WEEKEND OF ASSASSINATIONS
Former Indian lawmaker and brother shot dead on live TVIssued on: 16/04/2023 -
Police and media surround the area where former MP Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot in Uttar Pradesh, India, Saturday, April 15, 2023
. © Rajesh Kumar Singh, AP
Text by:NEWS WIRES
A former Indian lawmaker convicted of kidnapping and facing murder and assault charges was shot dead along with his brother in a dramatic attack that was caught live on TV in northern India, officials said Sunday.
Atiq Ahmad and his brother, Ashraf Ahmad, were under police escort on their way to a medical checkup at a hospital on Saturday night when three men posing as journalists targeted the two brothers from close range in Prayagraj city in Uttar Pradesh state.
The men quickly surrendered to the police after the shooting, with at least one of them chanting “Jai Shri Ram” or “Hail Lord Ram,” a slogan that has become a battle cry for Hindu nationalists in their campaign against Muslims.
Uttar Pradesh is governed by India’s ruling Hindu-nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party.
Police officer Ramit Sharma said the three assailants came on motorcycles posing as journalists.
“They managed to reach close to Atiq and his brother on the pretext of recording a byte and fired at them from close range. Both sustained bullet injuries on the head," he said.
“It all happened in seconds," Sharma said.
On Thursday, Atiq Ahmad's teenage son and another man, who had both been blamed for a recent murder, were killed by police in what was described as a shootout.
Atiq Ahmad, 60, was jailed in 2019 after he was convicted of kidnapping. He was a local lawmaker four times and was also elected to India's parliament in 2004.
His lawyer, Vijay Mishra, said the incident was shocking as “it is a clear failure of the police in ensuring the safety" of his clients.
Opposition parties criticized the killings as a security lapse.
(AP)
A former Indian lawmaker convicted of kidnapping and facing murder and assault charges was shot dead along with his brother in a dramatic attack that was caught live on TV in northern India, officials said Sunday.
Atiq Ahmad and his brother, Ashraf Ahmad, were under police escort on their way to a medical checkup at a hospital on Saturday night when three men posing as journalists targeted the two brothers from close range in Prayagraj city in Uttar Pradesh state.
The men quickly surrendered to the police after the shooting, with at least one of them chanting “Jai Shri Ram” or “Hail Lord Ram,” a slogan that has become a battle cry for Hindu nationalists in their campaign against Muslims.
Uttar Pradesh is governed by India’s ruling Hindu-nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party.
Police officer Ramit Sharma said the three assailants came on motorcycles posing as journalists.
“They managed to reach close to Atiq and his brother on the pretext of recording a byte and fired at them from close range. Both sustained bullet injuries on the head," he said.
“It all happened in seconds," Sharma said.
On Thursday, Atiq Ahmad's teenage son and another man, who had both been blamed for a recent murder, were killed by police in what was described as a shootout.
Atiq Ahmad, 60, was jailed in 2019 after he was convicted of kidnapping. He was a local lawmaker four times and was also elected to India's parliament in 2004.
His lawyer, Vijay Mishra, said the incident was shocking as “it is a clear failure of the police in ensuring the safety" of his clients.
Opposition parties criticized the killings as a security lapse.
(AP)
AND ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION
(ACTUALLY ANTI-G7 PROTESTER)
Japan PM Urges Better Security after Blast Targets Speech
Sunday, 16 April, 2023 -
A man is held by police officers after an object was thrown near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a speech in Wakayama, Japan, on April 15, 2023. Reuters
Asharq Al-Awsat
Japan needs to increase security as Group of Seven officials visit, the country's prime minister said Sunday, a day after an explosive was thrown at him during a campaign event.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida escaped unharmed after the device, reportedly a pipe bomb, was thrown towards him as he campaigned in the western city of Wakayama on Saturday.
A 24-year-old man was arrested, but has so far revealed nothing about his motives in the attack, which came as Japan hosts two G7 ministerial meetings.
"At a time when high-ranking officials from all over the world are visiting... Japan as a whole needs to maximize its efforts to ensure security and safety," Kishida told reporters on Sunday.
"It's unforgivable such a violent act was committed during an election campaign," AFP quoted him as saying.
Sunday, 16 April, 2023 -
A man is held by police officers after an object was thrown near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a speech in Wakayama, Japan, on April 15, 2023. Reuters
Asharq Al-Awsat
Japan needs to increase security as Group of Seven officials visit, the country's prime minister said Sunday, a day after an explosive was thrown at him during a campaign event.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida escaped unharmed after the device, reportedly a pipe bomb, was thrown towards him as he campaigned in the western city of Wakayama on Saturday.
A 24-year-old man was arrested, but has so far revealed nothing about his motives in the attack, which came as Japan hosts two G7 ministerial meetings.
"At a time when high-ranking officials from all over the world are visiting... Japan as a whole needs to maximize its efforts to ensure security and safety," Kishida told reporters on Sunday.
"It's unforgivable such a violent act was committed during an election campaign," AFP quoted him as saying.
He said he expected police to step up security measures in the wake of the incident, which came less than a year after Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by a gunman in the western city of Nara.
Japanese prime minister unharmed after blast heard at speech
UPDATED ON: APRIL 15, 2023 / CBS/AFP
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated from a port in Wakayama after someone threw an explosive device in his direction, but he was unharmed in the incident, local media reported Saturday, and a man was arrested at the scene.
Several reports, including by Kyodo news agency, said an apparent "smoke bomb" had been thrown but there were no signs of injuries or damage at the scene. It wasn't immediately clear what the explosive device was or how many the suspect had.
Kishida was in the city to deliver remarks in support of a ruling party candidate when a disturbance rippled through the crowd gathered to hear him speak.
Footage from national broadcaster NHK showed the prime minister turning to look backwards as a person was detained by security and people moved away, some shrieking.
Seconds later, a blast was heard and white smoke filled the air. Cell phone video captured the chaos as the crowd scattered after the sound of the blast.
Footage and photos from the scene showed a silver, pipe-like object on the ground, but it was not immediately clear whether it had caused the blast and smoke.
Government officials said a man had been arrested on suspicion of obstruction of business. He has been identified as a 24-year-old man from the Hyogo region, a Wakayama police official told AFP. There was no immediate information on a potential motive.
One witness Saturday told NHK television that she was standing in the crowd when she saw something come flying from behind. After a sudden loud noise, she fled with her children. Another witness said people were screaming and that he saw someone being apprehended right before the explosion occurred.
"I ran frantically, and then, 10 or so seconds later, there was a loud sound and my kid started crying. I was stunned, my heart is still beating fast," one woman told NHK.
A man at the scene told the broadcaster that "when we all stopped in front of the podium, someone started saying 'culprit!' or something, or 'an explosive was thrown,' so everyone started dispersing fast."
UPDATED ON: APRIL 15, 2023 / CBS/AFP
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated from a port in Wakayama after someone threw an explosive device in his direction, but he was unharmed in the incident, local media reported Saturday, and a man was arrested at the scene.
Several reports, including by Kyodo news agency, said an apparent "smoke bomb" had been thrown but there were no signs of injuries or damage at the scene. It wasn't immediately clear what the explosive device was or how many the suspect had.
Kishida was in the city to deliver remarks in support of a ruling party candidate when a disturbance rippled through the crowd gathered to hear him speak.
Footage from national broadcaster NHK showed the prime minister turning to look backwards as a person was detained by security and people moved away, some shrieking.
Seconds later, a blast was heard and white smoke filled the air. Cell phone video captured the chaos as the crowd scattered after the sound of the blast.
Footage and photos from the scene showed a silver, pipe-like object on the ground, but it was not immediately clear whether it had caused the blast and smoke.
Government officials said a man had been arrested on suspicion of obstruction of business. He has been identified as a 24-year-old man from the Hyogo region, a Wakayama police official told AFP. There was no immediate information on a potential motive.
One witness Saturday told NHK television that she was standing in the crowd when she saw something come flying from behind. After a sudden loud noise, she fled with her children. Another witness said people were screaming and that he saw someone being apprehended right before the explosion occurred.
"I ran frantically, and then, 10 or so seconds later, there was a loud sound and my kid started crying. I was stunned, my heart is still beating fast," one woman told NHK.
A man at the scene told the broadcaster that "when we all stopped in front of the podium, someone started saying 'culprit!' or something, or 'an explosive was thrown,' so everyone started dispersing fast."
"And then, about 10 seconds after the culprit was captured, there was a blast," he said.
Kishida was unharmed, and soon resumed campaigning, including a stop at a local train station.
"There was a loud blast sound at the previous speech venue. Police are investigating details, but I'd like to apologize for worrying many people and causing them trouble," he said.
"An election that's important to our country is taking place, and we must work together and follow through on it."
He made a campaign stop later in the day in Chiba, east of Tokyo, despite the incident, which his party's election strategy chairman Hiroshi Moriyama described as an "unforgivable atrocity."
Saturday's attack comes ahead of nationwide local elections, including several by-elections for vacated parliamentary seats, with voting scheduled for April 23.
Last July, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot while giving an outdoor speech in the western Japanese city of Nara. Police arrested the suspect at the scene, and he was later charged with murder.
The country bolstered security around politicians after Abe's assassination. Security at local campaign events in Japan can be relatively relaxed, in a country with little violent crime and strict gun laws.
The head of Japan's National Police Agency, and the local police chief, resigned in the wake of Abe's assassination after an investigation confirmed "shortcomings" in the security for the former leader.
The incident comes as climate and energy ministers from the Group of Seven countries meet in the northern city of Sapporo, and a day before the bloc's foreign ministers arrive in the resort town of Karuizawa for talks.
Japan will host the G7 leaders' summit next month in Hiroshima and security concerns have regularly been raised.
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