LA man testifies kidnappers beat him over Shaquille O’Neal

June 20, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

LOS ANGELES

A Los Angeles music producer testified that gang members kidnapped him in 2008 and told him the reason was an “issue” with basketball star Shaquille O’Neal and his business partner, according to transcripts from a preliminary criminal hearing. In the transcripts, producer Robert Ross — who has claimed the attack came because he said he had a sex tape featuring O’Neal — testified that his kidnappers beat him and demanded a “videotape.” Excerpts from today’s preliminary hearing for seven gang members accusing of kidnapping, robbery, assault and conspiracy in the attack on Ross appeared early Sunday on the Los Angeles Times’ website. Ross testified that at one point he had a tape from his home security system of then-NBA star O’Neal having sex with a woman, but it had been recorded over.

Libya says 9 civilians killed in NATO strike

TRIPOLI, Libya

Libya’s government said NATO warplanes struck a residential neighborhood in the capital Sunday and killed nine civilians, including two children. Hours later, NATO confirmed one of its airstrikes went astray. The incident gave supporters of Moammar Gadhafi’s regime a new rallying point against the international intervention in Libya’s civil war. The foreign minister called for a “global jihad” on the West in response.

FBI: No bomb found on plane at Reagan

WASHINGTON

A bomb threat made by someone at a Dayton airport ticket counter caused flights at Reagan National Airport to be grounded for a time as authorities searched a US Airways plane but found no explosives, authorities said Sunday. Andrew Ames said no hazards were found aboard the plane that landed about 1 p.m. at the airport just outside Washington, D.C. Authorities searched everything including luggage and interviewed the 44 passengers who all got off safely.

Winds challenge crews facing wildfires

PHOENIX

Crews battled a pair of wildfires Sunday in the face of extremely high winds that officials feared could drive flames toward small towns in Arizona and New Mexico as firefighters tried to protect threatened homes. The massive Wallow Fire that has been burning in eastern Arizona for three weeks breached a containment line along Highway 180 on Saturday and the homes of about 200 Luna residents remained under an evacuation order, with forecasts of 40- to 50-mph wind gusts renewing fire threats for the community.

Levees in Missouri breached, overtopped

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

Several levees in northern Missouri were failing Sunday to hold back the surge of water being released from upstream dams. Authorities said water — some of it from recent rain — began pouring over levees Saturday night and Sunday morning in Holt and Atchison counties, flooding farmland and numerous homes and cabins. A hole in the side of a Holt County levee continued to grow Sunday, deluging the state park and recreational area of Big Lake, a community of less than 200 people located 78 miles north of Kansas City.

Giffords back home after Tucson visit

PHOENIX

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned to Houston on Sunday after spending the weekend with her family in Tucson. The visit was the Arizona Democrat’s first trip home since was shot in the head at a January political event. Six people were killed in the attack, and 12 others besides the congresswoman were wounded.

Associated Press