LONDON: Britain accused Spain yesterday of sending a state research vessel on a “serious incursion” into waters around Gibraltar, a British Mediterranean outpost which Madrid wants to reclaim.
A Foreign Office spokesman said the vessel was observed entering British waters on Sunday and illegally conducting sonar surveys. “The irresponsible actions and dangerous manoeuvring of this vessel were not only unlawful but also presented a significant risk to the safety of Royal Navy personnel at sea,” Europe minister David Lidington said in a statement.
No response was immediately available from the Spanish embassy in London.
Gibraltar, ceded to Britain in 1713, has become an increasing source of diplomatic tension since the current Spanish government took office in 2011.
“The waters around Gibraltar are indisputably British,” Lidington said. “We will continue to take whatever action we consider necessary to uphold British sovereignty and the interests of Gibraltar, its people, its security and economy.”
US court declines to review man’s Al Qaeda conviction
WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear a Massachusetts man’s appeal of his 2011 conviction on charges of supporting the Islamic militant group Al Qaeda.
The court turned down Tarek Mehanna’s appeal of his 2012 conviction, which was based on various activities including a trip to Yemen in 2004 in which he sought military training and his work translating pro-Al Qaeda documents from Arabic into English.
Mehanna argued that his translation activities were protected free speech under the First Amendment to the US Constitution. His lawyers claimed the prosecution needed to prove direct coordination with Al Qaeda for Mahenna to be convicted under a federal law prohibiting “material support” to groups deemed by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations.
Mehanna, from the Boston suburb of Sudbury, is serving a 17-year prison sentence. Prosecutors said Mehanna, a US citizen, answered a call to action from former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to fight US troops.
Agencies
