LONDON: A 19-year-old Somali-Norwegian man accused of carrying out a stabbing rampage in London’s Russell Square was remanded into custody Saturday after a court appearance in the British capital.
Zakaria Bulhan of London is accused of slaying 64-year-old American Darlene Horton, a retired teacher. Bulhan also faces five counts of attempted murder in the attack on two Australians, an Israeli, an American and a British citizen. The victims were named in court Saturday for the first time.
Bulhan, who moved from Norway to Britain as a child, mumbled his name, address and date of birth during the hearing Saturday at Westminster Magistrates Court. When asked if he understood the charges, he gave a thumb’s up gesture. He will appear at the Central London Criminal Court on Aug. 9.
Horton was visiting London with her husband, Florida State University psychology professor Richard Wagner, who had been teaching summer classes in London. The couple had been due to fly home the day after the Wednesday attack.
Although London has been on edge because of deadly attacks on the European mainland claimed by Islamic State extremists, police say they’ve found no evidence of radicalization or links to terrorism in this case.
UK court keeps 19-year-old in custody after stabbing rampage
UK court keeps 19-year-old in custody after stabbing rampage
Indonesia to buy Indian-Russian missile system for coastal defense
- BrahMos missile is one of world’s fastest supersonic cruise missiles
- Indonesian government has been working to upgrade its aging military hardware
JAKARTA: Indonesia has agreed to purchase a supersonic missile system from a Russian-Indian company to strengthen security on its coastline, the Ministry of Defense confirmed on Tuesday.
The BrahMos missile is one of the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missiles. It can reach speeds of Mach 2.8, or nearly three times the speed of sound, and be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land.
It was developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between the Indian military research and development agency DRDO and Russian weapons manufacturer NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
“Indonesia has partnered with India to strengthen our defense technology and industry,” Rico Ricardo Sirait, spokesperson for the Indonesian Defense Ministry, told Arab News on Tuesday.
“This includes (the procurement of) the BrahMos missile system to beef up our coastal defense, as part of efforts to modernize our weaponry.”
He declined to disclose more information about the deal.
Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic state with around 18,000 islands and over 7.9 million sq. km of sea, is the latest Southeast Asian nation to acquire the weapons.
In 2022, the Philippines closed a $374 million deal to acquire three BrahMos anti-ship missile batteries, while Vietnam has reportedly been in talks to purchase the weapons system.
Jakarta has been working to upgrade the country’s aging military hardware in recent years, setting aside big budgets for defense spending.
In January, three Rafale fighter jets arrived in Pekanbaru, Riau, from France, marking the first batch of deliveries of a multi-billion-dollar defense deal between the two countries. The next batch is expected to reach Indonesia later this year.
Last year, Indonesia and Turkiye signed a number of defense deals, including an agreement to set up a jointly operated drone factory and the purchase of KAAN fighter jets.
