ONE of the guards assigned to the unit housing financier Jeffrey Epstein on the night he died was a “fill-in”, it is reported.
The abrupt death of the 66-year-old on Saturday cut short a criminal prosecution that could have pulled back the curtain on the inner workings of a high-flying financier with connections to celebrities and presidents, though prosecutors have vowed to continue investigating.
Epstein had been denied bail and was held at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre (MCC) in New York, facing up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial.
Attorney General William Barr said: “We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation.”
MEANWHILE, A knife-wielding man yelling “Allahu akbar”, or “God is great”, has attempted to stab several people in Sydney, with one person taken to hospital, Australian police and witnesses said.
Witnesses say the man, wielding a long knife, attempted to stab multiple people near a busy junction on Tuesday.
The suspect was pinned down with a milk crate by a member of the public.
New South Wales Police said in a statement that a man was arrested, and that a woman was taken to a hospital in a stable condition.
A witness told reporters that the man was screaming comments about religion, before yelling
to police that he wanted to be shot.
ELSEWHERE, fighting around Tripoli has resumed, following a two-day truce observed during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, according to officials in Libya.
The officials said on Tuesday that the self-styled Libyan National Army led by commander Khalifa Hifter carried out airstrikes overnight on the southern outskirts of Tripoli.
They said the militias allied to the UN-backed government in Tripoli also shelled Hifter’s forces in the area.
On Saturday, both sides had accepted a UN-proposed truce during Eid al-Adha, which began on Sunday.
Hifter’s forces launched an offensive in April to capture Tripoli.
The fighting has killed over 1,100 people, mostly combatants, and displaced more than 100,000 civilians.
The battle lines have changed little over recent weeks.
FINALLY, Italy’s political leaders are scrambling to gather allies ahead of a no-confidence vote against prime minister Giuseppe Conte’s populist coalition.
The country’s interior minister Matteo Salvini, who heads the anti-migrant, Euro-skeptic League, wants to topple the government in a bid for early elections he hopes will elevate him to premier.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel