Somali pirates have hijacked an Iranian fishing boat called the Azini with 23 people on board. The Maritime Security Center Indian Ocean says the vessel was approaching a commercial shipping lane and could be used as a base for more attacks. The crew’s safety is unknown. The seizure follows a string of hijackings off Somalia that has added to shipping dangers in the region. The Iran war and threats from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have already disrupted shipping routes and pushed up the cost of transporting oil. A maritime security officer with the Puntland Maritime Police Force said Sunday that the Azini was hijacked Thursday between the coastal towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun in northeastern Somalia.
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The Supreme Court has rejected an effort to revive a plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks. The deal would have spared him the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea and life in prison without parole. Military prosecutors and the Pentagon initially approved the agreement, but then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin canceled it, saying the defense secretary should decide on the death penalty for such a grave attack. Relatives of the victims are divided on the issue. A trial date has been set for 2028.
Lebanon has welcomed a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to lift a decades-long flight ban between the two countries. President Joseph Aoun says it shows U.S. confidence in Lebanon's aviation safety. The ban was imposed in 1985 after a hijacking of a TWA flight. Trump announced the change during Aoun's visit to Washington in July. Meanwhile, officials say Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia damaged three planes on Thursday. Fighting has escalated between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces. In Sudan, a drone strike killed over 40 people, including children, according to a rights group. The conflict has claimed at least 150,000 lives.
Three teenaged boys have been arrested by the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office for an armed carjacking that took place in Hebron Tuesday morning.