CAIRO (DPA) – Egypt on Monday called for international support as its air force hit Libyan militants loyal to Islamic State in response to the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians.

As warplanes struck the militant stronghold of Derna in eastern Libya, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri headed to New York where he was expected to ask UN Security Council members for backing against the extremists.

Egypt was to demand that the extremist group be met just as forcefully in Libya as in Syria and Iraq, where a US-led coalition is engaged in an air campaign against it, Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Aty said.

President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi meanwhile visited St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo's Abbasiya district and offered his condolences to Coptic Pope Tawadros II over the killing of the 21 migrant workers.

The air strikes on Derna targeted the extremists' bases and weapons storage facilities, according to an army statement broadcast on state television.

"The strike has achieved its aims precisely," the army said, without giving details.

Libyan air force commander General Saqr al-Jurushi told Egyptian television that at least 50 militants had been killed in the strikes.

Al Jazeera television reported that three children had been killed when a house on the outskirts of the city was hit.

The reported casualties could not immediately be verified. The independent Libya Herald newspaper reported that all but one of the strikes appeared to have hit military sites outside the city.

The Libyan air force also hit Islamic State targets in the central city of Sirte and in Benghazi in the east of the country, al-Jurushi – who is loyal to the internationally recognized government based in the eastern city of Tobruk – told Libyan news site al-Wasat.

The Egyptian action was condemned by the rival, Islamist-leaning authorities in the capital Tripoli as "an attack on Libyan sovereignty."

The Tripoli-based parliament, the General National Congress, also condemned the killing of the Egyptian citizens, but said it "has not yet been confirmed that what happened took place on Libyan territory."

The Congress, in a statement carried by Tripoli's official Lana news agency, said it was forming a joint force to secure Sirte, where the Egyptian victims were reportedly abducted over a month ago.

The air strike came hours after the group released a video apparently showing the 21 abducted Coptic Christians being beheaded on the shore of the Mediterranean, in what it said was a message to "the nation of the cross."

Egypt has declared seven days official mourning for the victims, all reportedly from two poor southern towns. Top government and military officials made their way to the cathedral throughout the day to express their condolences to the Pope.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said hundreds of thousands of its citizens were still in Libya. Abdel-Aty said a crisis group in the ministry was seeking to facilitate the departure of any Egyptians wishing to leave. Egypt recently banned its citizens from entering Libya due to repeated attacks and kidnappings.

French President Francois Hollande condemned the killings and expressed his condolences in a phone call with al-Sissi.

Libya has seen in recent months its worst violence since the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Gaddafi in an uprising.

The capital Tripoli is held by a loose alliance of regional and Islamist militias that have installed a rival parliament and government.

The United Nations is overseeing a slow-moving political dialogue to broker a way out of the conflict.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, condemning the killings of the Egyptians, stressed the bloc's continued support for that process.

"Our priority at this stage is to actively support the UN-facilitated Libyan dialogue process. … This process should lead to a negotiated settlement that would put an end to this ongoing violence and the ongoing crisis," Mogherini said.

Egypt has previously been reported to have assisted air raids by the United Arab Emirates in support of pro-Tobruk forces.

It has denied taking action inside Libya but has promised to train the Libyan army and has given Tobruk strong political backing.

Islamic State, which controls considerable territory in Syria and Iraq, has gained the allegiance of Islamist militants in parts of Libya.

Many Libyans are thought to have fought in the civil war in Syria, during the course of which Islamic State has gained control of an estimated 30 per cent of the Levantine country's territory and come to rival al-Qaeda as a linchpin of global jihadism.

COPENHAGEN (DPA) – Danish police have arrested two men on suspicion of aiding the gunman who carried out shooting attacks in Copenhagen at the weekend, investigators said on Monday.

The two suspects were arrested on Sunday at two different locations. A closed door remand custody hearing is being held.

They have been charged with "aiding and abetting the gunman" suspected of killing two people in two separate attacks in the Danish capital, the Ritzau news agency reported.

Copenhagen police declined to comment on media reports that the two had helped the gunman acquire guns used in the attacks. They also did not confirm media reports naming the gunman as Omar Abdel Hamid el-Hussein.

Tabloid Ekstra Bladet reported that the two suspects had denied the charges.

An automatic rifle and two handguns were found after the 22-year-old gunman was shot and killed by anti-terrorism police on a street outside his apartment building.

The gunman is suspected of killing a Jewish man at a synagogue in Copenhagen. He had played drunk on a narrow street that runs in front of the synagogue early Sunday before shooting Dan Uzan in the head and wounding two police officers, local media reported.

Uzan, 37, was in charge of checking visitors at a Jewish confirmation party.

Police said the 22-year-old gunman also opened fire on Saturday at an event promoting free speech. Film director Finn Norgaard, 55, died and three police officers were wounded in the attack.

Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and the mayor of Paris were to attend a memorial Monday at the Krudttonden cafe, the venue of the free speech event that was titled Art, Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression.

Local media reported that the gunman was recently released from prison after he served a term for a stabbing offence.

Police said he was born in Denmark and had a lengthy criminal record, including weapons possession and assault.

Jens Madsen, head of Danish security service PET, said he believed the shooter was inspired by the attacks in Paris last month. Three Islamist gunmen killed 17 people, including 12 at satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, known for its caricatures of the prophet Mohammed.

The headmaster of an adult education centre attended by the gunman described him as "a good, hardworking student."

Peter Zinkernagel told Danish television the whole school was shocked that the former student was identified as the gunman.
 

SINGAPORE (DPA) – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong underwent surgery to remove his prostate gland and was expected to make a full recovery, his office said Monday.

"The surgery went very smoothly, and he is expected to recover fully," said Christopher Cheng, lead urologist at the Singapore General Hospital, who performed the surgery.

It was the second time Lee has been diagnosed with cancer. He suffered from a malignant lymphoma in 1992, which was successfully treated with chemotherapy.

Cheng said there was no relationship between the lymphoma and his prostate cancer diagnosis.

YANGON (DPA) – Myanmar troops killed at least 26 rebels near the Chinese border in accelerated fighting following recent heavy government casualties, state media reported Monday.

Government troops found 18 bodies, and captured eight wounded rebels who died in hospital Sunday night, according to state-run The Mirror newspaper.

Nearly 50 soldiers were killed and dozens injured in combat last week in the northern Shan state.

The army launched an operation Monday after rebels from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) of Kokang province seized eight weapons from a local militia, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported.

Other ethnic rebel groups including the Kachin Independence Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, the Arakan Army and Shan State Army-North in the Shan state joined them to fight government troops, Kokang rebel spokesman Htun Myat Linn said.

The army was using helicopter gunships and fighter jets to attack rebel positions in Laukkai township in Shan state since Tuesday, media reports said.

"We are now leaving the town as it seems government troops would heavily attack the rebels who are holding some areas of the town after all people were moved to Lashio," local businessman Min Min said.

"Some rebels are in the town and using snipers in fighting in some area of the town," he said.

Thousands of people in the region have crossed the border into China to escape the fighting.

"About 2,000 residents are now sheltering in Yunnan province of China," Htut Myat Linn said.

The rebels are trying to retake the Kokang self-administered zone, which they controlled between 1989 and 2009.

The army seized back the area when the rebels refused to reform into a border guard force under the control of the military in 2009.

"The MNDAA just demands to be a group signing the nationwide ceasefire accord, but Myanmar government didn't accept our demand," Htut Myat Linn said. "What else can we do other than fight them to retake our region?"

The government has signed ceasefire agreements with a dozen ethnic rebel groups over the past three years as the new government attempts to unify the nation after decades of conflict.

COPENHAGEN (DPA) – The gunman who killed two people in attacks at an event promoting free speech and on a Copenhagen synagogue was likely "inspired" by last month's massacre at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Danish police said Sunday.

The identity of the 22-year-old gunman has been established but police said they would not yet name him due to the ongoing investigation.

Officers shot him dead outside his apartment early Sunday in a hail of gunfire.

Jens Madsen, head of Danish security service PET, said he believed the shooter was "inspired by the attacks in Paris," referring to the Islamist killing spree that left 17 people dead, including 12 at the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, known for its caricatures of the prophet Mohammed.

The suspect "has been in our sights," Madsen said, but added that his agency "has no specific or concrete knowledge" that he had travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight or train alongside militant groups.

The suspect, who was born in Denmark, had a lengthy criminal record, including weapons possession charges and assault. He also had links to criminal gangs, police said.

Police were conducted forensic tests on two hand guns found at his apartment to see if it matched the shootings. Clothes that matched the description of the shooter were also discovered.

Surveillance footage was being used to retrace the suspect's movements, police said, adding that it was still unclear if he was aided by others.

A vigil for the victims is planned for Monday evening in Copenhagen. It will be attended by Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, Copenhagen mayor Frank Jensen said.

The first shooting took place in a cafe hosting a freedom of speech event attended by Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who has received death threats for satirizing the prophet Mohammed in cartoons.

Vilks, the presumed target, was unharmed. In remarks to Swedish daily Aftonbladet, he said he feared "there will be more attacks."

Filmmaker Finn Norgaard, 55, was killed in the afternoon assault on the Krudttonden cafe. The Danish director known for his documentary work had posted on Facebook after the Charlie Hebdo attacks that "brave people" had been killed by "cowardly Muslim fascists."

The second attack, some 10 hours later, took place near the city's main synagogue. Dan Uzan, a young Jewish man in charge of checking visitors into a building near the synagogue, was shot in the head and died.

The assailant failed to enter the building, where about 80 people had gathered for a Jewish confirmation party.

The suspect was traced to the apartment building after police were tipped off by a taxi driver who had given him a ride after the first shooting.

Four of the five police officers who had been injured in the shootings have been released from hospital, police said.

Police arrested at least one person in a raid Sunday afternoon at an internet cafe near the scene where the suspected gunman was killed by police, news agency Ritzau reported.

Police have declined to comment any possible connection to the Copenhagen attacks.

Speaking at a news conference, Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said that investigations were ongoing and that she was liaising with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Sweden.

"There are forces that want to harm Denmark, that want to crush our freedom of expression, our belief in liberty. We are not facing a fight between Islam and the West, it is not a fight between Muslims and non-Muslims," she said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that the world must "stand strong for freedom of expression and tolerance" and "there is no space for anti-Semitism or any form of racial, ethnic or religious discrimination."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is campaigning for a March 17 general election, said that his country was "preparing and calling for mass immigration [of Jews] from Europe."

"Again Jews have been murdered on European soil only because of them being Jews and this wave of attacks is likely to continue," he told his cabinet in reference to last month's killings in Paris.

Danish Muslim organizations condemned the attacks, as did the leader of the controversial Grimhoj mosque in western Denmark, who warned against demonizing Muslims.

"We strongly reject this act of terror," Oussama Mohamad El-Saadi told the online edition the daily Jyllands-Posten.

The Grimhoj mosque has generated controversy as members of the congregation have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for jihadist groups.

HANOVER, GERMANY (DPA) – Police in the northern German city of Braunschweig cancelled the annual carnival procession shortly before it was due to begin on Sunday over fears of a terrorist attack.

A police spokesman said they had received the information during the night and investigated it Sunday morning.

"Reliable state security sources" informed the police that "a concrete danger existed from an attack with an Islamist background," the spokesman said.

"We are talking about an SMS or a threatening phonecall," he said.

Only a few weeks ago, a demonstration by the anti-Islam Pegida movement in the eastern city of Dresden had to be cancelled after a similar threat was made.

However, security authorities said that they did not see any raised threat following the attack in the Danish capital Copenhagen on Saturday.

The carnival, known as the "Schoduvel," is the largest in northern Germany and was expected to draw a crowd of 250,000 to Braunschweig, also known in English as Brunswick, with 4,500 participants in the procession and some 100 floats this year.

Carnival processions set for Monday in Cologne, Dusseldorf and Mainz will go ahead as scheduled, authorities said.

"We have no evidence of threats," a spokesman for the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Ministry said.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to take to the streets of the three cities for the annual parades.

"We believe that everything is going as planned," a spokeswoman for the committee organizing the Cologne carnival said.

In Mainz they also said there was no indication of a threat, but they remained "very alert."

The German Interior Ministry had reacted to Saturday's terrorist attack in Copenhagen by saying there was no elevated risk of an attack in Germany.

As always, there was an abstract level of danger, a ministry spokeswoman in Berlin told dpa. "But we do not have any concrete indications of attack plans in Germany," she stressed. "The situation is unchanged."

She added that German security authorities were in contact with their Danish counterparts, but as investigations in Copenhagen were ongoing, it was too early to draw any conclusions as regards Germany.

Two people were killed and five injured in the Copenhagen attack before police shot dead the suspected attacker on Sunday morning.

Security sources said they are dealing with numerous tips about terrorist threats since the attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January and Copenhagen this weekend.

Authorities have to look into every lead and investigate whether it is just posturing or if there is a real threat behind it.

It is very complicated, the sources said, and sometimes leads to preventative measures being taken as in Braunschweig.

There was obvious disappointment for the revellers who had travelled to Braunschweig for the parade, many of them in fancy dress. Where they expected to see floats, the streets were empty.

Police were searching the area with sniffer dogs.

Braunschweig Mayor Ulrich Markurth said it was "a sad day for our democratic society."

However, "the assessment of the police did not permit any other decision," Markurth said.