You don't have permission to access the page you requested. What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed. 2000 - 2025 Nova Agency. All rights reserved This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Amin Alhaj Ahmad researched ricin and anthrax and looked at information about Isis on his smartphone I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A man suspected of planning a biological or chemical attack in Sardinia has been arrested by Italian anti-terrorism police Lebanese national Amin Alhaj Ahmad researched ricin and anthrax and looked at information about Isis on his smartphone The 38-year-old who is a legal immigrant and married with three children, was arrested in the Sardinian town of Macomer by hooded police who forced him from his car as he left his home He is accused of association with the aim of international terrorism Police said they had been tracking him since September, after his cousin was detained in Lebanon where he was accused of trying to poison a water tank used by the army They said the man referred to his cousin’s purported plans to carry out a toxic attack in Italy during a confession Amin had tried to buy poison over the internet but there was no evidence he had actually managed to purchase the materials The Lebanese man of Palestinian descent had recently withdrawn all his money from the bank and was searching for his passport, said Italy’s chief anti-terrorism prosecutor, Federico Cafiero De Raho. “He must have been close to doing something,” he added. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies A Lebanese man was arrested in Sardinia Wednesday on suspicion of trying to plan a biological or chemical attack in the town of Macomer Police said 38-year-old Amin Alhaj Ahmad researched online the aflatoxin B1 carcinogen and the metomil pesticide Information about the poisons and the ISIS group was found on his mobile phone “He was planning an attack with ricin and anthrax,” chief anti-terrorism prosecutor Federico Cafiero De Raho told reporters who is a legal immigrant and married with three children was arrested in Macomer by hooded police who forced him from his car as he left home Police said they had been tracking him since September following a tip-off from Lebanon where his cousin had been arrested after trying to poison a water tank used by the army actually managed to purchase the materials Bangladesh hoped to celebrate progress towards eradicating tuberculosis this year having already slashed the numbers dying from the preventable and curable disease by tens of thousands each year it is reeling from a $48 million snap aid cut by US President Donald Trump's government which health workers say could rapidly unravel years of hard work and cause huge numbers of preventable deaths "Doctors told me I was infected with a serious kind of tuberculosis," laborer Mohammed Parvej told AFP from his hospital bed after he received life-saving treatment from medics funded by the US aid who identified his persistent hacking cough But full treatment for his multidrug-resistant tuberculosis requires more than a year of hospital care and a laborious treatment protocol -- and that faces a deeply uncertain future "Bangladesh is among the seven most TB-prevalent countries globally and we aim to eradicate it by 2035," said Ayesha Akhter deputy director of the formerly US-funded specialized TB Hospital treating Parvej in the capital Dhaka Bangladesh had made significant progress against the infectious bacteria leaving people exhausted and sometimes coughing blood TB deaths dropped from more than 81,000 a year in 2010 according to the World Health Organization Akhter said the South Asian nation had "been implementing a robust program" supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) USAID pulled out their assistance," she said More than 80 percent of humanitarian programs funded by USAID worldwide have been scrapped Tariful Islam Khan said the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) had carried out mass screening "improving TB case detection particularly among children" from 2020 to 2024 "Thanks to the support of the American people.. the project has screened 52 million individuals and diagnosed over 148,000 TB cases "This work is critical not only for the health of millions of Bangladeshis but also for global TB control efforts," he said Growing rates of infectious diseases in one nation have a knock-on impact in the region "USAID was everywhere in the health sector," said Nurjahan Begum health adviser to the interim government -- which is facing a host of challenges after a mass uprising toppled the former regime last year US aid was key to funding vaccines combatting a host of other diseases protecting 2.3 million children against diphtheria "I am particularly worried about the immunization program," Begum said the success we have achieved in immunization will be jeapordised." Bangladeshi scientists have also developed a special feeding formula for starving children "We had just launched the program," Begum said Happ said that Washington was "committed" to ensuring aid was "aligned with the interests of the United States and that resources are used as effectively and efficiently as possible" whose economy and key garment industry are eyeing fearfully the end of the 90-day suspension of Trump's punishing 37 percent tariffs Some Arab nations had expressed interest in helping fill the gap in Muslim-majority Bangladesh with Dhaka's Daily Star newspaper estimating that between 30,000 and 40,000 people were laid off after the United States halted funding fired along with 54 colleagues from Save the Children said she worried for those she had dedicated her career to helping "I have seen how these projects have worked improving the life and livelihoods of underprivileged communities," she said citing programs ranging from food to health "A huge number of this population will be in immediate crisis." Those with the least have been hit the hardest Less dollars for aid means more sick and dead among the Rohingya refugees who fled civil war in their home in neighboring Myanmar into Bangladesh since 2017 Much of the US aid was delivered through the UN's WHO and UNICEF children's agency WHO official Salma Sultana said aid cuts ramped up risks of "uncontrolled outbreaks" of diseases including cholera in the squalid refugee camps said reduced health services would impact the youngest Rohingya the hardest especially some 160,000 children under five who runs the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Bangladesh working to improve reproductive and maternal health Closed clinics and no pay for midwives meant the risk of babies and mothers dying had shot up increasing the risk of preventable maternal and newborn deaths," he said .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}Chicopee's Donovan Lozada has emerged as one of the top heavyweights in the state.- Chicopee High School’s Donovan Lozada awaited his heavyweight bout at a recent tournament The reigning Western Massachusetts Division I heavyweight champion wasn’t about to take anything for granted – even though he was about to face a Division III opponent Lozada warmed up for the bout by skipping rope Going all out has helped turn Lozada into one of the top wrestlers in the area He went 27-5 as a junior and finished fourth at the All-State Tournament in Salem “He’s the heart and soul of our team,” Chicopee coach Cruz Franco said Lozada is having another banner season for the Pacers “My goal this year is to do as well as I can at New England’s,” Lozada said Lozada has been a good example for his teammates Franklin County Tech had quite a day during the Eagle Super Quad held in Turners Falls last month Four Franklin Tech wrestlers combined to go 14-2 Josh Lacosse and Kyle Lafffey each went 4-0 All four wrestlers followed up that outstanding tournament with strong wrestling this month Brendan Weir of Hampshire Regional pulled off the upset of the Division III state tournament when he beat reigning champion Steven Thibault of Southwick Weir has moved up two weight classes to 120 and has not missed a beat Weir pinned Southwick’s Joe Merchant in 1:05 at 120 He took an 11-3 major decision over Division I opponent Anthony Montiero of Minnechaug Then he finished the day with a pin in 2:49 over Athol’s Trevor Carrey He pinned Southwick’s Jacob Macomer in 1:12 and took a 7-4 decision over Athol’s Tom LaRose Demetri Strange and Mark Kukulka have done well for Minnechaug The trio combined for three pins to lead Minnechaug to a 55-19 triumph over Hampshire Regional on Saturday Servantez pinned Brandon Weyant in 4:57 at 152 Strange pinned John Lachowicz in 1:49 at 220 while Kukulka pinned Matt Carrier at heavyweight in 1:34 Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. 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