china

Ukraine Targets Moscow in ‘One of Largest Ever’ Drone Attacks

Moscow’s air defenses are still holding firm for the moment. Photo: Julius Silver,Pexels.com

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow, as it presses on with a major incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Russian air defence forces shot down 11 drones over Moscow and its surrounding region. No damage or casualties were reported. Drone attacks on Moscow are rare. Ukraine’s latest attempt to target the Russian capital appeared to be larger than an attack in May 2023, when at least eight drones were intercepted.

Following the assault on Moscow, temporary restrictions were imposed overnight at Moscow’s Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, but all three later returned to normal operations.

Source:

Ukraine targets Moscow in ‘one of largest ever’ drone attacks | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera

Latvian National Extradited for Illegally Exporting Advanced US-Origin Aircraft Technology to Russia

Upgraded Tu-160M strategic bomber. (Photo: TASS)

Oleg Chistyakov AKA Olegs Čitsjakovs (55) was extradited from Latvia to a federal court in Kansas City, KS. Chistyakov allegedly conspired with US citizens Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky (61) and Douglas Edward Robertson (56) to facilitate the sale, repair and shipment of US-origin avionics equipment to customers in Russia and other countries that operate Russian-built aircraft. Buyanovksy and Robertson were charged and arrested in March 2023 and have both pleaded guilty. Buyanovsky is scheduled to be sentenced on 14 Nov; Robertson on 3 Oct.

Chistyakov is charged with conspiracy, Export Control Reform Act violations, smuggling, and money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

Source:

Office of Public Affairs | Latvian National Extradited for Scheme to Illegally Export Advanced U.S.-Origin Aircraft Technology to Russia | United States Department of Justice

The War in Gaza Is Creating Thousands of Orphans as Polio Outbreak Looms

UN experts estimate that at least 19,000 children are now surviving with extended families, hospital staff, volunteers, or managing by themselves. Many of Gaza’s newly orphaned children are injured, traumatized, and haunted by memories of their parents. Medical staff say children are left to roam hospital hallways and fend for themselves. Hospitals label them “wounded child, no surviving family.” Neonatal units are caring for unclaimed babies and surgeons have amputated limbs from many orphans who said “they had no one to hold their hands or comfort them.”

Nearly all of the territory’s 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once during the war. On top of all this abject misery, the UN reports an outbreak of the polio virus which was polio-free for 25 years. A supply chain of refrigeration units and unfettered access to the Gaza Strip would be necessary to contain this virus.

Abdullah Akeila (LF) and his brother Ahmed (R) in Gaza. The boys are aching to see their parents again and are convinced it will happen as soon as they can go home. (Photo: Bilal Shbair for the New York Times).

Sources:

War-battered Gaza Faces Uphill Battle Against Polio | IBTimes

The War in Gaza Is Making Thousands of Orphans – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Police Brutality in US Continues: South Carolina Deputy Charged with Killing Unarmed Man, Letting Police Dog Maul Another Innocent Man

Former deputy Treyvon Jonathan Sellers in an undated photo.

A deputy in South Carolina has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and assault after he shot an unarmed suspect five times, killing him, while letting his police dog maul a different, innocent person.

State agents arrested former Florence County deputy Treyvon Jonathan Sellers (29). He was on leave after the 26 May shooting and was fired in July after an arrest in an unrelated domestic violence case. Sellers was chasing 43-year-old William Dwayne Rankin when Rankin crashed into a tree and ran into a nearby home. Sellers went into the home through the back door unannounced with his unleashed police dog. The ex-deputy then ordered the dog to attack anyone in the house. The dog bit Johnny Cooper, the owner of the home, who wasn’t involved in the chase and didn’t know Sellers. While the dog attacked Mr. Cooper, Sellers shot Rankin five times as he lay on a couch.

Sellers failed to give the dog the right commands to stop attacking and the homeowner was mauled for approximately 87 seconds, suffering permanent injuries to his left arm and shoulder. Sellers was charged with voluntary manslaughter in Rankin’s death and faces two to 30 years in prison if convicted. He was also charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in the dog’s attack and faces up to 20 years if convicted. The fate of the police dog is not yet known.

Source:

South Carolina deputy charged with killing unarmed man, letting police dog maul someone else – CBS News

Mexico to Charge Drug Lord for Delivering Another Drug Lord to US

A plane believed to have carried Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez is seen on the tarmac of the Dona Ana County private airport, in Santa Teresa, NM, 25 July 2024.

The strange saga of how two Mexican drug lords were detained after landing in a plane in the US in July just got stranger. The Mexican government is bringing charges against Joaquín Guzmán López, the leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel founded by his father, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, because he kidnapped Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada — an older drug boss from a rival faction of the cartel — forcing him onto the plane and flying to an airport near El Paso, TX.

The younger Guzmán apparently intended to turn himself in to US authorities, but may have brought Zambada along as a prize to sweeten any plea deal. Zambada had trusted Guzmán and accompanied him to a meeting to help iron out a fierce rivalry between two Mexican politicians.

Zambada was known for eluding capture for decades because of his incredibly tight, loyal, and sophisticated personal security apparatus. Joaquin Guzman Lopez may be charged with treason. According to Mexico’s criminal code, treason is committed “by those who illegally abduct a person in Mexico in order to hand them over to authorities of another country.”

These Mexican drug cartels smuggle millions of doses of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the US, causing about 70,000 overdose deaths each year.

Source:

Mexico to charge drug lord for delivering another drug lord to US (voanews.com)

ACLU Sues Medford, Oregon for Spying on Activists

0n 1 Jun 2020 Chris Luz, the mayor of the neighboring town of Phoenix, drove through a crowd of BLM protesters in Medford, OR. He was accused of intentionally hitting at least one woman with his car. Neither he nor the protestor were charged. (Imagery: The UK Daily Mail)

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has sued the city of Medford, accusing the Police Department of “illegally spying” on “progressive political activists.”

The ACLU filed the lawsuit claiming the department “illegally collected information on individuals and groups engaged in racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive justice, housing justice, harm reduction, decriminalization, government transparency and environmental advocacy, when no crime had been committed. Police surveillance of protected political activities is not only unlawful; it is incompatible with life in a free society.”

The complaint, filed on behalf of Rogue Valley Pepper Shakers, Stabbin Wagon and Melissa Jones, claims police collected intelligence from social media accounts on progressive groups and events, including a Juneteenth drive-in movie at the YMCA and in 2022 before the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and federal abortion rights.

Oregon state law bans police from “collecting or maintaining information about the political, religious, or social views and associations or activities of people who are not reasonably suspected of criminal activity.”

This unwarranted police surveillance is right out of Belarussian Supremo Alexander Lukashenko’s playbook or J. Edgar Hoover’s notorious COINTELPRO and has no place whatsoever in American society.

Sources:

https://www.aclu-or.org/

ACLU sues Medford, Ore.; accuses police of ‘spying’ on activists – UPI.com

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8440541/Driver-drove-crowd-Oregon-protesters-allegedly-neighboring-towns-MAYOR.html

https://ktvl.com/news/local/da-clears-phoenix-mayor-of-wrongdoing-in-incident-at-protest-protester-also-not-charged

City of Medford Names New Police Chief City of Medford (medfordoregon.gov)

New York Man Arrested for Operating as an Illegal Agent of the Chinese Government in the US

Yuanjun Tang (67), a naturalized citizen of the US and resident of Queens, NY, was charged with being an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and making materially false statements to the FBI.

Tang is a former PRC citizen who was imprisoned in China for his activities as a dissident opposing the one-party authoritarian political system controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On or about 2002, Tang defected to Taiwan and was subsequently granted political asylum in the US and moved to NYC. Tang regularly participated in events with fellow PRC dissidents and lead a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting democracy in China. But Tang was secretly reporting to the Ministry of State Security (MSS) on these dissidents and had at least three face-to-face meetings with his handlers. The FBI recovered photographs, videos, and documents that Tang collected or created for transmission to the MSS from numerous electronic devices and computer accounts.

Yuanjun Tang is charged with several counts and faces between five to 20 years incarceration if he is convicted.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

Source:

Office of Public Affairs | New York Man Arrested for Operating as an Illegal Agent of the Chinese Government in the United States | United States Department of Justice

Draconian Security Services Impacting US and German Interests in China

This girl is one of 15,000 people the Chinese authorities arrested in 2015 for “jeopardizing Internet security.” (Undated imagery).

Intelligence and security services are causing difficulties for the US and Germany. American diplomatic efforts to conduct people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges are being stifled. German commercial interests in the pharmaceutical industry are also being hampered in China.

The US State Department has been arranging for Chinese students to study in the US. In 2023, 105,000 student visas were issued and approximately 300,000 Chinese students are expected to be studying at American universities by the end of 2024. But the Chinese Communist Party’s security services, including agents of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), have been discouraging these students from going. Their tactics include interrogation, intimidation, and threats of expulsion from Chinese institutions. In some cases, parents of the students have been threatened by security personnel to dissuade their children from studying abroad.

In addition, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) shut down American-sponsored educational exchange programs in Shenyang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. The security services have also blocked the US Embassy in Beijing from hiring a single Chinese national for the past three years, impeding basic American diplomatic operations.

China’s emboldened police state affects Germany as well. The German pharmaceutical industry warns of possible drug shortages from China as four out of Germany’s 16 states have suspended trips by their quality-control inspectors over tightened espionage laws. The states say they can no longer guarantee the safety of their inspectors on visits to Chinese pharmaceutical factories.

Germany imports almost 90 percent of its antibiotics from China. Europe also imports a high number of active pharmaceutical ingredients and antibiotics from China, which is one of the world’s largest suppliers.

With the emergence of new diseases thanks to global climate change, a drug shortage would be catastrophic. Moreover, unscrupulous actors would take advantage of a shortfall by producing and marketing counterfeit and ineffective drugs in the West.

Sources:

Inside the Ring: Chinese security services are blocking America’s diplomatic efforts – Washington Times

German pharmaceutical industry warns of possible drug shortages from China | Euronews

https://www.csoonline.com/article/552509/china-arrests-15-000-for-internet-related-crimes.html

Trump Campaign in Utter Disarray

DailyMail.com has unearthed a decades-old photo of JD Vance posing with three female classmates during his senior year of high school in Ohio. But the state of Donald Trump’s campaign is no laughing matter as you will read below. Note that then-JD Vance in this photograph is the same age as Barron Trump today.

The Trump campaign is flatlining and in shambles. Recent polling analysis indicate that VPOTUS hopeful JD Vance is less popular than Sarah Palin, Senator John McCain’s 2008 running mate. On average, only 33% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Sen. JD Vance, while 42% have an unfavorable one. Meanwhile, 38% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Gov. Tim Walz, while 33% have an unfavorable opinion of him.

Financial disclosure statements reveal the modest Walz family owns no stocks or securities. But the young 40-ish Vance family are somehow already multi-millionaires, including owning a sizeable amount of cryptocurrency. The three 529 accounts Vance lists for his children are worth between $31,000 and $115,000 in total.

Does the average Republican in Anytown, USA, whose support JD Vance and Donald Trump are counting on, have this much lucre?

In terms of campaign finance, Team Kamala has been breaking fundraising records and closing the gap between Trump’s huge coffers.

Ex-POTUS Trump recently hired five new political strategists and allegedly asked his teenage son Barron for advice on reaching out to the youth vote. An adolescent pupil who graduated the elite private Oxbridge Academy (annual tuition and full board = $41,500) will probably advise his father on the desires and whims of America’s wealthy elite offspring.

Vanity Fair reported that the 45th President is constantly re-watching the 13 July 2024 attempted assassination of him in Butler, PA. Informants say he’s mesmerized by the video and that Trump may be suffering from PTSD. The former president has not held an outdoor rally since that fateful day.

Worse for the GOP presidential hopeful, he’s relying on futile ad hominem attacks on Kamala Harris. But the syntax, elocution, and logic of his recent aspersions have been simply horrendous. The Philadelphia Inquirer editorialized: “Trump’s Rash of Bizarre Claims and Wild Tangents is No Laughing Matter.”

After listening to the GOP presidential hopeful, retired decorated four-star US Army General Barry McCaffrey summed it up aptly on ‘X’:

“It’s almost impossible to believe that Trump as a Presidential candidate could sound this ignorant. Disordered language. Incoherent thinking. 5th grade stuff.”

On top of the campaign chaos, the former President must deal with catastrophic financial liabilities. A New York judge ordered Trump to pay $454 million in a civil fraud case, while a federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages for a defamation case. And for his 34 NYS felony convictions, Citizen Trump must face an imminent sentencing date on 18 Sep 2024.  

All of these personal issues, as well as possibly harboring second thoughts about JD Vance as a running mate, must be taxing the 78-year-old Republican nominee for the highest office of the land.  

Sources:

Donald Trump May ‘Legit Have PTSD’ Over Shooting: Report – Newsweek

Trump’s rash of bizarre claims and wild tangents is no laughing matter | Editorial (inquirer.com)

Donald Trump V. Kamala Harris 2024: Which Campaign Raised More Money (forbes.com)

Trump adds five new advisers as he tries to find attack lines against Harris | Donald Trump | The Guardian

JD Vance is more unpopular than Sarah Palin – ABC News (go.com)

https://time.com/6999522/jd-vance-net-worth-estimations-trump-vice-president-pick-background/

FBI Raids Home of Russian-American Political Analyst Dmitri Simes

Dimitri Simes poses a question to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the June 2023 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia.

The FBI raided and searched the Virginia home of Dmitri Simes, an author who hosts a current-affairs program on Russia’s state-run Channel One television. Simes was born in Moscow in 1947 and emigrated to the US in 1973. He served as an informal adviser to former POTUS Richard Nixon and regularly traveled with him to the USSR and other Eastern bloc countries. Simes also advised the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump and arranged an important 2016 foreign-policy speech in which Trump outlined a vision for greater cooperation with Russia.

Simes’s name was mentioned more than 100 times in the 2019 report by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller entitled Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election.

Earlier this month, Fox News reported that FBI agents had raided the New York home of Scott Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq who has been a frequent contributor to Russian government media including RT and Sputnik. An FBI spokesperson told Fox the search was part of an “ongoing” investigation.

Ritter has supported Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and in January he addressed thousands of Chechen soldiers on a central square in the Chechen capital, Grozny. In June, US authorities seized Ritter’s passport and prevented him from travelling to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Sources:

FBI Raids Home Of Russian-American Political Analyst Dmitri Simes (rferl.org)

READ: Mueller Report PDF On Russia Investigation : NPR

Dimitri Simes – Wikipedia

Former Alabama Police Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Offense for Using Excessive Force

The Alabama chapter of the ACLU asked that something be done about police brutality in the Heart of Dixie and the Justice Department complied.

Former Daleville Police Department sergeant Ryan Phillips pleaded guilty to depriving an arrestee of his civil rights under color of law. The defendant lost his composure and beat an arrestee inside his cell, striking him in the face and upper body without cause or reason.

According to documents submitted and statements made in court, Phillips willfully used unreasonable force against an arrestee identified as D.M. Specifically, while D.M. was inside a jail cell, he and Phillips had a verbal altercation. Phillips removed his badge and firearm, entered D.M.’s cell and hit D.M. in the upper body and face multiple times resulting in bodily injury to D.M., including lacerations and bruising.

With the plea agreement, Phillips admitted that he had no legitimate law enforcement purpose for engaging in this conduct, that he acted willfully and that D.M. suffered bodily injury.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 13 November. Phillips faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, but prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 22 months in prison.

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Former Alabama Police Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Offense for Using Excessive Force | United States Department of Justice

We Need to Address Police Brutality in Alabama | ACLU of Alabama (aclualabama.org)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama/articles/2024-08-16/former-alabama-police-sergeant-pleads-guilty-to-excessive-force-charge

Canada: Ukraine May Use Donated Tanks in Russia

The four-man crew Leopard 2A4 tank is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT).

Ukraine‘s armed forces are now authorized to use donated Canadian military equipment inside Russian territory, Canada’s Department of National Defense confirmed. Ottawa joined several other countries like Britain and Germany that have already given Ukraine the green light to use donated weapons inside Russia’s territorial border.

Canada donated eight Leopard 2A4 tanks, several dozen armored combat support vehicles, hundreds of armored patrol vehicles and 4,200 M72A5-C1 rocket launchers. Ottawa has also provided ammunition and air defense systems.

Overall, Canada has provided around $4.5 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since 2022. The Canadian government has pledged to continue military support until at least 2029.

Source:

Canada says Ukraine can use donated tanks in Russia – UPI.com

Chinese Censors Clamp Down on Social Media Posts About Grisly Body-Snatching Case

Mourners stand outside crematorium as white smoke pours out of chimneys in Beijing, 31 Dec 2022. (Ng Han Guan/AP)

Investigators from the Ministry of Public Security are investigating reports that Shanxi Aurui Biomaterials had been involved in trading thousands of dead bodies or body parts, on suspicion that the company engaged in “theft of, insult to, or intentional destruction of human remains.”

Social media posts about these horrific allegations on Weibo and Caixin.com have been deleted by the authorities during the investigation.

Shanxi Aorui is accused of “illegally purchasing human remains and body parts from Sichuan, Guangxi, Shandong and other places for processing into bone grafts worth 380 million yuan (US$53 million) between January 2015 and July 2023”, an official media outlet reported, adding that the police had seized “more than 18 tons of human bones” and “more than 34,000 articles of finished product.’

Bodies were allegedly sent to the company from funeral homes across Shanxi, Sichuan, and Guangxi provinces, with thousands of bodies in Sichuan alone. Their bones were used to create dental bone implants. Families received ashes that may not have been those of their relatives or the remains may have been incomplete.

Source:

Chinese censors clamp down on posts about grisly body-snatching case — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

Turkish MPs Brawl During Debate on Jailed Opposition Lawmaker

Turkish ruling and opposition lawmakers duke it out with each other in the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye in Ankara on 16 Aug 2024.

A fistfight broke out in Turkiye’s parliament when an opposition deputy was attacked after calling for his colleague Can Atalay to be admitted to the assembly. Atalay was jailed on charges of organizing anti-government protests but had since been elected a member of the parliament.

Ruling AK Party MPs rushed to punch Ahmet Sik at the lectern and dozens more joined the melee, while others tried to restrain their colleagues. Blood spattered the white steps of the speaker’s podium and the deputy parliament speaker declared a 45-minute recess after the donnybrook.

Atalay was sentenced to 18 years in 2022 after being accused of trying to overthrow the government by allegedly organizing the peaceful nationwide Gezi Park environmental protests in 2013 with philanthropist Osman Kavala, also now jailed, and six others. All deny the charges.

Despite his imprisonment, Atalay was elected to parliament in May 2023 to represent the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TIP). Parliament stripped him of his seat, but on 1 Aug 2024 the Turkish Constitutional Court declared his exclusion null and void.

Brawls are not uncommon in Turkish parliament. In June, ruling AK party lawmakers scuffled with pro-Kurdish DEM Party MPs over the detention and replacement of a DEM Party mayor in southeast Turkiye for alleged militant links.

Source:

Turkish MPs brawl during debate on jailed opposition lawmaker (voanews.com)

Anti-US Government Militia Member Sentenced for Illegal Gun Possession

Convicted felon and anti-government extremist Joshua Colston (50) of Corinth, MS, participated in aborted plans to kidnap and attack federal officials. He was sentenced in the Middle District of Florida to serve 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Colston previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on 18 Oct 2023.

The FBI learned that Joshua Colston and other militants discussed a plan to kidnap or attack elected federal officials on Thanksgiving Day 2022. Ultimately, the attack plan never developed due to the group’s lack of resources and the poor health of the members. Colston, a felony convict, was arrested in Georgia and found with an illegal arsenal of firearms: a 9mm pistol, .40 caliber pistol, .22 semiautomatic rifle, semiautomatic shotgun and .44 lever-action rifle. The semiautomatic rifle was reported stolen in Alcorn County, MS,

In addition to the firearms, Colston had a bulletproof vest and more than 3,500 rounds of ammunition, including armor-piercing rounds. The FBI also believes that Colston had training in explosives. This miscreant has prior state convictions in Texas for felony theft and felony criminal mischief.

For at least four years, the FBI neutralized this dangerous fanatic.

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | National Constitutional Militia Member Sentenced for Illegal Gun Possession | United States Department of Justice

South Korean Health Authorities Find Toxic Substances in Shein and Temu Products

Authorities in South Korea report that women’s accessories sold by Shein, Temu, and AliExpress, contained toxic substances sometimes hundreds of times above acceptable levels.

In a recent inspection, 144 products from Shein, AliExpress, and Temu were tested, and multiple products from all companies failed to meet legal standards.

Shoes from Shein were found to contain significantly high levels of phthalates — chemicals used to make plastics more flexible — with one pair 229 times above the legal limit.

“Phthalate-based plasticisers affect reproductive functions such as sperm count reduction, and can cause infertility and even premature birth,” an official from Seoul’s environmental health team reported.

Formaldehyde, a chemical commonly used in home building products, was detected in Shein’s caps at double the allowable threshold. This chemical “is classified as a human carcinogen by the International Cancer Institute, so special care should be taken to avoid long-term contact with the human body.”

Two bottles of nail polish from Shein were found to have dioxane — a possible human carcinogen that can cause liver poisoning — at levels more than 3.6 times the allowed limit and methanol concentrations 1.4 times above the acceptable level

Sandals manufactured by Temu contained lead in the insoles at levels more than 11 times the permissible limit.

Health authorities in Seoul requested that these products be removed from sale. In April 2023, the European Union added Shein to its list of digital firms for stricter safety rules — including measures to protect customers from unsafe products and those that could be harmful to minors.

Source:

Seoul Authorities Find Toxic Substances In Shein And Temu Products | IBTimes

US Arrests Reputed Gang Leader Wanted for 23 Murders in Peru

Gianfranco Torres-Navarro is the the leader of the “Los Killers” gang in Peru. © National Police of Peru.

A reputed gang leader suspected in 23 killings in Peru was arrested in the tiny village of Endicott, NY, by US immigration authorities. Gianfranco Torres-Navarro, the leader of “Los Killers” is being held at a federal detention facility near Buffalo. After killing retired police officer Cesar Quegua Herrera and shooting a municipal employee at a restaurant in San Miguel in March, Torres-Navarro fled Peru and entered the US via the Texas-Mexico border.

ICE agents also arrested Torres-Navarro’s girlfriend, Mishelle Sol Ivanna Ortiz Ubillus, described as his right hand, cashier, and lover. She is being held at a processing center in Pennsylvania. Ubillus had a sizable following on the social media platform TikTok where she showed off their lavish lifestyle, including designer clothes, resort vacations, as well as target shooting at a gun range.

Colonel Franco Moreno, head of Peru’s High Complexity Crime Investigations Division, said they tracked phone calls, geolocations, and messages from Torres-Navarro and members of his gang

“[Torres-Navarro] is a highly dangerous criminal who believed he was untouchable and responsible for 23 murders, including other gang leaders who ended up dead along with their families, all in order to increase his criminal leadership,” Moreno concluded.

Source:

US arrests reputed Peruvian gang leader wanted for 23 killings in Peru (voanews.com)

Democratic VPOTUS candidate Tim Walz’ rescue cat, “Honey.” As Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz also provided free school meals to all pupils regardless of income. Who wouldn’t want a man with this kind of heart to be their Vice-President?

Young Palestinian Man Killed as Israeli Settlers Torch Homes and Cars in West Bank Village

The Palestinian Authority health ministry said 23-year-old Rasheed Seda was killed and another Palestinian was critically wounded by the “settlers’ bullets.”

Dozens of extremist Israeli settlers, many of them masked, rampaged in the West Bank Palestinian village of Jit, setting fire to homes and vehicles. A Palestinian man was killed in the attack.

The settlers hurled stones and Molotov cocktails, torching at least four homes and six vehicles in the village, located just west of Nablus. More than 100 assailants were involved. Minutes after the “grave incident” was reported, troops and border police officers were dispatched to the scene. The IDF said the troops used riot dispersal means and fire rounds in the air while taking the Israelis out of the village.

Israeli authorities rarely arrest Jewish perpetrators in such attacks. Rights groups lament that convictions are even more unusual, and the vast majority of charges in such attacks are dropped.

While many members of the Israeli cabinet condemned the attack, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the storming of Jit was “not connected in any way to the settlement enterprise or to settlers.”

According to the UN, more than 500 Palestinians have been murdered in the West Bank over the past several years. Recently, the US sanctioned four Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, but these measures were apparently not enough to deter this type of wanton rampaging, murder, and displacing Palestinians from their homes.

Sources:

Palestinian killed as settlers torch homes and cars in West Bank village | The Times of Israel

More than 500 Palestinians killed in occupied West Bank: UN rights chief | UN News

US sanctions Israeli settlers over West Bank violence (bbc.com)

Cardinals Superfan Known as Rally Runner Gets Ten Months in Prison for January 6 Attack on Capitol

Rally Runner, F.K.A., Daniel Donnelly, Jr. (44) of St. Louis, MO, was sentenced to ten months in prison, 24 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,000 in fines and restitution by US District Judge Jia M. Cobb. Runner previously pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder on 22 March 2024.

Rally Runner attended the former President’s rally at the Ellipse on 6 Jan 2021. Runner then proceeded to the US Capitol building and then to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, wearing a red “Keep America Great” hat, red jacket, and distinctive red face paint. The Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against US Capitol Police officers that day. Seditionists at the Tunnel battled police officers for hours as they attempted to storm the Capitol building. Police had retreated inside the Tunnel to protect an entrance to the Capitol building.

The defendant made his way to the threshold of the Tunnel’s entrance, facing off with police while holding a riot shield he had obtained earlier. USCP officers attempted to move the crowd out of the Tunnel. Runner is seen holding up the stolen riot shield to the USCP officers, forming a wall in connection with other shields held by other seditionists. After finally being forced out of the Tunnel, Runner triumphantly celebrated his conduct.

Tucker Carlson featured this flamboyant seditionist on a December 2021 segment of his now-canceled Fox News show. Carlson showed an image of Rally Runner outside the Capitol — wearing red face paint and red clothes — as the television host promoted conspiracy theories that uncharged “agent provocateurs” had infiltrated the mob.

Another member of America’s “Fedayeen Saddam” (FS), a white supremacist dead-ender, has been incarcerated and will most likely watch the November election from prison.

Source:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/missouri-man-sentenced-felony-charge-actions-during-jan-6-capitol-breach

NYC Paid $120,000 to Settle Police Misconduct Allegations Against now-GOP Congressional Candidate Alison Esposito

In an episode straight out of the TV show American Horror Story (FX), a former NYPD officer twice-sued over wrongful arrests during her 25 glorious years with New York’s Finest, is a Republican candidate for Congress, a position that pays $174,000 per annum plus extraordinary benefits. Alison Esposito is the NYS GOP selection to run against West Point graduate Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY, 18th CD). This the same Republican cabal that afflicted the world with infamous ex-Congressman George Santos (whose name anagrams into “Strange Goose”).

Two wrongful arrest lawsuits against Alison Esposito cost NYC taxpayers $120,000 in settlements. In 2005, three black women sued Officer Esposito for wrongful arrest and were awarded $95,000 in damages. In 2017, Esposito was sued again for entering into an apartment building where she “did unlawfully stop, assault, frisk, handcuff, detain, arrest and imprison” an infant named Rebecca Cuevas. The mother was ultimately given $25,000 in a settlement.

Furthermore, Esposito received eight complaints through the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, though none of those were substantiated. On 12 Aug, Politico reported that Esposito was reprimanded by her superiors in the NYPD after she left her service weapon and badge in an unlocked car which were stolen. We can only hope that nobody was killed with the missing firearm.

What an episode of American Horror Story.

Sources:

https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2024/08/nyc-paid-120000-settle-police-misconduct-allegations-against-now-gop-candidate-alison-esposito/398813/

https://patryan.house.gov/

Silk non-Dairy Milk Recalled in Canada Amid Listeria Outbreak: Three deaths

The death of a third person has been linked to almond, oat and other non-dairy milks recalled in Canada for potential listeria contamination.

Do not consume, use, sell, serve or distribute various recalled plant-based refrigerated beverages.

The Public Health Agency of Canada issued an alert on 17 July advising people to avoid drinking certain refrigerated non-dairy milk products produced by Danone Canada and sold in the country under the Silk brand and Walmart’s Great Value brand. Consuming plant-based drinks had been linked to two deaths and 12 cases of listeria infection.

A third death and eight more cases – 15 have been hospitalized and 20 cases have been linked to the outbreak. Thirteen of the cases were reported in Ontario, five in Quebec and one each in Alberta and Nova Scotia; people became sick between August 2023 and early July 2024.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency continues to investigate and said additional products may be recalled. “More recent illnesses may continue to be reported in the outbreak because there is a period between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials.”

Sources:

Public Health Notice: Outbreak of Listeria infections linked to recalled plant-based refrigerated beverages – Canada.ca

Silk non-dairy milk recalled in Canada amid listeria outbreak: Deaths increased to three (msn.com)

Beijing Reports “Destroying Large Network” of Taiwanese Spies

The Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) announced they had “destroyed” a large network of Taiwanese spies in the mainland and uncovered more than 1,000 espionage cases in a vow to fight “separatism.”

“The cases involved espionage activities and leaking state secrets,” said the MSS. The ministry cited the case of Taiwanese citizen Yang Zhiyuan, who was arrested in August 2022 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, on suspicion of engaging in “separatist activities” and endangering China’s national security.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council reports that the MSS uses “vague and unclear laws” to detain people from Taiwan who do not conform with the political ideology of China’s ruling Communist Party.

In 2022 researcher Cheng Yu-chin, a former aide to Taiwan’s former President Tsai,  was imprisoned for seven years on espionage-related charges. Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-che was sentenced to five years prison for subversion before being released in 2022, while Taiwanese businessman Lee Meng-chu was jailed on espionage charges in Shenzhen in 2019 for taking photos of armed police officers.

Without further data, this political sweep by the MSS appears to be out of the movie Casablanca:

“Round up the usual suspects.”

Whether the MSS uncovered genuine deep penetration sources, double agents, sleeper cells, low level informants, or commercial spies remains to be seen.

Beijing has dialed up diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan since former president Tsai Ing-wen’s administration came to power in 2016. Tsai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) refuse to acknowledge that Taiwan and the mainland belong to “One China.” President Lai Ching-te, who is also a DPP member, is viewed with suspicion by the CCP.

Sources:

China says it ‘destroyed large network’ of Taiwanese spies — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

Dual US-Russian Citizen Sentenced To 12 Years for Treason over $51 Donation to Ukrainian Charity

A Russian court in Yekaterinburg sentenced dual US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina to 12 years in prison after convicting her of treason for transferring $51 to a Ukrainian aid charity in early 2022. Karelina’s lawyer said his client admitted making the donation, but planned to appeal the verdict.

Karelina (33) moved to the US in 2015, married a US citizen, and received US citizenship in 2021. She was arrested in Yekaterinburg in January on suspicion of petty hooliganism.

On 7 February treason charges were filed against her after investigators learned that on the second day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, she had transferred $51 to Razom, a Ukrainian aid group that helps civilians affected by the war. Prosecutors found evidence of the donation on her mobile phone.

This is the same judge who in July sentenced US journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.

According to rights groups, nearly 900 Russians have been convicted of treason, espionage, or cooperation with foreign governments since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sources:

Dual U.S.-Russian Citizen Sentenced To 12 Years For Treason In Yekaterinburg (rferl.org)

LAPD Arrests Four Suspects in Slaying of ‘General Hospital’ Actor Johnny Wactor

Three 18-year-olds and a 22-year-old accomplice have been arrested in connection with the slaying of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor in Los Angeles. The three teenagers were arrested on murder charges while the older man was taken into custody as an accessory, police said in a statement.

The teenage suspects are Robert Barceleau, Leonel Gutierrez, and Sergio Estrada. Frank Olano (22) was jailed on the accessory warrant.

Wactor (37) was shot on 25 May. Witnesses said the slaying happened after Wactor had finished a shift working as a bartender when he discovered three suspects were in the process of stealing his car’s catalytic converter. The actor was “shot without provocation” after which the suspects fled in a stolen 2018 black Infiniti Q50. Police sources told The Los Angeles Times they suspect the Florencia 13 street gang is involved in this crime.

In an average year, 3,089 people die by guns in California. With a rate of 7.7 deaths per 100,000 people, the Golden State has the 44th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US.

California Firearms Licenses in 2021: 406,360

An estimated 28.3% of adults in California have guns in their homes. The number of illegal firearms flooding the streets of California is unknown.

Sources:

LAPD arrests 4 in slaying of ‘General Hospital’ actor Johnny Wactor – UPI.com

4. California – Gun map: Ownership by state – statistics and rates (cbsnews.com)

Every-State-Fact-Sheet-2.0-042720-California.pdf (everytownresearch.org)

Florida Man Arrested for Threatening and Attacking Energy Facility

Source: Case number 6:24-cr-201 in the Middle District of Florida, Document 17. Supplement to motion for detention. Solar panels with cracked glass that Hnaihen damaged.

Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen (43) a Jordanian citizen residing in Orlando, FL is charged with four counts of threatening to use explosives and one count of destruction of an energy facility.

Beginning around June 2024, Hnaihen targeted and attacked businesses in the Orlando area for their perceived support for Israel. Wearing a mask, under the cover of night, Hnaihen smashed the glass front doors of businesses and left behind “Warning Letters.”

At the end of June, Hnaihen broke into a solar power generation facility in Wedgefield, FL, and spent hours systematically destroying solar panel arrays. He smashed panels, cut wires, and targeted critical electronic equipment. Hnaihen left behind two more copies of his threatening demand letter. Hnaihen is believed to have caused more than $700,000 in damage.

Hnaihen was arrested on 11 July, shortly after another “Warning Letter” threatening to “destroy or explode everything” was discovered at an industrial propane gas distribution depot in Orlando.

Hnaihen is charged with four counts of threatening to use explosives and one count of destruction of an energy facility. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each threat offense and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the destruction of an energy facility offense.

Frustration and anger at US foreign policy, and the fact that Jordan lies in-between Israel and Iran, no doubt motivated this Jordanian to commit sabotage. Any conflict between Israel and Iran could affect Jordan with collateral damage. Moreover, war increases the risk of political instability in the Hashemite Kingdom as an estimated three million displaced Palestinians have been living there for decades.  

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Man Arrested for Explosives Threats and Attack on Energy Facility | United States Department of Justice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinians_in_Jordan

Four US Flight Attendants Convicted of Smuggling Drug Money to Dominican Republic

Photo by Vinh Lu00e2m on Pexels.com

Four New York-based flight attendants admitted to smuggling drug money to the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic.

Sarah Valerio Pujols (42), Charlie Hernandez (42), Emmanuel Torres (34), and Jarol Fabio (35) pleaded guilty to one count of operation of an unlicensed money transmission business.

“These four flight attendants abused their privileges as flight attendants to move money for drug traffickers,” SDNY US Attorney Damian Williams said.

Prosecutors say the flight attendants worked for different international airlines and had elevated TSA security clearance that allowed them to pass through a less-scrutinized security screening at airports. A cooperating witness operated a money laundering business that specialized in the movement of cash from New York City drug sales to the Dominican Republic.

The flight attendants were allegedly paid a fee to get the money past airport security and hand them off to a person in the Dominican Republic. The four suspects were caught through a series of orchestrated sting operations.

The four defendants face up to five years in prison when they are sentenced.

Sources:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/flight-attendants-charged-connection-smuggling-drug-money-dominican-republic

https://www.hngn.com/articles/262787/20240814/flight-attendants-smuggling-drug-money-dominican-republic.htm

Will Donald Trump Dump JD Vance for Another VPOTUS Running Mate?

You wonder what the evangelists, the American Christian Taliban, and the uber- machismo Proud Boys think of this photograph, taken during JD Vance’s scholarship years at Yale Law School (circa 2012). No wonder the Democratic VPOTUS candidate calls the GOP “weird.”

Speculation has been growing in certain quarters that 2024 GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump might replace JD Vance with a more effective candidate in an effort to resuscitate his flatlining election campaign. House Republicans opined that JD Vance was the “worst choice” for VPOTUS and decorated retired four-star US Army General Barry R. McCaffrey denounced the junior Senator from Ohio on ‘X’:

“JD Vance is a shameful person unsuitable for public office. His comments are those of a stooge for Russian aggression”.

Replacing JD Vance is mere speculation and not yet at the RUMINT level. The 45th POTUS might use the pretext of the JD Vance dossier dump as an excuse to replace his hillbilly VPOTUS on the ticket. Casting aspersions, the ex-President accused the Iranians of leaking this massive treasure trove, the same bogeymen whom he insinuated attempted to assassinate him on 13 July in Butler, PA. In reality, a disaffected young white male from the Keystone State attempted to murder the 45th POTUS with the GOP and NRA weapon of choice, an AR-15-style assault rifle.  

Before the RNC convention, Donald Trump reportedly considered the successful billionaire Governor of North Dakota, Mr. Douglas James Burgum, as his running mate . #45 was apparently talked out of this by his sons Uday and Qusay (perfect sobriquets for Don Jr. and Eric that Americans graced the two siblings with years ago). They convinced the paterfamilias to choose cross-dressing JD Vance, a parent who admitted to yelling at his seven-year-old son to “shut the hell up about Pokemon!” The presentable Governor Burgum would have been a much more formidable and stable opponent for Team Kamala than eyeliner-wearing JD Vance.

With approximately 90 days before the imminent electoral Battle of Philippi, the twice-divorced, twice-impeached, criminally convicted ex-POTUS must make a decision soon. Campaign finance laws and individual state requirements for changing a candidate’s name on the ballot after the formal nomination process may prove difficult. And the Trump Campaign might have to undergo another internal vetting process for the right VEEP candidate. Business Insider examined this specific situation and their analysis is linked below.

Napoleon taught: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

This axiom applies not just to warfare, but politics, bridge, judo, chess, or any competitive endeavor. Perhaps Team Kamala team should just stay mum and let the glorious GOP Titanic, with all who sails upon her, speed into the massive iceberg dead ahead of them this November.

Sources:

Did Trump Make the Wrong Call Picking JD Vance? – Business Insider

The inside story of how Trump chose JD Vance as his running mate (nbcnews.com)

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance – GV Wire

Could Trump Replace JD Vance? Experts Explain How It Would Work – Business Insider

Barry R McCaffrey on X: “@MalcolmNance @JDVance1 JD Vance is a shameful person unsuitable for public office. His comments are those of a stooge for Russian aggression.” / X

JD Vance recalls telling his 7-year-old son to ‘shut the hell up’ during call with Trump | The Independent

FBI Seeking Information Regarding Missing Afghan-American Business Contractor

The map highlights areas of HQN Area of Operations. An estimated 10,000 experienced guerillas constitute this dangerous organization. Map: US Director of National Intelligence.

The FBI is seeking help in locating Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American business contractor who disappeared two years ago in Afghanistan. He worked for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company. Habibi was taken from his vehicle near his home in Kabul City along with his driver on 10 Aug 2022. The FBI assesses that Habibi was taken by Taliban military or security forces. Other employees of Asia Consultancy Group were similarly taken, but have since been freed. A Taliban spokesman said the Kabul government has only imprisoned two AMCITs and neither of them are Mahmood Shah Habibi.

A potential suspect in his disappearance might be the Haqqani Network (HQN). The HQN is a formidable Pashtun network based in eastern Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. The HQN participated with the Taliban in an insurgency after the US invasion of late 2001/early 2002. In 2012, the US Government designated the Haqqani Network (HQN) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). HQN has a history of abducting Westerners, conducting spectacular attacks, and maintains a close relationship with Pakistani intelligence (the ISI).

The nebulous abductors, whoever they may be, might be seeking a prisoner swap for any Afghans still held at Guantanamo Bay or other US facilities.

Sources:

FBI seeks information in disappearance of Afghan American business contractor – UPI.com

Report: U.S. Contractor Kidnapped in Afghanistan by Haqqani Network (thedailybeast.com)

White House Blames Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as Obstacle to Ceasefire Deal and ‘Jeopardizing’ Hostage Lives

A top White House official blamed Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and other far-right Israeli politicians for obstructing a deal that would bring about a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of hostage

President Joe Biden and other US and global officials have criticized Netanyahu’s far-right allies in the past, including after 7 Oct 2023, but National Security Council spokesman John Kirby accused Smotrich of endangering hostages’ lives:

“Mr. Smotrich claimed that the hostage deals are a surrender to Hamas or that hostages should not be exchanged for prisoners. Mr. Smotrich essentially suggests that the war ought to go on indefinitely without pause and with the lives of the hostages of no real concern at all. His arguments are dead wrong. They’re misleading the Israeli public.”

As the White House is working diligently on making a deal to save the lives of the hostages, the US military is helping to protect Israel from an Iranian reprisal attack after the 31 July assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Mr. Kirby added:

“[The President] has directed that we do everything possible to defend Israel, and that’s what we’re doing.”

In related news, Team Kamala has named Ilan Goldenberg, an Israeli-born former peace negotiator, as its liaison to the Jewish community. Goldenberg, who has served as VPOTUS Harris’ adviser on Middle East issues, has criticized both Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian leadership. He formed close ties with the organized Jewish community during the failed 2013-2014 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, when he was a lead on the Obama administration’s negotiating team.

There is no word as to whom the Harris Campaign will name as their outreach liaison to the Arab-American community.

Sources:

White House names Bezalel Smotrich as obstacle to ceasefire deal, says he is ‘jeopardizing’ hostage lives – Jewish Telegraphic Agency (jta.org)

Harris campaign taps Israeli-born former peace negotiator Ilan Goldenberg as liaison to Jewish community – Jewish Telegraphic Agency (jta.org)

The American Warzone Continues: Two Dead, 37 Wounded in Chicago Over Weekend

At least two people were killed and 37 were wounded in weekend shootings across Chicago. The ages of the victims ranged from 13 to 54. To date, Chicago has recorded 353 homicides and the vast majority of the victims are young, black, and male. More Americans were wounded in Chicago this weekend than in the 16 July drone attack on al-Asad AB in Iraq which caused seven non-fatal injuries to US servicemembers and contractors.

Data analysis from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) informs that historically, 50% of firearms recovered in Chicago originated outside Illinois. Strict firearms laws in Chicago or Illinois doesn’t equate to prudent gun control measures in neighboring communities: State lines simply don’t stop firearms.

Sources:

2 dead, 37 wounded in Chicago weekend shootings, police say – CBS Chicago (cbsnews.com)

Firearms Trace Data: Illinois – 2020 | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (atf.gov)

Tracking Chicago homicides in 2024: Number of victims, location (chicagotribune.com)

The Danger of Lithium-Ion Batteries

From the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) website:

“While [lithium-ion] batteries provide an effective and efficient source of power, the likelihood of them overheating, catching on fire, and even leading to explosions increases when they are damaged or improperly used, charged, or stored.”

Watch what happens when this poor dog chews on one.

Both dogs and a cat survived the ensuing house fire unharmed.

Sources:

Video shows dog chewing on a lithium-ion battery and sparking house fire in Oklahoma | AP News

Lithium-Ion Battery Safety (nfpa.org)

Russian Military Continues Probing Around Alaska

On 24 July, NORAD detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two Chinese H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). NORAD fighter jets from the US and Canada conducted the intercept. This was the first time that NORAD intercepted Chinese aircraft in the ADIZ. This joint Russian-Chinese mission indicates an increased level of military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing. See photo of interception at the bottom of this post.

Recently, the US Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Alex Haley (WMEC-39) detected and shadowed a Russian Federation Vishnya-class naval vessel south of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. The encounter comes as US defense officials and analysts are warning of increasing incursions of Russian and Chinese military forces into that region – in the air and on the sea – and the growing interest of both in the Arctic and in the High North.

Sources:

US patrol shadows Russian naval vessel near Alaska amid growing concerns of adversarial encounters in High North (janes.com)

NORAD detects, tracks and intercepts Russian and PRC aircraft operating in the Alaska ADIZ > North American Aerospace Defense Command > Press Releases

Bulgarian National Extradited for Illegally Exporting US Microelectronics to Russia

Bulgarian national Milan Dimitrov (50) was extradited from Greece for allegedly violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA). With Ilias Sabirov (52) of Russia and Dimitar Dimitrov (74) of Bulgaria, they schemed to procure sensitive radiation-hardened integrated circuits from the US and illegally export those components to Russia through Bulgaria. Ilias Sabirov and Dimitar Dimitrov remain at large.  

Milan Dimitrov is charged with two counts of IEEPA violations, one count of money laundering, and one count of making false statements to the Department of Commerce in violation of ECRA. Each count in the indictment carries up to 20 years in federal prison.

Last year, Bulgarian police arrested twelve suspects for allegedly exporting military goods to Russia in violation of EU sanctions. The smuggling ring attempted to deliver $4.24 million worth of optical sights, ballistic meters, and aviation radios to Russian special forces operating in Ukraine. Those arrested included Russian and Belarussian nationals.

Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004, participated in ISAF (Afghanistan), and joined the EU in 2007, so their law-enforcement and intelligence services are strongly collaborating with their new allies in the West.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Bulgarian National Extradited for Scheme to Illegally Export U.S.-Origin Sensitive Microelectronics to Russia | United States Department of Justice

Bulgaria arrests 12 people for alleged planning to export over $4M military goods to Russia

US and Canadian fighters intercepting one of the two Russian TU-95 bombers on 24 July 2024. NORAD reports there was no danger to either the US or Canada.