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Latest update: 28/12/2009
- al Qaeda - Iran - religion - terrorism
Terror suspect: "The boy who grew up to be a bomber"
In today’s international press review, we focus on the Nigerian terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab.
A Nigerian student tried to blow up a plane on Christmas day, Abdul Mutallab had previously studied in England and he’s made the front page of many British newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Daily Mail.
“The boy who grew up to be a bomber” writes the Daily Mail.
According to the newspaper, Abdul Mutallab is the son of a millionaire banker who grew up in “comfort and privilege”. He lived in a £2 million three-bedroom flat in central London and studied engineering.
His school friends remember him as a “saintly figure”, which earned him the nickname “The Pope”.
The world press is wondering whether America’s “War on Terror” is effective.
For The New York Times, the situation seems under control. The suspect reportedly trained in Yemen. According to the newspaper, the CIA has been operating there for a year, training Yemeni troops to fight against terrorism. The Pentagon is also expected to spend $70 million over the 18 months to boost security in the country.
Yet for the British newspaper The Guardian, “the West’s worst nightmare has come true”. Yemen is “ideal” for terrorists to plot and launch future attacks, warns the paper.
Anti-government protests in Iran have also made a few front pages this morning, including The International Herald Tribune, the French newspaper Aujourd’hui en France and the British broadsheet The Guardian.
However, the front page of the Iranian newspaper the Tehran Times does not mention the riots, despite the deaths of several protestors.
And finally, Le Figaro reports about a priest who has won $100,000 at a poker tournament. Andrew Trapp is going to use the money to build a new church and renovate his parish.
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