Lankan caregiver confirmed dead in attack by Hamas
Colombo, Oct 17: The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday confirmed the death of a female caregiver from the island nation in Israel who was reported missing since October 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise multifront attack on the Jewish nation. The Sri Lankan Ambassador in Tel Aviv, Nimal Bandara, told reporters through a call that Interpol confirmed that the 49-year-old was gunned down. The caregiver, who hailed from the Kelaniya suburb of Colombo, was feared dead after social media posts quoting eyewitnesses emerged. “The Interpol had made contacts with her family for verification of information,” Bandara said. However, the authorities were unable to confirm the caregiver’s death. Bandara said the whereabouts of another Sri Lankan, a 44-year-old male from the Wennappuwa town of the North Western province, remained unknown. Meanwhile, the foreign ministry said on Monday that the Israeli forces arrested two female Sri Lankan workers who tried to enter Israel through Jordan two days ago. (PTI)
Child killed, 9 injured restive Balochistan
Karachi, Oct 17: A child was killed and eight others injured on Tuesday when a hand grenade exploded in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province. According to police, a group of children belonging to a religious seminary were playing with the hand grenade when it exploded in the Zarchain area of Wadh city. The injured were immediately transported to a local hospital. Police and law-enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and launched a detailed investigation. “This is not the first time such an incident has taken place. Militants and separatists leave behind or drop such dangerous explosives and when children find them they end up being killed or injured,” Wadh DSP Abdul Manaf said. He said hand grenades were left behind by the militants and separatists operating in the province and in some cases even rocket launchers had gone off when found and children tried to play with them. (PTI)
Extremist shot dead by cops in Brussels
Brussels, Oct 17: Police on Tuesday shot dead a suspected Tunisian extremist accused of gunning down two Swedish soccer fans in a brazen assault on a Brussels street that sent shockwaves through Belgium and Sweden. Hours after the suspect disappeared into the night and a manhunt was launched in the Belgian capital, Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden posted on X, formerly Twitter, that “the perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Brussels has been identified and has died.” She thanked Belgium’s intelligence and security services, as well as prosecutors, “for their swift and decisive action.” The man was shot in the Schaerbeek neighbourhood near where the rampage took place. The weapon used in the assault was recovered. Questions remain unanswered over how a man who was on police files, thought to be radicalised and being sought for deportation was able to obtain a military weapon and launch such an attack. Security was beefed up in Brussels, particularly around places linked to the Swedish community and at Belgium’s southern border with France. (AP)