Dubai Police extradite three Interpol most-wanted suspects to Belgium

Dubai Police have arrested and extradited three high-profile suspects wanted by Belgian authorities in connection with serious cases of cross-border organized crime, following a coordinated international effort involving Interpol and Europol. (WAM)
Dubai Police have arrested and extradited three high-profile suspects wanted by Belgian authorities in connection with serious cases of cross-border organized crime, following a coordinated international effort involving Interpol and Europol. (WAM)
Short Url
Updated 13 July 2025
Follow

Dubai Police extradite three Interpol most-wanted suspects to Belgium

Dubai Police extradite three Interpol most-wanted suspects to Belgium
  • The three Belgian nationals, Mathias Akyazili, Giorgi Faes, and Othman El-Ballouti, were apprehended in Dubai

DUBAI: Dubai Police have arrested and extradited three high-profile suspects wanted by Belgian authorities in connection with serious cases of cross-border organized crime, following a coordinated international effort involving Interpol and Europol, it was announced on Sunday.

The three Belgian nationals, Mathias Akyazili, Giorgi Faes, and Othman El-Ballouti, were apprehended in Dubai after Interpol red notices were issued against them, the Emirates News Agency reported.

All three were listed as most-wanted individuals by Interpol and Europol.

The suspects face multiple serious charges in Belgium, including operating a notorious gang, trafficking narcotic and psychotropic substances, robbery, and human trafficking.

The operation was led by Dubai Police’s General Department of Criminal Investigation in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Interior, WAM added.

“Such coordinated efforts support the strengthening of a strong global security framework that confronts criminal activity with full force while promoting the exchange of international expertise and best practices in policing,” a Dubai Police spokesperson said.

It followed international arrest warrants submitted by Belgian authorities to the International Cooperation Department at the UAE Ministry of Justice, the designated central authority for handling such requests.

The transfer was authorized by the Dubai Court of Cassation, in accordance with bilateral agreements between the UAE and Belgium.

Upon the suspects’ arrival in Belgium on July 13, Abdullah bin Sultan Al-Nuaimi, UAE minister of justice, and his Belgian counterpart Annelies Verlinden held a phone call to discuss the extradition.

During the call, both ministers emphasized that the successful operation reflected a shared commitment to the rule of law, international judicial cooperation, and combating transnational organized crime and drugs-related violence, WAM reported.

Verlinden thanked UAE authorities for their support, adding that the extraditions were “a testament to the deepening legal partnership between the UAE and Belgium” and “to their shared determination to ensure that individuals accused of serious crimes are brought to justice.”

She commended the role of the UAE’s judicial and law enforcement institutions throughout the extradition process and also praised the emirates’ ongoing cooperation in line with the extradition treaties signed between the two countries in December 2021, which came into force in November 2022.

Al-Nuaimi reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to enhancing bilateral judicial collaboration and also stressed the importance of international cooperation in tackling global crime and ensuring justice through strong legal frameworks.


Algeria president replaces prime minister

Algeria president replaces prime minister
Updated 03 September 2025
Follow

Algeria president replaces prime minister

Algeria president replaces prime minister
  • The presidency statement said Industry Minister Sifi Ghrieb was appointed interim prime minister

ALGIERS: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Thursday removed his prime minister, Nadir Larbaoui, according to a statement that provided no reason for the decision.

Larbaoui, a former lawyer, held the post since November 2023 following a diplomatic career that saw him represent Algeria as ambassador to several countries as well as to the United Nations.

His absence from a recent meeting to discuss a bus accident that had killed 18 people in the North African country has drawn attention and criticism on social media.

The presidency statement said Industry Minister Sifi Ghrieb was appointed interim prime minister.

Ghrieb, who will keep his ministerial portfolio, has served in various senior positions including as board chairman at the Algerian Qatari Steel company.

 

 


UN ‘gravely alarmed’ by military mobilization in Libya’s capital

Libyan security forces man a check point in the northwestern city of Misrata on May 29, 2023. (AFP)
Libyan security forces man a check point in the northwestern city of Misrata on May 29, 2023. (AFP)
Updated 03 September 2025
Follow

UN ‘gravely alarmed’ by military mobilization in Libya’s capital

Libyan security forces man a check point in the northwestern city of Misrata on May 29, 2023. (AFP)
  • Libya is split between the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east

TRIPOLI: The UN Support Mission in Libya said Tuesday that it was “gravely alarmed” over new military mobilizations by rival groups in the Libyan capital.

In recent days, armed vehicles have reportedly moved into Tripoli from Misrata, around 200 kilometers (125 miles) away, and on Monday night gunfire was heard in the capital, according to witnesses and videos circulated online.

UNSMIL said the recent “rapidly escalating tensions and military mobilization” in Tripoli “could lead to armed confrontation.”

Sabiha Mohamad, a resident in western Tripoli, told AFP she had heard the gunshots but said “there was more fear than harm.”

There were no official reports of casualties, and it remained unclear who fired the shots.

“We stay cautious when going out, because anything could break out at any moment,” Mohamad said.

Libya is split between the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east.

The North African country has remained divided since a NATO-backed revolt toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.

UNSMIL urged “all actors to cease any preparations for violence,” warning they could spiral into a “’lose-lose’ war.”

In May, Tripoli was rocked by days of deadly fighting between rival armed groups that left at least eight people dead, according to the UN.

The fighting came after Dbeibah announced a string of executive orders seeking to dismantle armed groups that he said had “become stronger than the state.”

Tensions have been flaring between government-aligned groups and Radaa, a powerful rival faction that controls Mitiga airport and other parts of eastern Tripoli.

Last month, UNSMIL chief Hanna Tetteh proposed a roadmap for “general elections and the unification of institutions” in the divided country.

The plan looks to implement a “politically viable electoral framework” and “a new unified government,” the UN said.

 

 


Israel launches new military surveillance satellite into space

Israel launches new military surveillance satellite into space
Updated 02 September 2025
Follow

Israel launches new military surveillance satellite into space

Israel launches new military surveillance satellite into space
  • The Ofek 19 satellite was built by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries

JERUSALEM: Israel on Tuesday launched its latest spy satellite into space from an undisclosed site, the Defense Ministry said.

The Ofek 19 satellite was built by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries.

“Ofek 19 is a highly advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) observation satellite with enhanced capabilities. Upon entering Earth’s orbit, the satellite will undergo a series of designated tests to assess its integrity and performance,” the ministry said in a statement.

Israel has launched Ofek observation satellites since 1988 for monitoring and intelligence gathering for the military.


Iran says open to US nuclear talks, rejects missile curbs

Iran says open to US nuclear talks, rejects missile curbs
Updated 02 September 2025
Follow

Iran says open to US nuclear talks, rejects missile curbs

Iran says open to US nuclear talks, rejects missile curbs
  • “By raising unrealizable issues such as missile restrictions, they set a path which negates any talks,” Larijani wrote on X

TEHRAN: Security chief Ali Larijani said on Tuesday that Iran was open to nuclear talks with the US but ruled out any restrictions on its missile program.

“The path for negotiations with the US is not closed; yet these are the Americans who only pay lip service to talks and do not come to the table; and they wrongly blame Iran for it,” said Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

“By raising unrealizable issues such as missile restrictions, they set a path which negates any talks,” Larijani wrote on X.

The remarks came days after the US welcomed a move by European powers to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran but said it remained “available for direct engagement with Iran.”

On Thursday, Britain, France and Germany triggered a “snapback” clause in the deal between Iran and major powers that allows for UN sanctions to be reimposed in the event of non-compliance with its provisions.

 


Recognition of Palestinian state would spur sprint toward two-state solution, envoy says

Recognition of Palestinian state would spur sprint toward two-state solution, envoy says
Updated 02 September 2025
Follow

Recognition of Palestinian state would spur sprint toward two-state solution, envoy says

Recognition of Palestinian state would spur sprint toward two-state solution, envoy says
  • “I think it will be the starting gun for what we hope to be a sprint, not even a march, toward implementing the two-state solution,” Zomlot said
  • The move by Britain was significant due to its role in endorsing a “national home for the Jewish people in Palestine” in 1917

LONDON: The recognition of a Palestinian state by leading Western nations will trigger a sprint toward a two-state solution, the head of the Palestinian mission in London said on Tuesday.

Britain, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium have all said they will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, although London could halt the process if Israel eased the humanitarian crisis in war-shattered Gaza and committed to a long-term peace process.

The moves are designed to put pressure on Israel to end its assault on Gaza and curtail the building of new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, but some question whether recognition is merely symbolic.

“I think it will be the starting gun for what we hope to be a sprint, not even a march, toward implementing the two-state solution, and we are hoping for an active, effective, meaningful role by the United Kingdom,” Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian Mission in London, told Reuters.

Israel, facing a global outcry over its conduct in the Gaza war, has reacted angrily to recognition gestures, saying they would reward Hamas. The Palestinian militant group’s gunmen attacked southern Israeli communities near the border on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages into Gaza, according to Israeli figures. A two-state solution is the idea that the two sides could co-exist in peace alongside each other — a Palestinian state on territory Israel captured in a 1967 war, with the Gaza Strip and West Bank linked by a corridor through Israel.

But the proposal has become less viable over time, as Israel has accelerated the building of Jewish settlements in occupied territory, while the two sides stick to uncompromising positions on core issues including borders, the fate of Palestinian refugees, and the status of Jerusalem.

Zomlot said the move by Britain was significant due to its role in endorsing a “national home for the Jewish people in Palestine” in 1917. He said it was not too late to achieve a two-state solution, and that he hoped the momentum being built at the UN would lead Israel to dismantle its settlements.

“Once we create sufficient pressure — meaningful pressure — I assure you, it is absolutely possible,” he said.

The United Nations’ highest court said in 2024 Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its settlements there are illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible.

Israel’s right-wing government rules out a Palestinian state and says the territories where settlements have expanded are not occupied in legal terms because they are on disputed lands. It cites biblical and historical ties to those lands.