An alleged mercenary has been arrested in London over a plot to kidnap the boss of an Albanian crime gang in revenge for a multimillion-pound drug theft. Latvian national Ainis Balodis, 45, was one of four men held in an international operation led by German police earlier this month.
The group, some of whom are former French Foreign Legion soldiers, are said by police to be highly trained and were equipped with professional equipment.They were allegedly hired by an organised crime group to kidnap the leader of a rival drug trafficking gang.
Read more…
Source: Sky News
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Controlled explosion takes place in Cheltenham field after homeowner discovers four grenades
October 24, 2019
A field in Cheltenham was the location for a controlled explosion earlier today after a homeowner had an unwelcome surprise. Four grenades were found at their property in the town, so they went to the local police station to report the find. Gloucestershire Constabulary notified bomb disposal experts who collected the ammunition from the resident. A spokesman for ...
- British police have foiled 24 terror plots since ISIS-inspired Westminster attack in March 2017
October 22, 2019
Britain’s top police chief says investigators have foiled 24 terrorist plots since April 2017. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick today gave the updated figure, which includes 16 Islamist plots and eight inspired by extreme right-wing views. At the beginning of last month the UK’s most senior counter-terrorism officer said the number of foiled terrorist plots since the March ...
- Manchester Arena attack: Public inquiry to be held into deaths
October 22, 2019
A public inquiry will be held to investigate the deaths of the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, the Home Office has said. The inquiry will be chaired by Sir John, a retired High Court judge who was nominated by the Lord Chief Justice to lead the investigation and inquest into the deaths. Sir John previously ...
- The annual gathering of the world’s EOD community
October 21, 2019
Explosive weapons, both conventional munition or improvised explosive, have become a fact of modern conflict. Behind the conflict, this threat for millions across the globe is, in reality, a fact of life which continues to decimate communities across the world. UNICEF estimates one casualty every 20 minutes caused by explosive weapons. Responding to this ongoing crisis, ...
- Alleged jihadist in court accused of plot to blow up St Paul’s Cathedral
October 16, 2019
An alleged female jihadist has appeared in court accused of plotting to blow up St Paul’s Cathedral in a suicide attack. Safiyya Amira Shaikh, from Hayes, Middlesex, was arrested last week and charged in connection with the alleged Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) plot. Prosecutors claim the 36-year-old carried out a reconnaissance trip to ...
- Royal Navy helps Ukraine face ‘real threat’ from Russia
October 8, 2019
The Royal Navy has been helping its counterparts in Ukraine deal with a “real threat” from Russia. A team of instructors from the Defence Diving School on Horsea Island in Portsmouth headed to the eastern Ukrainian city of Berdyansk, on the coast off the Sea Azov, to deliver mine counter-measures training. It was the first time sessions ...
- UK aid-funded mine clearance success in Angola to be repeated in Zimbabwe
October 6, 2019
Thousands of people will be safe from the threat of landmines in Zimbabwe, thanks to fresh UK support for demining charity The HALO Trust. UK aid will match public donations to the charity’s Zimbabwe appeal, International Development Secretary Alok Sharma announced today (Sunday 6th October). Zimbabwe is still one of the worst affected countries in the world ...
- Bomb squad called to Kirkdale industrial estate after ‘World War II shell’ found
October 1, 2019
The bomb squad was called out to a Kirkdale industrial estate today following the discovery of a suspected artillery shell. Officers were called at about 8am after the item was found on grounds in Junction Road at the small industrial estate. There were unconfirmed reports the artillery shell was a World War II bomb which had been unearthed Read more… Source: Liverpool Echo
- Market exploration: remote handling and manipulation
October 1, 2019
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is scoping the potential for an innovation challenge, seeking capability for remotely handling and manipulating highly sensitive liquid and solid explosives. Moving house can be a stressful time, and there’s extra pressure when you have to pack your boxes and make sure your valuable items are packed, stored and transported ...
- Less Lethal Weapons (subjects at a distance) Market Exploration
September 30, 2019
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are scoping systems that can temporarily neutralise a subject at a distance The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are scoping the potential for an innovation challenge to showcase, procure or develop mature concepts and technologies ...
- Men jailed for total of 33 years after blowing up Co-op cash machine in Kennington, Kent
September 27, 2019
Two men who blew up cash machines in Kent with TNT to steal £35,000 in a series of potentially lethal explosions have been jailed for 33 years. Judge James O’Mahoney told Victor Coseru, 27, and Gica-Fanica Radu, 36, their use of improvised bombs “was as serious a matter as can be.” Police have released images of the pair blowing up cash ...
- UK Government admits further breach of ban on arms sales to Saudi Arabia
September 26, 2019
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss was forced to admit to further breaches of a legal undertaking that Britain will halt arms exports to Saudi Arabia. In an embarrassing acknowledgement of continuing problems with controls on weapons exports, Ms Truss said an internal review had uncovered a licence allowing the repair of equipment used by Saudi forces to detect improvised ...
- Boy, 12, seriously injured by ‘explosive device’ in Plymouth
September 24, 2019
Two people – aged 16 and 64 – have been arrested on the same day police and navy bomb experts seized a number of other devices from properties in the city A 12-year-old boy has been left in a serious condition following an incident involving an explosive device in Plymouth. Police were placed on high alert amid reports ...
- Manchester Airport train station evacuated over ‘suspicious package’
September 23, 2019
Manchester Airport train station has been evacuated and a man detained after reports of a suspicious package. Greater Manchester Police said bomb disposal officers carried out a controlled explosion and a cordon had been put in place. All trains, trams and buses are currently suspended to and from the station. People have been asked to follow directions from ...
- One in three planned attacks linked to far-Right, says police chief
September 20, 2019
Neil Basu, the UK head of counter-terrorism, said seven of the 22 plots foiled since March 2017 have been linked to the far-Right. Around 80 of the 800 live investigations were linked to Right-wing terrorism. The Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner said yesterday: “It’s small but it’s my fastest-growing problem. Despite the increases, Right-wing terrorism remains a ...