SKOPJE: A 20-year-old man was arrested in North Macedonia suspected of planning a mass murder, authorities said on Friday, after being tipped off by US intelligence.
Police said the suspect was inspired by the notorious Sandy Hook school massacre in December 2012, when a 20-year-old man killed 26 people including 20 children at a school in Connecticut.
FBI investigators spotted threats on the social app Discord in late January and informed the US embassy in Skopje which contacted the local authorities, police said in a statement.
“The suspect sent a serious threat that he was ready to carry out an attack with a firearm — an AK-47 automatic rifle... while saying that he had impaired mental health,” it said.
Police tracked the message to the village of Mala Recica, west of the capital Skopje, and arrested two people.
The police said the suspect was charged with terrorism, while another, aged 89, was charged with weapons and explosives offenses. Media reported that the second suspect was the young man’s grandfather.
During searches officers seized various firearms, state prosecutors said in a statement.
The police said the weapons included an AK-47, two handguns and hundreds of pieces of ammunition plus body armor, knives and electronics.
The prosecutors’ office said the suspect was remanded in custody for a month.
North Macedonia police arrest man accused of planning mass murder
https://arab.news/j2b68
North Macedonia police arrest man accused of planning mass murder
- Police said the suspect was inspired by the notorious Sandy Hook school massacre in December 2012
- Police tracked the message to the village of Mala Recica, west of the capital Skopje
Fire at Cape Town airport disrupts international flights
- Images shared online showed travelers evacuating South Africa’s second-busiest airport
- The fire occurred just days after the announcement of a major phased infrastructure upgrade project at the airport
CAPE TOWN: A fire broke out at Cape Town International Airport Tuesday, prompting passenger evacuations and disrupting international flights to and from South Africa’s popular tourist city before being brought under control.
Images shared online showed travelers evacuating South Africa’s second-busiest airport with suitcases as smoke filled the terminal and sirens rang to alert passengers of an emergency evacuation.
“Cape Town International Airport confirms that a fire occurred on the landslide of the airport,” Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) said in a statement, adding that the blaze had been “extinguished” with no injuries.
“As a precautionary measure, international departures have been temporarily suspended, and incoming international flights are being diverted,” the statement said, as the fire had affected “network and IT services.”
International flights that had already landed were still being processed, it said.
The fire occurred just days after the announcement of a major phased infrastructure upgrade project at the airport.
According to ACSA statistics, Cape Town airport recorded 11.1 million two-way passengers in 2025, including 3.33 million international travelers.
