Southwest
Congresswoman says Biden admin shut down FBI briefing over Afghan man charged with Election Day terror plot
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., said the Biden administration has blocked the FBI from fulfilling her request for a briefing on the arrest of an Afghan man charged with plotting a terror attack on Election Day.
In a letter dated Friday to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Bice said the FBI was fully supportive of her request until the Justice Department stepped in.
“When my office requested additional information and a briefing from the Department of Justice on this matter, my request was denied by the administration,” she wrote. “What does the Biden-Harris Department of Justice have to hide here?
AFGHAN MAN IN OKLAHOMA PLOTTED ELECTION DAY TERROR ATTACK IN US ON BEHALF OF ISIS, JUSTICE DEPT SAYS
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi was arrested this week for an alleged terror plot on behalf of the Islamic State. (Department of Justice)
“As a life-long resident of Oklahoma City, our community still vividly recalls the bitter memory of April 19, 1995,” Bice added, referring to the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City that killed 168 people, including 19 children.
She is asking for a briefing as “expeditiously” as possible. Fox News Digital has reached out to Bice’s office and the White House.
Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., speaks during a news conference in Washington, D.C. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, an Oklahoma resident, was arrested this week for an alleged terror plot on behalf of the Islamic State. He entered the United States a month after U.S. troops pulled out of Afghanistan on a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) humanitarian parole, rather than on a special immigrant visa, as the Justice Department initially said.
The mechanism through which Tawhedi entered the country is especially sensitive because the DHS inspector general raised concerns about Operation Allies Welcome, the program through which the agency paroled Afghan refugees into the country, circumventing the lengthier and more strenuous vetting process of the State Department-run special immigrant visa, or SIV, program.
DHS OIG FAULTS AFGHAN VETTING, WARNS NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS MAY HAVE ENTERED US
In 2022, the DHS inspector general’s office released a report that said it found officials “did not always have critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect the evacuees.”
As a result, “DHS may have admitted or paroled individuals into the U.S. who pose a risk to national security and the safety of local communities,” the report said. Tawhedi worked for the CIA as a security guard in Afghanistan.
Investigators said they believe Tawhedi became radicalized after arriving in the U.S.
While he entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole, he later applied for an SIV and was approved, a senior Biden administration official told Fox News.
A photo of Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi and his children from July (Department of Justice)
The administration maintains Tawhedi was subjected to multiple rounds of vetting and that no red flags were raised.
“The unsealed criminal complaint against Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi raises continued concerns about the aftermath of the Administration’s catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan and inadequate vetting of evacuees,” Bice wrote.
Read the full article from Here
(NEXSTAR) – More than 67 million people tuned in to watch former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris debate last month in what may end up being the first and last showdown between the two 2024 presidential candidates.
While there was originally talk of more than one meeting between Trump and Harris, the former president made his intentions clear with a post on Truth Social. “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” he wrote on Sept. 12.
But pressure has been mounting for another debate before the Nov. 5 election, The Hill reports.
Immediately following the first Trump-Harris debate, Harris’ campaign said they were interested in a rematch. Fox News offered to host it.
Weeks passed without movement, before CNN formally invited both candidates to a potential Oct. 23 debate. The vice president accepted the invite and said she hoped Trump would, as well.
“Vice President Harris is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said. “Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate.”
But Trump told supporters at a North Carolina rally that it was “too late” for a second meeting.
“She’s done one debate. I’ve done two. It’s too late to do another. I’d love to, in many ways, but it’s too late. The voting is cast,” Trump said.
Following CNN’s move, Fox News once again offered to host a second Trump-Harris debate, but neither campaign has formally accepted that invitation, according to The Hill.
Trump has maintained his stance in more posts to Truth Social this month. “I beat Biden, I then beat her, and I’m not looking to do it again, too far down the line,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Votes are already cast — And I’m leading BIG in the Polls. I’ll MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, she’s incapable of it!”
A confirmed Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang member has been arrested for allegedly recruiting students from two Houston middle schools to become new gang members.
Jorgenys Robertson Cova, an illegal alien from Venezuela, entered the United States two years ago, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The 32-year-old was arrested Monday after a string of alleged thefts.
Cova is also alleged to have recruited middle school students from Jane Long Academy and Las Americas, which are part of Houston Independent School District.
One resident of the Bellaire community in Houston, where both schools are located, told FOX 26 Houston “a lot of things have happened that are on the news. So, if it’s happening elsewhere, it might also be happening in our neighborhoods as well, and we’re unaware of it.”
TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBER, ILLEGAL VENEZUELAN MIGRANT, ARRESTED IN HOUSTON
Jorgenys Robertson Cova, 32, was arrested this week after allegedly recruiting from Houston middle schools for Tren de Aragua. (KRIV)
Residents have raised alarms about the presence of the transnational gang in the area. Tren de Aragua, based in Venezuela, has an estimated 5,000 members between Venezuela and the United States. They are linked to drug and human trafficking crimes in both countries.
VENEZUELAN TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBER NABBED IN NY 2 YEARS AFTER BORDER PATROL RELEASED HIM INTO US
Cova was confirmed as a member of Tren de Aragua due in part to his distinct arm tattoos of a clock, a five-point crown and roses. The distinctive tattoos for TdA also include stars, AK-47s and trains as a nod to the Spanish “tren.”
“Cova was arrested after a DPS special agent assigned to the Houston Texas Anti-Gang Center (TAG) was notified of a suspected TdA member living in the Houston area in late September. The suspect, who was identified as Cova, was scheduled for an asylum hearing in Houston on Oct. 7,” the Texas DPS said in a release this week.
An infographic shared by the NYPD depicting known Tren de Aragua tattoos. (NYPD Intelligence)
Hispanic and Latino residents in the Houston area have felt tension from the recent uptick in Tren de Aragua activity.
“As Hispanics, we pay the price for everything. They take us like delinquents, like we’re bad people. And, unfortunately, it’s because our own people give us a bad reputation,” one resident, speaking in Spanish, told FOX 26 Houston.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has offered $5,000 to anyone who offers information leading to the identification and arrest of anyone affiliated with Tren de Aragua in the Lone Star State.
Read the full article from Here
Fifteen suspects were arrested during a massive retail theft bust in Ventura County.
The multi-day blitz took place at the Camarillo Premium Outlets from Oct. 4 to 6, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Around $23,000 worth of stolen property was discovered by deputies, along with a stolen vehicle, around 90 grams of methamphetamine and various burglary tools.
Deputies were also involved in two separate vehicle pursuits during the operation.
The suspects were identified as:
- Gonzalo Fernandez, 20, of Watsonville
- Andres Flores, 21, of Watsonville
- Derell Jones, 23, of Long Beach
- Bayron Gabriel Rivera Florez, 23, of Los Angeles
- Gerson Sanchez, 25, of Los Angeles
- Martin Munoz, 30, of Oxnard
- Teresa Raya, 30, of Oxnard
- Leando Quinton Willis, 30, of Gardena
- Dajuan Maurice Butler, 31, of Los Angeles
- Qwana Crystal Moore, 35, of Los Angeles
- Keisa Rene Scott Lyn, 42, of Carson
- Lerin Davron Smallwood, 44, of Carson
- Carolina Valverde, 60, of Van Nuys
- Zuelma Rodriguez, 64, of Oxnard
- Male juvenile, 17, of Porter Ranch
The first vehicle pursuit involved Derrell Jones and Dajuan Butler after reported thefts at Target and Walmart stores in Camarillo. The suspects, driving a Ford Mustang, led deputies on a dangerous chase. At one point, patrol units boxed their vehicle in, but the suspects rammed the patrol cars to escape.
The high-speed chase finally ended when the suspects lost a rear tire. Inside the Mustang, deputies found about $7,000 worth of stolen merchandise from various retail stores. They also found 90 grams of methamphetamine.
The second pursuit involved Carolina Valverde after she was seen reportedly stealing from a Nike store at the Camarillo Outlets. Deputies later spotted her car on the 101 Freeway, but she refused to pull over, leading units on a pursuit.
She eventually crashed into a chainlink fence at a California Highway Patrol weigh station. She continued driving erratically around the parking lot before patrol vehicles boxed her in and ended the chase. Around $7,000 worth of stolen merchandise was also found inside her car, officials said.
The rest of the suspects were all arrested on a variety of charges including conspiracy to commit organized retail theft, possession of stolen property, grand theft, outstanding warrants, resisting arrest, vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, shoplifting, being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and more.
“This two-day event was a collaboration between law enforcement, outlet retailers and the outlet’s security personnel,” deputies said.
The Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force force is comprised of detectives from various agencies within Ventura County focused on combatting organized retail theft, vehicle/vehicle parts theft and cargo theft.
“The task force aims to provide a safe environment for everyone while working hand in hand with retailers, law enforcement agencies and the public to identify, locate and arrest the criminals involved in these types of crimes,” authorities added.
Anyone with information on possible theft cases is encouraged to call the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force at 805-383-8703. Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
Retailers who are experiencing significant retail theft and are interested in participating in similar blitz operations can call 805-383-8703.
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