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 Russian and Ukrainian troops battle amid the ruins of Pokrovsk as brutal urban fighting intensifies

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Fierce battles erupted on Tuesday between Russian and Ukrainian forces amid the shattered remains of Pokrovsk, a once-thriving transport hub in eastern Ukraine that has been reduced to rubble after months of unrelenting attacks. The embattled city, vital for Kyiv’s frontline logistics, has become the latest flashpoint in a war that has dragged into its fourth year with no sign of peace.

Ukraine’s military confirmed that intense street fighting was ongoing in several parts of Pokrovsk, where Russian forces have been advancing for over a year. Reinforcements, including special operations units, have been deployed as Kyiv races to defend the city’s remaining strongholds. The military said additional weapons and armored vehicles are being sent to stabilize the front.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its troops had cleared 35 buildings of Ukrainian resistance in Pokrovsk, declaring advances deeper into the city. Moscow also reported gains near Kupiansk, 100 miles north in the Kharkiv region, where it said Ukrainian units were surrounded. Kyiv, however, denied any encirclement, insisting its troops are maintaining control of critical defensive positions.

Independent verification of either side’s claims remains impossible due to the ongoing fighting.

Pokrovsk, once home to about 60,000 residents, has been pounded into ruins. The city’s capture would mark a symbolic and strategic victory for Russia, giving its forces a platform to push toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the two largest Ukrainian-controlled cities in Donetsk — key targets in Moscow’s effort to seize the entire Donbas region.

According to DeepState, a Ukrainian mapping project using verified open-source data, Russian troops have made incremental gains within Pokrovsk but have not achieved full control. Most of the city remains marked in gray on its maps — an indication that the front line remains fiercely contested.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged that Pokrovsk is under “severe pressure” but insisted that “no district is fully under Russian control.” On Tuesday, he visited Ukrainian troops near Dobropillia, expressing gratitude for their defense and calling the situation “one of the most critical in eastern Ukraine.”

Prominent Russian military blogger Rybar wrote that Moscow’s control of Pokrovsk is “gradually expanding,” but a complete capture remains “distant.” Despite Russia’s claims of progress, the battle for the city has exposed the limits of Moscow’s ground offensive — characterized by heavy casualties and modest territorial gains.

The brutal confrontation in Pokrovsk highlights the war’s grinding stalemate, with both armies locked in destructive urban warfare that has leveled cities and claimed thousands of lives. With peace talks frozen and the frontlines barely shifting, Pokrovsk has become a symbol of the relentless human and material cost of the war.

Reuters

 Pope Leo declares Jesus alone redeemed humanity, tells Catholics to stop calling Mary ‘Co-Redeemer’

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Vatican (BN24) – The Vatican has issued a new doctrinal decree affirming that Jesus Christ alone redeemed humanity, declaring that the Virgin Mary did not share in the act of salvation. The statement, approved by Pope Leo XIV, instructs the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to refrain from calling Mary the “co-redeemer,” a title the Church says causes confusion about the core truths of the Christian faith.

The decree, published by the Vatican’s top doctrinal office, concludes a long-running theological debate that has divided scholars and popes for decades. “It would not be appropriate to use the title ‘co-redemptrix,’” the document stated, adding that it “can create confusion and imbalance in the harmony of Christian truth.”

Catholic teaching holds that Jesus redeemed humanity through his crucifixion and resurrection. However, some theologians have long argued that Mary, through her obedience and suffering as the Mother of God, played a unique, though secondary, role in salvation history.

The Vatican’s new declaration settles that question definitively. “Jesus alone saved the world,” it affirmed, emphasizing that Mary’s participation was one of faith and service, not redemption itself.

The debate over Mary’s title has spanned generations of Church leadership. Pope Francis, who died earlier this year, had openly rejected the idea, once calling it “foolishness.” In 2019, Francis said Mary “never wanted to take anything for herself from her son.” His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, also opposed the title, while Pope John Paul II briefly supported its use before withdrawing it from official discourse in the mid-1990s.

The new decree nonetheless recognized Mary’s exceptional place in the divine plan, describing her as an “intermediary between God and humanity.” By accepting God’s will and giving birth to Jesus, “she opened the gates of the Redemption that all humanity had awaited,” the Vatican said.

According to Scripture, when the angel Gabriel told Mary she would bear the Son of God, she humbly responded, “Let it be.” That act of faith, the Church noted, was her true contribution to humanity’s redemption story — one of obedience, not equality with Christ.

The doctrinal announcement came less than two weeks after King Charles III made historic headlines as the first British monarch in 500 years to pray publicly with a pope. The King and Queen Camilla met Pope Leo XIV in the Apostolic Palace on October 23, where the pontiff invited the Anglican sovereign to join him in prayer inside the Sistine Chapel.

The moment marked a symbolic thaw in relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England, which had been divided since the Reformation. The ceremony included an honor guard by the Swiss Guard, the playing of national anthems, and a private exchange of gifts — including a silver photograph from the King and a scale mosaic of Christ Pantocrator from the Pope.

Charles also met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, who attended his coronation in 2023 — the first papal representative to do so in nearly half a millennium.

The royal visit came 40 years after the late Queen Elizabeth II had prohibited then-Prince Charles from participating in a papal Mass during his 1985 visit with Princess Diana. Now as monarch, Charles — a longtime advocate of interfaith harmony — has realized his wish to pray alongside a pope, in a gesture widely seen as a new era of unity between the two churches.

 Philippine Air Force helicopter crashes en route to typhoon relief mission; 5 missing

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Agusan (AP) – A Philippine Air Force helicopter carrying five personnel on board crashed Monday in the southern part of the country while on a mission to assist in Typhoon Kalmaegi relief operations. The disaster has already claimed at least five lives and caused widespread flooding that has left residents stranded on rooftops in several provinces.

The Super Huey chopper went down near Loreto town in Agusan del Sur province as it was en route to deliver humanitarian aid to communities ravaged by the powerful storm, according to a statement from the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command. Rescue efforts are underway to locate the crew members.

Military officials have yet to release details about the condition of the five personnel or the cause of the crash. The incident underscores the perilous conditions faced by emergency responders in a nation frequently battered by severe weather and natural disasters.

Typhoon Kalmaegi, packing sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour (81 mph) and gusts up to 180 kph (112 mph), was last sighted near Jordan town in Guimaras province. It is expected to move into the South China Sea by late Tuesday or early Wednesday after making landfall in the western province of Palawan.

Authorities reported several fatalities linked to the storm, including an elderly man who drowned in floodwaters in Southern Leyte and another person killed by a fallen tree in Bohol. In Cebu province, three additional deaths were confirmed as heavy rainfall and flooding inundated multiple towns.

Philippine Red Cross Secretary-General Gwendolyn Pang said numerous residents in coastal Liloan town, Cebu, were trapped on their rooftops as floodwaters rose. “We have received so many calls from people asking us to rescue them from roofs and from their houses, but it’s impossible,” Pang told The Associated Press. “There are so many debris, you see cars floating — we have to wait for the flood to subside.”

The devastation comes as Cebu is still reeling from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck on September 30, killing at least 79 people and displacing thousands.

In Eastern Samar, which bore the brunt of Kalmaegi’s early landfall, fierce winds tore off roofs and damaged about 300 homes on Homonhon Island, part of Guiuan town. “There was no flooding at all, but just strong wind,” said Mayor Annaliza Gonzales Kwan. “We’re OK. We’ll make this through. We’ve been through a lot, and bigger than this.”

Guiuan was among the areas devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displaced over four million.

Ahead of Kalmaegi’s landfall, disaster officials evacuated more than 387,000 residents from high-risk areas across the eastern and central Philippines. Authorities warned of torrential rain, destructive winds, and storm surges up to three meters (10 feet) high.

Interisland ferries and fishing boats were grounded due to rough seas, stranding over 3,500 passengers and truck drivers in nearly 100 ports. At least 186 domestic flights were also canceled.

The Philippines, hit by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, remains one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations, also facing frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Dick Cheney, influential and polarizing former Vice President, dies at 84

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Indiana, PA (BN24) – Former Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most powerful and controversial figures in modern American politics, has died at the age of 84, his family confirmed in a statement released Saturday.

Dick Cheney

Cheney, who served as vice president under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, passed away on November 3 after suffering from pneumonia and long-term cardiac and vascular disease.

“Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing,” his family’s statement read. “We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”

Cheney’s health had been fragile for decades. He suffered multiple heart attacks over his lifetime and underwent a heart transplant in 2012, which he later described as “the gift of life itself.”

A Wyoming native, Cheney’s public service career spanned five decades. Before becoming vice president, he served as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford and later as Secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush, overseeing the U.S.-led coalition victory in the 1991 Gulf War.

But it was his tenure as vice president that cemented Cheney’s reputation as one of the most influential — and divisive — figures in American history.

When terrorists struck the United States on September 11, 2001, Cheney was in the White House bunker coordinating the nation’s immediate response. “At that moment, you knew this was a deliberate act,” he later told CNN. “This was a terrorist act.”

In the years that followed, Cheney became the chief architect of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, asserting that Saddam Hussein’s regime possessed weapons of mass destruction and maintained ties with al-Qaeda — claims that were later discredited. His advocacy for the war and for the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” made him a lightning rod for criticism both domestically and abroad.

Despite widespread backlash, Cheney never wavered in his defense of those decisions. In a 2014 interview, he told the Senate Intelligence Committee, “I would do it again in a minute.”

Cheney’s influence during the Bush administration earned him the label of “the most powerful vice president in U.S. history.” Yet, it also left him one of the most polarizing — leaving office in 2009 with an approval rating of just 31 percent, according to the Pew Research Center.

Dick Cheney and George Bush

In his later years, Cheney became increasingly outspoken against Donald Trump, appearing in a 2022 campaign ad for his daughter, Liz Cheney, in which he declared, “In our nation’s 246-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”

“He is a coward,” Cheney said in the ad. “A real man wouldn’t lie to his supporters. He lost his election, and he lost big.”

His daughter, Liz Cheney, a Republican congresswoman from Wyoming, confirmed that her father had planned to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, marking a rare public break from the GOP.

Cheney is survived by his wife Lynne Cheney, and daughters Liz and Mary Cheney, both of whom have followed him into politics. Mary Cheney, who is openly gay, has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights within the Republican Party.

Cheney’s legacy was dramatized in the 2018 biographical film Vice, in which Christian Bale portrayed him. The film — a dark political satire directed by Adam McKay — received critical acclaim for Bale’s performance but was considered a modest commercial success, grossing $76 million worldwide against a $60 million budget.

As tributes pour in from political allies and rivals alike, Cheney’s passing marks the end of an era for a man whose tenure reshaped American foreign policy — and whose influence on Washington politics will be debated for generations.

Worker dies after partial collapse of Rome’s 13th-century Torre dei Conti during restoration

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ROME (BN24) — A construction worker has died following the partial collapse of the Torre dei Conti, a 13th-century medieval tower in the heart of Rome, where restoration work funded by the European Union was underway.

The victim, identified as Octay Stroici, a Romanian national, was trapped beneath rubble for nearly twelve hours after a section of the historic structure gave way Monday near the Imperial Forum and Colosseum. He was rescued around 11 p.m. local time but went into cardiac arrest while being transported to the hospital. Doctors were unable to revive him, hospital officials confirmed.

The collapse occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time when the façade of the ancient tower suddenly crumbled, sending a cascade of debris into the street and engulfing the area in thick dust. Three workers were on-site at the time. Two managed to escape, while Stroici was buried beneath tons of rubble.

One survivor, a 67-year-old worker identified only as Ottaviano, escaped through a balcony moments after the initial collapse. Covered in dust but uninjured, he described the harrowing experience to reporters. “It was not safe. I just want to go home,” he told AFP.

Firefighters and emergency responders launched an extensive rescue operation that lasted through the night. Using cranes, drones, and specialized rubble-clearing equipment, crews worked carefully amid fears of a further collapse. Their efforts were briefly interrupted when another portion of the 29-meter (90-foot) structure gave way, forcing them to pause before resuming the search.

Rome’s Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli visited the site to oversee rescue efforts. Mayor Gualtieri called the collapse “a profound tragedy in the heart of our city” and promised a full investigation into what went wrong.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed condolences on X, writing before Stroici’s death was confirmed: “My thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the person currently fighting for his life beneath the rubble, and to his family.”

Authorities later confirmed that Stroici had been conscious and speaking with rescuers during the operation, as his wife waited anxiously nearby. His death, which occurred just minutes after being freed, has sparked questions about safety standards on EU-funded heritage projects.

The Rome Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the incident to determine whether negligence or structural weaknesses contributed to the collapse. Another worker remains hospitalized in critical condition.

The Torre dei Conti, constructed in 1203 under Pope Innocent III as a residence for his brother, is one of the most important medieval landmarks in Rome. It stands just steps away from the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, two of Italy’s most visited tourist attractions. The tower, which had long been closed to the public, was undergoing a major restoration aimed at stabilizing its structure and preserving its architectural heritage.

The tragedy has renewed scrutiny over the risks of restoring ancient structures in densely populated urban centers. Preservationists have warned that centuries-old buildings often present unpredictable hazards during renovation.

Prefect Lamberto Giannini described the situation as “very complex,” praising firefighters for risking their lives during the rescue. “They shielded the worker as much as possible after the initial collapse,” he said. “The operation was extremely dangerous, but they never stopped trying.”

Emergency crews have since stabilized the remaining structure, and police have cordoned off surrounding streets to protect the public. Early assessments indicate no immediate risk of total disintegration, though engineers are continuing to monitor the site.

As investigators begin to piece together the cause of the collapse, the tragedy at Torre dei Conti stands as a sobering reminder of the delicate balance between preserving history and ensuring worker safety in one of the world’s most ancient cities.

Trump says it would be ‘hard’ to fund New York if Zohran Mamdani wins mayoral election

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Washington (BN24) – President Donald Trump warned that it would be difficult for his administration to allocate federal funding to New York City if left-wing candidate Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor, suggesting that federal resources would be “wasted” under what he described as a “Communist” local government.

“It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a Communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” Trump said during a televised interview aired Sunday.

The remarks come just days before New Yorkers head to the polls in a closely watched mayoral race between Mamdani, a progressive state assemblyman, and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Polls show Mamdani holding a narrow lead heading into Tuesday’s election, positioning him as the potential first socialist-leaning mayor of the city in decades.

New York City currently receives roughly $7.4 billion in federal funding annually, supporting a wide range of infrastructure, housing, and public safety projects. Trump did not elaborate on whether his administration would move to reduce that funding if Mamdani wins but made clear his skepticism toward the progressive candidate’s agenda.

During a wide-ranging interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump compared Mamdani unfavorably to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who served from 2014 to 2021. “I got to see de Blasio, how bad a mayor he was, and this man will do a worse job than de Blasio by far,” Trump said.

Trump, who grew up in the Queens borough of New York, appeared to tacitly endorse Mamdani’s rival, Andrew Cuomo, despite Cuomo’s affiliation with the Democratic Party. “I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other,” Trump said. “But if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you.”

Mamdani, 34, a state assemblyman representing Queens, identifies as a democratic socialist but has rejected accusations of communism, dismissing Trump’s remarks with humor. “I’m kind of like a Scandinavian politician—only browner,” Mamdani joked during a recent television interview.

The candidate has framed his campaign as a progressive alternative to establishment politics, arguing that his vision for the city centers on economic fairness and human dignity. “The answer to a Donald Trump presidency is not to create its mirror image here in City Hall,” Mamdani said Monday. “It is to create an alternative that believes in the dignity of everyone who calls this place home.”

Cuomo, meanwhile, has positioned himself as the pragmatic choice, emphasizing his executive experience and his ability to navigate federal politics. “I fought Donald Trump,” Cuomo said during a recent debate. “When I’m fighting for New York, I am not going to stop.”

As governor during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuomo clashed repeatedly with the Trump administration over public health and funding issues, though his tenure later drew criticism after investigations revealed that the state had significantly underreported nursing home deaths.

The Trump administration has a history of targeting Democratic-led cities through federal funding cuts and increased security measures. Trump has previously deployed National Guard troops to major urban areas as part of a broader anti-crime initiative and moved to strip federal dollars from jurisdictions that limit cooperation with immigration enforcement agencies.

With the New York City mayoral election imminent, Trump’s latest remarks underscore the sharp ideological divide shaping urban governance and federal policy — a rift that could deepen further depending on Tuesday’s outcome.

 Trump preparing to deploy U.S. troops and drones to Mexico in escalating war on narco-terrorists

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Washington (TheSun)- President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to deploy U.S. troops and drone units into Mexico as part of an intensifying campaign to combat drug cartels smuggling narcotics into the United States. The move marks a significant escalation in Trump’s self-declared “war on narco-terrorists,” extending military operations beyond U.S. borders.

According to NBC News, the Trump administration is currently in the early stages of planning a joint special operations mission targeting drug cartels operating inside Mexican territory. Two U.S. officials familiar with the discussions said preliminary planning has already taken place in Mexico, with American forces being trained for potential deployment.

While no immediate deployment has been ordered, senior administration and defense officials are said to be weighing the scope of the potential operation. The mission, if approved, would operate under the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and within the framework of Title 50 of U.S. legal code, which governs national security operations.

Under the proposed plan, drone strikes would serve as the main tactical tool, with limited ground forces positioned nearby to ensure operational safety. Unlike past administrations that provided covert intelligence and logistical support to Mexico’s anti-cartel efforts, Trump’s strategy would involve direct U.S. military engagement on foreign soil.

“The Trump administration is committed to utilizing an all-of-government approach to address the threats cartels pose to American citizens,” a senior official told NBC News, declining to confirm operational details.

The new plan follows a series of U.S. drone strikes in the Caribbean that destroyed vessels allegedly carrying narcotics bound for U.S. ports. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has shared several surveillance videos showing drone strikes on suspected smuggling freighters, vowing to treat “any foreign group bringing drugs into America exactly like Al-Qaeda.”

Trump has long identified the influx of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids as a national security crisis, calling the drug epidemic “the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45.”

Despite Trump’s assurances that he wishes to avoid a direct military confrontation with Mexico, the proposed plan has already drawn criticism from international leaders. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum firmly rejected any form of U.S. intervention, saying her government would accept coordination but not subordination.

“We reject any form of intervention or interference,” Sheinbaum said at a press conference. “Mexico coordinates and collaborates, but does not subordinate itself.”

Critics have also raised legal concerns over Trump’s reported decision to bypass congressional authorization for military strikes against cartel targets. “I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” Trump told reporters earlier this year. “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. We’re going to kill them.”

Tensions have also flared with Venezuela, where the U.S. Navy deployed the world’s largest warship off the country’s coast as part of a wider anti-narcotics mission. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has warned that his country is ready to retaliate, claiming to have Russian missiles prepared “in case of conflict.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations has condemned the ongoing U.S. strikes in the Caribbean, which have reportedly killed more than 60 people since September. U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk described the actions as “unacceptable,” warning that no international law currently justifies such cross-border operations.

“These attacks and their mounting human cost are unacceptable,” Türk said Friday. “All parties must immediately step back from escalation and return to lawful, cooperative measures to address drug trafficking.”

4 injured in train derailment in Cumbria after suspected landslide

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CUMBRIA, UK (BN24) — A train traveling from Glasgow to London derailed in the early hours of Monday morning after being struck by a suspected landslide in the remote hills of northwest England, authorities said. The incident, which occurred around 6:10 AM near Shap, Cumbria, resulted in four passengers sustaining minor injuries, though no one required hospital treatment.

The train, an Avanti West Coast service traveling from Scotland to London Euston station, derailed in an area known for its challenging terrain and frequently unpredictable weather. The location, situated near the mountainous Lake District, has long been prone to heavy rainfall and landslides, factors that may have contributed to the derailment.

“We’re investigating a train derailment near Shap in Cumbria following a report from the train driver,” said a spokesperson from Network Rail, the organization responsible for Britain’s rail infrastructure. “The area has been experiencing significant adverse weather, including heavy rainfall, which may have been a contributing factor to the suspected landslip.”

According to British Transport Police, the incident occurred when the front carriage of the train came off the tracks but remained upright. Fortunately, the train did not overturn, preventing more serious injuries. Authorities confirmed that approximately 85 people were on board when the derailment happened.

Emergency services were quickly dispatched to the scene, and passengers were escorted off the train. The North West Ambulance Service stated that they assessed a total of 87 people at the scene, with only four passengers reported to have suffered minor injuries. These individuals were treated on-site and did not require further medical attention.

“Our priority is the well-being of everyone who was on board, and we are working closely with emergency services to ensure passengers are safely off the train,” an Avanti West Coast spokesperson said. “We are committed to assisting those affected by this incident and will continue to cooperate with authorities as they investigate the cause of the derailment.”

The train’s derailment disrupted rail services in the region, with all train traffic north of Preston, a major city in northwest England, coming to a halt. The line, which connects London to the northern parts of the UK, is a critical transportation route, and the incident has caused significant travel delays.

“We are doing everything we can to clear the line and restore normal services as soon as possible,” said a Network Rail spokesperson. “Safety is our top priority, and we are working hard to investigate the cause of the derailment.”

Shap, a village located in Cumbria, lies at the heart of the Lake District, an area renowned for its scenic beauty and also its challenging weather conditions. The region had been experiencing significant rainfall in the days leading up to the incident, which had already led to warnings about potential landslides.

The derailment is currently under investigation by Network Rail, and British Transport Police are also conducting inquiries. The incident follows a troubling series of events, including a mass stabbing on a train traveling between Doncaster and London just two days earlier. In that attack, 10 people were injured, and one victim remains in critical condition.

This latest derailment is a reminder of the challenges faced by the UK’s rail infrastructure, particularly in areas prone to extreme weather conditions. An annual report from the UK’s Office of Rail and Road revealed that there were five derailments across the country in the 12 months leading to March, two of which involved passenger trains.

Authorities are urging the public to stay informed about further disruptions in rail services as the investigation continues.

2 men arrested in Michigan for alleged ISIS-inspired Halloween attack plot

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MICHIGAN, USA (BN24) — Two U.S. citizens were arrested Friday for allegedly planning an ISIS-inspired attack on Halloween, authorities revealed Monday. The plot, which was intercepted by the FBI, involved the men purchasing firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun, and discussing the logistics of carrying out a terrorist attack, officials said.

According to court records, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, both from Michigan, had allegedly been conspiring to carry out a violent attack on or around Halloween. The men reportedly referred to their plan as “Pumpkin Day,” a coded term that suggested an attack during the Halloween period. The FBI had been monitoring their activities for several months before making the arrests.

Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the FBI’s efforts in preventing the attack, stating, “Thanks to the diligent work of law enforcement, the plot was stopped before innocent lives were lost.”

The investigation revealed that the men had been preparing for their attack by purchasing various firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun, as well as a “forced reset trigger” to modify the semi-automatic weapons, increasing their rate of fire. The FBI also found multiple handguns, tactical vests, and over 1,600 rounds of ammunition during a search of the men’s homes on Friday.

According to the Justice Department, Ali and Mahmoud practiced shooting at firing ranges around Michigan and discussed their plans in encrypted online communications. They allegedly shared extremist and ISIS-related materials, encouraging attacks similar to those carried out by the terrorist group in the past.

The FBI investigation began when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer discovered disturbing materials on the phone of one of the unnamed co-conspirators during a routine check upon their return to the United States. The phone contained “Google searches related to ISIS and the Islamic State” as well as pictures of the co-conspirator in military-style clothing with weapons.

The investigation revealed that Ali and Mahmoud had discussed traveling overseas to join ISIS fighters, and while abroad, they allegedly plotted an attack in the U.S., discussing the possibility of carrying out a mass shooting similar to the 2015 Paris terror attacks and the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, which ISIS had claimed responsibility for.

On October 17, Ali allegedly told an unnamed individual, “We’ve got some new plan for real – for real,” and urged them to “learn how to shoot.” This conversation was followed by plans to hold a meeting to discuss how to proceed with the attack. Documents indicated that the men referred to their plot using the term “pumpkins,” potentially as a reference to Halloween, indicating the planned timing of their attack.

Despite some reluctance expressed by Ali on October 19, the conversations continued, with references to “pumpkin” signaling an impending attack. Ali reportedly told one individual, “If that happens, the thing is you won’t know once you see it on the news, the open news.” By October 24, discussions were continuing, with one co-conspirator confirming that “we are going to do pumpkin.”

Authorities have not disclosed the full details of the planned attack, but emphasized that their swift action prevented what could have been a devastating tragedy. The FBI’s ability to intercept the plot before it could unfold is a testament to the increasing vigilance of U.S. law enforcement in addressing domestic terrorism.

“The Justice Department remains committed to thwarting extremist threats and protecting the safety of our communities from those who would seek to harm,” said an FBI spokesperson. “We will continue to investigate and take action against those who attempt to carry out these dangerous plans.”

The arrests came just days before Halloween, one of the busiest holidays in the United States, prompting heightened concern over the potential for violent events. U.S. officials have warned that the threat from domestic extremist groups remains a significant concern.

The case marks another example of the FBI’s ongoing efforts to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S. It also highlights the growing trend of extremist ideologies being spread through encrypted messaging services and online platforms.

While Ali and Mahmoud have been arrested, the investigation remains ongoing, with the FBI continuing to probe the full extent of the conspiracy and potential links to other co-conspirators. Officials have not yet indicated whether additional arrests are expected.

The Justice Department’s National Security Division has vowed to continue its efforts to disrupt terrorist plots, emphasizing that “preventing acts of terrorism is of utmost importance to the safety of Americans.”

As authorities continue their investigations, experts are urging heightened vigilance and awareness of the ongoing threat posed by domestic terrorism and the radicalization of individuals through online platforms.

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