11 from Belgaum arrested for attacking Christian Gathering During Sunday Prayers In Maharashtra
Mumbai, Jan 3: At least 11 people were arrested for allegedly attacking a Christian gathering in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district last month, said police Thursday.
The attack took place in a rented bungalow at Kowad village under Chandgad taluka, about 370 km from here, on December 23 in which 12 people were injured, an official said.
The arrests were made from adjoining Karnataka.
"We have arrested 11 people hailing from Belgaum in Karnataka during a search operation carried out during the week," Abhinav Deshmukh, Superintendent of Police, Kolhapur, told PTI.
Some of them are in police custody, while the others obtained bail from court, he said.
The accused are in the 20-30 age group, but do not belong to any particular organisation, Deshmukh added.
Two of the key accused were identified as Jotiba Patil and Pravin, said Sripad Yadav, inspector at the Chandgad police station.
During interrogation, the accused persons claimed that the man, who had taken the bungalow on rent since the last 12 to 15 years, was involved in spreading Christianity in the area, Deshmukh said.
They attacked the place to send out a message that the people who gather there for prayers should stop their proselytising activities, he said.
While investigating the case, the police recorded statements of the injured persons and others who attended the congregation, he said.
All of them denied they were involved in spreading Christianity and claimed they attended the gathering to overcome ailments and problems they were facing in their lives, he said.
A group of men armed with swords, iron rods and glass bottles, hailing from neighbouring Belgaum, had barged into the ground floor of the rented bungalow when Sunday prayers were on, the police had said.
They threw stones at those attending the prayer. Some women, who were part of the prayer meet, forced the attackers to back-off by throwing chilly powder on them, they had said.
The Maharashtra police had initially identified five of the assailants with the help of CCTV footage, following which arrests were made, Deshmukh said.
The police had formed several teams, including one from the Crime Branch, to investigate the case and also sought help from their Karnataka counterparts.
A Christian delegation had met the police and the resident district collector, demanding security for the community and action against the accused persons.
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First direct US-Venezuela commercial flight in 7 years to land in Caracas
Caracas (Venezuela) (AP): The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela is scheduled to land on Thursday in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, seven years after the US Department of Homeland Security ordered an indefinite suspension, citing security concerns.
The resumption of a commercial flight between the two countries comes in the wake of the US capture of Nicolás Maduro in a stunning nighttime raid on his residence in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, in early January.
It also comes a month after the US formally reopened its embassy in Caracas following the restoration of full diplomatic relations with the South American country.
Flight AA3599 operated by Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines, was scheduled to depart from Miami at 10:16 a.m. local time and arrive three hours later in the Venezuelan capital, returning to Florida later in the afternoon.
Earlier, the airline said a second daily flight between Miami and Caracas will start on May 21.
In late January, US President Donald Trump said he informed Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez that he would open up all commercial airspace over Venezuela, allowing Americans to visit.
“American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they'll be safe there,” Trump said at the time.
The flights mark the resumption of nonstop travel between the US and Venezuela for the first time since diplomatic ties were severed in 2019. For the past seven years, passengers have relied on international airlines and indirect routes through neighbouring Latin American countries.
In January, when the airline announced the resumption of flights it said it would give customers the opportunity to reunite with families and pursue new business opportunities.
American Airlines was the last US airline flying to Venezuela. It suspended flights in 2019 between Miami and Caracas, as well as flights to the oil hub city of Maracaibo. Delta and United Airlines pulled out in 2017 amid a political crisis that forced millions to flee the country.
