Police have charged a man over a spate over terrifying sex attacks in Kalgoorlie in the early hours of Monday morning.
In the space of two-and-a-half hours, between 1am and 3.30am, the man allegedly forced entry into three homes and at each property sexually or indecently assaulted an adult female. Police say he also unsuccessfully tried to gain entry to a fourth home.
All incidents were in the south Kalgoorlie-Boulder area. None of the homes or victims are linked.
On Monday, Superintendent Steve Thompson said as a result of police inquiries they arrested a man shortly before 7am.
“Our thoughts are with the victims of these incidents, which would have been a significant and traumatic event, and they’ve been provided with a medical and support that is appropriate,” Supt Thompson said.
Supt Thompson said the victims were aged between 30 and 70, with two of the women the only occupants of the houses at the time of the attacks but there was another occupant present during the incident in the third home.
He said entry was forced to the homes.
“It wasn’t a matter of an open door, there was force used,” he alleged.
Supt Thompson said police had responded quickly when the alarm was raised.
“We all come together, when it’s significant crimes such as this, we throw all available resources and we use all our capabilities. And, it’s very pleasing for me that within a matter of hours we were able to make an arrest,” he said.
“We’re fortunate to live in this State that incidents such as this . . . are very rare. And when they do occur, they are our highest priority and we throw all our resources at the investigation.”
A 30-year-old man from the Warburton community has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual penetration without consent in the course of a home burglary, one count of indecent assault and three counts of home burglary.
He was refused bail and is due to appear in Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
A detective has been found dead inside a police station in Sydney’s north-west.
The 46-year-old detective sergeant was on duty when he was found dead by colleagues inside a room at Ermington Police Station about 12:30pm on Monday.
NSW Police revealed initial inquiries suggest there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.
The Daily Telegraph has reported the man died after a “shooting incident” and early investigations suggest the officer was shot with a police-issued firearm.
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Detectives have launched a critical incident investigation into the man’s death.
“The 46-year-old detective sergeant from a specialist command was on-duty at the time and initial inquiries suggest there are no suspicious circumstances,” a statement from NSW Police read.
“A critical incident investigation has been launched by detectives from the South West Metropolitan Region, who will prepare a report for the Coroner.
“The investigation will also be reviewed by the Professional Standards Command and independently oversighted by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC).”
Support services have been made available to the man’s colleagues, the officers who found him and those who were in the station at the time.
The death comes less than two years after another police officer took his own life at the Sydney Police Center in Surry Hills.
Two crucifixes were found in a Canterbury apartment where Saudi sisters Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead in June, a worker with access to the apartment has told the ABC.
The discovery was made after the women’s bodies were removed.
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The worker told the ABC that the crucifixes were found on the floor of one of the bedrooms.
The ABC could not independently corroborate this claim.
It’s unclear whether the discovery of the crosses was a sign that the sisters had renounced Islam and converted to Christianity or whether they were using them as a disguise.
No signs of forced entry
In June, the bodies of the women were found naked and in separate beds.
This prompted the apartment’s building manager Michael Baird to dismiss suicide as a potential cause of death.
“Two young women do not commit suicide together unless they’re doing it together. They don’t get naked, they don’t go to separate rooms, they don’t die separately,” he said.
Police say they have not yet ruled out homicide or suicide as their investigations continue.
A worker, who accessed the apartment after the police had made the grim discovery, said the sisters’ bodies were found in a state of decomposition.
Last month, tradespeople entered the apartment to replace the flooring.
One told the ABC that the apartment still “has the smell of dead bodies.”
The sisters are thought to have been dead for over a month before a sheriff was called at the behest of their landlord, as the girls were behind on rent payments. This sheriff made the discovery and called the police.
After locating the bodies, police said there were no obvious signs of injury or forced entry although they have called the deaths “unusual.”
They are waiting on the results of postmortem examinations and toxicology tests.
In a press conference last week, the NSW Police released images of the two women and published their names, as they launched a community appeal for any information about the women’s movements.
Burwood Police Station has now established Strike Force Woolbird to investigate the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
The apartment block in Canterbury in Sydney’s western suburbs where two Saudi women were found dead in June 2022. (ABC RN: Brendan Esposito)
living in fear
The ABC has confirmed that the sisters had applied for a protection visa with the Department of Home Affairs, and they had been in contact with a settlement service for refugees.
Michael Baird, a director of Sydney’s Transparent FM Building Management which manages the Canterbury apartment block, said he was aware that the young women were concerned about their safety.
In a January 2022 email sent to the site manager, younger sister Amaal asked if building management could check the security cameras as she feared someone had tampered with a recent food delivery order.
“I think the girls were very, very scared. Very afraid of something. And we’re not sure whether it was something or someone, they didn’t tell us,” Mr Baird said.
Mr Baird said his first interaction with the women had taken place earlier this yearwhen their car had been “keyed”.
“We believed that it was not a personal attack on them because they’d parked their car in an unusual position. And somebody’s obviously taken offense to it,” Mr Baird said, about the incident.
His second interaction with the women was when he organized for a plumber to visit their apartment.
“When [the plumber] came out of that unit, he said that he was concerned that there was something untoward happening in the apartment. He got a very bad vibe,” Mr Baird said.
“He was pretty shaken up. He said, ‘I’m never coming back to that apartment again’.”
Mr Baird asked the local site manager to contact the police at the time and he understood that the women had subsequently told police they were fine.
Mr Baird has not been contacted by the police for a statement.
Another building worker told the ABC that he knew that the women had noticed a man watching their apartment from across the street.
The worker, who is familiar with the building’s residents, said he’d also seen an unknown Middle Eastern man inside the building on two occasions in the months leading up to the sisters’ death.
The building worker said when he asked the man which apartment he was from, the man gave the women’s address.
‘really good people’
The sisters arrived in Australia from Saudi Arabia in 2017.
They lived in Sydney’s western suburbs for about eighteen months with their friend Rita, while they attended the local TAFE.
“[Amaal and Asra] we were just really good people. They did nothing harmful,” Rita said.
“They moved to this house because it was like closer to their TAFE. And they usually stayed up all night and only slept in the morning.”
She said the women worked in construction. They had applied for an ABN in 2018, and were registered as sole traders.
Rita said the sisters’ mother had visited Australia on one occasion.
“Their mum came here once. She didn’t like it. Then she went back to her country,” Rita said.
The young women led a discreet life. They didn’t have many visitors, apart from a man Rita believed to be Asra’s boyfriend, an “Iraqi man with a beard”.
Early in 2020, after they’d lived with Rita for about 18 months, the sisters decided to move out.
They moved into the Canterbury apartment in November 2021.
At the time of publication, Rita said the police had not interviewed her or her family.
A Home Affairs departmental spokesperson told the ABC: “The Department does not comment on individual cases.”
Since 2017, 86 women from Saudi Arabia applied for permanent protection in Australia and 75 were granted a permanent protection visa.
This story has been updated from an earlier version to clarify who found the women’s bodies.
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One of two men accused of impersonating federal law enforcement officials in a scheme that duped Secret Service agents and others pleaded guilty Monday to multiple charges in Washington, DC
Arian Taherzadeh’s plea came nearly four months after his arrest with a second man, Haider Ali, exposed allegations that they compromised Secret Service agents with access to the White House — including at least one assigned to protect first lady Jill Biden.
It also revealed a cache of weapons and police equipment at apartments the two Washington men maintained.
In addition to federal conspiracy, Taherzadeh, 40, as part of his plea, also admitted guilt to two District of Columbia offenses: unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device and voyeurism.
The latter charge relates to his unauthorized videotaping of women having sex in apartments he leased and rigged with surveillance cameras.
Taherzadeh’s sentencing date has not been scheduled. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, but federal sentencing guidelines stipulated in his plea agreement suggest he receive a prison term of between 37 months and 46 months.
As part of his plea agreement, Taherzadeh agreed to cooperate with federal authorities in their ongoing investigation. He remains free, but cannot leave his home, with few exceptions, as a condition of his court-ordered release of him after his arrest of him.
Prosecutors said he concocted his elaborate series of fake claims of being a federal agent to obtain multiple apartments for which he failed to pay rent, to promote his own security company and to ingratiate himself with current federal officers.
Ali, 36, has pleaded not guilty to charges of false impersonation of a federal officer, and to unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device in the case, which is pending in US District Court in Washington. Ali is also under effective house arrest.
Prosecutors said that a third person, who was not identified in court filings, participated in the scheme.
Taherzadeh in 2018 created a purported private investigative agency called the United States Special Police, which despite its name was not associated in any way with the US government, prosecutors said.
From late 2018 through April, Taherzadeh falsely claimed to be a special agent with the Homeland Security Department, a member of a federal task force, a former US Air Marshal, and an ex-Army Ranger, according to court filings.
He used those claims to cozy up to Secret Service agents, some of whom he gave gifts, which included a generator and a “doomsday” backpack to one agent, and the use of two rent-free apartments for about a year to two other agents , prosecutors said.
In all, the gifts to members of the Secret Service were worth more than $90,000, prosecutors said.
Taherzadeh’s company obtained leases for multiple apartments in three residential complexes in Washington, but did not pay rent, parking fees and other costs, leading to more than $800,000 in losses to the complexes’ owners, filings say.
And “Taherzadeh installed surveillance cameras outside and inside his apartment in one of the complexes,” the US Justice Department said in a press release.
“Among other places, he installed, maintained, and utilized cameras in his bedroom. He used these cameras to record women engaged in sexual activity. Taherzadeh then showed these explicit videos to third parties,” according to the release.
Four members of the Secret Service were placed on administrative leave pending further investigation after the arrest of Taherzadeh and Ali.
Police are investigating an unprovoked attack at a McDonald’s restaurant in Melbourne’s northwest that has resulted in the victim requiring reconstructive surgery to his face.
It’s understood a 49-year-old Keilor man was on the patio area outside the Keilor Park Drive McDonald’s outlet just after midnight on the morning of July 8.
The Keilor Park Drive McDonald’s outlet. Credit: Google Maps
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Two men who were exiting the restaurant walked past the man, before one of them returned to confront the 49-year-old.
The unknown man, without provocation, then struck the victim in the face, causing him to lose consciousness.
The victim suffered a shattered cheek that required reconstructive surgery.
The man police believe may be able to assist with their enquiries. Credit: Victoria PoliceThe man is seen on CCTV approaching the victim without any provocation. Credit: Victoria Police
Police have released an image and CCTV footage of a man who they believe may be able to assist with their enquiries.
He is described as Caucasian in appearance, with light brown hair and a beard, and was wearing a white hoodie and black pants.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
ELWOOD, Ind. (AP) — A young Indiana police officer was killed early Sunday when a man got out of his car during a traffic stop and opened fire, authorities said.
The suspect was caught roughly 30 minutes later after a car chase, state police said.
Noah Shahnavaz, 24, was an officer at the Elwood police department, 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis. He stopped the driver of a Buick LaCrosse just after 2 am
“For an unknown reason, the suspect exited the Buick and fired multiple rounds, striking the officer at least one time,” state police said.
Shahnavaz was a US Army veteran who had been an Elwood officer for 11 months.
“A senseless act of violence robbed this young man of the life and career he deserved,” Major Todd Jones said.
People placed flowers next to a patrol car outside the police department.
“The cop didn’t deserve to die like that,” resident Donna Williams said.
The 42-year-old suspect has a criminal record, which includes a conviction in 2006 for firing a gun at Indianapolis officers, said Andrew Hanna, Madison County’s chief deputy prosecutor.
Sheriff Scott Mellinger told The Herald Bulletin that the shooting made him go “from being prayerful to being angry.”
“Prayers. Senseless act. Please join us in holding up Elwood PD’s officers and their families,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
A woman was randomly slashed by a man with a boxcutter as she walked down a Midtown street Sunday, police said.
The 59-year-old victim was sliced in the right hand by the man who crept up behind her on Seventh Avenue near West 42nd Street in an unprovoked attack around 10 am, according to cops.
Dramatic video shared by the NYPD shows the suspect a few steps behind the woman as she pulls a shopping trolley down the block.
He raises the blade in the air, with his arm outstretched towards the sky, before suddenly lunging at the woman and slashing the blade down on her right hand.
The man uttered no words before stabbing the woman’s hand, police said.
The woman was transported to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
The suspect, meanwhile, fled eastbound on East 42nd Street before cops arrived.
The criminal shared no words before slashing the victim’s hand.Paul MartinkaThe 59-year-old victim was sliced in the right hand by the suspect. Paul MartinkaVideo shows the man raising a blade in the air and slashing the woman.DCPI
Police are asking anyone with information in regard to the incident to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
SOMERSET — A Minnesota teenager died and four other people were seriously hurt after being stabbed while tubing down a western Wisconsin river, authorities said.
St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson the victims and suspect, a 52-year-old Prior Lake, Minnesota man, were all on the Apple River when the attack happened Saturday afternoon. Knudson said investigators were working to determine what led to the stabbings and whether the victims and suspect knew each other. They were tubing with two different groups that included about 20 people.
Water Recovery authorities combed the Apple River with metal detectors after five people were stabbed while tubing down the river Saturday in Somerset.
ALEX KORMANN, STAR TRIBUNE VIA AP
“We don’t know yet who was connected to who, who knew each other or what precipitated it,” Knudson said.
The knife attack happened on a difficult-to-access section of the river near the town of Somerset, which is about 35 miles east of Minneapolis. The suspect was arrested about an hour and a half later while getting off the river downstream.
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“Thank goodness a witness had taken a photo of him,” Knudson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Another witness located him at the exit of the tubing area, where he was taken into custody.”
A 17-year-old boy from Stillwater, Minnesota, died. Two of the other victims were flown to a hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, and two others were taken there by ambulance. The sheriff’s office said Sunday that the condition of all four surviving victims — a woman and three men in their 20s — ranged from serious to critical. They suffered stab wounds to their chests and torsos.
The sheriff’s office didn’t name the victims, but did provide a few details about them. The victims included a 20-year-old man and a 22-year-old man from Luck; a 22-year-old man from Elk River, Minnesota; and a 24-year-old woman from Burnsville, Minnesota;
The name of the suspect wasn’t immediately released, but St. Croix County jail records show a 52-year-old man was being held without bond on suspicion of first-degree homicide, four counts of aggravated battery and four counts of mayhem.
Edgewood High School’s football team was in the WIAA playoffs when it was disqualified for having an ineligible player.
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East High School business teacher David Kruchten, explained himself in a letter to US District Judge James Peterson before his sentencing.
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The teen who stabbed a 15-year-old girl to death as she walked home from school on the NSW Central Coast has walked free nearly 17 years after her murder.
Tania Burgess was stabbed 48 times after she hopped off a school bus and walked through the car park of Forresters Beach Resort on July 19, 2005.
Watch more in the video above
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Now Tania’s family are calling for the identity of their daughter’s killer to be revealed to the public.
The convicted murderer, known to the public only as “DL”, has been in custody since he was 16, and because the offense occurred when he was a minor he cannot be named for legal reasons.
With the killer now aged 32, Tania’s parents believe the suppression of her killer’s name should be lifted in the interest of “public safety”.
Tania’s parents Mandy and Chris Burgess told Sunrise last month they felt frustrated that her killer was to get a second chance at life.
“I felt anger and helplessness because it’s really like riding as a backseat passenger in a car for the last 17 years,” Mandy said.
Tania Burgess was stabbed 48 times after she hopped off a school bus in 2005. Credit: 7NEWSThe convicted murderer, known only as ‘DL’, has been in custody since he was 16. Credit: 7NEWS
“We had this most beautiful 15-year-old daughter, and she was taken away from us and now he gets to have his life back.
“He gets to have a second chance at life, and we can’t do that for Tania.
“She’s not going to get a second chance at life.”
The devastated parents admit they felt “a lot of anger” when seeing their daughter’s killer again in court.
“I was just such a hard thing to do, to see his face again,” Mandy said.
Mandy and Chris have also met with a handful of ministers to discuss the suppression order.
“They’re all very much all about releasing the name because it gives accountability for their crimes,” Chris said.
“And it’s not like they stole a car, they did something significantly more serious, so they should be accountable for their crimes, not just able to hide behind anonymity. “
Tania’s family are calling for an end to the suppression of her murderer’s identity. Credit: 7NEWS
DL was convicted back in 2005 by a jury and was jailed for at least 17 years, with a maximum term of 22 years.
This was reduced on appeal by four years in 2018, meaning he has been eligible for parole since mid-2018.
During a hearing, Justice James Wood accepted the expert advice from the Serious Offenders Review Council that strongly advised DL should be released with supervision before his full-time sentence expired.
“The priority is now supervision to foster his reintegration and the protection of the public,” the council report stated.
DL must provide authorities daily notifications of all his movements and undergo treatment by a forensic psychologist, along with other strict conditions.
A man forced his way into three homes in the South Kalgoorlie-Boulder area early on Monday morning and sexually assaulted a woman at each house, police have revealed.
Police on Monday said between 1am and 3.30am a male offender forced entry into three homes before sexually assaulting the female occupant, and attempted to gain entry into a fourth home.
Superintendent Steve Thompson said as a result of police inquiries they arrested a 31-year-old man shortly before 7am on Monday.
The man was in custody and assisting police with the investigation.
It wasn’t a matter of an open door, there was force used.
“Our thoughts are with the victims of these incidents, which would have been a significant and traumatic event, and they’ve been provided with a medical and support that is appropriate,” Supt Thompson said.
Supt Thompson said the victims were aged between 30 and 70, with two of the women the only occupants of the houses at the time of the attacks but there was another occupant present during the incident in the third home.
He said entry was forced to the premises at these locations.
“It wasn’t a matter of an open door, there was force used,” he said.
Supt Thompson said Kalgoorlie detectives had launched a major investigation and were supported by resources from Kalgoorlie Police Station, the District Forensic Office and the Intelligence Office.
“We’ve asked some members from our Crime Scene Unit, and also members from the Sexual Assault Squad to come in and assist with the investigation. It’s obviously a large investigation we have a number of crime scenes that need to be processed, so we’ve asked for additional support,” Supt Thompson said.
He said it was still early in the investigation, and he could not provide details on any charges that may or may not be laid.
“We all come together, when it’s significant crimes such as this, we throw all available resources and we use all our capabilities. And it’s very pleasing for me that within a matter of hours we were able to make an arrest,” Supt Thompson said.
“We’re fortunate to live in this State that incidents such as this . . . are very rare. And when they do occur, they are our highest priority and we throw all our resources at the investigation.”
Supt Thompson urged anyone with information regarding the offenses that occurred or noticed any suspicious behavior between 1am and 3.30am to contact Kalgoorlie Detectives, or Crime Stoppers online or at 1300 333 000.
