Pentagon announces senior Islamic State deaths

Three of the Islamic State's senior military leaders have been killed in the past two months, according to the Pentagon.

Coalition attacks have removed senior IS military officials from the battlefield in Iraq and Syria. Earlier this month the government declared that the head of IS in Afghanistan, Abdul Hasib, was killed.

Now, the coalition has stated that "the elimination of three senior foreign fighters represents a significant degradation of the IS planning and operational capability" over the past two months.

The first to be killed was Mustafa Gunes, who was originally from Turkey.

Based in Syria, Gunes was described by the coalition as an external operations facilitator for IS. He was killed by a coalition airstrike near Mayadin in Syria on 27 April.

Gunes was identified as an IS recruiter in the central Turkish city of Konya. He was linked to facilitating financial support for planning attacks outside Syria and Iraq against the West.

On 11 May another external operations planner, Abu Asim al Jazaeri, also a Syria-based IS fighter, was killed by a coalition airstrike also striking near Mayadin, Syria.

According to the coalition, al Jazaeri was involved in training of "a new generation" of youths growing up under IS.

Described by the organisation as the Cubs of the Caliphate, the coalition believes the training programme to be a high priority for the IS leadership.

The most recent senior militant to be killed was Abu-Khattab al Rawi, an IS military official who was killed along with three other terrorists during an operation near al Qaim in Iraq on 18 May.

Al Rawi was an IS military official who operated in Iraq's al Anbar Province and provided direct support to IS leadership, and was responsible for coordinating UAV operations and procurement in al Anbar Province in Iraq.

The coalition stated: "The deaths of these men eliminates senior foreign fighters, who had extensive experience and training".

FBI investigates Donald Trump's son-in-law over Russia links

Donald Trump's son-in- law is under investigation over the "extent and nature" of his dealings with Russian officials, US media is reporting.

Jared Kushner is being scrutinised by the FBI as part of the investigation into possible ties between the President's election campaign and Russia.

The Washington Post says the investigation centres around meetings Mr Kushner had with the Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak and Moscow banker Sergei Gorkov.

Image:Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump joined Mr Trump on his first presidential foreign tour

Mr Gorkov is the chairman of VneshEconomBank - a state bank which has been under US sanctions since 2014.

In a statement provided to Sky News, Mr Kushner's attorney Jamie Gorelick said: "Mr Kushner previously volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings. He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry."

Damon Smith jailed for leaving bomb on Jubilee Line Tube train

An autistic man who planted a home-made bomb on a busy Tube train has been jailed for 15 years.

Damon Smith, 20, packed the device with gunpowder and metal ball bearings and left it on a Jubilee Line train on 20 October 2016.

Had the timer not failed, the bomb would have exploded just as people were being ordered off the platform at North Greenwich station.

Smith claimed the bomb was a Halloween prank during his trial at the Old Bailey, but earlier this month Judge Richard Marks QC found him guilty of possession of an explosive substance with intent.

Smith was sentenced to 15 years in a young offenders' institution, with an extended period of five years on license.

Judge Marks told the defendant: "Quite what your motives were and what your true thinking was in acting as you did is difficult to discern with any degree of clarity or certainty.

"Whatever the position, the seriousness of what you did cannot be overstated, not least against the background of the fear in which we all live from the use of bombs here and around the world, an all too timely reminder of which were the events in Manchester earlier this week."

Smith's defence had argued that the root cause of his actions were in his autistic disability. He said he had been inspired after watching a bomb prank on YouTube channel Trollstation.

Smith's barrister, Richard Carey-Hughes QC, mitigated by stating that Smith was "sorry" for the fear and disturbance he caused and has "learned his lesson".

"We asked him this morning 'Would you make another bomb?' and he said 'No, never, I don't want to be in jail'," said Mr Carey-Hughes.

CCTV video of Smith showed him travelling on the Jubilee Line, before exiting the Tube without the rucksack containing the bomb.

There were at least 10 passengers in the carriage at the time, some of whom spotted the abandoned rucksack and alerted the driver.

The court was told that the driver believed the bag was only lost property and took it into his cab to continue the journey to North Greenwich.

However, during the journey the driver noticed wires coming out of the rucksack. He raised the alarm as the train pulled into the platform.

After departing the Jubilee Line, Smith went on to college. He checked the internet for news of his "prank" when he returned home.

Smith told the arresting counter-terrorism officers that he had made the bomb, but that it was only meant to spew harmless smoke as a Halloween joke.

When police searched Smith's home in Rotherhithe, south London, they found materials revealing his fixation with guns, explosives and other weapons.

Officers seized a blank-firing self-loading pistol and a BB gun, both bought legally, as well as a knuckleduster and a knife which he had boasted about in a video posted online.

Police also found scraps of paper with bomb-making instructions written on them, as well as a "shopping list" of components.

Smith informed the officers he was interested in Islam, but was not an extremist, though he though he had posed next to an image of the man alleged to have masterminded the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris.

Expert testimony was read out in court confirming that Smith had an autism spectrum disorder.

In court, Richard Carey-Hughes QC said: "This is a difficult climate to ask for mercy for someone convicted
of this type of offence.

"Nevertheless, we do so and we invite my Lord to extend mercy. This case is different. It seems unique and so is this young man."

Smith is eligible for parole in 2024.

NHS trauma centres on alert for possible new attack

All 27 major trauma centres in England have been told to prepare staff for a potential terrorist attack ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend.

The advice from NHS England includes asking surgeons to review treatment of blast and ballistic injuries, and ensure that all staff are familiar with major incident plans.

The message is a response to the raising of the national security threat from severe to critical, rather than any specific intelligence, but reflects the sense of heightened risk across law enforcement and emergency services.

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NHS England has asked the centres, which range from Newcastle to Plymouth, to make sure staff review their role in emergency planning.

Staff have been advised to carry ID at all times and ensure they are aware of entry points to hospitals in lock-down.

The message comes after what is considered the success of the emergency response to the Manchester attack on Monday.

As part of the major incident plan, practised as recently as last month, eight hospitals treated the injured and five ambulance services were involved.

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An NHS England spokesman said: "Since the [Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre] has announced the threat level has changed from severe to critical, this triggers long-standing, tried and tested NHS protocols reflected in this letter, which reminds NHS organisations of the precautionary measures they need to take ensure care is in place should it be needed."

Earlier, NHS England confirmed that after Monday's attack, 116 people received inpatient hospital care, with 75 people admitted across eight hospitals, including 23 patients in critical care units.

There are 14 children still receiving treatment at Manchester Children's Hospital, five of them in critical care.

Mystery as Australian police investigate abandoned SOS made from rocks

Police are trying to solve the mystery of who made an SOS out of rocks in a remote part of Western Australia.

The message was recently spotted by a pilot flying over the Kimberley area of Swift Bay.

Police searched the area - which could only be reached by air because of the rugged surrounding terrain - but failed to find any sign of recent human activity.

They did, however, find the remains of a campsite at the scene.

Investigators are now appealing for public help to establish if anyone may have gone missing in the area, which is around 300 miles (500km) north of the city of Broome.

One of the few signs of civilisation in the area is a camping resort only accessible by light aircraft and helicopter or float plane.

It boasts on its website: "From the moment you step onto the white beach 'doorstep' at Kimberley Coastal Camp, you feel like you are one of very few people for hundreds of kilometres. You are."

Senior Sgt Peter Reeves told the Australia's ABC network that the message could have been there for years.

He said: "There are indications that there may have been someone camped there at one point in time, but it is just not clear how long ago that was."

The Mummy and Wonder Woman premieres cancelled after Manchester attack

Two major movie premieres in London have been cancelled "out of respect" for the victims of the Manchester attack.

Tom Cruise's monster movie The Mummy and Gal Gadot's highly anticipated Wonder Woman will not go ahead with their scheduled UK premiere.

Universal Studios said: "All of us at Universal have been devastated by the terror attack in Manchester and continue to stand with the community and country as it recovers.

"Out of respect to those affected by this tragedy we have decided not to move forward with the London premiere for The Mummy scheduled to take place next week."

The Mummy's premiere was due to take place on 1 June, one day after Warner Bros had planned to open Wonder Woman.

"Our thoughts are with those affected by the recent tragedy in the UK," Warner Bros said in a statement.

"In light of the current situation, we will not be proceeding with our plans for the Wonder Woman premiere and junket activities in London."

It comes as several concerts and events were cancelled or postponed across the country.

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Take That postponed their Liverpool show this week, but organisers of the Parklife Festival in Manchester, scheduled for mid-June and headlined by Frank Ocean and The 1975, confirmed it would "go ahead as planned".

"Our thoughts are with those affected as well as the emergency services working tirelessly to keep us safe in all that we do," they said.

The suicide bombing, which left 22 dead and many injured, took place moments after Ariana Grande's concert at the Manchester Arena on Monday.

Grande has since cancelled her European tour up until 5 June.

Armed police to patrol trains for first time amid terror threat

Armed police are patrolling trains for the first time ever after the UK's terror threat level was increased.

From Thursday afternoon, firearms officers with the British Transport Police (BTP) boarded trains with the intent of keeping passengers safe in the wake of the Manchester bombing.

The move is the latest response by Britain's emergency services since the UK's terror threat level was raised from "severe" to its highest level of "critical", meaning an attack is expected imminently.

Police have confirmed they are chasing a terror network following Monday's suicide bombing at a pop concert, which left 22 dead.

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The investigation is focussing on the maker of the nail bomb used in the horror attack, amid fears they could still be at large and plotting a further attack.

British-born attacker Salman Abedi detonated a bomb as a crowd left an Ariana Grande show at Manchester Arena, which is linked to the city's Victoria Station, on Monday night.

The station remained closed on Thursday as forensic officers continued their investigation.

Although armed police have regularly been patrolling the London Underground since December, this is the first time firearms officers will patrol train services across the country.

The patrols will board trains to "disrupt and deter criminal activity" but BTP added there was no specific intelligence of a threat to train services.

The use of armed officers will be focussed on - although not limited to - those routes to big cities.

A Virgin Trains service from London Euston to Birmingham New Street after 2pm on Thursday was among the first to be patrolled by firearms police.

BTP chief constable Paul Crowther said: "Our force has radically increased the presence of our officers nationwide.

"By having firearms officers on board trains we're ensuring that trains remain as safe as possible for passengers.

"Our patrols will be highly visible and passengers should feel comforted by their presence. Please do speak to them if you have any concerns at all."

BTP have been boosted by extra armed police since the Government enacted Operation Temperer on Tuesday, with these additional officers to guard stations in London.

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Under Operation Temperer, up to 5,000 soldiers can be deployed on the streets to support police in the wake of a major terror atrocity.

Train passengers have been urged to remain calm but vigilant and to report anything suspicious to police.

Mr Crowther said: "Nothing should be considered too trivial to report."

Armed police were introduced on the London Underground following a bomb alert at North Greenwich station last year.