Asharq Al-Awsat US Treasury Sanctions 4 People For Funding Hamas by Heba El Koudsy -  Washington The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has blacklisted four people for their affiliation with Iran.They facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars between Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and Hamas’s operational arm, the Izz-Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, to carry out terrorist attacks originating from the Gaza Strip, it said.“OFAC designated Muhammad Sarur, Kamal Abdelrahman Aref Awad, Fawaz Mahmud Ali Nasser, and Muhammad Kamal al-Ayy for providing financial, material, technological support, financial or other services to, or in support of, Hamas,” the Treasury announced.It pointed out that the financial facilitators are based in Lebanon and Gaza and are critical intermediaries between the Iranian regime and the Izz-Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades and end users in the West Bank.In partnership with the Sultanate of Oman, the Treasury sanctioned the four individuals under...

FOX 8 FBI: Teen Charged With Attempting To Provide Material Support To ISIS by Tribune Media Wire NEW YORK — A 19-year-old has been charged in federal court after he was arrested in Queens during an FBI national security investigation, officials and law enforcement sources said.Awais Chudhary, a naturalized American citizen born in Pakistan, is charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Chudary was arrested Thursday and made his first appearance in court Friday before being held without bail.“As alleged, Awais Chudhary planned to kill innocent civilians on behalf of ISIS and record the bloodshed in the hope of inspiring others to commit attacks,” United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue said. “This office, together with the FBI, the NYPD and all members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force will continue working tirelessly to identify ISIS sympathizers like the defendant and prevent them...

Clarion Project Back to School: Islamist Indoctrination for US Kids? By Sarah Bandujo The new school year is upon us and Access Islam, a program backed by the Department of Education, is under fire again after being accused of being an Islamist indoctrination program. This program claims to educate school children about religious diversity, but it is specifically geared toward Islam. Children in grades 5 through 12 are required to learn about the Five Pillars of Islam then asked to make posters about them, read and interpret Islamic scripture from the Quran and provide examples on how Muslims implement these lessons into their everyday lives. In Virginia, students in the program were required to copy the shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith, which declares, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” In New York, students were shown videos of Islamic terrorists justifying their attacks...

Police: Texas gunman was fired from job, called FBI before shooting By Paul J. WeberAssociated Press ODESSA, Texas - The gunman in a spate of violence after a routine traffic stop in West Texas had just been fired from his job and called both police and the FBI before the shooting began, authorities said Monday.Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said 36-year-old Seth Aaron Ator had been fired over the weekend from Journey Oilfield Services. He said both Ator and the company called 911 after being fired Saturday but that Ator was gone by the time police showed up. FBI special agent Christopher Combs says Ator's statements on the phone were "rambling."Authorities said Ator killed seven people and injured at least 22 others Saturday before officers killed him outside a busy movie theater in Odessa.FBI special agent Christopher Combs said Ator "was on a long spiral down" before the shooting on...

NBC Miami Woman Tosses Molotov Cocktail Into South Florida Citizenship Office The woman, Cellicia Hunt, was charged with maliciously attempting to damage or destroy a government building by fire By Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo A woman tossed a lit Molotov cocktail into the lobby of a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Oakland Park, Florida. No one was reported injured, according to a report of the incident sent to Trump administration officials and viewed by The Associated Press.The woman walked into the office Friday afternoon and hurled a bottle filled with gasoline and a lit fuse. The fuse disconnected from the bottle and did not ignite, according to the report. Law enforcement officials believe the woman intended to cause harm but the incident wasn't related to other ones where Homeland Security agencies were targeted.Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, which handles legal immigration, said in...

BBC Hezbollah fires rockets into Israel from Lebanon The Lebanese Shia Muslim militant group Hezbollah has fired several anti-tank rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for a reported Israeli drone attack in Beirut last week.Israeli military sources confirmed rockets had been fired at an Israeli army base and military vehicles.The Israeli army responded by attacking targets in southern Lebanon.Hezbollah sources reported several Israeli casualties, but Israel said no-one had been injured on its side. The Lebanese military earlier said an Israeli drone had entered its airspace and dropped incendiary material on a forest along the border.The Israeli army has acknowledged it started a fire. Tensions on the frontier escalated in recent days. Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49544819...

Texas shooter who killed 7 in Odessa identified by Perry Vandell, Arizona Republic PHOENIX – The mass shooter who killed at least seven people and wounded 22 in the Midland and Odessa area of Texas has been identified as 36-year-old Seth Ator.At a Sunday afternoon news conference, Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said police knew the shooter's identity, but refused to release it to the media. Gerke said he wouldn't give the mass shooter additional notoriety. The shooter was later named in a Facebook post by the Odessa Police Department.The incident began when a gold-colored car was stopped by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper for failing to signal.Police say the shooter grabbed a rifle and shot at a pair of troopers through the rear-view window – wounding one – before driving away. He then sped off and continued his rampage, firing at motorists and pedestrians before hijacking a...

ABC News 10 teens shot at high school football game in Alabama, 17-year-old arrestedBy Emily Shapiro and Justin Doom A 17-year-old was arrested after 10 people were shot following a high school football game in Alabama, according to police.The victims in the shooting, which happened in Mobile, ranged in age from 15 to 18. They were rushed to area hospitals, officials said.No one died, according to authorities.Deangelo Parnell, 17, has been arrested and charged with nine counts of attempted murder, Mobile Police Department spokesman Laderrick Dubose told ABC News Saturday morning. Mobile Police Chief Lawrence Battiste didn't confirm to reporters the shooting stemmed from an altercation, but he did admonish young people for "bringing their beefs that they have with each other in their neighborhoods" into public settings and "putting people in harm's way." Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/10-teens-shot-high-school-football-game-alabama/story?id=65309106...

Iranian satellite launch failed due to technical issues: Official Saudi Gazette DUBAI — An Iranian rocket exploded on its launch pad at Imam Khomeini Space Center in northern Iran before its scheduled launch on Thursday, an Iranian official said.The launch was due to have taken place despite US warnings to Iran that it should avoid such activity."It was due to some technical issues and it exploded but our young scientists are working to fix the problem," the Iranian official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. He gave no further details.A US official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, also said that Iran suffered a satellite launch failure.The United States, Iran's long time foe, fears long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads.Tehran denies the US accusation that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development.Satellite imagery published by the...

Killer Drone Boomerangs Back to Kill ISIS Fighter Clarion Project A plan to attack Allied forces in Iraq backfired when a commercial drone outfitted with explosives by an ISIS fighter boomeranged back to kill him, reported The Sun.Drones are programmed to fly back to their owners if they aren’t sufficiently charged, which was apparently the case in this incident.Although the story was just released, a UK security source told The Sun that incident occurred after the battle for Mosul.“We learned this idiot had wired up his drone with explosives but was killed when its batteries ran low and it flew home. With a weak signal for some reason it detonated over his head,” the source said. “This caused quite a laugh for us, but the drone threat is very real.”Drones have been at the forefront of battles recently, with Iranian proxies in Yemen targeting Saudi Arabian civilian airports and military...

Fox News Maryland Man Accused Of Plotting ISIS-Inspired Terror Attack Near DC Is Indicted By Melissa Leon A Maryland man accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired terror attack at a tourist site near Washington, D.C., was indicted Wednesday on a terrorism-related charge, the Justice Department announced.Rondell Henry, 28, of Germantown was indicted on federal charges of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, the DOJ said.Henry moved to the U.S. from Trinidad and Tobago 11 years ago and is a naturalized citizen.He is accused of stealing a U-Haul van in Alexandria, Va., and driving it to Maryland, where he intended to use it as a weapon at the National Harbor complex on the Potomac River, according to previously filed court documents. Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/us/maryland-man-isis-inspired-terror-attack-indicted...

Counterterrorism and GILEE: The Atlanta ‘96 Olympics to today By Ben Coletta - The Signal GILEE was established in 1992 to provide counterterrorism training for police officers in preparation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. But students in the past have questioned GILEE’s effectiveness – since there was in fact a terrorist attack at the Atlanta games. Since its inception, a focus on counterterrorism and preparedness has been emphasized for its American trainees. In an effort to improve homeland security, GILEE works with international partners, exchanging American expertise in areas like violent crime, community policing and urban policing. On July 27, 1996, a bomb went off in Centennial Olympic Park, killing one and injuring 111.  The bomb was planted by domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph and would be his first of four bombings between 1996 and 1998.  Richard Jewell, a security guard, spotted the bomb and evacuated the area, limiting the...

The Iran-Israel War Is Here The Wall Street Journal More than a decade of civil strife has opened up the region for the escalating state-to-state conflict. By Jonathan Spyer Israel and Iran are at war. Israeli strikes this week in southern Syria, western Iraq and eastern Lebanon—and possibly even Beirut—confirm it. This war is a very 21st-century affair. For now it involves only small circles among the Israeli and Iranian populations. Parts of the air force, intelligence services and probably special forces are active on the Israeli side. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, its expeditionary Quds Force and proxy politico-military organizations in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are engaged on behalf of Iran. The war marks a hinge point in Middle Eastern geopolitics. For the past decade and a half, the region has been engaged mainly with internal strife: civil wars, insurgencies and mass protests. These are now largely spent, leaving...

Hezbollah Planning 'Calculated Strike' Against Israel Haaretz Shi'ite organization warns retaliation 'is being arranged in a way which wouldn't lead to a war that neither Hezbollah nor Israel wants' Hezbollah is preparing a "calculated strike" against its enemy Israel after drones crashed in Beirut but it seeks to avoid a new war, two sources allied to the heavily armed Shi'ite Muslim movement told Reuters on Tuesday.A reaction "is being arranged in a way which wouldn't lead to a war" that Hezbollah does not want, one of the sources said. "The direction now is for a calculated strike, but how matters develop, that's another thing."Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier on Tuesday that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah should "calm down" after Nasrallah said his Iranian-backed movement would respond to the crash of two drones in a Beirut suburb.  Read more: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/hezbollah-planning-calculated-strike-against-israel-1.7761120...

UN peacekeeping patrol filmed coming under attack by Hezbollah in Lebanon By Ben Evansky | Fox News The United Nations Security Council is expected to renew the yearly mandate of its UNIFIL, its peacekeeping force in Lebanon, this week.But exclusive video obtained by Fox News shows a peacekeeping patrol under attack by the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hezbollah. An intelligence source confirmed to Fox News the Iranian proxy force was behind the attack.While the U.N. described the attack in a report, the video and the ensuing chaos following the ambush show how dangerous Hezbollah has made the situation for UNIFIL, or the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.The video shows groups of men block off the convoy with their cars. Once blocked off several men set upon the vehicles, trying to break in through the windows with hammers and stones.At one stage, gasoline is poured over the second U.N. armored vehicle...

The Jerusalem Post The Call To Brand Hezbollah To suggest in any way that Hezbollah’s terrorist activities are entirely disassociated from the violent ideology that supports it, is entirely false and intellectually bankrupt. By RAMAN GHAVAMI The news that Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro is actively considering labeling Hezbollah a terrorist organization should be welcomed across the civilized world. Momentum is finally gathering behind this movement, as governments belatedly recognize the pernicious and malign threat this organization poses. Previously, they have avoided such measures due to the so-called, entirely illusionary distinction between Hezbollah’s military and political wings. As Iran’s proxy-in-chief, we must use all tools at our disposal to cut off their funding and inhibit their ability to operate.Iran has long sought to destabilize its neighbors and perceived enemies through unconventional means. Lacking the resources of “the Great Satan” in the United States, it has sought to project its power by...

SarahCarter.com ‘Gulf Cartel’ Attacked CBP Boat To Protect Secret Underwater Drug Pulley by Sarah Carter Armed smugglers allegedly associated with the Gulf Cartel were responsible for the onslaught of automatic fire that endangered the lives a Border Patrol Marine Unit in early August, as it policed the banks for drug smugglers and human traffickers along the Rio Grande Valley River, in Texas.Department of Homeland Security investigators recently uncovered that it was to prevent the Border Patrol boat from trampling or breaking an underwater pulley line devised by the cartel to transport large quantities of cocaine into the United States, according to a For Official Use Only law enforcement sensitive document obtained by SaraACarter.com.U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents were not aware at the time why the assault was launched on their Marine Unit, according to a Border Patrol official who spoke to this news outlet. The U.S. Border Patrol agents,...

NYPD arrests slump in wake of firing of officer accused in Garner case, report saysBy Adam Shaw | Fox News The firing of NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who was involved in the fatal arrest of Eric Garner in 2014, appears to have already had an effect on the Big Apple, with the number of arrests dropping sharply compared to 2018 and cops warning of plummeting morale among New York City's finest.Just between Aug. 17, when Pantaleo was fired, and Aug. 25, arrests dropped by 27 percent compared to the same period in 2018, the New York Post reported.NYPD cops made 3,508 arrests compared to 4,827 a year earlier, according to the Post. Pantaleo was fired over his role in the arrest of Garner, who was selling untaxed cigarrettes on Staten Island. After he resisted arrest, Pantaleo got behind him and took him down. Prosecutors later argued that he used a banned...

Iraqi Army Launches New Security Campaign In Anbar Desert Asharq Al-Awsat by  Hamza Mustafa The Joint Operations Command (JOC) announced on Saturday the start of the fourth phase of the Will of Victory Operation to hunt down remnants of ISIS militants in the desert of Iraq's western province of Anbar.A statement issued by the JOC media office said: "the fourth phase of this operation was launched at dawn on Saturday, to search and clear the entire desert and the regions in Anbar province from the ISIS remnants.”It said the operation was under the direction of the commander in chief of the armed forces and the supervision of the joint operations command and came after the third phase of the Will of Victory Operation achieved its objectives accurately and successfully.The troops concluded the third phase of the major offensive in the provinces of Nineveh and Diyala on Aug. 5.Read more: https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1871456/iraqi-army-launches-new-security-campaign-anbar-desert...

2 Women Plead Guilty In Plot To Commit Terror Attack In US By Jay Croft, CNN Two New York women who plotted to build a bomb for a terrorist attack in the United States face 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges, authorities say.Asia Siddiqui, 35, and Noelle Velentzas, 31, are US citizens and residents of the New York borough of Queens. In federal court in Brooklyn on Friday, both pleaded guilty to "teaching and distributing information pertaining to the making and use of an explosive, destructive device, and weapon of mass destruction, intending that it be used to commit a federal crime of violence," according to a press release from the US Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of New York. "In an effort to implement their violent, radical ideology, the defendants studied some of the most deadly terrorist attacks in U.S. history, and used them...