British Woman “White Widow” Wanted by Interpol for Last Week’s Kenyan Mall Attack

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

PARIS, France – Interpol has issued an arrest warrant for Samantha Lewthwaite, for her possible connection to a terrorist attack on a Kenyan mall last week that resulted in 72 deaths.

Lewthwaite, 29, is wanted on conspiracy charges. (Photo courtesy of The Guardian)

Lewthwaite, a British citizen dubbed the “White Widow,” was already wanted for charges of explosion possession and conspiracy to commit a felony as a result of an incident in Kenya in 2011.

Kenyan authorities believe that Lewthwaite was connected to an additional plot to attack places of public accommodation- restaurants and hotels. They believe the “White Widow” rented several houses in Mombasa to use to assemble the explosives.

Kenya’s foreign minister has stated that Lewthwaite took part in last week’s mall siege with the Qaeda-linked terrorist group, al-Shabab. A British security source, however, has stated that “it is a possibility” that Lewthwaite was involved.

Lewthwaite was originally married to one of the suicide bombers involved in the attack on the London subway system in 2005, which left 52 people dead. Lewthwaite stated in September 2005 that her husband had fallen under the control of radical mosques. “How these people could have turned him and poisoned his mind is dreadful. He was an innocent, naive and simple man. I suppose he must have been an ideal candidate.”

Lewthwaite is believed to have been using the alias ‘Natalie Faye Webb’ for several years while living in South Africa. Kenyan police suspected Lewthwaite was working with Musa Hussein Abdi, killed with an Al Qaeda boss in Somalia in June 2011, in the alleged 2011 Kenya attack plot.

In December 2011, authorities tracked down a woman they thought to be Lewthwaite in Abdi’s house but let her go after she showed them a South African passport. Police later realized the passport was fake, and returned to the house, but she had left.

Lewthwaite, 29, converted to Islam in her teens and went on to study religion and politics at the School Of Oriental and African Studies in London. Local city councilor Raj Khan, who knew Lewthwaite’s relatives in Aylesbury, recalled her as “an average, British, young, ordinary girl.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Interpol Issues Warrant for UK Woman – 27 September 2013

Fox News – Interpol Issues Arrest Warrant for “White Widow” Eyed In Kenya Terrorist Attack – 26 September 2013

The Guardian – “White Widow”: Interpol Arrest Warrant Issued for Samantha Lewthwaite – 26 September 2013

Mirror News – White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite Becomes World’s Most Wanted Woman After Interpol Issues Arrest Warrant for British Terror Suspect – 26 September 2013

Venezuelan Authorities Arrest Suspects in Air France Flight Cocaine Case

By Ellis Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan authorities have arrested 17 people in connection with a shipment of 1.3 tons of cocaine in an Air France flight from Caracas to Paris.

French interior minister Manuel Valls displays part of the cocaine haul.
French interior minister Manuel Valls displays part of the cocaine haul. (Photograph Courtesy of Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP)

The Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office said eight members of the National Guard and nine Air France and airport staff have been detained on drug charges. In addition, three Italians and two Britons were arrested in France.

The flight originated at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. The drugs arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on September 11. French authorities discovered the 1.3 tons of pure cocaine stuffed inside 31 suitcases registered under false names that did not correspond to passengers on the flight.

French authorities have called it the country’s largest cocaine bust ever, with an estimated value of $270 million. They worked with Spanish, British and Dutch police on the investigation. French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said, this case “illustrates the importance of strengthening International cooperation in the fight against traffickers.”

Air France said it was still trying to find out how the drugs were smuggled on board. “Pending the results of these investigations, immediate measures have been taken to enhance our checks of baggage and goods on departure from certain sensitive destinations,” the airline said in a statement.

Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres told reporters in Venezuela that authorities think an organized crime group with Italian and British members is responsible for the shipment. “The suitcases were not taken into the plane through the regular baggage platforms at the airport. We’re investigating how the drug (shipment) got to the airport,” he said.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Venezuela does not produce sizeable quantities of cocaine, but drug traffickers are increasingly using its territory to smuggle drugs from Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia to other nations.

The U.S. government has accused Venezuela of failing to adhere to international efforts against drug smuggling, and also charges that high-ranking military personnel have benefited from narcotics trafficking. Venezuela denies those charges and highlights its frequent announcements of drug seizures as proof of their progress in combating the illicit trade.

For more information please see:

BBC – Venezuela arrests 22 over cocaine in plane to Paris – 27 September 2013

CNN – Arrests made in Air France flight cocaine case – 25 September 2013

Fox News – Venezuela arrests 22 in Air France cocaine bust – 25 September 2013

The Wall Street Journal – Venezuela Makes More Arrests in Probe of Smuggling Aboard Jetliner – 25 September 2013

The Guardian – Cocaine seizure: three Britons arrested in Paris, Venezuela says – 23 September 2013

House Budget Amendment Creates Possibility of Government Shutdown

by Michael Yoakum
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – The House of Representative passed an amended version of the Senate spending bill early Sunday that removed funding for the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Congress has until Monday at midnight to agree on a new spending bill or face shutting down the federal government for the first time in 17 years.

House members worked well into the night debating the amended budget that removed funding for the healthcare law. (Photo courtesy of The Guardian)

A shutdown of the federal government would require hundreds of thousands of federal employees to be placed on unpaid leave until a budget bill could be passed through Congress.

The amended bill passed by the House would place a one year delay on the implementation of the ACA and remove a tax on medical devices that aimed to help finance the healthcare law.  The ACA is set to begin enrolling uninsured Americans into the program on October 1, the beginning of the federal government’s fiscal year.

“The American people don’t want a government shutdown, and they don’t want Obamacare” House Republican leaders said in a joint statement.  The Republican leadership then called upon the Senate to vote on the bill in order to avoid a shutdown.

Democratic leaders are holding firm against passing the bill, refusing to convene the Democratically-controlled Senate to vote on the bill passed by the House.  Senate majority leader Harry Reid promised to strip out the healthcare provisions of the House bill, calling the attempt to delay the ACA “pointless.”

“After weeks of futile political games from Republicans, we are still at Square 1,” Reid said, adding “[w]e continue to be willing to debate these issues in a calm and rational atmosphere. But the American people will not be extorted by Tea Party anarchists.”

The White House issued a strongly worded statement Saturday, saying “Any member of the Republican Party who votes for this bill is voting for a shutdown.”

President Obama has promised to veto the House version of the bill.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – US shutdown looms amid political rifts over health law – 29 September 2013

Reuters – Wall Street braces for volatility as shutdown seems likely – 29 September 2013

The Guardian – US government on verge of shutdown as House votes to delay health law – 29 September 2013

Wall Street Journal – U.S. Nears Shutdown as House Votes To Delay Health Law -29 September 2013

The New York Times – U.S. Shutdown Nears as House Votes to Delay Health Law – 28 September 2013