Man Held After Girlfriend Decapitated in Greece

Friend says Deyan Deyanov loved sci-fi film, decapitation scenes

(NEWSER) - Deyan Deyanov, the man accused of beheading British grandmother Jennifer Mills-Westley on Tenerife last Friday, was obsessed with the movie Predator and may have been trying to copy its decapitation attacks, a friend says. Deyanov, 28, even had a tattoo on his arm featuring characters from the film’s fictional language; he especially enjoyed the way the alien in the movie beheaded its victims. Similarly disturbing: He made a cellphone video four years ago stating, “I don’t like human beings," the Telegraph reports. More»

Store owner threw him out, but didn't report threat

(NEWSER) - Another tragic twist in the Tenerife beheading story : Before the attack, Deyan Valentinov Deyanov asked a store owner for a large knife because, he said, "I'm going to kill someone." But the shopkeeper didn't report the threat to police. Deyanov was caught on the store's security camera gesturing with his arms to show what size knife he wanted. He even ran his finger across his throat to demonstrate his plans, the Telegraph reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Saudi Arabian authorities decapitated and publicly displayed a convicted killer last night, drawing fire from Amnesty International, CNN reports. A state press agency said Ahmed Al-Shamlani Al-Anzi was sentenced for murdering an 11-year-old boy and his father. The Saudis likely sewed Al-Anzi's head back on before his display, or "crucifixion," which is intended to deter future crimes, an Amnesty researcher said. More»

Horrified witnesses flee savage random attack

(NEWSER) - A "totally calm" attacker stabbed and beheaded his seatmate on a bus in Canada, the Globe & Mail reports. In an apparently random act of violence, the man suddenly stood up and slashed his sleeping victim dozens of times with a hunting knife. Terrified passengers fled as the attacker cut off the young man's head and began disembowelling him. Passengers pushed against the door to prevent the attacker from leaving the bus. More»

Police see spike in home robberies

(NEWSER) - See those stories about panicked residents of Greece pulling their money out of banks ? Yeah, criminals did, too, and now police are warning people about a wave of break-ins and home invasions, reports Reuters . In fact, police broke up two crime networks from the former Soviet republic of Georgia suspected in 300 Greek burglaries in recent months. More»