US reportedly planning attack on Iran over weekend
The prospect of a US strike against Iran has exposed divisions in the coalition of supporters that brought President Donald Trump to power, with some of his base urging him not to get the country involved in a new Middle East war. Some of Trump's most prominent Republican allies, including top lieutenant Steve Bannon, have found themselves in the unusual position of being at odds with a president who largely shares their isolationist tendencies.
Bannon, one of many influential voices from Trump's 'America First' coalition, on Wednesday urged caution about the US military joining Israel in trying to destroy Iran's nuclear program in the absence of a diplomatic deal.
'We can't do this again,' Bannon told reporters at an event sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington. 'We'll tear the country apart. We can't have another Iraq.'
Bannon continued to preach patience on his popular 'War Room' podcast on Thursday, contending that Trump was being set up to be responsible for toppling the Iranian regime. He was joined by Jack Posobiec, another prominent MAGA figure.
The goal, Posobiec said, is to 'suck the United States in, have the regime change go off and, unfortunately, have the United States finish something that was started not by us.'
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The Advertiser
24 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Protester Mahmoud Khalil freed from detention in US
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released from federal immigration detention, 104 days after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student was freed in Louisiana on Friday after a court ruling. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his US citizen wife and infant son, born while Khalil was detained. "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he said outside the facility in a remote part of Louisiana. "This shouldn't have taken three months." The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. He was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan. During an hourlong hearing conducted by phone, the New Jersey-based judge said the government had "clearly not met" the standards for detention. The government filed notice that it's appealing Khalil's release. Khalil was the first person arrested under Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be deported as it considers their views antisemitic. Protesters and civil rights groups say the administration is conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel in order to silence dissent. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists and wasn't among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. The judge agreed Friday with Khalil's lawyers that the protester was being prevented from exercising his free speech and due process rights despite no obvious reason for his continued detention. Khalil said Friday that no one should be detained for protesting Israel's war in Gaza. He said his time in the detention facility had shown him "a different reality about this country that supposedly champions human rights and liberty and justice." "Whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant or just a person on this land doesn't mean that you are less of a human," he said, adding that "justice will prevail, no matter what this administration may try to portray" about immigrants. In a statement after the judge's ruling, Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said she can finally "breathe a sigh of relief" after her husband's three months in detention. The judge's decision comes after several other scholars targeted for their activism have been released from custody, including another former Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released from federal immigration detention, 104 days after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student was freed in Louisiana on Friday after a court ruling. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his US citizen wife and infant son, born while Khalil was detained. "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he said outside the facility in a remote part of Louisiana. "This shouldn't have taken three months." The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. He was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan. During an hourlong hearing conducted by phone, the New Jersey-based judge said the government had "clearly not met" the standards for detention. The government filed notice that it's appealing Khalil's release. Khalil was the first person arrested under Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be deported as it considers their views antisemitic. Protesters and civil rights groups say the administration is conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel in order to silence dissent. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists and wasn't among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. The judge agreed Friday with Khalil's lawyers that the protester was being prevented from exercising his free speech and due process rights despite no obvious reason for his continued detention. Khalil said Friday that no one should be detained for protesting Israel's war in Gaza. He said his time in the detention facility had shown him "a different reality about this country that supposedly champions human rights and liberty and justice." "Whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant or just a person on this land doesn't mean that you are less of a human," he said, adding that "justice will prevail, no matter what this administration may try to portray" about immigrants. In a statement after the judge's ruling, Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said she can finally "breathe a sigh of relief" after her husband's three months in detention. The judge's decision comes after several other scholars targeted for their activism have been released from custody, including another former Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released from federal immigration detention, 104 days after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student was freed in Louisiana on Friday after a court ruling. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his US citizen wife and infant son, born while Khalil was detained. "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he said outside the facility in a remote part of Louisiana. "This shouldn't have taken three months." The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. He was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan. During an hourlong hearing conducted by phone, the New Jersey-based judge said the government had "clearly not met" the standards for detention. The government filed notice that it's appealing Khalil's release. Khalil was the first person arrested under Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be deported as it considers their views antisemitic. Protesters and civil rights groups say the administration is conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel in order to silence dissent. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists and wasn't among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. The judge agreed Friday with Khalil's lawyers that the protester was being prevented from exercising his free speech and due process rights despite no obvious reason for his continued detention. Khalil said Friday that no one should be detained for protesting Israel's war in Gaza. He said his time in the detention facility had shown him "a different reality about this country that supposedly champions human rights and liberty and justice." "Whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant or just a person on this land doesn't mean that you are less of a human," he said, adding that "justice will prevail, no matter what this administration may try to portray" about immigrants. In a statement after the judge's ruling, Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said she can finally "breathe a sigh of relief" after her husband's three months in detention. The judge's decision comes after several other scholars targeted for their activism have been released from custody, including another former Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released from federal immigration detention, 104 days after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student was freed in Louisiana on Friday after a court ruling. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his US citizen wife and infant son, born while Khalil was detained. "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he said outside the facility in a remote part of Louisiana. "This shouldn't have taken three months." The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. He was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan. During an hourlong hearing conducted by phone, the New Jersey-based judge said the government had "clearly not met" the standards for detention. The government filed notice that it's appealing Khalil's release. Khalil was the first person arrested under Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be deported as it considers their views antisemitic. Protesters and civil rights groups say the administration is conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel in order to silence dissent. The international affairs graduate student served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists and wasn't among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. The judge agreed Friday with Khalil's lawyers that the protester was being prevented from exercising his free speech and due process rights despite no obvious reason for his continued detention. Khalil said Friday that no one should be detained for protesting Israel's war in Gaza. He said his time in the detention facility had shown him "a different reality about this country that supposedly champions human rights and liberty and justice." "Whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant or just a person on this land doesn't mean that you are less of a human," he said, adding that "justice will prevail, no matter what this administration may try to portray" about immigrants. In a statement after the judge's ruling, Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said she can finally "breathe a sigh of relief" after her husband's three months in detention. The judge's decision comes after several other scholars targeted for their activism have been released from custody, including another former Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri.
The Advertiser
24 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Israel and Iran trade fire as Europe's diplomacy stalls
Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. with DPA Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. with DPA Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. with DPA Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. with DPA
Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
- Daily Telegraph
Tiny detail that shows Trump's wild security
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. In front of me was a winding path, a plethora of pine trees and an invisible line. The only clue this line even existed was the presence, just beyond it, of a single security guard. She was not to be trifled with. asked the guard if a journalist could get shot if they crossed this imperceptible barrier. 'Not shot,' she said. 'But I'd have to tackle you to the ground. 'I'd prefer not to though because I've had a lot of waffles for breakfast'. Donald Trump would be safe even without this most Canadian of security guards. Because at last week's G7 meeting of world leaders, if you'd got this close to the summit venue you'd been checked so many times already that you felt like you been stripped of even a harmful retort let alone a harmful firearm. Tiny detail on valley floor Incongruous sights abounded in and around the luxury Kananaskis Mountain Lodge resort, in the Canadian Rockies where the G7 was being held. They were both concerning and reassuring. On a valley floor, hundreds of metres from the resort down an almost sheer cliff that would challenge even the most ardent anti-Trump protester, spied something sticking out among the forest trees. Something that showed just how serious was the effort to keep Donald Trump alive. And Emmanuel Macron. And Keir Starmer. And Volodymyr Zelensky, Narendra Modi and our own Anthony Albanese. US President Donald Trump is greeted by the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, left, at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, Monday June 16, 2025. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP) A tiny detail from this far up, temporary fencing jutted out from the scraggly bush and darted towards the Kananaskis River. At its apex was a mobile security tower brimming with lights and cameras. Nothing was getting up this cliff face. But it wasn't just protesters, the Royal Mounted Canadian Police – the Mounties – who spearheaded security at the event were concerned about. It was also wildlife: specifically bears. A temporary security fence just out of a forest near Kananaskis to protect the leaders at the G7. Picture: Benedict Brook. In March, the Mounties estimated that G7 security would cost it alone at least $53 million. But that's likely a huge underestimation of the actual cost. Canada's last G7, held in 2018, cost $433 million all up, more than half of that on policing and security. Costs have shot up since a 1999 World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle CBD which descended into chaos as protesters fought police. It's now known as the 'Battle of Seattle'. Since then, the G7 summits have mostly been held in more rural locales such as Kananaskis, around 90 minutes west of Calgary. Safe, secure, but costly. The G7 could end costing Canada half a billion dollars. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) 'One way in, one way out' 'One way in, one way out,' security specialist Alan Bell told The Guardian during the 2018 G7 which was held in a rustic area of Quebec. 'If you go back to some G7 meetings, the downtown core always gets trashed. 'What they want to do is zero in on the protesters. If they want to come, they basically have to walk in.' A 'controlled access zone' was set up around the Kananaskis lodge for miles around, brimming with police and cameras. But the security began way before these more physical elements. To even get near Kananaskis, or one of the secondary venues in Calgary and Banff, you had to be security vetted and accredited. Anthony Albanese's base hotel in Calgary's city centre was also home to various countries and bodies that orbited – but were not part of – the core Group of Seven nations. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Anthony Albanese hold a bilateral meeting during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit. Picture: Stefan Rousseau / NewsWire Pool Delegations lingered in the lobby, parting like Moses at the Red Sea as leaders came and went, such as Canada's PM Mark Carney. At one point NATO secretary-general and former Dutch PM Mark Rutte strolled breezily through not looking a bit like a man who has the weight of the defence of Europe on his shoulders. Barricades surrounded the hotel. Like fancy nightclubs and their notorious lists, if you didn't have the right lanyard you weren't getting in. Sirens wailing, lights flashing and engines roaring signalled a motorcade was about to depart. And this was 100km east of Kananaskis. Getting to the actual lodge would test Mission Impossible's Ethan Hunt. Police check 4 of 6, or maybe 16 – it got blurry. Picture: Benedict Brook. Six checkpoints, maybe more On Tuesday, Mr Albanese headed for Kananaskis itself to meet the G7 leaders in person – well G6 since Donald Trump left a day early. As such, the travelling Australian media – including – were invited too. First stop, Calgary airport and a draughty hanger where a screening station had been set up. Sniffer dogs complimented X-ray machines and pat downs as every item – from pads to cameras – was scrutinised. The whole process could have been quite stressful were it not for the bottomless well of cheeriness even the most formidable looking Canadian seems to possess. Next stop was special G7 buses with police officers on board for the long drive from the flat prairies to the Rocky Mountains, snow-capped even in summer. The coach was now a secure environment. If just one of us hopped off to snap a picture of the icy blue - almost milky looking - waters of mountain fed lakes, we'd all have to head back to the airport and have our bags sniffed once more. Then the checkpoints began. Plural. They started off simple: a couple of guys ensuring the coach was expected. But each time, it got more serious. At one check point accreditation was counted and examined; at another high fences began to slice through the forest. Many, many fences to protect world leaders. Picture: Benedict Brook. No bears These fences were a minimum of eight feet high. That's not just to make it hard for humans to scale but to 'limit wildlife access' stated organisers. Mountain goats, moose, and wolves roam these parts. But it's mostly overly inquisitive bears that were a worry. There are around 70 grizzlies in the area. Bears care little for controlled access zones, closed hiking routes or polite Canadians urging them to respect the cordon, so fences were the last defence. The police had a whole plan to make sure grizzly bears weren't unexpected guests at the G7. Picture: iStock Giant helicopters could be spied through the trees in temporary heliports, military Chinooks whirred overhead with VIPs, the guns got bigger with each passing checkpoint. A no fly-zone was also in place. But a flight tracking app revealed a US air force Stratotanker was ceaselessly circling, peering down on events below. A US air force plane kept watch above the G7 summit. Picture: FlightRadar24. After around six separate checkpoints, the immaculate resort grounds appeared. The media could freely roam a compound of large tents that had been erected on two tennis courts to file stories. Generally, that was it. So close, yet so many police ready to wrestle you to the ground if you dared venture further. The media village at the G7 summit in Kananaskis. Leaving this area needed a police escort for journalists. Picture: Benedict Brook. But when Mr Albanese was meeting world leaders there was an opportunity to go into the lodge itself – to the belly of the diplomatic beast. The building itself looked rustic, warming and rich. However, the police escorting you were not in the habit of letting you hang around and appreciate the amenities. There was a charming restaurant that we would not be allowed to dine in, but I liked to think France's Macron had dipped in for a cheeky croque monsieur earlier. And a souvenir shop we would not be allowed to shop at, but perhaps Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz had ducked in for a G7 souvenir mug and hoodie. To get this close needed security checks, X-rays, six checkpoints and a police escort. Picture: Benedict Brook. When Mr Albanese's hand shaking was done and his press conference was completed it was time for the Australian media to go too. But it took an hour to leave Kananaskis due to all the motorcades. These are not everyday traffic issues. Yet high up in the mountains, in the surprisingly warm air, with views that made you wonder if they should have filmed Lord of the Rings here rather than New Zealand, it wasn't the most awful place be forced to dawdle in. Alberta being all very New Zealand. Picture: Benedict Brook Not a single arrest For Canada, it was half a billion dollars well spent: not a single arrest was made at the G7. The biggest issue, Alberta Forestry and Parks Superintendent Brian Sundberg told Canada's Global News, was indeed the wildlife. 'About half of the reports were for grizzly bear and black bears,' he told local media. Bear spray, 'bear bangers,' and dogs were used to ensure they didn't even get as far as the fence. 'I'm very happy to say that all of those are minor in nature and as a result we were able to take minimal action to move the risk away'. It will be a relief to Canada's Mr Carney that no world leaders, or bears, were harmed during the G7. Originally published as Tiny detail that shows Trump's wild security
