9/11 Plane Part Found Between NYC Buildings

A part from one of the commercial planes that was flown into the Twin Towers on 9/11 has been found between two buildings, police say.

New York Police Department Spokesman Paul Browne said the piece of landing gear, discovered on Wednesday wedged between a mosque site and another lower Manhattan building, has a clearly legible Boeing identification number.

The twisted and rusted equipment features cables, levers and giant bolts. It measures 5ft high, 3ft wide and 1.5ft deep.

"The odds of this being wedged between there is amazing. It had to have fallen just the right way to make it into that space," Browne said.

The part was found wedged in this narrow crevice

He added that other wreckage has been found nearby in the years since the terrorist attack.

The part was found by surveyors who had been hired to inspect the site of a planned Islamic community centre at 51 Park Place, about three blocks from ground zero.

The surveyors spotted the debris as they looked down between the buildings from the roof, quickly called 911, and the scene was secured and police documented the findings with photographs, Mr Browne said.

The National Transportation Safety Board and police will work to determine whether the wreckage belongs to American Airlines Flight 11, which struck the North Tower, or to United Airlines Flight 175, which crashed into the South Tower. Both planes were Boeings.

A plane can be seen before it flies into one of the Twin Towers on 9/11

Police are awaiting a determination from a medical examiner on whether to sift the soil around the building to search for human remains.

The medical examiner's office is in the middle of a 10-week sifting operation as it attempts to identify additional human remains in debris unearthed at the World Trade Center site during construction of a new skyscraper.

If the landing gear's origin is authenticated, it would mean it sat undisturbed for nearly a dozen years.

Patricia Riley, the sister of 9/11 victim Lorraine Riley, called the discovery "very strange."

"Twelve years later we are still finding remnants of the attack on our country," she said.

The ruins of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attack

"For years to come we'll continue to find things that we didn't see before. Hopefully, they'll serve as a reminder that we have to stay vigilant."

More than 2,750 people were killed at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked the two commercial passenger planes and flew them into the upper floors of the Twin Towers, then the tallest buildings in the world.

Hijackers also took over two other planes that day, crashing one into the Pentagon in Washington DC.

The fourth plane went down in a field in rural Pennsylvania.

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Max Clifford: Publicist Vows To Clear Name

Publicist Max Clifford has vowed again to clear his name - after being charged with 11 alleged indecent assaults, including one against a girl of 14.

Clifford stands accused of sexually assaulting seven women, all teenagers, between 1966 and 1985.

The publicist has denied the allegations, dismissing them as "nonsense" and "completely false" and insisting he has never indecently assaulted anyone in his life.

Clifford said on Saturday it had been "horrible" for his wife and daughter, but added he was grateful for the support he says he has been receiving from his clients and the public.

"I find it hard to accept that women, 30 to 40-odd years later, can make complaints like this and they remain anonymous," Clifford told Sky News outside his home.

"And, of course, you have got to prove that you're innocent."

Clifford says he has been living a 'nightmare' over the allegations

He noted his lawyers will now have access to all information about the claimants and said: "If nothing but the truth comes out, I will be absolutely fine."

Clifford's initial arrest in December 2012 was carried out as part of Operation Yewtree, which was set up to investigate allegations of sex abuse carried out by the late BBC host Jimmy Savile.

There is no suggestion that his alleged offences are connected with Savile's.

Clifford is accused of allegedly abusing the first girl, who was 14, in 1966.

A further three females, aged between 15 and 18, allegedly suffered five offences between 1974 and 1978.

Clifford is also accused of assaulting another three females, aged between 16 and 19, between 1981 and 1985.

He is due to appear in court on May 28.

Until then, the 70-year-old says he will try to live as normal a life as possible, keeping up his work and going to the children's hospices he is a patron of.

"I've had tremendous support from everywhere, not just people who know me and did know me, but my clients and also people I meet everywhere I go," Clifford said.

"All of my clients have remained loyal and I'm working with all of my clients on a regular daily basis," he said.

"That support is as strong as it has ever been, which I'm very grateful for."

Prosecutors said on Friday that they had concluded there was sufficient evidence for Clifford to be charged with 11 offences of indecent assault relating to seven complainants.

There were three more allegations but prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to authorise charges.

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Demo Against UK's Use Of Armed Drones

In a first national protest, anti-war demonstrators are marching on an RAF base to voice their opposition to the UK's use of armed drones in Afghanistan.

The mass rally from Lincoln to nearby RAF Waddington includes members of the Stop The War Coalition, CND, The Drone Campaign Network and War on Want.

The RAF began remotely operating its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles deployed to Afghanistan from the Lincolnshire airbase earlier this week.

Previously operated from a US Air Force base in Nevada, the aircraft are used to support coalition ground forces in Afghanistan.

Drone missions over Afghanistan from British soil began this week

The hi-tech Reaper drones are primarily used to gather intelligence on enemy activity on the ground, but they also carry 500lb bombs and Hellfire missiles for precision strikes on insurgents.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the RAF said it had commenced supporting the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan ground troops with "armed intelligence and surveillance missions" remotely piloted from RAF Waddington.

The organisers of the protest march and rally are calling on the Government to abandon the use of drones, claiming they make it easier for politicians to launch military interventions, and have increased civilian casualties.

Commenting ahead of the protest, War on Want senior campaigns officer Rafeef Ziadah said: "Drones, controlled far away from conflict zones, ease politicians' decisions to launch military strikes and order extrajudicial assassinations, without democratic oversight or accountability to the public.

"Now is the time to ban killer drones - before it is too late."

Remote pilots can operate the drones and fire missiles

Chris Nineham, vice-chairman of the Stop the War Coalition, claimed drones were being used to continue the "deeply unpopular War on Terror" with no public scrutiny.

Calling for armed drones to be banned, Mr Nineham said: "They're using them to fight wars behind our backs."

The Ministry of Defence has defended its use of drones in Afghanistan, which it says have saved the lives of countless military personnel and civilians.

An MoD spokesman said: "UK Reaper aircraft are piloted by highly trained professional military pilots who adhere strictly to the same laws of armed conflict and are bound by the same clearly defined rules of engagement which apply to traditionally manned RAF aircraft."

Lincolnshire Police have held talks with the organisers of the protest to minimise disruption to the local community.

The route of the march from South Common along the A15 to the peace camp site opposite RAF Waddington will see the road closed in phases to limit inconvenience to drivers.

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M62 Crash: Hen Party Minibus Victim Named

A woman who died when a minibus collided with a lorry on the M62 has been named by police as 18-year-old Bethany Jones.

Ms Jones, from Pontefract, died at the scene of the crash about 11.30am on Friday, West Yorkshire police have confirmed.

Her uncle, Anthony Jones, has posted a message on Facebook in the wake of his niece's death.

"Thanking everyone on Facebook for there thoughts sympathy and condolences for the tragic of my niece Bethany Jones rip beth uncle tomy and family and all that new you god bless angle xxx xxx xxx".

Twenty-one people remain in hospital after the collision, which occurred as the minibus travelled to Liverpool for a hen party.

The minibus collied with a Farmfoods lorry on the westbound carriage

Among the injured is the bride-to-be, who has been named locally as Stefanie Firth.

Seven of those wounded in the collision are suffering serious injuries.

Also among those injured is Ashleigh Warner, who posted a photograph on Facebook with Ms Firth.

Before the accident, Ms Firth's friends had posted excited comments about the upcoming hen-do.

On Friday morning, Ms Warner wrote on Facebook: "Jumping on the Liverpool status bandwagon ......... Cos I'm sooooooo excited had my tshirt on since 8 this morning:))) hope Stefanie Firth has the best time xxxx".

Ms Jones, from Pontefract, died at the scene of the crash

The group had set off from South Elmsall, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, when their vehicle collided with a Farmfoods lorry at junction 32 of the westbound carriage of the M62.

The driver of the lorry, a local man, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but has since been released on bail.

In total 21 of the women were injured in the crash, which left the minibus on its side across a carriageway and luggage strewn across the motorway.

Six air ambulances were called to the scene, and four took casualties to nearby hospitals.

Firefighters called the crash "the worst they had seen in a number of years", Dave Walton, assistant chief fire officer at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said.

The collision occurred on Junction 32 of the M62

One patient, a woman in her 40s, suffered suspected serious chest injuries and was anaesthetised before being transported, while another was airlifted to hospital also with chest injuries.

Doncaster firefighter John Nichol was passing the scene of the accident as a passenger in his father's car.

Mr Nichol said: "I got out to see if I could help, and realised there was only me there.

"First I saw a lady at the back of the minibus and realised her leg was severely broken. Then I put my head through the roof and just saw a mass of bodies.

"I think there were 11 or 12 in there, with various injuries, and around five people were out of the vehicle, hobbling around.

"I tried to calm people down and, although a bystander had called 999, I called them back to say this was a major incident and that several resources and air ambulances would be needed."

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Rucksack Suicide Bomb Plotters Jailed

Three ringleaders of a terror plot which could have been more devastating than the July 7 attacks have been jailed.

Irfan Naseer, 31, was jailed for life and must serve at least 18 years, a judge at Woolwich Crown Court told him.

Fellow defendant Irfan Khalid - who promised 'another 9/11' - was sentenced to 23 years for his part in the plot. He will serve a minimum of 12 years.

Ashik Ali, the third terror plot ringleader, was sentenced to 20 years and will serve at least 10 years.

The judge said he did not accept the defendant's portrayal of himself as the group's "tea boy or runner for others".

The gang raised money for terror training with bogus street collections

Mr Justice Henriques said: "Irfan Naseer was the leader, driving force and man in charge and he alone must take responsibility for sending four young men to Pakistan for terrorism training."

Turning to Naseer, who appeared to mutter under his breath during the sentencing hearing, the judge added: "Your plot had the blessing of al Qaeda and you intended to further the aims of al Qaeda."

The judge, who described Naseer as a "skilful bomb-maker", said: "Clearly nothing was going to stop you, short of intervention of the authorities.

"I have no doubt you would have continued with your plan but for that intervention.

"Many deaths were planned by a determined team of individuals who were fully radicalised and you, Naseer, were their leader.

"No lack of assets, skill or manpower was going to stop you."

Police believe it was the most significant terror plot to be uncovered since the 2006 conspiracy to blow up transatlantic airliners using bombs disguised as soft drinks.

The gang, who are all from Birmingham, planned to set off up to eight rucksack bombs and possibly other devices on timers in crowded places.

They raised an estimated £39,000 for terror training and to fund the attacks.

The money was raised through street collections in Birmingham, with gang members falsely claiming they were raising money for Muslim Aid.

But they were also forced to apply for tens of thousands of pounds in loans after losing more than £9,000 playing foreign currency markets.

"Chief financier" Rahin Ahmed, 26, pleaded guilty to collecting, investing and managing money for terrorism, and assisting others to travel to Pakistan for training in terrorism.

He was given an extended sentence of 17 years and will serve six years before he can be released on licence.

Naseer sent aspiring jihadists Shahid Khan, 21, Khobaib Hussain, 21, Ishaaq Hussain, 21, and Naweed Ali, 25, to Pakistan for terror training in August 2011.

But Khobaib Hussain, Ishaaq Hussain and Naweed Ali were forced to return just three days later after a relative got wind of the real reason for their journey.

All four pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts by travelling to Pakistan for training in terrorism.

"It is an especially aggravating feature that the four young men were sent without their parents having any knowledge that they were being sent for terrorism training, believing indeed that they were still in the country," Mr Justice Henriques told Naseer.

Naseer was found guilty of five counts of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts, Khalid of four, and Ali of three, all between Christmas Day 2010 and September 19, 2011.

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Syria Chemical Weapons 'May Have Been Used'

David Cameron has said there is growing evidence of the use of chemical weapons by Bashar al Assad's regime, condemning reported attacks as a "war crime".

However, he said that the latest developments did not mean that Britain would send troops in to Syria but urged for more pressure to be put on the Assad regime.

His comments came as footage emerged of victims of an apparent sarin attack in the city of Aleppo.

The video, which was taken in a hospital and shows men and women frothing at the mouth and twitching from the effects of the nerve agent, was posted online just over a week ago.

The images were recorded at the medical facility in Afrin, about an hour's drive from the city of Aleppo, where the alleged sarin attacks by the Bashar al Assad regime were carried out.

Dr Kawa Hassan, an orthopaedic surgeon who treated the first casualties, told Anthony Lloyd, a journalist for The Times who travelled to the medical facility: "We received an initial five casualties, then a second group.

The US says the Assad regime is likely to be behind any chemical weapon use

"Many were foaming at the mouth and their pupils were dilated. Then some of my medical staff started to become affected, too. We gave them all atropine. For most, it had an immediate positive effect."

Mr Cameron told BBC Breakfast: "It is very disturbing what we are seeing. It's limited evidence but there's growing evidence that we have seen too of the use of chemical weapons, probably by the regime.

"It is extremely serious, this is a war crime, and we should take it very seriously."

He said that it was now essential to gather further evidence and for Britain to work with the international community to put pressure on the Assad regime.

He added: "But this is extremely serious, and I think what President Obama said was absolutely right - that this should form for the international community a red line for us to do more.

Vials of sarin found in Iraq in 2004

Syrian officials denied the government has used chemical weapons against rebel forces.

Sharif Shehadeh called the US claims "lies" and likened them to false accusations that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel announced during a trip to Abu Dhabi yesterday that evidence of chemical weapons use had been found.

His comments were backed by the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, who said the Syrian regime had carried out two small-scale chemical weapons attacks.

Mr Kerry made the claim as he left a Congressional hearing, but did not give further details.

The White House said forces loyal to Assad probably used sarin gas against rebel fighters on a "small scale", but emphasised more assessments were needed.

Victims of the alleged attacks in Aleppo were treated at an Afrin hospital

Barack Obama has repeatedly said that any use of chemical weapons would be cross a "red line", triggering possible military action.

He is expected to discuss the matter when he meets King Abdullah II of Jordan later today.

The latest disclosures by those in his administration have led to calls for tough action including enforcing a no fly zone and creating safe zones inside the country.

Speaking yesterday, a White House official said if it was determined that line had been crossed, the US would consult with its allies on the next step - and "all options are on the table".

The official said the Assad regime is believed to have chemical weapons, and any use of them in the country would probably have been carried out by government forces.

Miguel E Rodriguez, assistant to the president and director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, revealed the claims in a letter to senators John McCain and Carl Levin.

The aftermath of an airstrike in Aleppo earlier this month

"Our intelligence community does assess with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin," he said.

A senior defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press the letter was not an "automatic trigger" for policy decisions on the use of military force.

Senator McCain told Sky News: "The problem is that the president has consistently said that's a red line, so the question is, will the president act in a way that I have advocated for a long time?

"(This involves) providing a safe zone for the Syrian resistance, provide proper weapons and have operational capability to secure these chemical weapon caches."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon announced earlier this month that he had a team of 15 inspectors on stand-by in Cyprus ready to go and investigate allegations of chemical weapons us.

Today his spokesman Martin Nesirky said: "The Secretary-General has consistently urged the Syrian authorities to provide full and unfettered access to the team. He renews this urgent call today.

"The fact-finding team is on stand-by and ready to deploy in 24-48 hours."

Sarin is a colourless and odourless liquid, and is an extremely potent nerve agent.

It is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the UN, and the production and stockpiling of sarin was outlawed by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993.

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M62 Crash: Minibus And Lorry In Collision

A minibus carrying a group of women has been involved in a motorway crash with a lorry leaving multiple injuries.

Firefighters, paramedics and at least six air ambulances are at the scene of the collision on the M62 in Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

A number of casualties remain trapped in the wreckage of the minibus.

The collision happened on the M62 westbound, near junction 32. Yorkshire Ambulance said there are at least 25 injuries, some serious.

Picture by Leon Butler

Police said the incident had left the motorway closed in both directions and advised motorists to avoid the area.

One man - believed to be the driver of the lorry - has been arrested. The women in the minibus are believed to be from the local area.

Assistant Chief Constable Craig Guildford of West Yorkshire Police, said: "This is a significant incident with a number of casualties and as a result of this we have had to close the motorway to allow emergency services to safely get to and free those who are injured.

"We realise this will cause disruption and I would ask drivers to bear with us and avoid the motorway in that area as there will be significant delays.

"Emergency Services remain on the scene and will re-open lanes of the M62 in the area as soon as we can do so safely, but clearly the priority at this stage has been recovering those who are injured.

"Anyone who is concerned about a family member or who has witnessed the collision itself is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police on 101 for information."

A spokeswoman for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: "We received an emergency call at 11.31am today to reports of a serious collision between a mini-coach and an HGV at junction 32 of the M62, close to Castleford, West Yorkshire.

"Due to the scale of the incident we have enacted our major incident plan and dispatched a number of resources to the scene including ambulances, our hazardous area response team, doctors and air ambulance.

"At this time we can confirm that we have treated and transported 25 patients and are working in close partnership with hospitals in the area, including Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield and Leeds General Infirmary."

One man who was stuck in traffic on the motorway tweeted: "Nine ambulances 4 fire engines and god knows how many police cars have gone past."

The motorway is not expected to reopen until at least 6pm.

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Ambulance Crash: Two Killed And Two Injured

Two people have been killed and two seriously injured after an ambulance hit a tree in Hampshire.

The incident happened on the A337 Brockenhurst to Lyndhurst road at its junction with New Park at 9.35am.

The driver of the ambulance - a female paramedic - and an elderly male patient travelling in the rear of the vehicle died at the scene.

A male crew member and a male relative of the patient, who were both in the back of the ambulance, suffered serious injuries.

The crew member was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital and the patient's relative was taken by ambulance.

A recovery vehicle at the scene

"Next of kin for those involved are in the process of being informed," a police spokesman said.

"The road is expected to remain closed for the rest of the day while collision investigators examine the scene and arrange for the vehicle to be recovered."

Hampshire Police said a man in his 20s - believed to be the driver of a car - was arrested at the scene of the crash on suspicion of causing death by driving without due care and attention.

The double-crewed ambulance belonged to South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) and was en route to Southampton General Hospital with the elderly male patient.

"South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is conducting appropriate welfare checks with the families of all involved," a spokesman for the service said.

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Bangladesh: 'Factories Ignored Evacuation Order'

A building in Bangladesh was ordered to be evacuated a day before it collapsed but clothing factories there continued working and ignored police instructions, officers claim.

The order was made after deep cracks became visible - as the death toll from the tragedy rose to at least 175 and it emerged a Primark supplier was based at the premises.

After the cracks were reported on Tuesday, managers of a bank that also had an office in the building, evacuated their workers and suspended their operations.

But the garment factories continued working, ignoring the instructions of officers, said police spokesman Mostafizur Rahman.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association had also asked the factories to suspend work starting on Wednesday morning, just hours before the building fell.

"After we got the crack reports, we asked them to suspend work until further examination, but they did not pay heed," said Atiqul Islam, the group's president.

Thousands gathered on the streets where the building collapsed

Survivors say they were made to carry on working in the eight-storey block despite apparent concerns about its safety.

The building, in Savar on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, housed at least four factories producing clothes for leading Western retailers.

The high street giant Primark has confirmed that one of its suppliers occupied the second floor of the building.

Bosses at the retailer say they were "shocked and saddened" by the collapse.

In a statement released on the company's website, a Primark spokesman said: "The company is shocked and deeply saddened by this appalling incident at Savar, near Dhaka, and expresses its condolences to all of those involved.

Hundreds of factory workers were trapped inside the building

"Primark has been engaged for several years with NGOs and other retailers to review the Bangladeshi industry's approach to factory standards. Primark will push for this review to also include building integrity.

"Meanwhile Primark's ethical trade team is at this moment working to collect information, assess which communities the workers come from, and to provide support where possible."

Army Brigadier General Mohammed Siddiqul Alam Shikder said late on Thursday that many people were still trapped in the building.

The disaster came less than five months after a factory fire killed 112 people and underscored the unsafe conditions faced by Bangladesh's garment workers.

Workers said they had hesitated to enter the building on Wednesday morning because it had developed such large cracks a day earlier that it even drew the attention of local news channels.

Just hours later the building came tumbling down.

Tens of thousands of people have gathered at the site, weeping and searching for family members.

Searchers worked through the night to get through the jumbled mess of concrete with drills or their bare hands, passing water and flashlights to those pinned inside the building.

"I gave them whistles, water, torchlights. I heard them cry. We can't leave them behind this way," said fire official Abul Khayer.

Abdur Rahim, who worked on the fifth floor, said a factory manager gave assurances that the cracks in the building were no cause for concern, so employees went inside.

"After about an hour or so, the building collapsed suddenly," Mr Rahim said.

The next thing he remembers is regaining consciousness outside.

On a visit to the site, Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir told reporters the building had violated construction codes and that "the culprits would be punished."

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Boston Bombing Suspect On Terror List In 2011

The name of the dead Boston bombing suspect was placed on a federal government terrorist database 18 months before the marathon attack, according to US officials.

Sources close to the investigation said that the Russian-born Chechen brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been radicalised through jihadist materials on the internet.

According to the US officials Tamerlan was added by the CIA to a classified database of known and suspected terrorists - the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, known as Tide.

The 26-year-old amateur boxer, who according to his aunt had become a devout Muslim in recent years, had been investigated following a request from Russia's security service, the FSB, which had concerns he had become a follower of radical Islam.

Family photographs of brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev

In March 2011, about six months earlier, the FBI had separately investigated Tamerlan, also at Russia's request, but the FBI found no ties to terrorism, officials said.                 

However, the spelling the FBI used in its investigation was not the same as the spelling used by the CIA.

His six-month trip to Russia in January 2012 triggered no alerts because the FBI had closed its case and Tamerlan was not considered a risk.                 

According to the officials Dzhokhar, 19, who is being questioned in hospital but unable to speak due to a reportedly self-inflicted throat injury, has told investigators his brother had only recently recruited him to be part of the attack.

Dzhokhar said his brother recruited him for the attacks only recently

The revelations will intensify concerns about failings of the security services in both investigating and identifying Tamerlan as a terrorist threat.

Shortly after the attacks which killed three, including an eight-year-old boy and injured more than 180, US officials said the intelligence community had no information about threats to the marathon before the April 15 explosions.

Tamerlan, whom authorities have described as the driving force behind the plot, was killed in a shoot-out with police.

The moment of the first explosion

US officials are expected to brief the Senate on the investigation today but the latest disclosures are expected to prompt an inquiry into security failures.

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said in his annual question and answer session today that the bombings illustrated the need for Russia and the US to work more closely on security matters.

He said: "If we truly join our efforts, we will not allow these strikes and suffer such losses."

Officials said Wednesday that Dzhokhar acknowledged to the FBI his role in the attacks but did so before he was advised of his constitutional rights to keep quiet and seek a lawyer.

Anzor Tsarnaev, father of the bomb suspects, plans to travel to the US

It is unclear whether those statements would be admissible in a criminal trial and, if not, whether prosecutors even need them to win a conviction.

Authorities have said Dzhokhar exchanged gunfire with them for more than an hour Friday night before they captured him inside a boat in a suburban Boston backyard.

Dzhokhar has told the FBI that he and his brother were angry about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the killing of Muslims there, officials said.

Memorial for murdered MIT officer Sean Collier

How much of those conversations will end up in court is unclear. The FBI normally tells suspects they have the right to remain silent before questioning them so all their statements can be used against them.

Investigators have found pieces of remote-control equipment among the debris from the bombing and were analysing them, officials said.

One official described the detonator as "close-controlled," meaning it had to be triggered within several blocks of the bombs, which had been placed in bags and left by the marathon finish line.

Floral tributes at the site of the first explosion

They also recovered a 9 mm handgun believed to have been used by Tamerlan from the site of a Thursday night gun battle that injured a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officer.

US investigators had travelled to the predominantly Muslim provence of Dagestan in Russia to speak to the Tamerlan and Dzhokhar's parents Anzor Tsarnaev and Zubeidat Tsarnaeva.

Anzor Tsarnaev has told the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that the family wants to take Tamerlan's body back to Russia.

Mr Tsarnaev, who described his youngest son as a "true angel", has said that his sons were framed and that they would not have been involved in the attacks.

He and his wife plan to travel to the US.

Investigators are looking into whether Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who spent six months in Russia's turbulent Caucasus region in 2012, was influenced by the religious extremists who have waged an insurgency against Russian forces in the area for years.

The brothers have roots in Dagestan and neighbouring Chechnya but had lived in the US for about a decade.

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Wootton Bassett Terror Plotter Jailed

A Muslim convert who plotted a terror attack on Royal Wootton Bassett has been jailed for six years.

Richard Dart, 30, who appeared in a BBC 3 documentary about Islam in 2011, had also planned to target members of the security services after receiving training at camps in Pakistan.

Dart, the son of Dorset-based teachers, was jailed at the Old Bailey with his co-conspirators Jahangir Alom, a former police community support officer, and Imran Mahmood.

Dart, who changed his name to Salahuddin al Britaini when he converted to Islam, was jailed for six years, Alom for four years and six months and Mahmood for nine years and nine months.

Mr Justice Simon told the trio they held "radical Islamist beliefs and have shown yourselves to be committed to acts of terrorism".

A surveillance image of Richard Dart and Imran Mahmood taken in London.

Dart, who was also formerly a BBC security guard, refused to stand when he was sentenced, saying: "I don't wish to stand up, I believe ruling and judging is only for Allah."

His extremist beliefs were exposed in the BBC television documentary made by his step-brother Rob Leech, called My Brother the Islamist, in which he is seen having close contact with the radical preacher Anjem Choudary.

Bearded Dart, who had only been a Muslim for six months at that point, declared: "I support the cause of jihad, that's part of being a Muslim."

Dart and Alom had travelled to Pakistan to get terrorist training and took advice from Mahmood who had already visited the country.

Dart and Mahmood discussed bomb-making and also that Royal Wootton Bassett, the military repatriation town, could be a potential target.

In fragments of computer conversations between Dart and Mahmood, which they attempted to hide by writing in Word documents and then deleting them, forensics experts discovered a reference to the town.

They had added: "If it comes down to it it's that or even just to deal with a few MI5 MI6 heads."

The trio admitted engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism between July 2010 and July last year at a hearing last month.

Hearses carrying the bodies of fallen soldiers move through Wootton Bassett

Mr Justice Simon said: "I'm satisfied to the required criminal standard that neither of you had ruled out an attack in the United Kingdom, and that you, Mahmood, were looking at arming yourself with a bomb."

Dart, 30, of  Ealing in west London, Mahmood, 22, of Northolt in west London, and Alom, 26, of Stratford in east London, had all been stopped at airports while travelling to and from Pakistan.

When Mahmood was stopped at Manchester in 2010, traces of explosives were found on two rucksacks that he had with him.

He later admitted that he had received rudimentary training in explosives while in Pakistan.

The three were arrested on July 5 last year just before the start of the Olympics.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Osborne, from the Met's counter-terrorism command, said: "These are dangerous men.

"Mahmood had received terrorist training in Pakistan and suggested he had knowledge of how to make home-made explosives, while Dart and Alom made great efforts to travel to Pakistan and aspired to seek training from terrorist groups there."

He added: "This case serves as a classic example of how terrorists live in our midst while preparing their acts and their determination to travel overseas to train before returning to the UK."

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Boston Suspects' Mother: 'US Took My Kids'

The mother of the Boston bombing suspects says she doesn't believe her sons carried out the marathon attacks.

Speaking at a press conference, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, said that she regretted moving to the US and claimed "America took my kids away from me."

An emotional Mrs Tsarnaeva said American authorities had told her that she could not see her 19-year-old son Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is in hospital where US officials have said he is being questioned by investigators.

She said: "They already told us that they are never going to show us Dzhokhar even if we come there, until he will be put into their jail we wouldn't be able to see him."

She said that her sons were nice boys who "loved each other" and said they had been happy in America and had plenty of friends.

Mrs Tsarnaeva said the family had moved to the US because she thought that "America was going to protect us".

She said that Dzhokhar's lawyers had said that investigators had not started to question her son because he was not well enough.

She said she had been told he had a "really bad wound to his right neck" which meant he could not eat and was being fed by a tube.

Reports in the US have claimed the teenager suffered a self-inflicted throat injury during a shoot-out and subsequent stand-off with police.

According to US officials he has said that his brother, Tamerlan, 26, who died in gunfight with police, recruited him to take part in the attacks only recently.

However, both Mrs Tsarnaeva and her husband Anzor Tsarnaev said there was not way their sons were responsible for the attack which killed three, including an eight-year-old boy, and injured more than 180.

She said that her son's were victims of a conspiracy and had been framed. She said she had seen a video of her son Tamerlan being arrested alive and was later shown pictures of him alive.

Mrs Tsarnaeva said she had spoken to her son after the bombings and before he was killed in the police shoot-out and he had told her: "Don't worry mamma" and tried to reassure her he was safe.

Mr Tsarnaev, told reporters he would be travelling to the US. He said: "I am going to the United States. I want to say that I am going there to see my son, to bury the older one. I don't have any bad intentions. I don't plan to blow up anything."

Banging the table as he spoke, he said: "I am not angry at anyone. I want to go find out the truth."

Mrs Tsarnaeva said that she was not sure whether she would accompany her husband. She was charged with shoplifting in the US last summer and is concerned she could be arrested.

They were speaking as it emerged that Tamerlan's name had been included on a database of suspected terrorists by the CIA in 2011, 18 months before the attacks.

He was investigated after the Russian security service, the FSB, raised concerns that he had become a follower of Russian Islam.

Mrs Tsarnaeva said that she didn't believe that Russia had raised concerns over her son with the US authorities.

The press conference came as Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his annual question-and-answer session and said that the Boston bombings showed the need for closer cooperation between Moscow and Washington.

He said: "We always have said that we shouldn't limit ourselves to declarations about terrorism being a common threat and engage in closer cooperation.

"Now these two criminals have proven the correctness of our thesis."

He said also criticised the West for refusing to declare Chechen militants terrorists and offering them political assistance in the past.

He said: "I always felt indignation when our Western partners and Western media were referring to terrorists who conducted brutal and bloody crimes on the territory of Russia as rebels."

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Bangladesh: Dozens Dead After Building Fall

At least 70 people have died after an eight-storey building collapsed on the outskirts of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka.

Another 700 are reported to have been injured in the building's collapse which involved several garment factories.

"The toll will rise as conditions of some injured were critical," said Hiralal Roy, a senior emergency ward doctor at the nearby Enam hospital.

Tens of thousands of people gathered at the site, some of them weeping survivors, some searching for family members, with 1,000 people still reported to be trapped inside the building.

Clothing factories are usually staffed 24 hours a day.

Firefighters and soldiers using drilling machines and cranes worked together with local volunteers in the search for other survivors from the building, which fell into itself, leaving it about two storeys tall.

Hundreds of factory workers were trapped inside the building

Some workers complained that the building had developed cracks on Tuesday evening, triggering an evacuation, but they had been forced back to the production lines by their managers.

"The managers forced us to rejoin and just one hour after we entered the factory the building collapsed with a huge noise," said a 24-year-old worker who gave her first name as Mousumi.

"I am injured. But I've not found my husband who was working on the fourth floor," she said, estimating that 5,000 people worked inside the building, which also housed apartments, a bank and shops.

Thousands gathered on the streets where the building collapsed

The collapse stirred memories of a fatal fire in a clothing factory in November that killed 112 people and raised an outcry about safety in the nation's garment industry.

That fire at the Tazreen factory drew international attention to the conditions workers toil under in the $20bn-a-year (£13bn) textile industry in Bangladesh.

The country has about 4,000 garment factories and exports clothes to leading Western retailers - the industry wields vast power in the South Asian nation.

Tazreen did not have emergency exits and its owner said only three floors of the eight-story building were legally built.

Surviving employees said gates had been locked and managers had told them to go back to work after the fire alarm went off.

The factory made clothes for Wal-Mart, Disney and other Western brands.

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Milly Phone Hacking Claim: Police Slammed

Former senior officers at Surrey Police failed to investigate a claim that Milly Dowler's phone had been hacked during their 2002 inquiry into her abduction and murder, a watchdog has found.

Officers at all levels of the inquiry knew the allegation had been made against the News Of The World (NOTW) but did nothing despite suggestions a crime may have been committed, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said.

But the watchdog added it had not been able to discover why nothing was done, adding senior officers appeared to be suffering from a "form of collective amnesia".

IPCC deputy chair Deborah Glass said: "We will never know what would have happened had Surrey Police carried out an investigation into the hacking of Milly Dowler's phone in 2002.

"Phone hacking was a crime and this should have been acted upon, if not in 2002, then later, once the NOTW's widespread use of phone hacking became a matter of public knowledge and concern.

"Our investigation has heard from officers and former officers from Surrey Police who have expressed surprise and dismay that it wasn't investigated.

"We have not been able to uncover any evidence, in documentation or witness statements, of why and by whom that decision was made - former senior officers, in particular, appear to have been afflicted by a form of collective amnesia in relation to the events of 2002.

"This is perhaps not surprising, given the events of 2011 and the public outcry that the hacking of Milly Dowler's phone produced."

Levi Bellfield was convicted of the girl's murder in June 2011

In July 2011, it emerged Milly's phone may have been hacked by the Sunday tabloid - claims which led to the newspaper's owner Rupert Murdoch shutting down the paper.

Milly, 13, was abducted in March 2002 and her body was found in September that year.

The IPCC findings follow an investigation into the conduct of two senior officers, Deputy Chief Constable Craig Denholm and temporary Detective Superintendent Maria Woodall.

Surrey Police said it had taken "management action and issued words of advice" to both officers, although the IPCC concluded neither had a case to answer for misconduct.

Former nightclub bouncer Levi Bellfield was convicted of Milly's murder in June 2011, some nine years after the teenager vanished as she walked home from school after leaving Walton-on-Thames station.

Following Bellfield's trial, the then Surrey Police chief constable, Mark Rowley, set up Operation Baronet to look into reports that Surrey Police was aware in April 2002 that the NOTW had allegedly intercepted Milly's voicemail.

Surrey Police Authority and Surrey Police referred complaints against Mr Denholm and Ms Woodall to the IPCC in June 2012 in light of evidence arising from Operation Baronet.

The force's chief constable Lynne Owens said: "Surrey Police acknowledged in 2011 that the hacking of Milly Dowler's voicemails should have been investigated and both the former chief constable and I have met with and apologised to the Dowler family for the distress this has caused."

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Motorist Admits Killing Couple On Tandem

By Isabel Webster, West Of England Correspondent

A driver has admitted killing a couple after mowing them down in his car as they rode their tandem.

Nicholas Lovell entered guilty pleas to causing the deaths of Ross Simons, 34, and his wife Clare, 30, in a crash in Hanham, near Bristol, on January 27 this year.

Lovell fled the scene of the crash, leaving his partner Louise Cox to give a false account of who was driving the vehicle to the officers.

Louise Cox owns the car driven by Lovell

He handed himself into police hours after the collision and was arrested.

Appearing via videolink, the 38-year-old pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one of driving while disqualified.

He spoke only to confirm his name and enter the guilty pleas during the 10-minute hearing.

Ross and Clare Simons died less than 24 hours after celebrating the news that they could undergo fertility treatment to start a family.

Friends described them as "two peas in a pod" and "the perfect couple".

Cox, who owns the Citroen Picasso driven by Lovell, has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.

The 35-year-old from Bristol admitted providing police with a false name and description when she was asked to identify who had been driving her car.

The judge remanded Lovell in custody while Cox was released on police bail.

They will be sentenced on May 22.

Tributes left at the scene in Hanham

Detective Chief Inspector Rachel Williams, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: "The pleas entered today by both Nicholas Lovell and Louise Cox reflect that both have taken some responsibility for the deaths of Ross and Clare.

"While these pleas will never bring Ross and Clare back, I hope they go some way to providing comfort for their families."

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Qatada Fight Could Last 'Many Months' - May

Abu Qatada could finally be kicked out of Britain thanks to a new treaty agreed with Jordan but it could take "many months", Theresa May has told MPs.

The Home Secretary revealed in a Commons statement that she had secured "fair trial guarantees" for the radical cleric from the Jordanian government.

She declared they gave Britain "every chance" of ejecting the terror suspect, who has dodged deportation for years, once the treaty has been fully ratified.

Qatada has avoided deportation for years

But she warned the terror suspect would not be "on a plane within days" because he could still launch a series of appeals against any new decision.

"Qatada will still have legal appeals available to him, and it will therefore be up to the courts to make the final decision," she said.

"That legal process may well still take many months, but in the meantime I believe Qatada should remain behind bars."

She also confirmed that a temporary withdrawal from the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) was being considered.

"We should have all options, including leaving, on the table," she said. "The Prime Minister is looking at all the options. That is the only sensible thing to do."

Mrs May's language was in stark contrast to her declaration almost exactly a year ago, when she assured MPs Qatada could be leaving "soon".

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain was "back to legal square one" as she attacked Mrs May's handling of the case.

"In the past she has overstated the evidence, overstated her legal position, and overstated her legal strategy, which instead has failed," she said.

Mrs May signs the new treaty with Jordan

The statement came 24 hours after Appeal Court judges refused permission for the Home Office to take their fight to the Supreme Court.

Mrs May said the Government would still appeal directly to the UK's highest court to try to overturn the existing ruling that prevents Qatada being sent home to face trial.

But the agreement with Jordan will also allow her to launch a fresh deportation bid, which would restart the legal battle.

By continuing to fight the Government in the British courts - and probably in Europe too - Qatada could string out the process for years.

The Home Secretary hinted at plans for a wider overhaul of human rights laws in Britain to avoid similar cases in the future.

"As any sane observer of this case will conclude, it is absurd for the deportation of a suspected foreign terrorist to take so many years and cost the taxpayer so much money," she said.

Mr Cameron: situation is 'intolerable'

"That is why we need to make sense of our human rights laws, and it's why we need to remove the many layers of appeals available to foreign nationals we want to deport."

Qatada, who featured in hate sermons found on videos in the flat of one of the 9/11 bombers, is wanted in Jordan over allegations about a terrorist plot.

Law Lords ruled in favour of deportation in 2009, but European judges later overruled them, warning evidence obtained through torture could be used against him at trial.

Mrs May crucially decided not to appeal and instead worked on securing assurances from Jordan over his treatment.

Last November, immigration judges ruled the assurances were not enough and backed the European decision - a ruling upheld this year by the Court of Appeal.

Qatada has now been living in the UK for 20 years. He was released on bail last year but is currently in Belmarsh Prison after allegedly breaching the conditions.

Police searched his family home in London before he was held and have since said that he is being investigated over extremist material.

David Cameron apparently said at a summit about the case that the current situation makes his "blood boil" and is "intolerable".

Downing Street sources have made clear that the Prime Minister wants to personally "drive" the process to get him out of the country.

Cabinet minister Ken Clarke insisted leaving the ECHR was "not the policy of this Government" and said he was unaware it was being actively looked at.

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Abandoned Baby Alia Was Alive When Born

A newborn baby found abandoned by dog walkers was not stillborn, police have revealed.

Detectives believe the girl, given the name Alia, lived for a short period of time after her birth.

They have released images of items which were recovered along with her body in the hope of tracing her parents.

The child was discovered shortly before 4.55pm on Thursday March 14 in Ox Hey Lane, Lostock, near Bolton, by a man and woman out walking their dog.

The cotton trousers found at the scene

She had been wrapped in clothing and placed inside a plastic bag, and there was a message requesting that she receive an Islamic burial.

Following discussions with the Bolton Council of Mosques, detectives named her Alia, meaning beautiful.

A specialist neonatologist has established that she was born alive and lived independently of her mother for up to two hours.

However, the cause of her death has yet to be established, as does her ethnicity.

Three items recovered along with her body included a Tesco bag, with the words "Please please bury him Islamic way please please" written on it in English

It is believed baby Alia was wrapped in a white shirt and cotton trousers and placed in this bag, which was in turn placed in a JD Sports bag.

A pair of three-quarter length, paint-stained cotton trousers were also found at the scene.

Detective Inspector Aaron Duggan, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "Despite the passage of time, our primary concern still remains the welfare of baby Alia's parents, in particular her mother.

"She was found almost six weeks ago and we still need to make sure both mum and dad are OK, both physically and mentally.

The JD Sports bag in which the Tesco bag was placed

"This will have been a traumatic experience for them, particularly if they are young."

DI Duggan added: "What we don't know, and what we are trying to establish, is how, where and when she died and when she was placed at Ox Hey Lane and by whom.

"I want people to think about someone that perhaps they knew or suspected was, up until recently, pregnant and, coupled with these images, now think they know who the mother or father is and to call us in confidence.

"I want to appeal to the parents directly to come forward, to talk to us and explain what happened to their daughter. I want to reassure them that specialist help is still available if required."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 5448, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Becky Godden Murder: Mother's Plea To Killer

A mother whose daughter was murdered has pleaded with the man who led police to her daughter's remains to "come clean".

Karen Edwards urged taxi driver Christopher Halliwell to confess to killing Rebecca Godden, who was known as Becky.

Halliwell, 49, is serving life imprisonment after admitting murdering Swindon office worker Sian O'Callaghan, 22.

A narrative verdict was recorded at an inquest into Miss Godden's death on Tuesday.

Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter said it was likely that she had died an "unnatural and violent" death due to an "unlawful act of a third party".

Miss Godden, 20, who turned to prostitution after becoming addicted to heroin, was murdered in 2002 and buried in a shallow grave on farmland in a Cotswold beauty spot.

Halliwell admitted her murder but was not charged because he had not been cautioned by the police.

Speaking after the inquest, Miss Godden's mother, Karen Edwards, appealed directly to the father-of-three.

"I feel that, as her mum, I will get to the root of this even if it's with the last breath in my body; I will get a conviction of some description," Mrs Edwards said, fighting back tears.

"And I'd also like to appeal to Christopher Halliwell - this is your chance now. Come clean, please, please, what have you got to lose?

"My personal opinion, I don't think he's ever going to come out, so why not put everyone out of their misery?"

Mrs Edwards said: "What I would like to do today is appeal to anybody out there who knows anything at all - any tiny, tiny, little bit of evidence - anything that may help to convict Becky's murderer.

"Any tiny little thing and I would be eternally grateful... just please get in touch with the police.

"This is still very much an open murder investigation. The police are working very, very hard behind the scenes and I would like to think that I am working with them.

"I want Becky's murderer found and I want a conviction."

The inquest heard that the last positive sighting of Miss Godden, then aged 20, was by a police officer on December 27 2002 in the Manchester Road area of Swindon.

Her family did not know where she was and thought she was living in the Bristol area.

It was not until police knocked on their door on what would have been her 29th birthday - April 4, 2011 - that they discovered the horrific truth.

She had broken off contact with her family after saying she could not put her mother through the pain of watching her succumb to drugs.

Her family had previously paid for private rehabilitation treatment in an effort to help her "get clean".

Detectives had been led to the field in Eastleach, Gloucestershire, by Halliwell in March 2011.

He had confessed to killing Miss Godden and Miss O'Callaghan, taking Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher to where he hid their bodies.

But Mr Fulcher's failure to follow the rules meant the murder charge in Miss Godden's case had to be dropped.

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Godolphin Trainer 'Sorry' Over Doping Scandal

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent

British racing is facing its biggest-ever doping scandal after 11 horses at one of the country's top racing stables tested positive for anabolic steroids.

Trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni will have to attend a disciplinary hearing and faces a lengthy ban from the sport after admitting administering the drugs at the Godolphin stable in Newmarket.

The positive tests at the stable owned by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum were revealed after spot tests on 45 horses by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).

The animals who failed included Certify, the ante-post favourite for next month's 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, and 2012 Royal Ascot Gold Cup runner-up Opinion Poll.

Mr al Zarooni admitted that he had administered two steroids but he claimed he did not know it was an offence to use the drugs when the horses were not racing.

"I deeply regret what has happened. I have made a catastrophic error," he said in a statement.

"Because the horses involved were not racing at the time, I did not realise that what I was doing was in breach of the rules of racing.

"I can only apologise for the damage this will cause to Godolphin and to racing generally."

Sheikh Mohammed congratulating his jockey after winning the Dubai World Cup

The episode is deeply embarrassing for Godolphin's patron Sheikh Mohammed, who has invested hundreds of millions of pounds in British racing over the last 20 years.

His racing manager Simon Crisford said the findings marked a "dark day" for the stables.

"His Highness Sheikh Mohammed was absolutely appalled when he was told and this is completely unacceptable to him," he said.

"We will await the outcome of the BHA inquiry before taking any further internal action.

"Sheikh Mohammed has instructed me to begin an urgent review of all of our procedures and controls. That is already underway and we will take advice from the BHA in completing it."

It is highly unusual for performance-enhancing drugs to be revealed by doping tests in racing.

Most of the 25-30 positive tests revealed in an average year are for medication used in breach of the rules.

The samples were taken from the Godolphin stables in Moulton Paddocks, Newmarket, on April 9.

Seven horses were found to have ethylestranol in their system, and four the drug stanozolol, the steroid used by disgraced Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson at the Seoul Olympics.

Adam Brickell, director of integrity, legal and risk for the BHA, said: "Ethylestranol and stanozolol are anabolic steroids and therefore prohibited substances under British Rules of Racing, at any time - either in training or racing."

He added: "The horses which have produced positive tests will also not be permitted to race with immediate effect and for an extended period of time.

"As part of the ongoing process a decision will be made as to what period this suspension will be imposed for."

The National Trainers Federation's chief executive Rupert Arnold said he had been "shocked" by the test results.

"The Godolphin management, for whom Mr Al Zarooni trains, is a byword for the highest levels of professionalism, integrity and sportsmanship," he said.

"News reports so far suggest this case is an aberration and is not indicative of wider use of anabolic steroids in British horseracing.

"We fully endorse the British Horseracing Authority's testing in training regime and all efforts to prevent the use of any prohibited substance to gain an unfair advantage.

"Without wanting to diminish the seriousness of this case, in some ways it is a positive message that the presence of these substances was detected so the sport is kept clean."

The Godolphin stable was founded in 1992 and has won more than 2,000 races worldwide, with winners in 14 countries.

Mr al Zarooni has trained a series of big-race winners since joining Sheikh Mohammed's operation three years ago.

They include the richest race in the world - the Dubai World Cup - with Monterosso last March, and then the St Leger at Doncaster with Encke in September.

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Qatada: Judges Block Supreme Court Appeal

The Government has been refused permission to take its fight to remove preacher Abu Qatada from the UK to the Supreme Court.

Permission to appeal to the highest court in the land over a case that has already dragged on for eight years was refused by the Court of Appeal.

The Government's had tried to launch a new appeal after judges last month rejected the latest in a long line of attempts to deport the terror suspect to Jordan.

In March, the Court of Appeal backed an earlier ruling that Qatada could not be deported over fears that evidence obtained through torture would be used against him.

After the latest blow, the Home Office insisted it would fight on.

A spokesman said: "We are disappointed with the Court of Appeal's decision but will now request permission to appeal directly from the Supreme Court.

"The Government remains committed to deporting this dangerous man and we continue to work with the Jordanians to address the outstanding legal issues preventing deportation."

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Boston: 'Wife Heard Husband Was Suspect On TV'

The wife of one of the alleged Boston Marathon bombers apparently found out he was a suspect on television.

US investigators have asked to speak to Muslim convert Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, according to her lawyer Amato DeLuca, as they try to establish a motive for the attacks.

She did not suspect her husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev of anything, and nothing seemed amiss after the bombings, he added.

Mr DeLuca said she had been working 70 to 80 hours a week as a home health care aide while her husband looked after their toddler daughter.

The lawyer said on the last day his client saw her husband alive, Tamerlan, 26, was home when she left for work.

She was at university in Boston when friends introduced her to her future husband at a nightclub and they dated on and off, before marrying in 2009 or 2010, Mr DeLuca said.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev (left) and his younger brother Dzhokhar

Mrs Russell Tsarnaev, reportedly aged 24, was raised as a Christian, but at some point after meeting Tamerlan Tsarnaev she converted to Islam, he said.

When asked why she converted, he said: "She believes in the tenets of Islam and of the Koran. She believes in God."

The suspected bomber was killed after a shootout with police early on Friday.

His brother Dzhokhar, 19, escaped, triggering an hours-long manhunt that shut down Boston before he was caught.

The siblings are accused of planting two bombs near the marathon finish line last Monday, killing three people and injuring more than 180.

Forensic officers at one of the blast sites

Mrs Russell Tsarnaev did not speak to federal officials who on Sunday evening came to her parents' home, where she has been staying since her husband died.

Mr DeLuca said he spoke to officials but he would not offer further details.

"We're deciding what we want to do and how we want to approach this," he said.

When asked whether anything seemed amiss to the wife following the bombings, DeLuca said, "Not as far as I know."

"When this allegedly was going on, she was working, and had been working all week to support her family," he said.

He said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was at college and she did not see him "at all" at the apartment they shared with her mother-in-law.

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Paedophile Hunting Group Leads To Arrests

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky Reporter

A group of parents who aim to trap potential paedophiles by posing as teenagers online has told Sky News they are providing a valuable service.

The mothers and fathers from the Midlands have set up around 80 fake profiles on Facebook, chatrooms and dating websites pretending to be underage girls. 

They then collect information about possible sex offenders and arrange to meet them.

Instead of a teenage girl turning up, the target is confronted by a team of adults, a video camera and a dossier of the alleged offences.

Police have confirmed that four arrests have been made as a result of the video evidence gathered by the group.

They have confronted individuals in Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.

The leader of the group, known as 'Scumm Buster', told Sky News he had set up the group in January after finding out a friend had been abused as a child.

He said all the members had children and wanted to keep them safe.

He added that the group had approached police to make sure they were gathering the right kind of evidence to help prosecutions.

When asked whether their actions were counterproductive, Scumm Buster said: "We know we are ruining people's lives, but they don't seem to care that they are ruining children's lives."

But police forces have warned the activities could interfere with criminal proceedings.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: "The main focus of any paedophile investigation has to be the victim - protecting the victim, getting justice for the victim.

"Unfortunately, these kinds of public naming and shaming activities can actually have a negative effect on victims of child abuse.

"While we understand the strong feelings that motivate this kind of activity, it can seriously affect the chances of success in court, preventing victims from getting justice and increasing the chances of offenders walking free.

"The best thing people can do, if they have evidence of child abuse or paedophile activity, is report it to the police, Crimestoppers or the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) so that we can conduct a thorough investigation and make sure measures are put in place to ensure the safety of any potential victims."

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Boston: Video Of 'Bomber' Dancing Amid Shock

A video has been released of the younger Boston Marathon bombing suspect joking around, doing robotic dance moves, and wrestling with a friend.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, is accused, along with his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan, of setting off the deadly explosions near the finish line, killing three people and injuring over 180.

Yushun Tsou, who was on the wrestling team with the teenage suspect at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, has posted the video online with the words ''this was the Jahar I knew'', referring to Tsarnaev by his nickname.

The footage, taken in a basement during their high school years, shows the tall Tsarnaev dancing in front of the camera and wrestling a friend before he eventually pins him down.

Mr Tsou, who refers to Tsarnaev as a "friend and teammate", is one of a number of the suspect's associates who have expressed their shock at the apparent out-of-character behaviour.

Andrew Glasby, a friend at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth who lived in the same dorm in a floor above, said they had chatted the day after last Monday's bombings.

Dzhokhar was also pictured wrestling in the video

"I thought it was just regular old Jahar," Mr Glasby said.

"We had a typical conversation, he was not startled, he was not scared, he was not anything. He was just the same old Jahar."

Mr Glasby also told ABC News: "He had the balls to come back and act like everything was OK, like nothing happened."

He said Tsarnaev had offered to give him a lift home on Friday.

Mr Glasby said he shocked when he saw his friend identified as a suspect in the bombings.

"Shocked is the word for it. I did not expect it. This was out of nowhere," he said.

Two days after the attacks, Tsarnaev reportedly attended a party, and one female student who was also there said: "He was just relaxed."

He had also been to the gym and slept in his dorm room that night.

The suspect is being treated in hospital as Boston pays tribute to victims

A former classmate at the university, who would only identify himself by his first name San, said Dzhokhar had told him he was having trouble on some courses.

"He was talking about how he wasn't doing as good as he expected," San, 22, said.

"He was a really smart kid, but having a little difficulty in college because going from high school to college is totally different."

San told the New York Times he would be willing to testify on Dzhokhar's behalf. "I feel like all of his friends would do that," he said.

Peter Tean, 21, a high school wrestling teammate, said he thought Dzhokhar's interest in rough-and-tumble sports came from a desire to be like his brother.

"He's done these violent sports because his brother's a boxer," Mr Tean said. "He really loves his brother, looks up to him."

Ethnic Chechen Dzhokhar is in a critical but stable condition in hospital under armed guard after being injured during a gunfight with police before his capture on Friday evening.

His older brother and suspected accomplice Tamerlan, 26, died after an earlier shootout.

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Boston Bomb Suspect 'Responding To Questions'

The surviving Boston marathon bomb suspect is beginning to respond to questions from investigators, reports say.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remains in a critical but stable condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, where some of the 180 people wounded in the blasts are also being treated.

The 19-year-old is said to have a wound to his throat - reportedly caused by a gunshot through his mouth that exited the back of his neck - which prevents him from speaking.

Tamerlan died in a gunfight

But major US news networks say he is responding to questions in writing.

He is under armed guard in hospital and federal prosecutors are preparing to file criminal charges against him.

Dzhokhar is also reported to have been shot in the leg during a shootout with law enforcement the night before his arrest.

His older brother and fellow suspect Tamerlan, 26, died in that gunfight.

A lawyer for Tamerlan's wife, Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, said US authorities have also asked to speak with his client.

Amato DeLuca said Mrs Russell Tsarnaev did not suspect her husband of anything, and nothing seemed amiss after the explosions.

Three people died and more than 180 others were injured in the twin blasts at the marathon, the worst bombing to take place in the US since 9/11.

One of the hospitals treating the wounded was Boston Medical Centre, which said 11 of the injured were still there, including one who was critically ill and three in a serious condition.

The Boston Red Sox, Major League Baseball and several affiliated organisations have contributed more than £400,000 to One Fund Boston, established to help people most affected by the blasts last Monday.

Tamerlan's wife apparently did not suspect her husband of anything

After Tamerlan was killed early on Friday, Dzhokhar escaped, triggering an hours-long manhunt that shut down Boston.

It ended with the teenager's capture in a boat parked in a backyard late on Friday night.

It has also emerged police chiefs believe the Tsarnaev brothers were planning further attacks.

Commissioner Ed Davis said officers found a large stockpile of weapons and more than 250 rounds of ammunition at the scene of the earlier gun battle.

Dzhokhar leaves the boat he was hiding in

"They had IEDs," he said, referring to improvised explosives devices. "They had homemade hand grenades that they were throwing at the officers.

"The scene was loaded with unexploded improvised explosive devices that actually we had to point out to the arriving officers and clear the area."

He said one IED was found in a Mercedes the brothers had abandoned. "This was as dangerous as it gets in urban policing," Commissioner Davis said.

The city's residents have been asked to observe a moment of silence at 2:50pm today, exactly a week after the first of two bombs went off within seconds of each other near the marathon finish line.

There was a big manhunt for Dzhokhar who escaped after the first gun battle

A private funeral was also set to take place later for Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant worker who was among the dead.

A memorial service will be held at Boston University for another victim, Lu Lingzi, 23, a graduate student from China. The youngest person to die was eight-year-old Martin Richard.

Mr Davis said federal authorities were trying to track down how and where the two suspects obtained the firearms and explosive devices.

Three people were killed in the twin bombings

The two were ethnic Chechens who had been living in the United States for a decade.

Dzhokhar became a US citizen in 2012, while his older brother's application was reportedly held up.

Tamerlan began posting militant videos on social media sites in recent years, and travelled to Dagestan, which borders Chechnya, in 2012. Both Russian regions host separatist rebel groups.

The brothers' social media pages appeared to express sympathy with the struggle in Chechnya, which has been ravaged by two wars since 1994 between Russia and increasingly Islamist-leaning separatist rebels.

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Measles Victim Died 'After He Was Sent Home'

The first victim to die in the measles outbreak in South Wales had been sent home from hospital, his mother has claimed.

Gareth Williams, 25, was found dead on Thursday morning at his home in the Port Tennant area of Swansea.

Initial tests revealed that Mr Williams, who is believed to have suffered from asthma, was infected with measles at the time of his death.

Further investigations are being undertaken by the Swansea Coroner to establish whether his death was due to measles or something else.

Mr Williams' mother, Angela Colfer, said he had been admitted to Swansea's Morriston Hospital after breaking out in red spots.

However, she said he had been released from hospital after several days because doctors thought he was over the worst of it.

More than 800 cases of measles have been reported in Swansea

Ms Colfer told the South Wales Evening Post: "He was covered in a rash, and what with the measles epidemic in Swansea we wanted to get him to hospital.

"He had been in Morriston Hospital for five or six days before he was sent home."

The claim came as hundreds more MMR jab vaccinations were administered over the weekend at emergency sessions at four hospitals around Swansea.

Thousands of children have received the MMR jab over the last three weeks amid rising concern at the rocketing rate of measles cases.

Mr Williams was treated at Morriston Hospital before his death

The headline rate rose to 808 on Thursday after 43 separate new cases of measles were recorded over a two-day period.

Up to 2,000 more children were vaccinated in school this week as efforts were targeted in communities most at risk.

With the pool of unprotected children reducing on a daily basis, hundreds have still turned out to hospital drop-in sessions.

Rapid vaccination teams at all four locations were well able to deal with the large numbers turning up.

Thousands of children missed out on MMR jabs from the late 1990s due to unfounded fears linking the vaccination with autism.

Despite the progress made in reaching thousands of unprotected children, the health board and Public Health Wales (PHW) are still urging those who have not been vaccinated to come forward.

They warn that people in the 10 to 18 age group, who missed out on the MMR jab in the past, are being hardest hit by the disease.

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London Marathon: Tributes To Boston Victims

Thousands of runners at the London Marathon have paid tribute to the victims of the Boston bombings, as big crowds lined the streets of the British capital under heavy security.

The competitors, including Olympic champion Mo Farah, observed 30 seconds of silence at the start of the race, which took place less than a week after the Boston attacks.

The poignant tribute was followed by applause as the runners gathered at the start line for the elite men's and mass race.

Many of the 36,000 fun runners, athletes and fundraisers wore a black ribbon as a mark of respect to those affected by the attack.

Some had the name of the US city emblazoned on their vests, while some spectators held up banners saying "For Boston".

The marathon has drawn thousands of people

Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia won the men's race, while Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya won the women's event.

Huge crowds turned out to watch the race on a glorious spring day in London despite concerns raised by the bomb attacks on the Boston Marathon.

"It was incredible, the amount of support, people coming out from everywhere, just cheering the whole way. Unbelievable," said a breathless Farah.

Prime Minister David Cameron wrote on Twitter : "Congratulations to the inspiring runners in the #LondonMarathon - a fantastic showcase for the city."

Prince Harry, who waited at the finish line on the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace to hand out medals to the winners, said the large turnout was "fantastic" and "typically British".

He also paid tribute to Boston, saying: "The way that Boston has dealt with it has been absolutely remarkable.

"It's never going to get anyone down here, the great thing about the marathon is no matter what colour you are, or religion, no matter what nationality you are, everyone comes together to run a certain distance to raise money for amazing causes.

"I think that you can never that take away from people," he told the BBC.

Virgin London Marathon has pledged to donate £2 for every finisher to The One Fund Boston, which was set up to raise money for the victims of the explosions.

Priscah Jeptoo posing for photographers after winning the women's race

Three people were killed in Boston, including an eight-year-old boy, and some 170 injured, some seriously.

Following the attacks, hundreds of extra police were deployed in London - a 40% increase in the number of officers.

But authorities stressed the increased security was aimed at reassuring the public and was not a response to a specific threat.

Despite the sombre tributes and the beefed-up police presence, the mood was a defiant and festive one, with spectators cheering the runners on and some competitors showing up in fancy dress.

"It means that runners are stronger than bombers," said Valerie Bloomfield, a 40-year-old participant from France.

Barbara Stephenson, charge d'affaires at the US Embassy in London, told Sky News the show of respect by London Marathon runners for the Boston victims underlined the "special relationship" between the two countries.

Mo Farah says he overslept ahead of the race.

"We've had responses from Her Majesty the Queen, all through Twitter from the British people, and now we have got tens of thousands of London Marathon runners wearing a black ribbon in solidarity with the people of Boston."

She went on to say that "it's moments like this when you know what the special relationship's really all about."

The winding route from Blackheath to Buckingham Palace took the runner past some of the capital's most famous landmarks.

Farah, the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion, ran about half of today's race, stepping off the course at  the 13.1 mile mark near Tower Bridge.

He revealed before the event that he had overslept. "I'm late! I woke up late! I'm going to miss the bus!" he joked.

The build-up to his participation in the marathon had been shrouded in controversy as he will be paid a reported £425,000 for taking part in the 2013 and 2014 events.

But Farah, who won the mini-marathon event three times in a row between 1998 and 2000 as a schoolboy, has said the race brings back plenty of happy memories.

The winners with Prince Harry and Richard Branson

Paralympic star David Weir said he was disappointed with his fifth place in the men's wheelchair race.

Speaking near the finish line, the six-time London Marathon champion said: "It was a tough race, but I knew it was going to be tough after four months out.

"I just had to do my best, and that's what I did today."

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