U.S. authorities in Idaho said Thursday they have arrested an Uzbekistan national on federal terrorism charges.

Federal prosecutors said Fazliddin Kurbanov, 30, was arrested in Boise on Thursday after a grand jury issued a three-count indictment as part of a terrorism investigation.

The indictment charges Kurbanov with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. The indictment also alleges he possessed an unregistered explosive device.

A separate federal grand jury in Utah also returned an indictment charging Kurbanov with distributing information about explosives, bombs and weapons of mass destruction.

He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boise at 9 a.m. Friday.

The Idaho indictment alleges that between August 2012 and May 2013, Kurbanov knowingly conspired with others to provide support and resources, including computer software and money, to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a designated terrorist organization.

The alleged co-conspirators were not named.

In count two, the indictment alleges Kurbanov provided material support to terrorists, knowing that the help was to be used in preparation for a plot involving the use of a weapon of mass destruction.

The indictment also alleges that on Nov. 15, 2012, Kurbanov possessed an explosive device, consisting of a series of parts intended to be converted into a bomb. Those parts included a hollow hand grenade, a hobby fuse, aluminum powder, potassium nitrate and sulfur.

A remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, spewing lava and ash clouds.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory said Thursday a continuous cloud of ash, steam and gas from Pavlof Volcano has been seen 20,000 feet above sea level. The cloud was moving to the southeast Thursday.

John Power, the U.S. Geological Survey scientist in charge at the observatory, estimates the lava fountain rose several hundred feet into the air.

Onsite seismic instruments are picking up constant tremors from the eruption at Pavlof, located about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Residents of Cold Bay, 37 miles away, have reported seeing a glow from the summit.

Pavlof is among the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc, with nearly 40 known eruptions, according to the observatory.

Federal authorities in Idaho say they have arrested an Uzbekistan national on federal terrorism charges.

Prosecutors says 30-year-old Fazliddin Kurbanov was arrested in Boise on Wednesday, one day after a grand jury issued a three-count indictment as part of a terrorism investigation.

The indictment charges Kurbanov with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. The indictment also alleges he possessed an unregistered explosive device.

A separate federal grand jury in Utah also returned an indictment charging Kurbanov with distributing information about explosives, bombs and weapons of mass destruction.

He is scheduled to make an appearance in federal court in Boise on Friday.

A North Texas neighborhood torn apart by a tornado will remain closed to its residents until officials can account for everyone who lived there.

That's the word from Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds who told reporters Thursday that the search and recovery effort is a "day to day" matter in the Rancho Brazos Estates neighborhood in Granbury.

Deeds said the search in the community about 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth will continue "until every piece of debris is turned over."

Deeds said four men and two women were killed Wednesday. One man and one woman were each in their 80s.

He said six or seven people are still missing, but he was confident they would be found "alive and well."

Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages rose this week but stayed near their historic lows. Cheaper mortgages have helped the economy by spurring more home-buying and refinancing.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for the 30-year loan increased to 3.51 percent from 3.42 percent last week. That's still near the average of 3.31 percent reached in November, the lowest on records dating to 1971.

The average on the 15-year loan rose to 2.69 percent. That's up from 2.61 percent last week, which was the lowest on records going back to 1991.

Low mortgage rates have helped sustained the housing recovery that began last year. Home sales and construction are up from a year ago, and prices are rising in most U.S. markets.

Home prices are rising in part because more buyers are bidding on a limited supply of homes for sale.

On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported that U.S. builders started fewer homes in April than March. But most of the decline was in apartment construction, which tends to vary sharply from month to month.

And applications for new construction reached a five-year peak last month. That suggests the housing revival will be sustained.

To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday each week. The average doesn't include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.

The average fee for 30-year mortgages was unchanged from last week at 0.7 point. The fee for 15-year loans also was steady at 0.7.

The average rate on a one-year adjustable-rate mortgage rose to 2.55 percent from 2.53 percent last week. The fee for one-year adjustable-rate loans remained at 0.4 point.

The average rate on a five-year adjustable-rate mortgage increased to 2.62 percent from 2.58 percent. The fee was unchanged at 0.5 point.

Residents of a luxury Tribeca building are furious over a new photo exhibit in a Chelsea art gallery — because they had no idea they were the subjects on display.

From his second-floor apartment across the street, artist Arne Svenson secretly took photos of his neighbors through their oversized windows as they engaged in such personal things as bending over cleaning, taking naps and carrying sleeping kids to bed.

The shots — which don't show full faces — are now being sold for up to $7,500 each at the Julie Saul Gallery in an exhibition called "The Neighbors," which opened Saturday.

The largest print on display is 5 feet by 2 feet.

Residents of the Greenwich Street building — where penthouses fetch up to $6 million — soon caught wind of their involuntary modeling, and are fuming.

Click for the more from the New York Post.

 

Attorneys for Jodi Arias asked to step down from the case after their client was convicted of first-degree murder, but a judge denied the request.

Arias returns to court Thursday for the final phase of her trial as the same jury that convicted her last week now weighs whether the former waitress should be sentenced to life in prison or death.

Her attorneys must convince jurors she shouldn't be executed. But just Tuesday, Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott asked a judge for permission to withdraw from the case. The detail was contained in court minutes and provides no information about why the two defense lawyers asked to withdraw.

Legal experts have said that Arias complicated efforts for her defense when she gave an interview to Fox affiliate KSAZ minutes after her conviction Wednesday, saying that she preferred death over life in prison.

"I believe death is the ultimate freedom, and I'd rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it," Arias said.

However, Arias cannot choose the death penalty. It's up to the jury to recommend a sentence.

On Wednesday, the panel took less than three hours to determine that Arias should be eligible for the death penalty in the killing of her one-time lover after prosecutors proved the murder was especially cruel and heinous.

Arias, 32, acknowledged killing Travis Alexander on June 4, 2008, at his suburban Phoenix home after a day of sex. She initially denied any involvement then later blamed the attack on masked intruders. Two years after her arrest, she settled on self-defense.

On Thursday, the penalty phase of her trial begins during which prosecutors will call Alexander's family and other witnesses in an effort to convince the panel Arias should face the ultimate punishment. Arias' defense lawyers will have her family members testify, and likely others who have known her over the years, in an attempt to gain sympathy from jurors to save her life. It's not yet known if Arias will testify.

Arias showed no emotion Wednesday after the jury returned a decision that was widely expected given the violent nature of the killing. She slashed Alexander's throat, stabbed him in the heart and shot him in the forehead. The victim suffered a total of nearly 30 knife wounds in what prosecutors described as an attack fueled by jealous rage after Alexander wanted to end his affair with Arias and prepared to take a trip to Mexico with another woman.

The jury simply had to determine the killing was committed in an especially cruel and heinous manner to complete the "aggravation phase" of the trial and move on to the penalty portion.

Alexander's family members sobbed in the front row as prosecutor Juan Martinez took the jury through the killing one more time earlier in the day. He described how blood gushed from Alexander's chest, hands and neck as the 30-year-old motivational speaker and businessman stood at the sink in his master bathroom and looked into the mirror with Arias behind him, a knife in her hand.

"The last thing he saw before he lapsed into unconsciousness ... was that blade coming to his throat," Martinez said. "And the last thing he felt before he left this earth was pain."

Wednesday's proceedings played out quickly, with only one prosecution witness and none for the defense.

The most dramatic moments occurred when Martinez displayed photos of Alexander's corpse and the bloody crime scene for the jury, then paused in silence for two minutes to describe how long he said it took for Alexander to die at Arias' hands.

Arias, wearing a silky, cream-colored blouse, appeared to fight back tears most of the morning, but didn't seem fazed by the verdict. Afterward she chatted with her attorneys. Arias spent the weekend on suicide watch before being transferred back to an all-female jail where she will remain until sentencing.

Arias' attorneys didn't put on much of a case during the aggravation phase, offering no witnesses and giving brief opening statements and closing arguments. They said Alexander would have had so much adrenaline rushing through his body that he might not have felt much pain.

The only witness was the medical examiner who performed the autopsy and explained to jurors how Alexander did not die calmly and fought for his life as evidenced by the numerous defensive wounds on his body.

Albuquerque police say a mother who saw her 5-year-old being abducted chased the suspect down and crashed her vehicle into his car, triggering a manhunt.

Police say the incident unfolded Wednesday evening when the woman saw her child being forced into a car in Albuquerque's North Valley. She jumped into her vehicle and gave chase for about seven miles, unaware the man had pushed the girl out of the car shortly after grabbing her. The girl was not injured.

The mother followed the suspect and finally rammed into his car near an intersection. He fled on foot.

Police are still searching for the man, who they say matches the description of a suspect who sexually assaulted and returned a girl in the same neighborhood last week.

A woman and 1-year-old boy were killed and a 3-year-old girl wounded in a triple stabbing on Wednesday near San Jose, authorities said.

The three were found at a home in an unincorporated area by a family member at around 3:30 p.m., Santa Clara County Deputy Kurtis Stenderup said. The girl survived the attack and was in stable condition at a hospital, he said.

The slain woman was the children's grandmother and was babysitting them, sheriff's officials told the San Jose Mercury News (http://bit.ly/12w5IL0 ). She has not been identified.

Authorities were interviewing a man described as a "person of interest." Ruben Ramirez, 27, a relative of the victims, was found at night in San Francisco with the help of U.S. Marshals and San Francisco police. He was being interviewed there, Stenderup said.

Sheriff's deputies and K-9 teams searched for several hours to try to locate Ramirez. Television helicopter live shots showed heavily armed deputies, some with dogs, going yard-to-yard, while cameras on the ground captured video of distraught family members arriving outside the home.

Ramirez suffers from mental health problems, and authorities have had prior contact with him, Stenderup said.

Police shot a teenager and arrested another suspect while investigating a car theft inside a rental car return area at Jacksonville International Airport in Florida.

The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon. Police tried to stop the vehicle after tracking it to the parking garage at the airport. When they tried to stop it, the driver rammed two police vehicles and another car.

The Florida Times-Union (http://bit.ly/17xj5Pi ) reports an officer shot at the car as it drove away. Police found the vehicle in an apartment complex and arrested a 27-year-old and the 17-year-old, who was shot in the ankle. Police didn't release their names and say they are still looking for a third suspect.

There were not many bystanders in the garage. But police say they fired shots because public safety was at risk.

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Information from: The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com

Lying and fishing has been known to go hand-in-hand, so organizers of this weekend's salmon-fishing derby in New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee decided to force the winner to undergo a Polygraph test to make sure the fish was actually caught in the correct lake.

"Due to the rumors and information on some of the fishing blogs, there has been a raised awareness that the possibility of some of the past entries for landlocked salmon entered were not fished from Lake Winnipesaukee," a statement on the the Winni Derby's website reads.

The Union Leader reported that there has been no cheaters caught, but these rumors "sounded pretty strong," according to Dianne LaBrie, who works with the derby.

"It's just something we're doing to make sure it's a fair competition for everyone," she said.

There are cash prizes. First place in the landlocked salmon division is $12,500, the report said.

A.J. Nute owns A.J.'s Bait & Tackle and says when there's money involved, there's a risk of cheating. He points out that there's a lake nearby where salmon tend to grow larger and can easily be smuggled onto an unscrupulous fisherman's boat.

"These aren't large fish to begin with," he said. "Pretty much a 5-pounder wins you the tournament."

For Nute, he said the largest landlocked salmon he ever caught was a "once in a lifetime" 10-pounder. When asked if he took a lie-detector test to support the claim, he laughed and said no.

Click for more from The Union Leader

Jurors began a third day of deliberations in a Cincinnati murder trial revolving around whether a dying, paralyzed man identified his shooter by blinking his eyes.

The jury in the trial of 35-year-old Ricardo Woods, of Cincinnati, began discussions Tuesday afternoon and didn't reach a verdict Wednesday. Jurors reconvened Thursday morning.

Woods is accused of shooting David Chandler in 2010. Chandler was left paralyzed from the neck down and unable to speak before his death about two weeks later.

Prosecutors told jurors that Chandler clearly identified Woods by blinking his eyes in a video interview with police. Officials said Chandler blinked three times for "yes" to identify Woods' photo.

The defense called Chandler's blinking unreliable due to his condition and medications.

Cooler temperatures and lighter winds are helping hundreds of firefighters combat a 3,000-acre wildfire that has blackened rugged terrain in the Los Padres National Forest.

The fire that broke out Wednesday quickly charred 3,000 acres of dry, thick trees, despite a heavy aerial effort to beat back flames in the largely unpopulated area.

The blaze was 10 percent contained early Thursday.

No structures were threatened although a high school has been evacuated as a precaution. No injuries have been reported.

The fire near Interstate 5 through Frazier Park, where Kern and northern Los Angeles counties meet, could be fanned by winds that could reach up to 35 mph Thursday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Two Michigan students have been banned from showing their baby bumps in the school yearbook.

Deonna Harris says she was pulled aside this week by a yearbook staff member and told her photo would have to be re-taken because the previous shot displayed Harris' pregnant belly.

Kimberly Haney also is pregnant and not permitted to show her midsection in the White Cloud High School yearbook.

Haney tells WOOD-TV she "went to the bathroom and cried" when she received the news.

Both girls say they're being discriminated against. White Cloud superintendent Barry Seabrook said Thursday allowing the pictures to appear in the yearbook would be contrary to the state's mandate that public schools' sex-education curricula be abstinence-based.

Haney and Harris have decided against shooting new photos that hide their pregnancies.

A Washington woman whose car was stolen from her apartment complex saw the stolen SUV hours later — in the drive-thru of the McDonald's restaurant where she works.

The Tri-City Herald reports (http://bit.ly/11H2tDS ) Virginia Maiden called police Tuesday after seeing her SUV in the drive-thru.

Officers arrested the driver, a 22-year-old Kennewick woman, at the restaurant.

Police found clothes in the car that had been stolen from department stores.

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Information from: Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com

Officials report a tornado caused "multiple fatalities" as it tore through two neighborhoods of a North Texas town.

The tornado hit the scenic Brazos River courthouse town of Granbury about 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Hood County sheriff's Lt. Kathy Jiveden reported the multiple fatalities, but she had no estimate of dead or injured.

She said crews "are going house to house" looking for those trapped, injured or dead in the rubble of demolished homes in the DeCordova Ranch and Rancho Brazos Estates neighborhoods. Those areas are in the southern part of the town of about 8,000 residents near Lake Granbury.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

A tornado slammed into a North Texas lakefront town Wednesday night, demolishing homes and injuring an undetermined number of people, officials said.

The tornado in Granbury was part of a system of severe thunderstorms that spawned several tornadoes across North Texas, dropping large hail in some areas. The National Weather Service said a tornado watch would remain in effect for more than 30 counties until early Thursday morning.

The extent of the damage and injuries was not immediately clear in Granbury, about 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth. However, police reported the hardest hit area was the Rancho Brazos subdivision and adjoining areas along Lake Granbury.

At Stumpy's Lakeside Grill in Lake Granbury, the storm took diners and workers by surprise. Some people rushed inside from the patio and ducked under tables as the wind gusts and hail started, but nobody was injured, said Eric Martinez, a cook. Then they looked across the lake and saw several homeowners' boat docks "just get torn apart," he said.

"The boat docks just flew off, and they're actually gone," Martinez said, adding that the boards and other debris landed in some yards.

The restaurant didn't appear to sustain any damage, but cars in the parking lot had dents from the large hail, he said.

Donna Martin, the bartender at the VFW in Granbury, said she was watching the clouds circulate in the sky when the tornado sirens went off. She said softball-size hail also pounded the area.

Another tornado hit the small town of Millsap, about 40 miles west of Fort Worth. Parker County Judge Mark Kelley said roof damage was reported to several houses and a barn was destroyed, but no injuries were reported.

Hail as large as grapefruit also pelted the area around Mineral Wells on Wednesday evening. A police dispatcher reported only minor damage.

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Associated Press writers Terry Wallace and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.

Authorities were searching for missing mom Susan Cox Powell at a farm near Salem, Oregon, Tuesday, according to reports from FOX 13 News.

Police, with numerous cadaver dogs in tow, toured the rural property, looking to see if they could pick up the scent of human remains. Investigators said they were calling off the search for the night after scouring the area Tuesday.

According to FOX 13 News, Susan Cox Powell's father, Chuck Cox, had said that when he was tipped off about the heavily wooded area earlier this year, he notified West Valley Police.

Cox told FOX 13 News the farm "could be a place where they could have dumped Susan's body."

While police were careful not to disclose many details, West Valley Police Chief Mike Powell told FOX 13 News investigators were looking for any clues that might lead them to find Cox Powell's body.

Powell said they had been working to follow up on all leads and would "conduct any additional investigation that may lead us to knowing and discovering where Susan is."

Cox Powell disappeared on Dec. 6, 2009 from her West Valley City home and her husband, Josh Powell, was considered a person of interest in her case before his death. He killed himself and their two children in a house fire and explosion in February 2012.

Click for more from FOX 13 News.

A judge warned Osama bin Laden's son-in-law Wednesday that a lawyer he hired to represent him on charges he conspired to kill Americans could end up in prison himself.

U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan told Sulaiman Abu Ghaith that he could cause himself problems by choosing attorney Stanley Cohen to defend him against charges that he conspired against Americans in his role as al-Qaida's chief spokesman.

Cohen was indicted last year in Syracuse, N.Y., on federal charges that he failed to file individual and corporate tax returns between 2005 and 2010 and committed other tax-related violations. A federal prosecutor in Manhattan told Kaplan that additional charges may be filed against Cohen.

Kaplan asked Abu Ghaith a series of questions designed to make sure the 47-year-old defendant understood the hazards of rejecting three public defenders to have Cohen and another attorney represent him.

The judge said he wanted to make clear to Abu Ghaith that Cohen "has interests that are potentially in conflict with your own."

He also told him it was "quite possibly ill advised" for a defendant to proceed with an attorney who faces criminal charges himself, and he noted that Cohen might not be able to obtain security clearance from the government to view classified materials necessary to prepare for trial.

Abu Ghaith insisted he wanted Cohen to represent him after his brother in Kuwait hired the veteran civil rights attorney.

"I understood he's very enthusiastic about this case," Abu Ghaith told Kaplan. "I thank you very much but I've made my decision."

The judge set a hearing for next week to further explore the legal issue. He told the government to submit legal papers explaining its position on whether Abu Ghaith can be represented by Cohen and whether his understanding of his rights was sufficient to switch lawyers.

Abu Ghaith has pleaded not guilty to charges that he urged the death of Americans after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Prosecutors say evidence against Abu Ghaith includes a widely circulated video of him in early October 2001 sitting with bin Laden and current al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri and another in which he calls on every Muslim to join the fight against the United States, declaring that "jihad is a duty."

Cohen said outside court that he believes he was chosen because of his extensive contacts throughout the Middle East and his ability to travel and speak with witnesses where other lawyers cannot.

"I've probably done more terrorism cases — real and fake — than any other lawyer in the United States," he said.

A 37-year-old Houston man convicted of killing a police officer 14 years ago has been put to death.

Jeffrey Demond Williams' execution Wednesday evening came just over an hour after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-day appeal from his attorneys. Lawyers contended Williams had been failed by previous attorneys at his trial and in early stages of his appeals.

He's the sixth Texas inmate executed this year.

Williams was convicted of fatally shooting 39-year-old Houston officer Troy Blando while Blando was handcuffing him.

Blando was watching a motel where car thefts were suspected when he saw Williams drive up in a Lexus that was reported stolen.

Williams was captured about a block away. Blando's cuffs were hanging from one of his wrists.

Steam and ash clouds are occasionally rising to 20,000 feet from an active Alaska volcano.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory says in a release that an ash plume was reported rising from Pavlof Volcano on Tuesday evening at about 15,000 feet. It extended to the northeast about 100 miles before it dissipated.

The observatory says a pilot reported an ash plume about 20,000 feet on Wednesday, extending east-northeast from the volcano, located about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage in the Aleutian Islands.

The nearest community is Cold Bay, and residents reported seeing a glow from the summit Tuesday night. The observatory says photographs show a lava flow is still active down the volcano's northwest flank.