Court keeps Indonesia woman irked
MEDAN: An Indonesian high court has upheld an 18-month prison sentence for a woman convicted of blasphemy after complaining about the volume of a mosque’s loudspeakers. The woman’s lawyer told The Associated Press on Thursday that the decision would be appealed to the Supreme Court. The ethnic Chinese woman, Meiliana, was sentenced in August, more than two years after her comments sparked rioting in her hometown Tanjung Balai in Sumatra. Meiliana had told the daughter of the mosque’s caretaker the five-times-daily call to prayer was too loud. WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump called for unity as a manhunt was underway for those responsible for explosive devices mailed or delivered to the homes and offices of leading public figures and former officials who have been both his critics and targets.
Three more packages were being examined on Thursday, including two addressed to former vice president Joe Biden in Delaware and one to actor Robert de Niro in New York, taking the total to 10 — starting with Democratic donor George Soros on Monday and followed by those sent to former president Barack Obama, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, former CIA director John Brennan (delivered to CNN), former attorney general Eric Holder (which was returned), and Democratic lawmaker Maxine Waters (who was sent two packages).
The package for Biden was found at a mailing facility in Delaware, and the one for De Niro was at the Manhattan building where he lives. Both packages were probably delivered earlier, but were found late on Wednesday and Thursday morning. There was still no word on the mailers.
With no damage to life or property, the packages turned into a measure of the political atmosphere of a country just days from crucial mid-term elections for all of the House of Representatives, a third of the Senate and twothirds of the states, as well as Trump’s divisive rhetoric.
“In these times, we have to unify,” Trump said in his first remarks after the discovery of the packages, attempting to address questions about his rhetoric.
“We have to come together and send one very clear, strong and unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the USA,” he said.
He didn’t name any of those targeted and made no attempt to reach out to them. But he went on the attack hours later.
Trump said to cheering supporters at a rally in Wisconsin that both sides need to do their bit. Stop calling political opponents “morally defective”, he argued, adding no one should “carelessly compare political opponents to historical villains, which is done all the time…got to stop”.
Liberals opposed to this administration have often called Trump autocratic and despotic, comparing him to heinous figures in history. Other members of his administration have received similar attention, which has rankled Trump.
He urged the media to play a responsible role, without once condemning or mentioning the package delivered to CNN’S New York office, which was meant for Brennan. WASHINGTON: Investigators examining the explosive devices sent to high-profile targets in Washington and New York will be working to glean forensic clues to help identify who sent them, gathering fingerprints and DNA evidence while tracking the origin of the components used to make the bombs. Larry Johnson, a former head of criminal investigations for the U.S. Secret Service who also served as a special agent in charge of the presidential protective detail, said bomb makers usually leave evidence behind. “If there is a human involved, there is a high probability you’re going to get somewhere investigatively.” Johnson said it is highly likely that the people who built the bombs have been previously flagged by law enforcement.
Investigators will be retracing the path of the packages through the postal system used to deliver them. The US Postal Service operates a sophisticated imaging system that photographs the outside of each mail. Investigators will also collect footage taken from where packages were mailed and delivered. “It will be a treasure trove of forensic evidence,” said Anthony Roman, a private security consultant. “As humans, we are filtering off our DNA everywhere we walk, everywhere we sit.”