Britain: Hostage home
LONDON — Former hostage Peter Moore arrived at a military base in Britain on Friday evening after spending more than two-and-a-half years in captivity in Iraq.
The British computer consultant is believed to be the only survivor of a dramatic daytime kidnapping in Baghdad in May 2007. U.S. officials said they believe he spent part of his time in captivity in Iran.
Moore was set free Wednesday, and his family released a statement Friday evening expressing joy at his return to Britain.
"We are thrilled to have Peter back safely," it said. "We have a lot of catching up to do and would like to have time with Peter on our own. We would now ask the media to give us space and privacy."
Iran: Defiance
TEHRAN ?— Defying demands for his execution, Iran's leading opposition figure on Friday issued a scathing denunciation of the government's violent crackdown against his supporters, calling for a restoration of civil liberties as a way of ending what he described as a "serious crisis" that has destabilized the nation.
Mir-Hossein Mousavi's statement, posted to reformist Web sites, were his first public comments since a violent weekend of protests coinciding with an important religious holiday. Mousavi's 43-year-old nephew, Ali Habibi-Mousavi, was shot to death on Sunday.
Mousavi said threats against his life would not deter him. "I'm not afraid of being one of the post-election martyrs who lost their lives in their struggle for their rightful demands," he wrote in his first major public statement in weeks.
Denmark: Attack foiled
COPENHAGEN — Police foiled an attempt to kill an artist who drew a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad that sparked outrage in the Muslim world, the head of Denmark's intelligence service said Saturday.
Jakob Scharf, who heads the PET intelligence service, said a 28-year-old Somalia man was armed with an ax and a knife when he attempted to enter Kurt Westergaard's home in Aarhus shortly after 10 p.m. Friday.
The attack on the artist, whose rendering was among 12 that led to the torching of Danish diplomatic offices in predominantly Muslim countries in 2006, was "terror related," Scharf said in a statement.
Police shot the Somali man in a knee and a hand, authorities said. Preben Nielsen of the police in Aarhus said the suspect was seriously injured but his life was not in danger. The man, who had a staying permit in Denmark, was to be charged Saturday with attempted murder for trying to kill Westergaard and a police officer, Scharf said. His name was not released in line with Danish privacy rules.
Pakistan: Revenge
MIR ALI — The Pakistani Taliban claimed Friday that they used a turncoat CIA operative to carry out a suicide bombing Wednesday that killed seven American CIA employees in Afghanistan as revenge for a top militant leader's death in a U.S. missile strike.
The announcement was nearly impossible to verify independently because it involves covert operations in a dangerous region. It is highly unusual for the Pakistani Taliban to claim credit for an attack in Afghanistan, and the proclamation followed indications the Afghan Taliban may have been involved in the attack.
CIA spokesman George Little could not confirm the account.
Colombia: Bad dessert
BOGOTA — Police and health authorities say a holiday dessert distributed to homeless Colombians contained ground glass and poison that caused one death and sickened 44 others.
The Cali police commander, Gen. Miguel Angel Bojaca, says a traditional custard and pastry was handed out on New Year's Eve to impoverished people in the city's El Calvario neighborhood.
Toxicologist Fernando Rojas says the custard contained ground glass and what appeared to be an insecticide, judging from patients' symptoms.
Romelia Cuevas said Friday that investigators are pursuing leads on two people seen handing out the food.
The motive for the apparent poisoning was unclear.