This week’s top stories: National to international coverage
By Nora Tidey, News Editor
Photo courtesy of USA Today
National
Los Angeles International Airport was a scene of chaos on Sunday night, August 27th, when reports of an active shooter spread throughout the airport. The reports brought travel to a halt, causing delays to pile up into Monday morning. As word circulated, passengers in several LAX terminals self-evacuated onto the tarmac and rushed through federal security without being properly screened. Fortunately, the report was a false alarm. Airport police detained a man in a Zorro costume after someone yelled that he had a sword, which turned out to be wooden. It is unclear whether the reports of an active shooter were directly related to the man in the costume. The Los Angeles Police Department conducted a search when the airport was evacuated, confirming that the incident was a false alarm and that there was no evidence of a shooting. The false alarm caused 281 delays, two cancellations, and 27 flight diversions, as well as injuries sustained by someone who was trampled during the chaos.
International
The Islamic State terror group (IS) claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing in Aden, Yemen on Monday, August 29th. The attacker reportedly drove his vehicle into a group of new army recruits at a training camp. Aden, a port city, is the temporary base of Yemen’s Gulf-backed government and has been the target of numerous bombings and shooting aimed at security forces and officials. Over 70 people were killed in Monday’s car bombing and dozens were left injured. Yemen is currently engaged in a civil war between the government backed by a Saudi-led coalition and Shia Houthi rebels allied to army units and loyal to a former president. Yemen’s internal chaos has made the country’s south and southeast vulnerable to gains by jihadist groups such as the Islamic State and al Qaeda. Aden has been the target of many jihadist attacks, including another car bombing in May. The UN estimates that over 9,000 people have been killed since the fighting in Yemen worsened in March of last year.
(information from abcnews.go.com and news.sky.com)
