- AP
Germans honor two Americans
BERLIN - The German government on Monday presented the nation's highest civilian award to two Americans who helped apprehend an Islamic extremist after he attacked a U.S. Air Force bus last year and killed two airmen.
Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich awarded the Federal Cross of Merit to U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Trevor Brewer and civilian airport employee Lamar Conner, both of whom chased the suspect until police could apprehend him. Friedrich said their deeds "were an example for all of us."
Arid Uka, a 21-year-old Kosovo Albanian, is on trial for the March 2 slayings and has admitted to the charges. He faces up to life in prison, and a verdict and sentence are expected Thursday.
It was the first Islamic extremist act carried out on German soil, and Friedrich said Brewer and Conner set an admirable precedent.
- AP
Thais reveal terror suspect after alert
BANGKOK - A foreign suspect with alleged links to Hezbollah militants led Thai police to a warehouse filled with materials commonly used to make bombs on Monday.
Police seized more than 8,800 pounds of urea fertilizer and several gallons of liquid ammonium nitrate at the warehouse in Samut Sakhon, on the outskirts of Bangkok, police reports said.
The U.S. Embassy had issued an "emergency message" Friday warning of a possible terror threat against Americans in Bangkok, and Israel warned its citizens as well.
Thai authorities said they had detained a Swedish national of Lebanese origin with alleged links to pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants and that intelligence indicated a plot could be carried out between Jan. 13 and 15. They said the news was not released earlier to avoid panic that could hurt Thailand's tourism industry.
- AP
Elsewhere:
More than 1,000 Romanian demonstrators jeered government austerity measures in Bucharest Monday as Prime Minister Emil Boc warned that violent clashes like those that left 59 injured over the weekend could jeopardize stability and economic growth. It was the fifth day of protests.
