Homeland Security Network Blog

  Associated Press UN Experts: Terrorist Threat Remains High In Conflict Areas By EDITH M. LEDERER UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. experts said Tuesday the threat from Islamic State extremists and al-Qaida remains high in conflict areas and neighboring countries and warned that those conflicts will “incubate” the capability for a terrorist operation elsewhere in the world unless they are successfully resolved. In a wide-ranging report to the U.N. Security Council, the experts said both the Islamic State and al-Qaida operate in the areas of greatest concern -- Africa, central and south Asia, and the “Levant” which includes Syria and Iraq. The experts said foreigners who fought with the Islamic State group are “another major potential threat multiplier” along with their dependents and quoted one unnamed country reporting that an estimated 120,000 remain in 11 camps and some 20 prison facilities in northeast Syria. Another country reported that approximately 10,000 “foreign...

Iran claims "technical ability to build a nuclear bomb" CBS News Tehran — Iran has the technical capacity to build a nuclear weapon but has not taken a decision to do so, an official told the Al Jazeera broadcaster on Sunday. Iran "has the technical ability to build a nuclear bomb" said Kamal Kharrazi, who heads an advisory board linked to Iran's leadership. But Tehran has "not made a decision to build an atomic bomb," he added. The comments come after U.S. President Joe Biden visited the Middle East this week and signed a security pact with Israel vowing to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It also comes as efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers remain stalled. Kharrazi, a former foreign minister, also told Al Jazeera that Tehran had carried out extensive drills to be able to strike deep inside Israel "if sensitive (Iranian)...

The Texas Tribune Leaked video shows Texas law enforcement’s long wait to confront Uvalde school shooter Elected officials and law enforcement leaders criticized the leak of the video that was supposed to first be shown to victims’ families. by Uriel J. García and Zach Despart UVALDE — On the same day that a Texas House committee investigating the Uvalde school shooting announced plans to release footage of law enforcement response to the incident, a video showing police waiting for more than an hour in the school hallway before confronting the shooter was published by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV. The apparent leak of the video before victims’ families could view it drew ire from local and state leaders. At a Uvalde City Council meeting Tuesday night, Mayor Don McLaughlin said it was unprofessional to have leaked the video to news outlets. He said families deserved to have viewed the video first...

Domestic terror cases increasingly cross borders, FBI director says British intelligence chief says that young neo-Nazi suspects obsessed with weapons present a “cocktail of risk” around the globe.By Devlin Barrett LONDON — Many domestic terrorism cases now have an international component, as would-be killers are “egging each other on” and drawing inspiration from racist or neo-Nazi attacks overseas, the head of the FBI and his British counterpart said Friday.Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, speaking to reporters alongside Ken McCallum, director general of the British domestic security agency MI5, said their agencies have spent decades developing tip-sharing systems to handle international terrorism cases, but that “muscle memory” is now being applied to domestic terrorism investigations. “Travel and technology,” Wray said, “have really blurred the lines between foreign and domestic threats.” The FBI director said the...

Japan’s Shinzo Abe, Former Prime Minister, Is Assassinated Police arrest 41-year-old man suspected of firing two shots at former leader with crudely made gun By Alastair Gale and Miho Inada TOKYO—Shinzo Abe, a former Japanese prime minister, died after being shot Friday during an election campaign rally, sending shock waves through a country unaccustomed to gun violence. Police arrested a 41-year-old man who they said approached Mr. Abe from behind as he gave a speech in the city of Nara and fired twice with what appeared to be an improvised firearm. A doctor who treated Mr. Abe said he had gunshot wounds near the base of his neck and one bullet pierced his heart. Mr. Abe, 67, was the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history and remained powerful even after stepping down in 2020. During his term in office, he pushed to strengthen the nation’s military, beefed up cooperation with U.S....

New York Times Parade Shooting Live Updates: 22-Year-Old Is in Custody After Manhunt The police said they had detained a man they described as a person of interest in the shooting at the Highland Park, Ill., Fourth of July celebration. Six people were killed, including a 76-year-old grandfather. Many details about the attack remained unclear a day after the shooting. HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — The attack on a Fourth of July parade in a lakefront suburb north of Chicago that killed six people on Monday left the community and country reeling with questions, as a 22-year-old suspect remained in custody, his motive unclear and charges expected. Numerous people were still being treated in hospitals for gunshot wounds and other injuries. The shooting came a week and a half after President Biden signed the most significant gun measure to clear Congress in nearly three decades, but it was unclear whether any of...

New York Post Protests erupt in Ohio after graphic video released of Jayland Walker’s police shooting By Snejana Farberov Heated protests broke out in downtown Akron, Ohio, Sunday, raging late into the night, after police released graphic body camera video showing black DoorDash deliveryman Jayland Walker being shot dozens of times as he tried to flee a traffic stop. Demonstrations have been held around Akron since the June 27 police shooting of Walker, but they intensified Sunday after police made the video public, with Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan calling it “heartbreaking.” Video captured cops dressed in riot gear and carrying shields confronting demonstrators, who could be heard chanting, “F–k the police,” “Justice for Jayland” and “We are done dying,” reported News 5 Cleveland. Other videos depicted police officers deploying what appeared to be a dozen cannisters of tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd after someone had knocked over...

WESH 2 ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police released body camera video on Monday showing a shooting involving officers that happened near Mall at Millenia on May 28. An off-duty police officer was working extra duty at Mall at Millenia, near Millenia Boulevard and Conroy Road, when a man was asked to leave through a Neiman Marcus store around 7:12 p.m. Nineteen-year-old Sebastian Roman allegedly pulled out a gun and fired once outside of the mall, OPD said. In the video, Roman was asked to leave the mall by an officer. Then an officer asked if he could search Roman's bag, and that's when shots were fired. The off-duty officer initiated a foot pursuit and called for backup. According to the police department, the officer did not discharge his weapon when initially shot at outside of the mall. An on-duty officer in a patrol car caught up to the suspect outside an...

  US forces kill senior terrorist leader in Syria Abu Hamzah al Yemeni was a senior leader of al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist group. By Matt Seyler U.S. forces killed a senior terrorist leader in an airstrike in Syria on Monday, according to military officials. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the target of the strike, Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, was a senior leader of an al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist group known as Hurras al-Din. The leader was riding alone on a motorcycle in Idlib province at the time of the attack, CENTCOM said. Violent groups like Hurras al-Din pose an ongoing threat to the U.S. and its allies, according to the statement. "The removal of this senior leader will disrupt Al Qaeda's ability to carry out attacks against U.S. citizens our partners, and innocent civilians around the world," the statement said. An early review showed no sign of civilian casualties, according to the U.S. military. The...

  BBC Oslo Shooting: Norway Attack Being Treated As Islamist Terrorism, Police Say A 42-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts after a shooting in the centre of Norway's capital, Oslo. Two people died and 21 were wounded early on Saturday in what police called an "act of Islamist terrorism". The shootings were in and near the London Pub, a popular LGBTQ+ venue, the Herr Nilsen jazz club and another pub. Norway's prime minister told the BBC the suspect was questioned in May, but was not deemed a threat at the time. "We now need to see the result of an investigation," PM Jonas Gahr Stoere told the BBC's Newshour programme late on Saturday. The shooting started at about 01:15 local time on Saturday (23:15 GMT Friday), officials said. Full story https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61933817

    Head of State Police Calls Response to Uvalde Shooting an ‘Abject Failure’ The director of the Department of Public Safety said that police officers wasted time looking for a classroom door key that was “never needed.” New York Times By J. David Goodman AUSTIN, Texas — The head of the Texas State Police on Tuesday offered a pointed and emphatic rebuke of the police response to a shooting last month at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, calling it “an abject failure” that ran counter to decades of training. In his comments before a special State Senate committee in Austin, Steven McCraw, the director of the Department of Public Safety, provided the most complete public account yet of his agency’s month-old investigation and a forceful argument that officers at the scene could have — and should have — confronted the gunman without delay after arriving. Just minutes after a...

France 24 Suspected Jihadists Kill More Than 130 Civilians In Central Mali, Officials Say Suspected jihadists massacred more than 130 civilians over the weekend in neighbouring central Mali towns, the latest mass killings in the troubled Sahel region. Local officials reported scenes of systematic killings by armed men in Diallassagou and two surrounding towns in the Bankass circle, a longtime hotbed of Sahelian violence. "They have also been burning huts, houses, and stealing cattle -- it's really a free-for-all," said a local official who for security reasons spoke on the condition of anonymity. He and another official, who like him had fled his village, said the death toll was still being counted on Monday. Nouhoum Togo, a local official from Bankass, the main town in the area, said it was even higher than the 132 announced by the government, who have blamed al-Qaeda affiliated jihadists for the killings. The national authorities...

  Chicago-area officer fatally shoots suspect who ran at him with a hatchet, shocking video shows The suspect pulled up to where the officer was conducting a traffic stop before charging at him with the weapon, the video shows. By Brie Stimson | Fox News Police released video of a fatal officer-involved shooting Tuesday from earlier this month when an officer in a Chicago suburb fired several shots at a man who allegedly charged at him with a hatchet while he was conducting a traffic stop. The Naperville, Illinois police officer was conducting a traffic stop for a minor infraction for around 11 minutes at 11 a.m. on June 3 with a driver who was pulled to the side of the road. That's when the suspect’s car suddenly pulled up in the middle of the road, the body camera video released by the Naperville Police Department shows.       "Who...

The Wall Street Journal Senior ISIS Leader Captured In Syria, U.S. Military Officials Say U.S.-led coalition forces detained Islamic State bomb maker in a raid By Gordon Lubold and Nancy A. Youssef DUSHANBE, Tajikistan—U.S.-led coalition forces seized a man described by officials as a senior leader of Islamic State in an operation in northeast Syria late Wednesday. Military forces detained Hani Ahmed al-Kurdi, assessed to be a bomb maker and facilitator who had become one of Islamic State’s senior leaders in Syria, U.S. military officials said. They didn’t disclose more details about the raid that led to Mr. al-Kurdi’s arrest. “The mission was meticulously planned to minimize the risk of collateral damage, particularly any potential harm to civilians,” Operation Inherent Resolve, the command that oversees operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, said in a statement. “There were no civilians harmed during the operation nor any damage to coalition aircraft...

  SOFREP Utah Paramedic ‘Baby Dog’ Left Dayjob, Flew To Ukraine To Fight Russians Journalists were surprised to find an American fighter and medic amidst the ruins of the front lines in Ukraine. Known in her detachment as “Baby Dog,” the Utah native stood under the hot Eastern European sun donning her full military fatigue with a yellow tape attached to her left arm and shoulder, a color that represents allegiance to Ukraine. “I wasn’t doing much at home. It was just working two jobs, pretty boring,” the 21-year-old said. Baby Dog shared she was a paramedic working two jobs back in Utah when news of the Russian assault on Ukraine broke out. “This is a human thing. You can’t sit back and watch. It’s like sitting and watching someone kicking a dog for no reason, kicking a dog in the head. It’s crying. You don’t stop it,” she said, explaining...

  Associated Press NATO Chief: Turkey Has “Legitimate Concerns” Over Terrorism HELSINKI (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that Turkey has “legitimate concerns” over terrorism and other issues that need to be taken seriously. Turkey has accused Finland and Sweden of supporting Kurdish militants and says it will not back the two Nordic nations joining NATO until they change their policies. Speaking at a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Stoltenberg stressed that “no other NATO ally has suffered more terrorist attacks than Turkey” and pointed to its strategic geographic location with neighbors like Iraq and Syria. “These are legitimate concerns. This is about terrorism, it’s about weapons exports,” Stoltenberg said. “We have to address the security concerns of all allies, including Turkish concerns about the terrorist group PKK.” He spoke at Finland’s presidential summer residence Kultaranta in western Finland. After decades of military non-alignment, Russia’s war...

  NBC News Homeland Security Warns Of Heightened Extremist Threats, Uvalde Copycats By David K. Li and Austin Mullen The Department of Homeland Security warned Tuesday of potential domestic violence in the coming months due to "several high-profile events." The bulletin was issued as the Supreme Court appears poised to end constitutional protection for women's rights to abortion and as a highly charged midterm election unfolds less than two years after violent protesters tried to overturn legitimate election results. "The United States remains in a heightened threat environment, as noted in the previous Bulletin, and several recent attacks have highlighted the dynamic and complex nature of the threat environment," Homeland Security said in a statement. "In the coming months, we expect the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets." Clint Watts, a national security...

The Wall Street Journal How the War Against ISIS Was Won Fighting ‘by, with and through’ local allies may be the U.S. military strategy of the future. In Mosul, it survived its toughest test. By Michael R. Gordon In mid-April 2017, I was a fly on the wall for a top-level meeting that helped cement the defeat of Islamic State. Nearly three years earlier, Islamic State militants had taken the city of Mosul, rocking the Middle East and spurring the U.S. to send its military forces back to Iraq. The American mission this time wasn’t to do the fighting on the ground but to back up Iraqi forces with U.S. firepower and advise them as they battled their way forward. The name of the military campaign was “Operation Inherent Resolve,” and in the spring of 2017, that resolve was being put to the test. Full story https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-war-against-isis-was-won-11654271174

  KOCO News 5 - ABC Police release names, motivation behind Tulsa medical center shooting TULSA, Okla. — Four victims were shot and killed during an active shooter situation Wednesday afternoon at a medical facility in Tulsa. ulsa police said a gunman charged into the second floor of the Natalie Building at St. Francis Hospital at 4:52 p.m. Wednesday, opening fire and killing four victims. Police also said the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Tulsa Police Department identified the victims as Dr. Preston Phillips, Dr. Stephanie Husen, Amanda Glenn and William Love. They also identified the suspect as Michael Louis. Tulsa police Chief Wendell Franklin said during a news conference Thursday that Louis underwent back surgery performed by Phillips on May 19 and complained of pain after being released from the hospital. Louis contacted Phillips’ office several times over the coming weeks and met with Phillips for additional...

Pakistan Sponsored Terror Next Door. Now, It’s Back to Roost Afghans rue the return of the Taliban. So does Pakistan, as al Qaeda-linked militants run rampant. by Lynne O’Donnell The United Nations Security Council has confirmed the resurgence of al Qaeda, the terrorist group behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that is closely tied to the Taliban and is using their return to power in Afghanistan to find safe haven, attract recruits, and boost fundraising for their never-ending jihad. Al Qaeda’s leader, Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden in 2011, and other core members of the group’s leadership are living in eastern Afghanistan as the Taliban’s guests, a report by the U.N. Security Council notes. The U.N. report says Zawahiri is churning out propaganda videos, apparently comfortable that he can “lead more effectively” than was possible before last year’s Taliban victory over the United States. The biggest loser of...