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Wildlife lover facing charges after allegedly assaulting passersby while attempting to capture a baby seagull

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Wildlife lover facing charges after allegedly assaulting passersby while attempting to capture a baby seagull

A Belfast woman was in court for allegedly attacking good Samaritans who attempted to free a baby seagull she captured Aug. 14. 

Angela Wildman, 58, allegedly used a milk carton and a long-handled mop to attack passersby who tried freeing the waterfowl from her sports bag.

Wildman denied charges in court of common assault, possessing an offensive weapon in public, disorderly behavior and resisting a police officer, according to the BBC. 

Wildman’s defense attorney, Damien Trainor, said in court the 58-year-old denies being diagnosed with any mental health conditions. 

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Angela Wildman is known in Belfast for being a wildlife lover who tends to birds. (iStock)

“[Wildman] explained to me that she feeds birds, takes birds home and looks after wildlife,” said Trainor. “She keeps herself to herself, feeds her birds and cleans her house, does her shopping and comes and goes.”

According to officers’ testimony in court Tuesday, people who attempted to liberate the seagull from Wildman “were assaulted by the defendant with a long-handled mop and a large carton of milk”.

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One unlucky passerby was allegedly struck with both the mop and the milk carton during the Aug. 14 incident.

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When officers responded in south Belfast, Wildman was allegedly aggressive and uncooperative when they tried to handcuff her. 

A Belfast woman is facing charges after allegedly attacking passersby who tried to free a baby seagull she was capturing. (Ahmet Gurhan Kartal/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The arresting officer argued against Wildman’s application for bail in court, saying, “I don’t know that this obsession is with wanting to capture wildlife.

“The public were drawn to her attention because she had managed to capture a baby seagull and was looking after it.”

Wildman was granted bail due to the six weeks she spent in custody ahead of her court date Tuesday.

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Wildman’s defense lawyer, Damien Trainor, did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Private flights account for 30% of departures from Oman airport as wealthy evacuate Middle East

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Private flights account for 30% of departures from Oman airport as wealthy evacuate Middle East

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Long border crossings, SUV convoys and six-figure jet charters have become the new escape route out of the Middle East as Operation Epic Fury intensifies, with private flights now accounting for nearly a third of all departures from Oman’s main airport.

FlightRadar24, a real-time flight tracking platform, reported that while Oman continues to be a “vital” hub for evacuation and repatriation flights, private flights accounted for 31% of operations Wednesday at Muscat International Airport.

As of Thursday afternoon, the platform reported more than 30% of all movements at the airport were private flights.

Semafor reported earlier this week that airports in Oman and Saudi Arabia were drawing ultra-wealthy travelers looking to leave the countries.

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Oman continues to be a “vital” hub for evacuation flights at its Muscat International Airport. (Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

People familiar with the matter told the outlet that private security companies have been booking fleets of SUVs to take people on the 10-hour drive from Dubai to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where private flights are available. 

The clientele evacuating the region are a mix of senior executives at global finance firms and wealthy travelers in the region for business or vacation, according to Semafor.

LIV golfer Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy who arranged flights amid the turmoil.

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Rahm arranged a charter flight through his partnership with VistaJet, a private aviation company, to fly the seven stranded LIV golfers and a caddie from Oman to Hong Kong after their flights were canceled.

After a more than four-hour drive to Oman, the crew flew to Hong Kong.

A spokesperson for Air Charter Service, a company that acts as a global broker for private jets and freight transport, told FOX Business the company has arranged more than 10 evacuation flights, with more scheduled, mainly out of Oman with passengers looking to flee Dubai.

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FlightRadar24 shared flights flying in and out of Muscat airport. (@Flightradar24 via X)

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“We evacuated some of our own staff who were just visiting the region, and we arranged transport via the Hatta crossing into Oman from the UAE to get them to Muscat from where they flew out of the region,” the spokesperson said. “The border crossing time at Hatta took around 3–4 hours, as of Sunday, but I suspect this has increased now, as more people look at this option.”

Light flight jet trips from Muscat, Oman, to Istanbul, Turkey, are reportedly going for more than $93,000, according to Forbes, which said the price was about double the usual rate. 

The outlet added the same route on heavy jets can cost up to $140,000.

AMERICANS IN MORE THAN A DOZEN MIDDLE EAST NATIONS URGED TO FLEE

This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes. (Fox News)

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The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran Saturday, triggering retaliatory attacks targeting countries in the region that host U.S. interests. 

Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, advised U.S. citizens to leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

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The limited number of available aircraft has pushed up prices, as citizens and travelers attempt to flee.

Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

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