Five died in Florida airport shooting

It happened at the baggage claim area in Terminal 2, just before 1300 local time (1800 GMT), the airport confirmed.
Eight people were injured. The gunman, believed to be an Iraq war veteran, was taken into custody.
Hundreds of people were standing on the tarmac outside the terminal as dozens of police cars and ambulances rushed to the scene.
Witnesses said the attacker walked along the baggage carousals, shooting people as they tried to run or hide. They said he appeared to be in his 20s, was wearing a Star Wars T-shirt and did not say anything as he fired.
Florida Senator Bill Nelson told US media that the gunman had been identified as Esteban Santiago, but that has not been confirmed by law enforcement.
The suspect surrendered to police when he ran out of ammunition, the witnesses added.
Officials said he was a passenger who had checked in an unloaded gun and ammunition with his luggage, but then loaded it in the bathroom after landing and collecting his bag.
Flying with firearms is legal in the US as long as the guns are kept in a locked, hard-sided container as checked baggage only, under rules of the Transport Security Administration (TSA). Ammunition is allowed only in checked luggage

Mobile phone footage from the scene showed police officers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers frisking passengers.
A Miami TV station tweeted footage apparently filmed inside the baggage claim area. The video shows several injured people lying on the floor, as witnesses shout for medical help.
The gunman was arrested without any shots being fired, said Sheriff Scott Israel.
"At this point, it looks like he acted alone," he said.


Federal aviation authorities issued a "ground stop" notice, barring flights from leaving or entering the airport.
President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that he was "monitoring the terrible situation in Florida" and that he had spoken to the Florida governor.
"Thoughts and prayers for all. Stay safe!" he added.
Fort Lauderdale is a major tourist hub in the greater Miami area that typically sees an average of 80,000-100,000 passengers every day.
Nearby Miami International Airport announced that "extra security measures" had been put in place "out of an abundance of caution".

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Canadian 'detained in Turkey for allegedly insulting Erdogan'

 

A Canadian dual national has reportedly been detained in Turkey for allegedly insulting the country's president.

Ece Heper, 50, was arrested on 30 December in the north-eastern town of Kars, her lawyer Sertac Celikkaleli told The Canadian Press.
Canadian officials say they are offering consular assistance, but released no further information.
Turkey's penal code states that anybody who insults the president can face up to four years in prison.
Ms Heper's friend Emrah Bayram told the BBC she was arrested for Facebook posts critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"It's ridiculous, she's expressing her opinion," he said.
 
Friends say Ms Heper, who lived in Ontario and is reportedly a Canadian-Turkish citizen, has "some health issues" and they are worried about her access to medication while in detention.
Along with her lawyer, they fear it could be at least a month before her case goes to trial. They have contacted human rights organisations over her case.
Mr Erdogan has been accused of mounting a growing crackdown on freedom of speech.
Almost 2,000 cases for insulting Mr Erdogan have been opened in recent years.
They include a former Miss Turkey and a 16-year-old student.
Another man was found guilty of insulting the president and given a suspended one-year jail sentence after he shared images comparing Mr Erdogan to the fictional character Gollum.

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Fort Lauderdale airport shooting: Suspect in custody

A suspect is in custody in Florida after a man opened fire at Fort Lauderdale airport, killing five people and wounding eight others.

The suspect is believed to be 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, an Iraq war veteran.
The motive is under investigation, but officials said he probably acted alone.
US media said the man might have been mentally disturbed. He reportedly said the government was controlling his mind and made him watch jihadist videos.
The attacker opened fire at the baggage claim area of Terminal 2 as passengers were collecting their luggage. Witnesses said he walked along the carousals and did not say anything as he shot people as they tried to run or hide.
He surrendered to police when he ran out of ammunition, witnesses added.
 
The man, who was wearing a Star Wars T-shirt, had travelled from Alaska, officials said, and checked in an unloaded gun and ammunition with his luggage. He loaded the weapon in the bathroom after landing and collecting his bag.
He was arrested unharmed, Sheriff Scott Israel said. "At this point, it looks like he acted alone," he said.
The man, who was wearing a Star Wars T-shirt, had travelled from Alaska, officials said, and checked in an unloaded gun and ammunition with his luggage. He loaded the weapon in the bathroom after landing and collecting his bag.
He was arrested unharmed, Sheriff Scott Israel said. "At this point, it looks like he acted alone," he said.

The suspect was in possession of a military ID which suggested he was a former member of the Puerto Rico and Alaska National Guard. He served in Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011, and ended his service in August 2016, according to the Pentagon.
US media reported that he received a general discharge from the Alaska National Guard for unsatisfactory performance.
An unnamed official told AP news agency that he walked into the FBI office in his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska, in November to say that the US government was controlling his mind and making him watch videos from so-called Islamic State (IS).
Agents questioned him and called police, who took him for a mental health evaluation, AP added. The official quoted said Mr Santiago did not appear intent on hurting anyone.
His brother said he had been receiving psychological treatment recently.

Flying with firearms is legal in the US as long as the guns are kept in a locked, hard-sided container as checked baggage only, under rules of the Transport Security Administration (TSA). Ammunition is allowed only in checked luggage.
The attack was the latest in a series of mass shootings in the US in recent years, carried out by people who said they were inspired by jihadist groups, loners or mentally disturbed, who had easy access to weapons under US gun laws.
Last year, in the worst shooting in recent US history, a man, apparently inspired by IS, killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

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Police nab 62-year-old, others for kidnapping, robbery in Bauchi

Armstrong Bakam, Bauchi

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 62-year-old man and six others for kidnapping, cattle rustling and armed robbery in the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Mohammed, in a statement on Friday, said the suspects were arrested at different locations in the state, based on intelligence reports.

He said detectives in the command arrested 44-year-old Gidado Mohammed, aka Gide; 43-year-old Idi Shehu, aka Nabasere and 37-year-old Yahaya Shehu on December 30, 2016 at about 12:20am.

He explained that the suspects confessed to have seized N2m from unidentified Fulani men who were on their way to pay a ransom to some kidnappers who abducted two women.

He said preliminary investigations also revealed that the suspects were also behind the recent abduction of one Musa Agwada from whom they collected N1m as ransom.

The statement noted that exhibits recovered from them include N384, 000, a new motorcycle and two expended ammunition of 7.62mm.

The PPRO noted that in another operation, detectives attached to the anti-kidnapping unit of the command arrested 32-year-old Usman Abdul, 25-year-old Garba Adamu and 30-year-old Yau Umar.

The statement partly read, “The suspects had on December 21, 2016 stormed the house of one Alhaji Ya’u Mohammed in Kuitu and demanded for N3m ransom which was paid to them before the victims were released.”

Also, he said the police, in collaboration with vigilance group from Tama District, arrested 62-year-old Adamu Shehu during a raid and that during the exercise, one AK-47 magazine, six rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, 37 cows and 12 sheep were recovered.

Mohammed said all the cases were under investigation and efforts were being intensified to apprehend fleeing suspects and bring them to justice.

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