West
Russian national in California pleads guilty to funneling money to 'jihad' fundraiser supporting terror group
A Russian national living in California has pleaded guilty to funneling tens of thousands of dollars to a “jihad” fundraiser supporting a known terror group.
The Justice Department announced that Murat Kurashev, 36, a Russian national who resided in Sacramento, pleaded guilty on Monday to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The FBI arrested Kurashev after a federal grand jury handed down the single-count indictment on Feb. 18, 2021.
According to court documents, Kurashev attempted to provide financial support to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is designated by the Secretary of State as a foreign terrorist organization that engages in terrorism in Syria.
Between July 2020 and February 2021, Kurashev was accused of using money transfer services to send approximately $13,000 to two known couriers for an HTS fundraiser. Federal prosecutors say records obtained from the money transfer services documented multiple transactions from Kurashev to the couriers in Turkey, usually in increments of $1000.
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Syrian fighters affiliated with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group load a pickup-mounted rocket launcher before firing at Syrian government forces’ positions in the northwest of Aleppo province on Jan. 1, 2024. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
The couriers retrieved the funds often within 24 hours of transfer, prosecutors said. Surveillance footage from money transfer businesses captured Kurashev during some of the transactions, according to the DOJ. Prosecutors said social media and encrypted mobile messaging discussions between Kurashev and the fundraiser made clear that Kurashev was fully aware of the fundraiser’s violent extremist ideology and participation and work on behalf of HTS.
Kurashev stated that he wished he could join the fight in Syria as a mujahideen and regretted that he could only provide financial support. As their conversations showed, Kurashev and the fundraiser believed that providing money in support of the HTS fighters “was tantamount to being engaged in violent jihad,” U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert’s office said.
A Syrian fighter affiliated with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group operates the remote for a pickup-mounted rocket launcher firing at Syrian government forces’ positions in the northwest of Aleppo province on Jan. 1, 2024. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
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According to court documents, Kurashev followed the fundraiser’s online presence and various social media accounts, which included solicitations for money to purchase military equipment, boots, clothing, firearms, and, in one case, a motorcycle. Forensic analysis of Kurashev’s Apple iCloud account revealed it to be replete with violent extremist content, including a video depicting HTS fighters, according to the Justice Department.
Kurashev is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on March 18, 2024. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Syrian fighters affiliated with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group inspect a pickup-mounted rocket launcher before firing at Syrian government forces’ positions in the northwest of Aleppo province on Jan. 1, 2024. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, an American think tank in Washington, D.C., Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, HTS or the “Organization for the Liberation of the Levant,” traces its beginnings to the outset of the Syrian civil war and has remained a dangerous opposition force throughout the duration of the conflict.
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In May 2018, HTS was added to the State Department’s existing designation of its predecessor, the al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The think tank says that HTS retains a Salafi-jihadist ideology despite a public split from al-Qaeda in 2017.
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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — While June is usually full of exuberant Pride Month celebrations, June 12 feels different for many in the LGBTQ community.
10 years ago, a mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando claimed the lives of 49 people and wounded dozens more.
Stephen Torres, who acts as program manager for the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, said the annual memorial vigil honoring the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting is a significant part of Pride Month. It’s a reminder that Pride was born out of protest and that safe spaces for queer people will always be needed.
“Our pride, our joy, our celebration is born out of hard-fought strife and pain, and unfortunately, Pulse is part of that,” said Torres.
For Christopher Vasquez, Pulse was once his sanctuary. Vasquez now lives in San Francisco but is originally from Orlando. Every time he visited home, he spent time at Pulse. Although he wasn’t in Orlando when the shooting happened, he still felt its impact.
“When Pulse opened in 2004, it was new and fun and vibrant. It was a new, safe space for us to come dance and just have a great time,” said Vasquez. “I was just devastated. It was like a piece of my soul was taken from me. Losing 49 people — not just from my hometown but from my LGBTQ community — was absolutely heart-wrenching, and it lives with me to this day, 10 years later.”
Vasquez spoke to the crowd about what Pulse meant to him. They then marched together down Castro Street carrying a sign that read, “Remember the 49,” and laid flowers in honor of the victims.
Vasquez said the fight for LGBTQ rights and acceptance isn’t over. “It’s been 10 years and, for a while, I think people felt very comfortable with where we had come as a community in the LGBTQ space with marriage equality and other gains. But truly, Pulse was a reminder that we have so much further to go because our physical safety is always under attack.”
An e-bike cyclist died after a crash with a vehicle in the Elyria Swansea neighborhood, Denver police said.
The Denver Police Department reported the crash near Steele Street and Eastbound Interstate 70 at 7:24 p.m. Thursday and said one person was taken to the hospital.
The cyclist was pronounced dead at the hospital, agency officials said on social media Friday afternoon. The crash is still under investigation.
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Seattle, WA
VIDEO: West Seattle High School celebrates student-athletes at big College Signing Day ceremony
(WSB video/photos)
The last week of the school year began with a lively celebration in the West Seattle High School gym – the cheer team cheered, and band members played, as student-athletes made a grand entrance for a group college-signing ceremony. Family members and friends cheered them too, from the bleachers.
WSHS athletic director Corey Sorenson welcomed everyone, thanked the parents for their support and acknowledged the student-athletes for their hard work, and then it was time to sign letters of intent:
15 student-athletes participated on Wednesday – here’s the list Sorenson provided along with the names of two others who weren’t there but will continue their athletic careers in college too – we’ve interspersed this with more of the photos we took at the event:
Baseball:
Cody Buehring – Whitman College
Jake McCall – University of Puget Sound
Boys Swim & Dive:
Jeremy O’Keefe – Whitworth University
Lacrosse:
Zoe Preveau – William Jewell College
Volleyball:
Jaslynn Daily – City University of New York, Queens College
Softball:
Daeja Piggee – Winston Salem State University
Cheerleading:
Amaya Stagi – Seattle University
Football:
Jonah Pelander – Palomar College
Scott Bremen – College of the Siskiyous
LJ Moody – Palomar College
Esayas Brigham – Palomar College
Gabe Crawford – Portland State University
Girls Soccer:
Grace Carroll – St. Olaf College
Grace Reasoner – Wellesley College
Boys Soccer:
Cole Theisen – Le Moyne College
Signed already, but not able to attend signing day on Wednesday
Claire Gordon – University of Washington, Rowing
Sacha Ninburg – Lower Columbia College, Baseball
Next big ceremony for the graduating seniors is WSHS’s commencement ceremony, 8 pm next Wednesday (June 17) at McCaw Hall downtown,
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