Latest news with #GlobalReach
LeMonde
4 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
US exchanges Venezuelans held in El Salvador prison for Americans
Hundreds of Venezuelans swept up in Donald Trump's immigration dragnet were abruptly freed from a maximum security Salvadoran jail and sent home as part of a prisoner swap Friday, July 18, ending a months-long high-profile ordeal. The Trump administration said they were released in exchange for 10 Americans or US residents held in Venezuela, and an undefined number of "political prisoners." The 252 men were accused – without evidence – of being gang members and flown to the notorious CECOT "anti-terror" jail last March. There, they were shackled, shorn and paraded before cameras – becoming emblematic of Trump's immigration crackdown and drawing howls of protest. On Friday, after months of legal challenges and political stonewalling, the men arrived at an airport near Caracas. "Today, we have handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country," Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said on social media. The men had been deported from the United States under rarely used wartime powers and denied court hearings. Exiled Salvadoran rights group Cristosal believes that just seven of the 252 men had criminal records. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro thanked Trump for "the decision to rectify this totally irregular situation." 'High price' Global Reach, an NGO that works for wrongly detained Americans, said one of the men freed was 37-year-old Lucas Hunter, held since he was "kidnapped" by Venezuelan border guards while vacationing in Colombia in January. "We cannot wait to see him in person and help him recover from the ordeal," it quoted his younger sister Sophie Hunter as saying. Uruguay said one of its citizens, resident in the United States, was among those liberated after nine months in Venezuelan detention. Another plane arrived at Maiquetia airport earlier Friday from Houston with 244 Venezuelans deported from the United States and seven children who Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said had been "rescued from the kidnapping to which they were being subjected." The children were among 30 who Caracas says remained in the US after their Venezuelan parents were deported. Clamping down on migrants is a flagship pursuit of Trump's administration, which has ramped up raids and deportations. It has agreed with Maduro to send undocumented Venezuelans back home, and flights have been arriving near daily also from Mexico, where many got stuck trying to enter the United States. Official figures show that since February, more than 8,200 people have been repatriated to Venezuela from the United States and Mexico, including some 1,000 children. The Venezuelans detained in El Salvador had no right to phone calls or visits, and their relatives unsuccessfully requested proof of life. Bukele had CECOT built as part of his war on criminal gangs, but he agreed to receive millions of dollars from the United States to house the Venezuelans there. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have denounced the detentions as a violation of human rights.
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
El Salvador frees jailed Venezuelan migrants in US prisoner deal
Hundreds of Venezuelans swept up in Donald Trump's immigration dragnet were abruptly freed from a maximum security Salvadoran jail and sent home as part of a prisoner swap yesterday, ending a months-long high-profile ordeal. The 252 men were accused - without evidence - of being gang members and flown to the notorious CECOT "anti-terror" jail last March. There, they were shackled, shorn and paraded before cameras - becoming emblematic of Mr Trump's immigration crackdown and drawing howls of protest. Yesterday, after months of legal challenges and political stonewalling, the men arrived at an airport near Caracas. The Trump administration said they were released in exchange for 10 Americans or US residents held in Venezuela, and an undefined number of "political prisoners." "Today, we have handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country," Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said on social media. The migrants' return to Venezuela sparked tearful celebrations from family members who had heard nothing from them in months. The men had been deported from the United States under rarely used wartime powers and denied court hearings. Exiled Salvadoran rights group Cristosal believes that just seven of the 252 men had criminal records. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro thanked Trump for "the decision to rectify this totally irregular situation." In the United States, families were also excited to see their loved ones return. One had been imprisoned for nearly a year. Global Reach, an NGO that works for wrongly detained Americans, said one of the men freed was 37-year-old Lucas Hunter, held since he was "kidnapped" by Venezuelan border guards while vacationing in Colombia in January. "We cannot wait to see him in person and help him recover from the ordeal," it quoted his younger sister Sophie Hunter as saying. Uruguay said one of its citizens, resident in the United States, was among those liberated after nine months in Venezuelan detention. Another plane arrived at Maiquetia airport earlier Friday from Houston with 244 Venezuelans deported from the United States and seven children who Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said had been "rescued from the kidnapping to which they were being subjected." The children were among 30 who Caracas says remained in the US after their Venezuelan parents were deported. Clamping down on migrants is a flagship pursuit of Trump's administration, which has ramped up raids and deportations. It has agreed with Maduro to send undocumented Venezuelans back home, and flights have been arriving near daily also from Mexico, where many got stuck trying to enter the United States. Official figures show that since February, more than 8,200 people have been repatriated to Venezuela from the United States and Mexico, including some 1,000 children. The Venezuelans detained in El Salvador had no right to phone calls or visits, and their relatives unsuccessfully requested proof of life. Bukele had CECOT built as part of his war on criminal gangs, but he agreed to receive millions of dollars from the United States to house the Venezuelans there. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have denounced the detentions as a violation of human rights.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
El Salvador releases hundreds of US deportees from notorious prison in US-Venezuela swap
The Trump administration completed a large-scale prisoner swap with Venezuela on Friday, sending about 250 Venezuelans who had been deported and imprisoned in El Salvador back to their home country in exchange for 10 US nationals, officials said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media the Americans, the last known to be detained in Venezuela, were now 'on their way to freedom.' 'Until today, more Americans were wrongfully held in Venezuela than any other country in the world,' Rubio said in a statement. 'Every wrongfully detained American in Venezuela is now free and back in our homeland.' Among the Americans released were Jorge Marcelo Vargas, Lucas Hunter and Wilbert Joseph Castaneda, a US official confirmed. The sister of Hunter, 37, previously told CNN he had vacationed in the region in late 2024 to kite surf. The nonprofit Global Reach said he was 'kidnapped by Venezuelan border guards' from inside Colombia in January. 'My family and I are so happy to hear that my brother, Lucas, was released by Venezuela today. Lucas was vacationing in Colombia when he was kidnapped by Venezuelan border guards and taken over the border into Venezuela in January of this year,' his sister, Sophie Hunter, said in a statement provided by the nonprofit. 'We cannot wait to see him in person and help him recover from the ordeal.' According to Global Reach, Castaneda was arrested in his Caracas hotel room on August 28, 2024, while visiting a friend. 'We have prayed for this day for almost a year,' Castaneda's older brother, Christian, said in a statement released by Global Reach. 'My brother is an innocent man who was used as a political pawn by the Maduro regime.' Venezuela's government also confirmed 252 of its citizens were being repatriated. They arrived Friday night at Simón Bolívar International Airport on two flights that departed from El Salvador, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said. In March, the Trump administration used a sweeping wartime authority to swiftly deport more than 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador, where they were detained in a notorious mega-prison, known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. The deportations caught immigration attorneys and family members by surprise and prompted fierce public backlash. While the federal government hasn't provided a public accounting of the people on the March flights, attorneys and relatives have confirmed some of those who were transferred to El Salvador. The United States had classified the deportees as gang members in court, though immigration attorneys, advocates and family members have pushed back on that, claiming in many cases that the detainees had no criminal record. It was not immediately clear if these Venezuelans would be held as prisoners when they return to their home country. In a call with reporters Friday, a senior administration official told reporters the operation was 'down to the wire.' 'We're dealing with a regime in which, you know, there's always a degree of uncertainty on their side, a degree of uncertainty from our side, and things that you would normally expect to move in a in a normal way tend to not move in a normal way,' the official said, adding the Venezuelan side 'had to kind of take one last stand in terms of delaying things, because it's just … a power flex mechanism for them.' 'But at the end of the day, everything worked out, everything is fine, and everyone is safely on the way back to be reunited with their loved ones,' the official added. Venezuelan officials on Friday afternoon announced the arrival of a separate flight from Texas delivering its citizens, including several children who had been separated from their families and kept in US care. 'On this flight, there can be good news for Venezuelans,' interior minister Diosdado Cabello said, adding, 'more movement' and additional arrivals are expected today. Family members of several deportees told CNN they had been told to gather for an emergency meeting in Venezuela ahead of the release. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said his government had released 'all the Venezuelan nationals' that had been detained in his country. He posted a video on X showing people in handcuffs boarding a flight and said the transfer was carried out in exchange for 'a considerable number of Venezuelan political prisoners,' as well as American citizens. A senior US administration official said dozens of Venezuelan political prisoners were released. 'The United States continues to support the restoration of democracy in Venezuela and calls for the release of all the remaining political prisoners,' the official said. US hostage envoy Adam Boehler was in El Salvador on Friday where he planned to meet the group of Americans and Bukele, a senior administration official said. After that meeting the Americans – who the official said were all in good health – were expected to travel back to the US. Rubio had been in direct touch with Bukele earlier this year, particularly following Bukele's meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in April. Following that visit, Bukele proposed in a post on X a swap that would include sending the 252 Venezuelans in the Salvadoran prison back to Venezuela in exchange for the release of the same number of political prisoners held in Venezuela. He wrote on X Friday: 'Today, we have handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TDA).' The State Department's Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) was involved in the logistics for the Friday swap, a US official said, without providing more detail. The families of Americans wrongfully detained in Venezuela met virtually with senior national security official Seb Gorka earlier this year, participants and a White House official told CNN. Following that meeting, an American Air Force veteran was released from imprisonment in Venezuela in May, CNN reported. Joseph St. Clair was released to US special envoy Richard Grenell, the family statement said. St. Clair had been detained since November and was one of nine Americans declared wrongfully detained in Venezuela. CNN's DJ Judd contributed to this report. This story has been updated with additional details.
Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Telegraph
Network Rail hacker spared jail because of overcrowding crisis
An IT worker who hacked the Network Rail network with an anti-Islam message walked free after a judge took into account prison overcrowding. Customers who connected to the Wi-Fi at 19 major railway stations across the UK viewed information about major terror attacks including 7/7 and the Manchester Arena bombing. John Wik had discussed defacing the page with a colleague, citing the 'significant political damage' he could cause. The hacker worked for Global Reach providing public Wi-Fi networks to major companies, including Network Rail. Wik hijacked the usual WiFi terms and conditions page with his anti-Islam message which was headed: 'We love you, Europe. The Islamisation of Europe is already happening and it's getting worse each day.' His message warning of future terror attacks was seen by a 'significant number of people' was up for several hours on Sept 25, 2024 before it was removed. 'Fascination with Islamist terror attacks' Vincent Scully, prosecuting, said the offence 'required some level of sophistication. It required logging into multiple systems, and drafting quite a long document that didn't contain many spelling errors.' He added: 'This was a particularly sensitive social climate. It was a few weeks after the Axel Rudakubana incident and the riots at the start of August. 'Mr Wik's internet history shows that he has a long-standing fascination with Islamist terror attacks and at some stage a fascination with converting to Islam himself. 'Clearly there is some level of tension between those two.' Stations affected by the attack included Paddington, Kings Cross, London Bridge, Victoria, Bristol Temple Meads, Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central and Manchester Piccadilly. Wik earlier admitted distributing threatening material intending to stir up religious hatred, which carries the maximum of a seven-year jail sentence. He was handed a suspended jail sentence after Judge Baraitser took into account the lack of space in prisons. 'Prison population is close to capacity' Appearing at Inner London Crown Court the judge told Wik: 'Customers were redirected to a landing page that contained threatening and Islamophobic messages.' The page listed major terror attacks that had taken place in Europe in recent years, including the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, the 7/7 London Tube and bus bombings, and the Bataclan Theatre massacre in Paris in 2015. The message also contained photos of the victims and the terrorists. Wik had shown an interest in converting to Islam a few years earlier, the court heard. The judge took prison conditions into account when she handed Wik a two year suspended sentence. 'You are being sentenced at a time when the prison population is very high and close to capacity', she said. Andrew Cohen, defending, said Wik had 'not incited violence in his message'. Wik, of Bromley, south London, was given a 24-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months. He will have to complete 280 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement. The 37-year-old will also have to pay £150 in costs and a victim surcharge within 28 days.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
IT worker who hacked Network Rail wi-fi to rant about 'Islamisation of Europe' avoids jail as judge cites prison overcrowding
An IT worker who hacked the Network Rail network to rant about 'Islamisation of Europe' has avoided jail after a judge took into account prison overcrowding. Customers who went online at 19 major railway stations across the UK on September 25, 2024, viewed information about major terror attacks including 7/7 and the Manchester Arena bombing. Swedish John Wik, 37, had discussed defacing the page with a colleague, citing the 'significant political damage' he could cause before he posted the message. The hacker worked for Global Reach providing public WiFi networks to major companies including Network Rail. Wik hijacked the usual WiFi terms and conditions page with his anti-Islam message which was headed: 'We love you, Europe. The Islamisation of Europe is already happening and it's getting worse each day.' His message warning of future terror attacks was seen by a 'significant number of people' and was up for several hours before it was removed. Vincent Scully, prosecuting, said the offence 'required some level of sophistication. 'It required logging into multiple systems, and drafting quite a long document that didn't contain many spelling errors.' The wifi webpage after the hack said 'We love you, Europe' and contained information about terror attacks, which has been obscured by MailOnline in the above image He added: 'This was a particularly sensitive social climate. It was a few weeks after the Axel Rudakubana incident and the riots at the start of August. 'Mr Wik's internet history shows that he has a long-standing fascination with Islamist terror attacks and at some stage a fascination with converting to Islam himself. 'Clearly there is some level of tension between those two.' Stations affected by the attack included Paddington, Kings Cross, London Bridge, Victoria, Bristol Temple Meads, Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central and Manchester Piccadilly. Wik earlier admitted distributing threatening material intending to stir up religious hatred, which carries the maximum of a seven-year jail sentence. He was given a suspended jail sentence after Judge Vanessa Baraitser took into account the lack of space in prisons. He appeared at Inner London Crown Court wearing a dark blue suit jack, blue jeans and a white shirt as the judge told him: 'Customers were redirected to a landing page that contained threatening and Islamophobic messages. 'The messages referred to the Islamisation of Europe, with claims that things were getting worse each day.' The page listed major terror attacks that had taken place in Europe in recent years, including the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, the 7/7 London Tube and bus bombings and the Bataclan Theatre massacre in Paris in 2015. The message also contained photos of the victims and of the terrorists. Judge Baraitser said: 'The message continues 'And so much more in the name of Allah'. 'The number of people who accessed the portal in that period is unknown. What is known is that millions of rail passengers pass through those stations every day. A large percentage will try to connect to the free wi-fi. 'Passengers contacted British Transport Police and described their fear and disgust on reading the message. 'One passenger believed that the message might be suggesting that another deadly attack might be about to happen. 'When police attended your home you told them that you had drunk a bottle of vodka that day.' Wik had shown an interest in converting to Islam a few years earlier, the court heard. 'Your interest in Islam appears to have begun around 2020. You watched YouTube videos about the process of converting to Islam. 'The police found articles you had read about the record number of Brits converting to Islam. 'You were only able to access the portal because of your position as a trusted employee at Global Reach. 'This required some sophisticated work on your part. 'I accept that you are now genuinely remorseful for what you did. You have described yourself as disturbed and disgusted by it. 'I don't accept that the timing of the message aggravates the offence.' The judge took prison conditions into account when she handed Wik a two-year suspended sentence. 'You are being sentenced at a time when the prison population is very high and close to capacity.' Andrew Cohen, defending, said Wik had not incited violence in his message. 'It is notable that there is nothing in it that says, for example, we have to kick Muslims out of the country, or that you have to kill, attack or burn mosques or anything similar. 'He is originally from a small town in Sweden. 'In 2016 he moved [to the UK] and had been employed up until his arrest. 'This has cost him dear. He lost his job. His entire life savings have been depleted. He has been living on support from his parents. 'It is quite a dramatic fall from grace, what has happened to him. 'The punishment and suffering has already taken place. He is most unlikely to offend again. 'The defendant is extremely sorry for what he has done, and is extremely ashamed of himself.' Wik, from Bromley, south London, was given a 24 month prison sentence suspended for 24 months. He will have to complete 280 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement. Wik will also have to pay £150 in costs and a victim surcharge within 28 days.
