Former Al-Qaeda aide appears in UK interview on ‘mentoring children’

Adel Abdel Bary, a former aide to Osama bin Laden, wants to teach British Muslim children ‘skills’ and a ‘vision’. Above, Muslim children at the Little Harwood Community Centre in Blackburn, northwest England on Oct. 13, 2006. (AP file photo)
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Updated 30 June 2024
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Former Al-Qaeda aide appears in UK interview on ‘mentoring children’

  • Adel Abdel Bary spent decades in US prison over role in deadly 1998 embassy bombings
  • He was released in late 2020 and returned to the UK to ‘live quietly’

LONDON: A former aide to Osama bin Laden who played a role in terror attacks on US embassies in Africa that killed 224 people wants to give British Muslim children “skills” and a “vision,” he has said in an interview.

Adel Abdel Bary, 64, spent more than 20 years in US prison for his links to the 1998 embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, The Times reported.

In his first public interview since being released, Abdel Bary, who has been described as Al-Qaeda’s press officer in London, said he is keen to guide Muslim youth in Britain. One of his sons had earlier joined Daesh in Syria.

Images of the interview published online show Abdel Bary at a youth center in Birmingham, sitting behind a desk next to a whiteboard.

There are no restrictions that would automatically prevent Abdel Bary from teaching children, despite a ruling by a High Court judge in 2022 that his “past involvement at the most senior levels of global terrorism are powerful and enduring baseline indicators of risk.”

The 64-year-old has six children of his own and lives with family in northwest London, in a council flat valued at more than £1 million ($1.26 million).

Abdel Bary, a former lawyer, first arrived in Britain from Egypt in 1991 on an asylum claim. He had been imprisoned and tortured over his membership in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and links to the assassination of Anwar Sadat, the country’s former president.

After being granted refugee status, Abdel Bary reportedly helped run Al-Qaeda’s “media information office” in the English capital.

The deadly August 1998 bombings, however, led to his arrest after he had promoted Al-Qaeda’s claims of responsibility to contacts around the world. Abdel Bary was arrested at the request of the US and held in London’s Belmarsh prison.

He fought a 13-year legal battle against extradition but was eventually transferred to the US in 2012, being handed a reduced sentence of 25 years on account of his time served at Belmarsh.

Abdel Bary was released early on compassionate grounds in late 2022 due to poor health. He returned to the UK to “live quietly” with his wife, Ragaa, a UK citizen.

But the interview, published on the Islam21c website, marks Abdel Bary’s return to the public eye in an attempt to “educate and inspire” Muslims in the UK.

He was quoted as saying: “The best things for our world now are the basics … go play with the children, give them skills, give them a vision.”

The youth center Abdel Bary visited for the interview is a volunteer-led organization that previously hosted lectures by former Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg.

Abdel Bary’s interviewer said: “Adel’s energy and zest for community is unabated. He wants to work with the youth. He wants to go into mentoring and give them something productive to work on.”

The 64-year-old’s son fled to Turkiye and later Spain following the collapse of Daesh. He was arrested and detained while awaiting trial for terror offenses and died last year, aged 32, while awaiting the verdict of his trial.

In response to Abdel Bary’s public interview, a spokesman for Counter Terrorism Policing said that managing convicted terror offenders was a “high priority.”

He added: “We work closely with partners to try and reduce the risk of reoffending. To do this we have strong intelligence sharing processes in place to help quickly identify and manage any potential risks of reoffending by individuals.”


Macron urges regional investment as Albania nears EU goal

Updated 47 sec ago
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Macron urges regional investment as Albania nears EU goal

  • “Here in Albania, clearly, you have the entry point in this region of Western Balkans,” Macron said
  • Albania entered talks to join the European Union in 2022

TIRANA: French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday invited foreign investors to come to “stable” Europe, including to Albania, which he sees obtaining EU entry in 2027.

Europe “is a stable and reliable place,” he told economic forum “Priority Europe,” organized by the Future Investment Initiative (FII) institute of advertising executive Richard Attias.

“And in this crazy world, don’t underestimate the strengths of such qualities,” Macron said at the Tirana event aimed at connecting European leaders and innovators with sovereign wealth funds and Middle East, Asia and US business leaders.

“Here in Albania, clearly, you have the entry point in this region of Western Balkans, but much more broadly it’s a key point in the Mediterranean place and Europe.

“And in two years to come, as now he has a clear mandate, he will join the EU,” added Macron, referring to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Albania entered talks to join the European Union in 2022 and Rama said that the process could conclude with the country joining in 2027 if all goes to plan. “That would be incredible,” said Rama in an interview with AFP.

The country of some three million is by far the most pro-EU in the Balkans. In 2024, 92 percent of those questioned in a poll said they would vote “yes” if a referendum were held on EU membership-compared to 40 percent in Serbia.

The challenges of meeting accession requirements remain sizeable, notably in terms of combating corruption.

Several ministers and several senior officials, former president Ilir Meta, and the mayor of Tirana — a close Rama associate — are currently in detention on suspicion of embezzlement.


Zelensky will attend Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass, Vatican says

Updated 8 min 32 sec ago
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Zelensky will attend Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass, Vatican says

  • Zelensky would be happy to meet other leaders on the sidelines of the inauguration
  • Rubio said he would discuss on Saturday efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi

VATICAN CITY: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the inaugural Mass of newly elected Pope Leo on Sunday, along with many other world leaders, the Vatican said.

The Mass in St. Peter’s Square will formally install Pope Leo, who was born in Chicago but lived for many years in Peru, as the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.

US Vice President JD Vance, who clashed fiercely with Zelensky in the White House in February, will lead the US delegation, which also includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Zelensky would be happy to meet other leaders on the sidelines of the inauguration, a top aide told Reuters this week. When he went to the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, Zelensky held face-to-face talks with US President Donald Trump in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Rubio said he would discuss on Saturday efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who served as the late Pope Francis’ envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In remarks to reporters ahead of the meeting, the top US diplomat suggested the Vatican could be a venue to facilitate dialogue.

“I wouldn’t call it a broker, but it certainly is a place that I would think that both sides would be comfortable coming,” Rubio told reporters.

Among other leaders expected on Sunday are the presidents of Israel, Peru and Nigeria, the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Australia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula Von der Layen.

Many European royals will also be present, including Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia.
Russia will be represented by Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova, the Vatican said.


Indian state honors ‘elephant whisperers’ from Oscar-winning documentary with special village

Updated 45 min 35 sec ago
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Indian state honors ‘elephant whisperers’ from Oscar-winning documentary with special village

  • In 2023, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ became the first Indian documentary to win an Oscar
  • Indigenous communities have been integral as elephant caretakers in Asia

NEW DELHI: India’s elephant caretakers in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, whose roles were brought to global attention in an Oscar-winning documentary, were honored with a special village by the local government as part of an effort to recognize their dedication to the conservation of the mammals.

The story of a mahout couple in Tamil Nadu who devote themselves to caring for an orphaned baby elephant was central to “The Elephant Whisperers” film, which became the first Indian documentary to win an Oscar in 2023.

Since the documentary brought the role of the mahouts — a Hindi word for elephant caretakers — to the international spotlight, the Tamil Nadu government has been working to further empower and honor them.

On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the Mahout Village at the state’s Theppakadu Elephant Camp. Dubbed the first of its kind, the special area comprises 44 houses for each of the mammals’ keepers and their families.

“The film ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ played an important part in building the houses for mahouts, there is no doubt about it,” Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary for environment, climate change and forests in Tamil Nadu, told Arab News.

“We will make sure that the people, the indigenous community who take care of our elephants, are also suitably taken care of. That is the idea behind (this program). It’s a tribute to them.”

Built at a cost of about $670,000, the houses at Mahout Village use solar lights and fences, and were constructed in consultation with the mahouts. The area also comes with communal facilities, including a basketball court and a kids’ playground.

Mahouts have long been integral in wildlife conservation across many South and Southeast Asian countries.

India is home to some 30,000 Asian elephants, representing at least 60 percent of the species’ global population. Tamil Nadu itself is home to about 3,100 elephants.

With the buzz around “The Elephant Whisperers” following its Oscar win, Bomman and Bellie, the couple from the Kattunayakan tribal group who were featured in the film, had urged the government to consider building houses for the mahouts.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin interacts with mahout couple Bomman and Bellie on May 13, 2024 during the inauguration of Mahout Village at Theppakadu Elephant Camp. (M.K. Stalin/Facebook) 

“One good thing that has happened is the documentary brought attention to the indigenous people who have been taking care of elephants for generations,” Bomman told Arab News.

“The houses are really a recognition for those who have been taking care of elephants and helped in the preservation of nature.”

For C. Maari, a 52-year-old mahout, the Oscar-winning documentary helped show the possibility of human-wildlife coexistence.

“The documentary no doubt highlighted our issues and the world outside came to know that humans and animals understand each other, and can coexist together if we don’t intrude in each others’ space,” Maari told Arab News.

He is hopeful that the new housing will help his community better take care of the elephants.

“I am really happy that I got the house. Earlier, we used to live in a hut without any facilities inside the jungle. We used to struggle for basic amenities, like toilets and other facilities,” he said.

“For generations, we have been friends with elephants and we understand their needs. Both of us have been surviving together for generations and the houses are the recognition of our contribution in maintaining the animal world.”


Putin eases access to Russian citizenship for Georgian breakaway regions

Updated 17 May 2025
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Putin eases access to Russian citizenship for Georgian breakaway regions

  • Under the decree, applicants will no longer be required to permanently reside in Russia
  • Georgia and Russia have no diplomatic relations since the 2008 war

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a decree simplifying access to Russian citizenship for people from two Georgian breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Under the decree, applicants will no longer be required to permanently reside in Russia to get citizenship, or prove their knowledge of the Russian language or culture.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia are recognized by most of the world as Georgian territory, but has been under de-facto Russian control since a brief 2008 war between Moscow and Tbilisi.

In Abkhazia, another pro-Russian president recently won an election after the previous one was ousted following tense protests over a bill giving Russians easier access to coastal property along the Black Sea.

Georgia and Russia have no diplomatic relations since the 2008 war, but critics accuse the current Georgian ruling party of being pro-Russian, and claim it came to power as a result of a rigged election.

Georgia, which shares a border with Russia, declined to join international financial and economic sanctions against Moscow over its Ukraine offensive, or to support Kyiv with military equipment.


Militants kill at least 23 in Nigeria attack, security sources say

Updated 17 May 2025
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Militants kill at least 23 in Nigeria attack, security sources say

MAIDUGURI: At least 23 farmers and fishermen were killed and others abducted by suspected Islamist militants in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state this week, security sources and local residents told Reuters.
Nigeria has been grappling with a long-running insurgency in its northeast, primarily driven by the Islamist armed group Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province.
The latest attack happened in the village of Malam Karanti on Thursday morning, the security sources and residents said.
A spokesman for Nigeria’s army did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking comment.
Local resident Sani Auwal said by phone that militants had gathered farmers and fishermen near the village and killed 23 people, many of them bean farmers. They spared an elderly man who later alerted the community, he said.
Another local resident Usman Ali said the community had tried to recover the bodies of those killed but had been chased back by the militants.
Last month Borno’s governor acknowledged that Boko Haram had renewed attacks and kidnappings in the state, reversing previous gains by security forces.