Scotland has 'no intention' to ban cats, despite online rumors
Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Scotland's first minister reassured the public that the country had no plans to ban pet cats after a report sparked rumors online.
A report by the independent Scottish Animal Welfare Commission contained numerous proposals for curbing the problem of domestic cats killing about 27 million birds across Britain each year.
The proposals included vaccinations and neutering, but the most controversial online was the suggestion that cat ownership be limited in certain areas that are home to endangered species of birds.
Rumors circulated online that Scotland was planning to ban pet cats, leading Scottish First Minister John Swinney to clarify there were no such plans.
"Let me just clear this up today. The government's not going to be banning cats or restricting cats. We have no intention of doing so and we'll not be doing it," Swinney told Bauer Radio.
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UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Romanian man pleads guilty to leading 'swatting' of U.S. officials
A Romanian man on Monday in Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty as the ringleader of a group making bomb threats and triggering "swatting" attacks against U.S. officials and legislators, the Justice Department said. File photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 2 (UPI) -- A Romanian man on Monday pleaded guilty as the ringleader of a group making bomb threats and triggering "swatting" attacks against 75 U.S. public officials, including members of Congress, four religious institutions and journalists, the Justice Department said. Thomasz Szabo, 26, was extradited from Romania to the District of Columbia in November, DOJ said in a news release. Szabo and his co-conspirators reported false emergencies at government buildings, houses of worship, and private residences, including the homes of senior government officials, prosecutors said. Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, of Serbia, was charged with Szabo in August 2024 on one count of conspiracy, 29 counts of threats and false information regarding explosives, and four counts of transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce. Szabo, who is also known as Plank, Jonah and Cypher, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of threats involving explosives. He faces up to 15 years in prison for the two counts. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 23. "This defendant led a dangerous swatting criminal conspiracy, deliberately threatening dozens of government officials with violent hoaxes and targeting our nation's security infrastructure from behind a screen overseas," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. In late 2020, Szabo founded an online community that falsely reported threats at the addresses for the purpose of provoking a police response there, DOJ said. He was the moderator of chat groups. The false reports included a threat in December 2020 to commit a mass shooting at New York City synagogues, and one in January 2021 to detonate explosives at the U.S. Capitol and kill President-elect Joe Biden. Szabo publicized "swatting" activity to his followers and encouraged them to engage in behavior like that. From Dec. 24, 2023, to early January 2024, DOJ said members of Szabo's group committed swatting and bomb threats that included at least 25 members of U.S. Congress or family members, at least six current or former senior U.S. Executive Branch officials, at least 13 current or former senior federal law enforcement officials, multiple members of the federal judiciary and at least 27 current or former state government officials or family members of officials. Also targeted were religious institutions and remembers of the media. "I did 25+ swattings today," one subordinate bragged to Sazabi, and "creating massive havoc in America. $500,000+ in taxpayers wasted in just two days." Investigating the cases were the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office and Criminal Investigative Division, the FBI's Washington and Minneapolis Field Offices, and the U.S. Capitol Police. In December, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger testified before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee about the need for more officers as the number of threats against members of Congress escalates. Other agencies assisting were in Bucharest, Romania; south Florida, central Florida; Syracuse, N.Y.; western Washington State; South Dakota; southern Illinois; and northern New York. "Today, Szabo pleaded guilty to a years-long conspiracy that targeted victims with swatting and bomb threats, including to government buildings, houses of worship and homes of government officials," FBI Director Kash Patel said. "Swatting endangers lives and will not be tolerated by the FBI. We are fully committed to working with our partners." "Anyone who hijacks police resources for senseless crimes like these will have to answer for their actions," interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro in the District of Columbia said. Szabo was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man charged with federal hate crime, attempted murder in Colorado
June 2 (UPI) -- The 45-year-old man accused of using a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to burn people demonstrating in support of Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colo., was charged with a federal hate crime and is facing 16 state counts of attempted murder on Monday. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, of Colorado Springs, was booked into the Boulder County jail on Sunday night after the attack near the county courthouse. Soliman appeared in county court Monday, during which bond was set at $10 million, and is due back Thursday when charges will be formally filed. He is facing 16 counts of attempted murder in the first degree, eight counts of first-degree assault and 18 counts of possession of an incendiary device. This could add up to at least 384 years of prison time on conviction. In federal court, he is being charged with commission of a hate crime, acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado J. Bishop Grewell said during a news conference. Soliman would face the maximum sentence of life in prison. Soliman, an Egyptian national, entered Canada in August 2022 on a B2 visa that expired in February 2023 and his asylum claim was pending, said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "The Colorado Terrorist attack suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is illegally in our country," she said in a post on X. "He filed for asylum in September 2022. Victims Authorities increased the number of those hurt to 12 from eight on Monday. Four women and four men hospitalized range from 52 to 88. Two people were airlifted to a hospital in Aurora near Denver, an FBI official said. Boulder is 30 miles north of Denver. The other victims have been released from Boulder hospitals. Those injured included an 88-year-old woman, who is a Holocaust refugee from Europe. Rabbi Israel Wilhem, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado in Boulder, told CBS Colorado she is "very loving person." "Holocaust survivors should not spend the final chapter of their lives experiencing or witnessing this hatred again," Leo Terrell, the Justice Department official in charge of the antisemitism task force," posted on X. "We must fight this terror together." Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said the newly identified victims suffered minor injuries and learned about them when they came forward to be interviewed. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose mother was born in a concentration camp and his grandparents survived the Holocaust, said the attack was "very cruel" and has "every single hallmark of being a hate crime." "This was a peaceful march done every single week by the Jewish community, calling out the injustices of the hostages, and they were attacked because of who they are," he said on MSNBC. "It is heart-wrenching for all of us in Colorado." FBI Director Kash Patel has called the incident "a targeted terror attack." What happened Mark Michalek, the FBI special agent in charge, said witnesses reported hearing the suspect yell "Free Palestine" during the attack. "It is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," he said. The suspect told investigators he "wanted to kill all Zionist people" and "he would do it again," according to an affidavit filed Monday. Soliman told investigators the attack was planned for a year, according to a federal criminal complaint, and he arrived at the gathering about five minutes before it started. He said he looked up videos on how to make Molotov cocktails on YouTube and purchased the items needed to make them, the complaint stated. A black plastic container with 14 unlit Molotov cocktails was found near where he was arrested. It include "glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars containing clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the bottles," the affidavit said. Soliman "mentioned several times he wanted to be dead" in interviews with law enforcement, the warrant read. Soliman was not on the authorities' radar before the attack. Boulder's Redfearn said his officers didn't have previous "contacts" with him. One witness told NBC News he was dressed like a groundskeeper. "When I walked by the gentleman, I didn't know who he was, but thought he was out of place and odd," Lisa Turnquist, 66, said. "It wasn't 10 seconds later, I felt fluid on my leg and another lady had been burned." Turnquist, who was not injured, said she was with about 20 other members of Boulder Run for Their Lives when they were attacked. On Monday, Turnquist, who is Jewish and lives in Louisville, placed flowers at a makeshift memorial. Reaction The pro-Israel advocacy group the Anti-Defamation League said the demonstrators attacked in a statement were participants of the weekly Run for Their Lives event, which sees Jewish community members run and walk in solidarity with Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity. "Today, America bore witness to yet another heinous act of anti-Semitism designed to terrorize a peaceful community," Colorado Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement Sunday. "This type of hate-filled violence has no place in our civilized society and must be universally condemned." The attack, which was near Pearl St. Mall in downtown Boulder, occurred just before 1:30 p.m. MDT, authorities said. Police found victims suffering from burns. The ADL on Sunday said, "We're witnessing a global campaign of intimidation and terror deliberately directed against the Jewish people." According to the ADL, there have been nine plots or attacks allegedly targeting Jews or Jewish institutions in the United States in the past 11 months, a sharp increase compared with seven January 2020 to June of last year. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Sunday's attack "will not be tolerated." "He came in through Biden's ridiculous Open Border Policy, which has hurt our Country so badly. He must go out under 'TRUMP' Policy," the president said. "Acts of Terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law," Trump wrote. "This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the Great People of Boulder, Colorado!" Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X: "There is NO room in the United States for the rest of the world's terrorist sympathizers. Anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for antisemitic violence and terrorism - think again. You are not welcome here. We will find you, deport you, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. Our prayers are with the victims, families, and people of Boulder, Colorado. This evil has to STOP now." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X: "This attack was aimed against peaceful people who wished to express their solidarity with the hostages held by Hamas, simply because they were Jews. "I trust the American authorities will prosecute the cold-blooded perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law and will do everything possible to prevent future attacks against innocent civilians. "The antisemitic attacks around the world are a direct result of blood libels against the Jewish state and people, and this must be stopped."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump pulls Jared Isaacman nomination to lead NASA days before vote
June 2 (UPI) -- Just days before the U.S. Senate was set to hold a confirmation vote, President Donald Trump withdrew Jared Isaacman's nomination for NASA administrator, citing "prior associations." While the White House did not reveal specifics about why the nomination was being pulled, spokesperson Liz Huston confirmed Monday that the administration is looking for a new candidate to lead the agency. "The administrator of NASA will help lead humanity into space and execute President Trump's bold mission of planting the American flag on the planet Mars," Huston said. "It's essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump's America First agenda and a replacement will be announced directly by President Trump soon." On Saturday, Trump revealed in a post on Truth Social that he was withdrawing the nomination "after a thorough review of prior associations," without providing more details. "I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA. I will soon announce a new nominee, who will be mission aligned and will put America First in space," Trump said. Isaacman was expected to be confirmed this week after Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., filed cloture on the nomination May 22. Several Democratic members of the Senate Commerce Committee had voted with Republicans in April to favorably report the nomination to the full Senate. Isaacman, a commercial astronaut and billionaire businessman with ties to SpaceX, led the first all-civilian space flight into orbit and had received the endorsement of 28 former NASA astronauts. Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., criticized the administration's decision to pull his nomination. "Astronaut and successful businessman Isaacman was a strong choice by President Trump to lead NASA," Sheet wrote in a post on X. "I was proud to introduce Jared at his hearing and strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination." NASA released details Friday about its proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, which includes 25% cuts to the space agency's overall spending. In April, Isaacman criticized reports that science funding could be cut by nearly 50%, saying it "does not appear to be an optimal outcome." After Trump's weekend post, Isaacman -- who was nominated last December -- thanked the president and the Senate "who supported me throughout this journey." "The past six months have been enlightening and, honestly, a bit thrilling. I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry," Isaacman wrote Saturday in a post on X. "I have not flown my last mission -- whatever form that may ultimately take -- but I remain incredibly optimistic that humanity's greatest spacefaring days lie ahead. I'll always be grateful for this opportunity and cheering on our president and NASA as they lead us on the greatest adventure in human history."
