Month: August 2022

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, was killed in an U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan over the weekend.  A senior White House official said that the U.S. conducted a successful counterterrorism operation against a “significant” al-Qaeda target in Afghanistan over the weekend, adding that there were no civilian casualties. The counterterrorism attack took place in Wazir Akbar Khan, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Kabul and literally walking distance to the main diplomatic areas, including the U.S. Embassy.

The FBI said that Al-Zawahiri, born in Cairo in 1951, trained as a physician before founding the Egyptian Islamic Jihad.  The U.N. Security Council said his organization had sought to overthrow the Egyptian government “through violent means” before merging with al-Qaeda between 1998 and 1999.

The U.S. Justice Department said that al-Zawahiri — who served as Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda deputy — helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States. Al-Zawahiri and bin Laden appeared together the day after the attacks in a video, in which an al-Qaeda spokesperson threatened the West, saying a “great army is gathering against you.” The Justice Department named al-Zawahiri and bin Laden as unindicted co-conspirators for their roles in coordinating the attacks.

After bin Laden’s death in 2011, al-Zawahiri took over as al-Qaeda’s leader. The FBI had placed al-Zawahiri on its list of Most Wanted Terrorists, offering a $25 million reward for his capture. The strike that killed al-Zawahiri is a major success of U.S. counterterrorism efforts and the result of countless hours of intelligence collection over many years.

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On Monday sentenced the first defendant to be put on trial for involvement in the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol last year to seven years in prison.  A jury in Washington had convicted 49-year-old Guy Wesley Reffitt from Wylie, Texas on five felony counts back in March, including obstruction of justice and entering and remaining in a restricted building while armed.

District Judge Dabney Friedrich said that Reffitt’s initial reluctance to admit that his behavior was illegal “is concerning” as he handed down the sentence.  Said Friedrich: “I want to be very clear … under no legitimate definition of the term ‘patriot’ does Mr. Reffitt’s behavior on and around Jan. 6 fit the term. It is the antithesis of the word. The officers at the Capitol are the patriots, as well as those who fought and even died to protect our democracy, our rule of law … those in the mob are not. Not only are they patriots, they’re a direct threat to our democracy and will be punished as such.”

Federal prosecutors had asked Friedrich to classify Reffitt’s crimes as acts of domestic terrorism, seeking a 15-year sentence which would become the longest sentence to date related to the Capitol attack. Reffitt’s lawyers sought a sentence of two years or less, arguing that he never entered the building or assaulted any Capitol Police officers during the assault.

Cose to 900 others have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, which was carried out by radical supporters of President Donald Trump who sought to overthrow Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. More than 200 defendants have pleaded guilty to various felony and misdemeanor charges and some have begun serving their sentences.

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According to Cal Fire, the McKinney Fire in the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County had burned through 51,468 acres as of Sunday morning, and remained 0% contained. The largest wildfire in California so far this year began on Friday afternoon in the Klamath National Forest near the California- Oregon border, leading Cal Fire officials to shut down of a portion of Highway 96. Fire officials said that drought conditions in the area have led to extremely dry, receptive fuels that have aided in the wildfire’s quick spread as well as strong winds and dry lighting

On Sunday, the National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings for the area due to the threat of dry lightning and strong winds that can cause the fire to spread in any direction and is “extremely dangerous” for firefighters. Firefighters are also dealing with three additional, smaller fires in the county- the China 2 Fire, the Evans Fire and Kelsey Creek fires. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said that the McKinney and China 2 Fire became active overnight and said their priority on Sunday was lifesaving efforts and protecting the property of residents who were evacuated.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the weekend, confirming an undisclosed amount of homes had been destroyed due to the wildfire, and stating that approximately 2,000 residents in the county were being put under evacuation orders.

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At least 28 people have died following severe flooding in Kentucky.  In a series of tweets, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced the new death toll, and said the state had received trailers to provide shelter to those impacted by the floods and was working to establish more shelter options.

Beshear has said the number would likely rise significantly and it could take weeks to find all the victims. As many as 37 people were unaccounted for, according to a daily briefing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The governor said that it would take some time to determine how many people are missing, and additional rain could complicate rescue and recovery efforts. Said Beshear: “We’re doubling our National Guard. We’re going to work to go door to door, work to find, again, as many people as we can. We’re even going to work through the rain.”

Beshear also warned residents to be prepared for more heavy rains on Sunday night as the National Weather Service in Louisville issued a flood watch through 8 a.m. Monday morning in portions of central and Eastern Kentucky.

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