About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2018)
6C Sunday, December 23, 2018 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com WORLD London flights resume; drone suspects in custody JOHN STILLWELL I Associated Press Passengers at Gatwick airport settle down to wait for their flights following the delays and cancellations brought on by drone sightings near the airfield, in London, Friday Dec. 21. BY GREGORY KATZ Associated Press LONDON — London’s Gatwick Airport was plagued by long lines and flight delays Saturday but no new drone sightings, allowing Brit ish officials to hope the worse was over after two people were arrested in connection with the drone inva sion that had shut down the coun try’s second-busiest airport. Check-in lines at Gatwick stretched the length of the depar tures hall as harried travelers tried to make good on Christmas plans upended by three days of extended shutdowns caused by drones being spotted over the airfield. The persistent drone crisis at Gatwick, 30 miles south of London, has had a ripple effect throughout the international air travel system since Wednesday night, when the first drone was spotted. A Gatwick spokesman said Sat urday that “things are going in the right direction” and should be back to normal by the end of the week end after a horrendous few days that saw tens of thousands of travel ers stranded or delayed. Sussex police released few details about the two suspects arrested late Friday in the worst drone-inflicted travel chaos to hit Britain. Police say the investigation is ongoing and the military was still deployed to prevent further drone incursions from shutting Gatwick’s airspace. Police said Saturday the drone suspects are a 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman from Craw ley, a town 5 miles from the airport. They were arrested on suspicion of disrupting civil aviation. The suspects, who have not been named or charged, were being questioned in custody. Sky tele vision showed footage of police searching a house, reportedly where one suspect was living. British police have not said if they think the two suspects acted alone or as part of a group. The motive for their aggressive drone flights has not been established, but officials say there are no indications it is “terror related.” There have been no new sightings since the arrests. Gatwick’s arrival and departure boards showed that most flights operated Saturday but there were still a significant number of delayed takeoffs and landings. In all, the air port hoped to run 757 flights, serv ing just under 125,000 passengers. Still, Gatwick authorities urged passengers to check the status of their flights Saturday with their air lines before heading to the airport, which handles 43 million passen gers a year. “Passengers should expect some delays and cancellations as we con tinue to recover our operations fol lowing three days of disruption,” a Gatwick spokesman said. New drone sightings Friday eve ning caused fresh problems for holiday travelers at Gatwick, which had just reopened after a 36-hour shutdown. Authorities had to hast ily suspend flights for more than an hour Friday afternoon on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Police: Al-Qaida linked to blast at Somalia presidential palace FARAH ABDI WARS AM EH I Associated Press A man walks near destroyed buildings after a bomb blast in the capital city of Mogadishu, Somalia, Saturday, Dec. 22. BY ABDI GULED Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya - An explosives-packed vehicle detonated at a military checkpoint near Somalia’s presidential palace, killing at least 16 people and wound ing more than 20 others, police said. The al-Qaida- linked al-Shabab extremist group, which often targets Mogadishu, claimed respon sibility for the attack. Those killed include three staffers from the London- based Universal TV sta tion, including prominent journalist Awil Dahir Salad, said police Capt. Mohamed Hussein, who gave the toll of dead and wounded. The bomber targeted the checkpoint near the rear entrance of the heavily for tified palace, Hussein said. A lawmaker and a deputy mayor of Mogadishu were among those wounded, he said. Soldiers also were among the dead, Col. Ahmed Mohamud said. The blast and a smaller one nearby appeared to tar get those heading to work on what was a business day in the Horn of Africa nation. A plume of smoke rose over the capital as ambu lances rushed to the scene. “At first I saw a vehicle driving to and fro, then we tried to stop people walking here and there, and then in the blink of an eye the vehicle exploded, causing havoc,” traffic police officer Mohamed Harun told The Associated Press. Al-Shabab, the most active Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa, was pushed out of Mogadishu years ago but continues to control rural Somalia. The U.S. military, which partners with Somali forces and a 20,000-strong African Union peacekeeping mis sion, has greatly increased airstrikes against al-Shabab under the Trump admin istration. At least 47 U.S. strikes have been carried out this year. Call Wolfman Charlie to keep you warm this winter! 835 Oak Street, Gainesville, Georgia http://lanier-hvac.net/ 678-943-1351 o LQNIER HVOC SERVICES WE STRIVE TO SERVE YOU RUCKER DOG TRAINING. FIDO'S WORLD AND BARKIN BREWS PRESENT SUBMIT A PHOTO OF YOUR DOG CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS! EACH DOG MAY HAVE ONE PHOTO SUBMISSION. VOTERS CAN VOTE ONCE PER HOUR. WWW. GAINESVILLETIMES. COM/HOUDA Y00GS ®hncs gainesvilletimes.com rnu u CONTEST ENTER TODAY N OUR HOL DAY DOG CONTEST. THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE A BASKET FULL OF GOODIES FROM OUR SPONSORS. CHECK THE TIMES DECEMBER 30TH FOR THE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT. 1612 SKELTON RD | GAINESVILLE. (678) 971-1052 PHOTO SUBMISSION DECEMBER 16-21 VOTING DECEMBER 22-27
