US citizen held in California on charges of trying to join Islamic State

An American citizen from California who was radicalised by online propaganda travelled overseas to try to join a branch of the Islamic State group in Libya, US prosecutors have said.
A few days before he left in 2016, Bernard Augustine texted an unidentified relative, "If I ever get lucky enough to live in the khilafah, I'll burn my own passport, lol," according to a criminal complaint.
He made it as far as Tunisia but was detained by authorities there before he could carry out his plan, the complaint said.
Augustine, 21, is from the town of Keyes in California's Central Valley. He was jailed without bail yesterday during an initial court appearance in federal court in Brooklyn.

His lawyer, Samuel Jacobson, declined comment.
An examination of Augustine's laptop turned up evidence that he had been viewing Islamic State group material on the Internet, including a video showing the beheadings of Ethiopian Christians who were kidnapped in Libya, the court papers said.
He also searched for "jihadology" and "how to safely join isis," it said.

At least 50 migrants feared drowned after ships capsized off Libyan coast

At least 50 migrants are feared drowned after three ships carrying 300 people capsized off the coast of Libya on Wednesday.

As reported by Sputnik news agency, the Libyan coastguards received a distress call on their SOS devices. By the time, the coast guards came to rescue the migrants, one of the ships had already sunk and only 16 people could be saved.

Quoting the survivors, Italian newspaper Repubblica reported that at least 50 migrants got drowned as a result of the crash.

Casualties are feared to rise.

"We found the migrants. Unfortunately, we could not trace anybody or other survivors. Search is still on," said the coast guard commander, Nasr al-Qamoud.

In another incident, on January 6, Libyan coast guards found a shipwreck, where 64 migrants had been drowned.

Also, according to the Italian newspaper, the Libyan authorities have managed to save around 700 people over the past three days.

Europe is experiencing a major influx of migrants who have been trying to cross the continent, mostly through illegal means, since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011 and the spate in the violence casued by the terrorist group, the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.
READ MORE

US top court okays Trump travel ban enforcement, rejects block on relatives

The US Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that while President Donald Trump's administration can continue to bar refugees from entering the country, officials will have to show greater flexibility in enforcing the accompanying ban on travellers from six Muslim-majority countries.

The Justice Department had asked the high court to stay an order issued last week by a federal district judge in Hawaii who found the administration's definition of close family in allowing exemptions to the travel ban was too narrow, Efe reported.

US District Judge Derrick Watson also said that the government could not prohibit entry by refugees assured of placement in the US by recognized refugee agencies.

The Supreme Court sided with the Justice Department on the refugee question, staying that portion of Watson's decision, but they supported the district judge's finding on the government's exemption criteria.

More broadly, the nine justices declined to rule definitively on the Trump administration's appeal of Watson's ruling, insisting that the case would have to follow the usual course through the federal appellate courts.

Last month, the Supreme Court set aside injunctions issued by federal appellate courts and said that portions of Trump's March 6 executive order could take effect.

That document barred citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the US for 90 days and excluded all refugees for 120 days.
READ MORE

Libya: 141 killed in airbase attack

An attack on an airbase in south Libya has killed 141 people, mostly soldiers loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar, a spokesman for his forces said today.

Members of the Third Force militia loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli yesterday attacked the base used by Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), military sources said earlier.

LNA spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari late today said the victims included civilians who worked at the Brak al-Shati airbase or were in the nearby area, also reporting that summary executions took place.

"The soldiers were returning from a military parade. They weren't armed. Most of them were executed," he said.

The GNA said in a statement late today a commission of inquiry had been set up to investigate the attack.

It said it had decided to suspend its defence minister, al-Mahdi al-Barghati, and the head of the Third Force from their duties until those responsible were identified.

Both the GNA and defence ministry earlier condemned the assault and said they had not ordered any such action.

The unity government, the rival administration in eastern Libya and their respective backers are battling for influence in the North African country which has been wracked by chaos since the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The LNA does not recognise the authority of the GNA, and instead supports the rival authorities based in the east.

The UN envoy to Libya earlier on Friday voiced alarm at reports of the attack on the base, 650 kilometres (400 miles) south of Tripoli.

"I am outraged by reports of significant numbers of fatalities, including civilians and by reports that summary executions may have taken place," UN envoy Martin Kobler said in a statement.
READ MORE