Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 124, No. 94 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
April 19, 2015
SUNDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Australia arrests 5 for alleged terror plot SYDNEY (AP) — Five Australian teenagers were arrested Saturday on suspicion of plotting an Islamic State group-inspired terrorist attack at a Veterans’ Day ceremony that included targeting police officers, officials said. The suspects included two 18-year-olds who are alleged to have been preparing an attack at the ANZAC Day ceremony in Melbourne later this month, Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan told reporters. Another 18-year-old was arrested on weapons charges, and two other men, aged 18 and 19, were in custody and assisting police. All the arrests took place in Melbourne. ANZAC Day is the annual April 25 commemoration of the 1915 Gallipoli landings — the first major military action fought by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I.
AP Photos
Above left: In this April 25, 2014, file photo, a pipe band marches on George Street during the ANZAC Day parade, in Sydney, commemorating the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the First World War. Above right: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott answers questions at a media conference before attending the parliament’s question time in Canberra, in this Feb. 9 file photo. Police said they believe the plot was inspired by the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, and was to have involved “edged weapons.”
“At this stage, we have no information that it was a planned beheading. But there was reference to an attack on police,” Gaughan said. “Some evidence that
we have collected at a couple of the scenes, and some other information we have, leads us to believe that this particular matter was ISIS-inspired.”
Australia’s government has raised the country’s terror warning level in response to the domestic threat posed by supporters of the Islamic State group. In September last year, the group’s spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani issued a message urging attacks abroad, specifically mentioning Australia. Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Michael Phelan said at a separate news conference that the teens had links to Numan Haider, an 18-year-old who stabbed two Melbourne police officers and was sub-
sequently shot dead in September. Haider had caught authorities’ attention months earlier over what police considered troubling behavior, including waving what appeared to be an Islamic State group flag at a shopping mall. Phelan said the teens arrested Saturday were on officials’ radar for months, but the investigation was ramped up when it appeared they were planning a specific attack. “This is a new paradigm for police,” Phelan said. “These types of attacks that are planned are very rudimentary and simple. ... All you need these days is a knife, a flag and a camera and one can commit a terrorist act.” One of the teens, Sevdet Besim, appeared briefly in court Saturday on a charge of preparing for, or planning, a terrorist act. He did not apply for bail and
See PLOT, Page A3
Nobel nominee encourages peace
Who let the dogs out?
By Lena Guidi New Mexico Daily Lobo
ALBUQUERQUE — Nobel Peace Prize nominee Father John Dear encouraged nonviolent strategies for grassroots peace and justice movements during a speech at the University of New Mexico’s Student Union Building on April 7. The lecture was followed by a panel discussion with community leaders regarding ways to mobilize people to work for interrelated social, political and envi-
ronmental causes. Dear, a priest who has worked with activists around the world on various war and poverty-related efforts, discussed the framework for nonviolence outlined in his 35th and newest book “The Nonviolent Life.” He said that the current state of world affairs makes this framework more necessary than ever. “We now live in a world of See PEACE, Page A3
CCSO: Midway man dies from gunshot Staff Report
Bill Moffitt Photo
Steve Benavidez takes a break from his daily walk to soak in the sun at Cahoon Park Friday. Although legally blind, Benavidez works as a dishwasher at Pepper’s Grill & Bar, 500 N. Main St. His traveling companions provide company and, no doubt, some degree of protection on his outings. Mom and dad, of this group of Pug dogs, are on the right with the three babies on the left.
On the green for green
An apparent accidental shooting death occurred shortly after midnight Saturday in the Midway area of Chaves County. Sheriff Britt Snyder said Guimel Vasquez, 21, was shot once in the abdomen while at a gathering where
individuals were showing a gun to each other. The gun went off, hitting Vasquez, Snyder. The shooting occurred in the 10 block of East Darby Road. Vasquez was flown to Lubbock, Texas, for treatment and has since died, Snyder said.
Extra class leads Sergio Jimenez to his calling By Dylanne Petros Record Staff Writer
Shawn Naranjo Photo
A golfer lines up his putt on the green Saturday on the New Mexico Military Institute golf course. All proceeds from the four-person scramble will be used to support Altrusa community service projects, such as the Assurance Home, Tobosa, Boys and Girls Club, Roswell Refuge, Roswell Literacy Council and scholarships at ENMU-Roswell. For more photos and results, see Tuesday’s sports section.
One local man who learned English as a second language is now the owner of a business and in school to become a school superintendent. Sergio Jimenez, 26, of Roswell, was born the oldest of five children with Spanish as his first language. “Reading and writing and talking was always hard for me,” he said. It wasn’t until Jimenez was at Roswell High School that his counselor, Ms. Castillo (now Simmons) told Jimenez under her wing and motivated him to learn English. “I had some teachers who would tell me I was a waste of space, that I was not going to get anywhere,” he said. Some of the teachers also told Jimenez that he
would never make it to college and he shouldn’t bother trying, Jimenez said. To try and push Jimenez to his fullest potential, Simmons enrolled him in a drafting and engineering program at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell. Even though Simmons was doing what she thought was the best for Jimenez, he didn’t try his hardest and would often skip classes. “I took this class to get away from school,” he said. After getting in trouble for not attending, Jimenez went to the classes and found that he liked what
Today’s Forecast
Today’s Obituaries Page B6
HIGH 74 LOW 44
• Maria Carmen Knudsen • Robert L. Sommerville
Jimenez he was learning. Once realizing that he enjoyed the college classes, Jimenez said Simmons helped him apply for scholarships so he could take college classes while attending Roswell High.
In May 2006 Jimenez graduated with his high school diploma and seven months later he graduated with his associate’s See SPOTLIGHT, Page A2
Index Classifieds...........D1 Comics..................C4 Entertainment. ....A8 General...............A2
Horoscopes.........A3
Sports. ................B1
Lotteries. ............A2
Weather...............A8
Opinion.................A4
World..................A7