Report faults U.S. on human rights

WASHINGTON -- International support for the war on terrorism is weakening because of human rights abuses by the United States, Human Rights Watch charged in a report Tuesday.

The group's annual survey of human rights issues worldwide cited the Bush administration's detention of so-called enemy combatants without formal charge or access to lawyers, closed-door deportation hearings of terrorism suspects and the refusal to abide by the Geneva Convention in the treatment of prisoners held in Cuba, among other examples.

"The United States is far from the worst human rights abuser," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, a private advocacy group. "But Washington has so much power today that when it flouts human rights standards, it damages human rights causes worldwide."

Scott McClellan, a White House spokesman, said: "The United States is the world's leader when it comes to promoting human rights. And while we are fighting terrorism, we are also recommitting ourselves to the fight for freedom, dignity and human rights."'

The report is replete with examples of other countries that Human Rights Watch said had shirked their commitment to human rights, and the group asserted that, in many cases, these countries had used America's recent behavior as an excuse.

British officer stabbed to death in antiterror raid

LONDON -- At least one suspect fatally stabbed a British police officer and wounded four others Tuesday during a raid in northern England linked to the discovery of the poison ricin.

Three men were arrested in the Manchester raid, which police described as part of an ongoing operation with Scotland Yard's antiterrorist police. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Green said there was no sign of the deadly poison at the home.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a statement he was "shocked and very saddened" by the death of the officer.

Indonesian police arrest more Bali bomb suspects

JARKATA, Indonesia -- Indonesian police said Tuesday they had arrested two more suspects in the Bali terrorist attack, including a man they think drove the van packed with the explosives for the blast that killed 192 people.

The head of the investigation, Gen. I Made Pastika, said that Ali Imron and a man called Mubarak were seized Monday on an island off the coast of East Kalimantan province as they were about to flee the country.

Ali Imron, who has confessed to driving the van Oct. 12, is a brother of two other suspects.

The national chief of detectives, Lt. Gen. Erwin Mapaseng, described Ali Imron as the "field coordinator of the Bali bombings." He said that Mubarak was thought to have played a role in financing the attacks.

Germany drops terror charge against Algerians

BERLIN -- A German court on Tuesday dropped charges of membership in a terrorist organization against four Algerians on trial for allegedly plotting to blow up a French Christmas market, highlighting the problems investigators face in tackling networks of Islamic radicals.

The men on trial in Frankfurt could still face prison sentences of up to 15 years if convicted of plotting to plant explosives with the intent to kill, falsifying documents and violating weapons laws.

Prosecutor Volker Brinkmann said he wanted to speed the trial by dropping charges of membership in a terror organization, which would have required calling more witnesses.

But experts called the decision a missed opportunity to explore how al-Qaida works in Europe.

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