Terror link probed in Minnesota as New York still baffled by bomb

Woman arrested after pulling knife

A woman has been arrested after being found carrying a knife near the settlement of Itamar in the northern West Bank.

The woman, seen in a video wearing Arab dress, took a knife out when being questioned by a Israeli security official, according to reports.

The video shows her sitting on the ground with her hands up.

There are no injuries in the incident.

Video shows stabber creeping into settlement before attack

Another video apparently shows a suspect approaching the settlement of Efrat, south of Jerusalem, early Sunday morning, before he carried out a stabbing attack, injuring one person.

The grainy footage shows a figure making his way through the terraced olive groves that separate the settlement from surrounding Arab villages.

The attacker was later identified as Baha a-Din Muhammad Khalil, about 30 years old.

According to news site Ynet, security officers noticed the man creeping into the settlement at about 1:42 a.m. and began searching for him.

The attacker ended up stabbing an IDF reserves officer, moderately to seriously injuring him.

Khalil was shot immediately after stabbing the victim and taken to a hospital for treatment, the army said.

Syria says it regains area lost to IS during US airstrike

Syrian government warplanes and special forces have destroyed several positions of the Islamic State group in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, regaining territory lost to the extremists Saturday when Syrian troops were hit with airstrikes by the US-led coalition.

The state-run SANA news agency quotes an unnamed military official as saying that dozens of IS fighters have been killed in the offensive on Tharda mountain under the cover of Syrian airstrikes.

IS had claimed that its fighters captured Tharda mountain, which overlooks the city’s government-controlled airport.

The Syrian military official said government troops had regained control of areas the extremists captured, “as a result of the American aircraft aggression.”

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says IS fighters shot down a Syrian Russian-made MiG warplane over Tharda mountain, killing the pilot.

The Observatory reports that intense airstrikes by Russian warplanes have killed at least 38 IS fighters since Saturday.

— AP

MK calls for settler leader accused of sexual assault to quit

MK Rachel Azaria (Yesh Atid) is calling for Gush Etzion Regional Council head Davidi Perl to resign, following an expose that found he sexually assaulted a woman and then paid to keep it quiet.

According to a Channel 10 report last week, Perl apparently reached an agreement with the Takana forum, which deals with complaints of wrongdoing within the religious community, to not seek re-election and pay his victim NIS 200,000 in damages, after the woman declined to take her complaint to the police.

Since the expose, Perl has come under some pressure to resign his post as head of the council, which covers a large settlement bloc southeast of Jerusalem.

“Now is the time to give full backing to this important forum,” Azaria writes on Facebook, speaking of Takana. “The head of the Gush Etzion Council is not keeping to his agreement that he came to with them. Now is the time for Davidi Perl to resign.”

It’s not clear what agreement she is referring to.

She also lashes out at community leaders for failing to deal with Perl.

“I ask, where is the Yesha settlers’ council? Where is the religious leadership? Why don’t we hear their voices? What are we teaching our children?”

Russia tells US to probe strike on Syrian soldiers

Russia is calling on Washington to thoroughly investigate a coalition strike that killed at least 62 Syrian troops, but has stopped short of burying the ceasefire agreement struck in Geneva.

“Moscow is deeply concerned about what happened,” says a foreign ministry statement.

“We call on the American partners to conduct the most thorough investigation and take measures to exclude such incidents in the future.”

“The actions of the pilots — if they, as we hope, were not taken on orders from Washington — fall between criminal negligence and direct pandering to IS terrorists,” it says.

The US admitted the coalition strike on regime positions near Deir Ezzor expressing “regret” over the loss of life that it said was a mistake.

Moscow, however, says it suspected foul play aimed at disrupting the next stage of the ceasefire agreement which would see the US and Russia establishing closer operational coordination in Syria.

— AFP

Former French president Chirac, 83, hospitalized with lung infection

Officials say former French President Jacques Chirac has been hospitalized with a lung infection.

Jocelyne Gastellu of the Paris Hospitals Foundation confirms that the 83-year-old was admitted to a hospital in Paris but cannot confirm local media reports that it followed a visit to Morocco.

Former housing minister Cecile Duflot says that she wishes Chirac a speedy recovery during an interview on BFM-TV, adding that “when you’re older a lung infection can be complicated.”

On Twitter, there is immediate outpouring of goodwill messages from political protegees of the leader, who was French president from 1995 to 2007, including from former president Nicolas Sarkozy and former prime minister Alain Juppe.

Je pense en ce moment à Jacques #Chirac. Je lui souhaite de se rétablir au plus vite. -NS

— Nicolas Sarkozy (@NicolasSarkozy) September 18, 2016

The two politicians are vying to be the Republicans party candidate for the 2017 presidential election.

— AP

Pope urges religions to unite in prayer for peace Tuesday

Pope Francis is asking people to unite in prayers for peace on Tuesday, when he’ll meet with leaders of other religions in the Italian town of Assisi.

Francis tells the faithful in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday that “now, more than ever, we need peace in this war that’s everywhere in the world.”

His one-day trip to Assisi, birthplace of the saint for whom the pope chose to be named, includes meeting with Orthodox and Anglican church leaders, as well as with representatives of Islam and of Judaism.

During Tuesday’s gathering, Christian participants will pray in St. Francis Basilica, while non-Christians pray elsewhere in Assisi. They all with then assemble in the basilica for the pope’s speech and reflection.

St. Pope John Paul II started the Assisi prayer tradition in 1986.

— AP

Efrat stabbing victim awake, still in ICU

An IDF officer stabbed this morning remains in intensive care, a spokesperson at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital says.

The soldier is listed in moderate condition and is conscious, the spokesperson says.

The man who stabbed him, who was taken to the hospital with a bullet wound, is also still being treated with no change to his condition, the hospital says.

Iran announces plans to launch two new satellites

Iran says it will be ready to launch one or two satellites into space within the next year, according to state-run media.

Mohsen Bahrami, head of the country’s fledgling space program, says the country will launch its fifth satellite into space in March and another sometime soon after.

“This year, we will send Dousti [Friendship] satellite into space and we will also be ready for a second launch late this year or early next year,” he says, according to the Fars news agency.

He calls the orbiters more advanced than previous satellites, but does not say what they will be used for.

13 killed in Thai boat crash, no Israelis known to be involved

At least 13 people have been killed when a boat crowded with passengers sank on Thailand’s Chao Phraya river after hitting a bridge, an emergency response official says.

The accident happened near the ancient city of Ayutthaya, a popular tourist attraction. No foreigners are believed to be among the dead.

“There are 13 confirmed dead and 33 injured so far,” says Udomsak Khaonoona, disaster prevention chief for the city which is 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Bangkok.

“The boat tried to avoid another vessel and crashed into the concrete column of a bridge,” he tells AFP, adding that the passengers were local.

Around 100 passengers were believed to be on board the vessel, with four currently unaccounted for, Udomsak says.

While Thailand is popular among Israeli tourists, there is no indication from the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem that any Israelis were involved in the crash.

— with AFP

Egypt to bombard New York with Sissi charm offensive

Seeking to improve the country’s image, authorities in Egypt are pulling out all the stops to ensure that President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s visit to New York for the UN General Assembly is a diplomatic success.

Sissi flew to New York on Sunday, and so did some two dozen loyal lawmakers and media figures to express support for the general-turned-president during his four-day stay in New York.

Egypt’s Orthodox Coptic Church, a staunch ally of the president, has dispatched senior clerics to urge followers there to rally in support of Sissi.

— AP

Egypt shuts Gaza crossing after letting pilgrims return home

Egyptian authorities have closed the Rafah border crossing after opening it one way over the weekend to allow pilgrims returning from hajj in Saudi Arabia to return home, the Ma’an news agency reports.

A total of 474 pilgrims came back into Gaza via the crossing on Saturday and earlier Sunday, according to the report.

Officials will reopen the crossing for several days starting Wednesday to let more pilgrims return, but those seeking to leave the Strip will not be able to, Ma’an reports.

10 toddlers from same daycare get sick, are hospitalized

Media reports say 10 toddlers in central Israel have been hospitalized after getting sick at their daycare center from apparent food poisoning.

The 10 children, all around 18 months old, were found suffering from vomiting and diarrhea after eating a meal. They all attend the same daycare center in the town of Kiryat Ono, a suburb of Tel Aviv.

One child is described in moderate condition and nine others in light condition, according to Channel 10 news.

“When we got to the daycare we saw a number of kids crying and suffering from vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration,” a paramedic says, according to the channel.

Police announce illegal weapons haul

Police say they have rounded up a whole bunch of illegal weapons, including 13 rifles, a pistol, two makeshift guns and 14 explosive devices.

מעל 30 אמצעי לחימה נתפסו ברחבי הארץ, במאבק באמל"ח ובהם 14 מטענים/לבנות/חומרי חבלה, 13 רובים, אקדח ו-2 נשקים מאולתרים pic.twitter.com/fXioA7l7C3

— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) September 18, 2016

They say suspects have been arrested, but do not immediately detail when the weapons were rounded up, where they were found or how many suspects were arrested.

The police and army are in the midst of a large-scale campaign to crack down on illegal weapons and workshops where makeshift weapons are made.

Netanyahu and Obama to meet on Wednesday — report

Channel 2 reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with US President Barack Obama in New York on Wednesday.

The report, citing American diplomatic officials, is not immediately confirmed by Israeli sources.

According to Channel 2, the two will meet at Obama’s hotel in New York, where they will both be for the United Nations General Assembly.

The meeting will likely be the last before Obama leaves office in January.

NY governor: No international terror link in bombing

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says there is no international terror link suspected in a blast in Manhattan late Saturday night that injured over two dozen people.

Cuomo also confirms the blast was caused by a bomb.

“At this time, there is no evidence of an international terrorism connection,” he says, according to CNN.

“We’re not going to let them instill fear, because then they would win,” he adds, without naming any suspects.

Earlier, Mayor Bill deBlasio also said the bomb did not appear to be terror related.

“There is no evidence at this point of a terror connection,” he said.

Islamic State claims responsibility for Minnesota stabbing spree

The Islamic State is claiming responsibility for a stabbing attack in a Minnesota mall late last night in which eight people were injured.

The attacker, who was shot and killed and whose identity has not been released by US officials, reportedly referenced Allah and asked at least one person if he was Muslim while carrying out the attack at a shopping center in St. Cloud a city of about 65,000 people 60 miles (95 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis.

In a message sent out by its Amaq news agency, IS calls the attacker “one of our soldiers.” It says the attacker was responding to a call to “target subjects of the crusader alliance.” The message closely matches other claims of responsibility sent out by Amaq following other attacks, particularly in Europe.

The attacker, wearing a security uniform and armed with a knife, stabbed people in several locations in the mall, including corridors, businesses and common areas, the chief said. He said an off-duty police officer from another jurisdiction shot and killed the suspect, though he didn’t say where that officer serves.

All eight victims were treated at a hospital for non-life threatening wounds, and all but one was later released, St. Cloud police Chief Blair Anderson said at a news conference. The eighth was admitted, but no other details about that person’s condition were released.

— with AP

Aleppo pounded from air as truce frays

Four air strikes have hit rebel-held parts of Syria’s Aleppo, a monitor said, in the first raids on the battered city since a truce came into force.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says several people were wounded but could not immediately give details about casualties or identify who carried out the strikes.

The bombing comes after the truce appeared to teeter following a US airstrike on Syrian troops.

The truce saw violence drop across Syria for several days after it came into force Monday, but fighting has since erupted on several fronts and besieged civilians are still waiting desperately for promised aid deliveries.

The ceasefire’s co-sponsors, Russia and the United States, have traded accusations over the fraying deal.

— Agencies

Jerusalem confirms Obama-Netanyahu meeting

The Prime Minister’s Office confirms to The Times of Israel that Netanyahu and Obama will meet on Wednesday.

According to Haaretz, citing the White House, the two leaders will discuss the close ties between Israel and the US.

1 killed in mysterious blast at Spanish resort

One person has been killed and 17 people injured in an explosion at a block of flats in a Spanish seaside resort near Barcelona, rescuers say.

It is not immediately clear what caused the blast which took place in the residential building in Premia de Mar, a resort town some 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Barcelona.

“The explosion happened at 8:25 am (0625 GMT) injuring 17 and killing one person,” a spokeswoman for Barcelona’s fire brigade tells AFP.

Local media show images of a fire burning in a seven-story building, saying the structure had been evacuated while investigators tried to determine what caused the blast.

— AFP

White House confirms Netanyahu-Obama powwow

The White House has now confirmed that Obama and Netanyahu will meet in New York this week, AFP reports.

Obama and Netanyahu to focus on two-state solution, WH says

In a statement, White House press secretary Josh Earnest says Obama and Netanyahu will discuss the need for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “in the face of deeply troubling trends on the ground.”

Other topics will also be on the agenda, he says.

— with AFP

Pence says Trump not suggesting violence against Clinton

Republican vice presidential running mate Mike Pence dismisses as “absolute nonsense” any suggestion that Donald Trump is suggesting violence against Hillary Clinton.

Trump on Friday told a crowd in Miami that since Clinton is for gun control, her Secret Service detail should disarm and “let’s see what happens to her.”

Pence said on ABC’s “This Week” that Trump was suggesting Clinton has been protected by gun-toting security guards for decades. Pence said Trump’s point was that “she’d change her attitude about the right to keep and bear arms” if she didn’t have a security detail.

Pence said he’d “bet that’s probably true.”

— AP

Body of Jerusalem attacker returned to Jordan

Israel has returned the body of a Jordanian man shot and killed as he tried to carry out a stabbing attack in Jerusalem on Friday.

The remains of Saeed Amr, 28, were returned via the Allenby border crossing, according to Walla news, citing Jordanian media reports.

An autopsy is expected to take place in Jordan, according to the report.

Jordan has expressed anger over his killing, calling it a barbaric attack.

Amr, who entered Israel as a tourist Thursday, pulled a knife at the Damascus Gate Friday, before being shot by Border Police. Video released late Sunday shows him holding the knife before being shot.

Palestinian minor arrested with knife, firebombs

A minor has been arrested after being found approaching a West Bank Border Police base while armed, police say.

The boy was carrying a knife, two Molotov cocktails and a small Palestinian flag, police say.

He was stopped near a settlement outside Jericho, in the Jordan Valley.

צוות לוחמי מג"ב הבחינו בקטין פלסטיני שביצע תצפית לעבר בסיס מג"ב. ברשותו היו 2 בקבוקי תבערה וסכין, והוא נלקח לחקירה pic.twitter.com/e2g2MOqTHM

— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) September 18, 2016

Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld writes on twitter that the suspect planned on carrying out an attack on the Border Police base.

Final Corbyn-Smith debate set to kick off

In London, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith are set to begin their final debate amid a bitter leadership contest.

The debate is being hosted by Jewish Labour Movement, Labour Friends of Israel and JW3 and is being streamed exclusively by Times of Israel partner site Jewish News.

You can watch the livestream here.

PM to thank Obama at New York meeting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to use a meeting with Obama Wednesday to thank him for a $38 billion defense aid deal inked with the US last week, his office says.

“The deal shows the depth of the strategic ties and the bond between Israel and the US,” the statement says.

“Netanyahu plans to speak during the meeting with Obama on the challenges and opportunities in the Middle East and ways to advance peace and security together,” the statement adds.

A statement from the White House earlier said discussion topics would likely include the need for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “in the face of deeply troubling trends on the ground.”

Spokesman Josh Earnest also said the meeting would afford Obama and Netanyahu an opportunity to discuss “the strong ties between the United States and Israel.”

According to Army Radio, accompanying Netanyahu on the trip will be Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who he would like to see rejoin his Likud party.

Jewish Home ministers say bill to save Amona won’t go through — report

A law meant to stave off the demolition of an illegal outpost in the West Bank has no chance of going through, two ministers who are among the driving force behind it have admitted, according to Channel 10.

Both Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, both from the hard-right Jewish Home party, say the bill has no chance of going through and being able to save Amona, which is set to be razed by December 25.

Instead, according to the report, they will push through another legislative measure meant to allow Amona residents to be able to rebuild nearby.

No link between New York bomb, Minnesota stabbing — police

There is no evidence at this point of a link between the New York bombing that injured 29 people and a Minnesota stabbing spree that wounded at least eight, police say.

Chief William Blair Anderson of the St. Cloud police force in Minnesota tells CNN that “right now we don’t have any evidence to suggest that they were connected,” but he confirms that the attacker in his city had asked people if they were Muslim before stabbing them.

New York mayor Bill de Blasio says officials still do not know if the bomb there had a political or a personal motivation.

“We do not know the motivation, we do not know the nature of it,” de Blasio says.

“All possible theories of what’s happened here and how it connects will be looked at but we have no specific evidence at this point in time,” the mayor says.

All 29 people who were injured in a bombing in New York have been released from the hospital.

— Agencies

Man arrested on terror suspicions at London airport

British police say officers have arrested a 39-year-old man at London’s Heathrow Airport under terrorism laws.

Scotland Yard says the man was nabbed on suspicion of possessing terrorist-related material after he arrived at the airport on Saturday.

He was taken to a London police station where he remained in custody Sunday.

Police say counter-terrorism officers are investigating. No details were immediately available.

— AP

FBI says Minnesota stabbing ‘potential terror act’

The FBI says it is investigating the Minnesota stabbing spree as a potential terror attack.

“We are currently investigating this as a potential act of terrorism,” says the FBI’s Richard Thornton.

Thornton adds that there is still “a lot we don’t know” about any possible international link to the assailant.

In the wake of the attack, which left nine people wounded, security has been ramped up at other malls in Minnesota, including the sprawling Mall of America, the largest mall in the country, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Three of the victims remain hospitalized, according to the Star Tribune.

— with AFP

Right-wing AfD wins big in Berlin election

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party has suffered a bruising loss in Berlin state elections while the right-wing populist AfD gained fresh support, capitalizing on anger over her open-door refugee policy.

The anti-Islam Alternative for Germany party won over 12 percent, according to public broadcasters’ projections, in the capital which has long prided itself on being a hip, diverse and multicultural city.

The strong AfD result, thanks to support especially in the vast tower block districts in Berlin’s former communist east, meant it has now won opposition seats in 10 of Germany’s 16 states, a year ahead of national elections.

Merkel’s center-right Christian Democratic Union won just 18% — its worst post-war result in the city, before or after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall — likely spelling the end of its term as junior coalition partner to the Social Democrats, who won around 22%.

— AFP

Putin’s party cruising to crushing win in Russia vote

In Russia, the ruling party of President Vladimir Putin looks set to dominate a new parliament made up of Kremlin loyalists after a state exit poll gives it almost 45 percent in nationwide elections.

Russian state pollster VTsIOM puts Putin’s United Russia at 44.5%, ahead of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party with 15.3%, the Communists with 14.9% and A Just Russia with 8.1%.

— AFP