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Mob attacks Marines, 10
injured during brawl
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A mob
armed with bats and pipes attacked 10 U.S. Navy Marines, leaving
one with a cranial fracture and others with injuries
from broken bones to minor scrapes, the Navy said Tuesday.
All
10 were released from the hospital Tuesday after a brawl that erupted
Monday night in the colonial section of San Juan, capital of this
U.S. Caribbean territory, said Lt. Corey Barker, a Navy spokesman.
The
Marines — more than 60 wearing civilian clothes at the time
— had just finished work as a security detachment for contested
military exercises on the outlying island of Vieques.
Two
Marines were arguing between themselves outside at about 11 p.m.
when a mob armed with lead pipes and bats started beating them,
Barker said. He did not say what the fight was about.
Eight
other Marines came to their friends’ defense, and the brawl
developed into a large street fight involving more than two dozen
people, the Navy and police said.
The
attackers fled when police were called. There were no arrests.
Train
crash leaves three dead, 265 injured
PLACENTIA, Calif. (AP) — A mile-long
freight train plowed head-on into a commuter train during rush hour
Tuesday, killing three people and injuring about 265, officials
said.
The
northbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train struck the
southbound Metrolink train at 8:10 a.m. south of Los Angeles, buckling
and derailing two cars packed with passengers, authorities and witnesses
said.
Metrolink
officials said they didn’t know how the trains wound up on
the same track.
One
person died at the scene and two others died later, Orange County
sheriff’s
spokesman Jim Amormino said.
Up
to 300 people were aboard the commuter train, Metrolink spokeswoman
Sharon Gavin said. Twenty-five of about 265 injured were immediately
taken to hospitals and 45 others were to be transported, she said.
Many
of the victims had internal injuries and broken bones.
Several
streets in the area were closed because of the wreckage and the
length of the freight train.
Threats
against embassy prompt heavy patrols
SAN‘A, Yemen (AP) — Heavy military
patrols guarded the U.S. Embassy compound in Yemen on Tuesday after
the embassy said it received unspecified threats against U.S. interests
in the country.
Military
foot and vehicle patrols in the streets as well as jeeps mounted
with heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft weapons were added to
the regular cement barriers and police guards that usually protect
the embassy.
The
embassy said on its Web site Monday that it had received information
that a terrorist attack against U.S. interests in the country could
occur as early as Tuesday.
Consular
services were suspended, except for emergency American citizen services,
the embassy said. The statement didn’t say how long the consular
service reduction would remain in effect.
Security
in Yemen has been a top concern of the United States since the attack
on the destroyer USS Cole in October 2000 that killed 17 American
sailors in Aden harbor. U.S. officials have linked al Qaeda to that
bombing.
Airport
workers arrested as part of investigation
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Federal authorities
have arrested 94 workers at two Washington-area airports on charges
of fraudulently obtaining airport security badges.
“The
arrests at Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan
National Airport are part of an ongoing investigation to ensure
that people who have access to secure areas of our airports are
worthy of the trust granted to them by the public,” Attorney
General John Ashcroft said.
Similar
arrests have occurred in recent weeks in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt
Lake City and San Francisco. In all, about 400 workers have been
arrested or indicted since Sept. 11, including those on Tuesday,
officials said.
The
investigation, called Operation Tarmac, spread to 11 airports before
Tuesday’s arrests.
While
law enforcement officials said none of those arrested have been
linked to terrorism, some aviation experts said the workers were
in position to help smuggle bombs or weapons aboard aircraft.
Oil
company drops plans to drill in sacred area
WASHINGTON (AP) — An oil company
dropped plans Tuesday to drill in a Montana valley that is sacred
to American Indians and is adorned with rock drawings considered
among the most significant tribal art on the Northern Plains.
Denver-based
Anschutz Exploration Corp. said it would transfer two leases for
oil and gas rights in Weatherman Draw to the National Trust for
Historic Preservation, which will hold the leases until they expire.
The
parcel where Anschutz wanted to drill had the potential to produce
10 million barrels of oil, but company officials had acknowledged
there was only a one-in-seven chance of drilling a productive well.
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