BALTIMORE

Cellphone spy device used 4,300 times, officer testifies

The Baltimore Police Department has used secretive cellphone surveillance equipment 4,300 times and believes it is under orders by the U.S. government to withhold evidence from criminal trials and ignore subpoenas in cases where the device is used, a police officer testified Wednesday.

The unusual testimony in a criminal case marked a rare instance when details have been revealed about the surveillance devices, which the Obama administration has aggressively tried to keep secret. Citing security reasons, the government has intervened in routine state public-records cases and criminal trials, and has advised police not to disclose details.

On Wednesday, Baltimore police Officer Emmanuel Cabreja said his technical unit has deployed the device, called Hailstorm, about 4,300 times since 2007. That is believed to be higher than other known uses of similar equipment by state and local police. Hailstorm is an upgraded version of the Stingray surveillance device.

SANAA, Yemen

Iran sends two warships amid Saudi air campaign

Iran dispatched a destroyer and another naval ship to waters off Yemen on Wednesday, raising the stakes amid a Saudi-led air campaign targeting Iranian-backed Shiite rebels fighting forces loyal to the country’s embattled president.

The Iranian maneuver came as the U.S. deepened its support for the Saudi-led coalition, boosting weapons supplies and intelligence-sharing and carrying out the first U.S. aerial refueling mission of coalition fighter jets.

The Iranian warships were sent to the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait as part of an anti-piracy campaign to “safeguard naval routes for vessels in the region,” Iranian Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari said.

– From news service reports