tape is. thanks for watching. keep it here. the news continues next live from london. ♪ suspect is wounded and arrested in brussels in the latest of a series of raids in several countries. ♪ hello there, i'm felicity barr. you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up, a senior isil commander reported dead in a u.s. air strike as the group loses ground to the syrian army in palmyra. two prominent journalists go on trial in turkey. and ethiopia's ethnic people

continue their fight against the go they accuse of trying to steal their land. ♪ hello, police in belgium appear to be stepping up efforts to prevent further attacks across europe following tuesday east suicide bombings in brussels. several loud bangs were heard during a police operation. footage filmed on a mobile phone appears to show a man with a backpack wounded in a raid. police say he failed to obey police orders. several other arrests have also been made. .com -- dominic kane reports. >> reporter: people living in the area were kept back from the scene. >> translator: i was coming back from school and i found the entire area locked so i couldn't

get home. i asked and they said the police had to do some work here, but i don't know what is going on exactly. >> reporter: that feeling of uncertainty has permeated the public consciousness. many people are angry that their neighborhoods may have been used by people linked to the bombings. this area of brussels has seen many police searches and raids since the attacks on tuesday. we now know in this apartment building the bombers assembled their devices and set out from this street to the airport. the brother of one of the bombers has now spoken to the media. he spoke tersely to reporters to confirm he had had no contact with his brother since 2013. >> translator: why did you stop contact with him? >> translator: because he was in syria? >> translator: did you try to get hold of him in >> translator: he was in syria. it is difficult to get a phone

number. there were no more contacts. >> reporter: although other arrests have been made in brussels on friday, the threat level has been reduced. now the soldiers are wearing barrets rather than helmets, but their weapons are still on show. the official search for answers goes on. dominic kane, al jazeera, brussels. well let's speak to our correspondent paul brennan in brussels right now for us. and bring us up to date with the latest on the police operation, paul. >> reporter: yeah, very, very intense 24-hour period for the police and intelligence services here. we have seen six arrests on thursday night. three people remain in custody as a result of those. three other people were

subsequently released. and there have been more police operations on friday here. the one that dominic referred to, where a man was wounded in the leg at a tram stop during a robust police operation there, there was another similar operation in forest district where another man was wounded in the leg. this is information which has emerged in the last hour and a half from the prosecutor's office, and another arrest, a third man was taken into custody. so three people being taken into custody during the course of the day. the other thing that is coming out, is the realization that this is not two separate conspiresies, terrorism conspirerisies. because he said in a news communique that the bomber that you can see to the left of the three people pictured on cctv at

brussel's airport is a man whose dnshga was found in properties and on explosive vests which were connected to attacks in paris. so you can see this is no longer a case of two separate gangs operating almost independently of each other. it is clear there is some overlap. >> belgium people getting used to all of this police activity. but how would you assess the mood in the capitol right now? >> reporter: it is shifting. i was here tuesday morning after the bombs went off, and there was a sense of shock and immediate grief. it has now changed to a kind of stoic resistance, a determination not to be cowarded

by the idea that fear should win the day. here just outside of the stock exchange in central brussels, since tuesday there have been candles lit, flags hung, and chalk messages on the pavement, and people have been gathered here to sew solidarity with the victims and to support each other. very similar to the situation which followed the paris attacks people carrying banners, saying free hugs, offering mutual support, we have had impromptu concert from the philharmonic, basically to keep the mood up. >> paul thank you. france has announced another major attack after police raided an apartment and found explosives and weapons. it comes amid ongoing safety concerns. >> reporter: the day after the dramatic raid in the paris

suberb, and france is wondering how close it came to suffering another major attack. security forces moving in to secure an apartment here. they found both explosives and weapons. they were still there when france's interior minister addressed "the nation." >> translator: this operation follows an important arrest made this morning which has enabled us to defeat a terrorist attack in france that was at an advanced stage. >> reporter: and this was the suspect. as was the suspected organizer of the paris attacks, inevitably many people in europe are wondering how such suspects can escape capture and carry on planning attacks. president hollande called for bett better information sharing between e.u. states.

>> if we have this shared intelligence strategy, knowing where they might be, knowing how they can use their, quote, skills learned in syria, learned in yemen, better we have the capability of preventing attacks. >> reporter: in belgium this week's events lead to the justice and interior ministers offering to design, although the prime minister turned down the gesture. here in france politicians from the ruling party accept there have been security failures. >> translator: we did not do enough, and we did not act quickly enough. there were a number of measures that have been planned for sometime, and that need the european parliament's approval, especially the ability to keep track of people's movements. >> reporter: hours before thursday's raid there was an outpouring of anger in paris. this demonstration requiring a

heavy police presence. the issue bringing people on to the streets might be changes to the country's labor laws, but many people in france are very worried about security, and more and more are asking what politicians can do to make them safer. and that's a question echoing around europe right now. nadim baba, al jazeera, paris. ♪ the u.s. says a senior islamic state of iraq and the levant leader has been killed. he died during a u.s. raid on thursday. he was also in charge of the group's finances. >> we are systemically eliminating isil's cabinet. indeed the u.s. military killed several key isil terrorists this week, including we believe hodgegy iman who was an isil senior leader serving as a

finance minister, and who also is responsible for some external affairs and plots. he was a well-known terrorist within isil's ranks, dating back to its earliest it ration as al-qaeda in iraq. when he worked undar czar roy question in his operations. the removal of this leader will hamper the organization's ability to conduct operations inside and outside of iraq and syria. this is the second senior isil leader we have successfully targeted this month. after confirming the death of isil's so-called minister of war a short time ago. >> live to alan fisher in washington, d.c. what more can you tell us about this isil-leading figure who has died? >> reporter: well, we know he was part of al-qaeda in iraq and was jailed by the iraqis, but freed back in 2012 and at that

point he decided to switch his allegiance to isil. the iraqis claimed they killed him in an air strike in may last year, but the americans at the time said they had no information to guarantee that. so we hear from ash carter saying we believe we killed him. the americans must be fairly certain with their information. for them this building up the whole idea of momentum, that they have decided they are going to target leading figures of isil and kill them where they can, and this seems to be exactly what happened. there were no details given of the operation. they didn't say whether it was done by special forces, whether it was in iraq or syria, they simply said he had been eliminated. but what they are seeing is that this is a significant victory. >> interestingly within that press conference, the subject of extra u.s. troops being sent to iraq was raised?

>> reporter: clearly there is this idea that the iraqis are on the verge of moving into mosul to take that back from isil. and they will be supported by the u.s., and during that news conference as you see, ash carter revealed there had been a recommendation put to the president that the number of american troops on the ground be increased. by going public just now, while this is still being discussed by the white house shows perhaps some of the tensions between the white house and the pentagon. and the idea is that this is putting pressure on the president, because of the wrapping up in success against isil, we need to continue this success, and therefore to do that, we need to president to sign off on these extra troops going into iraq. this was a political move by the pentagon to put pressure on president obama to say yes to this request. as this whole idea of taking back mosul builds and the whole

operation continues to build momentum. so it was an interesting move by the pentagon, but certainly they are delighted with the fact that they have taken out this senior figure in isil, and they are continuing to target senior figures as part of the campaign. >> alan thank you. isil fighters are losing ground in both iraq and syria. the iraqi army says it has begun an offensive against the group in mosul as part of a wider plan to retake the province. mosul fell to isil forces in june 2014. and in syrian government forces are battling to retake palmyra. isil fighters took over the city last may. state television says the army is now inside the ancient city and is shelling parts of isil-held residential areas. palmyra's recapture would be a significant victory for president assad's forces. still ahead on the program,

the latest on the investigation into the killing of an it it willian student in egypt. and the latest flash point in the european refugee camp where thousands defy orders to leave their makeshift camps in greece. ♪

>> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. ♪ welcome back, a reminder of the top stories. several loud bangs have been heard during the latest police operation linked to tuesday's suicide bombings.

the u.s. government says a senior isil leader has been killed in a raid on thursday. the pentagon says he was in charge of the group's finances. and syrian government forces say they are closing in this on the ancient city of palmyra which has been under isil control since last may. in turkey the trial of two turkish newspaper journalists accused of espionage against the state has been adjourned. the editor in chief seen here on the left of his bureau chief arrived earlierer at the courthouse surrounded by supporters. last may the paper released video claiming that turkey was smuggling arms to fighters in syria. ankara say the trucks were carrying aid. >> translator: we know that we are right. we standing by our story.

we believe that the real culprit should stand on trial. we will go to the court to ask for our acquittal and to say that people cannot be derive prooifed of their right to be informed. >> translator: journalism is not a crime, today, we will tell the court that journalism is not a crime. we will explain this for you, for me, and for all of us. this is a must. the only words i can say is we didn't commit a crime. we will continue to do journalism. >> harry fawcett spent this update. >> reporter: inconclusive end to the first day of this criminal trial of these two newspaper journalists. mr. ghoul when he came out said since they were released last month, they were had experiencing a kind of a half freedom, knowing this trial date was coming up, knowing that they

might be put back into prison by the end of these proceedings this friday. in that didn't happen. he said they would remain in that state of half freedom for another week now, while they awaited the next trial date. this centers this case around the two men's publication in their newspaper last may of a story and video. the newspaper said, showing that the national intelligence agency was transporting arms into syria for use in the syrian civil war. the newspaper said there had been transported to jihadi fighters, the government denied that. there was a furious reaction from the government, especially from the president, who said they would pay a heavy price. he and his colleague are charged with trying to over throw the government, espionage, and aiding a terror group. they said they were doing nothing of the kind, simply

committing an act of journalism. this trial will continue. it is very much the focus of a larger debate in this country about the issue of the freedom of the press. large numbers of refugees on the greece macedonia border are continuing to defy orders to move. about 12,000 refugees have been living in the camp for weeks. >> reporter: this time the government in greece has been able to convince migrants and refugees to move. some people are now convinced that the border with macedonia will not open. police and unhcr workers explain the evacuation is voluntary, and the conditions in the camps are better. but they prefer to stay here. for now they are blocking the railway tracks leading across the border. they are hoping their blockade

will help persuade the macedonian authorities to let them in. >> translator: some people have been separated from their families. i have two children in germany, what if the relocation program sends me somewhere else? what do i do? >> reporter: the refugees are losing patience and they fear the e.u. program to relocate them across the continent will take months. we are human beings, they say. >> there are some challenges in this relocation program. they are due to logistical issues. the capacity of procession, of course, is limited, so even the government is now scaling up. we know they are recruiting more people, and so we know for sure that in -- in the next days the capacity will increase. >> reporter: greece is now home to 50,000 migrants and refugees who say they feel trapped. people are confused here.

there is a lot of uncertainty and the conditions are only getting worse. according to the united nations, among a population of more than 12,000 people, 4,000 are children, and the tents have done little to protect them from the rain and the cold. hussein and his family are so desperate that they say they want to go back to syria even if it means returning to raqqa, which is controlled by isil. they have no money left. he sold all he owned to reach here. now they find themselves sharing a tent with dozens of others. >> translator: going back to syria is better than staying here. even though our house has been destroyed and we sold everything to pay for our journey. we escaped death there, but here we are dying. send us back. >> reporter: this is the latest flash point in the refugee crisis. this was not their final destination, but more and more

are losing hope. there are reports of a large explosion in kabul. local police believe explosives had been planted in a bike, but it's not clear if there are any casualties. thousands of iraqis have been rallying in baghdad to urge the prime minister to form a new cabinet. supporters of a popular shiite cleric are calling for an end to corruption. >> reporter: this is the main gate of the green zone which holds the offices of iraqi authorities and western embassies. the u.s. embassy is also here. tens of thousands gathered here calling for reforms. flags, banners, and slogans raised here, saying that there will be no retreat unless the iraqi prime minister takes real

measures to fight corruption. the protesters want those who say they are corrupted officials appointed by previous goes to be dismissed. the protest comes at a time when the iraqi prime minister is about to announce a new cabinet. he has said in this long-promised reshuffle he will bring in specialists and ministers that are not aligned with any political party. egyptian forces say a gang killed an italian student. >> reporter: egypt's interior ministry says gang members posed as police officers as this is what they say they found at the scene. identity cards, passport, phones and a bag bearing the italian flag, all belonging to the murdered italian student. the 28 year old went missing in

cairo on the 25th of january. the fifth anniversary of the uprising in egypt that toppled the president. the student's body was found in a ditch ten days later. autopsies confirmed he had been tortured his body beaten, burned, and electrocuted. and friends and family have been holding rallies ever since to keep up the pressure on the investigation into the disappearance and death. the student had published articles criticals of the government of president al-sisi. and was researching grimm's trade union movement. rights groups blame egypt's security forces saying torture marks on his body were consistent with other cases of torture and forced disappearances allegedly by security services. the government has consistently denied the allegations. >> translator: it's very frustrating to hear of occasions and rumors about the involvement

of security agencies. >> they have a long history of unaccountability, and i believe this has to do with the way the police -- police force and police -- policemen are being trained, right when they are cadets. they are trained to disrespect human rights. >> reporter: an exchange on egyptian state tv two weeks ago does little to dampen suspicions of a government coverup. this man is speaking here on egyptian tv. he says we haven't found a scapegoat yet. the tv host responds, this is funny and sad at the same time. egypt's interior ministry says all four members of the alleged criminal gang was shot dead on

thursday. the same men now being blamed for the murder. the iranian president is on his third visit to pakistan. he will urge pakistani leaders to resume work on a stalled pipeline project. ethiopia's government is promising to address demands made during cent protests. at least 200 people may have been killed in a crackdown by security forces. >> reporter: this 15 year old and her 8-year-old brother say they were shot in their legs. it happened during a crackdown during an anti government demonstration near their house last month. >> translator: i was in the backyard when i was shot. i was hit again, and when i was on the ground i felt the pain. then my brother came to help me and he was shot too.

>> reporter: sporadic protests continue. anger among ethiopia's largest ethnic group was sparked by the government's so-called integrated development plan. the government says it wants to improve roads, development and services in the region. they state's a land grab. the government has now canceled the plan. it says it wants to consult with the people on how to move forward. there have been protests in towns and villages across this region, it's the largest region in ethiopia. most local and foreign journalists have suffered intimidation and have been detained and some local journalists said they have been too afraid to try to cover the crisis. and human rights investigators, say they are literally putting their lives at risk, trying to

gather accurate information. this right's abuse investigator insisted we hide his identity. >> translator: it's very dangerous, everybody is living in fear. they imprison people every day. people have disappeared, doing this work is like selling my life. >> reporter: this lawyer describes what he says are testimonies of families of the dead. >> many of those people were killed after the protests took place. many of the people were shot in the back. some were shot in the head which shows that these [ inaudible ] demonstrators, and that corroborates the reports we had from the victim's families. >> reporter: the government says the claims are exaggerated. >> people whether they are civilians or security officials who have been involved in excessive use of force, for example, will be held

responsible. >> reporter: the two recover at home. young people who so many here say suffer the consequences of demanding a better life. charles stratford, al jazeera. and you can find out much more on many of our stories on our website. the address, aljazeera.com. explosions are heard during a police operation in brussels as firms confirm at least two americans are among those killed. we are systematically eliminating isil's cabinet. >> meanwhile u.s. official forces take out isil's second in command in syria. and a new law in north carolina that critics call the most anti-lbgt legislation in the country. ♪