British police arrest suspect in failed bomb attack News
British police arrest suspect in failed bomb attack

[JURIST] Scotland Yard [official website] announced Tuesday that anti-terrorist officers have arrested a suspect in connection with the failed July 21 London bomb attacks [JURIST report], which occurred just two weeks after the fatal July 7 London bombings [JURIST news archive]. Four other bombing suspects are in custody and ten other people have been charged with withholding information on other suspected July 21 bombers. One of the suspects, Ethiopian-born Hamdi Issac [Wikipedia profile], also known as Hussain Osman, appeared in court Friday after being apprehended and extradited from Italy where he fled after the attack. Charges against Issac [JURIST report] include conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and the possession of explosives. Issac was arrested under a European Union arrest warrant [EU backgrounder], a new device designed to speed the return of suspects to countries where they are wanted. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.