Freed hostage says he lives with guilt every day
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Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Report of active shooter at Villanova University a ‘cruel hoax,' university president says
A 'cruel hoax' sent Villanova University students sheltering into place on the first day of orientation after a false report of an active shooter, the school's president said, prompting a massive response by local and federal law enforcement as they worked to secure the campus. No injuries were reported and no weapons were found, Peter M. Donohue, the university's president, said in a letter sent to the campus community and obtained by CNN. The first campus alert went out around 4:35 p.m. ET, during an opening mass, which was set to be followed by a family picnic. 'ACTIVE SHOOTER on VU campus. Move to secure location. Lock/barricade doors. More info to follow,' read an alert on the campus website. The anonymous report indicated there was an active shooter in the Charles Widger School of Law and claimed at least one person was wounded, school and police officials said. 'Panic and terror ensued' after the report, Donohue said in the letter. Police and fire officials swarmed the area of the law school, with some armed officers on the roof, as they worked to clear buildings and look for a possible shooter or victims, video from CNN affiliate WPVI showed. None were found. 'While it is a blessing and relief, I know today's events have shaken our entire community,' Donohue said in the letter sent just after 6 p.m. He apologized to first-year students and their families. 'This is not the introduction to Villanova that I had hoped for you,' he said. Authorities seek to prosecute person responsible New student orientation and registration began Thursday and is scheduled to go until Saturday, while classes begin Monday, according to the school's academic calendar. The reports came hours after the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sent an active-shooter alert and the campus went on lockdown. Police later said the authorities found 'no evidence of a threat.' Authorities are investigating the Tennessee incident as a possible case of swatting, a law enforcement source told CNN. Swatting is a dangerous criminal hoax where a false report is made to police with the express purpose of luring them to a location, where they are led to believe a horrific crime such as a mass shooting, an imminent bombing, or hostage taking has been committed or is in progress. This can result in a forceful response from local police and SWAT teams, who have no way to know the call is a hoax. Swatting has been on the FBI's radar for nearly two decades, and gained notoriety after high-profile celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian became victims. In a 2008 assessment of the 'new phenomenon,' the FBI said a group of recently convicted swatters were motivated by 'bragging rights and ego, versus any monetary gain,' noting group members 'did it because they could.' Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he directed state police to 'use every tool at our disposal' to find the person responsible for the swatting incident. 'I know today was every parent's worse nightmare, and every student's biggest fear,' Shapiro said in an X post. 'I am profoundly grateful no one was hurt, and thankful to all members of law enforcement who ran towards reports of danger to keep Pennsylvanians safe.' Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer echoed Shapiro's sentiments. 'My office, Investigation Division, the FBI, will all work to try to get to the bottom of who might have done this,' Stollsteimer said during a news conference Thursday. 'We will track you down if it's the last thing we do.' Villanova is a private Catholic university in the suburbs of Philadelphia and is the alma mater of Pope Leo XIV. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN's Josh Campbell, Danny Freeman and Amanda Musa contributed to this report.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
U.S. Kills Islamic State Operative in Rare Raid in Syria
U.S. military forces conducted a rare ground raid in Syria this week, killing a senior Islamic State financier, the Pentagon's Central Command said on Thursday. It was the second such raid in less than a month. In a statement, Central Command said that U.S. commandos killed the Islamic State operative, whom they did not identify, on Tuesday. The operative planned attacks in Syria and Iraq, and had relationships throughout the Islamic State network in the region, the statement said. Central Command provided few details on the ground operation or where in Syria it happened. But military counterterrorism raids — as opposed to airstrikes — have typically involved helicopter-borne Special Operations commandos, often supported by attack planes and drones. Such ground operations are riskier than drone strikes because they put troops in harm's way. They often mean that the target is particularly important and likely to be near civilians to try to ward off an air attack. And the location of the raid may contain sensitive information — like computer hard drives, cellphones and other data — that could help counterterrorism forces plan future raids. 'We will continue to pursue ISIS terrorists with unwavering determination, throughout the region,' Adm. Brad Cooper, who this month took over as head of Central Command, said in the statement. 'Together with our partners and allies, Centcom remains steadfast in our commitment of ensuring the lasting defeat of ISIS and the protection of the U.S. homeland.' A U.S. military official said on Thursday there were no American casualties in the mission. In late July, U.S. military forces conducted a raid in northwestern Syria, killing a senior Islamic State leader, Dhiya' Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, and his two adult sons in the Aleppo area. The raids come just weeks after President Trump signed an executive order in late June that lifted most of the U.S. economic sanctions on Syria, tightening his embrace of the country's new government despite concerns about its leaders' past ties to Al Qaeda. The move delivered on a surprise announcement by Mr. Trump in May during a trip to the Middle East. At a stop in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Trump met with President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria, who assumed power in December after his fighters deposed the longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad. Mr. Trump described Mr. al-Shara as 'young, attractive' and 'tough,' and said Syria deserved 'a chance' to rebuild after a devastating civil war that began in March 2011. Mr. al-Shara previously led a rebel group designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Israeli stats show civilian death rate in Gaza war is 83%, report claims — as government denies data
Classified intelligence from the Israeli military suggests that 83% of the total deaths in Gaza have been civilians, according to a new report — which the IDF has slammed as 'incorrect.' An analysis of the IDF's own records revealed that of the nearly 53,000 people killed in Gaza as by May, 19, 2025, some 8,900 represented named fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as dead or 'probably dead,' according to an investigation from The Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call. The IDF, however, said that the figures analyzed by the outlets do not accurately reflect the realities of the war and 'reflect a fundamental lack of military understanding.' 5 The Israeli military's own reflects the start reality that civilians make up the majority of the dead in the Gaza Strip, according to The Guardian. REUTERS Advertisement 5 A man runs with a child in his arms following an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah on Thursday. via REUTERS The IDF's database names a total of 47,653 Palestinians considered active in the military wings of Hamas and the PIJ, as per the records Israel has been able to seize in Gaza. While less than 20% of those fighters had been confirmed killed by the IDF after the first 18 months of war, intelligence sources claimed the real number of dead terrorists is much higher — as the database did not include those who were killed but not identified by name. Advertisement It also excludes Palestinians fighters who were not affiliated with the two groups, and Hamas members who were not serving in the military wing when they were killed. The IDF's last public statement on the death toll, released on Wednesday, puts the total number of terror operatives killed at 22,000. 5 The Israeli military has previously acknowledged that its attacks have killed about two civilians per every terror operative slain. REUTERS 5 Experts believe the total civilian death toll has been undercounted, with thousands more believed to be dead beneath the rubble of Gaza. REUTERS Advertisement Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 62,000, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists. While the IDF has repeatedly acknowledged that the combatant-to-civilian deaths ratio in Gaza have remained the same throughout the war — with two civilians killed for every dead terrorist — the military refuted the more alarming figures released Thursday. 'The figures presented in the article are incorrect and do not reflect the data available in the IDF's systems,' the military said in a statement. 5 Israel has faced backlash over the civilian death and ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement 'Throughout the war, continuous intelligence assessments are conducted regarding the number of terrorists eliminated in the Gaza Strip, based on BDA (bomb damage assessment) methodologies and cross-checking efforts from various sources. One of the sources of information cross-referenced is documents originating from terrorist organizations in the Strip,' the IDF added. 'The IDF is a professional military that operates according to operational methods accepted by many armies worldwide — the claims presented in the article are not only false but also reflect a fundamental lack of military understanding,' the Israeli military concluded. The IDF, however, did not specify what numbers it disputed or directly address questions about the military database. Whether it's The Guardian's 83% or the IDF's 66%, the war in Gaza marks one of the bloodiest conflicts in modern times in terms of the civilian death rate. The growing death toll in Gaza has brought international backlash against Israel over the war, which is approaching its third year as the IDF plans to escalate the fighting by invading Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that the war will continue until Hamas is eradicated and the remaining 50 hostages are freed.
