Month: December 2024

Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement – better known as the Houthis – has taken credit for downing an American military plane. U.S. Central Command said initially reported that two U.S. Navy pilots safely ejected over the Red Sea on Sunday after the F/A-18 fighter jet they were in was shot down by what had appeared to be friendly fire. The Houthis is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and its allies, and have exchanged missile fire with Israel and have attacked shipping vessels in the Red Sea to support Palestinians amid Israel’s war in Gaza, leading to military action against them by the United States.

CENTCOM said in a statement that the F/A-18 was flying off of the USS Harry S. Truman over the Red Sea on Sunday when it was downed, an that one of the pilots may have sustained minor injuries during the ejection. At the time, CENTOM believed that the incident occurred when the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in the region) “mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18.” (per NBC News.)

Houthi Brigadier General Yahya Qasim Sare’e said in a statement that the Yemeni militia had succeeded in thwarting a joint American-British attack on the country by targeting the American ships on Saturday evening as the airstrikes were being carried out. He added that the Houthi operation was carried out with eight cruise missiles and 17 drones that led to the downing of the fighter jet and “the failure of the hostile attack on Yemeni territory.”

Mohammed al-Houthi later alleged that the U.S. Central Command would not disclose the truth about the crash of the plane “to prevent further collapse of the morale of its soldiers,” sharing in a statement: “The American attacks on Yemen are condemned and illegal terrorist attacks that support the terrorism of the temporary Israeli entity to continue the genocide and siege of the people of Gaza. The American terrorist attacks confirm the lawless rampage and criminality in the region. The reckless terrorist actions against Yemen do not stop the support operations for Gaza.”

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According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, a truck driver was shot and killed by law enforcement officers after driving a truck into a busy mall on Saturday night, injuring five people.

Per local NBC affiliate KXAN, a DPS trooper tried to stop a black pickup truck after a 911 caller reported a possible intoxicated driver in Belton (about 20 miles from Killeen) at around 5 p.m. on Saturday. The driver refused to stop, prompting a chase. Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Bryan Washko said during a news conference Saturday night that the man plowed into the front of a JC Penney store at the Killeen Mall in Killen (nearly 70 miles north of Austin), shattering the glass doors and continuing to drive his black pickup about 100 yards while “striking multiple people” and “actively running people over.” The suspect was shot and killed by law enforcement. He was identified by the Texas Department of Public Safety as 53-year-old Darrel Schultz of Kempner, Texas.

At least five people ranging in age from 6 to 75 were injured; four were taken by ambulance to area hospitals, and one person self-transported. Washko said: “Thankfully he was stopped when he was, because it could have been so much worse. This mall is pretty busy this time of year.”

Texas DPS will lead the investigation into the incident, with the Texas Rangers Division (part of Texas DPS) also involved.

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Luigi Mangione, the suspect indicted in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, waived his right to an extradition hearing during an appearance in court in Blair County, Pennsylvania and was transported via plane and helicopter to New York on Thursday afternoon to face federal charges. Mangione, 26, had appeared Thursday morning in Blair County, Pennsylvania, for a preliminary hearing, where he waived extradition and was subsequently taken into the custody of the NYPD.

Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 in Pennsylvania after nearly a week on the run, he faces charges including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun. Mangione had a 9 mm handgun with a 3D-printed receiver, a homemade silencer, two ammunition magazines and live cartridges when apprehended, prosecutors said.

Mangione has been charged in a four-count federal criminal complaint with stalking, murder through the use of a firearm and a firearms offense involving a silencer.  He is accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Hilton hotel on Dec. 4 as the UnitedHealthcare CEO headed to an investors conference.

In New York, Mangione is also charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism; two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree; and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.

The federal charges could make Mangione eligible for the death penalty. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of the state charges. Mangione will be remanded into custody at MDC Brooklyn, the same federal lockup where Sean “Diddy” Combs is currently jailed.

Mangione’s New York lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said in a statement: “The federal government’s reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns. We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.”

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A former top aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on bribery and money-laundering charges, along with her son.

Prosecutors on Thursday accused Ingrid Lewis-Martin, aformer chief adviser to Adams, of using her City Hall influence to help a hotel chain with construction plans. Lewis-Martin, who resigned her position on Sunday, was seen entering the lower Manhattan office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg early Thursday morning.

Lewis-Martin, was indicted along with her son Glenn Martin II and two real estate investors, Raizada Vaid and Mayank Dwivedi. All the defendants were charged with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. Vaid and Dwivedi are charged with Bribery in the First Degree, while Lewis-Martin and Martin III are charged with Bribe Receiving in the First Degree and Money Laundering in the Third Degree.

According to a statement by Bragg, Lewis-Martin “engaged in a long-running bribery, money laundering and conspiracy scheme by using her position and authority… and to illegally influence Department of Buildings and other city decisions in exchange for more than $100,000 in cash and benefits for herself and her son, Glenn Martin II.”

Bragg told reporters: “The indictment unsealed today can be summarized in three words — quid pro quo. Today’s indictment alleges and portrays a clear picture: ‘You do this for me and I will do that for you.’ It was not what is in the best interest of the city of New York and those who live here.”

Lewis-Martin, 63, has been one of the mayor’s closest confidants throughout his political career, serving in senior roles under Adams over the past nearly two decades.  Adams himself was indicted by a federal grand jury three months ago on bribery, campaign finance and conspiracy charges, in which the mayor was accused of allegedly received lavish gift and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals, including from Turkish interests to help that government bypass New York City safety guidelines to open a new consulate building.

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