LONDON (AP) — An Ethiopian man was found guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl days after he had sought asylum in Britain, in a case that triggered angry protests at hotels housing migrants.
A judge at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court east of London convicted Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence.
Prosecutors said Kebatu, 41, had arrived in England by small boat just over a week before he tried to kiss the 14-year-old on a bench in the town of Epping, put his hand on her thigh and stroked her hair.
He also sexually assaulted a woman who had offered to help him with his CV by trying to kiss her, putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty, the prosecution said.
Kebatu had denied the charges.
Judge Christopher Williams said he would sentence the defendant on Sept. 23.
Kebatu's arrest and prosecution sparked protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, where he was staying along with other newly arrived migrants. More protests followed, in Epping and other towns, involving local people but also organized and attended by far-right activists. In some cases the demonstrators were outnumbered by counterprotesters supporting refugees.
Tensions have long simmered over the British government’s policy of using hotels to house migrants who are awaiting a decision on their asylum status. Critics say it costs taxpayers millions of pounds, while the hotels become flashpoints in communities and leave migrants feeling targeted by local residents.
The British government has pledged to stop migrants trying to reach Britain across the Channel and to end the use of asylum hotels, but says it will take time.
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Protesters gather outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, near London, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 after a temporary injunction that would have blocked asylum seekers from being housed at the hotel was overturned. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Police officers escort protesters near the Bell Hotel in Epping, London, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 after a temporary injunction that would have blocked asylum seekers from being housed at the hotel was overturned. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter.
The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that the U.S. intelligence has not uncovered that Russia is directing Iran on what to do with the information as the U.S. and Israel continue their bombardment and Iran fires retaliatory salvos at American assets and allies in the Persian Gulf.
Still, it's the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war that the U.S. and Israel launched on Iran a week ago. Russia is in the rare club of countries that maintains friendly relations with Tehran, which has faced years of isolation over its nuclear program and its support of proxy groups that have wreaked havoc in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.
The White House downplayed reports that Russia was sharing intelligence with Iran about U.S. targets in the region. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday told reporters that “it clearly is not making any difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them.”
Leavitt declined to say if Trump had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the reported intelligence sharing or whether he believed Russia should face repercussions, saying she would let the president speak to that himself.
Asked whether Russia would go beyond political support and offer military assistance to Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there has been no such request from Tehran.
“We are in dialogue with the Iranian side, with representatives of the Iranian leadership, and will certainly continue this dialogue,” he said Friday.
Pushed on whether Moscow has provided any military or intelligence assistance to Tehran since the Iran war’s start, he refrained from comment.
Russia has tightened its relationship with Iran as it looked for badly needed missiles and drones to utilize in its four-year war against Ukraine.
The Biden administration declassified intelligence findings that showed Iran supplies Moscow with attack drones and has assisted the Kremlin with building a drone-manufacturing factory.
The former U.S. administration also accused Iran of transferring short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Details about the U.S. intelligence were first reported by The Washington Post.
Asked whether the revelation had shaken Trump’s faith in Putin’s ability to cut any peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war, Leavitt said, “I think the president would say that peace is still an achievable objective with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the United States and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones. Tehran has been supplying Russia with Shaheds for its war on Ukraine and are now utilizing them in retaliatory attacks throughout the Gulf.
Zelenskyy says that he's spoken to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait about possible cooperation.
“Ukraine knows how to defend against Shahed drone attacks because our cities have faced them almost every night," said Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna. “When our partners are in need, we are always ready to help.”
Trump, who has struggled to fulfill a campaign pledge to end the Russia-Ukraine war, has had an up-and-down relationship with Zelenskyy. He's frequently pressured the Ukrainian leader to heed Russian demands, including that Kyiv concede Ukrainian territory still in its control.
With the Pentagon facing questions about whether the Iran war is depleting U.S. stockpiles, Trump this week grumbled that former President Joe Biden provided billions in high-end weaponry to Ukraine and failed to replenish U.S. reserves.
Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt walks to speak with reporters at the White House, Friday, March 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Nizhny Novgorod Region Governor Gleb Nikitin at the Kremlin, in , Russia, Friday, March 6, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
