Archive for November 16th, 2009
Monday, November 16th, 2009
Assailants continue to attack restaurants without discrimination, making it unsafe to go out dining anymore. The latest attack occurred last night (Sunday) at the Café Verbena, in Tres Ríos, La Unión.
The three men described as being black, wearing hoods over their heads, took the restaurant by storm with the objective, like many others occurring over the past few months, of taking what they could from the cash register and the belongings of customers.
However, this time, something went terribly wrong, when 75 year old Antonio Lehmann Struve decided to confront the assailants, losing his life in the struggle, angering the assailants, shooting the man in the head at close rage. Lehman is the founder of the Lehman bookstore.
A report by the Fuerza Pública (police) indicates that the men went from table to table taking valuables from patrons. When they reached the Lehman table, Antonio decided to pull a chair with an intent to strike one of the assailants, a move that cost him his life. Panic ensued, customers took cover under tables and the three assailants fled the scene with nothing, taking off in a hurry in a waiting vehicle.
Unfortunately, these types of acts are occurring with more frequency as criminal elements attack without pity and discrimination, taking advantage that surprise of customers who cannot do much except submit to the will of the assailants and the hope that it will be over quickly and without incident.
Last Sunday assailants attacked the Spoon restaurant across the US Embassy in Pavas, but were later captured by quick police action and tried and sentenced to 4 1/1 years in prison in a record 19 hours by the Tribunal de Flagrancia.
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Monday, November 16th, 2009
Ousted Honduran president Mel Zelaya has said the US is not serious about his reinstatement but focusing more on the upcoming presidential elections in November. “They have left us in the middle of the river, saying now that their priority is the elections and not the restoration of democracy,” Zelaya told Costa Rica’s ADN Radio Saturday.
A US-brokered pact to end the impasse between Zelaya and the de facto government collapsed last week when the latter pressed ahead with formation of a national unity government.
Critics say the current regime was emboldened when US diplomat Thomas Shannon said Washington would recognize the winner of the Nov 29 election regardless of whether Zelaya was reinstated.
Asked this week about Zelaya’s reinstatement, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said: “It’s not about any one person. It’s about return of democratic processes and democratic government. It’s an important aspect to us of continuing to support democracy within the hemisphere.”
The head of the Organisation of American States (OAS) has ruled out sending OAS election observers to Honduras under the current circumstances. Most members of the OAS have indicated they will not recognize the Honduran elections as valid unless Zelaya is reinstated before that.
Zelaya was forced into exile to Costa Rica after he was ousted from power in a military coup June 28. Zelaya is currently staying at the Brazilian embassy in Honduras capital Tegucigalpa.
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Monday, November 16th, 2009
Michael Dixon, 33, has not been seen since he left his hotel in the popular surfing resort of Tamarindo in Guanacaste on October 18.
His mother, Lynn Dixon, made an emotional appeal for information about what has happened to her son. She told a press conference in central London: “So far, the air, sea, and land searches have not turned up any evidence about what has happened, and we continue to wonder how he could have simply disappeared without explanation. All his belongings were left in his room.
“Michael is a caring, considerate son, with a great sense of humor. We are very close to our son, as are the many friends he has all over the world, and we are desperate to find him.”
Leeds University graduate Mr Dixon, who grew up in France and is based in Brussels as editor of a business magazine called Pulp and Paper International, checked into the Villas Macondo hotel at 3pm on October 18.
The last confirmed sighting of him was at 4.30pm the same day when staff saw him leave the hotel. It was three days before the hotel reported him missing to local police.
Mr Dixon’s family did not learn he had disappeared until October 26 when he failed to return to work. Costa Rican police searched his hotel room the same day, finding it was undisturbed with his mobile phone, wallet and glasses all left behind.
Two Americans have gone missing in the Guanacaste area this year but the Costa Rican ambassador to the UK, Pilar Saborio, played down any connections. She told the press conference: “Costa Rica is the oldest democracy in Latin America. We have no political kidnappings or disappearances.”
Ms Saborio said police investigating Mr Dixon’s disappearance had so far found no evidence of foul play.
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Monday, November 16th, 2009
Police investigations mostly move pretty slowly. Facts need to be checked, parties need to be interviewed, and forensic evidence needs to be gathered.
So when four Mexicans and a Costa Rican entered the United Arab Emirates a little over two weeks ago to stage an elaborate gold heist, one would think the local authorities would have their hands full.
The Mexicans and Costa Rican, three men and two women, arrived into the capital Abu Dhabi. From there they hired a rental car and drove to Dubai, a little over an hour away. There they began surveillance of a local Dubai jeweller who regularly transported gold bars to destinations overseas where they were transformed into jewellry pieces and returned to Dubai, where the jeweller would sell them.
After a couple of days surveillance the crooks moved in. On October 29 as the jeweller was trying to organize a trolley the gang confronted the jeweller, caused confusion, and snatched his bag which was carrying 25 gold bars worth $1.6 million. The jeweller was overtaken by events and in the turmoil didn’t get a good look at any of the gang members.
The thieves then left the airport, packaged up the bars with electronic devices and consigned the cargo to Costa Rica. They then drove back to the Abu Dhabi Airport and boarded a plane to Hong Kong. Mission accomplished.
It was one of the most daring, brazen robberies committed in the country. The gang must have been sipping champagne on board their flight having been successful in the robbery, and having escaped the country all within a matter of hours. And they were $1.6 million richer.
Unfortunately for them the story doesn’t end there. The Dubai Police were alerted to the robbery when it occurred. As the jeweller couldn’t describe his attackers the police studied the airport security surveillance cameras. They also checked where the jeweller had parked his car and found a rental car parked nearby. It was a gold Honda Accord. Police checked the car rental company and found there were 358 similar cars in the UAE. Forty two patrols were sent to investigate car rental locations and track down the one that rented the car. It was found but the identity of the renter turned out to be fictitious, as was the drivers license. An interview of the rental car company employee that rented the car however indicated the renter was Mexican.
Police then checked the arrival information in recent days for Mexican entrants and found the renter. It was also noted he had arrived with three other Mexicans and the Costa Rican.
Surveillance cameras noting the arrival into the country of the gang, matched with those of the robbery at Dubai Airport gave police vital clues.
Police also checked international couriers for consignments to Mexico and Costa Rica, realizing the gold bars could not be taken through security at the country’s airports without being discovered.
The Dubai Police then checked the immigration department for airport departures of the group, and then the airlines to establish the five had boarded a flight to Hong Kong.
Ninety minutes after the plane for Hong Kong had taken off the police had identified the culprits, established their whereabouts, and in the meantime tracked down the courier company that had been engaged to transport the cargo overseas.
Dubai Police then contacted their counterparts in Hong Kong and Interpol and as the plane landed law enforcement officers in Hong Kong boarded the plane and took the four Mexicans and the Costa Rican into custody.
Within hours the five were herded back on to a plane and flown back to Abu Dhabi where they were arrested on arrival and transported to Dubai where they are now in prison awaiting trial.
And the gold bars? They were intercepted in Europe, and returned to Dubai, within hours of their consignment.
A stunning robbery to be sure, but an even more stunning police operation. Congratulations to Dubai Police and in particular, Lt Col Ahmed al Merri, head of the criminal investigation division who supervised the operation, and Brig Khalil al Mansouri, the director of the General Department for Criminal Investigation. The chief of Dubai Police Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan and his deputy director Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, were also directly involved in the case.
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Monday, November 16th, 2009
Diego Lugano’s 23rd-minute goal lifted Uruguay to a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica on Saturday and left the South Americans favored to reach next year’s World Cup.
The second leg of the playoff will be on Wednesday in Montevideo.
The winner of the two-game series will get the last spot at South Africa 2010 from the Americas. Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Argentina have already advanced from South America. The United States, Mexico and Honduras are the qualifiers from North and Central American and the Caribbean.
Costa Rica played a man short after Randall Azofeifa was sent off in the 52nd on his second yellow card.
The victory gives two-time World Cup champion Uruguay a huge edge going into the second leg. Uruguay qualified for the 2002 World Cup in a playoff with Australia, but lost a playoff four years later — also against Australia. Costa Rica has qualified directly for the last two World Cups.
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