Los Angeles

Mexico-L.A. flight canceled for terrorism concerns

A week after the Christmas Eve cancellation of six Air France flights from Paris to Los Angeles International Airport, authorities canceled Aeromexico’s Flight 490 to Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve for fear it might have been targeted by al-Qaida, federal law enforcement sources said.

The suspicion arose from the same intelligence that led authorities last week to zero in on the Air France flights. One of those flights in particular had been identified specifically by terrorists and included about a dozen passengers whose names were close to those of suspected Islamic militants, sources said.

Raul Reyna, an Aeromexico supervisor at Mexico City International Airport, said the flight was canceled for security reasons at the request of U.S. authorities.

Washington

Ports, ships fail to meet anti-terrorism deadline

Almost 5,000 ships and about 80 percent of the nation’s ports, ferry terminals and fuel-chemical tank farms failed to meet a Wednesday deadline for submitting maritime security plans showing how they will deal with terrorism threats.

Coast Guard officials said the deadline for submitting the plans was met by about 5,200 of 10,000 ships told to submit them and only 1,100 of 5,000 port facilities — despite a potential fine of $25,000.

One reason ships, ports and other facilities were missing their deadline was they were given too little time, said Maureen Ellis, a spokeswoman for the Association of American Port Authorities. The government didn’t finalize what it wanted until Oct. 22, though the industry was told July 1 they had six months to submit the plans.

Miami

Mother of teen murderer approves plea bargain

The mother of a teenager who received a life sentence for murdering a 6-year-old playmate has approved a plea bargain that could allow the boy to be released in the next month, an attorney said Wednesday.

Richard Rosenbaum, Lionel Tate’s attorney, estimated his client could be released from prison Jan. 29.

Tate, 16, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole — a punishment that set off worldwide criticism over the Florida’s treatment of juveniles.

Tate’s lawyers argued that Tate was imitating the pro-wrestling moves he saw on television and did not mean to kill Tiffany Eunick, a 48-pound girl who was punched, kicked and stomped to death.

A state appeals court threw out the conviction and sentence in December, saying Tate’s mental competency should have been tested before trial.