Tag: Arrests

‘We need your help’: $10,000 reward offered for tips that lead to arrest of third suspect in Florida triple homicide | CNN

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Officials are offering a total of $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest of 16-year-old Tahj Brewton, the third suspect sought in connection with the recent shooting deaths of three Florida teenagers.

The Florida Sheriff’s Association Criminal Apprehension Assistance Program and the US Marshals Service are offering $5,000 each – for a total of $10,000 – for tips that lead to Brewton’s capture, according to a Friday Facebook post from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Three teenagers were found shot in Marion County in Central Florida at the end of March. Police have named one of the victims as 16-year-old Layla Silvernail, who was found on the side of the road in the Forest Lakes Park area on March 30 and later died of her injuries. A 17-year-old male was found on the side of the road the next morning, and a third female victim was found in the trunk of Silvernail’s car, which was partially submerged in a lake. Police have not named the other two victims.

The three suspects are all teenagers as well. Police have said they believe the victims and the suspects were allegedly affiliated with criminal gangs.

Robert Le’Andrew Robinson, 17, and Christopher De’l Atkins, 12, have already been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said Friday. Brewton is still at large, and “this is where we need your help,” the sheriff’s office said.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office released a photo of Brewton on Facebook. He is also wanted in connection with several unrelated felonies, including carjacking with a firearm, aggravated assault, and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Brewton should be considered “armed and dangerous,” according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office advised those with information to call (352) 732-9111 or the Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-STOP (7867), “and reference 23-22 in your tip.”

CNN has reached out for comment. It is not clear if the suspects will be tried in the juvenile or adult system.

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April 8, 2023
Former Florida state employee’s son arrested for alleged school threats | CNN Politics

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The 13-year-old son of Rebekah Jones, who claimed she was fired for refusing to manipulate state Covid-19 data while working in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ state Health Department, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly threatening a shooting at a middle school.

The boy, whom CNN is not naming because he is a minor, was charged with written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, a second-degree felony, according to a warrant issued by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.

In security camera video at the sheriff’s office, obtained by CNN, Jones can be seen accompanying the boy to the sheriff’s office on Wednesday afternoon, where he surrendered.

Thursday evening, Jones, who has a sizable online following, tweeted, “My son is home with me now and sleeping.”

She suggested, without evidence, that her son’s arrest was related to a lawsuit she filed on March 13 in Leon County, Florida, against the Florida Department of Health and a former supervisor, under the state whistleblower act, seeking to get her job back, lost wages and damages for her treatment as an employee.

A spokeswoman for DeSantis referred questions about the arrest “to the diligent law enforcement of Santa Rosa Sheriff’s office.”

Jones noted in a tweet that the sheriff’s office began investigating her son shortly after she filed the lawsuit. She claimed on Twitter that her son had sent “just memes” to his friends that she says were not threatening.

But, according to police reports, multiple students at a Navarre, Florida, middle school told police that Jones’ son had told people he planned a school shooting and posted threatening memes and messages on Snapchat and Discord. One student told police that the boy told her on Discord he wanted to end his life and shoot up the school.

After issuing a search warrant, officers said they found messages in February from the boy’s Snapchat account referencing guns and the Columbine High School massacre and plans to shoot and stab people at the school.

During an interview with police on March 23, the boy told police he did not intend to carry out the shooting and police did not find any guns at his home. Jones told police the boy no longer attended the school and was being home schooled, according to police documents.

CNN has reached out to the sheriff’s office for additional information on the case.

Jones in 2020 accused the DeSantis administration of trying to cover up the extent of the pandemic and firing her for refusing to falsify numbers to minimize the scale of the outbreak. Last year, a state inspector general report said her claims were “unsubstantiated” and Covid-19 data was not falsified.

Jones publicly shared the story of her dismissal before leaving the department in May 2020 and became a prominent online critic of DeSantis. She unsuccessfully ran for Congress last year against Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz.

In December 2020, state police executed a search warrant at Jones’ home while investigating whether she accessed a state messaging system without authorization to call for state officials to speak out about Covid-19 deaths. She was ultimately charged with one count of offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices. In December, Jones agreed to admit guilt and pay a $20,000 fee in a pretrial deferred prosecution agreement.

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April 6, 2023
Millennial app founder arrested, charged with defrauding JPMorgan Chase | CNN Business

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Charlie Javice, founder of the buzzy student financial assistance startup Frank, was arrested Monday night and charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly defrauding JPMorgan Chase in the $175 million acquisition of her company.

The SEC said in a complaint filed to a New York District Court that Javice led JPMorgan Chase to believe that Frank had 4.25 million users, when it in reality had fewer than 300,000.

The ensuing SEC investigation alleges that Javice took in “$9.7 million directly in stock proceeds, millions more indirectly through trusts, and a contract entitling her to a $20 million retention bonus” through the 2021 sale of her company.

“Ms. Javice engaged in an old school fraud: She lied about Frank’s success in helping millions of students navigate the college financial aid process by making up data to support her claims, and then used that fake information to induce JPMC to enter into a $175 million transaction,” Gurbir S. Grewal, director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, said in a statement.

Javice was arrested Monday night in New Jersey on counts related to the same deal. She is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit banking and wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of bank fraud and one count of securities fraud. If convicted, each count carries a sentence that could mean decades in prison.

She is expected to appear in court Tuesday.

JPMorgan Chase filed a lawsuit to a Delaware court in December claiming that Javice lied about “Frank’s success, Frank’s size, and the depth of Frank’s market penetration” by falsifying a list of student users of her startup.

Javice denied the claims and countersued in February, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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April 4, 2023
Russia arrests anti-war activist following blast that killed hawkish blogger | CNN

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Russian authorities have detained a 26-year-old anti-war protester, claiming she was involved in the blast that killed well-known military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky at a cafe in St. Petersburg on Sunday.

The country’s interior ministry added Daria Trepova to a wanted list following the explosion, and her arrest was announced on Telegram by the Investigative Committee of Russia shortly after that.

State media outlet TASS reported that “preliminarily, it was Trepova who handed Tatarsky a figurine with explosives” at the cafe. Russian media had reported suggestions that Tatarsky may have been killed by a device hidden in a statue presented to him by a woman. CNN is not able to independently verify the claims.

Russia’s National Anti Terrorism Committee said Monday that the explosion involved agents of the Ukrainian special services and associates of the jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

Tatarsky, a hawkish blogger who gained a high profile for his commentary on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was killed when a blast tore through the cafe where he was appearing as a guest of a pro-war group called Cyber Front Z.

Trepova was arrested in the early days of the conflict for demonstrating against it, TASS reported.

“Trepova participated in an unsanctioned rally on the day the special military operation began in Ukraine and was subjected to administrative arrest,” the article read, adding that court records confirmed that Trepova was arrested on March 9, 2022 and sentenced to 10 days in prison.

According to the TASS article, law enforcement officers conducted a search at Trepovas’ residence in St. Petersburg on Sunday night, where her sister and mother were also questioned. Trepova’s husband Dmitry Rylov was a member of the Libertarian Party of Russia, the article said. Trepova, however, was not associated with the party.

Russian state media Ria Novosti quoted one witness of Sunday’s blast as saying: “This woman sat at our table. I saw her from the back as she was turned away. When she gifted him the figurine, she went to sit in a different place by the window and forgot her phone at our table.”

The witness added: “The host at the stage took the figurine from the box and showcased it, Vladlen held it for a bit. They put it back and shortly after the explosion happened … I was running and my ears were blocked. There were many people with blood on them.”

The independent Telegram channel Astra Press quoted a witness as saying: “Everyone rushed to the exit when explosion happened. I myself saw the girl only until the moment of the explosion, when she gave a gift. She looked like an ordinary person.”

Tatarsky supported the war in Ukraine and had gained popularity since the start of what Russia calls its “special military operation” by providing analysis and commentary.

Tatarsky, whose real name is Maxim Fomin, created his Telegram channel in 2019, naming it in honor of the protagonist of Victor Pelevin’s novel “Generation ‘P,’” according to Russian state news agency Vesti. He had since written several books.

Before that, in 2014, Tatarsky took part in fighting alongside Russian forces in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, according to Vesti, citing public sources, when President Vladimir Putin’s fighters first invaded the country.

Tatarsky had more than half a million followers on Telegram, and while he was aggressively pro-war, he had sometimes been critical of Russian setbacks in Ukraine.

In May last year, he told CNN that he was not criticizing the overall operation, rather “individual episodes,” and that he still believed Russia would achieve its goals in Ukraine.

Tatarsky gained prominence after attending the ceremony in the Kremlin that marked the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

Sunday’s blast has echoes of the car bombing that killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of influential ultra-nationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin in August 2022. Alexander Dugin is credited with being the architect, or “spiritual guide,” to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Dugina and Tatarsky moved in the same circles, and they had been photographed multiple times together

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April 3, 2023
Iranian women arrested for not wearing hijab after yogurt thrown on them | CNN

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Two women in Iran were arrested after a man threw yogurt on them for not wearing the hijab at a store in the northeastern city of Shandiz, according to a video and report published by the Mizan News Agency, the state-run media for Iran’s judiciary.

Video of Thursday’s incident shows a man approaching one of the women who is unveiled and speaking to her before proceeding to grab a tub of yogurt from the store and throwing it, hitting both women in the head.

Iranian women risk arrest for not covering their hair. Many have been defying the mandatory dress code as part of protests that followed the death of a young woman in custody who allegedly violated hijab rules.

The video appears to show a male staff member removing the suspect from the store. CNN is not able to verify what was said immediately before the confrontation.

The two women were arrested after being issued an arrest warrant for failing to wear the hijab in public, according to Mizan News Agency. The incident is under investigation, and the male suspect has been arrested for a disturbance of order, Iranian officials said.

On Saturday the Iranian authorities repeated their stance that wearing the hijab was compulsory,

“The important matter is that today we have a legal mandate,” said Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, according to Reuters. “The legal mandate makes it mandatory for everyone to follow the law.”

“If there are people who say that they do not share this belief of ours (the mandatory hijab), then this is a place for scientific and cultural centers as well as schools to discuss this and convince them,” Raisi added.

Iran’s Ministry of Interior said that the “hijab is an unquestionable religious necessity,” according to a tweet from the agency on Saturday.

Iranians have taken to the streets nationwide in protest for several months against Iran’s mandatory hijab law, and political and social issues across the country, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police in September.

Women have burned their headscarves and cut their hair, with some schoolgirls removing their headscarves in classrooms.

Those arrested for participating in anti-government demonstrations have faced various forms of abuse and torture, including electric shocks, controlled drowning, rape and mock executions.

School students who protested faced being detained and taken to mental health institutions.

Some protestors have even been sentenced to death and executed.

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April 2, 2023
Traffic stop on Interstate 20 in Leeds nets 50 pounds of marijuana and guns in camper – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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Another traffic stop on Interstate 20 has resulted in the seizure of marijuana and arrests.The Leeds Police Department released information on social media that stated three people were charged recently after 50 pounds of marijuana and firearms were found in a camper.The traffic stop happened on March 21 on I-20 in the eastbound lanes.The LPD said one suspect was from California and the other two suspects were from Georgia and all face a drug trafficking charge with $1.5M bond each.

LEEDS, Ala. —

Another traffic stop on Interstate 20 has resulted in the seizure of marijuana and arrests.

The Leeds Police Department released information on social media that stated three people were charged recently after 50 pounds of marijuana and firearms were found in a camper.

The traffic stop happened on March 21 on I-20 in the eastbound lanes.

The LPD said one suspect was from California and the other two suspects were from Georgia and all face a drug trafficking charge with $1.5M bond each.

Original Author Link click here to read complete story..

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March 28, 2023
Actor Jonathan Majors is arrested on assault charge in New York, police say | CNN

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Actor Jonathan Majors, who has recently starred in “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” was arrested Saturday morning in an alleged domestic dispute, New York police say.

Majors, 33, was taken into custody following a 911 call made from an apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, according to a statement from the New York Police Department.

“The victim informed police she was assaulted,” the statement said. The 30-year-old woman had “minor injuries to her head and neck,” police said.

Majors faces charges of strangulation, assault and harassment, according to the NYPD.

A spokesperson for Majors denied any wrongdoing by the actor.

“He has done nothing wrong,” the spokesperson told CNN Saturday. “We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up.”

Majors is no longer in police custody, according to the NYPD Saturday night.

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March 25, 2023
FBI takes down cybercrime forum that touted data connected to breach affecting US lawmakers | CNN Politics

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The FBI has arrested the alleged founder of a popular cybercriminal forum that touted data stolen in a hack affecting members of Congress and thousands of other people and taken the website down, the Justice Department said Friday.

The website – known as BreachForums – trafficked in the stolen data of millions of Americans until the FBI recently took it offline, the department said in a news release.

The alleged administrator of BreachForums, a 20-year-old New York man named Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, was arrested last week, according to the Justice Department. Fitzpatrick has been charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud, which carries a sentence of five years in prison, the department said in the release.

The forum gained greater notoriety this month when a hacker posted data they claimed was stolen from a DC health insurance service – an incident that roiled Capitol Hill and exposed the personal data of tens of thousands of people from different walks of life. House of Representatives officials have said hundreds of staff were affected by the incident. The number of lawmakers affected is believed to be less than two dozen, a source familiar told CNN earlier this month.

Among the other victims of Fitzpatrick’s alleged hacking-related activities are a US electronic health care firm, a US internet services provider and a US-based investment firm, according to an affidavit filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The affidavit did not name the companies.

Fitzpatrick made his initial appearance in federal court on Friday, the Justice Department said. Fitzpatrick was released on a $300,000 bail, according to court documents, which was cosigned by members of his family.

A judge ordered Fitzpatrick not to contact any victims or co-conspirators in the investigation, open any new lines of cryptocurrency nor possess the personal identification information of others.

Nina Ginsberg, an attorney listed for Fitzpatrick in court records, declined to comment. Fitzpatrick has not yet entered a formal plea.

It’s the latest move in a sustained international law enforcement effort to disrupt cybercriminal organizations that cost American business and residents billions of dollars a year. More than $10 billion in losses from online scams were reported to the FBI in 2022, the highest annual loss in the last five years, according to a recent FBI report.

BreachForums emerged last year after US and international law enforcement agencies shut down a similar forum, RaidForums, and arrested its alleged founder in the United Kingdom.

Despite the law enforcement crackdown, there are still several other online forums where criminals can hawk stolen data. And new illicit marketplaces will likely emerge, according to experts.

“While BreachForums is likely permanently offline, it will invariably be replaced by something else,” Brett Callow, threat analyst at cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, told CNN. “Whether that something is a Telegram channel or another Breach-style forum remains to be seen.”

US law enforcement agents have gotten increasingly adept at quietly infiltrating cybercriminal forums and collecting intelligence to feed indictments or arrests.

In the demise of RaidForums, US authorities had access to the website’s computer infrastructure for several months before the seizure was announced, a law enforcement official familiar with the matter previously told CNN.

The latest forum takedown is welcome news but “the resilience of the underground ecosystem as a whole remains mostly untouched as the criminal demand for illicit goods continues to rise,” Michael DeBolt, chief intelligence officer at security firm Intel 471, told CNN.

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March 24, 2023
Your Trump questions answered. Yes, he can still run for president if indicted | CNN Politics
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A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.

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Could he still run for president? Why would the adult-film star case move before any of the ones about protecting democracy? How could you possibly find an impartial jury?

What’s below are answers to some of the questions we’ve been getting – versions of these were emailed in by subscribers of the What Matters newsletter – about the possible indictment of former President Donald Trump.

He’s involved in four different criminal investigations by three different levels of government – the Manhattan district attorney; the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney; and the Department of Justice.

These questions are mostly concerned with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s potential indictment of Trump over a hush-money payment scheme, but many could apply to each investigation.

The most-asked question is also the easiest to answer.

Yes, absolutely.

“Nothing stops Trump from running while indicted, or even convicted,” the University of California, Los Angeles law professor Richard Hasen told me in an email.

The Constitution requires only three things of candidates. They must be:
A natural born citizen.

At least 35 years old.

A resident of the US for at least 14 years.
As a political matter, it’s maybe more difficult for an indicted candidate, who could become a convicted criminal, to win votes. Trials don’t let candidates put their best foot forward. But it is not forbidden for them to run or be elected.

There are a few asterisks both in the Constitution and the 14th and 22nd Amendments, none of which currently apply to Trump in the cases thought to be closest to formal indictment.

Term limits. The 22nd Amendment forbids anyone who has twice been president (meaning twice been elected or served part of someone else’s term and then won his or her own) from running again. That doesn’t apply to Trump since he lost the 2020 election.

Impeachment. If a person is impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate of high crimes and misdemeanors, he or she is removed from office and disqualified from serving again. Trump, although twice impeached by the House during his presidency, was also twice acquitted by the Senate.

Disqualification. The 14th Amendment includes a “disqualification clause,” written specifically with an eye toward former Confederate soldiers.

It reads:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.

Potential charges in New York City with regard to the hush-money payment to an adult-film star have nothing to do with rebellion or insurrection. Nor do potential federal charges with regard to classified documents.

Potential charges in Fulton County, Georgia, with regard to 2020 election meddling or at the federal level with regard to the January 6, 2021, insurrection could perhaps be construed by some as a form of insurrection. But that is an open question that would have to work its way through the courts. The 2024 election is fast approaching.

If he was convicted of a felony – reminder, he has not yet even been charged – in New York, Trump would be barred from voting in his adoptive home state of Florida, at least until he had served out a potential sentence.

First off, there’s no suggestion of any coordination between the Manhattan DA, the Department of Justice and the Fulton County DA.

These are all separate investigations on separate issues moving at their own pace.

The payment to the adult-film actress Stormy Daniels occurred years ago in 2016. Trump has argued the statute of limitations has run out. Lawyers could argue the clock stopped when Trump left New York to become president in 2017.

It’s also not clear how exactly a state crime (falsifying business records) can be paired with a federal election crime to create a state felony. There are some very deep legal dives into this, like this one from Just Security. We will have to see what, if anything, Bragg adds if he does bring an indictment.

Of the four known criminal investigations into Trump, falsifying business records with regard to the hush-money payment to an adult-film actress seems like the smallest of potatoes, especially since federal prosecutors decided not to charge him when he left office.

His finances, subject of a long-running investigation, seem like a bigger deal. But the Manhattan DA decided not to criminally charge Trump with regard to tax crimes. Trump has been sued by the New York attorney general in civil court based on some of that evidence.

Investigations in Georgia with regard to election meddling and by the Justice Department with regard to January 6 and his treatment of classified data also seem more consequential.

But these cases are being pursued by different entities at different paces in different governments – New York City; Fulton County, Georgia; and the federal government.

“I do think that the charges are much more serious against Trump related to the election,” Hasen said in his email. “But falsifying business records can also be a crime. (I’m more skeptical about combining that in a state court with a federal campaign finance violation.)”

One federal law enforcement source told CNN’s John Miller over the weekend that Trump’s Secret Service detail is actively engaged with authorities in New York City about how this arrest process would work if Trump is ultimately indicted.

It’s usually a routine process of fingerprinting, a mug shot and an arraignment. It would not likely be a public event and clearly his protective detail would move through the building with Trump.

New York does not release most mug shots after a 2019 law intended to cut down on online extortion.

As Trump is among the most divisive and now well-known Americans in history, it’s hard to believe there’s a big, impartial jury pool out there.

The Sixth Amendment guarantees “the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed.”

Finding such a jury “won’t be easy given the intense passions on both sides that he engenders,” Hasen said.

A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in March asked for registered voters’ opinion of Trump. Just 2% said they hadn’t heard enough about him to say.

The New York State Unified Court System’s trial juror’s handbook explains the “voir dire” process by which jurors are selected. Those accepted by both the prosecution and defense as being free of “bias or personal knowledge that could hinder his or her ability to judge a case impartially” must take an oath to act fairly and impartially.

We’re getting way ahead of ourselves. He hasn’t been indicted, much less tried or convicted. Any indictment, even for a Class E felony in New York, would be for the kind of nonviolent offense that would not lead to jail time for any defendant.

“I don’t expect Trump to be put in jail if he is indicted for any of these charges,” Hasen said. “Jail time would only come if he were convicted and sentenced to jail time.”

The idea that Trump would ever see the inside of a jail cell still seems completely far-fetched. Hasen said the Secret Service would have to arrange for his protection in jail. The logistics of that are mind-boggling. Would agents be placed into cells on either side of him? Would they dress as inmates or guards?

Top officials accused of wrongdoing have historically found a way out of jail. Former President Richard Nixon got a preemptive pardon from his successor, Gerald Ford. Nixon’s previous vice president, Spiro Agnew, resigned after he was caught up in a corruption scandal. Agnew made a plea deal and avoided jail time. Aaron Burr, also a former vice president, narrowly escaped a treason conviction. But then he left the country.

That remains to be seen. Jonathan Wackrow, a former Secret Service agent and current global head of security for Teneo, said on CNN on Monday that agents are taking a back seat – to the New York Police Department and New York State court officers who are in charge of maintaining order and safety, and to the FBI, which looks for potential acts of violence by extremists.

The Secret Service, far from coordinating the event as they might normally, are “in a protective mode,” Wackrow said.

“They are viewing this as really an administrative movement where they have to protect Donald Trump from point A to point B, let him do his business before the court, and leave. They are not playing that active role that we typically see them in.”

The New York Times published a report based on anonymous sources close to Trump on Tuesday that suggested he is, either out of bravado or genuine delight, relishing the idea of having to endure a “perp walk” in New York City. The “perp walk,” by the way, is the public march of a perpetrator into a police office for processing.

“He has repeatedly tried to show that he is not experiencing shame or hiding in any way, and I think you’re going to see that,” the Times reporter and CNN political analyst Maggie Haberman said on the network on Tuesday night.

“I do think there’s a part of him that does view this as a political asset,” said Marc Short, the former chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, during an appearance on CNN on Wednesday. “Because he can use it to paint the other, more serious legal jeopardy he faces either in Georgia or the Department of Justice, as they’re politically motivated.”

But Short argued voters will tire of the baggage Trump is carrying, particularly if he faces additional potential indictments in the federal and Georgia investigations.
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March 22, 2023
India cuts internet to 27 million as Punjab police hunt Sikh separatist | CNN

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Indian authorities have blocked internet access for about 27 million people in the state of Punjab for a third straight day – one of the country’s most extensive blackouts in recent years – as police search for a Sikh separatist on the run.

The Punjab government initially announced a 24-hour internet ban on Saturday as authorities launched an operation to arrest Amritpal Singh, a popular leader within the separatist Khalistan movement that seeks to establish a sovereign state for followers of the Sikh religion.

The internet shutdown – which affects everyone in the northern Indian state – was extended Sunday by the government to midday Monday under a law that allows the connection to be cut to “prevent any incitement to violence and any disturbance of peace and public order.”

Police in Punjab have justified the internet shutdown as a means to maintain law and order and stop the spread of “fake news.”

Dramatic scenes captured on video and broadcast on local television showed hundreds of Singh’s supporters, some holding swords and sticks, walking through the streets of Punjab. Police and paramilitary troops were deployed across several districts in the state in a bid to maintain law and order.

At least 112 people have been arrested, Punjab police said Sunday, while Singh remains on the run.

For decades, some Sikhs have demanded that an independent nation called Khalistan be carved in the state of Punjab for followers of the minority faith. Over the years, violent clashes have erupted between followers of the movement and the Indian government, claiming many lives.

The violence reached a climax in June 1984 when the Indian army stormed the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Sikhism’s holiest shrine, to capture armed separatists, killing thousands and reducing much of the building to rubble. The carnage roiled the Sikh community and India’s former prime minister Indira Gandhi, who ordered the operation, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in the aftermath.

The Khalistan movement is outlawed and considered a grave national security threat by the Indian government, but maintains a level of support among some Sikhs within the country and overseas.

In a statement Sunday, the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) condemned the “draconian” operation to arrest Singh and said it feared “Singh’s detention may be used to orchestrate a false encounter and facilitate his extrajudicial murder.”

Over the weekend, some of Singh’s supporters vandalized the Indian High Commission in London, prompting UK authorities to condemn the incident.

The British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, called the acts “disgraceful” and “totally unacceptable.”

In a statement late Sunday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said it is “expected that the UK government would take immediate steps to identify, arrest and prosecute” those involved in the incident.

“There is no place in our city for this kind of behaviour. An investigation has been launched by the Met into today’s events,” London mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted Sunday.

Internet shutdowns have become increasingly common in India, which has more than 800 million internet users – the world’s second largest digital population, behind China.

Earlier this month, a report by Access Now, a New York-based advocacy group that tracks internet freedom, said India imposed 84 internet shutdowns in 2022, marking the fifth consecutive year the world’s largest democracy of more than 1.3 billion people has topped the global list.

The disruptions “impacted the daily lives of millions of people for hundreds of hours,” the report said.

The internet has become a vital social and economic lifeline for large swathes of the population and connects the country’s isolated rural pockets with its growing cities.

The government has repeatedly attempted to justify blocking internet access on the grounds of preserving public safety amid fears of mob violence. But critics say the shutdowns are yet another blow to the country’s commitment to freedom of speech and access to information.

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March 19, 2023
Mike Pence calls potential Trump indictment ‘not what the American people want to see’ | CNN Politics

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Washington
CNN
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Former Vice President Mike Pence balked at the idea of a potential indictment of Donald Trump, categorizing any possible prosecutorial actions as “politically charged” and “not what the American people want to see.”

Speaking with ABC’s Jon Karl during a taped interview Saturday, Pence defended any peaceful protests that may break out at Trump’s behest, after the former president called for his supporters to “take our nation back,” while still condemning the egregious violence that the country witnessed at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

“The American people have a constitutional right to peacefully assemble,” Pence said, adding, “The frustration the American people feel about what they sense is a two-tiered justice system in this country, I think is well founded. But I believe that people understand that if they give voice to this – if this occurs on Tuesday, that they need to do so peaceful and in a lawful manner.”

Pence’s comments underscore his attempts to walk a fine line in issuing criticism and support for his former boss amid mounting expectations that he will vie for the Republican presidential nomination. Just last week, at the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, DC, the former vice president issued his most blistering comments yet about Trump’s role in the attack on the Capitol.

“President Trump was wrong. I had no right to overturn the election, and his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable,” Pence said at the dinner.

Trump has repeatedly pushed back on that assertion and argued Pence was at fault because he didn’t attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.

“The president’s wrong,” Pence told ABC. “He was wrong that day, and I had actually hoped that he would come around in time, Jon, that he would see that the cadre of legal advisers that he surrounded himself with had led him astray. But he hasn’t done so and it’s … I think it’s one of the reasons why the country just wants a fresh start.”

Pence said the former president let him and the country down on January 6 and Trump’s continued discourse on the events is one of the reasons why the former duo has gone their “separate ways.”

Still, Pence maintained he is “taken aback at the idea of indicting a former president of the United States.”

Trump said Saturday that he expects to be arrested in connection with the yearslong investigation into a hush money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels and he called on his supporters to protest any such move.

In a social media post, Trump, referring to himself, said the “leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week” – though he did not say why he expects to be arrested. His team said after Trump’s post that it had not received any notifications from prosecutors.

Law enforcement has discussed how to navigate the potential indictment on a criminal charge by a New York county grand jury and the choreography around the possibility of an unprecedented arrest of a former president.

Should he be indicted, Trump is expected to surrender and be processed and arraigned at a New York courthouse, which includes fingerprinting and mug shots, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

“At a time when there’s a crime wave in New York City, the fact that the Manhattan DA thinks that indicting president Trump is his top priority just tells you everything you need to know about the radical left in this country,” Pence said Saturday.

Turning to the subpoena he received from the special counsel investigating Trump’s post-2020 election activities, Pence said he is not challenging all the elements of the subpoena and that he and his lawyers aren’t asserting executive privilege. Trump, though, has already cited executive privilege in a motion to prevent Pence from testifying before a grand jury.

As for 2024, Pence said he is “giving serious consideration” to a White House bid, and, speaking to reporters in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, he said, “No one is above the law, and I’m confident President Trump can take care of himself. My focus is going to continue to be on the issues that are affecting the American people.”

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March 19, 2023
Newly obtained documents identify senior officer at Tyre Nichols’ arrest, show he retired before he could be fired | CNN

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A lieutenant in the Memphis Police Department has now been identified as being at the scene after the arrest of Tyre Nichols, and according to police files obtained by CNN, chose to retire earlier this month prior to a disciplinary hearing on the case where he would have been fired.

In a letter from February 28, notarized by the agency’s Human Resources department, Lt. Dewayne Smith wrote, “It has been an honor to serve the city that I call my home for the past 25 years. During these years I have been blessed to some challenging assignments with some great people.”

Previously, Smith had not been publicly identified as having been at the scene of the incident. He is alleged to have arrived at the scene and did not immediately “take command” in a supervisory role.

Smith had been with the department since 1998 and would have been the most senior officer at the scene.

In documents dated January 27, a month before Smith’s resignation, he was advised of the disciplinary charges against him and a hearing was set for March.

Smith has not been criminally charged in connection to Nichols’ death.

Nichols, 29, was repeatedly punched and kicked by several Memphis police officers during a traffic stop on January 7. He was hospitalized after the traffic stop and died three days later.

Five officers who were later fired from the department face criminal charges of second-degree murder, among others. They entered not guilty pleas in February and are due back in court in May.

The disciplinary hearing was held for Smith on March 2 in his absence and officials determined Smith should have been terminated for his role on the day of Nichols’ beating.

In a police department statement of disciplinary charges document dated March 10, Smith is alleged to have “failed to obtain pertinent information from officers involved in a critical use of force incident.”

“You did not ask important questions such as the amount or type of force used by each of your officers involved that would have assisted in a prompt and thorough scene investigation…,” the document says.

The document goes on to say that in his statement to investigators, Smith “did not provide or suggest immediate medical aid” despite seeing blood coming from Nichols’ face.

“Directly upon your arrival, you were told officers pepper sprayed and tased the subject, but you never asked why blood was on his face. At approximately 20:44 hours and after you arrived, the victim said ‘I can’t breathe’ before he slumped over while still in handcuffs. You failed to direct any officer to remove the cuffs in order for the first emergency medical personnel to provide initial care.”

The document alleges Smith questioned Nichols as his medical condition worsened “and only concluded his behavior was a result of intoxicants by saying ‘You done took something, mane,’” the document reads.

According to the documents, Smith had been charged with neglect of duty, unauthorized public statements, and compliance with regulations. The documents also reveal that Smith spoke with family members of Nichols, along with another officer.

“You can be heard on another officer’s body camera telling family members that the subject was in custody for D.U.I. You did not obtain enough information on the scene to confirm those criminal charges and there was no arrest documentation to support your assumption,” the document says. “The limited details given to the family member can be perceived as an unsupported accusation or a method of deception and hindered public confidence.”

The Daily Memphian was the first to report the story.

In his retirement letter, Smith said it “was not an easy decision. I came to realize that the time has come to move on.”

CNN has reached out to the Memphis Police Association for comment.

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March 17, 2023
Chinese billionaire arrested and charged in alleged fraud conspiracy that bilked investors of more than $1 billion | CNN Politics

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CNN
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Chinese billionaire and proclaimed dissident Guo Wengui was arrested Wednesday and charged with defrauding thousands of followers out of more than $1 billion through complex investment schemes, US prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Guo, a staunch critic of the Chinese government who is exiled in Manhattan and close to former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, was taken into custody in New York on Wednesday morning. He is charged with defrauding or misappropriating investor money using different schemes, including his media company GTV Media Group, a farm loan program through Himalaya Farm Alliance, and a cryptocurrency called Himalaya Coin.

Guo is also known as Ho Wan Kwok and Miles Guo.

Prosecutors said instead of using the money the way he promised potential investors, Guo directed the funds to invest in a hedge fund to benefit GTV and a relative, to cover the maintenance payments for his $37 million, 145-foot luxury yacht, a New Jersey mansion and a custom-built Bugatti sports car valued at $4.4 million. Prosecutors said in a letter to the judge that they are seeking his detention, arguing he poses a serious risk of flight.

CNN has reached out to Guo’s lawyer for comment.

Guo co-founded two nonprofit organizations, the Rule of Law Foundation and the Rule of Law Society, that prosecutors allege he used to attract a following who believed in many of his ideas.

Those nonprofits were linked to a group promoting the theory that the novel coronavirus was likely engineered in a Chinese lab. The Rule of Law organizations were co-founded by Guo and Bannon.

Bannon has not been charged in this case.

Bannon was arrested in 2020 on Guo’s yacht on unrelated fraud charges stemming from a border wall fundraising effort. Bannon was pardoned by Trump but indicted on similar state charges. Bannon has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors said they have seized $634 million from 21 bank accounts and a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster.

In addition to criminal charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, securities fraud, international money laundering and obstruction of justice, Guo was also sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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March 15, 2023
A New York man was arrested after allegedly threatening a shooting at Tops Friendly Markets in a social media post | CNN

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A 20-year-old man from Upstate New York has been charged with making a terroristic threat after threatening to carry out a shooting at the Tops Friendly Markets in Manlius, New York, in a Discord post, according to court documents and local police.

Police responded to a call Saturday from the manager of the Tops in Manlius – a village in Onondaga County – who said that the store got phone calls from two different people expressing their concern over statements made by a Discord user saying he was going to harm shoppers at their supermarket, according to court documents obtained by CNN affiliate WSTM.

The two witnesses who called the supermarket reported that the threatening remarks on Discord – which included a racist reference – came from a 20-year-old man named Zachary who lives in the Manlius area and whose father recently died, according to the documents.

Police investigated the posts and identified the user as Zachary Mullen of Jamesville, according to a statement from the Town of Manlius Police Department.

Law enforcement arrested Mullen on Saturday for making a terroristic threat and, when conducting a search of his home afterward, found guns and ammunition, according to the police statement.

A judge also issued an Extreme Risk Protection Order against Mullen on Sunday, which allowed authorities to seize at least two firearms from his home.

CNN was unable to identify an attorney for Mullen.

“There were some racist overtones to the posts made by Mr. Mullen and as of this moment we’re still trying to connect the dots as to why he picked the Tops in Manlius, but certainly the location of the store, the name of the store, the racist natures of the post, would cause anyone pause, that this may have been far more dastardly than it even looks on the surface,” Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick told WSTM.

Discord is the same social media site that a convicted mass shooter posted on before killing 10 people at a Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo.

Law enforcement officials verified that Mullen’s father, who they say was an avid hunter, had died a few days prior to Mullen’s posts on Discord and that he was grieving, according to the affidavit.

Mullen, who lives with his mother, is not currently in jail, according to the county district attorney.

“Unfortunately, he’s out on what’s known as pre-trial release because we live in New York and that’s the nature of Bail reform in New York. Incredibly enough he is out so if he has secret access to a gun, God forbid, that’s something we just don’t know but we’ll certainly be monitoring him as much as we can,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement to WSTM.

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March 14, 2023
Clashes in Pakistan as police try to arrest former Prime Minister Imran Khan | CNN

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Islamabad
CNN
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Supporters of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan clashed with police seeking to arrest him outside his home on Tuesday, even as the longtime politician told CNN that he was “mentally prepared to spend the night in a cell.”

“I want a proper warrant of arrest and I want to see that, my lawyers want to see the warrant,” he told CNN. He also said that he believed his arrest was both inevitable and politically motivated, referencing upcoming by-elections in April and the general election in October.

“It’s a matter of time. I’m convinced they will come in and arrest me, I’m prepared for it,” he said, adding: “I know what the intention is. They want to get me out of the race. They want to get me out of the match so that they can win the elections.”

Khan faces allegations of illegally purchasing and selling gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries while he was in office, which he has rejected as “biased.”

On Monday, the Islamabad High Court issued an arrest warrant against Khan over the case to have him presented before the court on March 18.

“On the order of the court, the person who ran away from the court will be arrested and arrested and produced there,” tweeted Pakistani Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday.

But Khan’s lawyers have argued he has previously failed to appear in court because he cannot leave his residence in Lahore due to security concerns. He can only make appearances via video link, according to his legal team.

In his interview with CNN, the former leader warned that attempts to arrest him could lead to a dangerous escalation in political violence in the country, and that he believed Pakistan’s ruling coalition might eventually use “that pretext of violence” to delay the upcoming votes.

In a statement to CNN, the country’s Information Minister denied any political involvement in the case. “The government has nothing to do with the arrest (of Khan), and the arrest has nothing to do with elections. The police is only complying with the orders of the court,” Marriyum Aurangzeb said.

“Instead of cooperating with law enforcement officials, Imran Khan is breaking the law, defying court orders and using his party workers as human shields to evade arrest and stoke unrest,” she added.

Protests have broken out in major cities across Pakistan in support of Khan, who released a video on social media asking his followers to “come out” in support of his movement if he is detained.

Local media and footage shared by officials from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party showed water cannons and tear gas being used by police against Khan’s supporters.

Islamabad police tweeted that four police officials have been injured after being hit by stones by supporters of Khan.

Khan was ousted as Prime Minister in a vote of no confidence in April. He has since led a popular campaign against the current government, accusing it of colluding with the military to remove him from office.

“[The government], they’re petrified that if I come into power, I will hold them accountable,” he told CNN on Tuesday.

“They also know that even if I go to jail, we will swing the elections no matter what they do,” he added.

Khan has only been arrested once in 2007 by then President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf who died earlier this year.

The current political upheaval comes at a time when Pakistan’s government waits for a delayed bailout from the International Monetary Fund, which will help with the country’s cost of living crisis and ailing economy.

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March 14, 2023
Iran arrests more than 100 people over suspected poisonings of schoolgirls | CNN

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Iran has arrested more than 100 people “in connection with” the suspected poisoning of hundreds of schoolgirls across the country, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Citing a statement from Iran’s Interior Ministry, IRNA said the people had been “identified, arrested and investigated” in several cities, including the capital Tehran.

“Initial inquiries show that a number of these people, out of mischief or adventurism and with the aim of shutting down classrooms and influenced by the created psychological atmosphere, have taken measures such as using harmless and smelly substances,” the statement read.

Iran has seen a wave of suspected poisonings, carried out almost entirely at girls’ schools, in recent months.

While Iranian politicians have suggested the girls could have been targeted by hardline Islamist groups, activists believe that the poisonings may be linked to the nationwide protests that erupted last September over the death of Mahsa Ami. Many schoolgirls have been active in the protests, removing their mandatory headscarves in classrooms, tearing up pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and calling for his death.

Medics, parents and teachers have accused the Iranian government of attempting to silence the victims.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei previously called the suspected poisonings an “unforgivable crime” and called for “severe punishment” for anyone found responsible.

Among those arrested, the ministry said, were “individuals who have had hostile motives, tried to create fear and horror among people and students, shut down schools, and created pessimism toward” the Iranian government.

They would remain “under investigation until required assurances are achieved,” the statement said, adding that the number of poisoning cases at girls’ schools across the country had been decreasing “over the past several days.”

The first suspected poisonings happened in November at a high school in the city of Qom which saw 18 schoolgirls hospitalized, according to Iranian state media.

A mother of two daughters from Qom previously told CNN that both girls, who attended different schools, had suffered significant health issues after being poisoned.

One girl experienced nausea, shortness of breath and numbness in her left leg and right hand while the other now had “difficulty walking,” she said.

Growing alarm in Iran after report hundreds of schoolgirls were poisoned

Another incident in the city took place in February when more than 100 students from 13 schools were hospitalized after what Iranian state news agencies described as “serial poisonings.”

Both the United States and United Nations have called on Iranian authorities to fully investigate the suspected poisonings and hold those responsible to account.

The White House on Monday said there must be a “credible, independent” investigation of poisonings among schoolgirls in Iran, suggesting it could be within the purview of the United Nations to look into the matter.

Previously, the Biden administration had noted Iran itself was conducting an investigation. But questioned by CNN’s Phil Mattingly on Monday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the situation could fall within the mandate of the UN’s independent fact-finding mission on Iran.

“We are closely following this deeply concerning situation that we’re seeing in Iran,” she said. “The continued poisoning of schoolgirls across Iran is unconscionable. There must be a credible, independent investigation (and) accountability for those responsible.”

She said if the poisonings were related to recent protests, it was “well within” the UN fact-finding mission’s mandate.

“The possibility that girls in Iran are being possibly poisoned for simply for trying to get an education is shameful, it’s unacceptable,” she said.

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March 11, 2023
5 arrested in deadly kidnapping of Americans in Mexico after cartel issues apology letter and hands over members | CNN

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Mexican authorities arrested five people in connection to the kidnappings of four Americans in Matamoros, Mexico, Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica said on Twitter Friday.

Earlier, a cartel apologized for carrying out what one victim’s father has called “a senseless crime” that left two Americans and one Mexican woman dead.

The case remained “very confusing” to investigators, who were still obtaining information on the kidnapping last Friday and considering all angles, a Tamaulipas Prosecutor’s Office official familiar with the investigation told CNN before news broke of the arrests.

An apology letter was issued Thursday by the Gulf Cartel, which is believed to be responsible for the kidnappings, and the group handed over five of its members to local authorities, according to images circulating online and a version of the letter obtained by CNN from an official familiar with the ongoing investigation.

CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of the photos and has asked Mexican and US authorities for comment.

“The [Gulf Cartel] apologizes to the society of Matamoros, the relatives of Ms. Areli, and the affected American people and families,” reads the handwritten letter, referring to a Mexican woman who was also killed by a stray bullet in the shootout.

Though investigators believe the letter to be authentic, Mexican and US law enforcement officials participating in the investigation strongly doubt the sincerity of the group’s apology, the official who shared the letter with CNN said.

One person already had been detained in connection with the Americans’ deaths who was undertaking “surveillance functions of the victims,” Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal said Tuesday, identifying the individual as 24-year-old Jose “N.” Officials would not confirm whether the man has any affiliations with criminal organizations.

The bodies of two Americans killed – Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown – were delivered to US diplomatic authorities Thursday after undergoing forensic examination, Barrios Mojica said in a tweet.

“I’ve tried to make sense out of it and tried to be strong about it,” Woodard’s father, James Woodard, told reporters Thursday, which would have been his son’s 34th birthday. “It just was a senseless crime.”

The two survivors – Latavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams – returned to the US on Tuesday to be treated in a hospital. Williams, who had been shot three times in his legs, has since undergone two surgeries and had rods placed in his legs, his wife said on a GoFundMe page to raise money for Williams’s medical and living expenses.

A fifth American group member, Cheryl Orange, planned to travel with the group on the day of the kidnapping but had to stay behind because she did not have proper identification to cross the border. She told CNN that she has battled the guilt of narrowly missing the attack.

“I beat myself up in the beginning about that and I have everybody telling me that I need to be grateful. I really wish I was by Tay’s side,” Orange said, referring to her “best friend,” Washington McGee by her nickname “Tay.”

The tight-knit group had traveled from South Carolina to Matamoros so that Washington McGee could undergo a medical procedure. But the friends were violently intercepted by gunmen who fired into the Americans’ van, roughly loaded them into the back of a truck and took them away, according to Washington McGee’s mother and a video of the encounter.

The victims were shuttled to multiple locations before they were found in a house around Matamoros Tuesday, Villarreal said. Tamaulipas prosecutors have since found an ambulance that was used to transport the victims to first aid treatment at a clinic, which authorities have also located, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

As the group of friends crossed into Matamoros last Friday, Orange stayed behind at their hotel in Brownsville, Texas, becoming increasingly concerned as evening came and the friends hadn’t returned, she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Thursday.

“I said something’s not right,” Orange said. She reached out to her boyfriend and Washington McGee’s brother to say she was getting worried.

When it came time for Orange to check out of their hotel the next morning, there was still no sign of Washington McGee and the others, Orange said. At that point, she became so concerned that she decided to call the police.

Orange reported the group missing on Saturday to Brownsville Police, according to a police report. The report states that police checked a local jail to make sure that no one in the party had been taken into custody, but no other action was taken.

Eventually, Orange saw the video of the kidnapping that was circulating online, showing Washington McGee being shoved into the back of a truck by armed gunmen and the other victims’ bodies being dragged in beside her.

“My body clenched up. I dropped the phone. My stomach was in knots and I just began praying for the return of them,” she said of seeing the video.

Upon finally hearing Washington McGee’s voice after she was discovered alive, Orange was able to feel some relief. “It put me at ease a little bit. It was music to my ears to hear her voice,” she said.

Meanwhile, the families of Woodard and Brown are left to grapple with the loss of their loved ones.

“That was hard for me to see those videos and see him dragged and thrown on the back of a vehicle. It’s like god was preparing me already to know that it was probably the worst,” Woodard’s father said of watching the video of the kidnapping.

Woodard had accompanied his cousin, Washington McGee to Mexico for her procedure, but also to celebrate his upcoming 34th birthday, his father said. He described his son as a “sweetheart” and a “loving person.”

“If you told me this day was coming I would have never believed it,” James Woodard said. He later added, “A parent never expects to lose a child.”

US and Mexican law enforcement officials suspect the Gulf Cartel’s apology letter was issued after the kidnapping exposed the cartel to considerable public attention and scrutiny of its actions, according to the US official who confirmed the letter’s authenticity.

In its letter, the cartel apologized to “the society of Matamoros, the relatives of Ms. Areli, and the affected American people and families,” referring to the Mexican woman who was killed by a stray bullet.

It is common for Mexican cartels, especially in the northeast of the country, to release messages to the authorities or rival groups in the aftermath of high-profile incidents, according to Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor at George Mason University who studies the cartels.

The apology came after the arrest of a local Gulf Cartel leader, who was wanted for past kidnappings, in the city of Reynosa, about 55 miles west of Matamoros, according to a US official briefed on the apprehension.

Any connection to last week’s kidnapping of the Americans is unclear. But, as CNN has reported, the official believes members of the Gulf Cartel attacked the Americans in Matamoros, after mistaking them for Haitian drug smugglers.

The local cartel leader, Ernesto Sanchez-Rivera, is also known as “Metro 22” and is known to also have ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the source added.

CNN has reached out to the local prosecutor for more information on the apprehension but has not yet received a response.

The kidnapping of Americans has brought increased scrutiny to efforts to reign in cartel violence in Mexico, including from Republican lawmakers in the US who have called for designating cartels as terrorist organizations and signaled their plans to file legislation allowing the US military to operate in Mexico.

The pressure from Republicans has been met with a swift rebuke from Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who says the actions would infringe on Mexican sovereignty.

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March 10, 2023
Man arrested after allegedly trying to open emergency door on plane and stabbing flight attendant | CNN

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A Massachusetts man was arrested for allegedly stabbing a flight attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon three times during a flight from Los Angeles to Boston on Monday, after attempting to open an emergency exit door, according to the Justice Department.

Francisco Severo Torres, 33, faces one charge of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon. Torres was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport Monday and will remain detained pending a hearing set for Thursday.

During a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston, the flight crew saw an alarm that a door in the plane had been disarmed and, after inspection, a flight attendant saw the door’s locking handle had been pushed out of the fully locked position and an emergency slide arming lever had been disarmed, according to the Justice Department.

A flight attendant who saw Torres near the door went to talk to Torres about the door, according to the department, who asked if there were cameras showing he had tampered with the door.

“According to court documents, the flight attendant then notified the captain that they believed Torres posed a threat to the aircraft and that the captain needed to land the aircraft as soon as possible,” the Justice Department said.

Soon after, Torres allegedly got out of his seat, mouthing something, before thrusting “towards one of the flight attendants in a stabbing motion with a broken metal spoon, hitting the flight attendant on the neck area three times,” the Justice Department said.

Torres was then tackled by other passengers on the flight and was immediately taken into custody after the flight landed.

United Airlines says it has banned Torres from flying on future flights following this incident.

“Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one customer was restrained after becoming a security concern on United flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston,” United said in a statement.

United says the flight was able to land safely and without any reported injuries.

“We have zero tolerance for any type of violence on our flights, and this customer will be banned from flying on United pending an investigation. We are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation,” the statement says.

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March 6, 2023
2 Americans arrested for allegedly sending aviation technology to Russia | CNN Politics

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Two US nationals were arrested in Kansas City on Thursday for allegedly sending US aviation technology to Russia, the Justice Department announced.

Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, 59, and Douglas Robertson, 55, are facing several charges, including exporting controlled goods without a license, falsifying and failing to file electronic export information, and smuggling goods contrary to US law.

Their arrest is the most recent move by the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, made up of federal prosecutors, investigators and analysts, which has worked for the past year to wage a global campaign against money laundering and sanctions evasion in support of the Russian government. Its work has resulted in over 30 indictments against sanctioned supporters of the Kremlin and Russian military, according to the Justice Department.

The two men’s US-based KanRus Trading Company sold and installed Western electronic equipment for airplanes, according to prosecutors, and allegedly sold equipment to Russian companies and provided repair services for Russian aircrafts. To get around US sanctions, prosecutors say Buyanovsky and Robertson concealed who their clients were, lied about how much products cost and were paid through foreign bank accounts.

After Russia’s war in Ukraine began last year, the US government imposed additional sanctions on shipments to Russia. Buyanovsky and Robertson discussed their options for continuing to send shipments to at least one client in Russia, prosecutors say, including by sending shipments through third-party countries.

A KanRus shipment in February 2022 was flagged by the Department of Commerce because it did not have the proper licensing, according to the indictment.

Soon after, Robertson, who is a commercial pilot, allegedly told a Russia-based client that “things are complicated in the USA” and that invoices needed to be less than $50,000 because otherwise there would be “more paperwork and visibility,” adding that “this is NOT the right time for either.” A shipment to that Russian client was later sent through Laos, prosecutors say.

Lawyers for Buyanovsky and Robertson are not yet listed.

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March 3, 2023
Ex-husband and relatives charged with murder of Hong Kong model Abby Choi as body parts found | CNN

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Hong Kong
CNN
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Four members of the same family charged in connection with the gruesome killing of Hong Kong model Abby Choi appeared in court Monday, after police said they found what are believed to be parts of her dismembered body, public broadcaster RTHK reported.

Choi’s ex-husband Alex Kwong, 28, his brother Anthony, 31, and their father, Kwong Kau, 65, are charged with her murder. Alex Kwong’s mother Jenny Li, 63, is charged with perverting the course of justice, RTHK reported.

All four were denied bail, the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court ruled Monday, according to RTHK. They are yet to enter a plea.

On Sunday, investigators identified a skull, several ribs and hair in a large stainless steel soup pot believed to be Choi’s remains, police said. Other body parts, including Choi’s torso and hands, remain missing.

It follows a police investigation that began Wednesday after Choi, 28, was reported missing. Two days later, parts of her body were found at a house in the city’s Tai Po district, police said. A meat slicer, an electric saw, and some clothing were also found at the home, police said.

Choi’s ex-husband was arrested on Saturday at a ferry pier on one of the city’s outlying islands, police said. His brother and his parents were arrested on Friday.

A fifth suspect, a 47-yer old woman, was arrested on Sunday in connection with the case, police said.

Choi, a model and social media influencer with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, recently appeared as the digital cover model for luxury magazine L’Officiel Monaco and attended this year’s Paris Fashion Week.

The court adjourned the case until May 8 to allow for further police investigation, RTHK reported.

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February 26, 2023