Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1498713
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 MAY 2023 NEWS KARL AZZOPARDI THE Attorney General's deci- sion to file terrorism charges against a group of seven young people from Syria have been de- scribed as an over-reaction by sources within the police force. They told MaltaToday that the youths arrested last week in an anti-terrorism operation posed no imminent threat, and investigations suggest there was no organised terrorist op- erations going on. "Many peo- ple within the force feel the situation was blown out of pro- portion," they said. Seven males of Syrian na- tionality appeared in court on Sunday 30 April to face terror- ism-related charges, including teaching others how to use ex- plosives and firearms. Aged between 21 and 27, the men were arrested on Satur- day 29 April by the police in an operation that also involved Europol, the European law en- forcement agency. The accused – Ajil Al Mu- hsen, Adnan Maashi, Yazan Abduklaziz, Ahmed Kadas, Khalil Al Mahmoud, Ahmed Ahmed and Mohammed Mo- hammed – are believed to be Islamic extremists. They appeared before duty magistrate Astrid May Grima and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Bail was not request- ed and they remained under arrest. The arraignments happened in the evening amid tight se- curity in and outside the law courts in Valletta. Five of the men live in Ħamrun, one lives in Pietà and the other in Birkir- kara. Police sources told this news- paper the investigation was started by Maltese authorities, with Europol roped in at a lat- er stage. "Obviously when the report was received, the police were obliged to investigate the case, as there was dissemina- tion of terrorism-related mate- rial," they said. The charges received a mixed reaction by activists and prom- inent figures within the migra- tion sector. Some activists said people should wait for more details on the case to emerge in court before drawing any conclusions, drawing com- parisons with the El-Hiblu III case, where three youths were accused of commandeering the ship that had rescued them, when they were in effect at- tempting to prevent the cap- tain from sending them back to Libya, where they feared perse- cution and torture. "People should wait for more information, details and clarity, and from my experience they would be wise to do so," one ac- tivist said on Facebook. "These are serious accusations that necessarily require a well-con- sidered response grounded in the facts of the case, and not a knee jerk reaction." Issuing a statement on the charges, the Syrian commu- nity in Malta said it wants to allow the judicial procedure to run its course and uncover the truth behind these serious allegations. "As a community, we remain committed to liv- ing in peace and harmony with our Maltese neighbours and friends," they said. Prominent equality activist Omar Rababah, who is Maltese Doubts on terror charges against Syrian youths BRITAIN crowned King Charles III in an eighth-century ritual that still bears the una- bashed pageantry of a fairy tale, unseen since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, his mother, in 1953. "I come not to be served, but to serve," Charles said in his first remarks of the ceremony, setting the theme for the inti- mate yet grand proceedings. The king, 74, was anointed with holy oil, symbolising the sacred nature of his rule. He was vested with an imperial mantle, and the archbishop of Canterbury placed the ancient crown of St. Edward onto his head. Once crowned, Charles and Camilla returned to Buck- ingham Palace in a golden stagecoach used by Elizabeth II for her coronation procession. Charles and Camilla were each anointed with holy oil that was consecrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusa- lem. It was harvested from the Mount of Olives. The arch- bishop used a silver coronation spoon, dating from 1349, to perform the anointment. The procession after the cor- onation was a lavish specta- cle that beggared description: 19 military bands and 4,000 troops, stretching a mile from the palace gates. The king and his family will watch from the balcony as more than 60 aircraft — fighter jets, helicopters and World War II-vintage Spitfires — roaring overhead in a display that is, by custom, the grand fi- nale of the royal celebration. Millions of people across the UK celebrated the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey, where he was crowned along with Camilla, the Queen Consort, as the 40th reigning monarch crowned there since 1066. Large crowds descended on London, with some royal fans spending the past few days camping along the 2km route. Their desire to secure the best vantage point for the procession was tested on Friday when Lon- don was repeatedly doused by heavy rain and hail. Some have objected to mil- lions of pounds of taxpayers' money being spent on a lavish ceremony at a time when mil- lions of Britons are suffering a severe cost-of-living crisis. Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was proclaimed as King Charles III in a ceremony at St James's Palace last September, following the death of his moth- er Queen Elizabeth II. Charles III crowned king The king, 74, was anointed with holy oil, symbolising the sacred nature of his rule. He was vested with an imperial mantle, and the archbishop of Canterbury placed the ancient crown of St. Edward onto his head