LONDON: A man and woman who met on a Muslim dating website were handed prison sentences Thursday for plotting a Daesh-inspired bomb attack in Britain.
Prosecutors say Munir Mohammed, an asylum-seeker from Sudan, and London pharmacist Rowaida El-Hassan met on SingleMuslim.com and bonded over their shared extremist views, exchanging videos of beheadings and other extremist material.
Prosecutors said Mohammed volunteered to carry out an attack during Facebook exchanges with a man he believed to be a Daesh commander.
He was arrested in December 2016, and police found bomb-making instructions and two of the three components for the explosive TATP at his home.
Last month, a jury at London’s Central Criminal Court found the couple guilty of preparing terrorist acts.
Judge Michael Topolski sentenced 37-year-old Mohammed Thursday to life with no chance of parole for 14 years. El-Hassan, 32, was jailed for 12 years, plus five years on probation.
The judge said Mohammed had decided to make an explosive device — either “an ordinary bomb” or one containing the poison ricin. He said Mohammed drew in El-Hassan until she “became an enthusiastic and encouraging partner.”
Online dating couple jailed in UK for Daesh-inspired bomb plot
Online dating couple jailed in UK for Daesh-inspired bomb plot
Two high-speed trains derail in Spain, broadcaster reports five people killed
- The accident happened near Adamuz, which is near Cordoba
MADRID: Two high-speed trains derailed on Sunday in southern Spain, the rail network operator said, and state-run television channel RTVE said five people had died, citing police sources.
The accident happened near Adamuz, which is near Cordoba. An unknown number of passengers have been injured, RTVE said, citing Civil Guard sources.
“The Iryo 6189 Málaga — (to Madrid) train has derailed from the track at Adamuz, crashing onto the adjacent track. The (Madrid) to Huelva train which was traveling on the adjacent track has also derailed,” Adif, which runs the rail network, said in a social media post.
Adif said the accident happened about ten minutes after the Iryo train left Malaga heading toward Madrid at 6:40 p.m. (1740 GMT).
Iryo is an Italian-run private rail operator. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Adif has suspended all rail services between Madrid and Andalusia.
Andalusia emergency services said on social media that all rail traffic had been halted and emergency services were on their way, including at least nine ambulances and emergency support vehicles.
Salvador Jimenez, a journalist for RTVE who was on board the train from Cordoba to Madrid, shared images showing the rear carriage of the train lying on its side, with evacuated passengers sitting on the side of the carriage.
