Student Arrested For Science Experiment Won't Face Charges After All

Kiera Wilmot, a 16-year-old Florida high school student who was arrested last month for what was essentially a failed science experiment, won't face criminal charges. Wilmot, whose case drew national media attention and an angry response, was originally charged with two felonies — possession or discharge of a weapon on school property, and discharging a destructive device — after she mixed household chemicals on school grounds, causing a small explosion. But she's not off the hook entirely: Wilmot, who by all accounts was a model student, could still face expulsion. 

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At Bartow High School in Polk County, Wilmot apparently earned good grades, had no discipline problems ( "She has never been in trouble before, ever," principal Ron Pritchard said), and was well-liked by students and administrators. So it's not that surprising that the State Attorney's Office was able to find way to avoid criminalizing her after others began to pay attention to her case (for instance: one Change.org petition asking prosecutors to drop the charges gained nearly 200,000 signatures). Prosecutors eventually offered Wilmont something called "an offer of diversion of prosecution," which will allow her to avoid a criminal record by serving community service, or meeting other, undisclosed conditions, according to the Orlando Sentinel. As they explain, Wilmont is still fighting to avoid expulsion and return to Bartow High next year. Right now, she's taking classes at an alternative school to finish out the year. 

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Nationally, Wilmot's case quickly took on deep meaning for a multitude of reasons. For some, Wilmot's arrest represented a racial bias in the criminal prosecution of teenagers — the prosecutor who, according to the police report, originally recommended to police that Wilmot be charged with felonies, as an adult, had just days before declined to prosecute a white, 13-year-old boy in the county who accidentally shot and killed his brother with a BB gun. For others, the case represented a dangerous trend of criminalizing curious, bright students when they make mistakes. And many noted that Wilmot was just one of many students arrested in Florida under the state's strict zero-tolerance policy, which, some argue, has replaced detention with arrest for relatively minor infractions.  

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In any case, Wilmot's school district previously stood by their decision to expel the student as the story blew up in the news cycle. Now that she's no longer facing charges, the district has released a non-committal statement indicating that they'll at least consider letting Wilmot avoid expulsion: "The Polk County School District will take the State Attorney's decision into consideration in determining what, if any, further disciplinary action is appropriate."

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Photo: by Alexander Raths via Shutterstock. 

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N.Y. Man Arrested for Gun Violation in NY — His Offense? Two Extra Bullets

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(Photo: Shutterstock.com)

Gregory Dean, Jr. was pulled over in New Lebanon, N.Y., Sunday for a light on his license plate being burnt out. But what began as a simple traffic stop ended up with Dean being arrested over two bullets in his registered firearm, which put him in violation of the state's new law, the Journal News reported.

Last month, a provision in New York's strict gun control laws went into effect, making it illegal to have more than seven rounds in a magazine unless said firearm was being used at a range or in a competition.

The state troopers saw a .40-caliber pistol on Dean's passenger side when they approached his window. Although it was lawfully possessed by Dean, they discovered nine bullets within the magazine, putting him two bullets over the seven-bullet max set by the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act.

Dean was arrested for this violation and charged with unlawful possession for the number of bullets in the ammunition feeding device and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, according to the Journal News. Both are misdemeanor charges that went along with infractions he received regarding the light outage on his vehicle as well.

Dean was released without bail and has a court date for later this month.

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Related:

• New York Enacts the Strictest Gun Laws in the United States -- Get All the Details
• Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Challenge to Strict New York Gun Law
• A Form of Gun Confiscation Has Reportedly Begun in New York State -- Here's the Justification Being Used

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

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Two men arrested in Malcolm Shabazz murder in Mexico, more sought

By Gabriel Stargardter

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Authorities in Mexico City have arrested two men on suspicion of the fatal beating of the grandson of U.S. civil rights activist Malcolm X in a bar last week and are looking for at least two more people, Mexico City Attorney General Rodolfo Rios said on Monday.

Malcolm Shabazz, who police have said was 29, died last Thursday at a bar just steps away from Mexico City's popular Plaza Garibaldi, where mariachis serenade tourists.

Police have arrested two men who are waiters at the bar, David Hernandez and Manuel Perez, and are looking for at least two more suspects, Rios said.

Shabazz was with Manuel Suarez, a labor rights activist who had recently been deported from the United States, when they were confronted by two women aged between 20 and 25 in the rough neighborhood of Tepito, said Rios.

The unidentified women, who police still want to question, took the two men to the Palace nightclub, said Rios. Shabazz and Suarez were then presented with a more than $1,200 bill, which they disputed. Police have described the Palace as a place of low repute.

"The aggrieved did not agree with the bill and couldn't come to an agreement," Rios said. Shabazz "was hit while his companion was threatened and had his belongings taken from him inside the building."

Shabazz, who had alcohol in his blood, died from blows to his head, ribs and jaw, Rios said.

Authorities were still trying to determine how Shabazz's body came to be dumped on the street, Rios said, noting that the bar's security cameras had been turned to face the wall.

Rios said rumors that Shabazz had jumped from the window were untrue. He said Shabazz's his family would not be coming to Mexico to recover the body.

Shabazz gained notoriety as a 12-year-old for starting a fire that killed his grandmother and Malcolm X's widow, Betty Shabazz.

(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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Saudi man traveling with pressure cooker arrested

DETROIT (AP) — A Saudi man was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after federal agents said he lied about why he was traveling with a pressure cooker, but his nephew said Monday that it was all a misunderstanding about a device he simply wanted for cooking.

Two pressure cookers were used in last month's Boston Marathon bombings.

Hussain Al Khawahir was being held in Detroit on allegations of lying to Customs and Border Protection agents and of using a passport with a missing page. He was arrested Saturday.

His nephew, Nasser Almarzooq, told The Associated Press that he had asked his uncle to bring him the pressure cooker so he could make lamb. The college student said two pressure cookers he bought in the U.S. were "not good at all," and said the ones available in Saudi Arabia are higher quality.

"I'm Arabic," said Almarzooq, who is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Toledo in Ohio, about 55 miles south of Detroit. "I always use pressure cookers to cook."

Almarzooq said his uncle was coming to visit him for a couple weeks.

A criminal complaint alleges that Al Khawahir arrived at the airport Saturday on a flight from Saudi Arabia via Amsterdam, and that he told agents he was visiting his nephew

He originally said he brought the pressure cooker with him because pressure cookers aren't sold in America, then later said his nephew had bought one but it "was cheap" and broke after one use, according to the complaint.

Agents said they also noticed a page was missing from Al Khawahir's passport from Saudi Arabia. He told them he didn't how it had been removed, and said the document had been locked in a box that only he, his wife and three children have access to in his home, according to the complaint.

Al Khawahir was read his Miranda rights, which he said he understood, and he invoked his right to remain silent, according to the complaint.

Gina Balaya, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Detroit, said Al Khawahir made his initial court appearance Sunday, but his Monday detention hearing was delayed until Tuesday afternoon. A message seeking comment was left with his defense attorney.

Authorities have said that in the Boston Marathon bombing, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev set off two shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs April 15 near the race finish line. The attack killed three people and injured more than 260 others.

On Monday, Almarzooq said he was concerned about his uncle and hadn't been told anything since his uncle was arrested Saturday. He also vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

"If I wanted to do something stupid like this, should I just take my uncle from Saudi Arabia to buy me a pressure cooker?" he said. "It's legal here."

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Sierra Leone: Opposition politician arrested

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — A Sierra Leonean police official says that a prominent opposition politician has been arrested for making statements to undermine state security.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Ibrahim Samura said on state radio Saturday night that Charles Francis Margai was detained for alleged subversion.

Margai earlier in the week spoke about a land dispklute he has with Sierra Leone's first lady, Sia Koroma. Margai said he would fight for his land and said he would be backed by militia forces loyal to him.

The threat of militia violence comes as Sierra Leone is recovering from a 10-year civil war that ended in 2002.

Margai was among the candidates who contested the presidential election in 2012 election and lost to Ernest Bai Koroma. Margai's party does not hold a seat in parliament.

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Twelve-year-old California boy arrested in stabbing death of sister

(Reuters) - Sheriff's deputies arrested a 12-year-old boy on Saturday in the stabbing death of his 8-year-old sister, a killing that triggered a huge manhunt last month for an intruder the boy said broke into their Northern California home.

Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz told reporters the boy was taken into custody on a charge of homicide.

He was arrested in Valley Springs, the community where Leila Fowler was slain on April 27, when the children were home alone, Kuntz said.

"The citizens of Calaveras County can sleep a little better tonight," Kuntz said.

The sheriff declined to say what led detectives to arrest the boy, whose name was not released. Authorities previously said fingerprints and DNA evidence were collected from the home where Fowler was stabbed to death.

Authorities have said Leila's brother initially told investigators the two siblings were in their family home in the Sierra foothills, about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento, when he heard an intruder, saw a man in the living room who fled on foot, went to check on his sister and found her wounded.

The boy called 911 and his parents, who authorities said were at a Little League baseball game.

His sister was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead six minutes later.

A neighbor initially told investigators she saw a man running away from the Fowler home shortly after the death.

But on May 3, Calaveras County sheriff's spokesman Chris Hewitt said the neighbor recanted her story and refused to describe the possible suspect to a composite-sketch artist.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Peter Cooney)

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State radio: Zimbabwe voter campaigners arrested

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's state radio says police arrested three polling campaigners for illegally promoting voter awareness ahead of crucial elections.

The radio said Sunday the activists were not authorized to carry out voter education by the official elections commission. It said they were giving out information on polling procedures in an upmarket Harare suburb on Saturday.

Another 19 democracy activists were arrested last month for allegedly impersonating state election officials in a drive to get potential electors to register their names on voters' lists. They are still waiting to appear in court.

President Robert Mugabe, 89, said Friday he will proclaim a date for the elections next week, after the parliament passes a new constitution.

He wants polls earlier than the September date demanded by his opponents in the dispute-ridden coalition government.

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Brother arrested in fatal Calif. stabbing of girl

VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Authorities have arrested the 12-year-old brother of an 8-year-old girl who was mysteriously stabbed to death at her home in a rural Northern California community last month.

The boy, who was not identified, will be charged with homicide, according to Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz.

The April 27 attack on Leila Fowler shook the tightknit Valley Springs community of about 7,400 people and set off a massive manhunt.

The boy had told police he found his sister's body and encountered an intruder in the home while their parents were at a Little League game. He described the man as being tall with long gray hair. Afterward, however, police said there was no sign of a burglary or robbery at the house.

Local officials began to pledge support Sunday. The Calaveras Unified School District "stands ready to provide whatever level of support and assistance is necessary to the Fowler family" and the community, Superintendent Mark Campbell said in a statement. The district will make counselors available at all schools, he said.

Following the child's death, investigators did a door-to-door sweep of homes, storage sheds and horse stables scattered across the oak-studded hills foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Divers also searched two nearby reservoirs in search of clues.

As part of the investigation, authorities seized several knives from the Fowler home — where Leila lived with her father, stepmother and siblings. A neighbor who told detectives she saw a man flee the home later recanted the story and was discredited by police.

Leila's brother was taken into custody at 5:10 p.m. Saturday, and police hastily called a news conference to announce the arrest.

"Citizens of Calaveras County, you can sleep a little better tonight," Kuntz said.

Authorities spent over 2,000 hours on the investigation "to provide Leila Fowler's family answers to her death," the sheriff said.

Kuntz said the investigation was ongoing. He declined to provide further details.

Several days after the killing, hundreds of people gathered at Jenny Lind Elementary School where Leila was a popular third grader. Her mother, Krystal Walters, tearfully thanked the crowd for the support.

"I just want to thank the entire community and all of our family and friends for all the overwhelming amount of support you've given our family," Walters said at the time. "It will never be forgotten. Thank you."

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Man arrested following Arias trial bomb threat

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona authorities have arrested an 18-year-old Phoenix man in connection with a bomb threat that was tweeted after the Jodi Arias verdict was announced.

Maricopa County Sheriff's Deputy Joaquin Enriquez says Laquint Cherry was taken into custody early Thursday. He's facing a felony charge for making threats.

The investigation began Wednesday night after someone tweeted that an explosive device was going to be placed in the courtroom and was going to detonate Thursday afternoon. The sheriff's office increased security and conducted additional bomb sweeps but found nothing.

Enriquez says detectives traced the Twitter activity to a hotel in west Phoenix. The bomb squad and the SWAT team responded, and Cherry eventually came out of the hotel room. A woman who was with him was questioned and released.

Enriquez says the investigation is ongoing.

It wasn't immediately clear if Cherry had legal representation.

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Singer arrested in Calif. murder-for-hire plot

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) — The lead singer of the Grammy-nominated metal band As I Lay Dying was arrested Tuesday in Southern California over allegations he tried to hire an undercover detective to kill his estranged wife.

Tim Lambesis, 32, was taken into custody while shopping at a retail business in Oceanside, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

Detectives received information Thursday that Lambesis had solicited someone to kill his wife, who lives in nearby Encinitas, the statement said. A task force from several law enforcement agencies launched an investigation that led to the arrest.

He was charged on three federal counts — one count of solicitation to commit murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit crime.

The department would give no further details on the investigation.

As I Lay Dying formed in San Diego in 2000 and has released six albums, including 2007's "An Ocean Between Us," which reached No. 8 on Billboard's charts. A single from the album, "Nothing Left," was nominated for a Grammy for top metal performance. Their last album, "Awakened," came out in September on Metal Blade Records.

It was not clear whether Lambesis had hired an attorney, and a phone message seeking comment left at a number listed in his name was not immediately returned.

The band, which plays in an aggressive style that features metal guitar riffs at the furious pace of hardcore punk, was scheduled to tour the country with several other metal acts starting later this month.

Lambesis, known for his signature growling vocals, had recently raised more than $78,000 from fans to fund his side project, Austrian Death Machine, a metal band mocking the film work of Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to the Los Angeles Times. The top prize, for those who spent $5,000, was to have the winner's initials tattooed on Lambesis' buttocks, the newspaper said.

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Kin of 3 arrested Ohio brothers 'totally shocked'

CLEVELAND (AP) — A relative of three brothers arrested in Cleveland says their family is "totally shocked" three women missing for years were found at the home of one of them.

Juan Alicea says the arrests of his wife's brothers have left relatives "as blindsided as anyone else" in their community.

Alicea says he hadn't been to the home of his brother-in-law Ariel Castro since the early 1990s. Three women who vanished separately about a decade ago were found captive Monday at the run-down house after one of them escaped and contacted police.

Alicea says he had eaten dinner with Castro at a different brother's house shortly before the arrests were made. No charges have been filed. Castro is jailed and can't be reached for comment.

The case leaves Cleveland police facing questions about their handling of missing-person cases. They're conducting an internal review.

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Heavy metal singer Tim Lambesis arrested in murder-for-hire plot: police

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tim Lambesis, lead singer for the heavy metal band As I Lay Dying, has been arrested over accusations he sought the help of an undercover detective to have his estranged wife killed, police said.

Lambesis was taken into custody on Tuesday in Oceanside, California, after he solicited help from the detective, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. Police had previously learned Lambesis was seeking someone who could commit the slaying, the department said.

A representative for the As I Lay Dying's record label could not immediately be reached for comment, and it was unclear if Lambesis had an attorney.

The band's 2007 album "An Ocean Between Us" debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200 list, and ranks as one of their top-selling releases. Last year, As I Lay Dying put out its sixth album, "Awakened." Lambesis is a founding member of the band, which was formed in San Diego.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Mohammad Zargham)

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Indonesia says 2 arrested for Myanmar Embassy plot

May 1 (Reuters) - Post position for Saturday's 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after Wednesday's draw (listed as barrier, HORSE, jockey, trainer) 1. BLACK ONYX, Joe Bravo, Kelly Breen 2. OXBOW, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas 3. REVOLUTIONARY, Calvin Borel, Todd Pletcher 4. GOLDEN SOUL, Robby Albarado, Dallas Stewart 5. NORMANDY INVASION, Javier Castellano, Chad Brown 6. MYLUTE, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss 7. GIANT FINISH, Jose Espinoza, Tony Dutrow 8. GOLDENCENTS, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill 9. OVERANALYZE, Rafael Bejarano, Todd Pletcher 10. PALACE MALICE, Mike Smith, Todd Pletcher 11. ...

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Bangladeshi engineer arrested in building collapse

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladeshi police arrested the engineer who warned that a building housing garment factories was unsafe a day before it collapsed, killing at least 487 people.

Abdur Razzak Khan worked as the Rana Plaza owner's consultant when the owner illegally added three floors atop his five-story building, police official Ohiduzzaman said Friday. Khan was arrested Thursday on a charge of negligence.

Owner Mohammed Sohel Rana called Khan to inspect the building after it developed cracks on April 23, local media have reported. Khan appeared on a private television station saying after his inspection that he told Rana to evacuate the building because it was not safe.

Khan, a former engineer at Jahangirnagar University near Savar, said he drew attention of the government engineers for the building to be examined further.

Police ordered the building evacuated, but witnesses say Rana told people gathered outside the next morning that the building was safe and that garment factory managers told their workers to go inside. It collapsed hours later.

Police official Ohiduzzaman said Khan was arrested on charge of negligence.

The elected mayor of Savar municipality, Mohammad Refatullah, also has been suspended for alleged negligence in approving the design and layout of the doomed building, said Abu Alam, a top official of the local government ministry.

Alam said an official investigation has found that the mayor ignored rules in approving the design and layout. The mayor is from main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and the opposition BNP has criticized the suspension as politically motivated.

Authorities raised the confirmed death toll to 487 late Friday morning in the deadliest disaster to Bangladesh's $20 billion-a-year garment industry that supplies global retailers.

Workers were carefully using cranes to remove the concrete rubble.

"We are still proceeding cautiously so that we get the bodies intact," said Maj. Gen. Chowdhury Hassan Suhwardy, the commander of the area's army garrison supervising the rescue operation.

The official number of missing was still at 149 though unofficial estimates are higher.

Rana was arrested earlier and is expected to be charged with negligence, illegal construction and forcing workers to join work, which are punishable by a maximum of seven years in jail. Authorities have not said if more serious crimes will be added.

The Bangladesh High Court has ordered the government to confiscate Rana's property and freeze the assets of the owners of the factories in Rana Plaza so the money can be used to pay the salaries of their workers.

Among the garment makers in the building were Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms.

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Pink Floyd poser arrested for theft by swindle

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — A man is accused of pretending to be a member of rock band Pink Floyd at a Minnesota hospital — and racking up as much as $100,000 in unpaid medical bills.

Police say the 53-year-old Monticello man went to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment April 20. He claimed he was Pink Floyd singer-guitarist David Gilmour and that he didn't have health insurance. He was treated and released, but not before signing an autograph.

The St. Cloud Times (http://on.sctimes.com/10rU8fe ) says hospital security was suspicious about the man's identity and his medical records were flagged. The man returned for more treatment several days later and, confronted by police, admitted he wasn't Gilmour.

The man was booked into the Stearns County Jail on a possible charge of theft by swindle.

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Information from: St. Cloud Times, http://www.sctimes.com

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UMass: 1 arrested is suspended, 2 not enrolled

May 1 (Reuters) - Post position for Saturday's 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after Wednesday's draw (listed as barrier, HORSE, jockey, trainer) 1. BLACK ONYX, Joe Bravo, Kelly Breen 2. OXBOW, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas 3. REVOLUTIONARY, Calvin Borel, Todd Pletcher 4. GOLDEN SOUL, Robby Albarado, Dallas Stewart 5. NORMANDY INVASION, Javier Castellano, Chad Brown 6. MYLUTE, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss 7. GIANT FINISH, Jose Espinoza, Tony Dutrow 8. GOLDENCENTS, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill 9. OVERANALYZE, Rafael Bejarano, Todd Pletcher 10. PALACE MALICE, Mike Smith, Todd Pletcher 11. ...

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Official: Arrested student entered US without visa

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of three college students arrested Wednesday in the Boston Marathon bombings case was allowed to return to the United States from Kazakhstan in January despite not having a valid student visa, a federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Authorities charged the student — a friend and classmate of one of the men accused of setting off the deadly explosions — with helping after the attacks to remove a laptop and backpack from the bombing suspect's dormitory room before the FBI searched it.

The government acknowledged that U.S. Customs and Border Protection was unaware that the student was no longer in school when he was let back into the United States.

The disclosure was another instance of possible lapses by the federal government in the months before the Boston bombings. The Obama administration earlier this week announced an internal review of how U.S. intelligence agencies shared sensitive information and whether the government could have disrupted the attack. Republicans in Congress have promised oversight hearings starting next week.

Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested three college friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a bombing suspect, including Azamat Tazhayakov, a friend and classmate of Tsarnaev's at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Tazhayakov left the U.S. in December and returned Jan. 20. But in early January, his student-visa status was terminated because he was academically dismissed from the university, the official told the AP.

The law enforcement official said information about Tazhayakov's status was in the Homeland Security Department's Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, called SEVIS, when Tazhayakov arrived in New York in January.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized to discuss details of Tazhayakov's immigration history.

DHS spokesman Peter Boogaard said when Tazhayakov arrived on Jan. 20, Customs and Border Protection officials had not been notified that he was no longer a student.

"DHS has recently reformed the student visa system to ensure that CBP is provided with real time updates on all relevant student visa information," Boogaard said. "At the time of re-entry there was no derogatory information that suggested this individual posed a national security or public safety threat."

Tazhayakov and another student from Kazakhstan, Dias Kadyrbayev, were detained last month on immigration charges. They were arrested on federal criminal charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Robel Phillipos, 19, was also arrested and charged with willfully making materially false statements to federal law enforcement officials during a terrorism investigation.

Questions about Tazhayakov's immigration status came up Wednesday during an immigration hearing in Boston when a judge questioned how he was able to return to the U.S. in January. A lawyer for Tazhayakov said he had re-enrolled in the university with a different major after returning to the country.

International students who aren't enrolled or are dismissed from a college or university generally have 30 days to rectify their status and re-enroll as long as they are already in the United States.

Lawmakers have questioned information sharing among U.S. law enforcement before the bombings. In 2011, Russian officials notified the FBI and CIA that they were concerned about now-deceased bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. In early 2012 Homeland security was alerted of Tamerlan Tsarnaev's travel to and from Russia — information that was shared with Boston's joint terrorism task force. But the FBI investigation into him had closed and therefore he didn't warrant additional scrutiny, officials have said.

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Associated Press writer Mark Pratt in Boston contributed to this report.

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Four arrested as Bangladesh building toll rises to 352

By Serajul Quadir and Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) - Two factory bosses and two engineers were detained in Bangladesh on Saturday, three days after the collapse of a building where low-cost garments were made for Western brands killed at least 352 people.

More were being pulled alive from the rubble at the building, where police said as many as 900 people were still missing in Bangladesh's worst ever industrial accident.

The owner of the eight-storey building that fell like a pack of cards around more than 3,000 mainly young women workers was still on the run.

Police said several of his relatives were detained to compel him to hand himself in, and an alert had gone out to airport and border authorities to prevent him from fleeing the country.

Officials said Rana Plaza, on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, had been built on spongy ground without the correct permits, and the workers were sent in on Wednesday despite warnings the previous day that it was structurally unsafe.

Anger at the negligence has sparked days of protests and clashes, with police on Saturday using tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to quell demonstrators who burned cars.

Two engineers involved in building the complex were picked up at their homes early on Saturday, Dhaka district police chief Habibur Rahman said. He said they were arrested for dismissing a warning not to open the building after a jolt was felt and cracks were noticed on some pillars the previous day.

The owner and managing director of the largest of the five factories in the complex, New Wave Style, surrendered to the country's garment industry association during the night and they were handed over to police. They will be kept in remand for an initial 12 days.

The factory, which listed many European and North American retailers as its customers, occupied upper floors of the building that officials said had been added illegally.

"PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR HIS HEAD"

"Everyone involved - including the designer, engineer, and builders - will be arrested for putting up this defective building," said junior internal affairs minister Shamsul Huq.

Anger over the working conditions of Bangladesh's 3.6 million garment workers - most of whom are women earning as little as $38 a month - has grown since the disaster.

Hundreds were on the streets again on Saturday, smashing and burning cars and sparking more battles with police, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and a water cannon. Eyewitnesses said dozens of people were injured in the clashes.

An alliance of leftist parties which is part of the ruling coalition said it would call a national strike on May 2 if all those responsible for the disaster were not arrested by Sunday.

Rahman identified the owner of the building as Mohammed Sohel Rana, a leader of the ruling Awami League's youth front.

"People are asking for his head, which is quite natural," said H.T. Imam, an adviser to the prime minister.

Wednesday's collapse was the third major industrial incident in five months in Bangladesh, the second-largest exporter of garments in the world. In November, a fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory nearby the latest disaster killed 112 people.

Such incidents have raised serious questions about worker safety and low wages, and could taint the reputation of the poor South Asian country, which relies on garments for 80 percent of its exports.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Saturday asked garment factory owners to produce building designs by July in a bid to improve safety.

Remarkably, rescuers armed with rod cutters and drills were still pulling people alive from the precarious mound of rubble - 29 in all since dawn on Saturday.

Marina Begum, 22, spoke from a hospital bed of her ordeal inside the broken building for three days.

"It felt like I was in hell," she told reporters. "It was so hot, I could hardly breathe, there was no food and water. When I regained my senses I found myself in this hospital bed."

Frantic efforts were under way to save 15 people trapped under the concrete who were being supplied with dried food, bottled water and oxygen.

Heavy machinery will not be used to remove the remaining bodies and debris until all the survivors are rescued, junior minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak said.

About 2,500 people have been rescued from the remains of the building in the commercial suburb of Savar, about 30 km (20 miles) from Dhaka.

WRONG PERMIT, ILLEGAL FLOORS

Emdadul Islam, chief engineer of the state-run Capital Development Authority (CDA), said the owner of the building had not received the proper building consent, obtaining a permit for a five-storey building from the local municipality which did not have the authority to grant it.

"Only CDA can give such approval," he said. "We are trying to get the original design from the municipality, but since the concerned official is in hiding we cannot get it readily."

Furthermore, another three storeys had been added illegally, he said. "Savar is not an industrial zone, and for that reason no factory can be housed in Rana Plaza," Islam told Reuters.

Islam said the building had been erected on the site of a pond filled in with sand and earth, weakening the foundations.

Duty free access offered by Western countries and low wages helped turn Bangladesh's garment exports into a $19 billion a year industry. Sixty percent of the clothes go to Europe. The United States takes 23 percent and Canada takes 5 percent.

North American and European chains, including British retailer Primark and Canada's Loblaw, a unit of George Weston Ltd, said they were supplied by factories in the Rana Plaza building.

Loblaw, which had a small number of "Joe Fresh" apparel items made at one of the factories, said on Saturday that it was working with other retailers to provide aid and support.

It said it was sending representatives to Bangladesh and was also joining what it described as an urgent meeting with other retailers and the Retail Council of Canada.

(Writing by John Chalmers and Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Paul Tait and Jeremy Laurence)

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Catching Fire's Jeffrey Wright Arrested For Drunk Driving In New York City (Reports)

Jeffrey Wright was arrested for drunk driving in New York City on Saturday, according to multiple reports.

The "Catching Fire" actor, 47, was reportedly pulled over on a lower East Side street in the early morning hours after police spotted him driving erratically, law enforcement sources reportedly told the New York Daily News.

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According to TMZ, officers pulled the actor over in a Toyota Tacoma and conducted a field sobriety test after allegedly detecting the odor of alcohol coming from his vehicle.

Wright was arrested and booked for DWI, TMZ reported.

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The actor will soon be seen on the big screen as Beetee in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" - set to hit theaters on November 22.

-- Erin O'Sullivan

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Bangladesh collapsed building owner arrested near border: police

DHAKA (Reuters) - The owner of a Bangladesh factory building that collapsed killing more than 370 people was arrested on Sunday attempting to flee to India, police said.

Mohammed Sohel Rana, a leader of the ruling Awami League's youth front, was arrested by the elite Rapid Action Battalion in the Bangladesh border town of Benapole, Dhaka District Police Chief Habibur Rahman told Reuters.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

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