Terrorism

Some longtime readers may recall that this story was posted annually on this day for the first few years of JMG.   That Day Manhattan, September 11th, 2001 That day, I got to my office on 42nd Street at about 8:55am, a bit later than usual because that morning I’d voted for the first time as a New Yorker, pulling the …

Fort Lauderdale’s CBS affiliate reports: The defense in school killer Nikolas Cruz’s sentencing trial is about to speak to the jury for the first time and present why they believe he committed the shooting rampage. The best result for the defense would be life in prison without parole for the confessed killer, and it needs only one juror to agree, …

San Antonio’s ABC affiliate reports: A 19-year-old San Antonio man was arrested after threatening a mass killing at the Student Action Summit in Florida, the FBI said. According to a federal complaint, Alejandro Richard Velasquez Gomez made social media posts that the FBI determined were similar to another one posted before an actual mass killing and investigators allege he was …

The New York Daily News reports: A Brooklyn “incel” with a grudge against the vegan community threatened a mass shooting at the upstate Woodstock Fruit Festival if its organizers didn’t cancel the event or prevent people he hated from attending, the feds say. William Swift, 32, made his threats in e-mails and audio recordings to one of the week-long festival’s …

CNN reports: The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Zawahiri, who just turned 71 years old, had remained a visible international symbol of the group, 11 years after the US killed Osama Bin Laden. At one point, he acted as bin Laden’s personal physician. The US …

From the Justice Department: A 37-year-old Lynnwood, Washington man was arrested yesterday afternoon and is charged in U.S. District Court in Seattle with making interstate threats, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Joey David George will make his initial appearance on the criminal complaint today, Friday July 22nd at 2:00 PM. He is being held at the Federal Detention Center at …

The Associated Press reports: The penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz began on Monday, the deadliest U.S. mass shooting to go before a jury. Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty last October to 17 counts of first-degree murder at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in the deaths of 14 students and three staff members, and is only contesting his sentence. …

ABC News reports: The father of the alleged Highland Park parade shooter has told ABC News that he is not culpable in the Independence Day attack, in spite of having signed a consent form for his son to apply for gun ownership. “I had no — not an inkling, warning — that this was going to happen,” Bobby Crimo Jr. …

The Associated Press reports: The man charged with killing seven people when he unleashed a hail of bullets on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago confessed to police that he fired on the crowd, a prosecutor said Wednesday. An Illinois judge ordered that the suspected gunman be held without bail. Police found the shells of 83 bullets and three …

NBC News reports: Police reported Tuesday that in April 2019 they were notified after Crimo threatened to take his own life. They also received reports in September 2019 from family members saying, “Crimo was going to kill everyone.” “At that time, there was no probable cause” to arrest Crimo, said Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Highland Park Police Department. …

Chicago’s CBS News affiliate reports: A 7th victim has died after the mass shooting at the July 4th parade in Highland Park on Monday, police confirmed Tuesday. No further details were immediately available about that victim. Among the victims who died were Jacki Sundheim, a teacher at North Shore Congregation Israel synagogue, and Nicolas Toledo, a grandfather in his late …

The Independent reports: The Highland Park shooting suspect “planned his attack for several weeks” and dressed in women’s clothes as a disguise so that he could slip under the radar as he fled the scene of the mass shooting, according to law enforcement. Robert Crimo III, 21, was arrested on Monday evening following an eight-hour manhunt, when he was spotted …

CNN reports: Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said while she didn’t know where the gun used in Monday’s mass shooting in her city came from, she told NBC, “I do know that it was legally obtained.” Rotering said she had known the shooting suspect, Robert E. Crimo III, as a child. “I know him as somebody who was a Cub …

Chicago’s WGN-TV reports: Police said the 22-year-old suspect was “known to law enforcement…” One question that will be asked in the days to come: Were they aware of the violent videos have been online for many months? Highland Park’s mayor Nancy Rotering also confirmed to WGN Investigates she has a connection to the suspect. She said his father unsuccessfully ran …

CNN reports: Robert E. Crimo III, a person of interest in a mass shooting at a parade that left six dead and sent more than two dozen people to hospitals, has been taken into custody near Lake Forest, Illinois, authorities said during a brief news conference. Authorities said Crimo was spotted by a North Chicago officer who attempted a traffic …

CBS News has today’s transcript: MARGARET BRENNAN: Before I let you go, I do want to ask you about what we saw this weekend up in Boston, a white supremacist group called Patriot Front marched through that city. They recently planned events, a riot in Idaho, you’re seeing this far right group the Proud Boys also disrupt events in California. …

Sacramento’s NBC News affiliate reports: A drag show at a Woodland bar celebrating the end of Pride month was disrupted Thursday night after a group showed up yelling homophobic slurs and threatening safety. The owner of Mojo’s Lounge and Bar had canceled the event earlier in the evening due to safety concerns. Threats toward the venue and performers scheduled to …

Yahoo News reports: Police in San Antonio arrested a 19-year-old man Monday after he allegedly told a co-worker at an Amazon warehouse that he planned to carry out a mass shooting at the facility. Rodolfo Valdivia Aceves was taken into custody “without incident,” according to police, and has been charged with making terroristic threats. The co-worker said Aceves revered the …

CNN reports: Oslo’s annual Pride parade was canceled on Saturday following a deadly shooting at a gay bar that Norwegian police are investigating as a possible terrorist attack. Two people were killed and eight others taken to hospital after the shooting near the London Pub, which describes itself on its website as “the largest gay and lesbian venue in Oslo.” …

From the Justice Department: A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has returned an indictment, which was unsealed today, charging a member of the Oath Keepers with conspiracy and other charges for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the …