North and South Korea on Wednesday test-launched ballistic missiles hours apart from each other in a display of military might.
The moves came amidst a failed diplomatic push to strip North Korea of its nuclear program by rival South and its European and Asian allies.
South Korea’s presidential office said it conducted its first underwater ballistic missile test on Wednesday afternoon while the North followed suit hours later.
Seoul added that a domestically-built missile fired from a 3,000-ton-class submarine flew over a set distance before hitting a designated target.
North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, in a statement, criticized his South Korean counterpart and threatened a “complete destruction” of bilateral relations.
In a statement carried by state media, Kim slammed Moon Jae-in for describing North Korean weapons demonstrations as a provocation, and warned of a “complete destruction” of bilateral relations if he continues with the slander of North Korea.
The missiles launch underscored a return of tensions between the rivals at a time when talks aimed at stripping North Korea of its nuclear program had stalled.
The French parliament had approved the suspension of unvaccinated health workers from Wednesday in a bid to protect the public from the COVID-19 pandemic.
French has witnessed a recent surge in the pandemic in the last few weeks.
The country had 113,000 fatalities since the beginning of the pandemic and France health authorities said most of those hospitalized in the most recent surge were not vaccinated.
With as many as 300,000 workers still not vaccinated, some hospitals fear staff shortages will add to their strain.
Vaccines are now compulsory for medical care, home care, and emergency workers in France and Wednesday has been given as the deadline for such staff to have had at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The government’s spokesman, Gabriel Attal, said the move was aimed at protecting the country’s fragile populations.
He said: “It’s aimed at one thing: protecting hospitals, protecting health care workers, protecting our fragile populations.
“We are not stigmatizing anyone. We are making everyone take responsibility.”
“Shine Ya Eye” Romeo, Saga has blown up his first ever prank task issued by Big Brother.
The housemate ratted himself out to his love interest Nini following her emotional break down from a fight with co-housemate Cross.
Recall Biggie instructed Saga and Liquorose to prank their love interests in exchange for juicy financial gains. The housemates were meant to pick fights with Nini and Emmanuel respectively till the next diary session.
However, following Nini’s early morning gbas gbos session with Cross, Saga in an attempt to console her admitted that the silent treatment from the night before was based on Big Brother’s directive.
Meanwhile, Nini got into a heated exchange with Cross following an argument in the bathroom. The exchange left both housemates in tears.
The married father of two was reportedly leaning down to pick up a dropped item when his car rolled forward and pinned him between the door and frame in Vancouver.
A man in Canada was crushed to death by his own car in a McDonald’s drive-through last week in what local police called a “tragic death.”
Eyles leaned out of the vehicle to pick up an item that fell as he was trying to pay for his order at a McDonald’s drive-thru window in downtown Vancouver and was crushed by his car, police said. VPD said surveillance video showed that when Eyles opened his car door to pick up the dropped item, “the vehicle rolled forward, colliding into a structural piece of the restaurant. The driver was unable to free himself from the vehicle as he was pinned between the vehicle door and frame.” “Efforts were made by first responders to revive the man, but tragically, he died on scene,” Constable Tania Visintin of the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement. “This is an absolutely heartbreaking scenario. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of this man.” Local news reports said that Eyles’ co-workers and family raised tens of thousands of dollars for the man’s widow and two young children.
Eyles’ brother-in-law, Neal Pender, told CTV that Eyles was an elevator mechanic who serviced high-rises in downtown Vancouver.
Some members of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) has reportedly rejected, Mrs Evelyn Joshua, wife of late founder, T.B Joshua as successor.
In a statement signed by one Adedeji Opeyemi, President of GCSM, and Secretary, Mr. Brown Chimieze, a group under the auspices of Global Congress of SCOAN Members, (GCSM-) the SCOAN members called on people all over the world to help in “sustaining the church from ruins”.
“We are worried about the emergence of Mrs Evelyn Joshua, the wife of the late founder who made unilateral declaration of herself as the new leader of the Church. “She claimed a congregation of 2000 Church members appointed her. This is ridiculous: Where did the meeting hold? Was it through a Yes vote? Was it through election? Was it through ‘anointing’ by the 2000 members? “Where is the resolution of the 2000 members? Can 2000 members pick a successor in a Church with millions of members all over the world in five continents? What is the constitution of the Church? Was it followed? “Mrs. Evelyn Joshua is not a Pastor. She was never anointed by Pastor Joshua. She was not part of the founding members of the Church. What is the basis of her emergence as the person now parading herself as the new leader? “Under the aegis of SCOAN Congress, made up of members from 188 countries, we shall continue to inform and educate the public, peoples all over the world on every development at SCOAN until wisdom, the ways of God and common sense prevail.” The statement reads.
An Osun High Court sitting in Osogbo on Tuesday ordered the remand of a masquerader custodian, Kayode Esuleke, in Ilesa Correctional Centre over alleged murder of a Muslim cleric, Moshood Salawudeen. The Presiding Judge, Justice Ayo Oyebiyi, ordered that the defendant with his son, Ifasola Esuleke, be remanded in prison custody due to the magnitude of the alleged offense. The State Prosecutor, Mr Abiodun Badiora, had told the court that the defendant with his son committed the offense on June 27, at Arayin street in Osogbo metropolis.
Badiora said followers of the masquerader and Muslim worshippers clashed at Kamarudeen mosque, resulting in the death of one person while several property were destroyed. He said the clash with the Muslim worshippers at the mosque led to breach of peace during which one of the Muslim worshippers was killed while many were inflicted with injuries and the mosque destroyed. He said the offense committed contravened Sections 83, 249 (1)(d), 35, 320 (1)(2), 451, and 319 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 , Vol.11, Law of Osun, 2002 The defendants pleaded not guilty to the 13-count charge of murder, attempted murder, malicious damage, assault, breach of public peace and engaging in a public fight. The defense counsel, Mr Abimbola Ige, prayed the court to grant his clients bail in the most liberal terms. Justice Oyebiyi, however, overruled the bail application by the defense counsel and ordered that the defendants be remanded in Ilesa Correctional Facility. He adjourned the case until Sept. 21 for consideration of bail.
Popular Nigerian singer and philanthropist, Florence Otedola otherwise known as DJ Cuppy, has revealed she feeds about 70,000 children on a daily basis in Borno State.
Cuppy who was recently appointed by the Lagos State Government as one of the ambassadors of the Lagos SDGs Youth Alliance network, made this revelation in an interview with TVC. According to her she puts her resources into helping the needy, especially children because she believes they are the leaders of tomorrow.
Speaking on her new appointment, she said.
“On a daily basis, we feed about 70,000 children in Borno State and this is something that I do because I believe in tomorrow’s leaders. So, I’m not here as a celebrity but a humanitarian. This project is about asking young people what our struggles are. Youth will also be able to give feedback on how they think the government is doing and how they can improve”. As we all know that young people are tomorrow’s leaders. I want to use this platform to encourage young people that education is great and knowledge is power”.
Nigerian Government has announced that it will commence COVID-19 vaccination in churches and other Christian worship centres.
According to the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib on Tuesday, the agency has introduced ‘Sunday Vaccination’ as part of the Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out. She disclosed this while addressing Christian leaders about the need for COVID-19 vaccination, in Abuja.
“Your Eminence, the CAN President (Samson Ayokunle), distinguished Christian leaders, ladies, and gentlemen, I am glad to inform you that from this Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine roll out, we have introduced ‘Sunday Vaccination’.
“This is to ensure members of the Christian community who may not have had access to the vaccine for whatever reason are given an opportunity to be vaccinated at their worship places.
“I must say that feedback from the field is very encouraging and I sincerely thank all Christian leaders who have given the vaccination team access to their churches and their members to receive COVID-19 vaccine during Sunday service,” she said.
A group, Movement for a Socialist Alternative, has kicked against the University of Benin, Edo State’s extra N20,000 charge imposed by the management for the late payment of school fees.
The UNIBEN had earlier announced that students who did not pay school fees within the stipulated time will have to pay extra charges and may likely have their studentship withdrawn.
The statement signed by the school public relations officer, Dr. Benedicta Ehanire noted that “registration by all students closes on 3rd September, 2021; and after such date, students will no longer have access to the school portal.”
The group, Movement for a Socialist Alternative, disclosed that late payment was not a criminal offence, while they rejected expulsion as punishment for late payment of school fees and 20,000 additional charges.
This was revealed in a statement obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday. It partly reads, “With the recent directive by the Salami-led school management to expulse students who fail to meet the deadline and its supposedly ₦20,000 charge imposed as penalty fee for late payers, it is clear that the management is not considerate.
“In this light, The Movement for Socialist Alternative, calls on the Salami-led school management to reverse its anti-student policies. For the mere fact that it is averse to the very time we live in— an attack on the democratic and fundamental rights of every student to access free and quality education.
“Strangely, the Salami led management is driven by the logic of profit; painfully, not the supposed “motherly care” that was sentimentally canvassed as the driving spirit of her administration.
“We are forced to think, therefore, why the management has chosen to display this level of desperation? And clearly willing to defeat the very essence of its establishment to allow everyone access to education.” The group said the policy is akin to a military mentality and being imposed by a generation of administrators who basically attended free and affordable institutions.
“How can one possible envisage a scenario wherein a 300 or even a final year student so financial challenged would lose all of his or her year of struggle, hard work and study on account of not being able to immediately pay the school fees?
“Interestingly, this draconian policy, is akin to a military mentality, is being imposed by a generation of administrators who basically attended free and affordable institutions; who were at liberty to pay even to the point of graduation when they had their final clearance.
“This is the very same thing that should be continued; given the current climate of economic difficulties, the crisis of poverty wages, and the late payment of salaries.”
They noted that there are self-sponsoring students, who side by side with the economic hardship and high cost of living, still struggle to be in school and privatize education, and make it exclusively an affair for only the super-rich in the society must be rejected. The time to organise is now. We call on ASUU in UNIBEN to stand up to be counted and alalso reject this draconian and inhumane approach to student’s right to education.
“As opposed to the management’s policies, we call on the Salami-led school management to put in place policies and programme up to the point of scholarship for indigent and financially challenged students. Such programme’s structures and facilities can help access fund for students that are orphaned for the duration of their academic programme,” the statement added.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Cabinet has included six Nigerians in its terror watch list in a new release on Monday.
In a resolution the Cabinet issued with the number 83 for 2021, 38 individuals and 15 entities were placed on the list of persons and organisations supporting terrorism.
According to the release, “the Resolution underscores the UAE’s commitment to target and dismantle networks that finance terrorism and its related activities.”
The UAE Resolution also “demands that regulatory authorities monitor and identify any individuals or entities affiliated with or associated with any financial, commercial or technical relationship and take the necessary measures according to the laws in force in the country in less than 24 hours.”
The six Nigerians included in the UAE terror watch list include Abdurrahaman Ado Musa who is number 27 on list.
Others are Salihu Yusuf Adamu, 28, Bashir Ali Yusuf, 29, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, 30, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, 31, and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad, who made the list at number 32.
Top on the list is a national of the UAE and a terrorists figure who is also on the watch of the US and other international bodies, Ahmed Mohammed Abdulla Mohammed Alshaiba Alnuaimi.
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane from Islamabad, touched down in Kabul on Monday morning, following the withdrawal of US and allied troops from Afghanistan.
It marks the first flight to land in Afghanistan from neighboring Pakistan since the chaotic final withdrawal of troops last month.
A statement by PIA spokesman, Abdullah Khan, said the service was a “special flight” to create “goodwill” with the people of Afghanistan and to “strengthen humanitarian efforts,” noting it was “not an aid flight” as wrongly speculated.
Khan said the Boeing 777 aircraft departed Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital city, at 6:45 a.m. local time after special arrangements had been made by Afghanistan’s civil aviation authorities and PIA’s staff.
Foreign journalists traveled into the Afghan capital on the flight while employees of the World Bank were brought back to Islamabad on the return leg, the spokesman said.
Last week, two Qatar Airways passenger planes, both carrying more than 100 foreign nationals, departed from Kabul and landed in Doha as the new Taliban regime begins a phased opening up to the outside world.
The flights signal that at least some foreign nationals who want to leave Afghanistan will be able to do so, following weeks of uncertainty, a Middle East security expert said while commending the PIA for the initiative.
Former United States President Donald Trump, has described his successor, Joe Biden, as a “total disaster” and “an incompetent leader”.
He said he (Trump) would have no choice but to run for presidency in 2024 to save the country from collapse.
Trump, in an interview with Fox News aired on Monday, said the country is “getting to a point where we really have no choice” but for him to run for president again.
Asked about his plans for a potential White House bid in 2024, Trump said:
“I don’t think we’re going to have a choice. It is disgraceful.”
Trump went on to bill the Biden administration’s withdrawal of U.S. military assets from Afghanistan as the “greatest embarrassment in the history of our country.”
“When you look at Afghanistan and what happened, and the death for no reason, just for no reason,” Trump said, adding that military “parents – they want to speak with me – they don’t want to speak with Biden.”
“They’re just devastated. It is getting to a point where we really have no choice,” he added.
Trump went on to slam President Biden as “an incompetent person as the leader of our country” and called his administration “divisive.”
“They keep telling everyone how they want to get together, to be inclusive – they’re not inclusive. They are very, very dividing and divisive.”
Amnesty International (AI) has released a report indicating an increasing number of children being killed or targeted for recruitment by armed groups in conflicts raging at Niger’s borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.
The report released on Monday, stated that the crisis has become so alarming that whole regions in the arid West African has become a disaster zone.
“In Niger’s Tillaberi region, an entire generation is growing up surrounded by death and destruction,” Matt Wells, AI’s Deputy Director for Crisis Response said in a statement.
Armed groups have repeatedly attacked schools and reserves, and are targeting children for recruitment,” he added in a statement.
Amnesty blamed the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and the al-Qaida-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), for causing the “devastating impact on children” in the region.
The 57-page report documented the impact on children of the conflict in Niger’s western Tillaberi, an area of 100,000 square kilometers (38,000 square miles) on the borders of Mali and Burkina Faso that is home to different ethnic groups such as Djerma, Fulani, Tuareg and Hausa.
According to the conflict tracking organization, ACLED, which was cited by Amnesty International, violence against civilians has led to 544 conflict-related deaths from January to July 23 this year, already exceeding the 397 people killed in the whole of 2020.
“Armed groups have killed more than 60 children in Niger’s tri-border area in 2021,” the report said, adding that the ISGS, which operates primarily on the border with Mali, appears responsible for most of the large-scale killing.
During the research for the report, Amnesty spoke to 16 boys who had narrowly survived ISGS attacks on their villages.
“We all are used to hearing gunshots and to seeing [dead] people layered on top of dead people,” one boy, age 13 or 14, said.
“We all are used to hearing gunshots and to seeing [dead] people layered on top of dead people,” one boy, age 13 or 14, said.
Another boy, who witnessed the killing of his 12-year-old friend Wahab in March, told the researchers:
“I think of Wahab and how he was killed. Sometimes, I have nightmares of being chased by people on motorbikes or seeing Wahab pleading with the attackers again,” he said.
“ISGS and JNIM have committed war crimes and other abuses in the conflict, including the murder of civilians and targeting of schools.
“Many children are experiencing trauma after witnessing deadly attacks on their villages.
“In some areas, women and girls have been barred from activities outside the home, and risk abduction or forced marriage to fighters,” the report said.
The Nigerien government and its international partners must urgently take action to monitor and prevent further abuses and protect the basic rights of all those affected by this deadly conflict — especially children,” Wells said.
The socialite and entertainment promoter, Ola Ibironke popularly known as Dudu Heritage, husband of famous Nollywood actress, Bimbo Oshin, has died.
He died on Sunday evening. It was learnt that he slumped and died while playing golf.
The deceased was the captain of the popular Ibadan Golf Club. He was also a music promoter, who was hailed by Fuji maestro, Abass Akande Obesere.
The Ibadan Golf Club has confirmed the death of Ibironke, who relocated from the United States to Nigeria many years ago to run his business.
According to a statement on Monday, the management said the club is in shock by “the sudden demise”. “The flag will be hoisted at half-mast. Our prayers are with his family and members of this great club,” it read.
The golf course has been closed and all activities suspended until further notice. The family said burial arrangements will announced in due course.
Two-year-old twins have died after they fell from the 10th floor at a block of flats in Romania while their mother was live streaming on Facebook and a friend was looking after the siblings.
The death of the twins, a boy and a girl named Moise Cristian Petrice and Beatrice-Erica Petrice, took place on the night of August 11 in Ploiesti, a city in eastern Romania, around 35 miles from the capital Bucharest.
Police say the twins’ mother was streaming live on Facebook when she heard the sounds of ambulances, but she had no idea there was a problem at her house until a person knocked hard on the apartment door, at which moment the woman stopped the live stream.
However, speaking on Romanian chat show Access Direct on August 18, the mum Andreea Violeta Petrice and her friend, named only as Alina, had two very different versions of events, and they launched serious allegations at each other regarding what happened that night.
Andreea claimed she was sleeping in another room with her eldest son because he was extremely aggressive towards the twins. She said the twins were being watched by her friend Alina. Andreea said she later went to check on the twins and discovered they were missing, noting that their usually tidy room was a complete mess with upturned furniture and nappies scattered all over the room.
The window was also open and Andreea accused her friend of being involved in the twins’ death, saying the mattress was off the bed and on the floor and that she does not think her two-year-old twins would have been able to remove it themselves.
Furthermore, according to Romanian news outlet Spy News, one of the twins, Beatrice, had a health problem that affected her right foot, making it impossible for her to walk properly, and it has been speculated that she would not have been able to climb on the table or on the bed on her own.
The mother also accused Alina of having taken illegal substances at the time of the tragic incident. Alina was taken to hospital where it was revealed that she had not taken any illegal drugs, according to Spy News.
The twins had celebrated their second birthday just one month before their untimely deaths. Their heartbroken mum has reportedly been receiving psychiatric care after the tragic incident.
Telling her own side of the story, Alina claimed that Andreea was a careless mother. Alina said that she took extremely good care of her friend’s kids, and that she even wanted to become a full-time nanny.
She said Andreea suggested she babysit the twins, adding that she looks after them so often her own children have become a secondary consideration. The police investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The protest was held a few days ahead of a million man match scheduled to hold on Tuesday during the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States.
Yoruba Nation agitators on Saturday stormed the streets of Liverpool, the United Kingdom to continue their demand for a separate nation.
The protest was held a few days ahead of a million man match scheduled to hold on Tuesday during the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States.
The agitators also demanded the release of Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, who has been detained in Benin Republic since his arrest on July 19.
The protesters displayed various placards on which were written, “Self-determination is our right, not a crime, save us from Boko Haram”, “Stop the systematic genocide in Yorubaland”, “No Yoruba territory, no election in Nigeria 2023,” among other inscriptions.
The protest was held alongside another by some members of the UK Labour Party and others in an attempt to stop a controversial electronic arms fair from taking place. The former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was also in attendance.
One of the party leaders said, “I was born in Nigeria, it is a country which was formed by British imperialism after the slave trade, and today, we continue to suffer over there at the wrong hands of arms sold from this part of the world and we have some campaigners here who have banners saying, ‘Boko Haram are terrorists, not bandits’, ‘Buhari must go’, ’Nigeria is bleeding’.
SaharaReporters revealed that the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS) vowed to go ahead with its planned one million march in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Separatist groups in the country under NINAS had earlier announced that they would hold a one million march to reiterate the demand for a referendum on self-determination and abolition of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
NINAS is an umbrella body of self-determination movements in the South-South, South-East, Middle Belt, and South-West (Ilana Omo Oodua).
The protest will be led by renowned Yoruba historian, Prof Banji Akintoye; a respected scholar, Yusuf Turaki; Secretary-General of NINAS, Tony Nnadi; pioneer Commissioner for Education in Osun State and National Chairman of Ilana Omo Oodua, Wale Adeniran, among others.
It was learnt that Nigerians in the diaspora from the South-East, South-South, South-West, and Middle Belt’s clans, living in the United States of America, are being mobilised to stand up for their indigenous nationalities.
Akintoye, during a recent interview said, “We want to show the world our plight so that we can see solutions. We can’t keep quiet. The mega rallies held in the South-West were a success, and it is not enough, but we need the world to understand our current plight.
“The Federal Government has tried to clamp down on our rallies, and some of the peaceful protesters were attacked, and some were arrested. We decided the rally that we’ve held at home is not enough, we need to go international.
“This rally is coming at a time the UN General Assembly is going to be meeting in New York. This rally will help in solidifying self-determination agitation.
“The rally is going to be an inclusive one, we’ve done the necessary… We’ve formed an alliance — NINAS — and we’ve agreed on the rally. We’ll have Yorubas, Igbos, Middle Belt, other regions at the rally.”
The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 8, Lokoja, Ayuba Edeh, has confirmed the killing of two soldiers at a roadblock before the Kabba correctional centre, while over 100 inmates escaped when hoodlums invaded the facility overnight.
The soldiers were said to have mounted a routine checkpoint about 50 metres from the prison situated along the Lokoja- Okebukun-Kabba highway when the hoodlums came and rained bullets on them before invading the prison facility.
An eyewitness account on Monday morning said that the gunmen also sprayed bullets on an uncompleted building where the soldiers normally occupy before they broke into the correctional centre and released over 100 of the inmates.
The account said some of the correctional officers on guard were fatally injured, while one of the soldiers who made an attempt to flee was also hit in the leg.
A source also confirmed that three of the prisoners were rearrested at about 8.00 am on Monday beside Kudon hotel, Kabba, as they tried to board an Ilorin-bound vehicle.
Confirming the incident, Edeh said that the state Commissioner of Police and other heads of security agencies have swung into action to do an assessment of the cause of the invasion.
Our correspondent also learnt that the state controller of the correctional service, along with the state security adviser, Jerry Omodara, have gone to Kabba for an on-the-spot assessment.
In an Instagram Live session monitored by PUNCH Sports Extra. Heartland goalie, Ezenwa who hosted the session, had stated that as players who represented the nation and qualified them for the World Cup had the right to vie for posts in the Nigeria Football Federation set-up or any other political office.
Ezenwa went on to suggest that Ighalo could take up a political office someday but the former Eagles forward said he had no such plans, saying he detested politics.
“I don’t want to be president of anything. I don’t even like politics. I just want to play football, make money to feed myself, my children and my mother, that’s all.”
Ighalo who scored 16 goals in 35 matches for the national team also ruled out taking any football related political position.
“Some of us don’t want anything to do with Nigerian football after our retirement.”
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released the first documents related to its investigation of the September 9, 2001, terrorist attacks, popularly known as 9/11.
The documents which came 20 years after the unprecedented attacks suspected to be the brain child of the Saudi government, followed an executive order by President Joe Biden.
The declassified document released on Saturday, catalogues reports from as early as 2016, which provided details of the FBI’s work to investigate the alleged logistical support that a Saudi consular official and a suspected Saudi intelligence agent in Los Angeles, provided to at least two of the men involved in the hijacking of the planes used in the attacks.
The document, released on the 20th anniversary of the deadly attacks, still contains significant redactions.
It details multiple connections and witness testimony that prompted FBI suspicion of Omar al-Bayoumi, who was purportedly a Saudi student in Los Angeles, but whom the FBI suspected to be a Saudi intelligence agent.
The FBI document describes him as deeply involved in providing “travel assistance, lodging and financing” to help the two hijackers.
The Saudi embassy in Washington, DC, previously said that it “welcomes the release of” the FBI documents and that” any allegation that Saudi Arabia is complicit in the September 11 attacks is categorically false.”
Biden’s executive order came after more than 1,600 people affected by the attacks sent a letter asking him to refrain from going to Ground Zero in New York City to mark the 20th anniversary unless he released the information.
The letter in part questioned the role of Saudi Arabia, suggesting that members of the Saudi Arabian government had been involved in “supporting the attacks.”
Shortly after the letter, the Department of Justice announced it would review what previously withheld information or documents related to the September 11, 2001, attacks it can disclose to the public.
The Israeli police says it has recaptured four of the six Palestinian prisoners who escaped from a prison in Northern Israel on Monday.
Announcing the feat in a statement on Saturday, the police say the first two prisoners were arrested on Friday evening in Nazareth, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Gilboa prison where the breakout happened
The other two escapees, according to the statement, were nabbed in the early hours of Saturday in the village of Umm Al-Ghanam, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the prison.
The first two men were identified as Mahmoud Al-Ardda and Yacoub Al-Qadri, while the later two, Zakaria Zubeidi and Mohammed Al-Ardda, were recaptured inside a truck in a parking lot after an operation involving soldiers, police and intelligence officers.
News of the recapture will ease the pressure slightly on Israeli authorities left reeling after it emerged the six men were able to take advantage of underground passageways built to carry the prison’s drainage system to aid their escape.
The Israeli media had made a meal of the audacious escape of the prisoners and widely reported that prison watchtowers were left unmanned, or that the guards were asleep as the breakout happened.
It had also emerged in the Israeli media that the prison blueprints, showing the passageways, had been uploaded onto the Internet by the building architects, though it is not known if the prisoners took advantage of the information in their escape.
Five of the men are members of the militant Islamic Jihad group.
Mohammed Al-Ardda and Mahmoud Al-Ardda are brothers while Zubeidi is a former commander of the armed wing of the largest Palestinian faction, Fatah.
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