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Hours of travel delays end as authorities defuse unexploded WWII bomb near Paris’ Gare du Nord

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The disposal of what Parisian police called an “excessively dangerous” unexploded World War II bomb, caused hours of transportation chaos on Friday on rail and road networks in the French capital.

The disruptions affected both domestic and international trains, with Eurostar high-speed services operating out of Paris’ busy Gare du Nord station to Brussels and London being suspended.

The bomb was dug up overnight, workers labouring on a bridge replacement project spotted the rust-eaten, dirt-covered bomb just before dawn. It was found by an earth-moving machine, which dug it out from a depth of about two metres, between train tracks to the north of Gare du Nord.

FILE – The Gare du Nord train station is pictured on Jan. 11, 2023 in Paris Michel Euler/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.

 

French national railway operator – SNCF – notified emergency police units of their discovery, and reported the suspicious object as a potential bomb. Upon closer examination, authorities did confirm that it was in fact a WWII era bomb.

“They just discovered a bomb, an object that seemed a bit strange to them on their site,” said Christophe Pezron, who heads the Paris Police Laboratory – including bomb disposal services.

“A team was sent out immediately, and we identified it as a 500-kilogram English bomb, an extremely dangerous object.”

This photo provided by the Paris Police Prefecture shows a huge unexploded World War II-era bomb that caused transportation chaos in Paris, March 7, 2025 Prefecture de Police/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

 

Authorities say the bomb could have caused major damage had it exploded after workers inadvertently dug it up. They also noted that the task was delicate and required serious expertise to handle with care and urgency.

“It’s always risky. It’s always dangerous to handle something that fell 4-thousand meters from a plane, that contains almost 300 kilos of explosives, and that didn’t work,” added Pezron.

“We don’t know why it didn’t work. So, yes, it’s dangerous, but it’s really the de-miners’ expertise that makes it possible to tackle and handle these objects.”

Travelers wait as Eurostar trains to London and all trains heading to northern France have been brought to a halt following the discovery of an unexploded bomb Christophe Ena/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

 

The bomb was dug up near train tracks north of Paris, forcing a shutdown of the rail network serving Gare du Nord. A portion of the A1 highway – a major road artery into northern Paris – was also closed while police disposal officers worked for approximately 12 hours.

“We’re delighted and relieved that all this has come to an end,” Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot was able to finally declare Friday afternoon — 12 hours after the bomb-disposal police were first called — as roads reopened and rail services were progressively being restored.

“All of the northern part of our country was paralysed,” noted Tabarot.

This photo provided by the Paris Police Prefecture shows police disposal officers near a huge unexploded World War II-era bomb that caused transportation chaos in Paris Prefecture de Police/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

 

Some 500 trains were cancelled in the process, impacting around 600,000 travellers in Gare du Nord alone. Trains carrying passengers from the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium were also suspended, impacting even more travellers.

“I’ve had a long day because I got up before 6 o’clock this morning and got the train from Penzance (Cornwall) to Paddington (London) to catch the Eurostar,” said Tony, a traveller from the UK.

“A lot of the systems that Eurostar are using have crashed. So these are, they did send an email saying the train, you know, about the WWII bomb, and they cancelled the trains. But the link, you couldn’t get through to it because it had all crashed, so really I’m just sitting here (thinking) what to do really.”

“We had to get off in Brussels and so now we are in line trying to figure out how to get to Paris, we’re not sure how we are doing it yet, but we would like to get there today, if possible,” said Gabrielle Cotton, an American tourist, traveling from Amsterdam.

A view of a departures board at St Pancras International station in London, Friday March 7, 2025 James Manning/AP

 

Passengers queue and wait near departures for Eurostar services at St Pancras International station in London, Friday March 7, 2025 Frank Augstein/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved

 

France is no stranger to unexploded WWI and WWII bombs. Authorities regularly locate and destroy them – but, they’re usually not found in busy and urban areas.

Police say the bomb identified was a 500kg English bomb from WWII, the largest calibre bomb the Allies used from their arsenal which was consisted of 125, 250 and 500 kg bomb.

The bomb located near the Parisian train station is capable of causing extensive damage. Experts say a single bomb has a damage radius exceeding 1,000 metres. Authorities are thankful the lengthy defusal operation was successful and a major tragedy was avoided.

France’s Interior Ministry says that 700,000 air-dropped bombs and nearly 50 million mines, shells and other explosive devices were defused by disposal teams since the end of the Second World War. It is not clear how many WWI and WWII bombs are still left.

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Troops hit Boko Haram hideouts in Borno, kill fighters

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Troops under the 7 Division, Sector 1 of Operation Hadin Kai have dealt another blow to Boko Haram, storming their strongholds in Tangalanga and Bula Marwa, both in Borno State.

According to details obtained by Zagazola Makama from military sources familiar with the mission, the operation was executed on Sunday, July 7, following “credible intelligence reports indicating the presence and activities of terrorist elements in the general area.”

The troops, acting swiftly on the information, first moved into Tangalanga where they came under attack but quickly responded, killing two insurgents during the engagement. The team didn’t stop there.

“After receiving intelligence on the massing up of terrorists within the location,” the sources said, “the team proceeded towards Bula Marwa.”

As soldiers approached the second target, Bula Marwa, the insurgents reportedly fled into the surrounding terrain in a bid to escape. However, their retreat was not entirely successful.

“One fleeing insurgent was neutralized during pursuit, while several special structures within the camp were destroyed,” a source confirmed.

Despite the tense situation and armed confrontation, the troops are said to have completed the mission without recording any casualties on their side — a significant morale boost for the ongoing counterinsurgency efforts in the region.

Recovered from the operation were key items, including aix AK-47 magazines, 90 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and a Boko Haram flag.

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BREAKING NEWS: Imo Govt Demolishes Notorious Criminal Hideout at Nekede No. 1 by Imo ADP

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By Ambrose Nwaogwugwu, July 07, 2025.

In a bold and decisive move, the Imo State Government has continued its onslaught against criminality by demolishing a notorious hideout located at Nekede Number One, near the Imo ADP. The structure, long suspected to be a base for armed robbery and heinous organ harvesting operations, was brought down earlier today under the supervision of government security operatives and task force agents.

According to sources within the Governor’s Monitoring and Compliance Unit, the location had been under surveillance following multiple intelligence reports linking it to violent crimes, including coordinated robberies, drug trafficking, and suspected ritual killings involving human organs.

“This location was not just a criminal den; it was a grave threat to public safety and human dignity,” said an official involved in the operation. “Our government will not allow any part of the state to become a breeding ground for evil.”

Residents in the area had reportedly lived in fear for months, as the structure harbored criminals and served as a meeting point for underworld elements. Eyewitnesses described scenes of relief as the bulldozers rolled in and leveled the compound.

“I can finally sleep with my two eyes closed,” said one local resident who asked not to be named. “We’ve known for long that something very dark was happening there. We thank the state government for taking this action.”

Preliminary investigations are ongoing, and several suspects were said to have been apprehended during the raid. Authorities have assured the public that a full-scale investigation will follow, and all those involved in the criminal enterprise will be brought to justice.

This demolition is part of the Imo State Government’s renewed campaign to cleanse the state of criminal syndicates and restore law and order across all localities. In recent weeks, similar crackdowns have been executed in other parts of the state, drawing commendation from security stakeholders and the general public.

The state government has reaffirmed its commitment to making Imo safe for residents, investors, and visitors alike.

More updates to follow.

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Court Jails Nine Chinese for Cyber-terrorism, Internet Fraud

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Justice D. E.Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday, July 7, 2025, convicted and sentenced nine Chinese to one year imprisonment each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud.

The convicts are Qin Xiao Yong, Luo Mao Yang, Liu Ni Ni, Liu Gang, Sun Qi (a.k.a Wan Jin Ping), Zhang Juan, Li de Wen, Fun Min, Tan Ming.

They are among the syndicate of 792 alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud suspects arrested on December 19, 2024, in Lagos during a sting operation tagged ‘Eagle Flush Operation’ conducted by EFCC operatives.

They were subsequently arraigned on a separate one -count charge of cyber- terrorism and internet fraud in February 2025 by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

 

The charge reads: “ That you, Qin Xiao Yong, Luo Mao Yang, Liu Ni Ni, Liu Gang, Sun Qi (a.k.a Wan Jin Ping), Zhang Juan, Li de Wen, Fun Min, Tan Ming, sometime in December, 2024 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: cause to be accessed computer system used for the purpose of destabilising and destroying the economy and social structure of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27 (1) (b) and punishable under Section 18(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act 2015.”

They initially pleaded “not guilty” to the charge preferred against them.

However, at Monday’s sitting, they changed their “not guilty plea” to “guilty.”

In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, R.A. Abdulrasheed, prayed the court to convict them accordingly.

Consequently, Justice Osiagor convicted and sentenced each of the defendants to one year imprisonment starting from the date of arrest on December 10, 2025, with a fine in the sum of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00).

The judge also directed the Comptroller General of Immigration to ensure that the convicts are repatriated to their country of origin within seven days.

The judge further ordered that the mobile phones, computers, laptop computers and routers seized from them at the time of arrest be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

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