Plea Deals Revived For Alleged 9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed And Others

A military judge has ruled that plea agreements struck by alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants are valid, voiding an order by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to throw out the deals, a government official said Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the order by the judge, Air Force…

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Middle East Latest: Large Airstrikes Hit Beirut Suburbs As Israel Expands Northern Gaza Operations

Several large airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early Thursday, including one on a site adjacent to Lebanon’s only international airport. The Israeli military had issued an evacuation notice for the site, saying there were Hezbollah facilities there, without giving more details. Also Thursday, the Israeli military announced it expanded its month-old ground operation in northern…

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South Africa shuts border crossing with Mozambique over poll unrest

South Africa has closed one of its busiest border crossings with Mozambique following violent post-electoral protests in the neighbouring country. The protests have led to deadly clashes in several cities following last month’s disputed presidential election, won by Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo party. The authorities say there are reports of vehicles being torched on the Mozambican…

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New York Man Arrested for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS

A criminal complaint was filed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Syed Aman, a U.S. citizen and resident of Nassau County, New York, with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Aman was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK Airport) in Queens, New York, on…

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Iran says German-Iranian died before execution could be carried out

Iran’s judiciary has said Iranian-German dissident Jamshid Sharmahd died before his execution was reported by state media late last month. On Tuesday, judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told reporters that “his sentence was ready to be implemented, but he died before the sentence was carried out”. He gave no further details. He also said that Sharmahd,…

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“Fat Leonard” sentenced to 15 years for massive Navy bribery, fraud scheme

Leonard Glenn Francis, a former defense contractor convicted for masterminding an unprecedented bribery and fraud scheme targeting the U.S. Navy, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to 15 years in prison. He was ordered to pay $20 million in restitution and a $150,000 fine, the Department of Justice announced. Francis, known as “Fat Leonard,” pled…

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Protests erupt in Israel after Netanyahu fires defence minister

Protests have erupted in Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired the country’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Netanyahu said a “crisis of trust” between the two leaders led to his decision, adding that his trust in Gallant had “eroded” in recent months and Foreign Minister Israel Katz would step in to replace him. Gallant said…

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Capitol Police arrest man who ‘smelled like fuel’ and had torch and flare gun

The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center was closed Tuesday afternoon, after Capitol Police arrested a man who was carrying a torch and flare gun during their security screening process. “Our officers just arrested a man who was stopped during our screening process at the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC),” the Capitol Police wrote in a statement online.…

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