<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/belgian-police-arrests-man-suspected-of-plotting-attack-on-us-embassy-in-brussels-230066">Belgian police are investigating</a> the discovery of home-made explosives, knives and brass knuckles, but nothing immediately points to an attack plot, including against the Tour de France, prosecutors said Monday.

A worker found the arms on Saturday evening hidden by a stairway of a building in Anderlecht, a neighbourhood of the capital Brussels through which the tournament's cyclists raced at the weekend.

"At the current time, nothing suggests that these are explosives designed to commit a future attack," the Brussels prosecutor's office said in a statement.

"Nothing allows us to say that the Tour was being targeted," prosecutor's spokesman Denis Goeman told AFP.&nbsp;

"The theory of the discovery of an old cache of explosives is also being looked at," the prosecutor's office added.

The statement said investigators were alerted to a bag containing explosives, knives and brass knuckles at around 7:30 pm (5:30 pm) on Saturday.&nbsp;

Upon examination, the office said, they amounted to several "home-made" type explosives. No suspect has been identified in the case and an investigation continues, it added.

Belgium has been hit by a number of Islamist attacks, the worst being suicide bombings on March 22, 2016 at Brussels airport and a city metro station that killed 32 people and wounded hundreds of others.

Security was high for the Tour de France, an epic three-week cycling competition around France, which was launched from the cobbled streets of a festive Brussels on Saturday.

Belgian police are investigating the discovery of home-made explosives, knives and brass knuckles, but nothing immediately points to an attack plot, including against the Tour de France, prosecutors said Monday.

Belgian police are investigating the discovery of home-made explosives, knives and brass knuckles, but nothing immediately points to an attack plot, including against the Tour de France, prosecutors said Monday. A worker found the arms on Saturday evening hidden by a stairway of a building in Anderlecht, a neighbourhood of the capital Brussels through which the tournament's cyclists raced at the weekend. "At the current time, nothing suggests that these are explosives designed to commit a future attack," the Brussels prosecutor's office said in a statement. "Nothing allows us to say that the Tour was being targeted," prosecutor's spokesman Denis Goeman told AFP. "The theory of the discovery of an old cache of explosives is also being looked at," the prosecutor's office added. The statement said investigators were alerted to a bag containing explosives, knives and brass knuckles at around 7:30 pm (5:30 pm) on Saturday. Upon examination, the office said, they amounted to several "home-made" type explosives. No suspect has been identified in the case and an investigation continues, it added. Belgium has been hit by a number of Islamist attacks, the worst being suicide bombings on March 22, 2016 at Brussels airport and a city metro station that killed 32 people and wounded hundreds of others. Security was high for the Tour de France, an epic three-week cycling competition around France, which was launched from the cobbled streets of a festive Brussels on Saturday.

Explosives found in Brussels, no sign Tour de France targeted: Prosecutors

Indonesia passed a new law&nbsp;Friday&nbsp;that will give police more power to take pre-emptive action against terror suspects in the wake of the country's deadliest Islamist attacks in years.

The bill had been stalled for almost two years as parliament wrangled over details, including how to define terrorism, but a wave of deadly suicide bombings this month hiked pressure on lawmakers to pass the legislation.

Police will now be allowed to detain terror suspects for as long as 21 days, up from the current one week, and they will now also be able to charge people for joining or recruiting for a "terrorist" organisation, at home or abroad.

Rights activists have expressed concerns that the bill's vague wording could open the door to a crackdown on any group seen as a threat.&nbsp;

This month, 13 people were killed in separate suicide attacks on churches and a police station by two families -- including a nine and 12-year-old girl -- in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya.

The families had ties to a local extremist network that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, which claimed the attacks.

A police officer was also killed in the subsequent attack on a police station in Sumatra days later.

Indonesia -- which is set to host the Asian Games&nbsp;in three months&nbsp;and an IMF-World Bank meeting in Bali in October -- has long struggled with Islamist militancy.

Its worst-ever attack was the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, including locals and foreign tourists.

Security forces have arrested hundreds of militants during a sustained crackdown since the Bali bombing and most attacks in recent years have been limited to low-level operations against domestic security forces.&nbsp;&nbsp;

But police have said they needed beefed-up terror laws to crack down on homegrown militancy.&nbsp;

In the wake of the Surabaya attacks, President Joko Widodo threatened to issue an emergency regulation if the parliament failed to pass the new law.

Police will now be allowed to detain terror suspects for as long as 21 days, up from the current one week

Indonesia passed a new law Friday that will give police more power to take pre-emptive action against terror suspects in the wake of the country's deadliest Islamist attacks in years. The bill had been stalled for almost two years as parliament wrangled over details, including how to define terrorism, but a wave of deadly suicide bombings this month hiked pressure on lawmakers to pass the legislation. Police will now be allowed to detain terror suspects for as long as 21 days, up from the current one week, and they will now also be able to charge people for joining or recruiting for a "terrorist" organisation, at home or abroad. Rights activists have expressed concerns that the bill's vague wording could open the door to a crackdown on any group seen as a threat. This month, 13 people were killed in separate suicide attacks on churches and a police station by two families -- including a nine and 12-year-old girl -- in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya. The families had ties to a local extremist network that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, which claimed the attacks. A police officer was also killed in the subsequent attack on a police station in Sumatra days later. Indonesia -- which is set to host the Asian Games in three months and an IMF-World Bank meeting in Bali in October -- has long struggled with Islamist militancy. Its worst-ever attack was the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, including locals and foreign tourists. Security forces have arrested hundreds of militants during a sustained crackdown since the Bali bombing and most attacks in recent years have been limited to low-level operations against domestic security forces. But police have said they needed beefed-up terror laws to crack down on homegrown militancy. In the wake of the Surabaya attacks, President Joko Widodo threatened to issue an emergency regulation if the parliament failed to pass the new law.

Indonesia passes tougher terror law after suicide attacks

A Catholic priest has disappeared in Bangladesh, police said Wednesday, as the Muslim-majority country stepped up security ahead of a landmark visit by Pope Francis that follows a rise in Islamist attacks on religious minorities.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/catholic-priest-disappears-in-bangladesh-before-pope-visit-25418">Walter William Rosario, a 40-year-old priest and headmaster of a Catholic school, went missing on Monday</a> in a village in northern Bangladesh where suspected Islamist extremists last year hacked a Catholic grocer to death.

Gerves Rosario, bishop of the nearby city of Rajshahi, said he believed the priest had been kidnapped and that Catholics in the region were deeply worried.

&quot;He was organising for around 300 Catholics to travel to Dhaka to see the Pope and attend his holy mass. But his disappearance has marred their joy. They don&#39;t want to go to Dhaka any more,&quot; he said.

News of his disappearance comes as Bangladesh tightens security in the capital Dhaka ahead of the arrival Thursday of the first pontiff to visit Bangladesh in more than three decades.

Police in Natore district said they had launched a major search for Rosario after his family reported him missing.

&quot;He has been missing since late Monday. His mobile has been switched off,&quot; local police chief Biplob Bijoy Talukder told AFP.

The family received a phone call from someone using the missing man&#39;s number to demand a ransom, but Talukder said police believed this was a hoax.

They have not ruled out the possibility he was abducted by Islamist extremists, who have carried out attacks on religious minorities in the region in the past four years.

&#39;Our joy is gone&#39;&nbsp;

Since 2015 at least three Christians, including two converts from Islam, have been hacked to death in attacks blamed on the militant Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Bikash Hubert Rebeiro, the priest in Bonpara village where Rosario grew up, described him as a &quot;good man&quot; whose disappearance had cast a pall over the pope&#39;s visit.

&quot;Our joy is gone,&quot; he told AFP by phone. &quot;Everyone in the village is shocked. His elderly mother has being crying non stop.&quot;

Rebeiro said Rosario&#39;s family was friendly with the relatives of Sunil Gomes, the Catholic grocer murdered outside his shop last year.

Christians make up less than 0.5 percent of Bangladesh&#39;s 160 million people and have for centuries lived in harmony alongside the Muslim majority. But community leaders say a rise in Islamist extremism has strained relations.

Bangladesh authorities have escalated security in Christian areas of Dhaka in recent days as tens of thousands descend on the capital for an open-air mass on Friday.&nbsp;

On Tuesday police said they had killed three suspected Islamist militants in a raid on a house where they found hand grenades, pistols and bomb-making materials.

&quot;The pope&rsquo;s visit is a matter of honour for us.&nbsp; We are organising the highest level of security for him,&quot; police spokeswoman Sahely Ferdous told AFP.

The three-day visit will be dominated by the plight of more than 620,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled ethnic unrest in Myanmar and taken refuge in Bangladesh.

Their arrival has added to the huge challenges already facing the poor, overpopulated country, which has seen a substantial rise in Islamist extremism in recent years.

In July last year Islamist militants stormed a Dhaka cafe and massacred 22 hostages including 18 foreigners in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

The government has denied the international group&#39;s involvement. Since the attack, security forces have killed more than 70 alleged militants in a crackdown condemned by rights activists and opposition parties.

A Catholic priest has disappeared in Bangladesh, police said Wednesday, as the Muslim-majority country stepped up security ahead of a landmark visit by Pope Francis that follows a rise in Islamist attacks on religious minorities

A Catholic priest has disappeared in Bangladesh, police said Wednesday, as the Muslim-majority country stepped up security ahead of a landmark visit by Pope Francis that follows a rise in Islamist attacks on religious minorities. Walter William Rosario, a 40-year-old priest and headmaster of a Catholic school, went missing on Monday in a village in northern Bangladesh where suspected Islamist extremists last year hacked a Catholic grocer to death. Gerves Rosario, bishop of the nearby city of Rajshahi, said he believed the priest had been kidnapped and that Catholics in the region were deeply worried. "He was organising for around 300 Catholics to travel to Dhaka to see the Pope and attend his holy mass. But his disappearance has marred their joy. They don't want to go to Dhaka any more," he said. News of his disappearance comes as Bangladesh tightens security in the capital Dhaka ahead of the arrival Thursday of the first pontiff to visit Bangladesh in more than three decades. Police in Natore district said they had launched a major search for Rosario after his family reported him missing. "He has been missing since late Monday. His mobile has been switched off," local police chief Biplob Bijoy Talukder told AFP. The family received a phone call from someone using the missing man's number to demand a ransom, but Talukder said police believed this was a hoax. They have not ruled out the possibility he was abducted by Islamist extremists, who have carried out attacks on religious minorities in the region in the past four years. 'Our joy is gone' Since 2015 at least three Christians, including two converts from Islam, have been hacked to death in attacks blamed on the militant Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Bikash Hubert Rebeiro, the priest in Bonpara village where Rosario grew up, described him as a "good man" whose disappearance had cast a pall over the pope's visit. "Our joy is gone," he told AFP by phone. "Everyone in the village is shocked. His elderly mother has being crying non stop." Rebeiro said Rosario's family was friendly with the relatives of Sunil Gomes, the Catholic grocer murdered outside his shop last year. Christians make up less than 0.5 percent of Bangladesh's 160 million people and have for centuries lived in harmony alongside the Muslim majority. But community leaders say a rise in Islamist extremism has strained relations. Bangladesh authorities have escalated security in Christian areas of Dhaka in recent days as tens of thousands descend on the capital for an open-air mass on Friday. On Tuesday police said they had killed three suspected Islamist militants in a raid on a house where they found hand grenades, pistols and bomb-making materials. "The pope’s visit is a matter of honour for us. We are organising the highest level of security for him," police spokeswoman Sahely Ferdous told AFP. The three-day visit will be dominated by the plight of more than 620,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled ethnic unrest in Myanmar and taken refuge in Bangladesh. Their arrival has added to the huge challenges already facing the poor, overpopulated country, which has seen a substantial rise in Islamist extremism in recent years. In July last year Islamist militants stormed a Dhaka cafe and massacred 22 hostages including 18 foreigners in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. The government has denied the international group's involvement. Since the attack, security forces have killed more than 70 alleged militants in a crackdown condemned by rights activists and opposition parties.

Bangladesh priest disappears ahead of Pope's visit

French police are questioning 10 people on suspicion of supplying weapons to an Islamist militant who attacked a Jewish deli in Paris in January 2015, killing four Jewish hostages, police sources said on Wednesday.

Amedy Coulibaly staged the attack on the kosher supermarket in eastern Paris, two days after two other gunmen stormed into the Paris offices of the satirical journal Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 people, most of them cartoonists and journalists.

Coulibaly was killed by French security forces after he planted explosives at the Paris deli during a police siege. The two other gunmen were killed after they took refuge in a print works.

The source said police, in their questioning, were looking at possible links between the attacks and people in Belgium.

Shortly after the attacks in January 2015, Belgian authorities detained one person for arms dealing and said they were investigating whether he had supplied Coulibaly with weapons to carry out the attack.

(Reuters)

The 10 people are under suspicion of supplying weapons to the Islamist militant who attacked a Jewish deli in Paris

French police are questioning 10 people on suspicion of supplying weapons to an Islamist militant who attacked a Jewish deli in Paris in January 2015, killing four Jewish hostages, police sources said on Wednesday. Amedy Coulibaly staged the attack on the kosher supermarket in eastern Paris, two days after two other gunmen stormed into the Paris offices of the satirical journal Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 people, most of them cartoonists and journalists. Coulibaly was killed by French security forces after he planted explosives at the Paris deli during a police siege. The two other gunmen were killed after they took refuge in a print works. The source said police, in their questioning, were looking at possible links between the attacks and people in Belgium. Shortly after the attacks in January 2015, Belgian authorities detained one person for arms dealing and said they were investigating whether he had supplied Coulibaly with weapons to carry out the attack. (Reuters)

French police question 10 over January 2015 Paris attacks

British rock group Radiohead today condemned &quot;violent intolerance&quot; after Islamists brutally attacked customers at an Istanbul record store attending an album release party, angered that the event coincided with Ramadan. 
 
A group of about 20 men accosted and beat up customers and employees at the Velvet IndieGround music store in the city&#39;s hip Tophane district last night for drinking alcohol while listening to music during the Muslim holy month. 
 
They trashed the store, hurled insults and broke up the release party of the album &quot;A Moon Shaped Pool&quot;. 
 
At least two people were injured, witnesses told&nbsp;Turkey&#39;s Dogan news agency. Police have started an investigation into the violence. 
 
Images filmed during the altercation and widely circulating on social media show the attackers hurling barstools and wrecking the store. 
One person was seen bleeding with head injuries after being hit with a bottle. 
 
One of the attackers is seen shouting: &quot;We will kill you, you bastards!&quot; 
 
Radiohead said in a message: &quot;Our hearts go out to those attacked.&quot; 
 
Rayka Simoni, who was outside the store, told Dogan that the&nbsp;Radiohead&nbsp;fans were &quot;quitely listening to music while sipping beer&quot; when they were attacked. 
 
&quot;We hope that someday we will be able to look back on such acts of violent intolerance as things of the ancient past. For now, we can only offer our fans in Istanbul our love and support.&quot; 
 
Similar attacks have targeted art galleries in the area in the past. Critics claim Turkey&#39;s current Islamic-rooted government is undermining the country&#39;s secular tradition. 
(AFP)

A group of 20 men beat up customers for drinking alcohol during Ramadan and trashed the store

British rock group Radiohead today condemned "violent intolerance" after Islamists brutally attacked customers at an Istanbul record store attending an album release party, angered that the event coincided with Ramadan. A group of about 20 men accosted and beat up customers and employees at the Velvet IndieGround music store in the city's hip Tophane district last night for drinking alcohol while listening to music during the Muslim holy month. They trashed the store, hurled insults and broke up the release party of the album "A Moon Shaped Pool". At least two people were injured, witnesses told Turkey's Dogan news agency. Police have started an investigation into the violence. Images filmed during the altercation and widely circulating on social media show the attackers hurling barstools and wrecking the store. One person was seen bleeding with head injuries after being hit with a bottle. One of the attackers is seen shouting: "We will kill you, you bastards!" Radiohead said in a message: "Our hearts go out to those attacked." Rayka Simoni, who was outside the store, told Dogan that the Radiohead fans were "quitely listening to music while sipping beer" when they were attacked. "We hope that someday we will be able to look back on such acts of violent intolerance as things of the ancient past. For now, we can only offer our fans in Istanbul our love and support." Similar attacks have targeted art galleries in the area in the past. Critics claim Turkey's current Islamic-rooted government is undermining the country's secular tradition. (AFP)

Islamists attack Radiohead fans at Turkey record store, injure two