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Canadian-Nigerian Woman, Amaka Sonnberger Arrested For Threatening Yoruba, Benin People With Poison

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A Canadian-Nigerian woman, Amaka Sonnberger, is set to appear in court on Monday, September 2, 2024, following her arrest by Toronto Police for allegedly making hate-motivated threats against members of the Nigerian community.

Sonnberger has been charged with uttering threats and will face a judge at the Ontario Court of Justice.

The case is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offense, with the Toronto Police Hate Crime Unit actively involved in the investigation.

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In a statement titled “Suspected Hate-Motivated Threatening Investigation, Woman Arrested,” the Toronto Police Service confirmed the arrest and provided details of the ongoing case.

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The statement reads: “Toronto Police have arrested a woman in connection with a suspected hate-motivated threat investigation. The arrest follows a report received on August 28, 2024, regarding a threatening incident. Authorities allege that on or around August 25, 2024, Amaka Sonnberger, 46, of Toronto, posted online content threatening the lives of specific members of the Nigerian community.

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“Sonnberger was taken into custody on September 1, 2024, and has been charged with uttering threats. She is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, September 2, 2024, at the Ontario Court of Justice, located at 2201 Finch Avenue West.

“The investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offense. Police are urging anyone with information to contact them at 416-808-3500 or reach out anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.222tips.com.”

READ ALSO: Mass Poison: Canada-based Nigerian Woman Under Probe For Threatening Genocide

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Hate-motivated crimes The Toronto Police statement also noted that hate-motivated crimes may involve consultation with the Crown, and if convicted, hate is considered an aggravating factor in sentencing.

It added that charges related to hate speech, such as promoting hatred or advocating genocide, require the Attorney General’s consent and are often delayed.

“When suspected hate-motivated offenses are reported to police, the investigation could be led by a Divisional Investigator with the support of the Hate Crime Unit (HCU), or in some cases, will be investigated exclusively by the HCU.

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“If it is alleged a criminal offense was committed (such as assault or mischief) and it is believed to have been motivated by bias, prejudice, or hate, the officer-in-charge may consult with the Crown. If a person is charged and convicted of the offense, the Judge will take into consideration hate as an aggravating factor when imposing a sentence.

“Wilful promotion of hatred and advocating genocide are hate propaganda (hate speech) offenses which require the Attorney General’s consent to lay charges. These charges are often laid at a later time,” the statement concluded.

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Welcome Home, Israel Confirms Return Of 20 Hostages From Gaza

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Israel said that the last 20 living hostages released by Hamas on Monday had arrived in the country.

“Welcome home,” the foreign ministry wrote in a series of posts on X, hailing the return of Matan Angrest, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa Dalal, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kuperstein, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Yosef Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel, Avinatan Or and Matan Zangauker.

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20 Members Of Gang Blacklisted By US Escape Guatemala Prison

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Twenty members of a gang designated a “foreign terrorist organisation” by the United States have escaped from detention in Guatemala, a prison chief said Sunday.

The members of the Barrio 18 gang “evaded security controls” at the Fraijanes II facility, prison director Ludin Godinez said at a news conference.

He received “an intelligence report” on Friday warning about the “possible escape” from the prison, which is southeast of the capital, Guatemala City.

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Godinez said they were investigating possible acts of corruption.

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Washington last month blacklisted Barrio 18, an El Salvador-based gang which has a reputation for violence and extortion, as part of its crackdown on drug trafficking.

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The US embassy in Guatemala condemned the prison escape as “utterly unacceptable.”

“The United States designated members of this heinous group as the terrorists they are and will hold accountable anyone who has provided, provides, or decides to provide material support to these fugitives or other gang members,” the embassy said on X.

It called on the Guatemalan government to “act immediately and vigorously to recapture these terrorists.”

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According to Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez, there are about 12,000 gang members and collaborators in Guatemala, while another 3,000 are in prison.

The country’s homicide rate has increased from 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024 to 17.65 this year, more than double the world average, according to the Centre for National Economic Research.

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According to the Salvadoran government, the gangs Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, are responsible for the deaths of about 200,000 people over three decades.

The two gangs once controlled an estimated 80 percent of El Salvador, which had one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

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South Africa Bus Crash Kills 40 Including Malawi, Zimbabwe Nationals

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At least 40 people, including nationals of Malawi and Zimbabwe, were killed when a passenger bus rolled down an embankment in South Africa, a provincial transport minister said Monday.

The bus travelling to Zimbabwe crashed around 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the border on Sunday after the driver apparently lost control, Limpopo province transport minister Violet Mathye said.

“They are still working on the scene, but 40 bodies have already been confirmed to date,” Mathye told the Newzroom Afrika channel. The dead included a 10-month-old girl, she said.

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Thirty-eight people were in hospital and rescuers were searching for other victims, she told eNCA media.

The bus was travelling from the southern city of Gqeberha, around 1,500 kilometres away, and its passengers included Malawians and Zimbabweans who were working in South Africa. The crash may have been caused by driver fatigue or a mechanical fault, the minister said.

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South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network with a high rate of road deaths, blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.

AFP

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