KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) — Three crew members were killed on late Monday morning when a U.S.-owned helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, its owner said. There were no survivors.

The accident happened at around 10:45 a.m. local time when a helicopter belonging to AAR Airlift, a unit of Chicago-based AAR Corp., crashed in the Nad Ali district of Helmand province. The aircraft was conducting operations for the U.S. Department of Defense, although it was not part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

“The Company has confirmed that there were three crew member fatalities,” AAR Airlift said in a brief statement. “The families of all three crew members have been contacted. The Company reports that no passengers were aboard the aircraft at the time of the accident.”

AAR Airlift said the cause of the accident was not immediately known and gave no other details. However, district police chief Major Omar Jan told Pajhwok Afghan News that the aircraft caught fire, possibly as a result of a technical fault, while attempting an emergency landing.

But Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi claimed its fighters had shot down the aircraft. “The attack took place at 11:00 am today as the enemy aircraft took off from a base while carrying troops away when it came under an armed attack in Shawal area, catching fire in mid-air before violently crashing onto the ground, instantly killing all invaders and crew onboard,” he said.

Contrary to the Taliban claim, ISAF said no service members were on board the aircraft and the casualties are believed to have been U.S. civilians. The Taliban frequently exaggerates its statements for propaganda purposes, but is also known to falsely claim credit for accidents.

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) — Former Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on Wednesday after being convicted of numerous counts of corruption, prosecutors said.

Blagojevich, who is to turn 55 on Saturday, was convicted on 18 felony counts of corruption during his tenure as governor, including his effort in 2008 to illegally trade the appointment of a United States Senator in exchange for $1.5 million in campaign contributions or other personal benefits.

Blagojevich, a lawyer and former state prosecutor, state legislator, and U.S. Representative, was arrested on December 9, 2008, while serving as the governor of Illinois. A two-term Democrat, he was removed from office in January 2009.

The governor was accused of using his office in numerous matters involving state appointments, business, legislation and pension fund investments to seek or obtain financial benefits as money, campaign contributions, and employment for himself and others, in exchange for official actions, including trying to leverage his authority to appoint a United States Senator to replace then President-Elect Barack Obama.

In the summer of 2010, Blagojevich went to trial and was convicted of lying to FBI agents when he falsely told them in an interview on March 16, 2005, that he did not track, or want to know, who contributed to him or how much money they contributed to him, but the jury was deadlocked on all remaining counts.

During trial, prosecutors relied heavily on wiretap tapes in which Blagojevich spew profanity and speculated about getting a Cabinet job in exchange for the Senate seat. His attorneys, however, said he was a big talker but never actually engaged in corruption.

Earlier this year, Blagojevich was convicted on 17 additional counts, including 10 counts of wire fraud, two counts of attempted extortion, two counts of conspiracy to commit extortion, one count of soliciting bribes, and two counts of conspiracy to solicit and accept bribes.

Blagojevich was sentenced for shaking down the chief executive of a children’s hospital for $25,000 in campaign contributions in exchange for implementing an increase to pediatric reimbursement rates. In addition, he was sentenced for holding up the signing of a bill to benefit the Illinois horse racing industry in an attempt to illegally obtain $100,000 in campaign contributions and lying to the FBI in 2005.

After a two-day hearing, U.S. District Judge James Zagel imposed the 14-year sentence, stating that “the harm here is not measured in the value of money or property… the harm is the erosion of public trust in government.”

Blagojevich was ordered to surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on February 16, 2012, to begin serving his sentence. The prison term is the longest-ever imposed on a former governor in the Northern District of Illinois.

The judge also imposed a fine of $20,000 and two years of supervised release after completing his prison term. Blagojevich also must pay a special assessment of $1,800, or $100 on each count of conviction.

“Blagojevich betrayed the trust and faith that Illinois voters placed in him, feeding great public frustration, cynicism and disengagement among citizens,” said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. “People have the right to expect that their elected leaders will honor the oath they swear to, and this sentence shows that the justice system will stand up to protect their expectations.”

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BEDFORD PARK, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) — A former FedEx employee opened fire at one of the company’s facilities in a Chicago suburb on Thursday morning before killing himself, police said.

The former employee, whose name has not been disclosed, reportedly entered the FedEx facility in Bedford Park in Cook County, Illinois, which is a small suburb outside Chicago, at around 7:50 a.m. local time. He soon got in a vehicle and opened fire indiscriminately, causing panic among employees.

Cook County Sheriff’s spokesman Frank Bilecki told the Chicago Tribune that police responded to several emergency calls and surrounded the building as SWAT teams were stationed outside.

At 9:30 a.m. local time, after security personnel entered the building’s parking lot, police announced that the gunman was already dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No other victims were found.

Details of the incident remain unclear, but police described the incident as a “domestic” situation. Sources to the media also explained that the gunman had been involved with a woman who worked at the FedEx facility.

Several workers recognized the man as a former employee.

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CHICAGO (BNO NEWS) — The town of Tiskilwa in northern Illinois was evacuated on early Friday morning after a freight train derailed and several tankers containing ethanol exploded. There were no reports of injuries.

Twenty-six cars of the 131-car train derailed at around 2 a.m. local time, including seven to nine cars loaded with ethanol, according to Mick Burkart, chief operating officer of Iowa Interstate Railroad. He said that investigators have been unable to determine the cause of the accident since they have been unable to get close enough to the train, the Chicago Tribune reported.

As of 9.30 a.m. local time on Friday, the fire was under control but still burning in the town of 800 people located some 115 miles (185 kilometers) west of Chicago. “It’s under control, there are no casualties and it didn’t cause any structural damage,” said Les Grant of the Bureau County Emergency Services and Disaster Administration, according to the report.

Grant said the evacuation of Tiskilwa was voluntary but most evacuated, although several people decided to stay behind. Most residents went to stay with friends or relatives out of town or went to work.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was dispatching a six-person team to investigate the accident. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency also sent a representative to the scene to evaluate the situation, the newspaper reported.

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OTTAWA (BNO NEWS) — A United Express regional jet carrying more than 45 people skidded off a runway at Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in the Canadian capital of Ottawa on late Sunday afternoon, airline and emergency officials said.

The incident happened at around 3.29 p.m. local time when United Express Flight 3363, which originated from Chicago, was landing on runway 7. The flight was operated by Trans States Airlines using a 50-seat Embraer 145.

Aboard the aircraft were 44 passengers and a crew of three. “All passengers are accounted for and on an OC Transpo bus,” said Marc Messier, a spokesman for the Ottawa Fire Services. “Crews reporting no injuries at this time.”

Photos from the scene showed the front landing gear had collapsed. “Crews [are] reporting damage to [the] under carriage and [a] fuel leak under the plane,” Messier said. “Fire crews are controlling the fuel run and the spill.”

It was not immediately known what caused the accident, which will be investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). “Trans States Airlines cannot speculate as to the cause of the incident,” the airline said in a statement.

Late last month, twelve people were killed when First Air Flight 6560, a Boeing 737-200, crashed about five miles (eight kilometers) east of Resolute Bay, a small Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island in Canada’s Nunavut.

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) — At least two people were killed when a train crashed into a car in the state of Illinois, officials said Thursday.

The accident occurred at around 4 p.m. local time, as a Rock Island Line Metra train traveling up to 60 miles per hour crashed into a car at a rail crossing between the Tinley Park and Oak Forest station, officials told the Chicago Tribune.

The two fatal victims were both women who were riding in the car, which was completely smashed. The women have not been identified. The train was heading toward Chicago and was carrying 89 passengers, of which seven were taken to a local hospital to receive medical treatment due to minor injuries.

The lead car of the train was knocked off the track due to the impact. As a result, the train tracks will have to be repaired before Metra reopens and resumes normal service.

Local authorities were still working at the scene three hours after the incident occurred near 167th Street and Central Avenue, but the reason of the incident remains uncertain. Officials will be reviewing the train’s event recorder, which is similar to an aircraft’s black box.

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) — Former media tycoon Conrad Black on Friday was sent back to prison over pending fraud and obstruction of justice counts, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Black, 66, was sentenced to 42 months in prison on his remaining guilty verdicts of defrauding Hollinger International Inc. and obstructing justice by U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve.

Black is likely to spend only 13 months in prison of his sentence as he had previously spent 29 months imprisoned. The defendant was once the owner of a media empire that included the British Daily Telegraph, the Chicago Sun-Times and other newspapers in U.S. and Canada.

In 2007, he was sentenced to six and a half years of imprisonment after being convicted of three counts of fraud in relation to the theft of $6.1million from Hollinger, the parent company of the Sun-Times.

He was charged along three other Hollinger executives. Black appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court which last year directed the 7th U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago to take another look at his case.

The former tycoon was released on bail in July 2010 the Supreme Court found ruled an anti-corruption law as unconstitutional. The remaining guilty verdicts were upheld by the Appeals Court last October.

On Friday, Black claimed that his 29 months in prison should be enough for the remaining counts. However, prosecutors demanded that the Canadian-born businessman should be sent back to prison to fulfill the original 78-month sentence.

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CHICAGO (BNO NEWS) — A World War II-era Boeing B-17 aircraft crashed close to an airport near Chicago on late Monday morning, federal officials said, but there were no reports of casualties.

The plane, which is also known as the ‘Flying Fortress’, is a four-engine aircraft which was used as a strategic bomber during World War II. They were quickly phased out of use after the war, although dozens which were captured during the war were later used by the Soviet Air Force.

The accident on Monday morning happened shortly after the B-17 aircraft took off from Aurora Municipal Airport, which is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Chicago. A total of seven people were on board.

Elizabeth Isham Cory, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said the accident happened just before 10 a.m. local time, about 3 to 4 miles (4.8 to 6.4 kilometers) southeast of Aurora airport. “No injuries [have been] reported to [the] FAA,” Cory said.

Footage from the scene showed the aircraft was on fire and had broken into at least three parts. It was not immediately clear what caused the accident, which will be investigated by the FAA.

According to federal records, the B-17 aircraft was built in 1944 and was registered to Liberty Foundation, Inc., which allows people to experience flying in B-17 and Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft. A schedule on its website said it provided 30-minute flights in the area around Aurora airport during the weekend.

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday announced that a Chicago businessman was convicted for participating in a terrorism plot against a Danish newspaper.

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani native, was also found guilty on Thursday of providing material support to a terrorist organization based in Pakistan. He was acquitted of conspiracy to provide material support to the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans.

“The message should be clear to all those who help terrorists – we will bring to justice all those who seek to facilitate violence,” said Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Rana, 50, a Canadian citizen, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to provide material support to the terrorism plot in Denmark and one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, Lashkar e Tayyiba (Lashkar).

The defendant operated an immigration business based in Chicago. He is the second of eight defendants who were indicted in this case since late 2009.Six of them are believed to be at large in Pakistan.

In March 2010, co-defendant David Coleman Headley, 50, pleaded guilty to all 12 counts against him, including aiding and abetting the murders of the six American victims.

Headley testified as a government witness at Rana’s trial. He has been cooperating with authorities since his October 2009 arrest. Between 2002 and 2005, Headley attended training camps in Pakistan operated by Lashkar in five separate occasions.

In late 2005, Headley received instructions from members of Lashkar to travel to India to conduct surveillance for a future terrorist attack in Mumbai which was perpetrated three years later against the targets scouted by him.

In the summer of 2006, the co-defendant and two Lashkar members discussed opening an immigration office in Mumbai as a cover for his surveillance activities. Headley then traveled to Chicago to visit Rana, his long-time friend since the time they attended high school together in Pakistan.

The two defendants discussed Headley’s assignment and Rana agreed to open a First World office in Mumbai as cover for his activities as part of his First World Immigration Services in Chicago.

Afterwards, Rana advised Headley how to obtain a visa for travel to India, as well as emails and other documents. He also directed an individual associated with First World to prepare documents supporting Headley’s cover story.

In early November 2008, Headley met with a Lashkar member in Karachi, Pakistan, and was instructed to conduct surveillance of the Copenhagen and Aarhus offices of a Danish newspaper.

The terror plot targeted the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in retaliation fro the publishing of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed which angered the Muslim community. Headley obtained Rana’s approval and assistance to identify himself as a representative of First World and gain access to the newspaper’s offices under false advertisement interests.

Before departing Chicago, Headley and Rana ordered business cards to be made that identified Headley as a representative of the Immigration Law Center, the business name of First World, according to the evidence shown at trial.

Evidence also included recorded conversations between Headley and Rana discussing the terror plots and setbacks, including the killing of co-defendant Ilyas Kashmiri, an alleged Pakistani terrorist leader, during a U.S. drone strike.

Rana faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on the two counts combined and remains in federal custody without bond. Headley is also facing a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. No sentencing date was set on both cases.

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AURORA, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) — Six people, including three children, were killed and a dozen others injured on Sunday in an apartment fire in a Chicago suburb.

The Chicago Tribune reported that fire raced through a three-story building in Aurora, Illinois, trapping residents and forcing some to jump from their windows. The victims included two women and a man in their 30s and 40s and three boys, ages 9, 6, and 8 months.

Aurora officials said as many as 35 people lived in 12 apartments. They added that at least 12 people were injured, while eight to 10 people who lived in the apartment where the fire originated survived.

A 2-year-old was transferred to Loyola University Hospital’s burn unit in critical condition. Seven other people were taken to the hospital, including five children and two adults.

The fire apparently started in a first-floor unit and spread through an open door to a common hallway.

“The hallway acted as a chimney with the fire racing through, trapping victims inside,” said Aurora Fire Chief Hal Carlson. “Those on the third floor were very exposed because they opened their door.”

Building owner Jose Ayala, who has owned the building since 1993, said the building was last inspected in December and “everything was in order”. City officials, however, said the building’s last inspection took place last June. They said no life-safety violations were found at the time.

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