Latest news with #terrorist
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US set to deport permanent residents over alleged support to Haitian gang leaders
By Daphne Psaledakis and Ted Hesson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday paved the way for the United States to deport certain lawful permanent residents, saying Washington determined some had supported Haitian gang leaders connected to a U.S.-designated "terrorist" organization. Rubio in a statement said certain U.S. lawful permanent residents had supported and collaborated with gang leaders tied to Viv Ansanm, the armed alliance that controls most of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, which President Donald Trump's administration labeled a Foreign Terrorist Organization in May. Following the determination, the Department of Homeland Security can pursue the deportation of the lawful permanent residents, also known as green-card holders, Rubio added. It was unclear how many people could be targeted for deportation, and no individuals were named in his statement. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said late on Monday that its Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrested Pierre Reginald Boulos, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and citizen of Haiti, over alleged engagement in violence and contribution to "destabilization of Haiti." The Miami Herald described Boulos, 69, as "an influential Haitian businessman and controversial political powerbroker" who was an American-born entrepreneur and physician. The move by Rubio comes as the Trump administration has sought to ramp up deportations as part of its wide-ranging efforts to fulfill the president's hardline immigration agenda, with the secretary of state making unprecedented use of his power to try to revoke the visas and green cards of pro-Palestinian student protesters. "The United States will not allow individuals to enjoy the benefits of legal status in our country while they are facilitating the actions of violent organizations or supporting criminal terrorist organizations," Rubio said on Monday. Stephen Yale-Loehr, a retired immigration law professor at Cornell University, said that prior to this Trump administration, trying to take away someone's permanent-resident status in this manner was "very rare" but that the administration had shown a willingness to target students. He said it seemed unlikely that many Haitians would have their green card revoked as a result of the policy because of the difficulty of identifying them and then proving the affiliation in immigration court. "Three years from now, how many people from Haiti will be deported under this ground? I think very few," he said. Haiti's transitional government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Almost 5,000 people have been killed in Haiti between October 2024 and June 2025 amid worsening gang violence nationwide, according to a U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights report. IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN The surge in violence is deepening Haiti's humanitarian crisis, destabilizing the country and raising concerns of spillover effects in the region. The gang conflict in Haiti has been met with little international response, while neighboring countries, including the U.S., have continued to deport migrants back to the Caribbean nation despite pleas by the United Nations to stop the practice, citing humanitarian concerns. Trump has taken several steps to strip deportation relief and work permits from Haitians in the U.S., although a federal judge earlier this month blocked an attempt to end Temporary Protected Status for more than half a million Haitians. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump falsely said during a debate that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people's pets. Washington's designation of Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as terrorist groups followed similar measures made recently for Latin American drug cartels and was intended to isolate the groups, denying them access to financing from U.S. people or companies.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
How Jonathan Powell's people brokered Syria deal from inside president's palace
When British special forces mounted a dramatic 'kill' operation against a senior terrorist in Syria last month, intelligence sources boasted how the hit meant the country was now a safer place. But while military might was neutralising the threats to Westerners in the troubled state, in the shadows of diplomatic back-channels, go-betweens were secretly working on ways the UK could re-establish formal links with Damascus and its new regime, led by Islamists once linked to Al Qaeda. Those moves are understood to have been significantly influenced by Sir Keir Starmer 's National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, using a mix of his powerful position in government and, as The Mail on Sunday reveals today, the organisation he founded. Inter Mediate is so embedded in the fledgling presidency of Ahmed Al-Sharaa that they are even said to operate an office inside the presidential palace. Diplomatic sources say their work, combined with security operations such as the killing of Abu Hasan al-Jazrawi – the mastermind behind suicide truck attacks on Western troops who was hit by a Hellfire missile unleashed from a Reaper drone – made Syria safe enough for David Lammy to become the first British minister to set foot on Syrian soil in 14 years. While in Damascus earlier this month, the Foreign Secretary announced the reinstatement of diplomatic links and spoke of 'renewed hope for the Syrian people' after a decade of conflict. After the visit, Mr Lammy said: 'As the first UK minister to visit Syria since the fall of Assad's brutal regime, I've seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country. The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.' But yesterday, as Syria was plunged into further sectarian conflict, Mr Lammy was forced to strike a different tone. After a ceasefire failed to put an end to clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze-linked militias, Mr Lammy said he was 'horrified by the violence in Southern Syria'. Writing on social media, the Foreign Secretary said: 'A sustainable ceasefire is vital. I spoke to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani yesterday as part of UK efforts to urge a peaceful resolution. 'We want to see the fighting ended, civilians protected and humanitarian access enabled.' The new regime is scrambling to keep control of the country following the renewed clashes between militias from the minority Druze religious group and the Sunni Muslim Bedouin which have claimed hundreds of lives and left tens of thousands of people displaced. Fresh violence erupted last Sunday. Government forces intervened, nominally to restore order – but then sided with the Bedouins. Israel then launched air strikes against Syrian forces in defence of the Druze, which form a substantial community in Israel. Yesterday Mr Al-Sharaa urged Bedouin tribes to 'fully commit' to ending hostilities. Government forces had withdrawn from the Sweida province of Southern Syria following a ceasefire announced on Wednesday, but they are now preparing to return as it appears to crumble.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Gaza documentary producer celebrated Palestinian terrorists as ‘martyrs'
A producer of a controversial documentary on Gaza called a terrorist who shot dead seven Israeli civilians on Holocaust Memorial Day a 'martyr', The Telegraph can reveal. The Channel 4 film Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was billed as a 'forensic investigation' into claims the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) were deliberately targeting Palestinian medics in a systematic campaign to cripple Gaza's hospitals. But one of the two Gazan producers, Osama Al Ashi, had previously described Palestinian terrorists as 'martyrs' and has been accused of posting 'celebratory' footage of the Oct 7 2023 attacks on social media. The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera UK), a pro-Israel monitoring organisation, said it raised questions about the producer's objectivity and the documentary's impartiality. A Camera UK spokesman told The Telegraph: 'A producer who celebrates the deaths of Israeli civilians on what he sees as 'the other side', and who appears unable to distinguish them from legitimate military targets, cannot be considered an impartial observer.' The documentary, made by Basement Films, an independent production company, proved controversial even before it was broadcast. It was originally commissioned by the BBC, but the broadcaster decided it 'risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC.' Earlier, in February, the corporation had been forced to remove a Gaza documentary by a different production company from iPlayer. It had emerged that the child narrator of Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone was the son of a Hamas government minister. In light of this, the BBC reviewed Gaza: Doctors Under Attack and decided to axe it. Channel 4 acquired the film, stating it had carried out 'thorough fact checking and verification' to ensure it met its editorial standards and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. The film aired on July 2. But it is now known that, in an Instagram post on Jan 27 2023, Ashi, a producer from Gaza, described Khairi Alqam, a 21-year-old terrorist from East Jerusalem, as a 'martyr'. Earlier that day – Holocaust Memorial Day – Alqam drove to a synagogue in the Israeli settlement of Neve Yaakov, took out a handgun, and opened fire on worshippers leaving the building. This settlement is recognised as being illegal under international law. The attack, the most deadly in Israel by a Palestinian gunman since 2008, resulted in the deaths of seven Israeli civilians. The youngest was a 14-year-old child. Alqam was shot dead by police as he fled on foot. Ashi responded to the attack by posting a commemorative video showing photos of the terrorist, captioned 'the martyr Khairi Alqam – may God have mercy on him and forgive him', a common Arabic condolence message. The clip is a slideshow of photos of the gunman in various settings, including wearing a bow tie and three-piece suit, and posing in sunglasses beside a car on a mountain road, set to melancholic music. Mr Alqam has not been formally linked to any terror group and could have been motivated by personal trauma and a desire for revenge. His grandfather, also his namesake, was stabbed to death in 1998 by Chaim Pearlman, a Jewish extremist from the Kach movement. Pearlman was legally represented by Itamar Ben-Gvir, now Israel's Minister of National Security. Nine months later, on Oct 7 2023, as Hamas launched its attacks on Israel, Ashi posted videos on his social media. On Instagram, he shared footage of Hamas terrorists flying into Israel by paraglider as dawn broke over the Gaza Strip, set to an uplifting Islamic song encouraging fighting against oppressors. The clip contains the footage of the attack overlaid with the Arabic lyrics: 'Fill the earth with Takbir [the praise of God] – to shake the oppressors.' He captioned it: 'These are the videos that settlers are now circulating of the resistance storming and infiltrating the occupied territories in the Gaza Strip.' A Camera UK spokesman commented on the clip, saying: 'The video Mr Ashi posted on Oct 7 combined with rallying against 'oppressors' is celebratory of terror atrocities that were carried out against Israelis.' On TikTok, Ashi posted another video on Oct 7, this time showing Hamas rockets being fired into Israel, accompanied by an excitable child's voice saying: 'Go, go!' He captained the video 'keep going, oh Mahdi, keep going!' adding two fire emojis and a laughing-crying emoji. The Mahdi is a messianic figure in Islam expected to appear at the 'end of times' to defeat evil and bring justice. Camera UK also said Ashi had made several social media posts during the intensification of hostilities between Israel and Gaza in 2016, including one calling a Hamas member involved in the shooting of three civilians a 'wounded hero'. 'We are presenting an impartial view' Announcing the decision to air the documentary, Louisa Compton, Channel 4's head of news and current affairs, said: 'We are showing this programme because we believe that, following thorough fact-checking and verification, we are presenting a duly impartial view of a subject that both divides opinion and frequently provokes dispute about what constitutes a fact.' Earlier this week, Deborah Turness, the BBC's head of news, revealed it was concerns over the 'social media activity' of a journalist involved in Gaza: Doctors Under Attack that prompted them to pause production. She said the decision to drop the film came after its reporter, Ramita Navai, said during a BBC radio interview that Israel was ' a rogue state that's committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing and mass-murdering Palestinians'. The revelations about the producer's social media activity have now prompted calls, including from a former head of BBC Television, for the media regulator Ofcom to investigate. Danny Cohen, who oversaw the BBC's television networks from 2013 to 2015, said: 'Ofcom should launch an investigation immediately.' He added: 'Channel 4 has serious questions to answer on why they saw fit to broadcast this documentary. They have broadcast a programme in collaboration with those who appear to revel in the violent death of Jews and presented it as journalism. 'It is shameful. Channel 4 should be deeply embarrassed.' Lord Austin, a non-affiliated peer and former Labour MP, said: 'The hateful social media posts by the producer on this film are really shocking. 'Ofcom should launch an investigation into why Channel 4 saw fit to broadcast this film made by someone who appears to glory in the murder of Jews.' 'Wounded hero' Earlier posts from Ashi include one, dated June 8 2016, in which the producer, then aged 20, called Khalid Al-Muhamra, a Hamas member, a 'wounded hero' and described his cousin Muhammad as a 'martyr'. The two men had opened fire that evening on diners at the Max Brenner Cafe in Tel Aviv's Sarona Market, killing three civilians, with a fourth later dying of a heart attack. Both were arrested alive. A month later, on July 1 2016, Ashi posted an apparent reference to the fatal shooting of Rabbi Michael Mark, a 48-year-old father of ten, who had just been killed by a Palestinian gunman while driving with his wife and two children through the South Hebron Hills. Citing a news report of the attack, Ashi appeared to praise the terrorist's aim, writing 'either hit like this or not at all' alongside a smiley face emoji. A spokesman for the Jewish Leadership Council, which represents the largest Jewish organisations in the UK, including synagogues, care organisations, and education charities, told The Telegraph that Ashi's involvement in the film was 'a betrayal of basic journalistic standards'. 'That this documentary was produced by someone with such a horrific track record of glorifying terror is not just a betrayal of basic journalistic standards; it fuels the anti-Israel bias which has been linked to anti-Semitism in the UK.' 'My posts have nothing to do with Hamas' Osama Al Ashi said: 'My posts have absolutely nothing to do with Hamas. And I only cover and repost the news and updates. I only fear that these allegations will worry my family and friends and that the situation will develop into a direct threat. 'You know how the army deals with us here in Gaza. I hope that this article will not be highlighted in the responses and its content will be explored in depth in the media. 'When Oct 7 happened, there was a rush to post videos, and I shared them because there was extensive coverage of the events, and I did not add the audio. They were simply reposts done quickly as part of event coverage. I did not have time to analyse them.' A spokesman for Basement Films said: 'Osama has not posted anything himself about Oct 7 but shared news and other posts on social media as it was breaking, and The Telegraph interpretations of these tweets are misleading. 'This story puts his life at risk. A record 230 journalists have been killed doing their jobs in Gaza. 'It is shocking to us that Danny Cohen and Camera should seek to justify the killing of medics including Dr Khaled Hamouda's wife and 7-year-old daughter, because of some social media posts. 'By doing so they appear to be supporting every aspect of Israel's assault on Gaza, including the killing of at least 17,000 children.' 'Rigorous fact-checking' A Channel 4 spokesman said: 'Gaza: Doctors Under Attack is an important piece of public service journalism that has been through rigorous fact-checking and extensive compliance processes from Channel 4. 'We stand by this forensically researched film and are satisfied it is duly impartial, accurate and compliant with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. 'Foreign journalists are banned from reporting inside Gaza. In line with other media organisations, the producers of Gaza: Doctors Under Attack used Palestinian journalists. 'According to the UN more than 200 journalists in Gaza have been killed during this conflict.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Charity workers, teachers and a retired dentist are among those arrested for supporting banned Palestine Action on third week of arrests
Police have begun arresting protesters in London for supporting the newly banned terrorist organisation Palestine Action. Charity workers and teachers are among a wave of people arrested for supporting the proscribed terror group. Demonstrators took to the streets in cities across the UK including London, Manchester and Cardiff, holding signs that read 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' Dozens of protesters wrote the message 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' on white placards and held the signs aloft before being surrounded by police officers at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square. Those held were of mixed ages, from their 20s to 60s and many said they had jobs and had been arrested before. One said: 'This will keep happening. I'm a teacher and I don't care anymore. This government is complicit in genocide.' Another identified their job as a teacher and one as a charity worker. A retired dentist said: 'This government is attacking democracy. We live in a dictatorship.' When asked if they were worried about being arrested, the man, aged in his 60s, said: 'Yes but I'm more worried about genocide. 'I've never been in trouble before. I am standing against war crimes and war criminals.' Some protesters were carried away by officers, while others were led away in handcuffs. A small number of counter-protesters held up placards which said 'there is no genocide but there are 50 hostages still captive'. Earlier on Saturday Metropolitan Police officers were deployed across the capital along the route of the march which crossed Westminster Bridge, along York Road, north across Waterloo Bridge and down to Whitehall via the Strand. A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries, which is supporting the campaign to de-proscribe Palestine Action, said: 'These protests will see many more ordinary people across the country take a stand, who don't want to be handcuffed and detained in a police cell but refuse to stand by while our country collapses into an Orwellian nightmare where opponents of genocide are criminalised and silenced, and arrested just for holding a sign. 'Protest groups targeting property, not people, in order to disrupt the flow of arms to Israel 's war machine while it commits horrific atrocities - is obviously not terrorism. It aims to stop violence and terrorism being committed against the Palestinian people. 'How long until this unprecedented, authoritarian proscription is used against racial justice, climate, disability rights groups and trade unions, unless we resist the ban now, before it's too late?' It comes after the Home Office today last week the ban on Palestine Action, with the group failing to block its proscription as a terrorist organisation in a late-night legal bid. Lawyers representing co-founder Huda Ammori, whose father is Palestinian, asked for the decision to be delayed at least until July 21. The designation as a terror group means that membership of or support for Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. This includes chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos. Palestine Action argues it is a protest group that has never incited or encouraged violence, but does support civil disobedience. Activists protest against the continuing war in Gaza, which has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians since October 7 - when 1,200 Israelis were killed by a Hamas incursion into the country. One of those protesting last week is former government lawyer Tim Crosland. He said: 'There are already 18 Palestine Actionists held in UK prisons without a trial, following lobbying by the Israeli government and Elbit Systems, the leading supplier of the machinery of genocide. 'If we cannot speak freely about the genocide of Palestinians, if we cannot condemn those who enable it and praise those who resist it, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning, and democracy in this country is dead.' Protesters gathered in central London on Saturday (pictured) for the third consecutive week to oppose the decision to ban the campaign group Scotland Yard said its stance remains that officers will act where criminal offences, including support of proscribed groups or organisations, are committed. The latest arrests come after at least 42 protesters were detained by police officers last Saturday as activists gathered for a second week in a row beside a statue of Gandhi in London 's Parliament Square, holding placards reading: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' Another 16 arrests were made in Manchester and 13 people were also held in Cardiff at other related demonstrations last Saturday. Those held were of mixed ages, from their 20s to 70s and many said they had jobs and had been arrested before. Officers could then be seen carrying away a number of protesters who were lying down, lifting them off the ground and into waiting police vans parked around the square. Protestors - whose ages ranged from 20s to 70s- were led away from the square outside Parliament in handcuffs last Saturday Other standing protesters were also led away from the statues and placed into the vans. The offences mainly related to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, an officer said. Previously almost 30 people on suspicion of terrorism offences after protesters gathered in Parliament Square also holding signs supporting Palestine Action, just hours after a ban on the came into effect. One of those arrested was an 83-year-old priest and the Met said: 'The law doesn't have an age limit'. Around two dozen people, including a priest, professor and an emergency care worker who is just back from Gaza, sat in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square on Saturday expressing support for the group, which is now a proscribed terrorist organisation. They held signs saying: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' Last week protestors said they didn't care what happened to them and vowed to keep on protesting. One protester, an architect called Steve, 59, said: 'I'm terrified. But some things in this world are bigger than fear of arrest. I will do whatever it takes to highlight this problem. 'They (the police) can do whatever they want. I don't care.' one woman, Kate, was holding a sign which said: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' She said: 'It's shocking. I'm terrified. But the greater risk is genocide. That's more important. I don't have a phone. I've never been arrested before. 'I can't work because I've been trouble before connected to these activities. 'I was in social care. I had a good job. Nobody will employ me now. They'll think I'm a terrorist after this as well.'
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Israel's ambassador to Britain says she has ‘no confidence' in BBC's head of news following Hamas remarks
ISRAEL'S ambassador to Britain says she has 'no confidence' in the BBC's head of news following controversial remarks about Hamas. Tzipi Hotovely slammed Corporation executive Deborah Turness for insisting there is a difference between Hamas' political leadership and its military wing. 2 Ms Turness sparked a row this week when she told an all-staff call on the BBC's Gaza documentary scandal that 'we need to continually remind people of the difference'. It is despite the British government saying any distinction is 'artificial' and Hamas is a 'single terrorist organisation'. In a letter to BBC boss Tim Davie, Ms Hotovely said: 'This is an utterly outrageous position to take… it shows a shocking lack of understanding about the nature of Hamas by the head of BBC News.' She added: 'I have absolutely no confidence in Mrs Turness's ability to deal with this issue sufficiently and believe that a fundamental change is required in the approach of the BBC to address this systemic issue properly.' A BBC spokesman said earlier this week that Ms Turness was not implying that Hamas was a single terrorist organisation. They added: 'The BBC constantly makes clear on our programmes and platforms that Hamas are a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK Government and others. 'We are also clear that we need to describe to our audiences the complexities of life in Gaza, including within the structure of Hamas, which has run the civilian functions of Gaza.' 2
