Bail set at $2M for armed man arrested in Seattle

SEATTLE (AP) — A judge set bail at $2 million Friday for a Las Vegas man arrested near the University of Washington in a truck that authorities say contained multiple weapons, maps to three Seattle campuses and a recording in which he said he planned to do something in the West to support protesters demanding reform in Brazil.

King County Judge Arthur R. Chapman said he set such a high bail for Justin Jasper because he considered the 22-year-old a flight risk and a threat to the community.

Montana authorities said Jasper stole a pickup truck and guns from a truck driver in Butte, Mont., who had let Jasper stay at his home.

At the bail hearing in Seattle, a prosecutor said authorities found six firebombs in the vehicle, along with a bolt-action rifle, a double-barrel shotgun, a machete and several knives. They also found a recording of a podcast that appears to have Jasper expressing support for protesters in Brazil.

More than 1 million demonstrators have taken to the streets in Brazil over the past month to denounce everything from poor public services to the billions of dollars spent preparing for next year's World Cup soccer tournament and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Police found evidence that Jasper was planning some kind of action in support of those protesters, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Hamilton said. Hamilton said that on the podcast, Jasper said he was going to back the "Brazilian revolution" by doing something "somewhere in the Western United States."

"I'm going to make sure people understand and notice it," he allegedly said on the podcast.

Authorities also found maps in the truck to the University of Washington, Seattle University and South Seattle Community College. Court documents identified Jasper's occupation as a self-employed journalist. He has not yet been appointed a public defender.

The truck driver from Butte reported to authorities Wednesday that he returned from a trip to find his pickup truck missing and guns stolen from his home, said Butte-Silver Bow Undersheriff George Skuletich.

Jasper had been staying at the truck driver's home for about a month.

The Seattle Times identified the truck driver Friday night as Erik Henderson (http://is.gd/YavETd ).

The trucker said Jasper described himself as an "anarchist," The Times reported.

Jasper had concerns about topics ranging from the chemical industry to genetically altered foods to voting rights, Henderson said.

Henderson discovered his pickup, guns and body armor missing Tuesday after returning home from 11 days on the road. He said he had body armor from his days as a contract convoy trucker in Iraq.

Jasper was arrested Wednesday after University of Washington police were told to watch for a truck that had been stolen in Montana.

University police saw Jasper sleeping in a truck near campus Tuesday night, the day before they received the stolen-vehicle notice. University of Washington Police Chief John Vinson said nothing came up in their system when they checked the plates Tuesday.

Butte authorities are looking into possible charges, but none have been filed, Skuletich said.

Vinson said the man had with him a scoped rifle, shotgun and fewer than 10 Molotov cocktails.

"We have no idea what his intentions are," he said. "This is a very active investigation. We're trying to rule out everything at this point."

Vinson said Thursday there did not appear to be any threat to the university campus.

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Information from The Seattle Times is contained in this report.

___

Associated Press writer Matt Volz in Helena, Mont., and AP Photographer Ted Warren in Seattle contributed to report.

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Football mad fan arrested for bomb threats

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - A Michigan man has discovered that taking football too seriously can have heavy consequences.

Shawn Payton, of Jackson, Michigan, was arrested on Monday and charged with phoning bomb threats to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on January 7, when about 70,000 people were watching the New Orleans Saints pummel the Detroit Lions in an NFL playoff game.

Lions fan Payton, 34 - not to be confused with Saints head coach Sean Payton - was watching the game on television from his home when the lopsided second half of the game became too much for him.

He called the Superdome and told a receptionist that there was a bomb in the stadium, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office in New Orleans. A second call came in about 45 minutes later, Letten's statement said.

The FBI later obtained a recording of the call from the Superdome Information Technology Department in which a male caller stated: "Hi, I want you to relay a message to the sideline, if your stupid Southern team keeps winning, there will be reper ... severe consequences, okay?"

The Saints went on to beat the Lions 45-28.

The FBI was able to track the calls to Payton, who made his initial appearance before a federal magistrate in Detroit on Monday. He was released on bond and ordered to appear in federal court in New Orleans on February 14.

A phone number for Payton was not working on Tuesday.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

(Reporting By Kathy Finn; Editing by Corrie MacLaggan)

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Australian man arrested in Ky. in fake bomb case (AP)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A 50-year-old man was captured Monday while staying with his ex-wife in Kentucky and charged with breaking into an Australian family's home and chaining a fake bomb to a teenage woman's neck, the FBI said.

Paul "Doug" Peters faces charges in Australia that include kidnapping and breaking and entering, said Luke Moore of the New South Wales Police. An FBI SWAT arrested him at a home in an upper-middle-class Louisville suburb, said Elizabeth A. Fries, special agent in charge of the FBI's Kentucky office.

Moore flew from Sydney to Louisville for the arrest, but would not go into detail about what led police to Peters.

"There was a range of pieces of evidence that led us to identify this suspect," he said at a news conference at FBI offices in Louisville.

Peters is an Australian citizen but has lived in the U.S., including Kentucky. His initial court appearance was set for Tuesday in Louisville and the extradition process will take about two months, Fries said.

His capture comes nearly two weeks after 18-year-old Madeleine Pulver was attacked in the wealthy Sydney suburb of Mosman as part of what police say was an extortion attempt.

The Pulvers were relieved to hear of the arrest. William Pulver, CEO of an information technology company, described his daughter as "a bright, happy young woman who for reasons we still don't understand had her life turned upside down going through this dreadful experience."

"These past two weeks have been a very difficult time for us and we are hopeful that this development marks the beginning of the end of this traumatic ordeal for our family," William Pulver told reporters in Sydney, his wife Belinda at his side.

Madeleine Pulver was alone studying for exams when a masked man broke into the house in the middle of the day, chained a device that looked like a bomb to her and left a note with demands before leaving. Moore said the man also tried to kidnap her.

Bomb technicians, negotiators and detectives rushed to the scene. Neighboring homes were evacuated, streets were closed and medical and fire crews waited nearby. Pulver spent 10 terrifying hours chained to the device before the bomb squad was able to free her. She was not hurt, and the device was later found to contain no explosives. Australia's prime minister said the event resembled "a Hollywood script."

Police say a note had been attached to the device, but they haven't released details of what it said.

Peters' ex-wife was not at home at the time of the arrest, and there is no indication she is involved in the case, Moore said.

Her five-bedroom, two-story house, which is on the market for $400,000, is in a quiet subdivision of La Grange, about 30 miles northeast of Louisville. As an FBI investigator combed through items on shelves Monday night in the neat three-car garage, neighbors who declined to identify themselves told The Associated Press that they didn't know Peterses and that they kept to themselves.

A neighbor who refused to give his name said his two daughters were at home doing homework when the SWAT team "came in heavy and hard" to the house next door.

"We had guys with machine guns in our back yard," he said.

No shots were fired and no sirens sounded, he said.

He and his wife estimated that Doug Peters had probably spent about six months out of the last two years at the house. They didn't know him or his ex-wife very well but that there were no problems and that they were both congenial.

Authorities are still investigating why the suspect targeted the young woman, Moore said. Peters had been involved in various businesses but authorities would not elaborate what they were.

"This has been a baffling and frightening experience. It has tested us all," said William Pulver.

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Associated Press writers Janet Cappiello in Louisville and Kristen Gelineau in Sydney contributed to this report.

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Woman arrested over phone-hacking

Protestors demonstrate against Rupert Murdoch's News International, after allegations of phonehacking.British police are investigating claims that journalists were behind widespread hacking News of the World apologized to a number of people and paid compensation to Sienna MillerA British lawmaker said in parliament that police have information suggesting more hackingMedia reports say Tony Blair and Kate Middleton were among the victims

London (CNN) -- British police said Thursday they have arrested a 39-year-old woman suspected of involvement in the hacking of voice mails of celebrities and politicians by British newspapers.

She's the fourth person arrested this year over a scandal that has forced the News of the World newspaper into a public apology and offers to pay compensation to victims, including actress Sienna Miller.

Three men were arrested in April and are currently on bail, police said.

The paper's royal reporter and a private investigator were sent to prison in 2007 for hacking into voice mails of staff working for Britain's royal family.

Police launched a new investigation this year into hacking by journalists in response to widespread complaints from politicians, celebrities and other high-profile figures who fear they have been targets.

British lawmaker Tom Watson earlier this month said in parliament that police have information that "strongly suggests" a second private investigator targeted royals, lawmakers and high-level terrorist informers on behalf of the News International media group.

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch's News International owns the News of the World, plus the Sun and the Times in Britain.

British media said the targets included former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Kate Middleton when she was dating Prince William, the second in line to the throne. They married in April.

Buckingham Palace and Prince William's office at Clarence House both declined to comment.

The Metropolitan Police told CNN June 9 it "has received a number of allegations regarding breach of privacy.... These allegations are currently being considered."

News International rejected the accusation.

"With regards to Tom Watson's specific allegations, we believe these are wholly inaccurate," the company told CNN, adding that it was cooperating with ongoing police investigations into phone hacking and had not been asked about the work of the private investigator Watson named in Parliament.

But it said it was "well documented" that the investigator "worked for a whole variety of newspaper groups."

News of the World officially apologized in April for hacking into voice mails.

The Sunday tabloid newspaper offered compensation and "apologized unreservedly" for the "unacceptable" hacking. It did not name the victims.

Murdoch's media empire encompasses the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Fox News and Harper Collins publishers, as well as the Times and the Sun newspapers.

CNN

Official: bin Laden informants arrested

The five CIA informants were reported to have copied license plates of cars visiting bin Laden's compound before the May raid.NEW: A U.S. official confirms that the CIA director discussed the arrests with Pakistani top brassSuspected CIA informants were arrested after the bin Laden raid, an official saysThe official does not know the exact number of people heldThe arrests could be another blow to the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's intelligence agency has arrested a person who rented a safe house to the CIA before American special forces killed Osama bin Laden, as well as suspected CIA informants, a source familiar with the arrests told CNN Wednesday

A second official confirmed that Pakistan had detained informants who gave information to the CIA before the raid but said he did not know the exact number of people arrested or when it happened.

The revelations, first reported by The New York Times, are likely to further strain what has become a rocky relationship between the two countries.

CIA Director Leon Panetta discussed the arrests Friday with Pakistan army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani and Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha, Pakistan's head of military intelligence, the official said. A United States official confirmed that the discussion had taken place but would not give details about the arrests.

The first Pakistani official did not say whether the owner of the safe house was suspected of being a CIA informant. He asked not to be named discussing sensitive internal matters.

The second Pakistani official asked to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Panetta visited Pakistan last week, just over a month after Navy SEALs entered Pakistan secretly and killed bin Laden, further heightening tensions between Washington and Islamabad.

A Pakistani military spokesman confirmed that there were "a number of people arrested in Abbottabad after the raid on the Osama bin Laden compound," but said he could not say if the people were CIA officers.

Some were seized at "a house in Abbottabad that was used to monitor the bin Laden compound activities," said Syed Azmat Ali, the military spokesman. "They could have been Pakistanis who were informants to the CIA."

Ali said those arrests were made by Pakistan's powerful military intelligence agency, the ISI, "immediately after the raid, so this is not a new piece of information."

He and the intelligence official who asked not to be named were responding to reports in the New York Times that Pakistan had arrested five CIA informants who gave information to the United States before the raid on bin Laden's hideout.

The newspaper attributed the report to "American officials" without naming them.

It said one of those arrested was a Pakistani army major who kept records of license plate numbers on cars that visited the bin Laden hideout. Ali, the Pakistani military spokesman said that was "categorically" not true.

It also cited a damning assessment of Pakistan's cooperation with American counter-terror efforts by a top CIA official.

Deputy CIA director Michael J. Morell rated Pakistan's help at a three on a scale of one to 10, the Times said, quoting "officials familiar with the exchange."

Asked Wednesday by CNN to rate the Pakistani spy agency's relationship with the CIA from a scale of one to 10, military spokesman Ali said four.

Panetta, who has been nominated to be secretary of defense, told Congress in confirmation hearings last week that, "The relationship with Pakistan is at the same time one of the most critical and yet one of the most complicated and frustrating relationships that we have."

The relationship between the two countries has been in a downward spiral over disputes about how to pursue counterterrorism efforts.

The United States believes Pakistan is not doing enough to go after al Qaeda and other extremists, while the Pakistanis are upset with what they consider to be unilateral steps taken by the United States within their borders.

The United States is suspected of carrying out regular strikes by unmanned aircraft targeting suspected terrorists in Pakistan -- a suspected strike on Wednesday, killing 10 suspected militants, two Pakistani officials said.

Pakistani officials believe there were more than 100 American drone strikes in their country in 2010, a record, according to CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen. They think most of the casualties were foot soldiers or civilians, not high-value terror targets, he said.

The New America Foundation in Washington, which maintains an independent count of reported drone strikes, says there were 118 in 2010, killing between 600 and 1,000 people.

Public opinion polling shows that nine out of 10 Pakistanis have an unfavorable view of the drone strikes.

Pakistanis were also angered by the case of Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor who was charged with killing two Pakistani men, then released after compensation was paid to their families.

Davis described the two men as attackers and said he shot them in self-defense. Lahore Police Chief Aslam Tareen, however, said the case was "clear-cut murder."

According to Davis, the shooting occurred January 27 after two men attacked him as he drove through a busy Lahore neighborhood, the U.S. Embassy has said.

U.S. officials originally said Davis was a diplomat and tried to claim diplomatic immunity, then later revealed that he was a CIA contractor.

CIA chief Panetta's unannounced visit last week was the latest in a series by U.S. officials -- including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen and Sen. John Kerry -- in efforts to smooth things over after bin Laden was killed in the SEALs raid.

CNN's Nasir Habib, Aliza Kassim and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

CNN

Alleged spy arrested in Egypt is US law student (AP)

JERUSALEM – A man who Egyptian authorities have arrested on charges of being an Israeli spy is a 27-year-old American-Israeli law student who was doing an internship at a nonprofit organization in Cairo, a classmate said Monday.

Egypt says Ilan Grapel is a Mossad agent, and pictures of him in Israeli military uniform have been published in Egyptian papers. The semiofficial Al-Ahram daily identified him in a headline as a "Mossad officer who tried to sabotage the Egyptian revolution."

However, Will Felder, a 29-year-old law student at Emory University in Atlanta identified Grapel as a classmate originally from Queens, New York.

Grapel moved to Israel, where his grandparents live, as a young man and did his compulsory military service during the 2006 war between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.

He was wounded in the fighting, Felder said, and Israeli news websites on Monday published what they said were old pictures of Grapel lying in his hospital bed.

Grapel later returned to the U.S. for law school and was in Cairo doing a legal internship with a local nonprofit organization ahead of his return to Emory for his third and final year of studies, Felder said.

"His parents became concerned because he hadn't shown up for work," Felder said, and then saw their son's name being reported as that of "a Mossad spy who had been arrested."

An acquaintance in Israel, Ziki Ud, told Israel Radio that Grapel had an avid interest in the Middle East and had studied Arabic. Ud, too, said he doubted the allegations were true.

The fact that Grapel appears to have been traveling under his real name, and that his connections to Israel would have been easy to find on the Internet, also appear to suggest it was unlikely he was a spy.

A 2006 New York Daily News story, for example, reported that Grappel had been wounded by shrapnel in fighting in south Lebanon. The same article said he studied international relations at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and moved to Israel in 2005.

The Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, citing security sources, said Grapel had recently attended protests and "incited the protesters to acts of riots and sabotage." It said he also tried to "plot discord between the people and the army." The army has controlled Egypt since the authoritarian ruler Hosni Mubarak was deposed in a wave of popular protests earlier this year.

Grapel was equipped with "communication devices, laptops, CDs, and flash memory," the paper reported.

Egypt, like other Arab states, has a long history of blaming internal problems on Israeli saboteurs.

Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said Egyptian authorities have yet to officially inform Israel about the arrest of an Israeli citizen on espionage charges.

___

Associated Press Writer Maggie Michael reported from Cairo.

(This version CORRECTS spelling of name to Grapel, based on information from friend.)

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Ex-Mexican governor arrested in embezzlement case (AP)

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico – A former governor was arrested Tuesday on suspicion that he embezzled more than $9 million (about 100 million pesos) in federal disaster fund money meant to rebuild hurricane-struck zones in southern Mexico.

Pablo Salazar, formerly governor of Chiapas, was detained in the airport of the Yucatan resort of Cancun by Chiapas state police, said Raziel Lopez, the state attorney general. Police flew him to Tuxtla Gutierrez, capital of Chiapas, Tuesday night to be presented before a judge.

Authorities initially said Salazar was charged with stealing $90 million (1 billion pesos), but later revised the number downward.

Lopez said Salazar faces charges of embezzlement and conspiracy, which carry a sentence of between six and 24 years in prison. Lopez warned that more public officials are being investigated in the case.

The 56-year-old Salazar, also an evangelical pastor, governed Chiapas between 2000 and 2006 as part of a six-party coalition.

Lopez said Salazar used relief money offered by the federal government to enrich himself instead of rebuilding Indian villages that were destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Stan. Then President Vicente Fox had offered $780 million (8.5 billion pesos) in federal disaster fund money for Chiapas.

Months after the October 2005 hurricane struck coastal towns, killing 71 people in Chiapas and damaging hundreds of homes, victims marched to protest the lack of progress in efforts to rebuild hard-hit communities.

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Flamboyant ex-mayor arrested with arsenal in Mexico (Reuters)

TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) – Mexican gambling tycoon Jorge Hank Rhon, an eccentric former mayor of Tijuana who collected exotic animals, was arrested on Saturday after the army found a large weapons cache in his home.

The millionaire businessman Hank Rhon, who owns a successful chain of casinos, a local soccer team and a private zoo, was arrested when the army raided a home inside one his 'Caliente' betting parlors in Tijuana, finding dozens rifles and grenades, a source from the federal police told Reuters.

He was arrested along with more than 10 other people after the army received an anonymous tip, the source said asking not to be named for security reasons. Three people were wounded after trying to resist arrest, the source said.

Hank Rhon belongs to a prominent political family of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, and has a checkered past.

He was arrested in 1995 at the Mexico City airport trying to bring precious stones, ivory and ocelot furs into the country and has been accused over the years of having links to drug gangs, money laundering, and animal smuggling rings.

He lost a bid for governor of Baja California in 2006 but was mayor of Tijuana, across from San Diego, California, and a busy drug trafficking corridor, from 2004 to 2007.

Known for wearing red crocodile-skin vests and for bringing a famous killer whale that starred in "Free Willy" films to a marine park in Mexico, he once said his favorite kind of animal is women.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Mica Rosenberg, Editing by Sandra Maler)

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Mother arrested after boy found dead in Maine

Police released a photo of sneakers from the small boy's body that was found in Maine on Saturday.The boy's body was found Saturday near the Maine-New Hampshire borderThe mother faces a charge of second-degree murderShe is scheduled to be at an arraignment ThursdayRead more about this story from CNN affiliate WHDH.

(CNN) -- The mother of a 6-year-old boy found dead in the Maine woods is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday after she was arrested a day earlier, authorities said.

Julianne McCrery, 42, faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of her son, according to Michael Delaney, the New Hampshire attorney general.

A tip from someone who saw a suspicious vehicle near the boy's body helped police in making the arrest, Delaney said.

McCrery was arrested at a rest stop in a pickup truck that fit the description of the one authorities were looking for, CNN affiliate WHDH reported. She was reading the Bible when she was arrested.

CNN's Anna Gonzalez contributed to this report.

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U.S. imams arrested, accused of Pakistani Taliban links

Miami (CNN) -- Two South Florida imams and a third family member were arrested Saturday on charges of providing support to the Pakistani Taliban, the Justice Department said.

In addition, three others in Pakistan were also indicted on the same charges.

FBI agents arrested Hafiz Khan and his son Izhar Khan in South Florida, the department said. They are expected to make their initial court appearance in federal court Monday.

Another of Hafiz Khan's sons, Irfan Khan, was arrested in Los Angeles and will appear in court there.

Also charged are three Pakistani residents: Ali Rehman, Alam Zeb and Amina Khan. Amina Khan is Hafiz Khan's daughter, and Zeb is his grandson.

The four-count indictment alleges that all six defendants conspired to provide material support to a conspiracy to kill, injure and kidnap people abroad, and that they provided support to the Pakistani Taliban.

Hafiz Khan is the imam at Flagler Mosque in Miami. Izhar Khan is an imam at the Jamaat Al-Mu'mineen Mosque in Margate, Florida.

The indictment and arrests were not linked to the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, two U.S. officials said. The charges relate to alleged crimes committed between 2008 and 2010.

"Despite being an imam, or spiritual leader, Hafiz Khan was by no means a man of peace. Instead, as today's charges show, he acted with others to support terrorists to further acts of murder, kidnapping and maiming," U.S. Attorney Wilfredo A. Ferrer said. "But for law enforcement intervention, these defendants would have continued to transfer funds to Pakistan to finance the Pakistani Taliban, including its purchase of guns."

The charges were the result of a three-and-a-half-year investigation, and federal authorities became suspicious by the number of financial transactions between the United States and Pakistan, authorities said.

"They went out of their way to disguise their transactions," Ferrer said.

Authorities said their investigation focused on the mosque leadership.

The indictment describes a number of occasions where Hafiz Khan transferred money to Pakistan, and where money was withdrawn once there.

"Khan solicited and distributed funds for the Pakistani Taliban, both personally and on behalf of others, and worked with the co-defendants and others to support the Pakistani Taliban's jihad," the indictment states.

The court documents also list several conversations between Hafiz Khan and the other defendants where he calls for attacks against the Pakistani government and inquires whether money had been delivered to the Pakistani Taliban.

The elder Khan also built a madrassa in Pakistan's Swat Valley that provided shelter for the terrorist group, the indictment states.

"The main defendant Khan operated and controlled a madrassa to shelter members of the Pakistan Taliban and to train children to become military fighters for the mujahideen," Ferrer said.

He said authorities are aware of several unindicted co-conspirators in the United States and Pakistan.

"You can purchase in Pakistan a gun for as little as $10. He had money coming from all sources," Ferrer said. "More evidence will come forth as the investigation continues."

Yazid Ali, president of the Jamaat Al-Mu'mineen Mosque in Margate, Florida, said his worshippers were shocked by the news. They are cooperating with authorities, he said.

"I would like everyone to know that Masjid Jamaat Al-Mu'mineen does not support terrorism, for this is forbidden in Islam. The Quran clearly tells us do not spread corruption on earth," Ali said. Masjid is Arabic for mosque.

He added that the mosque has received threats, prompting a police car to be stationed in the parking lot.

Nezar Hamze, executive director of Florida's Council on American-Islamic Relations, told CNN that he is concerned about possible fears the charges might stir in the community, even though authorities emphasized their investigation had nothing to do with Islam or the mosques themselves.

"The teaching of Islam in any way shape or form does not financially support terrorism," Hamze said. "These allegations would be completely against Islam."

He said he has been to the two mosques in question and that he's listened to the imams at the services. "You never hear anything being preached like what's being reflected in these charges," Hamze told CNN.

Outside Khan's Miami mosque on Saturday, one worshipper, Obeid Akhtar, expressed suprised to hear the news of the indictment.

"We never heard anything about this," he told CNN. "We are shocked."

The Pakistani Taliban represent a confederation of Taliban groups in northwestern Pakistan, where they are based, said Bill Roggio, military affairs analyst who is managing editor of The Long War Journal.

Those fighters attack targets in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.

The group, which is headquartered in Quetta, is different from the Afghan Taliban, which has been focused on re-establishing the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.

Both groups swear allegiance to Taliban leader Mullah Omar and have close ties to al Qaeda, he said.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve, Susan Candiotti, Rich Phillips and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

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Imams arrested, alleged Taliban links

Hafiz Khan and two sons arrestedHis daughter, grandson and one other person is wantedThey are charged with providing support to a terrorist organization

Miami (CNN) -- Two South Florida imams and a third family member were arrested Saturday on charges of providing support to the Pakistani Taliban, the Justice Department said.

In addition, three others in Pakistan were also indicted on the same charges.

FBI agents arrested Hafiz Khan and his son Izhar Khan in South Florida, the department said. They are expected to make their initial court appearance in federal court on Monday.

Another of Hafiz Khan's sons, Irfan Khan, was arrested in Los Angeles and will appear in court there.

Also charged are three Pakistani residents: Ali Rehman, Alam Zeb, and Amina Khan. Amina Khan is Hafiz Khan's daughter, and Zeb is his grandson.

The four-count indictment alleges that all six defendants conspired to provide material support to a conspiracy to kill, injure and kidnap people abroad, and that they provided support to the Pakistani Taliban.

Hafiz Khan is the imam at Flagler Mosque in Miami. Izhar Khan, is an imam at the Jamaat Al-Mu'mineen Mosque in Margate, Florida.

"Despite being an imam, or spiritual leader, Hafiz Khan was by no means a man of peace. Instead, as today's charges show, he acted with others to support terrorists to further acts of murder, kidnapping and maiming," U.S. Attorney Wilfredo A. Ferrer said. "But for law enforcement intervention, these defendants would have continued to transfer funds to Pakistan to finance the Pakistani Taliban, including its purchase of guns."

The indictment describes a number of occasions where Hafiz Khan transferred money to Pakistan, and where money was withdrawn once there.

"Khan solicited and distributed funds for the Pakistani Taliban, both personally and on behalf of others, and worked with the co-defendants and others to support the Pakistani Taliban's jihad," the indictment states.

The court documents also list several conversations between Hafiz Khan and the other defendants where he calls for attacks against the Pakistani government and inquires whether money had been delivered to the Pakistani Taliban.

The elder Khan also built a madrassa in Pakistan's Swat Valley that provided shelter for the terrorist group, the indictment states.

The Pakistani Taliban represent a confederation of Taliban groups in northwestern Pakistan, where they are based, said Bill Roggio, military-affairs analyst who is managing editor of The Long War Journal.

Those fighters attack targets in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.

The group, which is headquartered in Quetta, is different from the Afghan Taliban, which has been focused on re-establishing the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.

Both groups swear allegiance to Taliban leader Mullah Omar and have close ties to al Qaeda, he said.

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6 arrested after Florida teen shot and burned in fire pit

6 arrested after Florida teen shot, burned in fire pit From John Couwels, CNN STORY HIGHLIGHTSAuthorities learn of the plot from one of the suspects who confessed to witnessing the killingThe 15-year-old is lured to a home by two females and then attackedThe reason for the attack are unclear The suspects include two minors RELATED TOPICSCrimeFloridaSee more about this story from CNN affiliates WESH, WFTV.

(CNN) -- Six people were arrested this week and accused of luring a 15-year-old boy to a Florida home, shooting him several times, burning his body in a fire pit and putting the remains into paint cans, authorities said.

The killing occurred Sunday in the central Florida city of Ocala, according to a statement from the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Two females in the group allegedly lured the victim, Seath Jackson, to the home and the group beat him with a wooden object. He was then shot several times with a .22 caliber gun, authorities said.

As the wounded teen attempted to flee, he was tackled and shot again, according to the sheriff's statement. His body was allegedly placed in a sleeping bag and burned in a fire pit outside the home.

His ashes were placed into several paint containers and thrown into a large garbage can, authorities said.

Authorities said they learned of the alleged plot from a member of the group who confessed to witnessing the killing.

Four adults and two minors were charged in connection with the killing.

Michael Bargo, 18; Charlie Kay Ely, 18; Justin Soto, 20, and two minors face first-degree murder charges, Marion County Sheriff's Office said.

James Haven, 37, faces charges of accessory to the crime for allegedly helping to dispose Jackson's remains and driving one of the suspects out of the area to avoid arrest, authorities said.

Documents from the sheriff's department gave little information on what caused the killing other than brief statements by suspects about a dispute and a growing hatred.

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Youth arrested in killing of 2 British men

James Kouzaris, left, and James Cooper, right, were found shot dead in Sarasota, Florida, early Sunday morning. STORY HIGHLIGHTSBoy is held in the murder of two British menShooting occurred in a residential area on a one-way streetAuthorities are trying to determine why British men were there (CNN) -- A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in the murder of two British men, found shot dead at 3 a.m. Saturday in Sarasota, Florida, police say.

Sarasota Police have identified the victims as James M. Cooper, 25, and James Thomas Kouzaris, 24, both from England.

The juvenile, whose name has not been released, was arrested 24 hours after the murders at 3 a.m. Sunday. Where he was arrested was not disclosed.

Police were alerted to the incident by a 911 caller who said "a person was lying on the ground covered in blood" at the scene.

Sarasota Police Capt. Paul Sutton said the deaths were classified as homicides and that police are working out the details of the case.

The area where the shootings occurred is residential, on a one-way street with no commercial businesses, Sutton said.

"We are working out why they were there," he said, declining to comment why the Englishmen were in the area at such an early hour.

"Right now, we're still continuing the investigation," Sutton said.

No further details were available.

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Nicolas Cage arrested on domestic abuse charge

Nicholas Cage arrestedSTORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Cage leaves a New Orleans jail Saturday afternoonThe actor allegedly pulled his wife's arm during an argumentCage beat on cars after arguing with his wife, police sayCage is in New Orleans filming a movieCNN affiliate WWL has more on the story

(CNN) -- Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage went on a drunken tear in New Orleans' French Quarter Friday night that ended with his arrest on several charges, including domestic abuse battery, according to a police spokesman.

It began at 11:30 p.m. when Cage, who is in the city to work on a movie, began arguing with his wife on the 600 block of Dumaine Street, New Orleans Police Officer Garry Flot said.

"He and his wife were standing in front of a residence that he insisted was the property the couple was renting," Flot said. "She disagreed, and Cage grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her to what he believed was the correct address."

Cage then "began striking vehicles and later attempted to get into a taxi."

Police, who had been called by on-lookers, arrived to find Cage heavily intoxicated," he said. They ordered the actor out of the cab, "which prompted Cage to start yelling," Flot said.

"The officers subsequently took Cage to Central Lock-Up," the police spokesman said.

In the mugshot released by the Orleans Parish Sheriff, an unshaven Cage stood with eyes closed.

Cage was charged with domestic abuse battery, disturbing the peace and public drunkenness, Flot said.

An Orleans Parish magistrate set his bond at $11,000 with a court date for May 31, according to the booking information online.

It also said "stay away order waived," indicating Cage is not prohibited from being with his wife.

"There were no visible signs of injury on his wife's arm," Flot said.

Cage was released from jail Saturday afternoon, according to the jail's information line.

Calls and e-mails from CNN to the actor's lawyer and representative have not been returned.

Cage, 47, and his third wife, Alice Kim, have a 5-year-old son. His previous two marriages, to Patricia Arquette and Lisa Marie Presley, ended in divorce.

The Academy Award winner has acted in dozens of films, but is best known for his roles in "Raising Arizona" and "Leaving Las Vegas," for which he nabbed an Oscar.

Although one of Hollywood's highest-paid movie stars, Cage's financial troubles, including tax liens and foreclosures on houses, have been highly publicized in the past two years.

He sued his accountant in 2009, charging that he "lined his pockets with several million dollars in business management fees while sending Cage down a path toward financial ruin."

The accountant, Samuel Levin, responding to the lawsuit by saying he warned Cage that he could face bankruptcy unless he scaled back his lavish lifestyle.

CNN's KJ Matthews contributed to this report

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Man arrested in Santa Monica synagogue bombing

FBI via AP

This video image allegedly shows Ron Hirsch attempting to board a bus April 7, the same day he is suspected of a connection to a synagogue explosion.

EnlargeCloseFBI via AP

This video image allegedly shows Ron Hirsch attempting to board a bus April 7, the same day he is suspected of a connection to a synagogue explosion.

The man is believed to be Ron Hirsch, 60, a transient known to spend time at synagogues and other Jewish community centers seeking charity, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller in Los Angeles. He was wanted on state charges of possession of a destructive device and unrelated local charges, and was arrested in suburban Cleveland Heights.

Investigators do not have a motive for the blast, and Jewish groups said they did not believe anti-Semitism was necessarily behind it.

The explosion Thursday near Chabad House Lubavitch of Santa Monica shattered windows and punched a hole in the synagogue, sending chunks of concrete and a heavy pipe crashing into the roof of a nearby house. Authorities said a child was sleeping almost underneath where the device landed.

Authorities initially believed the blast was an industrial accident, but they now say the device was deliberately constructed and items found at the scene were linked to Hirsch. The FBI said the confusion came from the device

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D.C. Mayor Arrested, Released Following Budget Protest

AP

April 11: Mayor Vincent Gray is searched by Capitol Hill police after being arrested in Washington.

WASHINGTON -- The budget deal lawmakers struck to avoid a government shutdown was greeted by some with relief, but it has one city already reeling: the capital itself. 

City officials say Washington was used as a pawn in last week's budget bargaining, with new restrictions part of the price of a deal. 

Angry that Congress appears ready to take away autonomy granted to the city in the last several years, Mayor Vincent Gray and six Council members including the chairman were among 41 people arrested Monday outside the Capitol while protesting the changes that might be inevitable. 

Seven hours later, they were released from jail. 

"We needed to make a statement," Gray said after his release. 

He said protesters' shoelaces, ties and belts were removed while they were in jail. The district restrictions that were part of the budget deal reached Friday were "completely unacceptable," Gray said. 

The city will likely be unable to spend its own tax dollars on abortions for low-income women. It may also be banned from spending city money on needle exchange programs believed vital to curbing the spread of HIV in the district, where the disease is considered an epidemic. Also back: a school voucher program favored by Republicans. 

The news is considered a setback for a city that is unique in that it has a city government but its budget and laws are overseen by Congress. It had enjoyed more freedom in the past four years when both the House and Senate were controlled by Democrats, the party traditionally more friendly to pleas of autonomy from the heavily Democratic city. 

When Republicans took control of the House in January, the city readied for changes. Still, city leaders said they are outraged that Washington appears to have been used as a bargaining chip. 

"If this isn't taxation without representation, I don't know what is," the mayor said before being arrested. 

He and Council members, dressed in business attire, sat down in the street outside a Senate office building. U.S. Capitol Police arrested them, cuffing their hands behind them with plastic loops, and loaded them into police wagons to cheers from the crowd. 

They were cited for blocking the street with an unlawful assembly, a misdemeanor that can be resolved by paying a $50 fine. 

Gray said after he was released that he was proud to be part of the demonstration and would continue to fight the restrictions, but wasn't specific. 

Gray became the second D.C. mayor to go to jail while advocating for home rule. Sharon Pratt Kelly was arrested during a statehood protest in August 1993. Gray also was a council member before becoming mayor, so he is familiar with the home-rule fight. 

Ilir Zherka, the executive director of D.C. Vote, a nonpartisan group that lobbies for more independence for the district, said his group doesn't intend to let the budget pass this week without a fight. 

"We're not going to accept that they decided to throw the District of Columbia under the bus," Zherka said. 

But while the news is considered a setback for the capital city and its 600,000 residents, the restrictions wouldn't be new. 

The city's ability to spend money on abortions for low-income women has seesawed over the last two decades. When Democrats have controlled both houses of Congress and the presidency, in 1993 and 1994 and again in 2009 and 2010, the city has been able to spend its own money to pay for abortions for women on Medicaid. When Republicans have controlled at least one branch of government that ability has been taken away. 

The fact that Congress will likely re-impose the ban on abortion funding wasn't a shock to Tiffany Reed, the president of D.C. Abortion Fund, a non-profit organization that makes grants to poor women to pay for abortions, which can cost $300 to $500 or more. Reed said her group, which helped pay for more than 300 abortions a year, had expected the ban to be re-imposed, but she was angry Congress had stepped in again to local affairs just as the lifting of the ban was beginning to take effect. 

"It gives me a lot of rage quite frankly," she said. "I'm really disappointed in our pro-choice president that he allowed this to happen." 

As for a possible reintroduction of a ban on city money for needle exchanges, it would be a step back. Congress prohibited the city from using its own money for the programs for two decades beginning in the late 1980s. Other groups stepped in to provide the service with private dollars, but it is a widely held belief that the city's inability to pay for needle exchange led to an increase in the number of residents contracting HIV. Approximately 3 percent of city residents are currently living with HIV or AIDS, a level considered by health officials to be epidemic. 

When the ban was lifted in 2007, the city invested money in community programs that collected 300,000 used syringes in the last year. People who work at the city's three needle exchange programs say they aren't sure how they will cope if the city is again unable to provide money. 

"It would be nothing short of disastrous," said Cyndee Clay, executive director of HIPS, an organization that works with sex workers and drug users and is currently exchanging about 8,000 needles a month. "I don't understand why they're doing this to us." 

Eleanor Holmes Norton, the city's representative in Congress, said she has not yet seen the actual language in the budget but has been told the abortion rider and school vouchers are in. Norton, a Democrat who is not allowed to vote on the House floor, said she doesn't believe needle exchange is part of the deal, but she said she won't be sure until she sees final language. 

"We got bargained away," Norton said of the budget deal. "I don't know for what."

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D.C. Mayor Gray arrested protesting budget restrictions

Evan Vucci, AP

A Capitol Hill police officer talks to D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray before he was arrested during a protest on Capitol Hill of the restrictions placed on the district as part of the federal budget deal on Monday.

EnlargeCloseEvan Vucci, AP

A Capitol Hill police officer talks to D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray before he was arrested during a protest on Capitol Hill of the restrictions placed on the district as part of the federal budget deal on Monday.

Angry that Congress appears ready to take away autonomy granted to the city in the last several years, Mayor Vincent Gray and six Council members, including the chairman, were among 41 people arrested Monday outside the Capitol while protesting the changes. Seven hours later, they were released from jail.

D.C. has a city government, but its budget and laws are subject to Congressional review. Congress has had control over the city since it was founded. District officials say Washington was used as a pawn in last week

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Obama friend arrested in prostitution sting

By Alex Brandon, AP

President Obama with Bobby Titcomb at Mid-Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii, in 2009.

EnlargeCloseBy Alex Brandon, AP

President Obama with Bobby Titcomb at Mid-Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii, in 2009.

Robert "Bobby" Titcomb was one of four men arrested in an undercover sting operation late Monday and later released on $500 bail, according to Honolulu police.

Titcomb, 49, attended Punahou School in Honolulu with Obama in the 1970s. The president graduated in 1979, a year before Titcomb. The two often play golf and basketball, go to the beach and dine together when the president returns home to Hawaii for vacation.

Obama's family has also attended barbeques at Titcomb's beachside home in Waialua, located on Oahu's North Shore about an hour outside of downtown Honolulu.

Titcomb and Obama last spent time together in Hawaii during Obama's most recent vacation over the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

The White House had no comment. Titcomb has not publicly responded to the charges, and he wasn't immediately available for comment.

Police said Titcomb was arrested at 9:40 p.m. Monday near downtown at the intersection of South and Pohukaina streets, which is next to the Circuit Court building and a large parking lot. He posted bail about two hours later.

Titcomb has worked as a commercial fisherman and an airline employee, according to the spring 2007 edition of the "Punahou Bulletin," the school's alumni magazine.

In 1987, he was arrested on drunken driving charges, which led to the 90-day suspension of his license and a $150 fine, according to state criminal records.

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Duke lacrosse accuser arrested in boyfriend's stabbing, police said

Duke lacrosse rape accuser arrestedSTORY HIGHLIGHTSPolice charge Crystal Mangum with assault with a deadly weaponMangum is being held in Durham County Jail in North CarolinaFive years ago, Mangum claimed three Duke lacrosse players raped herAuthorities later found no evidence the attacks occurred and charges were droppedRELATED TOPICSStabbingsCriminal AssaultDuke University Lacrosse TeamNorth CarolinaRead local coverage of this story at CNN affiliate WTVD-TV.

(CNN) -- The woman who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape five years ago was arrested Sunday, suspected of stabbing her boyfriend, police said.

Officers responding to a call early Sunday about a stabbing at an apartment in Durham, North Carolina, found a 46-year-old man who had been stabbed in the torso, police said. He was taken to Duke University Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

Officers later arrested the man's girlfriend, Crystal Mangum, 32, at a nearby apartment. She was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury, police said.

Mangum was placed in the Durham County Jail without bond.

Officers said the stabbing occurred during an argument at the couple's shared apartment.

In March 2006, Mangum claimed to have been sexually assaulted by three players on the Duke lacrosse team while performing as a stripper for a team party.

North Carolina's attorney general later found no credible evidence that the attacks ever occurred and the charges were dropped.

The scandal, however, forced the cancellation of the men's lacrosse season that year and the resignation of team coach Mike Pressler. It also led to widespread criticism of Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, who was later disbarred for his handling of the case.

Mangum was arrested in February 2010 on attempted murder charges after a fight with her then-boyfriend. She was also accused of arson, identity theft and resisting arrest, among other charges.

CNN affiliate WTVD-TV reported the arrest happened after she set fire to a pile of the boyfriend's clothes while her children were at home.

In a June 2010 interview with the station, Mangum said her boyfriend had attacked her, and that her involvement in the Duke lacrosse case had influenced police handling of the case.

"I do feel that I am being unjustly treated because of preconceived notions about my character in the media," Mangum said at the time.

In December, a jury found Mangum guilty of child abuse in the case but could not agree on a first-degree felony arson charge, which could have resulted in a seven-year sentence, WTVD reported.

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