Brutal killing sends France into mourning, outrage; Bolivia’s socialist movement to return to power; Arms embargo on Iran expires
A person holds up a banner that reads: ‘For the freedom of speech,’ during a demonstration in Lyon, France, Oct. 18, 2020.
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Police raided the homes of dozens of suspected Islamist extremists on Monday in France following the brutal murder of a history teacher near Paris. Samuel Paty was beheaded Friday on the street in a suburb northwest of Paris, after he discussed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad with his class. The suspect, an 18-year-old Chechen refugee born in Moscow, Russia, and had no connection to the teacher or school, was later shot dead by police on Friday.
“This was an attempt to strike down the republic,” French President Emmanuel Macron said of Paty’s killing.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered across France on Sunday to support freedom of speech and remember the slain 47-year-old teacher. Authorities said they have now detained 11 people in connection with the fatal attack.
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Bolivians headed to the polls on Sunday in high-stakes redo of last year’s annulled ballot, which forced the lefist leader Evo Morales to resign and flee the country. In a remarkable turn of events, Morales’ handpicked successor, Luis Arce, appears set to return the socialist movement back to power, according to exit polls.
And, on Sunday the UN arms embargo on Iran barring the country from purchasing foreign weapons expired under its nuclear deal with world powers. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US rejected the expiration, insisting the ban remains in place. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called it a win for multilateralism. Iran says it is not planning a “buying spree,” though it can now in theory purchase weapons to upgrade military armaments.
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