
Residents lined the streets of a New Jersey town to welcome home Israeli-American hostage
TENAFLY, NJ (AP) — Edan Alexander, an American-born Israeli soldier and believed to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza, has returned home to New Jersey.
Hundreds of cheering supporters, many waving Israeli flags and holding 'Welcome Home Edan' signs, lined the streets of Tenafly on Thursday to greet his passing vehicle. A smiling Alexander held his arm out the passenger side window to wave and touch the hands of people in the crowd.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Toronto Star
23 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Family of ex-FBI agent presumed dead in Iran hopes talks with US can lead to return of his remains
WASHINGTON (AP) — The family of a retired FBI agent presumed dead after vanishing in Iran 18 years ago is calling for any deal between the United States and Iran to include the return of his remains. Robert Levinson disappeared on March 9, 2007, when he was scheduled to meet a source on the Iranian island of Kish. For years, U.S. officials would say only that Levinson was working independently on a private investigation. But a 2013 Associated Press investigation revealed that Levinson had been sent on a mission by CIA analysts who had no authority to run such an operation.


Winnipeg Free Press
28 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Husband of Colorado woman whose remains were found after 3-year search re-arrested on murder charge
DENVER (AP) — The husband of a Colorado woman, Suzanne Morphew, whose remains were discovered over three years after she was reported missing on Mother's Day 2020, was arrested again Friday on suspicion of first-degree murder, authorities said. Barry Morphew was arrested Friday in Arizona after a Colorado grand jury returned an indictment. He was first arrested in the death of his wife in May of 2021 on suspicion of first-degree murder, tampering with a human body and other offenses. But prosecutors dropped their case against him the following year just as he was about to stand trial. A judge barred prosecutors from calling key witnesses for repeatedly failing to follow rules for turning over evidence in Barry Morphew's favor. That included DNA from an unknown male found in Suzanne Morphew's SUV. At the time, prosecutors said they wanted more time to find her body. Barry Morphew has repeatedly maintained his innocence and previously filed a $15 million lawsuit against county officials, accusing them of violating his constitutional rights. The mystery surrounding Suzanne Morphew began on May 10, 2020 when the 49-year-old mother of two daughters, who lived near the small town of Salida, was reported missing on Mother's Day. Suzanne Morphew's mountain bike and helmet were soon found in separate spots not far from her home but investigators suspected the bike had been purposefully thrown down into a ravine because there was no indications of a crash. A week after she went missing, Barry Morphew posted a video on Facebook pleading for her safe return. 'No questions asked, however much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back,' he said. When he was charged, the arrest affidavit laying out investigators' case against him said his wife insisted on leaving him. He later changed his statements as evidence in the case developed. Morphew, an avid hunter, did not initially tell investigators that he went out of his way as he left for work on Mother's Day, driving toward the place where his wife's bicycle helmet was eventually found. Later, he said he went that way because he had seen an elk cross the road, according to his arrest affidavit. After prosecutors dropped the charges against him, Barry Morphew's lawyers announced they had filed a complaint asking that the prosecutors be disciplined for allegedly intentionally withholding evidence in the case. Barry Morphew also filed a $15 million lawsuit against prosecutors and investigators, accusing them of violating his constitutional rights. However, the initial charges against Morphew were dismissed without prejudice, leaving the door open should prosecutors later decide to pursue a case against him again. That happened after Colorado Bureau of Investigation agents stumbled upon Suzanne Morphew's skeletal remains in a shallow grave during an unrelated search near the small southern Colorado town of Moffat in September 2023, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Barry and Suzanne Morphew's home. An autopsy report released in April 2024 said Morphew's death was a homicide but said she died of 'undetermined means.' A cocktail of drugs that are used to tranquilize wildlife was found in one of her bones but there was no indication of trauma, the report said. A tranquilizer gun and accessories were found in the Morphews' home, according to investigators.


Winnipeg Free Press
28 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
R. Kelly claims prison officials plotted to kill him. Judge denies his release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A judge has denied singer R. Kelly 's request to be freed from prison, saying she lacks jurisdiction to consider the convicted sex offender's allegations that federal prison officials plotted to murder him. U.S. District Judge Martha M. Pacold canceled Friday's scheduled arguments in Chicago, and instead issued a five-page ruling denying his emergency request to serve his time on home detention during a temporary furlough. Born Robert Sylvester Kelly, the 58-year-old Grammy-winning R&B singer is serving sentences at a prison in Butner, North Carolina, for child sex crimes and racketeering. Pacold noted that federal courts have only limited power in such cases, and one by one she examined and rejected various ways Kelly's request could be considered. 'Jurisdictional limitations must be respected even where, as here, a litigant claims that the circumstances are extraordinary,' Pacold wrote. 'Kelly has not identified (nor is the court aware of) any statute or rule that authorizes the court to exercise jurisdiction. Thus, the court cannot award relief in this case.' Kelly claimed in a series of filings this month that prison officials solicited white supremacist leaders to kill him, to halt the disclosure of information damaging to prison officials. Kelly's attorney says he was then moved to solitary confinement and purposely given an overdose of medication, which required hospitalization and surgery for blood clots. Pacold noted that Kelly offers no evidence to back up his claims. Government lawyers suggested Kelly had spun a 'fanciful conspiracy.' Known for such hits as 'I Believe I Can Fly,' Kelly was found guilty in Chicago in 2022 of three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex. In New York in 2021, he was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking. He is serving most of his 20-year Chicago sentence and 30-year New York sentence simultaneously. His appeals have been unsuccessful, including to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kelly has also sought President Donald Trump's help.