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  • Christian missionary father and daughter died when plane bound for Jamaica crashed in Florida

    A Christian missionary father and his daughter were killed when a small plane bound for a hurricane relief mission in Jamaica crashed in a South Florida neighborhood.Christian ministry organization Ignite the Fire identified the two victims of the Monday morning crash as the group’s founder, Alexander Wurm, 53, and his daughter Serena Wurm, 22.The pair were bringing humanitarian aid to Jamaica, according to the organization, when the Beechcraft King Air plane they were flying in crashed into a pond in a residential area of the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Coral Springs, narrowly missing homes. As of Tuesday morning, investigators had not reported any other victims. In recent weeks, Alexander Wurm had helped deliver medical supplies, water filters and StarLink satellite internet equipment to Jamaica for the relief organization Crisis Response International, according to a video statement the group posted online. “He really made a difference in the lives of the people on the ground by getting the resources in that he did. He saved lives and he gave his life,” Crisis Response International founder Sean Malone added. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane was manufactured in 1976 and its registered owner is listed as International Air Services, a company that markets itself as specializing in providing trust agreements to non-U.S. citizens that enable them to register their aircraft with the FAA. A person who answered the company’s phone Monday afternoon declined to answer questions from a reporter, stating “no comment” and ending the phone call.Posts by Alexander Wurm on social media in recent days suggested the evangelist had recently acquired the plane to further his missionary work across the Caribbean, describing the aircraft as “an older King Air with brand new engines,” and “perfect” to ferry deliveries of generators, batteries and building materials to Jamaica. Photos and videos on social media show Wurm posing for a picture in the plane’s cockpit and unloading boxes of supplies from the packed aircraft with teams of volunteers.The flight tracking website FlightAware shows the plane made four other trips to or from Jamaica in the past week, traveling between George Town in the Cayman Islands and Montego Bay and Negril in Jamaica, before landing in Fort Lauderdale on Friday. A powerful Category 5 storm, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Oct. 28 and tied for the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane in history. The storm also caused devastation in Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic and prompted relief organizations to mobilize.

    FLORIDA, USA —

    A Christian missionary father and his daughter were killed when a small plane bound for a hurricane relief mission in Jamaica crashed in a South Florida neighborhood.

    Christian ministry organization Ignite the Fire identified the two victims of the Monday morning crash as the group’s founder, Alexander Wurm, 53, and his daughter Serena Wurm, 22.

    The pair were bringing humanitarian aid to Jamaica, according to the organization, when the Beechcraft King Air plane they were flying in crashed into a pond in a residential area of the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Coral Springs, narrowly missing homes. As of Tuesday morning, investigators had not reported any other victims.

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    In recent weeks, Alexander Wurm had helped deliver medical supplies, water filters and StarLink satellite internet equipment to Jamaica for the relief organization Crisis Response International, according to a video statement the group posted online.

    “He really made a difference in the lives of the people on the ground by getting the resources in that he did. He saved lives and he gave his life,” Crisis Response International founder Sean Malone added.

    According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane was manufactured in 1976 and its registered owner is listed as International Air Services, a company that markets itself as specializing in providing trust agreements to non-U.S. citizens that enable them to register their aircraft with the FAA. A person who answered the company’s phone Monday afternoon declined to answer questions from a reporter, stating “no comment” and ending the phone call.

    Posts by Alexander Wurm on social media in recent days suggested the evangelist had recently acquired the plane to further his missionary work across the Caribbean, describing the aircraft as “an older King Air with brand new engines,” and “perfect” to ferry deliveries of generators, batteries and building materials to Jamaica.

    Photos and videos on social media show Wurm posing for a picture in the plane’s cockpit and unloading boxes of supplies from the packed aircraft with teams of volunteers.

    The flight tracking website FlightAware shows the plane made four other trips to or from Jamaica in the past week, traveling between George Town in the Cayman Islands and Montego Bay and Negril in Jamaica, before landing in Fort Lauderdale on Friday.

    A powerful Category 5 storm, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Oct. 28 and tied for the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane in history. The storm also caused devastation in Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic and prompted relief organizations to mobilize.

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  • Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters rally in downtown Los Angeles

    Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters rally in downtown Los Angeles

    Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon to call for an end to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, part of a wave of protests on both sides that have taken place this month across California in response to the Israel-Hamas war.

    After a round of speeches, the demonstrators began a slow march down Hill Street chanting and carrying signs opposing the occupation of Gaza and denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “war criminal.”

    Among the protesters was Hilda Tarazi, 91, who joked that she is “older than Israel.” She moved with the help of a walker, over which she placed a handmade sign reading “This is Not a Conflict This is Not a War This is Genocide.”

    She was 16 when she fled Jerusalem at the start of the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, she said. She said several relatives were killed when an Israeli airstrike this week hit the grounds of a church in Gaza.

    The relatives were killed “as they were praying,” in a church that was sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians, she said.

    The fighting began Oct. 7 when Hamas launched an incursion into Israel, killing more than 1,400 people and capturing about 200 hostages. Since then, Israel has launched a barrage of airstrikes across Gaza that have destroyed neighborhoods as Palestinian militants fire rockets into Israel.

    At least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed and Gaza faces a humanitarian crisis, with more than 1 million people displaced.

    The war has led protesters on both sides to take to the streets across California and around the country. Last week, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered near the Israeli Consulate in West L.A. to condemn the bombardment of Gaza. The next day, thousands marched to the Museum of Tolerance in solidarity with Israel.

    In San Francisco, pro-Palestinian protesters rallied Thursday outside the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, which is home to Pelosi’s district office, in an effort to persuade the congresswoman to sign on to a cease-fire resolution.

    Progressive Jewish activists also gathered outside Vice President Kamala Harris’ Brentwood home this week holding signs that read “No War Crimes in Our Name,” while Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to Israel. His office said that California is “working to ship medical supplies to support humanitarian relief efforts in Israel and Gaza.”

    President Biden also traveled to Israel to show his support after the attacks by Hamas militants but he urged restraint among its leaders, warning against growing tensions in the Mideast that threaten to spiral into a broader regional conflict.

    “I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it,” he said. “After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.”

    On Saturday, the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened to allow a limited convoy of trucks carrying urgently needed aid to enter the Palestinian territory. Israel sealed the crossing after Hamas’ attack, cutting off supplies and leading Palestinans in Gaza to ration food and drinking water. Hospitals have said they are running out of medical supplies and fuel for generators.

    In recent days, furious condemnation of Israel has mounted in major cities across the world amid the continuing airstrikes in Gaza.

    On Saturday, a speaker from the Muslim American Society led the crowd in a chant of “Palestine will be free, Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea, from the river to the sea.”

    Loud cries of support rose from the crowd as one speaker gave an “air hug” to Jewish people supporting their cause, drawing a distinction with the actions of the Israeli government.

    The crowd also stopped to recognize Wadea Al Fayoume, a 6-year-old boy who was stabbed 26 times in his home outside Chicago last week, in what authorities described as a hate crime.

    Salma Zahr, 41, said her 7-year-old daughter, who hid behind her and clutched her shirt as she spoke, has been scared since she heard about Wadea’s killing.

    Mother and daughter arrived at the protest in soccer jerseys, having come straight from a Saturday game. This week, Zahr said, her daughter asked her to turn down music and put away flags that identify them as Palestinian.

    “We believe in our humanity and we hope the world will come to a humane position for Palestinian people,” Zahr said.

    As the demonstration began to disperse, Lara Hijaza and her husband lingered to watch a small procession of cars waving Palestinian flags and blowing their horns. She said they are Palestinian and have family in the West Bank; the possibility of a potential Israeli ground invasion of Gaza has filled her with dread.

    Her husband, who was pushing a stroller, nodded in agreement. She said she attended the rally to to show her support for the Palestinian people, while using her voice to condemn the bombing by Israeli armed forces.

    “They say they’re targeting Hamas when they’re really targeting innocent people,” she said.

    Times staff writer Paloma Esquivel contributed to this report.

    Libor Jany, Suhauna Hussain

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