Trump and Rubio question U.K. handling of possible plot against air base after 5 men released on bail

Five adults leaving City Jail Reentry Services with bags and a box

President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have criticized British counterterror police’s handling of a possible plot targeting a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces, with Rubio calling it a “very serious” incident and alleging that it “clearly involved” a foreign actor, and the president suggesting it “might be” Iran. Five British nationals, all men in their mid-20s, were arrested Sunday morning in an English village near the British air force base RAF Fairford on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

The base has been used by American bombers to launch attacks on Iran during the seven-month war. All five men were released on bail Monday, with the head of the U.K.’s Counter Terror Policing unit stressing they would remain “subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others” and that they “absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry.”

The fact that they were released so quickly and not charged with any suspected crimes, and that authorities did not report finding any explosives or weapons, has fueled speculation, however, that the men may not have been planning to attack the base at all. Some local media outlets have cited U.K. security sources saying the men may just have been looking to steal fuel.

“A very serious thing?”

Reacting to the news in the Oval Office Monday, Mr. Trump said he was “surprised that they released them. I wouldn’t have done that.” He said U.S. and British authorities had worked “very closely” on the matter, adding: “We know everything about them. We would not have released them.” The president added that the incident “might be” linked to Iran, but when pressed for more information, he replied: “I’d rather not. I mean, I know the answer, I could be very specific, but I’d rather not say. I would not have released them.”

Rubio, meanwhile, said Monday that many people following the incident were “disturbed that some of these people have been released on bail.” “What could have happened in the U.K. over the weekend is a ‌very serious situation,” Rubio told Fox News, saying it “clearly involves the hands ‌of a foreign actor,” without offering any further explanation for the assertion, which went further than British authorities have in characterizing the incident. “There’s a lot more news that’ll come out on this in the days to come, but there’s only so much I can say right now at this point about it, other than this is a very serious thing,” he said.

“Just thieves siphoning fuel?”

Asked about the release of the men, a British legal expert told CBS News Tuesday that it would be “reasonable to release suspects on bail to see where they go and who they talk to.” “It wouldn’t be the first time these tactics have been used,” said the analyst, who declined to be named. “I don’t think the police are being stupid or casual in this.”  There has been speculation — not commented on yet directly by British police — that the five men may have been diesel fuel thieves targeting local farms, or perhaps an external fuel supply for the base, for resale.

It’s a crime that has proliferated in the U.K. as the Iran war has driven up diesel and gasoline prices, according to a May report from intelligence agency DeterTech. Two people described as military sources, speaking Monday to local news outlet Wiltshire 999s, were quoted as saying the suspects were “just thieves siphoning fuel,” with barrels and other equipment found in their vehicles. The British police have said no viable explosive device was discovered in the three vans driven by the men. Images of the police working around those vehicles have shown large, seemingly empty barrels that were removed from at least one truck.

Bad actors working “knowingly or unknowingly” for a foreign state?

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of the London Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terror unit, told reporters Monday the incident “may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state.” Iranian authorities have warned that any bases used to attack the country would be considered legitimate targets. Iran has denied any link to the arrests near RAF Fairford. The Iranian Embassy in London said in a statement shared Monday on social media that the regime “categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran” to the incident.

Iran has, however, like Russia, been accused of using individuals who may be unaware they are even working for a foreign state to conduct sabotage attacks across Western Europe. The Iran-aligned group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia — or The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous (IMCR) — has claimed responsibility for several incidents over the past few months, including attacks on synagogues in the Netherlands and Belgium, and multiple attacks on north London’s Jewish community. A representative of the group told CBS News in March that it would “keep threatening U.S. and Israeli interests worldwide until we’ve avenged every child in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and the resistance nations,” and it urged people “to stay away from Zionist and American interests.”

In July, the U.K. government said the elite Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “almost certainly directed IMCR attacks across Europe.” Experts have characterized those incidents as part of a growing pattern of Iran and Russia outsourcing sabotage by recruiting sometimes unsuspecting people, often young men, to carry out low-level attacks for financial compensation. On Tuesday, law enforcement authorities in NATO member Estonia said they had determined an arson attack against a defense industry company in mid-August was a “deliberate and pre-planned act commissioned by Russian security services.”

Source: Trump and Rubio question U.K. handling of possible plot against air base after 5 men released on bail – CBS News

So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Hebrews 9:28

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Ontario, Canada: Police officer wounded in shooting near synagogue

Police officers outside a church behind “POLICE LINE - DO NOT CROSS” tape

A police officer was shot and wounded near a synagogue in Ontario, Canada, on Sunday evening during an exchange of gunfire with an armed man as congregants gathered to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, officials said. Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said a man was in the hospital “in life threatening condition” and that the officer was injured after the shooting near Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, around 115 miles northeast of Toronto. The president of Sons of Jacob synagogue, Norm Weddum, told CNN the officer saved the lives of everyone who had gathered inside and that the building had been riddled with bullets.

Authorities have not yet said what led to the shooting. Weddum said the officer had been hired to protect the congregation that day. The officer was parked nearby in an unmarked vehicle and made contact with the shooter as he approached the building, he said. The synagogue’s president described hearing a series of bangs as he ushered people into the sanctuary, after which he and others went toward the front door to investigate. “That’s when we heard it again –– ‘bang, bang, bang’ and they were very loud this time so we realized it was definitely shots being fired,” he said. “We all ran back, I closed the doors of the auditorium and I yelled out ‘everybody get down.’” Weddum said bullets sprayed through the stain glass windows and across the room as worshipers crouched on the floor in fear, some calling 911. “We were on the floor for what felt like ten minutes of gunfire but in reality, it was a few minutes. There were over 20 bullet holes in our windows.”

No one inside the synagogue was injured but all Yom Kippur services were canceled, he added. Authorities are expected to hold a press conference from the scene at 11 a.m. Monday. Earlier, the Belleville Police Service said an officer “encountered an individual” near Bleecker Avenue and Victoria Avenue around 7:10 p.m. The Sons of Jacob Synagogue sits at the intersection. “The officer and the individual sustained injuries and were transported to the hospital,” the statement said, without providing further details. York Regional Police, which patrols communities north of Toronto, said it would step up patrols and keep officers visible “where people gather to worship,” in response to the shooting. Weddum said when the gunshots stopped, he stepped outside the building to find a heavy police presence and several officers tending to the injured officer and another individual being put into an ambulance. Police have since cordoned off the area and are conducting an investigation, he added. “We’re not sure when we are going to get access back to the building. We are all upset but it’s not going to deter us. We will reopen and we will have services again,” he said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to news of the shooting, saying in a statement: “We owe an immense debt of gratitude to this brave officer and to all the first responders who acted so quickly to keep the community safe.” “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Belleville and across Ontario, who have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear,” Ford added.

Source: Ontario, Canada: Police officer wounded in shooting near synagogue | CNN

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Proverbs 31:30

Isaiah 45:2

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AOC and Mamdani take heat for apparently laughing as 9/11 victims’ names are read off

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are under fire from Republicans after the two socialists were captured on video apparently sharing a laugh as the names of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack were being read off. Mamdani attended the 25th anniversary ceremony in New York City on Friday, during which family members of the fallen read off the names of nearly 3,000 victims who were killed in the attack.

As the names were being read, Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez seemed to giggle with each other. See Options › Already a member? Log in The exchange quickly gained traction online and caught the ire of Republicans, who viewed the moment as being “disrespectful.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) responded to the video, questioning how they could be laughing at such a serious event. “How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud?” The senator said. “Why would you do so?” Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) also responded and did not mince his words in condemning the two lawmakers.

“AOC and Jihadi Mamdani should not be anywhere near that hallowed ground,” Fine said. “They do not mourn this country — they mock it. Have some damn respect.” Mamdani has faced scrutiny surrounding his attendance at the ceremony due to past statements on U.S. foreign policy and his appointment of Ramzi Kassem to be the city’s chief counsel. Kassem represented Ahmed al Darbi, an al Qaeda associate who pleaded guilty to war crimes charges. The mayor has defended his attendance at the ceremony, saying he intends to keep the day focused on the victims of the terrorist attacks and the first responders who died trying to save people trapped in the buildings.

However, Mamdani, who is Muslim, posted a statement Thursday about attending a memorial mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral to honor those lost in 9/11. In the post, Mamdani said he was remembering those “who died on 9/11,” which did not sit well with Republicans. Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) responded to Mamdani’s post with outrage. “DIED?? They were murdered by Islamic terrorists!!” Moore said. Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt also took to social media to sharply criticize Mamdani’s characterization of 9/11.

“No mention of terrorism,” he said. “We just… ‘bore witness to unimaginable suffering’. Like it was a natural disaster. Did a hurricane hit NYC on 9/11? What exactly happened on that day, Commie Mamdani? What’s with these ‘some people did something’ foreign muslim politicians always downplaying 9/11?” “At least Ilhan Omar acknowledged that people did it,” he continued. “Zohran can’t even do that. He is just a very nasty, spiteful animal. You saw it in that clip where he was yelling over the police like a rabid chihuahua. You see it in his dark, dead eyes when he drops his Manchurian smile.”

25 YEARS LATER, FOX REPORTER REMEMBERS TOLL OF 9/11: ‘LIKE AL QAEDA HAS INVADED OUR HOSPITAL ROOMS’ “This is the darkest anniversary of our nation’s defining tragedy because we all have to suffer the indignity of watching this piece of s*** try to erase our history bit by bit,” Pratt said. “He doesn’t hate the muslim terrorists like we do. It pains him to even address 9/11. You can tell. He doesn’t care. He, like Hasan Piker, thinks we deserved it. F*** off.”

Several other responses took issue with what they saw as Mamdani speaking about the attacks as if they were a “natural disaster” rather than the result of al Qaeda terrorists hijacking planes, killing nearly 3,000 people. Thousands of others have died or gotten sick from the poor air quality in New York City following the collapse of the Twin Towers.

Source: AOC and Mamdani take heat for apparently laughing as 9/11 victims’ names are read off

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 145:18

Psalm 5:8

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