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Lebanon accuses Iran of inserting IRGC terrorists into country 'under guise of diplomatic activity'

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:14:22 -0400

The Lebanese government filed a sharply worded complaint with the United Nations arguing that the Islamic Republic of Iran has abused diplomatic immunity by refusing to recall its ambassador after Beirut demanded his expulsion and to stop alleged terrorist activities on its soil, according to a recently surfaced letter from late April.

The disclosure of the letter, which is reportedly a precedent-setting move by Lebanon, comes amid a second day of talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon to normalize relations (the countries are in a state of war) and dismantle the Iranian-regime-backed Hezbollah terrorist movement in Lebanon.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday that "The United States facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon have resumed today and are ongoing. The atmosphere of talks has been very positive, even exceeding expectations."

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State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote on X on Friday that "On May 14 and 15, the United States hosted two days of highly-productive talks between Israel and Lebanon. The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress. The State Department will reconvene the political track of negotiations on June 2 and June 3."

He added that, "In addition, a security track will be launched at the Pentagon on May 29 with military delegations from both countries. We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border."

As the sides report back to their capitals, the potentially game-changing letter in which Lebanese ambassador to the U.N. Ahmad Arafa, slammed Iran for inserting alleged terrorists from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) into Lebanon "under the guise of diplomatic activity," has given hope to critics of Iran and Hezbollah.

Arafa said, according to the letter, that Iran committed "unlawful acts in blatant defiance of the decisions of the Government of Lebanon." He continued, "This Iranian conduct constitutes direct and blatant interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon and drags the country into a war it did not choose to become involved in."

The U.S. and the European Union have classified the IRGC as a terrorist entity.

The letter took the Iranian Ambassador to Beirut, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, to task for "blatant interference" in Lebanon.

According to Lebanon’s U.N. letter, Beirut argued that Iran is violating the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and interfering in Lebanon’s state of affairs.

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When asked about the details of the letter, a spokesperson for Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.S. declined to comment. The spokesperson also declined to weigh in on the current talks with Israel in Washington.

Walid Phares, a leading U.S. expert on Lebanon and the Mideast, told Fox News Digital that "Many have considered the Lebanese memo to the U.N. as the start of the Lebanese government change of attitude towards Iran and a sign of escalation by Beirut. While the tone of the letter and its narrative make people feel that there is a government resistance to Iran and Hezbollah reality is still lesser."

He added that "The subject of the last quarrel is a legal change of status regarding the presence of Iranians on Lebanese soil. The Lebanese government has decided not to grant Iranians, government, and private citizens an automatic visa waiver, which upset Iran and Hezbollah. Besides, Tehran is furious at the fact that the Lebanese government has not been helpful in dealing with the elimination of a number of IRGC members killed in Lebanon by Israel. Tehran blames the foreign ministry of Lebanon, particularly foreign minister Youssef Raggi, for the ‘lessening of solidarity with Iran."'

According to Phares, "Raggi represents a Lebanese Christian bloc in the parliament, who is not sympathetic to the regime. However, the actual talks in D.C. are designed by the Lebanese government to show the Trump administration that the ‘state wants to talk’ but not to reach an agreement that would trigger Hezbollah's wrath. The leaders of the Lebanese state are not yet where the U.S. and Israel expect them to be."

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A regional official well-versed in the U.N. dispute told Fox News Digital that Lebanon "argued that Iran had not given the Lebanese foreign ministry the list of all Iranians and the details about their place of stay. And that’s why Israel targeted that hotel in Lebanon in which six were killed, which is true."

The official said that "Iran had not told the foreign ministry of Lebanon about those six people."

First Tren de Aragua gang member extradited to US on historic terrorism charges appears before Houston judge

Fri, 15 May 2026 14:43:42 -0400

Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, an alleged senior leader of the Venezuelan Tren de Argua (TdA) gang, appeared before a judge in Houston Friday following extradition from Colombia in a historic first for cartel prosecutions.

Martinez Flores, also known as Chuqui, was allegedly part of TdA's "inner circle," according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). He is the first alleged TdA member extradited to the U.S. on terrorism-related charges since the gang was designated a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in 2025.

"This is a first of its kind, which is important. I think, as everyone knows, in 2025 with the new administration, these cartels are now designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Not only does that give us more focus and attention on these groups but it gives us more resources, more ability to reach these individuals in their home countries, that's why this is so significant," Jason Hudson, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Houston, said during a Friday news conference.

"Mr. Martines Flores was the first TdA member to be charged with material support of terrorism. Mr. Martines Flores is also the first TdA member thay has been extradited to the United States to face those charges in our country," Hudson continued.

DOJ INDICTS ALLEGED HIGH-RANKING TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBER ON TERRORISM CHARGES FOR THE FIRST TIME

Colombian authorities arrested the 24-year-old Martinez Flores in Colombia on March 31 after U.S. authorities issued an arrest warrant for him. He appeared in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan Friday morning to face charges of conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization and providing material support to a terrorist organization.

Martinez Flores' indictment alleges his involvement in an international drug distribution conspiracy via the distribution of five kilograms of cocaine or more intended for distribution in the United States. The indictment alleges the proceeds were used to further TdA’s criminal goals.

The Trump administration designated TdA as an FTO on Trump's first day in office of his second term in a sweeping executive order that also branded all international cartels as FTO.

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"Today's extradition sends a clear message: under President Trump’s leadership, foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua will be hunted down and brought to justice," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

FBI brings Iraqi man accused of coordinating nearly 20 terror attacks in Europe to face trial in New York

Fri, 15 May 2026 13:58:08 -0400

An Iraqi man accused of orchestrating nearly 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and plotting attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States has been brought to New York to face federal terrorism charges after what the FBI described as a major international operation.

Since early March, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi and his associates allegedly planned and coordinated 18 attacks in the name of Ashab al-Yamin, a pro-Iranian Islamist group that has taken credit for attacks against Jewish schools, synagogues and charities in Europe, as well as American, Israeli and Iranian opposition targets, according to the FBI.

"The FBI’s successful FTOC (foreign transfer of custody) of Mohammad Al-Saadi, another high-value target responsible for mass global terrorism, is just the latest success in this administration’s historic work to bring terrorists to justice," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. "This was a righteous mission executed brilliantly by our agents, investigators, CIRG tactical units, and interagency partners who delivered yet again."

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"We are greatly appreciative of the work of our allies around the world — especially Ambassador Tom Barrack, who led this joint sequenced operation and has been instrumental in bringing this successful mission home to the United States," he added.

On March 9, Al-Saadi allegedly posted a message on his Telegram account with the logo of Ashab al-Yamin, calling on warriors of Islam to engage in jihad, the FBI said.

FEDERAL PROBE CLAIMS UNIVERSITIES ARE 'LEGITIMIZING AND AMPLIFYING ANTISEMITISM'

Al-Saadi has posted Ashab al-Yamin-branded propaganda videos claiming responsibility for the attacks, including video recordings from attacks against Jewish places or persons in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, according to federal prosecutors.

The FBI said it took action after learning that Al-Saadi was planning to expand Ashab al-Yamin’s operations to the United States. He allegedly directed other individuals in an attempt to coordinate terrorist attacks in the United States against synagogues and other Jewish institutions across the country.

Al-Saadi has also allegedly publicly threatened President Donald Trump and his family, authorities said.

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He was expected to appear in a New York federal courtroom on Friday on six terrorism charges, including six terrorism charges in New York, including conspiring to provide material support to terrorist groups.

Highest-ranking Tren de Aragua member ever extradited to US set to appear in Houston courtroom: DOJ

Thu, 14 May 2026 18:39:11 -0400

The highest-ranking member of Tren de Aragua to face justice in the United States has been extradited from Colombia and will appear in a Houston federal courtroom to face terrorism and drug charges, the Justice Department said.

Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, 24, who also goes by "Chuqui," allegedly oversaw criminal activities in Colombia, including drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution and murder. Federal prosecutors stated that he is a high-ranking leader of the designated foreign terrorist organization in Bogota and is part of the inner circle of senior TdA leadership.

He was arrested on March 31 on a warrant requested by the U.S., and according to the DOJ, he has arrived in Houston and will appear in court on May 15.

DOJ INDICTS ALLEGED HIGH-RANKING TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBER ON TERRORISM CHARGES FOR THE FIRST TIME

"Today’s extradition sends a clear message: under President Trump’s leadership, foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua will be hunted down and brought to justice," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. He added that the FBI will continue using every tool available to dismantle violent criminal networks, stop the flow of drugs into communities, and protect the American people.

"This is the highest ranking TdA member we’ve ever brought to justice," Patel added.

Flores is charged with one count of conspiring to provide material support to TdA in the form of personnel, including himself, and one count of providing material support to the organization.

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A federal indictment also alleges an international drug distribution conspiracy based on Flores' involvement in the distribution of five kilograms or more of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the U.S.

The Trump administration’s State Department designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on Feb. 20.

The indictment against Flores came after the Trump administration filed its first racketeering charges—also known as RICO charges—against TdA members and its associates in April. These charges include conspiring to commit murder, sex trafficking, assault and drug dealing. Flores now faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine.

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In December, a federal grand jury in Houston returned a second superseding indictment charging three other TdA leaders: Yohan Jose Romero, 48, Juan Gabriel Rivas Nunez, 45, and Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, 38. They are charged with conspiring to provide and providing material support to TdA.

Mosquera Serrano, who is also on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, is named in the conspiracy and distribution of cocaine charges along with Flores.

FBI offers $200K reward for former Air Force intelligence agent accused of spying for Iran

Thu, 14 May 2026 15:10:12 -0400

The FBI announced Thursday it is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension and prosecution of Monica Witt, a former U.S. service member and counterintelligence agent who was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia in February 2019 on charges of espionage, including transmitting national defense information to the Iranian government.

Witt, a former active-duty U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist and special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, served in the military between 1997 and 2008, before working as a U.S. government contractor until 2010, according to a news release from the FBI Washington Field Office.

The 47-year-old's military service and contracting employment provided her access to secret and top secret information relating to foreign intelligence and counterintelligence, including the true names of U.S. Intelligence Community undercover personnel.

Officials allege that in 2013, Witt defected to Iran and provided information to the country's government, placing sensitive and classified U.S. national defense information and programs at risk, according to the indictment.

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She allegedly intentionally provided information endangering U.S. personnel and their families stationed abroad, and conducted research on behalf of the Iranian regime to allow them to target her former colleagues in the U.S. government.

The FBI said Witt’s defection to Iran has benefited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has elements responsible for intelligence collection, unconventional warfare and providing direct support to multiple terrorist organizations targeting U.S. citizens and interests.

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While Witt has been indicted for her alleged crimes, she remains at large. She is known to speak Farsi and reside in Iran, and may be using aliases, including Fatemah Zahra or Narges Witt.

The FBI said it is continuing to actively work to find Witt and bring her to justice.

"Monica Witt allegedly betrayed her oath to the Constitution more than a decade ago by defecting to Iran and providing the Iranian regime National Defense Information and likely continues to support their nefarious activities," said Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division.

"The FBI has not forgotten and believes that during this critical moment in Iran’s history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts," Wierzbicki continued. "The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice."

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Anyone with information about Witt is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be shared with local FBI offices, the nearest American embassy or consulate, or submitted via tips.fbi.gov.

Non-Jewish professor says he was fired for calling out Hamas supporters in online post

Thu, 14 May 2026 11:11:08 -0400

A non-Jewish Canadian professor says he was fired from his university for defending Israel in a social media post as antisemitism exploded across Canada following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

Paul Finlayson told Fox News Digital that he lost his job at Canada’s University of Guelph-Humber after taking a strong stance online about the massacre and kidnapping of Israelis and foreigners — including Americans and Canadians.

Finlayson responded in November of 2023 to a LinkedIn message from an overseas educator who he said was "calling for the eradication of Israel." Though the author later deleted his post and all corresponding comments, the National Post quoted from Finlayson’s response in a December 2023 article.

"If you say ‘from the River to the Sea’, you’re a Nazi," Finlayson wrote. "I’m not neutral. I stand with Israel. I stand against antisemites who want nothing but dead Jews: who take millions from their education and health care budgets and spend it on making war…You stand with Palestine means you stand with Hitler. You don’t want peace, you want dead Jews…They murdered 1,400 innocents and took 250 hostages and the people celebrated rapist monsters as heroes."

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Since the post, Finlayson says he has faced a targeted campaign against him which has affected his professional standing and job prospects.

Finlayson said that students at the school found his LinkedIn reply before the post's author erased the thread, leading to outcry. While meeting with a student in his office on Nov. 27, Finlayson said an administrator waited outside, eventually presenting him with a suspension letter.

A copy of the suspension letter, provided by Finlayson, cites "inappropriate online comments" and places the professor "on leave pending the outcome of the investigation." It directed Finlayson not to contact "any of your departmental staff or students or broader members of the [university]."

Finlayson said he was "very well-liked" by students, who ranked him among the highest in the business department faculty. He said that rumors about the accusations against him destroyed his academic reputation, which included formulating courses and writing textbooks.

"My trial has been by defamation, and it continues by defamation," Finlayson said of the "Kafkaesque" situation that ensued.

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He says that his union, OPSEU Local 562, refused to represent him. The union did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Finlayson was officially fired by the university in July 2025. He provided a copy of his termination letter, which stated that after a "formal complaint of discrimination and harassment," an investigator found that his "conduct violated the Ontario Human Rights Code and Humber’s Human Rights and Harassment Policy, and that [he] engaged in reprisal under both of those instruments."

The Humber harassment policy states that "anyone who attempts Reprisal or threatens Reprisal against a person who initiates a complaint or participates in proceedings under this Policy may be subject to disciplinary action."

The same policy says that "Humber upholds and supports the right to equal treatment without Discrimination" based on prohibited grounds, which include antisemitism.

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The University of Guelph-Humber did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about Finlayson’s suspension, investigation and firing, and about whether anti-Israel posts shared by its students and a professor at the University violate the Humber Human Rights and Harassment Policy.

The University of Guelph’s "UofGforPalestine" Instagram page, which presents itself as the account of "students, staff, and faculty who stand in solidarity with Palestine," has shared posts with the inverted red triangle that Hamas uses to mark targets. Like the U.S., Canada designates Hamas as a terror group.

In November 2024, the group shared photos on its Instagram account of a guillotine that "appeared on a walking path" in Guelph, which featured photos of the heads of Canadian, American and Israeli leaders coated in red paint. Though purported to be an "anonymous submission," the post notes its "message" as "Death to empire, death to colonialism and imperialism, death to the war machine."

A University of Guelph-Humber professor whom Finlayson believes brought the case against him has posted inflammatory rhetoric on his own LinkedIn account, calling Israel a "terrorist state," and stating that the world "cannot have both" peace and Israel.

The professor did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

While Finlayson lost his position, elsewhere in Canada, activism led to starkly different circumstances for three staffers at York University, who were among 11 individuals charged with "hate-motivated mischief" in Nov 2023 for plastering a bookstore with photos accusing a Jewish CEO of genocide, and splashing the store with red paint, as reported by the National Post.

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Though they were initially suspended from the school, at least two staff members appear to have current profiles on the York University website. One, a professor, most recently taught courses at the school in the Winter 2026 semester. York University did not respond to requests for comment about its restoration of staff members’ roles.

Since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, antisemitism has exploded in Canada. In April, B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights released a report showing that 6,800 antisemitic incidents took place in the country in 2025, representing a 9.4% increase over 2024. On average, this represented 18.6 incidents a day and was the "highest volume" the group has recorded since it began tracking incidents.

Hamas used sexual violence 'deliberately and systematically' on Oct 7, commission report finds

Thu, 14 May 2026 09:46:04 -0400

WARNING: This article includes graphic and disturbing accounts from the October 7 massacre in Israel.

Hamas and its Palestinian collaborators used sexual and gender-based violence "deliberately and systematically" as an inherent part of a wider strategy of the 2023 massacres in southern Israel, according to a report released Tuesday by the Civil Commission on Oct. 7 Crimes Against Women and Children.

The Israeli nonprofit said its investigation documented evidence of abuse at multiple sites during the Oct. 7 terror invasion, including the Nova Music Festival, kibbutzim near the Gaza border, Israel Defense Forces bases, among hostages in captivity and in the condition of recovered bodies showing signs consistent with sexual violence.

According to the report, investigators identified at least 13 recurring forms of abuse, including rape, sexual torture, shootings directed at victims’ genital areas and abuse carried out after death.

ISRAEL'S QUEST FOR JUSTICE EXPOSES HAMAS' SYSTEMATIC SEXUAL VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN DURING OCTOBER 7 MASSACRE

Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, founder and chair of the Civil Commission and a principal co-author of the report, told Fox News Digital that the greatest challenge in compiling the findings was the team’s repeated exposure to graphic material and the trauma associated with reviewing it on a regular basis.

"We had to not only collect materials, but also review and analyze it alongside forensic experts while witnessing human suffering at its worst," Elkayam-Levy said. "What motivated us was the denial, the hesitation and the questioning. We wanted to ensure that the world knows what happened to the victims.

"For us, it is a final act of justice for the victims," she added.

The report also detailed cases in which sexual violence was inflicted in front of or involving family members, including one incident in which relatives were allegedly forced to carry out acts on each other.

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It further accused Hamas and allied perpetrators of using videos, digital platforms and social media as tools to magnify psychological harm, spread fear and publicize the attacks, including by distributing sexualized material.

Elkayam-Levy said she hopes the findings will not remain confined to academics, human rights organizations or activists, but will also be studied by counterterrorism and national security experts to better understand and confront such atrocities.

"We cannot prevent what we do not fully understand," Elkayam-Levy said. "No single prosecution could ever capture the full magnitude of these crimes in the way this report does. It is therefore critical that policymakers, decision-makers, members of Congress and senators find ways to formally recognize these findings and hold hearings so we can begin addressing this issue. We want the findings of this report to receive formal institutional recognition."

The report, Elkayam-Levy noted, underscores that victims of the Oct. 7 atrocities came from 52 countries, highlighting the global scope and impact of the attack.

Witness testimony cited in the report included an account of a woman being sexually assaulted before being beheaded. Another witness described seeing a woman dragged from a vehicle, pinned against a wall, repeatedly raped and then stabbed, with the assault allegedly continuing after her death.

In another case, a witness described discovering the body of a man whose genitals had been severed, lying beside the body of a woman holding them, in what the report described as an apparent effort to degrade and humiliate the victims.

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Investigators said some female victims were found naked or partially unclothed, with evidence of severe mutilation and objects including grenades, nails and household tools inserted into their bodies. The report also cited gunshot wounds, cuts and burn injuries concentrated on intimate areas.

The report said some female bodies brought to morgues showed broken pelvises or legs, bloodied underwear and additional trauma to the abdomen or groin.

Former hostages, both women and men, have also testified to rape, sexual torture and other forms of abuse during abduction or captivity, according to the report. It said some female captives reported sexual assaults while receiving treatment in Gaza hospitals for injuries sustained during the attacks.

Male hostages likewise described sexual abuse while in captivity, including assaults in showers and incidents carried out under armed threat while victims were naked, the report said. One former hostage recounted being sexually assaulted when a captor forcibly rubbed his genitals against the victim’s anus.

Last month, former hostage Rom Braslavski recounted the abuse he said he endured during captivity in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

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"They would hit me with whatever they had on hand. I underwent severe torture, bondage and sexual abuse. Everything they could do to me, they did. My body is still covered in scars. After four months of torture, I was clinically dead, rolling my eyes and passing out. They decided to stop the violence and brought doctors to treat me with injections and gave me food again," he said.

The report said sexual and gender-based violence was "widespread and systematic" and constituted an "integral component" of both the Oct. 7 attacks and the subsequent treatment of captives, while calling the prosecution of such crimes an "urgent" priority to be pursued through international accountability mechanisms.

Among its recommendations, the commission called for targeted sanctions against individuals and entities accused of carrying out or materially supporting the Oct. 7 attack and its aftermath. It also urged action against what it described as denial, minimization or politicization of the sexual crimes committed during the massacre and in captivity.

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"The Commission further recommends that Israel adopt a comprehensive gender strategy within its prosecutorial framework and establish a specialized chamber or panel of judges dedicated to the prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes committed on October 7th and during captivity," the report said.

Elkayam-Levy said the report has received widespread international attention, including front-page coverage in U.S. and global media outlets. "We feel the discussion has shifted from questioning whether these crimes occurred to examining their consequences," she said. "There is now a substantial legal evidentiary foundation preserved in a secure archive that cannot be denied."

Iranian sleeper cells pose World Cup threat, former FBI agent warns, urges Trump to send stark warning

Thu, 14 May 2026 08:00:09 -0400

A former FBI agent is urging President Trump to send a stark warning to Iran ahead of the World Cup, saying that the country's sleeper cells could pose a threat to the global sporting event.

With the FIFA World Cup kicking off in June, former Navy SEAL and FBI special agent Jonathan Gilliam urged Trump to send Iran a message: back off or face the consequences.

"I would hope that the president makes it known before this occurs, that if Iran does anything during these World Cup events, that it's going to be not just a retaliatory strike, but that would be the end of any talks and that he will lay waste to everything and anything that is the Iranian regime if that occurs," Gilliam said.

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Gilliam also made a provocative suggestion how Trump should send a warning message to Iran.

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"I think if the president did that, and he showed that he was very serious, gave some sign, dropped a MOAB in the middle of nowhere in Iran and said, 'this is what's going to occur if you if you touch anyone in the United States.' ... This is what's coming to you," Gilliam said. "A MOAB, that's the largest non-nuclear conventional bomb in the world in history. And you can drop that somewhere and make a dramatic impact if the president was to show force like Iran does."

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"They play diplomat, but they understand force, and so I would recommend that the president examine possibilities like that and that he makes it known that 'you do anything here, then that's it,'" he added.

Gilliam said that there are already sleeper cells in the U.S. The question is whether they will be activated to carry out an attack during the World Cup.

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"The probability may vary, so the numbers game, is it 100% guaranteed, is it 50% guaranteed? That's always a game that you really don't want to play," he said. "All of these things are going to play into the fact that sleeper cells have always been, for any of these events in the United States and around the world, have always been a possibility."

His warning comes at a time when negotiations between the U.S. and Iran appear to be breaking down, with Trump responding "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!" to Iran's recent response to a U.S. ceasefire proposal.

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The president addressed the Iranian sleeper cell threat in early March, pushing blame onto former President Biden for letting them into the country.

TRUMP SAYS 'WE'VE GOT OUR EYES ON' IRANIAN SLEEPER CELLS IN US

"I have been (briefed), and a lot of people came in through Biden with his stupid open border," Trump told Fox News' Peter Doocy. "But we know where most of them are. We've got our eye on all of them."

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$625 million is being distributed to secure the World Cup after being passed by Congress and signed by Trump, which is being directed to law enforcement agencies to cover overtime costs.

In total, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has spent nearly $900 million toward securing the World Cup, according to a news release from the agency.

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The World Cup starts on June 11 and runs through July 19 and the United States will host 78 World Cup matches, while Mexico and Canada will host the rest.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Missouri man’s explosives tutorial helped New Orleans terrorist plan NYE attack, feds say

Wed, 13 May 2026 18:52:44 -0400

A Missouri man accused of turning social media into a virtual bomb-making classroom is now facing federal charges after investigators say his online tutorials were used by the terrorist behind the deadly New Year’s Day rampage on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

Jordan Derrick, 40, of Sweet Springs, Missouri, was arrested by the FBI Tuesday after prosecutors accused him of posting detailed online videos showing followers exactly how to manufacture explosives, detonators and improvised explosive devices using volatile chemical compounds.

According to a newly unsealed criminal complaint, Derrick spent months uploading graphic, step-by-step demonstrations showing viewers how to create explosive materials including TNT, PETN, RDX and other highly dangerous compounds commonly associated with military-grade explosives and terror attacks.

Investigators allege Derrick began posting the content on multiple social media platforms as early as September 2023, effectively creating an online "how-to" guide for homemade bombs.

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The complaint alleges Derrick demonstrated how to manufacture detonators and volatile explosive compounds, including nickel aminoguanidine perchlorate, ethylene glycol dinitrate, HMTD, hexamine dinitrate and ammonium nitrate mixtures capable of causing catastrophic damage.

Federal authorities say the videos eventually reached Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the ISIS-inspired terrorist responsible for the deadly Bourbon Street attack in New Orleans Jan. 1, 2025.

According to investigators, Jabbar downloaded Derrick’s publicly available bomb-making videos and used the tutorials to construct improvised explosive devices consistent with the methods shown online.

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The FBI previously said Jabbar killed 14 people and injured dozens more after driving a rented Ford F-150 through packed New Year’s crowds in the French Quarter during the early morning hours of Jan. 1 before opening fire on police officers, who shot and killed him.

Authorities later recovered improvised explosive devices near Bourbon Street that failed to detonate and were ultimately rendered safe by bomb squads, a development prosecutors now say may have prevented an even deadlier mass casualty attack.

The FBI has said Jabbar became increasingly radicalized online in 2024 and researched ISIS propaganda, previous vehicle attacks and crowded New Orleans events in the months leading up to the massacre.

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Investigators also said Jabbar traveled from Houston to New Orleans weeks before the attack, where he scoped out the French Quarter, researched balcony access points and used Meta smart glasses to secretly record video while biking through Bourbon Street.

Hours before carrying out the Bourbon Street massacre, investigators say, Jabbar researched the deadly Christmas market attack in Germany.

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But prosecutors now believe Derrick’s alleged online explosives empire reached far beyond New Orleans.

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Federal investigators say they also linked Derrick’s bomb-making tutorials to a separate explosion at a home in Odessa, Missouri, earlier this month.

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According to the criminal complaint, investigators responding to the May 4 blast discovered suspected explosive components inside the residence. The homeowner allegedly told authorities he learned how to build explosive devices by watching online tutorial videos connected to Derrick’s social media accounts.

That explosion remains under investigation.

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Derrick was charged with manufacturing explosive materials without a license, unlawfully possessing an unregistered destructive device and distributing information related to the manufacture of explosives.

If convicted, Derrick could face up to 20 years in federal prison on the charge of distributing information related to manufacturing explosives, along with two additional charges carrying maximum penalties of 10 years each. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.

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The FBI is leading the investigation alongside federal prosecutors and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

Derrick has not yet entered a plea.

Inside the Christian border town in Lebanon that says it survived by defying Hezbollah

Tue, 12 May 2026 17:39:48 -0400

The church bells still ring in Rmeish on the Lebanon-Israel border.

While much of southern Lebanon has suffered destruction during the war between Israel and the terror group Hezbollah, the predominantly Christian border town close to Israel remained largely untouched. Churches are still standing. Homes remain intact. Residents say the village avoided Israeli strikes because locals refused to allow Hezbollah fighters to operate from inside the town.

"There was more than one attempt for them to come to the outskirts or the entrance of the village to launch rockets from there," one resident told Jusoor News. "The young men of Rmeish confronted them and prevented them from entering."

"That led to the protection of Rmeish from any Israeli attacks," the resident said. "The Israelis do not target aimlessly. They target launch sites."

HEZBOLLAH DISARMAMENT DEADLOCK RISKS CIVIL WAR, ANALYSTS SAY, AS US PREPARES FOR ISRAEL–LEBANON TALKS

The account offers a rare public glimpse into open resistance to Hezbollah inside southern Lebanon, where criticism of the Iranian-backed terrorist group is often met with accusations of treason or collaboration with Israel.

Tarek, a Christian social activist from Rmeish who spoke by phone with Fox News Digital, said residents of the town have long-faced pressure because they refused to align with Hezbollah.

"After 2000, when Israel left, we were always labeled as collaborators of Israel," Tarek said. "We suffered a lot from this stigma."

He said Hezbollah supporters accused the town of cooperating with Israel simply because it escaped the destruction seen in neighboring villages.

The interviews come as the Trump administration brokers talks between Israel and Lebanon aimed at stabilizing the border and addressing Hezbollah’s military presence in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem recently rejected any discussion about disarming the group, while U.S. officials continue pushing to strengthen the Lebanese state over the armed terror group.

Tarek argued Hezbollah’s grip on Lebanon cannot be separated from Iran.

"The Lebanese government has been ruled by Hezbollah for almost 36 years," he told Fox News Digital. "They are deeply entrenched in all arms of the government, security, army and institutions."

"If the president or prime minister says they want peace, Hezbollah will resist that," he added.

Tarek said weakening Iran is the key to weakening Hezbollah.

IRAN COULD ‘ACTIVATE’ HEZBOLLAH IF US TARGETS REGIME, TRUMP’S INNER CIRCLE TO DECIDE: EXPERT

"It’s about cutting the head of the octopus, which is the Iranian regime," he said. "Once you cut the head, Hezbollah will no longer function."

Another resident said many in the town increasingly believe "Hezbollah’s project is an Iranian project, not a Lebanese one."

Another woman from the village described living surrounded by war while trying to keep the town outside the fighting.

‘WAR FOLLOWED US’: A SYRIAN FAMILY FLED BEIRUT AFTER ISRAELI BOMBARDMENT TO FACE REPRESSION, BOMBING AT HOME

"We are in the middle, and the war surrounds us from all sides," she said. "This makes us live in a state of fear, anxiety, insecurity and instability."

A man from the village said residents had endured decades of wars that they have nothing to do with.

"We decided to remain steadfast," he said. "Where would we go?"

An older resident said his family has suffered from violence along the border since the 1970s.

"We are tired of wars," he said. "We want nothing but peace."

Despite accusations from Hezbollah supporters, residents insisted they do not regret standing up to the terrorist group.

"All accusations of treason are rejected," one resident said. "The people of Rmeish want to live safely on their land."

Another resident added: "Just because I don’t believe in your project doesn’t mean I’m a traitor."

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Ahed Al Hendi, a senior fellow at the Center for Peace Communications, told Fox News Digital that, "The defiance shown by Christians in southern Lebanon reflects a major shift in the country’s internal dynamics. For more than two decades, many Christians living near the border suffered under Hezbollah’s dominance, yet were stigmatized and often afraid to speak openly against it."

"Today," Al Hendi added, "with the changing balance of power, they are increasingly confronting Hezbollah publicly and speaking out against what they see as its tyranny."

US intel community agreed before war 'Iran wasn't developing a nuclear weapon': ex-counterterrorism chief

Fri, 08 May 2026 06:03:46 -0400

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent asserted in a post on X that prior to the start of the Iran war, the U.S. intelligence community agreed that the Islamic Republic was not developing a nuclear weapon.

"One of the many tragedies of this war is that before the war began the U.S. Intel Community, including CIA, was in agreement that Iran wasn't developing a nuclear weapon & that Iran would target U.S. bases in the region & shut down the Strait of Hormuz if they were attacked by Israel & the U.S.," Kent wrote in a post on Thursday.

"The IC also properly assessed that targeting the Iranian leadership would strengthen the regime and embolden the hardliners. Despite the professionalism & accuracy of the IC, the narrative & agenda spun by a foreign government- Israel, won the argument & forced us into this war," he continued.

EX-COUNTERTERRORISM CHIEF SAYS TRUMP MUST RESTRAIN ISRAEL BEFORE HE CAN DECLARE VICTORY IN IRAN

"We need to understand exactly how this happened to ensure we are never put in this position again," he concluded.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the following in a statement to Fox News Digital: "Joe Kent’s self-aggrandizing resignation letter and recent comments are riddled with lies. Most egregious are Kent’s false claims that the largest state sponsor of terrorism somehow did not pose a threat to the United States and that Israel forced the President into launching Operation Epic Fury. As Commander-in-Chief, President Trump took decisive action based on strong evidence which showed that the terrorist Iranian regime posed an imminent threat and was preparing to strike Americans first. President Trump’s number one priority has always been ensuring the safety and security of the American people."

Kent resigned from the National Counterterrorism Center director role back in March.

WHAT ISRAEL WANTS FROM AN IRAN PEACE DEAL: NO ENRICHMENT, MISSILE LIMITS AND STRICT ENFORCEMENT

"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran," he wrote in his resignation letter. "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby."

In an April Truth Social post, President Donald Trump slapped down the notion that Israel convinced him to enter the war against Iran.

TRUMP PUSHES BACK AGAINST PUNDITS, SAYS ISRAEL DID NOT TALK HIM INTO THE IRAN WAR

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"Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did," the president wrote in part of the post, referring to the heinous Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack perpetrated against Israel.

Kash Patel reveals the chilling holiday terror plots FBI federal agents quietly stopped

Fri, 08 May 2026 05:00:29 -0400

FBI Director Kash Patel revealed federal agents successfully disrupted four major terrorist plots over the holiday season, but warned that despite these wins, the constant pressure to "not miss anything" keeps him "up at night."

Speaking on the "Hang Out with Sean Hannity" podcast, Patel said the bureau is using new technology to prevent attacks, warning a future 9/11-style attack remains a concern.

"I can tell the American public, just look at the month of December alone last year. We stopped four terrorist attacks in four weeks during the holidays," Patel told Hannity.

"Everything from the ‘Pumpkin Day’ plot all the way through the attacks that were going to happen in Texas, Florida and New York — and we stopped them all," he added.

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The "Pumpkin Day" plot refers to a foiled ISIS-inspired terror attack that federal authorities said would have involved a massacre in a Detroit suburb. The two Michigan men involved allegedly used the codename "pumpkin" to discuss their plans for a mass shooting.

Patel also said the FBI stopped attacks targeting Texas, Florida and New York. The FBI previously said it thwarted another ISIS-inspired plot in which a North Carolina man allegedly planned to use knives and hammers at a grocery store and fast-food chain on New Year’s Eve.

Patel said the pressure of safeguarding the nation is what keeps him "up at night." "We are the folks that are responsible for safeguarding America," Patel said. "We're doing everything we can to not miss anything."

FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL SAYS BUREAU RAMPING UP AI TO COUNTER DOMESTIC, GLOBAL THREATS

Patel said officials are "always on the watch for" a potential September 11-style attack. He said after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, officials have been watching for terror groups to "rejuvenate."

"The thing about terrorists is they're exceedingly patient," Patel added.

To stay ahead of these threats, Patel said the Trump administration worked to modernize the FBI, including using artificial intelligence to expand its capabilities.

FBI DIRECTOR TICKS OFF TERROR THREATS FOILED BY AGENTS

"AI was never used at the FBI until we got there. I'm using it everywhere," Patel said. He referenced its use in criminal justice databases to identify fingerprints and expedite arrests, as well as sifting through the massive volume of the FBI tipline.

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"Can you imagine how many tips the FBI gets a week? Thousands. If we had just humans look at it, we would never sift through them all," Patel said.

"I put AI in there. We stopped a school massacre in North Carolina because we got a tip and we were able to triage it with artificial intelligence," he added.

Watch the full episode on YouTube.

'Left-wing extremists,' cartels move into crosshairs in Trump terror shift beyond ISIS

Wed, 06 May 2026 12:51:20 -0400

The Trump administration’s new counterterrorism strategy expands the scope of U.S. national security policy to include drug cartels and domestic extremist groups alongside traditional jihadist threats — a shift that could widen how counterterrorism tools are deployed at home and abroad.

A 16-page strategy released to reporters Wednesday identifies three primary sources of terrorist threats: "narcoterrorists and transnational gangs," "legacy Islamist terrorists," and "violent left-wing extremists, including anarchists and anti-fascists" — marking a break from post-9/11 frameworks that centered largely on groups like ISIS and al Qaeda.

The document lays out a three-part approach to combating those threats: identifying terrorist actors and plots before they occur, cutting off funding and recruitment pipelines, and ultimately dismantling established networks — a framework that signals a more expansive use of intelligence, financial and military tools across multiple threat categories.

The strategy broadens the definition of terrorism in ways that could extend national security powers beyond traditional jihadist groups — opening the door to expanded use of military, intelligence and law enforcement tools against cartels and actors inside the United States.

TRUMP REWRITES NATIONAL SECURITY PLAYBOOK AS MASS MIGRATION OVERTAKES TERRORISM AS TOP US THREAT

At the same time, the strategy takes aim at the intelligence community, arguing it has been "mired in old ways of looking at threats" and, at times, "weaponized" for political purposes — language that underscores the administration’s push to reshape how counterterrorism priorities are defined and executed.

The strategy expands the counterterrorism mission to include domestic extremist violence, particularly from what officials describe as left-wing ideological movements — a shift that places greater emphasis on identifying and disrupting networks operating inside the United States.

White House counterterrorism chief Sebastian Gorka said the administration is focused on politically motivated violence domestically and would use "all the tools constitutionally available" to identify and disrupt extremist actors.

TRUMP ADMIN TO HOLD GLOBAL SUMMIT ON COUNTERING ANTIFA, SOURCES CONFIRM

He pointed to recent high-profile attacks, including the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as examples of what he described as a broader rise in extremist violence.

"If you look at the Tyler Robinson, as you mentioned, the murder of the assassin, of Charlie Kirk. If you look at Robert Westman, the murderer of the little children of the Annunciation Catholic School last year, we see an ideology that, ostensibly, began by preaching tolerance, being used by specific actors to wage violence against the most innocent, little children at Catholic schools at churches. This is a threat we will take very seriously."

"Whether you are right wing inspired or left being inspired, the point at which you advocate for violence or use violence yourself, for political purposes, means you are actually undertaking terrorism," Gorka went on.

The strategy calls for mapping and disrupting "violent left-wing extremists" using available law enforcement authorities, a move that could expand how federal agencies apply counterterrorism tools in domestic cases.

The strategy also elevates drug cartels to a central national security threat, embedding them alongside jihadist groups as a core counterterrorism priority — a shift that blurs the line between traditional criminal organizations and designated terrorist actors.

Gorka framed cartel violence as a direct and ongoing threat to the United States, arguing the scale of deaths tied to drug trafficking now rivals wartime losses.

"More Americans were murdered by illicit drugs smuggled across the border by cartels in one year than in 70 years of combat fatalities of U.S. service men and women," he said. "They declared war on us. We are responding."

The strategy builds on actions already underway, including the designation of major cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and a military campaign targeting suspected smuggling operations — steps that expand the range of tools available to confront cartel networks.

Recent operations have targeted suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific as part of what officials describe as an ongoing effort to combat "narcoterrorism," signaling a more sustained operational posture.

"If we know where you are, if you killed Americans, if you're plotting to kill Americans, within 72 hours, we can kill you, we can arrest you or we can kill you," Gorka said.

Beyond domestic and cartel-related threats, the strategy places Iran at the center of the global terrorism landscape, describing the regime as the most significant state-backed threat facing the United States — reinforcing a continued focus on Tehran’s role in supporting proxy networks.

"The greatest threat to the United States emanating from the Middle East comes specifically from Iran," the document states, citing both Tehran’s military capabilities and its backing of groups such as Hezbollah.

Gorka echoed that assessment, arguing many global threats ultimately trace back to Iran.

"Nine out of ten times, you scratch the surface of that threat, and three nanometers later, you find Iran," he said.

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The strategy calls for continued military, intelligence and covert operations against Iran and its network of proxies, signaling those efforts will persist "until the regime in Tehran is no longer a threat to the United States."

The document also emphasizes more aggressive use of military, financial and intelligence tools, alongside increased pressure on allies to take on greater responsibility in combating shared threats, pointing to a wider, more integrated counterterrorism posture going forward.

Britain’s antisemitism crisis could trigger legal reckoning at home and abroad

Wed, 06 May 2026 07:00:15 -0400

That morning in Golders Green, one of London’s most visibly Jewish neighborhoods, a man ran through the streets with a knife looking for Jews to stab. He found them. A 70-year-old man. Another in his 30s. Both were attacked outside a synagogue.

By then, the response had become predictable. "Deeply concerning." A line so worn it had lost all meaning. The next day, the U.K. government raised the national threat level "from substantial, meaning an attack is likely, to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely in the next 6 months," the last time it was at that level was in November 2021.

In the weeks leading up to it, a Jewish charity's ambulances had been firebombed in the same neighborhood. A memorial to the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks was burned. Across the country, antisemitic violence has been rising in plain sight. This was not random. It was not isolated. It was a pattern.

FAITH, FREEDOM AND THE FIGHT AGAINST RISING ANTISEMITISM

And the response from the British government — statements, candles, patrols — had ceased to be serious. It had become theater.

Two weeks earlier, Shurat HaDin had filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for enabling terror through material support to Iran. The principle was simple: responsibility did not end with the attacker. It extended to those who made the attack possible.

That principle did not stop in Spain.

Britain may not have exported detonators. But it had allowed something else: a climate where calls to "globalize the intifada" echoed through its streets, where incitement was tolerated and where Jewish life was increasingly treated as expendable.

When a government repeatedly failed to protect a minority from foreseeable, escalating violence, the question was no longer political. It was legal.

THE GLOBAL INTIFADA IS HERE. HAMAS-ALIGNED NETWORKS BROUGHT TERROR TO US SOIL AND WE NEED TO STOP IT

British Jews have already begun rendering their own answer. A growing number of families are quietly making plans to leave for Israel — not in panic, but with clarity. The absolute numbers remain small relative to the size of the community, and most British Jews are determined to stay and fight for the country they love. But the direction matters. Families that two years ago would never have considered emigrating are now weighing it seriously. They have seen this before. They know how it ends.

After Oct. 7, we had been told not to overreact. Marches were just marches. Words were just words.

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The marches had become arson. The rhetoric had become violence. And that morning, it had become a man with a knife hunting Jews outside a synagogue in Golders Green.

The attacker has since been arrested and faces charges. Prime Minister Starmer, after years of treating antisemitism as a public-relations problem, is at last confronting it as the security emergency it has become. He has raised the national threat level. He has promised concrete measures to combat antisemitism. He himself has acknowledged that the era of indifference must end.

That recognition is overdue — and welcome. But recognition is not enforcement.

The test now is not what the British government says, but what it does. Statements without arrests are theater. Threat-level upgrades without prosecutions are paperwork. Promises of action without deportations of the foreign agitators leading these marches are promises broken in advance. If the rhetoric is not matched by results — quickly, visibly, and at scale — the fanatics will have learned the only lesson that matters to them: that Britain will flinch, and that Jewish safety can be traded away to keep the peace with those who threaten it.

JEWISH STUDENT SAYS CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM AND LONDON ARSON ATTACKS SHOW BRITAIN IS FAILING ITS JEWISH COMMUNITY

Shurat HaDin did not file the Sánchez complaint as a gesture. We filed it because we have spent two decades building a body of law — in American courts, in European courts and now at The Hague — that holds governments, banks and enablers financially and criminally accountable when they grease the machinery of terror against Jews. We have frozen the assets of terror financiers. We have won judgments against state sponsors. We have made the cost of looking away real.

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The principle behind the Sánchez complaint is straightforward: governments that knowingly create the conditions for attacks on Jews bear legal responsibility for the violence that follows. Spain enabled Iran. The United Kingdom has enabled something different but no less dangerous — a domestic climate in which "globalize the intifada" is chanted in the streets, in which ambulances are firebombed, in which Oct. 7 memorials are torched and in which the official response, until this week, was a candle and a press release.

We are already mapping the chain — from the permits issued for the marches, to the speech that crossed the line into incitement, to the warnings ignored, to the attacks that followed. The same legal architecture that put Pedro Sánchez on notice can be turned on Westminster. Sovereignty is not a shield when a government is repeatedly warned of foreseeable, escalating violence against an identifiable minority and chooses, again and again, to do nothing.

The era of indifference is ending — one way or another. Either the British government ends it through enforcement, or we will end it through the courts.

To the Jews of Britain: your instincts were right. Your fears were not paranoia. And you are not alone. You have a government that, however belatedly, is beginning to move. You have legal allies prepared to act in every courtroom that will hear us if it does not. And — unlike every Jewish generation before the modern era — you have a Jewish state with an open door. Whether you choose to stay and fight for the Britain you love, or to come home to Israel, you will be defended either way.

This is what "Never Again" looks like when it is not a slogan. It looks like prosecutors. It looks like filings. It looks like the people who tried to make Jewish life unlivable in London discovering that the law has a longer memory than they do.

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We are not finished finding antisemitism and Jew-hatred wherever they hide — in governments, in institutions, in the streets — and we will not stop prosecuting those who enable them. Not in Madrid. Not in London. Not anywhere. We will keep building the cases. We will keep filing the complaints. We will keep dragging the enablers into court until the cost of looking away becomes greater than the cost of standing up.

That is the promise. And we intend to keep it.

GOP senator in brutal primary praised Islamic charity after feds cut terror-scrutinized parent, review finds

Wed, 06 May 2026 06:00:39 -0400

Texas Sen. John Cornyn has repeatedly praised the American arm of Islamic Relief Worldwide — a charity the State Department cut ties with in 2021 amid concerns including praise of terrorists and antisemitism.

After the State Department aired its concerns regarding Islamic Relief Worldwide, Cornyn had kind words for its American branch. A Fox News Digital review uncovered two video messages and two letters where Cornyn commended Islamic Relief USA or endorsed the organization’s operations.

"Thanks to my friends at Islamic Relief USA for all their humanitarian work," Cornyn said in a May 2021 video address to the organization. A year later, the senator wrote a letter to Islamic Relief USA to "recognize and thank" the organization for its "humanitarian efforts across Texas and our nation." In a 2023 letter, Cornyn again referred to IRUSA as "friends" and commended the group for its "dedication to serving our most vulnerable neighbors."

Cornyn is locked in a heated Senate primary runoff election against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton has repeatedly questioned Cornyn's conservative bona fides, while Cornyn has responded by highlighting the attorney general's corruption scandals. Both candidates have made opposition to what they perceive as radical Islam focal points of their campaigns.

CORNYN WARNS PAXTON WOULD BE 'KISS OF DEATH' FOR GOP AS BLOODY PRIMARY RACE RAMPS UP

In late 2025, Islamic Relief USA moved to sever ties with Islamic Relief Worldwide, arguing that the conduct of its parent organization has significantly damaged Islamic Relief USA's reputation.

Leaders at both Islamic Relief USA and Islamic Relief Worldwide historically have maintained ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a multinational Islamist political movement, and expressed hostility toward Jewish people, according to social media posts and photographs unearthed by the Middle East Forum. Some branches of the Muslim Brotherhood have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States.

"As we witness a rise in anti-Semitism in every corner of the globe, it is incumbent on all people of good conscience to stand strong and exhibit zero tolerance for the blatant and horrifying anti-Semitism and glorification of violence exhibited at the most senior levels of IRW," the State Department wrote in December 2020 of IRW. "We encourage all government bodies currently examining IRW activities and their relationship with IRW."

Multiple governments and banking entities have cut ties with IRW over terror financing concerns.

Khaled Lamada, the one-time chairman of Islamic Relief USA whose tax documents show he served on the organization’s board until October 2022, circulated text praising the "Mujahidin of Egypt" for "causing the Jews many defeats" through "jihad" in 2014, according to a Facebook post found by the Middle East Forum. The same year, he reportedly reposted messages on social media praising Hamas for inflicting a "huge defeat" against the "Zionist entity."

Egyptian media and the George Washington University Program on Extremism have identified Lamada as an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood.

CAIR'S TAX-EXEMPT STATUS TARGETED AS CORNYN MOVES TO STRIP GROUP AFTER TERROR DESIGNATIONS

Several other Republican lawmakers interacted with Islamic Relief USA after the State Department denounced the organization.

Sens. Ted Cruz and Chuck Grassley, for instance, sent holiday greetings to the group in 2022. Staff working for then-Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rick Scott met with members of the group to discuss pending public health legislation in March of that same year, according to a social media post. Representatives for Islamic Relief USA were even reportedly invited to a 2025 meeting with Trump administration officials to discuss the future of foreign aid, according to the National Catholic Reporter.

"More than four years ago, members of our healthcare team took a Zoom meeting with constituents who said they had questions about domestic healthcare policy," a spokesman for Scott told Fox News Digital. "Neither those staffers nor Senator Scott knew that representatives from IRUSA would be joining the conference call. The Senator’s record on combating antisemitism and Islamist threats to American society more than speaks for itself."

Fox News Digital reached representatives for Cruz, Grassley and Rubio for comment on Friday.

TRUMP INTRODUCES CORNYN, PAXTON BUT STAYS MUM ON ENDORSEMENT IN HEATED GOP PRIMARY

Islamic Relief Worldwide has consistently denied having any links to terror organizations.

"Islamic Relief [Worldwide] operates to the highest standards of governance, compliance and oversight across all our work," a spokesperson for the organization told Fox News Digital. "We are a purely humanitarian organization, and we stand firmly against all forms of extremism, including antisemitism. Our staff deliver aid in some of the world's most dangerous places and some of our own colleagues have lost their lives to acts of terror. We have been victims of terrorism, not supporters of it. The leading financial institutions that work with us demand our work to be rigorously audited by governments, institutions and leading accounting firms, which have all confirmed that our funds are used for entirely humanitarian purposes."

Islamic Relief Worldwide claimed in a 2017 report that, in its various legal battles, "to date there has been no tangible evidence to substantiate any of the allegations made."

HSBC Bank ended its relationship with Islamic Relief Worldwide in 2016 amid terror financing concerns. Swiss banking giant UBS had done the same four years earlier. Israel, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Germany have all taken actions against Islamic Relief Worldwide for its alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

With Lamada as a leader, Islamic Relief USA was Islamic Relief Worldwide's largest source of funding, providing its parent organization with tens of millions of dollars per year in cash in 2021 and 2022, according to an Islamic Relief Worldwide financial disclosure.

The entire Islamic Relief Worldwide board resigned in August 2020 following reporting of widespread antisemitism among its senior leadership by The Times of London. One director, for instance, reportedly described Jews as the "grandchildren of monkeys and pigs" in a social media post, while others heaped praise on Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

A few months earlier, in June 2020, Cornyn filmed a video wishing Islamic Relief USA a happy Ramadan, the name for the Islamic holy month marked by fasting and prayer.

TOP GOP SENATOR SAYS CROCKETT ANNOUNCEMENT EXPOSES HOW 'RADICAL' DEMS ARE NATIONWIDE

In October 2025, Islamic Relief USA moved to sever its relationship with Islamic Relief Worldwide, stating "certain allegations regarding the conduct of IRW" would "affect negatively IRUSA’s well-deserved good reputation," according to a legal complaint filed in March.

"IRW has not only refused to cooperate in taking steps to avoid such existential risks but took further steps to increase those risks to IRUSA, which in turn threatened its ability to provide relief to its beneficiaries worldwide," reads the complaint, filed by Islamic Relief USA.

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Tax records show that Islamic Relief USA has provided funding to the East Plano Islamic Center in Texas, the mosque behind EPIC City, a planned Islamic community that has become a flash point in Texas politics. Both Cornyn and Paxton have taken actions to obstruct construction of the community.

Cornyn’s office and Islamic Relief USA did not respond to requests for comment after being reached by Fox News Digital on Friday.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman to plead guilty in deadly firebombing of pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado

Tue, 05 May 2026 13:46:43 -0400

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who allegedly firebombed a 2025 pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado, with Molotov cocktails, will plead guilty to murder and other state charges, according to court documents viewed by The Associated Press.

The attack happened on June 1, 2025, during a pro-Israel demonstration in the college town of Boulder, Colorado. Eighty-two-year-old Karen Diamond was killed and about a dozen others were injured.

Soliman appeared to disguise himself as a gardener before springing into action, hurling two flaming projectiles at demonstrators, according to prosecutors.

MOHAMED SABRY SOLIMAN: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED IN COLORADO TERROR ATTACK

The Egyptian national who was living in the U.S. illegally originally pleaded not guilty. Investigators said he planned the attack for a year and was driven by a desire "to kill all Zionist people."

He faces dozens of state charges in addition to federal hate-crime charges. Prosecutors are reportedly weighing the death penalty for Soliman in his hate crime case. Soliman's lawyers claim they've offered to plead guilty to the state charges in exchange for a life sentence in prison, the AP reports.

Soliman allegedly told investigators he had planned to kill the 20 people at the demonstration, which was a rally calling for the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack.

BOULDER SUSPECT SPENT A YEAR PLANNING MOLOTOV COCKTAIL ATTACK ON PRO-ISRAEL MARCH: DOCS

Soliman's lawyers argue that he wasn't targeting a religious or ethnic group, but a political movement in Zionism, exempting his crimes from hate crime status, the AP reported. Still, he faces over a dozen hate-crime charges.

Soliman allegedly had originally planned to buy a gun and shoot the demonstrators, but pivoted to the Molotov cocktails when he was denied a firearm due to his immigration status, Fox News Digital previously reported.

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He will face trial Thursday when he is expected to plead guilty, the AP reported.

Fox News Digital contacted the public attorney's office representing Soliman for comment but did not immediately receive a response. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Colorado declined to comment.

Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

'Killing off the country': Iran executes dozens, arrests 4,000-plus in war crackdown

Sat, 02 May 2026 07:26:30 -0400

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Tuesday accused Iran’s regime of dramatically intensifying its crackdown on dissent in the wake of the February conflict, warning that Tehran has carried out executions, mass arrests, torture and one of the world’s longest internet shutdowns while invoking national security.

In a sharply worded statement from Geneva, Türk said at least 21 people have been executed and more than 4,000 arrested on national security-related charges since Feb. 28 as the regime faces mounting scrutiny over what he described as a sweeping assault on fundamental rights.

"I am appalled that, on top of the already severe impacts of the conflict, the rights of the Iranian people continue to be stripped from them by the authorities in harsh and brutal ways," Türk said.

COULD NARGES MOHAMMADI UNITE IRAN’S OPPOSITION? HUSBAND SAYS IMPRISONED NOBEL LAUREATE STILL FIGHTING

Since the start of the conflict two months ago, the U.N. said nine people have been executed over the January 2026 protests, 10 for alleged membership in opposition groups and two on espionage charges. It's estimated some 40,000 people were killed by regime forces during January's uprising.

Türk warned that Iran’s broad use of vaguely defined national security laws has enabled authorities to fast-track prosecutions, deny legal counsel and rely on coerced confessions.

"Even where national security is invoked, human rights can only be limited where strictly necessary and proportionate," he said, calling on Tehran to halt executions, impose a moratorium on capital punishment and immediately release those arbitrarily detained.

For many Iranian dissidents, the findings reflect an already dire reality.

"It is bad," Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American journalist and editor of the Iran So Far Away Substack, told Fox News Digital. "They’re completely killing off the country."

On Saturday, it was reported that Iran had executed another athlete, a 21-year-old karate champion. Sassan Azadvar Joonqani was detained in January during the anti-regime protests and was executed by the regime on Thursday, according to a Euronews report.

In March, Iran executed another athlete, 19-year-old wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi, for protesting against the regime, Fox News Digital reported.

Türk’s office said detainees have reportedly faced enforced disappearances, torture, mock executions and televised confessions, with ethnic and religious minorities, including Bahá’ís, Zoroastrians, Kurds and Baluch Iranians facing particular risk.

RUBIO REVOKES IRANIAN OFFICIALS' US TRAVEL PRIVILEGES OVER DEADLY PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

Among those cited by the U.N. was imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, whose condition sharply worsened Friday after what her family described as a catastrophic health crisis after months of being denied specialized care.

According to a statement from the Narges Foundation published Friday, Mohammadi was urgently transferred by ambulance from Zanjan Prison to a hospital after suffering two episodes of complete loss of consciousness in a single day, accompanied by severe cardiac distress.

The foundation said prison doctors determined her condition could no longer be managed on site after what her family called a "last-minute" transfer that may have come dangerously late.

Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, told Fox News Digital earlier this week that her physical condition had already become increasingly dire after what he described as a violent arrest and deteriorating prison treatment.

"She has sustained severe trauma and urgently requires medical attention," he said.

Rahmani previously said Mohammadi’s medical team and outside specialists had pushed for treatment in Tehran due to her history of multiple heart procedures, while authorities allegedly blocked those recommendations until her condition became life-threatening. Despite her physical decline, Rahmani said, "Spiritually and mentally, Narges remains steadfast."

IRAN’S KHAMENEI LASHES OUT AT PROTESTERS AS NATIONWIDE ANTI-REGIME UNREST GROWS

The U.N. statement, combined with Mohammadi’s emergency hospitalization, has intensified scrutiny of Iran’s prison conditions, which Türk described as marked by overcrowding, medical neglect and severe human rights abuses.

Türk also cited dire prison conditions, including overcrowding, shortages of food, water and medicine and denial of medical care.

The U.N. further highlighted reports of lethal violence in detention centers, including claims that security forces killed at least five detainees in Chabahar Prison after protests over suspended food distribution.

But while dissidents welcomed the U.N.’s unusually forceful language, some also questioned whether condemnation without action can meaningfully alter conditions, especially as Iran this week was elevated to a vice chair role on a U.N. nuclear nonproliferation committee.

"The reason why Iranians just don't trust, don't like and don't want to know from the U.N.," Zand said, is what she described as its repeated failure "to rise to the occasion of responding to the regime and holding their feet to the fire at the right time ... with the right amount of pressure."

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While she said the latest statement itself was important, Zand argued many view such condemnations as hollow when paired with what they see as institutional legitimacy granted to Tehran.

"They're making a statement. … Fine," she said. "But what are they gonna do about it?"

Britain warns another terror attack is 'highly likely' within 6 months after London stabbing

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:44:59 -0400

Britain raised its national terror threat level to "severe" on Thursday in the wake of the antisemitic stabbing attack in Golders Green, warning that another terrorist attack is now considered "highly likely" in the next six months.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) increased the U.K. National Threat Level from "substantial" to "severe" a day after two people were stabbed in north London in what police have formally declared a terrorist incident.

Officials said the decision was not based solely on the Golders Green attack, but reflects a broader rise in extreme right-wing terrorism in Britain.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called Wednesday’s violence an "abhorrent, antisemitic attack" and said the elevated threat level would be a source of concern for many, "particularly amongst our Jewish community, who have suffered so much."

BELGIUM DEPLOYS MILITARY TO PROTECT JEWISH SITES AFTER ANTISEMITIC SYNAGOGUE EXPLOSION

Police said officers were called to Highfield Avenue in the Barnet borough at about 11:16 a.m. Wednesday following reports of multiple stabbings.

Two men, ages 76 and 34, were treated at the scene for stab wounds before being taken to a hospital, where they remain and are "being looked after," Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said.

On Thursday, police identified the suspect as 45-year-old Essa Suleiman. Suleiman is a British national born in Somalia who had a "history of serious violence and mental health issues", police say.

NEW TERROR GROUP WITH REPORTED IRAN TIES CLAIMS 4 ATTACKS ACROSS EUROPE

The Home Office said the threat-level increase comes against a backdrop of rising terrorism in the U.K.

On Thursday, protesters gathered on Downing Street to voice concerns that not enough has been done to protect the Jewish community.

In response to the attack and a recent rise of antisemitic arson attacks in London, the government announced an additional £25 million in funding to protect Jewish communities, bringing total support this year to £58 million. Officials said the money will be used to boost police patrols and protective security at synagogues, schools and community centers.

RECORD ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN CANADA FUEL CRITICISM OF CARNEY GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

The funding will also support an expansion of Project Servator, which deploys specialist and plainclothes officers trained to spot suspicious behavior and identify people preparing to commit serious crimes.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the British government cannot credibly claim to be combating antisemitism unless it also confronts what he described as "explicit incitement against the Jewish state."

"Hate slogans and anti-Semitic marches in the streets of London aren’t 'free speech'. They are incitement," he wrote on X. "They bring terror directed against Jews.
They must be banned. The phrase 'Globalise the Intifada', means killing Jews everywhere. It must be banned."

"This is what the British government must immediately do to fight antisemitism. Otherwise, it’s just more empty words."

Taylor said the attack has now been formally classified as terrorism and that counterterrorism officers are working with security services to establish the full circumstances and develop a complete intelligence picture.

"Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened," Taylor said.

BOULDER TERROR ATTACK LATEST IN ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS RISING ACROSS US IN 2025

A statement posted on X by Shomrim, a volunteer neighborhood watch group in Orthodox Jewish communities, said the suspect was seen "armed with a knife" on Golders Green Road and was detained by members before police arrived.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said officers "swiftly Tasered and arrested the suspect before he could cause further harm," adding that investigators are "considering all possible motives" and will maintain a visible police presence in the area.

The U.K. was last at the "severe" threat level in November 2021, following the Liverpool Women’s Hospital bombing and the killing of lawmaker Sir David Amess, before it was lowered to "substantial" in February 2022.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, calling attacks on Jewish residents "an attack on Britain," while London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there is "no place for antisemitism" in the city.

Fox News' Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Fired Columbia professor who backed Hamas set to speak at Virginia Tech 'Death to the Akademy' event

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:41:29 -0400

A former professor at Columbia University who was fired after declaring support for Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad is set to speak Friday at a "Death to the Akademy" campus tour stop said to be held at Virginia Tech.

"Inshallah this Friday May 1st we will have our next ‘Death to the Akademy’ campus tour stop at Virginia Tech graciously hosted by student & community organizers @blackmindedness @vt4palestine," a Tuesday Instagram post from Mohamed Abdou read.

Abdou included four other accounts in the post — "VT for Palestine," "Black Mindedness," Emon H. Green and "Palestine Solidarity Working Group."

STUDENT UPROAR ERUPTS AT ELITE COLLEGE AFTER PROFESSOR PUT ON LEAVE OVER TIES TO FAR-LEFT GUN CLUB

Abdou calls himself a "Muslim anarchist and diasporic settler of color," and is the author of "Islam and Anarchism," which is described as a "highly original and interdisciplinary work, which simultaneously disrupts two commonly held beliefs — that Islam is necessarily authoritarian and capitalist; and that anarchism is necessarily anti-religious and anti-spiritual."

Campus Watch reported in 2024 that Abdou was fired after a public Facebook post following Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages.

In the post, Abdou wrote, "I’m with the muqawamah (the resistance) be it Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad but up to a point — given ultimate differences over our ethical political commitments; that’s the difference between a strategy and tactic too."

During a hearing before Congress on April 17, 2024, former Columbia University president Minouche Shafik said that Abdou "has been terminated, not just terminated, but his file will show that he will never work at Columbia again."

HOWARD UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR CALLS ON WHITE POLITICAL ALLIES TO EMULATE VIGILANTE MASS MURDERER

Abdou’s Instagram post advertising the Friday "Death to the Akademy" event said, "The talk is titled ‘Islam & Revolution’ & will be followed by a facilitated discussion. For those who cannot join us in person for this event, we invite participants from across the globe to join us virtually. Shukran to the generous hosts. Register for the free event using the link in my bio or via the qr code on the poster."

The post featured what appeared to be a jihadist leader wearing camouflage and a keffiyeh as a mask covering his face, while holding a gun strapped to his back.

An army of what appear to be jihadists stands behind him, wearing keffiyehs around their necks.

The Instagram post instructs attendees to "please wear masks!"

In a Monday post on X, the account "Documenting Jew Hatred on Campus at Columbia U," voiced concern over the upcoming event, saying, "Mohamed Abdou is scheduled to speak at @virginia_tech on Friday. This is a continuation of his ‘Death to the Akademy’ series. Expect more of the same — promotion of an Islamic takeover of the West and death to Zionists/Jews."

GEORGETOWN PROFESSOR SAYS 'GET OVER IT' TO MUSLIM RAPE GANG CONCERNS

The post added, "Expect Virginia Tech to claim no responsibility or connection with this event. While this may be true, the school can still identify which students are organizing this event and take the necessary steps to stop them from radicalizing the students of Virginia Tech."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Virginia Tech spokesperson Mark Owczarski said, "The event in question is not sponsored by a university-affiliated organization nor is it a university-registered event. Any claims otherwise are simply not true."

He added, "False claims of similar events held at other colleges and universities have occurred. Virginia Tech continues to monitor the situation."

Fox News Digital reached out to Abdou for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The New York Post reported Saturday that Abdou held an April 21 "Death to the Akademy" event near New York University. The school said in an April 23 statement it had no affiliation with the event.

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"Be proud of your hate for America," Abdou said over Zoom during the event. "You love Islam, and you should be loving Islam more than this barbarous colony," he said. "It’s a plague upon the Earth. And yes, in that sense, you need to be a threat. We all need to be a threat."

Afghan man convicted of conspiracy in deadly suicide bombing at Kabul airport during US withdrawal

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:36:17 -0400

An alleged Islamic State group militant was convicted Wednesday of a conspiracy charge in a deadly suicide bombing at a Kabul airport during the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Mohammad Sharifullah faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years after his one-count conviction in an international terrorism case that President Donald Trump heralded last year during a speech to a joint session of Congress.

Sharifullah didn’t testify at his weeklong trial.

Approximately 160 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were killed in the Aug. 26, 2021, attack at the airport, where U.S. troops were conducting an evacuation operation when a lone suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device near an entry point known as Abbey Gate.

ALLEGED ABBEY GATE PLOTTER EXTRADITED TO US TO FACE 'JUSTICE FOR OUR 13,' FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL SAYS

A federal jury in Virginia convicted Sharifullah of providing material support to an Islamic State regional branch known as ISIS-K. But the jurors deadlocked on whether any deaths at the airport "resulted from" that conspiracy. Sharifullah could have faced a possible life sentence if the jury had unanimously decided that question.

ABBEY GATE TERROR SUSPECT REMAINS IN CUSTODY, FACES CHARGES CONNECTED TO DEATHS OF 13 US SERVICE MEMBERS

Sharifullah didn't appear to have any visible reaction to the verdict. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga didn't immediately set a date for Sharifullah's sentencing.

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Defense attorney Lauren Rosen argued that prosecutors failed to present any evidence tying Sharifullah to the bombing besides his own words during hours of FBI questioning.

Rosen said Sharifullah told FBI agents what he thought they wanted to hear, possibly because he was afraid of being tortured in Pakistani custody before he was brought to the U.S.

Iran sent my husband’s kidnapper to negotiate with America. Trump should make them pay

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:00:08 -0400

The ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan are a stark reminder of the Iran regime’s cruelty and hatred toward Americans. Unfortunately, I know this better than most.

In March 2007, Iran kidnapped my husband Robert Levinson, an American patriot who served his country faithfully for three decades. They denied holding him, lied for years, and taunted my seven children and me with a hostage video and photos of him in an orange jumpsuit. In President Trump’s first term, and thanks largely to his powerful leadership, we learned that he died in Iran’s custody.

The FBI has identified five regime officials involved in Bob’s abduction and subsequent death. One of them, Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) official Mohammad Baseri, was killed in the opening wave of American and Israeli airstrikes.

MIKE DAVIS: WHY TRUMP'S IRAN STRIKE WAS NECESSARY AND LAWFUL

Among the Iranian delegation negotiating in Islamabad was Reza Amiri Moghadam, the country’s ambassador to Pakistan. That name might not mean anything to most Americans, but it means terrible things to my family. Moghadam is one of the former MOIS officials wanted by the FBI and sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for his role in my husband’s abduction, detention and death.

This monster was in the same room as our vice president, a grave insult to my family and to the United States of America.

My husband’s remains have never been returned. Bob Levinson gave his life in service to our great country. For nearly two decades, he was left behind in every bad deal with Iran.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on the 19th anniversary of Bob’s kidnapping that it is "a reminder of the nature of the regime we’re dealing with in Tehran." Moghadam’s presence proves him right.

President Barack Obama left my husband alive in Iranian custody for eight years. When the previous deal with Iran, the JCPOA, was implemented in January 2016, President Obama had maximum leverage over Tehran. Instead of demanding answers about Bob, he sent Iran $1.7 billion in cash on pallets and got nothing for our family. President Joe Biden left resolution of my husband’s case entirely out of his prisoner exchange, sending Iran another $6 billion. Both presidents had the leverage. Both had the opportunity. Neither got it done. Both times, Iran got paid and the man who served his country was forgotten.

President Donald Trump is a fundamentally different kind of leader. From his first term, he did what every other president talked about but never had the spine to do.

In his second term, President Trump has only escalated. He designated Iran as the first State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention. His military strikes have degraded Iran’s nuclear program, eliminated Ayatollah Khamenei and effectively changed the regime’s leadership. Just days ago, a former Biden official admitted they discussed hitting Iran but chose not to. That tells you everything about the difference. President Trump acts. He has been consistent for 40 years that this regime only understands strength.

If Bob had been kidnapped under President Trump, I have no doubt he would have done everything in his power to bring him home alive. This is a president who believes in no man left behind and means it, as the world saw with the downed pilot rescue just weeks ago.

I am not asking for much, just what any wife and mother would want: justice. I need to know what happened to my husband. I want his remains returned so he can be laid to rest with the dignity he earned. I want our seven children to finally have closure. And I want all those responsible held accountable.

If the Iranian regime will never come forward with the truth of the crimes against humanity they committed against my husband, then it should be made to feel tangible consequences in the realm it cares about most: the pocketbook.

Six billion dollars in frozen Iranian assets are still sitting in Qatari banks, and President Trump has the legal authority and executive tools to seize a portion of those funds and direct them to satisfy federal court judgments against Iran. American victims of Iran’s hostage-taking hold roughly $2 billion in outstanding judgments, a fraction of the frozen assets.

The president could satisfy every single one and Iran would still have billions left. More than a year ago, he signed NSPM-2 directing senior officials to "pursue all available means to collect on court-ordered judgments against Iran and state sponsors of terrorism." The policy is in place. What is needed is action.

Every day Iran refuses to negotiate in good faith, that pile of money they desperately want gets smaller because the president could turn it over to the Americans whose lives the regime has destroyed.

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Obama paid Iran. Biden paid Iran. President Trump can be the first American leader in history to make Iran pay. Now is the time to follow through.

Iran needs to finally pay for what they did to Bob Levinson.

Dem lawmaker hosts Hamas-linked org, draws swift backlash online

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:38:33 -0400

A California Democrat is facing backlash after hosting a Hamas-associated group at his office on Capitol Hill last week.

Rep. Derek Tran welcomed a group of leaders from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as part of the "National Muslim Advocacy Day," an annual lobbying event organized by Muslim advocacy groups.

CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, was recently designated as a terrorist organization by the state of Texas and Florida following accusations that the group supported funding for Hamas. The group has since filed defamatory lawsuits against Governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis.

Among those in attendance Wednesday was Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR’s Los Angeles chapter, who has previously drawn criticism over comments about Israel, including a past statement in which he said "Israel should be attacked."

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"Proud to welcome folks from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for an important conversation about fighting Islamophobia and defending civil rights for every member of our community," Tran said in a post on X Wednesday.

"In a short time, Rep. Derek Tran has earned the respect of many in his district," Ayloush said in a separate post.

Social media users quickly flooded Tran’s post, condemning his support for CAIR.

"Literally hosting terrorists," one user said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), who are aiming to flip Tran's seat, also blasted the Democrat for "giving access and legitimacy to extremists," including those who have "a record of excusing Hamas terrorism."

"Out of touch Derek Tran rolled out the welcome mat for anti-Israel extremists. Tran is proving he’ll sell out anyone, including Jewish families in his own district, if it helps his political career," NRCC Spokesman Christian Martinez said.

The event comes after CAIR said it helped amplify Tran’s bid for the seat representing parts of Orange County and Los Angeles County in his narrow 2024 victory over Republican Michelle Steel.

Fox News has reached out to Tran for comment.

'KEEP OUR NATION SAFE': SENATORS VOW TO BAN PRO-HAMAS MIGRANTS FROM ENTERING US WITH BIPARTISAN PUSH

CAIR has long been accused of taking anti-Israel positions.

After the Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israel, CAIR’s Los Angeles leader Ayloush said it was a myth that Israel has the right to defend itself.

"An occupier never has the right to defend itself," Ayloush said at a 2023 event at the Islamic Society of Orange County. "The only ones who have the right to defend themselves are the occupied, in this case, the Palestinian people."

"Israel should be attacked," he added. "If you continue to occupy people's land every means according to international law to defend and resist the occupation is within your hand."

Other leaders at CAIR have echoed similar messages.

CAIR’s executive director, Nihad Awad, reportedly applauded the Oct. 7 attack, according to nonprofit Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI).

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"I was happy to see the people of Gaza break the siege on October 7," he said. "They were victorious. The people of Gaza have the right to self-defense. Israel does not."

In 2007, CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) trial, where five members of the HLF were convicted of conspiracy to funnel $12.4 million to Hamas in the early 2000s.

Suspect pleads guilty to plotting Taylor Swift Vienna concert attack

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:06:46 -0400

An Austrian man who authorities said pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group pleaded guilty Tuesday to a foiled plot to attack one of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna.

The attempted plot in August 2024 forced the cancellation of three shows that were supposed to take place in the Austrian capital during Swift’s Eras Tour. The defendant, a 21-year-old Austrian citizen known only as Beran A. in line with Austrian privacy rules, faced charges including terrorist offenses and membership in a terrorist organization.

Anna Mair, his defense attorney, said Tuesday that her client pleaded guilty to the charges related to the concert plot.

"Of course, he deeply regrets it all," Mair added outside the court, adding that "he says it was the biggest mistake of his life."

'HUNGER GAMES' STAR WAS CALLED A 'MONSTER' AFTER ADMITTING HE'S NOT A FAN OF TAYLOR SWIFT'S MUSIC

Austrian media reported that Beran A. also pleaded guilty to being a member of a terrorist organization, according to The Associated Press.

He could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and has been in custody since August 2024.

Beran A. is facing trial alongside Arda K., whose full name also has not been made public. They, along with a third man, planned to carry out simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan in 2024 in the name of the Islamic State group. Beran A. and Arda K. never carried out their attacks.

Only Beran A. was charged in connection with the concert plot. He pleaded not guilty to the charges related to the plot for simultaneous attacks.

He allegedly planned to target onlookers gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium — up to 30,000 each night, with another 65,000 inside the venue — with knives or homemade explosives.

TRAVIS KELCE'S SISTER-IN-LAW BEGS PEOPLE TO 'STOP F------ ASKING HER ABOUT HIS AND TAYLOR SWIFT'S WEDDING

"He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made," Haijawi-Pirchner added, citing a full confession officials say the suspect made.

Beran A. also allegedly networked with other members of the Islamic State group ahead of the planned attack. Prosecutors say they discussed purchasing weapons and making bombs, and that the defendant also sought to illegally buy weapons in the days ahead of the performance, the AP reported.

Authorities searched his apartment on Aug. 7, 2024, and found bomb-making materials. The concerts were scheduled to begin the next day.

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"Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating," Swift wrote on Instagram following the 2024 cancellations. "The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

UC regent slams Berkeley event featuring failed suicide bomber as ‘disgusting and abhorrent’

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:30:52 -0400

The University of California-Berkeley is facing heightened backlash after a Palestinian Political Prisoners Day event included a speaker with a terrorism conviction.

Israa Jaabis, a failed car suicide bomber, was released from prison in November 2023 as part of a deal to return Israeli hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Jaabis was convicted of attempting to set off a car bomb in 2015 during a traffic stop. The incident occurred near an area where Israeli soldiers would often gather and attempt to hitchhike. Jaabis and an Israeli officer, Moshe Chen, were severely burned during the attack.

UC Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine, one of the event organizers, posted Jaabis' message to the students on Instagram.

"Firstly, I would like to thank [the students] for their attentiveness, for listening with their hearts. For many reasons, even their attendance is enough to make us feel — as liberated Palestinian prisoners — that there is someone who cares about us," Jaabis said, according to the video's English-translated subtitles.

UC BERKELEY SLAMMED AFTER ANTI-ISRAEL GROUP HOSTS FAILED SUICIDE BOMBER AS GUEST EVENT SPEAKER

UC Regent Jay Sures told Fox News Digital that the event featuring Jaabis was "disgusting and abhorrent."

"I think when you talk about in the larger context of the University of California, I can tell you, as one of just a couple of the Jewish regents, I'm very satisfied with the steps the administration has taken to try to curb antisemitism on campus. Having said that, there's just going to be circumstances across the campuses, across all college campuses, where there's going to be groups of people that are going to promote and justify and glorify antisemitism," Sures said.

Sures noted that the event was put on by Students for Justice in Palestine, a far-left, rabidly anti-Israel group that has been suspended or banned from multiple universities, including Columbia, American and Duke. He added that the group promotes "anti-Zionistic behavior" and said there was "absolutely no doubt that anti-Zionistic rhetoric leads to antisemitism."

"Under the First Amendment, these groups have the right to free speech. And that's just part of what it's like to live in a country where you have a First Amendment," he said.

UC Berkeley Law recently told Fox News Digital that when it came to the event with Jaabis, its hands were tied.

"As a public university, UC Berkeley has a non-discretionary obligation to abide by and support the First Amendment in a completely content-neutral manner," Alex Shapiro, assistant dean of communications, said. "We do not have the legal ability to sanction or censor constitutionally protected expression.

"However, as UC Berkeley has repeatedly informed the student body, if any campus community member feels threatened, they are encouraged to contact the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination. OPHD provides support to those harmed, investigates all allegations, and the campus takes appropriate steps following any findings."

UCLA STUDENT COUNCIL CONDEMNS CAMPUS EVENT WITH FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE

Sures recently made headlines when he slammed the UCLA Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC) after it issued a letter condemning an event featuring freed Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov. In a letter that was widely circulated online, Sures said he was "disgusted and appalled" by USAC's statement.

"While your letter expresses concern over a 'troubling disregard for Palestinian life,' it says nothing about the Israeli lives lost on Oct. 7th, including the shooting of many of Omer’s close friends. Nor does your letter mention the countless rapes and massacres carried out by Hamas on that day. It is as if none of that happened," Sures wrote.

Shem Tov, in a statement to Fox News Digital, said the backlash to his appearance on campus reflected a broader unwillingness to hear perspectives that challenge existing narratives.

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"If you are willing to silence a survivor of 505 days in captivity to protect a preconceived narrative, it’s worth pausing," he said. "When a worldview requires you to override your own values, something is misaligned. The hope is that it’s the worldview that changes — because the values are worth keeping."

Fox News Digital reached out to UC Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine for comment.

Fox News Digital's Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this report.

MORNING GLORY: Trump saw the truth legacy media missed — sick minds are fueling violence

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:00:58 -0400

"He was probably a pretty sick guy," President Trump correctly concluded about his would-be assassin in a Sunday night "60 Minutes" interview on CBS about the Saturday night attack on the White House Correspondents’ Association annual gathering. "A man with a lot of problems," the president added later in the interview.

"I wasn’t worried," the president said. "I understand life. We live in a crazy world."

"Look, you have sick people, and you have to mitigate the risk," President Trump concluded. He’s right, of course. But how?

TRUMP CALLS '60 MINUTES' HOST 'DISGRACEFUL' FOR READING WHCD SUSPECT'S ALLEGED MANIFESTO ON AIR

President Trump also flashed some justifiable anger at the 20-minute mark in a 40-minute interview, when Norah O’Donnell repeated the slanders in the would-be assassin’s manifesto. There are so many excellent questions that could be asked in a 40-minute interview that this was an abuse of time that, while predictable, should trigger a shake-up at "60 Minutes." It is not hard to interview the president in a responsible fashion.

The decision to quote a crazy person’s libel in front of that enormous audience is a massive failure of editorial judgment, and another incredible unforced error by legacy media that just cannot read the national room.

That decision ranks with former CNBC Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood’s epic fail in a 2016 debate when he asked then-candidate Donald Trump whether his run for the White House was a "comic book version of a presidential campaign," a dropping of the mask that may have ultimately forced Harwood to move to another network in 2019.

Many credentialed journalists seem to lose their professionalism when talking to Trump. It’s remarkable how they can’t resist trying to "score" a moment on him and use that time to, who knows, do something crazy like ask questions about the battle with Iran?

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION DINNER SHOOTING SUSPECT MAKES FIRST COURT APPEARANCE

The questions about the motives of assassins and would-be assassins and their "manifestos" do not interest me. It takes only a diseased mind and enough money to acquire a weapon to grasp at infamy after scratching out ramblings from a disfigured reality. What they write is of some interest, but not much. Lunatic scribbles are just clues to the origin of the psychosis.

What would be interesting — and does not appear to have appeared anywhere … yet — is a serious review of all the unbalanced-past-the-point-of-violence people. Where are they coming from, and what characteristics in their past do they share?

These are not "ordinary" criminals seeking money or using violence from impulse or because of a criminal enterprise. They are a small subcategory of the mentally ill, the vast majority of whom cannot function well in society, but exist on its margins, noticed only when their conditions leave victims in their wake.

UNEARTHED VIDEO REVEALS COLE ALLEN AS QUIET INVENTOR YEARS BEFORE ALLEGED BID TO ASSASSINATE TRUMP

This subcategory is perhaps best classified as "statement" people, though the "statements" are incoherent.

From Columbine to this weekend’s third major attempt to kill President Donald Trump — and this time much of his Cabinet — there have been dozens of nightmarish plots to kill either large numbers of innocents who are strangers to the criminal or public figures, many but not all of them accompanied by "manifestos." There have also been ambuscades where the shooters took their "agendas" to the grave and whose "motives" or self-proclaimed "agendas" are either unknowable or have not been released to the public.

There are enough murderers involved in their own heads, in some kind of macabre theater, that the question should have been answered by the FBI or some other serious students of violence years ago: What do they have in common? What happened to them to knock them off the ordinary highways of human development? Or, perhaps, what was missing from their lives? Gun control activists have their explanations, but they do not reach this category of killer or would-be killer.

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The second set of questions is what to do about the widespread mental illness that permeates society and spreads at the speed of the internet. "We are living in a different world with the internet than we had years ago, but even years ago it was pretty dangerous," President Trump told "60 Minutes."

"The internet, maybe more than anything else, has radicalized some people. It’s made them mentally sick," the president said, returning to the general issue and not the specific ramblings of an unbalanced individual. He also praised the benefits of the new world before concluding: "It’s a different age. It’s a very different time."

Joseph Loconte, author of the excellent "The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and the Gathering Storm, 1933-1945," charts how two of the most widely read and influential writers of the last century lived through a dozen nightmare years. The stories of their experiences do not provide answers to our current dilemma, but they do provide some relevant observations.

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Both men were veterans of World War I, and Loconte had chronicled their experiences in that vast charnel house in a 2017 book, "A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918." Loconte returned to the subject of the two men and their specific experiences in the prewar and war years of World War II in November of last year.

"Every age has its own outlook on the world, a mixture of clarity and blindness," Loconte observes in "The War for Middle-earth." "Yet the moral blindness of the twentieth century represented something new, something entirely novel: ideologies that threatened to destroy the foundations of civilized life."

"Tolkien and Lewis believed that only an outlook rooted in the ancient truths could resist it," Loconte continued before borrowing from Lewis. "The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books."

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Loconte’s study of these men and their friends and their collective, incredible awareness of the approach of an eruption of world-shattering violence includes fascinating glimpses of life at Oxford and Cambridge in the war years, but its focus is on how two men of genius anticipated and then responded to the horror of the twisted and frothing declarations and practices of the killers who drenched those dozen years in the blood of millions.

In our recent history in America, there are so many strands of violence — much of it rooted in views of politics untethered to reality — that it is possible to find evidence for any theory you would like to claim. No theory accounts for them all or even most of them. But has anyone done pattern recognition based on their biographies?

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What are they doing, for example, at Quantico, where the FBI studies serial killers and other categories of crime at the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime? One "study" of "right-wing extremism" from the Center was removed from the Department of Justice’s website for unknown reasons, but it is still available online and does not reach the question of patterns in development.

Last year, the Center for Strategic and International Studies published a study of left-wing extremism by Daniel Byman and Riley McCabe that, while interesting, does not do the deep dive into the individuals who attempted or carried out the violence.

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The tempting, all-purpose answer for busy people is simply to do what the president did: blame radicalization via the internet. That is true but tells us nothing at all about the commonalities, if any, among the would-be Oswalds. The fear of a "Minority Report" culture that prejudges idiosyncrasies as threats may inhibit the research.

Still, what dots have never been connected about factors in the upbringing of the actors that tip the unbalanced into the land of the "statement" killers? If there’s a serious study of that topic, link to it in the comments. But if there isn’t, perhaps the Bureau or somewhere in the academy, some researchers will take note of the gap.

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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