U.S. Army identifies 4th soldier who died in training accident in Lithuania
The 3rd Infantry Division said Wednesday that the soldier was Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Mich. It said Knutson-Collins and two of the other soldiers who died have been posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.
The other two sergeants who were promoted were Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Ill., and Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale. The other soldier who died was Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.
Their three bodies were recovered Monday after U.S., Polish and Lithuanian armed forces and other rescuers dug their M88 Hercules vehicle out of a peat bog at the expansive Gen. Silvestras Zukauskas training ground in the town of Pabrade, six miles west of the border with Belarus.
All four soldiers were part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and were on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle were reported missing March 25, the Army said. The 63-ton armored vehicle was discovered the following day submerged in 15 feet of water. It took days to pull it out of the bog.
Knutson-Collins, an artillery mechanic, had served in the Army for more than seven years and was assigned to 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment. He deployed to South Korea in 2020.
'Words cannot express how deeply this loss is felt by everyone in our unit,' said Capt. Jackson Patillo, a commander in the 1st Battalion. 'Staff Sgt. Troy Collins was an exceptional friend to all of us and an irreplaceable member to our entire Fox family that we will truly miss.'
There will be a formal dignified departure ceremony for the soldiers on Thursday in Vilnius, the capital, which is expected to include top Lithuanian officials and military leaders. They will eventually be transported to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Baldor writes for the Associated Press.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hamilton Spectator
26 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Stolen travel documents can sell for thousands on the dark web — Here's how to protect yours
Ever wondered where movie characters who move abroad 'for a fresh start' with a new identity get their travel documents from? The dark web is crawling with stolen travel documents, a new study revealed. Documents — including passport scans, hotel bookings, airline miles accounts and even visa stickers — are sold in dark web marketplaces, with many fetching thousands of dollars each. A study by digital privacy and security company Nord Security has revealed a booming black market for stolen travel data. Researchers from Nord Security's Nord VPN and Saily scoured the dark web and analyzed the growing travel fraud threat. A hacker was found selling what the person claims to be millions of account details including According to the study, travel data is now a gold mine for hackers who sell these, with varying price tags depending on its quality, the victim's country of origin and demand. Researchers found that stolen scanned passports are being sold for US$10 to US$200 (about $13.70 to $272.40) while ID scans are posted for sale for US$15 (about $20.55) each. Genuine passports, driver's licences, IDs and travel permits are priced between US$20 ($27.40) and US$1,800 ($2,466). European passports are among the most expensive, each with a US$5,830 ($7,950) price tag. The report also reveals that stolen Czech, Slovakian and Lithuanian passports are among the most expensive on the black market. It isn't just passports and IDs the researchers found — also for sale on the dark web were airline loyalty accounts with high-mile balances for US$35 ($47.95) to US$700 ($959 CAD). Hackers are even reselling pre-booked trips on travel platforms at 40 to 50 per cent cheaper than the original price, typically charging around US$250 ($342) per deal, according to the report. Visa stickers were also found being sold, with EU visa stickers fetching as much as US$350 ($479.50) each. Fake visa issuance services, which promise to let users bypass legitimate visa application processes, are peddled for US$464 ($635). Some hackers were also found sharing their knowledge for a fee. Fraud manuals are being sold as detailed guides for hacking flight and hotel booking systems. These guides, per the study, are listed for between US$150 and US$250 ($205 to $342) each. In an email to Metroland Media, Marijus Briedis, NordVPN's chief technology officer, explained why travel documents are so prized on the dark web and how these fuel other nefarious activities. Cybersecurity experts from IBM and Malwarebytes explain why infostealers — the malware behind 'Passport scans are expensive because they're identity gold,' Briedis said, adding high-quality scans can create convincing fake documents that allow criminals to open bank accounts or apply for loans. 'The $5,000 price tag for EU passports is because the EU citizenship provides visa-free travel to numerous countries,' he said. This makes EU passports incredibly valuable for human trafficking, money laundering operations and establishing clean identities for criminal enterprises, Briedis explained. Visa stickers, on the other hand, provide evidence of legal entry status, so criminals use these to create documentation for immigration fraud or to support fake identities when crossing borders, he said. reservations and airline miles accounts aren't just sold to get free travel — these stolen accounts are used by criminals to create believable cover stories when committing crime. 'A criminal with access to hotel bookings and flight reservations can establish patterns of legitimate travel, making their movements appear normal to law enforcement,' he explained. Loyalty accounts with millions of miles can also be converted to cash through various redemption schemes or sold to other criminals who need clean travel arrangements. Fullz is hacker slang for a full package of personal data or a complete set of details tied to one person. Microsoft Canada's National Security Officer, John Hewie explains spear phishing and shares red 'Fullz is highly valuable because it allows criminals to commit tailored fraud,' researchers said in the report. Fullz allow hackers to book flights under the victim's name, bypass security checkpoints or launch highly targeted phishing campaigns called spear phishing that can be very convincing. 'The more complete the information, the more dangerous it becomes,' the researchers added. Criminals can use fullz not just for travel fraud, but also for identity theft to apply for loans under someone else's name, open bank accounts or other types of fraud. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre advises individuals to be wary of unsolicited emails, text messages, telephone calls or mails asking for personal or financial information. The centre also reminds users to regularly check credit reports, bank and credit card statements for suspicious transactions and to report any irregularities to their bank Information can also be stolen from discarded documents people throw in the trash. The Centre reminds people to shred documents containing personal information before putting them in the garbage and to retrieve mail regularly to limit possible mail theft. There are steps you should take to mitigate the damage, says cybersecurity expert. Taking immediate action after your travel data gets compromised is the best way to mitigate the damage. In a previous interview with Metroland Media, cybersecurity and AI expert Abbas Yazdinejad of the University of Toronto's AIMMlab said the key is to act quickly and to follow some steps depending on what type of data was stolen. These include, changing passwords and securing accounts immediately, freezing accounts, contacting and notifying government agencies, authorities, and other service providers, keeping an eye out for follow-up scams, and documenting everything in case a dispute arises. The Canadian government has published a guide on their site , with steps to follow in case a person's passport or travel documents get stolen or lost. The steps will depend on the type of travel document and the person's current location. Individuals reporting lost or stolen Canadian travel and identity documents will have to answer a short questionnaire on the site. The government reminds those who are planning to report a loss, that the agency involved may have to review or investigate the report before issuing a replacement which may cause delays. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .


Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
As Kenya's protests intensified, two friends bled on opposite sides
NAIROBI — As Kenya braced for another round of anti-government protests last month, two childhood friends rushed to get ready. Collins joined the growing swell of young Kenyans raising their voices against police brutality and corruption. Stephen was recruited as a 'goon' — young men paid and armed by political fixers to patrol the streets.


New York Post
14 hours ago
- New York Post
US military investigating whether its new pistol can malfunction and fire ‘uncommanded' after death of Air Force guard
The US military is investigating its new service pistol after the fatal shooting of an Air Force guard — following claims that the gun can fire without the trigger being pulled. The Sig Sauer M18, the military version of the popular Sig P320 handgun, has been at the forefront of multiple lawsuits alleging that the weapon can fire unprompted. It's now been pulled from standard use at several facilities after a security service member was killed on Sunday at the FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, when the gun discharged, officials said. Advertisement Air Force Global Strike Command issued the 'stand down' order to all of its units until officials at their bases can investigate all of their M18s for any 'safety concerns.' 4 Air Force Global Strike Command pulled the SIG Sauer M18 pistols from all their bases after one of the guns discharged and killed a security forces member on Sunday. U.S. Air National Guard/Staff Sgt. Jesse Hanson 'We want to make sure there's nothing wrong with the weapon,' an Air Force official told the Washington Post. The exact circumstances of the weapon firing were not released. Advertisement The Army, Navy and Marine Corps have said they were reviewing the incident as well. Following the deadly incident, SIG Sauer, the manufacturer of the pistol, expressed its condolences to the service members and families impacted by the shooting. 'We have absolute confidence in the military's ability to conduct a thorough investigation and are working with the Air Force and Army to answer any of their questions,' the company said in a statement. Advertisement 4 The M18 has served as the Air Force's primary pistol since 2019, but the gun is at the center of dozens of lawsuits alleging that the weapon fires without its trigger ever being pulled. U.S. Air Force photo by Vicki Stein The M18 became the standard use pistol in the Air Force in 2019, replacing the M9 (Beretta 92) that the military had been using for more than 30 years. The shooting comes just weeks after an FBI report echoed years-long concerns about the Sig P320-series pistols. The FBI's Ballistic Research Facility opened a probe into the firearm series at the behest of Michigan State Police when a trooper pistol discharged 'uncommanded' last year. Advertisement 4 The deadly shooting took place at the FE Warren Air Force Base, in Wyoming, U.S. Air Force/Airman Nicholas Rowe 'According to the MSP motor officer's statement and the statements of others present, at no time was the trigger pressed intentionally or inadvertently,' the report stated. Days after the FBI report became public, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials issued a ban on the use of the Sig P320 pistols for its agents. The Sig pistols were also at the center of a 2023 investigation by the WaPo and The Trace, a group that monitors gun violence, finding that more than 100 people have reported their handgun's suddenly firing without anyone ever pulling the trigger. 4 SIG Sauer denies all allegations regarding its P320 series pistols, of which the M18 is a member of. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sade Anita Wallace Sig Sauer has faced a mountain of lawsuits over such cases in the US, with at least 77 filed in New Hampshire alone. The company has long refuted the allegations, asserting that its brand is being attacked by anti-gun groups and 'the mainstream media.' 'The P320 CANNOT, under any circumstances, discharge without a trigger pull — that is a fact,' the company said in a statement back in March. Advertisement 'Claims that unintended discharges are anything more than negligent handling and/or manufactured lies to support anti-gun, anti-SIG agenda are false,' the manufacturer added, claiming that several lawsuits have been dismissed around the nation. It also say that investigators have never been able to replicate 'uncommanded fire' incidents with the weapons. With the M18 temporarily pulled from the Air Force Global Strike Command bases, officials have ordered its units to use the M4 rifle in the meantime.