Kishan’s murder

Shivabhai put us in touch with Bharatbhai Parmar, a close family relative and a social leader. After the incident, he talked to OpIndia in detail about the situation in Dhandhuka.

Dhandhuka has been sensitive for long

Speaking to OpIndia, Bharatbhai said that Dhandhuka and its surroundings have always been sensitive and vulnerable. Small and large religious skirmishes, debates and conflicts have been happening here very often. The Muslim residents in the area have always tried to prove and increase their supremacy.

Bharatbhai said when Kishan’s murder occurred, the people in the area realised that Islamists and radicals do not forget any minor incident or conversation and remember it for years. They take their time to plan and attack their target off guard.

Sarva Samaj united as Hindu

Bharatbhai said soon after the incident, Hindutva was revived among the area’s people. People from every community were outraged over the brutal murder of Kishan. They unanimously considered it an attack on a Hindu youth and came together to demand justice for him. Since the murder, no other incident has taken place in the area, but the Hindus have become more aware and alert.

Commemoration program held at home minister’s house

On January 21, 2023, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Astha Foundation, Yuva Blood Donate Group Dhandhuka, Hindu Dharma Sena, Bhagwasena, Karnisena and many other Hindu religious and social organisations organised a commemorative program in connection to the death anniversary of Kishan Bharwad.

Union Minister Mahendra Munjpara, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi, Dhandhuka MLA Kalubhai Dabhi, Gujarat BJP General Secretary Pradipsinh Vaghela and former minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama were present as special guests in this program.

The legal aspect of the case

OpIndia also looked for the current status of the case legally and the current status of the accused. As per our investigation, it was revealed that the issue is still subjudice. All the accused are currently in jail. The lower court and Gujarat High Court have rejected the bail applications of the accused. Their advocate has filed a bail application in the Supreme Court on which the decision is yet to come.

The accused were booked under UAPA, so the possibility of getting bail is negligible. The family of Kishan Bharwad is satisfied with the proceedings so far.

Conspiracies to make a well-planned jihadi attack look like a local skirmish

Notably, the attack on Kishan Bharwad was a jihadi-terrorist attack. However, the Islamists and liberals tried their level best to downplay it as a local clash. However, they failed in their attempts. When the case was still fresh, we revealed that the Islamists were keeping an eye on the people seeking justice for Kishan. Later, they targeted and threatened them in messages and calls. There were plans to attack them as well.

On January 28, 2022, I exposed one such online Islamic syndicate in which we explained how the syndicate was running and targeting Hindu youth one by one. Later the police investigation revealed that Maulana Usmani, the main strategist behind Kishan’s murder, had formed a social media team to lure Muslim youth to join radical Islamic rackets.

The article was first published on OpIndia Gujarati. You can read the article in Gujarati here.

Screening of propaganda BBC documentary in JNU campus halted due to power cut, Leftist student body claims stone pelting

OpIndia Staff
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Screening of propaganda BBC documentary in JNU campus halted due to power cut, Leftist student body claims stone pelting

The controversy around the screening of a propaganda BBC documentary on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus has heated up as the JNU administration allegedly cut power and internet connections at the student union’s office to stop the screening. On Tuesday, January 25, some students gathered to watch BBC’s controversial docuseries on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Later, the Leftist student body claimed that after the power supply was cut, stones were pelted at them by the members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). 

The students claimed that stones were hurled at them when they were watching the documentary on their mobile phones as the screening could not be held. ABVP on the other hand has refuted the accusations. Moreover, a senior police officer stated that no such incident was reported to the police.

JUNSU President Aishe Gosh claimed, “ABVP pelted stones, but no step by admin yet. We almost completed the film’s screening. Our priority is that electricity should be restored. We’ll file FIR.”

The ABVP has denied Ghosh’s allegations.

“We did not visit the location, and nobody from ABVP was present there. They simply use our names to gain more attention “Ambuj, the ABVP Delhi media convener, told PTI.

While the protesting students claimed that the power supply was halted to stop the screening, quoting a JNU administration official, PTI reported that there was a major power line fault that was being fixed. “There is a major power line fault at the university. We are looking into it. The engineering department is saying it will be resolved at the earliest,” the JNU administration told PTI. 

The university administration has not yet issued a formal statement regarding the allegations made by the students. However, it had issued a warning on Monday advising students to cancel the screening since the students’ union had not sought permission for it. In the advisory JNU administration had stated that “such an unauthorized activity may disturb peace & harmony in the University.”.

Earlier, in a statement, ABVP had stated that controversy is deliberately being crafted in order to tarnish India’s image as it has assumed the presidency of G20. The student body alleged that the opposition parties along with some student groups want to create a state of confusion using the BBC documentary. “After two days, when the entire nation will celebrate Republic Day, India will hold the G20 presidency. How can leftist organizations that spread misinformation maintain composure when India is experiencing so many good things? They are using deception in this instance to further the goals of the colonialist British in the nation,” ABVP said in a statement issued on January 24.

ABVP statement dated 24 January on screening of BBC documentary at JNU campus (Image tweeted by @ABVPVoice)

Earlier, Student Islamic Organisation (SIO) & Muslim Student Federation known as the Fraternity group at Hyderabad Central University (HCU) had organized a screening of the BBC documentary inside the campus on Monday. More than 50 students from these groups attended the screening.

Also, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, has announced that they will screen the controversial documentary on Tuesday evening in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram despite stiff opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Last week, India denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, described as a ‘propaganda piece’ designed to push a discredited narrative. “We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias, lack of objectivity, and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing.

On Saturday, the Center issued orders to Twitter and YouTube to prohibit links to the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question.”

Indonesia: Crocodile finds the body of a drowned child and “returns” it to the search team

OpIndia Staff
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Indonesia: Crocodile finds the body of a drowned child and “returns” it to the search team

On January 21, a crocodile helped in recovering the body of a drowned 4-year-old boy, identified as Muhammad Ziyad Wijaya, in Indonesia. The boy was reported missing for two days. Reports suggest that the animal approached the search and rescue team and returned the fully intact body of the boy.

This incident took place in the Jawa Estuary in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan. The local authorities had initiated a search and rescue operation after Mohammed went missing. After a search for two days, the team spotted a crocodile with a human body in its mouth. It swam close to the boat of the officers, who then retrieved the body.

During the preliminary examination, the team found no bite marks on the child’s body, and it was fully intact. The officials said in a statement that it appeared the crocodile helped retrieve the body. They said, “Nothing was missing, everything was intact. We think the crocodile actually aided in the search for the victim.”

Reports suggest that it is unclear what led to the boy’s death or if the crocodiles in the estuary were involved in the disappearance.

Notably, a similar incident occurred in 2017 when a 40-year-old man was dragged into the water by a crocodile. The locals used a “crocodile whisperer” to retrieve the body.

Dutch leader Edwin Wagensveld tears apart Quran in the Netherlands before setting it on fire, video viral

OpIndia Staff
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Dutch leader Edwin Wagensveld tears apart Quran in the Netherlands before setting it on fire, video viral

On Monday, the Dutch leader of the far-right group, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA), destroyed a copy of the Quran in the Netherlands before setting it on fire. This came days after a copy of the Quran was burnt in Sweden during the protest against Turkey on January 21.

The video of the said incident went viral over the internet in which the Dutch leader Edwin Wagensveld could be seen tearing apart the pages of the Quran. In the video, he stated that he had attained permission from the city for executing the destruction of the Quran. “Soon, there will be registrations for similar actions in several cities, time to answer disrespect from Islam with disrespect,” the Dutch leader said as he tore the pages of the Quran on January 22.

Edwin Wagensveld threw the pages on the floor and added, “After having a nice bite to eat and a drink with our group, it was then time to burn the Quran’s remains.” The video footage then shows the Quran and its torn-out pages burning in a fire in a frying pan on the floor.

“People who know and follow us know that we never give up, we do not let ourselves be intimidated by violence and death threats,” he said.

The Dutch leader reiterated that he had attained permission for executing the ‘destruction of the Quran’. Further, a secondary Instagram post on the leader’s account revealed a document signed by The Hague Mayor Jan van Zanen permitting him to use “objects” in his protest but preventing him from burning them due to public safety concerns.

“The right to protest and the right to freedom of expression are constitutionally and treaty-protected human rights and freedoms. In principle burning objects is not permitted, because this can cause danger,” the letter said.

Reports mention that Wagensveld was held by police two months ago for insulting Prophet Muhammad using a megaphone. Based on the facts of the case, the prosecutor’s office determined that Wagensveld’s comments could be regarded as an insult to Islam. However, it was finally determined that he had not committed a crime and hence could not be charged for the act.

Wagensveld had previously been held for failing to follow protest restrictions and warnings in connection with a planned event to burn a copy of the Quran. According to a statement from the city of The Hague, the PEGIDA organization planned to burn the Quran besides the temporary Dutch Parliament building, but the event was canceled because the demonstrators wanted to use the Quran in a “provocative” fashion.

Reportedly, Turkey condemned the incident of tearing the pages of the Quran. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile attack of an anti-Islamic person in The Hague, Netherlands, on January 22, targeting our holy book, the Holy Quran. This despicable act, which insults our sacred values and includes a hate crime, this time in the Netherlands after Sweden, is a clear declaration that Islamophobia, discrimination, and xenophobia know no bounds in Europe,” a statement by Turkey read.

Earlier today, massive protests erupted in several countries including Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey days after a copy of the Quran was reportedly burnt in Sweden during protests against Turkey outside Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. The protesters outside the Swedish Embassy in Turkey, Yemen, burnt the national flag of Sweden and strongly condemned the incident of burning the Quran.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered on the streets of Yemen and Turkey and raised slogans against Sweden. They also have called for a boycott of all the Swedish brands like H&M, furniture brand IKEA, Skype, Volvo, Ericsson, Nordea, and more. The Quran was burnt by Rasmus Paludan, a politician from the Danish far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party.

Pune: Bodies of seven members of the same family found in a river bed, police suspect mass suicide

OpIndia Staff
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Pune: Bodies of seven members of the same family found in a river bed, police suspect mass suicide

On Tuesday, January 24, seven dead bodies of members of the same family were discovered in a riverbed in Pune, Maharashtra. The local police suspect it to be a case of mass suicide but are investigating all possibilities.

According to authorities, the deceased included an elderly couple, their daughter, their son-in-law, and three grandchildren. Their remains were discovered in the Bhima river on the fringes of Yavat hamlet in Daund tehsil, around 45 kilometres from Pune city.

Four bodies were discovered near the Pargaon bridge in Daund on Monday, while the remaining three bodies were recovered today after extensive searches.

Pune police suspect it to be a case of mass suicide

While speaking to the media, a police officer said, “Bodies of seven members of a family fished out from Bhima river in Daund, Pune. Four bodies were recovered between 18 January to 21 January while three others were found today.”

“Prima facie it’s a suicide, however, police are investigating all angles. Accidental Death Report registered,” he added.

BBC Chair accused of quid pro quo for helping ex-British PM Boris Johnson secure loans before his appointment: Details

OpIndia Staff
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BBC Chair accused of quid pro quo for helping ex-British PM Boris Johnson secure loans before his appointment: Details

The Chairperson of the UK’s national broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Richard Sharp, has been under the spotlight after it was revealed that he helped former Prime Minister Boris Johnson secure a loan of £800,000 (₹8.03 crores).

A regular donor to the Conservative Party, Sharp had reportedly introduced a ‘friend’ named Sam Blyth to Britain’s Cabinet Secretary and Head of Civil Service, Simon Case.

Interestingly, Sam Blyth is a multi-millionaire businessman, who proposed to serve as the credit guarantor for the loan sanctioned to Boris Johnson, his distant cousin. The said meeting took place in late 2020 when Johnson was Britain’s Prime Minister.

Soon after, in January 2021, the name of Richard Sharp was recommended for the Chairperson of the BBC for a four-year term by the same Johnson administration. Sharp was appointed for the position the following month.

According to The Sunday Times, the £8,00,000 loan was finalised only in February 2021 (the same month as the appointment of Richard Sharp). The BBC Chair is now being investigated for a possible ‘conflict of interest.’

In his defence, Richard Sharp said, “What I did do was to seek an introduction of Sam Blyth to the relevant official in government. We both agreed that to avoid any conflict, I should have nothing further to do with the matter. Since that meeting, I have had no involvement whatsoever with any process.”

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has also dismissed allegations of quid pro quo. “Let me just tell you Richard Sharp is a good and wise man but he knows absolutely nothing about my personal finances,” he claimed.

Conservative Party leader and incumbent Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has also come out in defence of the BBC Chair. He remarked, “It is transparent and published online and Mr. Sharp’s appointment went through that full process.” Interestingly, Rishi Sunak served under Richard Sharp at his former workplace, Goldman Sachs.

On Monday (January 23), William Shawcross, the Commissioner for Public Appointments shared that a review will be conducted to ensure that all rules were followed during the appointment of Richard Sharp as BBC Chair.

In a letter to Member of Parliament Lucy Powell, he said, “The role of the commissioner is to oversee the public appointments process and ensure appointments are made fairly, openly and on merit”

“I intend to review this competition to assure myself and the public that the process was run in compliance with the government’s governance code for public appointments, using my powers under the order in council 2019 and the governance code,” William Shawcross further emphasised.

BBC releases controversial documentary series on PM Modi

Recently, BBC aired a two-part documentary attacking PM Narendra Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. India has denounced the controversial program as a “propaganda piece” that is designed to push a discredited narrative.

One of the nefarious objectives behind the documentary was to whitewash the role of Islamists in the Godhra train carnage, which claimed a total of 59 Hindu lives.

It further used the already discredited statements of Sanjiv Bhatt and RB Sreekumar to attack the Indian Prime Minister. BBC even used the claims of Babu Bajrangi and Haresh Bhatt, who have admitted that they were reading the script given by a journalist, to try and declare PM Modi guilty.

#AasmanMeinBharat YouTuber and pilot Gaurav Taneja to make a large map of India in the sky for Republic Day

OpIndia Staff
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#AasmanMeinBharat YouTuber and pilot Gaurav Taneja to make a large map of India in the sky for Republic Day

On January 24, pilot couple Gaurav Taneja (popular on social media as flying beast) and Ritu Rathee Taneja announced that they would draw a map of India in the sky on the occasion of Republic Day. In an Instagram video, the couple said it would be a tribute to the nation on Republic Day. They have named the initiative “Aasman Mein Bharat”.

In the video, they said, “You are doing an amazing job by taking Bharat forward through your creativity and art, Likewise, we are making a small effort to take our country to newer heights. To celebrate the 74th Republic Day, we will be creating the largest imagery of Bharat in the sky. What could be better than celebrating this milestone with you. Looking forward to your support and encouragement.”

It will be a first-of-its-kind mission in the history of India. Captain Gaurav has 12 years and 6,000 hours of flying experience. The couple will complete the mission, which they will commence from the Tampa Airport, Florida in the US, in almost 3 hours by flying around 200 nautical Airmiles covering an approximate distance of 350 KMs in the sky. The journey can be tracked through their social media handles using Radar imaging.

Earlier in the day, Flightrader24, a real-time aircraft monitoring app, posted an image of a map of India created by a Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft above Florida in the United States on its official Twitter handle. Flightrader24 tweeted a real-time image of the Cessna 172 Skyhawk departing from Tampa Airport in Florida and flying over Florida to create an Indian map before returning to Tampa Airport.

Notably, Flightrader24’s tweet has since been deleted, but if one visits the link provided in the screenshot below, one can still view an image of a Cessna 172 Skyhawk making a map of India in the sky.

Screenshot of the tweet posted by Flightrader24

A video of the aircraft creating the largest map of India in the air was also shared by several other Twitter users.

The posted video is a recording of the Flightrader24 app’s live monitoring on January 22, 2023. Since the pilot couple announced that they will complete the task on January 26, 2023, when India will celebrate its 74th Republic Day, the test run must have taken place on January 22.

Afghan national Abdulrahimzai convicted for stabbing a British national, had got asylum in UK after killing two people in Serbia earlier: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Afghan national Abdulrahimzai convicted for stabbing a British national, had got asylum in UK after killing two people in Serbia earlier: Details

On January 23, Monday, a UK Court convicted Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, an Afghan national for the murder of a British national Thomas Roberts following an argument over an e-scooter in Bournemouth, Dorset, in the early hours of March 12, 2022. Following the conviction, it emerged that the Afghan asylum seeker was legally admitted to the United Kingdom after he lied to the authorities about his age.

According to reports, the now 21-year-old Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai misled the Border Force and the Home Office when he arrived in Dorset on a Brittany Ferries service from Cherbourg in 2019, claiming to be 14 years old. On Monday, when the jury in Salisbury Crown Court found him guilty of murdering Roberts, the murderer’s entire criminal history was made public.

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai stabbed Thomas Roberts, an aspiring Royal Marine, thrice in the chest during a row over an e-scooter in Bournemouth, Dorset, in the early hours of March 12, 2022.

Tom Roberts who was murdered by Abdulrahimzai (source: The Sun)

The footage of the arrest of Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, which the Dorset police made public, emerged online. The court revealed that when Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai was arrested, he told UK authorities he was 16, but an examination of his teeth determined that he is now 21.

UK police officials told the court that they were unaware of Abdulrahimzai’s prior crimes, which were carried out under the alias ‘Huan Yasin,’ until they began investigating Roberts’ murder.

The authorities confirmed that the asylum seeker first went to Serbia through Pakistan and Iran in October 2015 before arriving in Norway later that month. Abdulrahimzai then left Norway and spent some time in Italy and then again went to Serbia where he killed two Afghan men before fleeing to the UK. The accused was allegedly 15 years old at the time of the murders. According to the prosecution, the killings in Serbia occurred in 2018 near the capital Belgrade.

A Serbian court found Abdulrahimzai guilty of murder in his absence and sentenced him to 20 years in jail.

Additionally, Abdulrahimzai had also been convicted of drug peddling in Italy and received a non-custodial term after pleading guilty.

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai (Source: telegraph.co.uk)

Abdulrahimzai, who was born in Afghanistan, was, however, granted entry to the United Kingdom after telling authorities that he was a 14-year-old schoolboy whose parents had been executed by the Taliban. He had so well misled the UK authorities that after arriving in the UK, the Afghan was assigned a foster carer, Nicola Marchant-Jones, on account of his age.

Nicola Marchant-Jones who fostered Abdulrahimzai (source: The Sun)

Abdulrahimzai was fostered by Nicola from early 2020 to mid-2021 before he was moved to another family. According to reports, he was removed from her care when, during an argument, he nearly headbutted her.

At his trial at Salisbury Crown Court, Abdulrahimzi’s foster mother Marchant-Jones said that Abdulrahimzai was a “very troubled individual” despite first appearing as “shy, kind, and sweet.”

She added that the accused “had mood swings” and would “go from zero to 100 practically rapidly”. She told the court how she feared that Abdulrahimzai might “do something with a knife.”

As per reports, he was not only given foster care by UK authorities but also sent to a school in Bournemouth where he terrorised younger classmates.

A mother of a child who went to the same school reportedly told The Sun, “The kids were petrified of him and knew he was much older than he was pretending to be.”

The report also suggests that he allegedly scared girl classmates into sending him obscene selfies.

In addition, a Snapchat video played in court showed him in a street brawl with another man.

Months earlier the murderer had shared pictures of himself with a machete on TikTok, despite being warned by his foster parent, police, and social workers not to do so.

The sentence for Abdulrahimzai will be announced on January 25.

Tamil Nadu Minister SM Nasar pelts stone at DMK party worker for failing to arrange chairs for an event

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu Minister SM Nasar pelts stone at DMK party worker for failing to arrange chairs for an event

On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Minister SM Nasar was captured on camera losing his cool and hurling a stone at a DMK worker, apparently over a delay in providing a chair to him during an event in Thiruvallur.

A video of the incident went viral over the internet featuring the Milk and Dairy Development Minister SM Nasar during the event, which state Chief Minister MK Stalin is supposed to attend tomorrow.

The minister supposedly got enraged when a party worker failed to arrange chairs on time for the event and hurled a stone at him. In the video, the minister can be heard shouting at the worker. A couple of DMK functionaries, who were with the minister, can be heard laughing in the background.

In May 2021, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin announced Avadi constituency representative SM Nasar as the minister for milk and dairy development. The minister had earlier made headlines last year for spreading false information that the Narendra Modi administration had imposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) on milk, causing milk prices to soar. “The Union Government has levied GST for milk too. It is an unprecedented incident. As a consequence of levying GST for milk, the selling price of milk has gone up,” he had said.

In the present case, the minister is in charge of preparations at a site in Thiruvallur where Chief Minister MK Stalin is scheduled to speak at a public meeting on Wednesday, as part of the DMK’s ‘Veera Vanakkam Naal’ event. The ceremony is being organised to remember those who perished as a result of the anti-Hindi agitation.

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