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The FBI director warns about threats to Americans by those inspired by the Hamas attack on Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:13 GMT

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned on Tuesday that Hamas’ rampage inside Israel could inspire violence in the U.S., telling lawmakers that multiple foreign extremist groups have called for attacks against Americans and the West in recent weeks.“We assess that the actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration the likes of which we haven’t seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate years ago,” Wray said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.In his testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Wray gave his most detailed and ominous assessment of potential threats to the U.S. since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli soldiers and civilians. His reference to the Islamic State, a reminder of when the FBI scrambled to disrupt hastily developed plots of violence by people inspired by the group’s ascendancy, underscores the bureau’s concerns that the current Middle East conflict could create a similarly dangerous dynamic.Though t...

Suspect in custody for posting online threats about Jewish students at Cornell University

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:13 GMT

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — A suspect was in custody Tuesday for posting threatening statements online about Jewish students at Cornell University, according to officials.The menacing messages, posted over the weekend on a forum about fraternities and sororities, alarmed students at the Ivy League school in upstate New York. The anonymous threats came amid a spike of antisemitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric appearing on social media during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.“We can confirm that a subject has been identified as a suspect in the antisemitic threats made against our Jewish students on Sunday and is currently in custody,” Joel M. Malina, vice president for university relations, said in a statement.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said an individual identified Tuesday as a person of interest was in the custody of state police for questioning.State police referred questions about the case to Cornell. An email seeking additional information was sent to Cornell.The comments this weekend were...

Tennessee family sues police for fatally shooting unarmed man fleeing stop with officer in car

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:13 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The mother of a man who was fatally shot by an officer in Tennessee while fleeing a traffic stop, in an unusual case where the officer got into the car, has filed a federal lawsuit over her son’s death.Linda Allen, whose son Eric Allen, 39, died in the November 2022 interaction with Mt. Juliet Police, filed the lawsuit Monday against the chief of police, two officers and the city.The lawsuit claims the officer who shot Allen used “unnecessary, unreasonable, and excessive force” in violation of Allen’s constitutional rights. It seeks $50 million, in addition to federal monitoring of Mt. Juliet Police Department’s use of force practices and procedures, and changes to its patrol techniques.The police department has noted that the officer, Sgt. Joshua Lo, returned to duty after a preliminary review and a Wilson County grand jury declined to issue an indictment in the shooting.The shooting happened after Mt. Juliet officers stopped a vehicle and at a l...

Jury finds Hawaii couple guilty for stealing identities of dead babies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:13 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — A jury has convicted a Hawaii couple of conspiracy, passport fraud and identity theft for stealing identities and living for decades under the names of dead babies. Jurors deliberated for about two hours before reaching guilty verdicts Monday, according to court records. The judge presiding over the trial in U.S. District Court in Honolulu referred to the couple by their preferred names of Bobby Fort and Julie Montague. The couple had argued in court that their actions did not harm anyone. At the start of the trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Muehleck said the real Bobby Fort has been dead for more than 50 years. The baby had “a bad cough” and lived 3 months, Muehleck said. One of the witnesses who testified was Tonda Montague Ferguson, who said she was in the eighth grade when her mother gave birth to her sister, Julie Montague, in 1968. But the infant had birth defects and died about three weeks later, Ferguson said.The two babies were buried in Texas cemeteries 1...

UN human rights official is alarmed by sprawling gang violence in Haiti

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:13 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The United Nations expert on human rights in Haiti said Tuesday that he is alarmed by the rapid spread of gang violence and the bleak future awaiting children in the embattled country.William O’Neill spoke at the end of a weeklong visit to Haiti, his second one this year amid a spike in violence that has displaced more than 200,000 people.“Murders, injuries and kidnappings are the daily lot of the population,” he said. “An entire generation is seemingly being sacrificed by violence, and the future of a country is threatened by the dramatic situation faced by its youth.”More than 1,230 killings and 701 kidnappings were reported across Haiti from July 1 to Sept. 30, more than double the figure reported during the same period last year, according to the U.N.An estimated 200 gangs operate in Haiti, with the largest groups controlling up to 80% of the capital of Port-au-Prince.“A major challenge is the fact that many gang members are children,” O’Neill said. ...

7 years later, man faces charges in death of woman on a train

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:13 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The partner of a 28-year-old mother of four found beaten to death on an Amtrak train in 2016 has been arrested.Angelo Valentino Mantych, 41, is being charged with first-degree murder in the death of his partner, Marina Placensia. According to an affidavit acquired by the Problem Solvers, detectives responded to Union Station on the morning of Sept. 1, 2016. $557K settlement for pedestrian hit by texting Denver cop They found Placensia dead on the train. She had reportedly boarded a train in Wisconsin with Mantych and their four children the day before.She was found unresponsive on the train prior to it arriving in Denver. An autopsy said there were 35 injuries to her body, mostly caused by blunt force trauma.Initially, her death was ruled undetermined. However, according to the affidavit, the investigation continued. Download the FOX31 App: Breaking news alerts & Pinpoint Weather In September 2023, a nationally recognized expert in strangulation and suffoca...

New RSV infant vaccine in short supply as upper respiratory illness season picks up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:13 GMT

Denver (KDVR) -- Doctors at Partners in Pediatrics in Denver are starting to see an uptick in cases as upper respiratory illness season begins. "We're seeing a lot of viral illnesses," said Dr. Nancy Lataitis. That includes RSV.Lataitis would like to be able to offer her newborn patients the newly approved RSV vaccine, but her office still doesn't have any yet. How much you need to make to be ‘middle class’ in Denver "The supply of the RSV vaccine has been a challenge. Apparently, the demand has way outstripped what was predicted by the manufacturers," she said.The new monoclonal antibody injection was recently approved for infants younger than 8 months and for children up to 24 months who are at high risk.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert about the lack of supply of certain doses and offered options for providers, such as prioritizing those at high risk. Lataitis is telling parents of newborns to call around."If they are in the high-risk group, f...

Does Jan. 6 constitutionally block Trump from 2024 ballot? Lawyers to make case on day 2 of hearing in Denver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:13 GMT

DENVER (AP) — The videos playing in a Colorado courtroom were both chilling and, by now, familiar — a violent mob, with some wearing tactical gear, smashing through the U.S. Capitol, attacking police officers and chanting “Hang Mike Pence!”Now, lawyers on day two of the weeklong hearing are arguing whether the infamous events of Jan. 6, 2021 constituted an insurrection under a rarely used clause of the U.S. Constitution that they are trying to use to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot. Man found dead at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park was heavily armed The hearing in Colorado is one of two this week — with the second before the Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday — that could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court, which has never before ruled on the Civil War-era provision in the 14th Amendment.Tuesday’s witnesses are expected to include an expert in right-wing violence and an expert on Section Three of the 14th Amendment, which has o...

How many dogs can you have in Denver?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:13 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Denver is a city full of dog and cat lovers and some may think the more furry friends there are in the Mile High City, the better.There is a limit, however, to how many dogs and cats you can have in your house at a time. Did you know: Denver requires licenses for all dogs and cats You can have up to three dogs and up to five cats in Denver, but there's a catch.Essentially, it works like an elementary school math problem: You can have up to five dogs and cats combined, but no more than three of the five can be dogs.So, if you have four cats, you can have one dog. If you have three dogs, you can have two cats. But you cannot have four dogs and one cat, or five cats and two dogs. Can landlords ban certain dog breeds in Colorado? These limits come from the Denver Zoning Code, and they apply to all zone districts in the city. You can get a permit for more, but other than that, the limits apply.There are limits to how many of other pets from various species you can ha...

1 dead, 2 injured after shots fired in Lauderhill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:13 GMT

A shooting that left one woman dead and two other victims injured in Lauderhill prompted a swift response by officers. Lauderhill Police and fire rescue arrived at the scene of the shooting at 5600 NW 28th St., Tuesday afternoon. 7Skyforce hovered over the scene where the woman’s body lay on the sidewalk. The two victims that were injured in the shooting were transported to the hospital for treatment. Police are investigating the shooting and are searching for a vehicle that fled the area.Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.