Former Obama administration adviser flew to Britain to rape nine-year-old girl
A former policy adviser to Barack Obama's administration flew to Britain planning to rape a nine-year-old child.
Rahamim 'Rami' Shy, 47, an investment banker who helped co-ordinate the US government's counter-terror response, travelled from New York to Bedfordshire to meet an English schoolgirl.
He spent more than a month planning the trip and had packed his suitcases with cuddly toys and condoms, Luton Crown Court heard.
On an online forum and messaging apps, Shy described the 'unspeakable acts' he was planning in graphic detail to someone he believed to be the girl's grandmother.
But the grandmother, using the name Debbie, was in fact an online decoy created by an undercover officer from Bedfordshire Police.
In his messages, Shy described the girl as a 'tad late' in starting sexual activity at the age of nine, and said that it was an 'honour' to be considered 'her first', the court heard.
He flew to Gatwick on Feb 23 last year then drove to Bedford to meet the undercover officer, and was promptly arrested.
His lawyers tried to claim that as he was in the US at the time of the messaging, he was jurisdictionally exempt from prosecution in the UK.
But the Crown Prosecution Service successfully argued that English courts have jurisdiction to try offences committed abroad that are intended to result in criminal offences in England.
During the trial, the court heard Shy, after arriving in Britain, tried to delete the 'depraved messages' he had sent.
Other messages retrieved from his phone revealed he had discussed his sexual interest in children with others.
A cache of indecent images of children were discovered on his phone by police.
Officers also found several cuddly toys and condoms within Shy's luggage after his arrest.
The prosecution argued the items demonstrated 'a clear intent to win the child over' before abusing her.
On Wednesday, Shy was jailed for 11 years and six months after being found guilty of arranging the commission of a child sex offence – namely rape – and possessing indecent photographs of a child.
Shy was previously employed at banking group Citi, and had worked in a senior role at the US treasury department from 2008 to 2014, advising officials on countering the financing of terrorism and assisting foreign governments to impose sanctions on hostile regimes, the Daily Mail reported at the time of his arrest.
A spokesman from Citi said that Shy was no longer an employee following his arrest.
Shy was also deployed to Afghanistan to provide expertise to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), set up to maintain stability following the America-led invasion of the country.
According to a LinkedIn page, he provided ISAF with counter-terrorist finance expertise, and went on to present the US's strategy on Afghanistan to a congressional hearing in 2010.
Lorraine Telford, of the CPS, said: 'Rahamim Shy is a predator who was fully prepared to commit unspeakable acts against a child for his own sexual gratification.
'It was clear from his explicit conversations and items he brought to England that he had only one intention, to commit rape against what he knew was a vulnerable child.
'The fact the child in this case did not exist makes no difference, and it is a credit to the police operation and subsequent prosecution that Shy will no longer pose an immediate threat.
'All children have the right to feel safe and protected, and I hope this conviction sends a clear message that the CPS, working closely alongside law enforcement, will relentlessly pursue justice and prosecute those who seek to sexually exploit children.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NATO jets scramble three times to intercept Russian aircraft over Baltic Sea
Fighter jets conducting NATO's air policing mission in the Baltic states scrambled three times last week to identify and escort Russian aircraft violating flight regulations. Source: Lithuanian Ministry of Defence, as reported by European Pravda Details: The ministry reported that NATO air policing jets were scrambled on 3 June to identify two Su-30SM aircraft. The same day, NATO jets also took off to identify a Su-33 fighter jet and a Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft flying in international airspace from mainland Russia. On 4 June, NATO fighters were again scrambled to identify two Su-30SM jets flying in international airspace from and later returning to Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. All of the mentioned Russian aircraft were flying without flight plans and without radio contact with the regional area control centre (RFC). Tensions in the Baltic Sea area remain high due to instances of illegal reconnaissance and suspected sabotage activities. Background: In one week alone in May, NATO jets stationed in the Baltic states were scrambled four times to identify and escort Russian aircraft violating flight rules. At that time, it was also reported that Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Su-24 bomber over the Baltic Sea in international airspace. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump's new travel ban: Which countries are on the list? Who's exempt? How are people reacting?
President Trump's sweeping new travel ban went into effect on Monday, barring citizens of 12 countries from visiting the United States and imposing restrictions on those from seven others. In a video message last week announcing the ban, Trump cited national security concerns, claiming that foreigners who were not properly vetted posed a terror risk. "We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,' Trump said. The president also cited the recent attack in Boulder, Colo., by a man who allegedly shouted 'Free Palestine' and threw Molotov cocktails into a crowd of people calling for the release of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. 'The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colo., has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas,' Trump said. 'We don't want them.' The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was arrested and charged with a hate crime. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Soliman is from Egypt and had overstayed a tourist visa. Egypt is not among the countries included in Trump's new travel ban. The ban, which went into effect Monday at 12:01 a.m. ET, prohibits foreign nationals from the following countries from entering the U.S.: Afghanistan Chad Republic of Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Myanmar (Burma) Somalia Sudan Yemen It imposes partial restrictions on foreign nationals from the following countries: Burundi Cuba Laos Sierra Leone Togo Turkmenistan Venezuela There are numerous groups of people who are exempt from Trump's new travel ban. They include: Any lawful permanent resident of the United States. Dual citizens, or U.S. citizens who also have citizenship of one of the banned countries. Athletes and their coaches traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup, Olympics or other major sporting events determined by the U.S. secretary of state. Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders who worked for the U.S. government or its allies during the war in Afghanistan. Children adopted by U.S. citizens. Diplomats and foreign government officials or representatives of international organizations and NATO on official visits. Foreign national employees of the U.S. government who have served abroad for at least 15 years, their spouses and children. Individuals with U.S. family members who apply for visas in connection to their spouses, children or parents. Iranians belonging to an ethnic or religious minority who are fleeing prosecution. Refugees who were granted asylum or admitted to the U.S. before the ban. Those traveling to the United Nations headquarters in New York solely on official business. The announcement angered humanitarian groups working to resettle refugees. 'President Trump's new travel ban is discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel,' Amnesty International USA said in a statement posted to X. 'By targeting people based on their nationality, this ban only spreads disinformation and hate.' "This policy is not about national security,' Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, said in a statement. 'It is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States." 'To include Afghanistan — a nation whose people stood alongside American service members for 20 years — is a moral disgrace,' Shawn VanDiver, president and board chairman of #AfghanEvac, said in a statement. 'It spits in the face of our allies, our veterans, and every value we claim to uphold.' The African Union Commission released a statement expressing concern about 'the potential negative impact' of the ban on educational exchange, commerce and engagement and the 'broader diplomatic relations that have been carefully nurtured over decades.' The commission said it 'respectfully calls upon the U.S. Administration to consider adopting a more consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned.' The new travel ban is similar to the one Trump imposed in January 2017, his first month in office. That ban restricted travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. (Syria and Iraq are not included on the new list.) It went into effect via an executive order with virtually no notice, causing chaos at airports nationwide and prompting numerous legal challenges. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a version of it in 2018. Stephen Vladeck, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, told the New York Times that the new ban is more likely to withstand legal scrutiny. 'They seem to have learned some lessons from the three different rounds of litigation we went through during the first Trump administration,' Vladeck said. 'But a lot will depend upon how it's actually enforced.'
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
NATO chief calls for ‘quantum leap' in defense and says Russia could attack in 5 years
LONDON (AP) — NATO members need to increase their air and missile defenses by 400% to counter the threat from Russia, the head of the military alliance said Monday, warning that Moscow could be ready to attack it within five years. Secretary-General Mark Rutte said during a visit to London that he expects the 32 NATO members to agree to a big hike in military spending at a summit in the Netherlands this month. Speaking at the Chatham House think tank, Rutte said Russia is outpacing the far bigger NATO in producing ammunition, and the alliance must take a 'quantum leap' in collective defense. 'Wishful thinking will not keep us safe,' Rutte said. 'We cannot dream away the danger. Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance.' Rutte has proposed a target of 3.5% of economic output on military spending and another 1.5% on 'defense-related expenditure' such as roads, bridges, airfields and sea ports. He said he is confident the alliance will agree to the target at its summit in The Hague on June 24-25. At the moment, 22 of the 32 members meet or exceed NATO's current 2% target, which was set in 2014. Rutte said he expects all to reach 2% by the end of this year. The new target would meet a demand by U.S. President Donald Trump that member states spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense. Trump has long questioned the value of NATO and complained that the U.S. provides security to European countries that don't contribute enough. Rutte said he agreed that 'America has carried too much of the burden for too long.' Rutte said NATO needs thousands more armored vehicles and millions more artillery shells, as well as a 400% increase in air and missile defense. 'We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,' he said. 'Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years,' Rutte added. 'We are all on the eastern flank now.' Rutte also held talks Monday with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and praised the U.K.'s commitment to increase defense spending as 'very good stuff.' Starmer has pledged to boost military spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027 and to 3% by 2034. Like other NATO members, the U.K. has been reassessing its defense spending since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. European NATO members, led by the U.K. and France, have scrambled to coordinate their defense posture as Trump transforms American foreign policy , seemingly sidelining Europe as he looks to end the war in Ukraine. Last week the U.K. government said it would build new nuclear-powered attack submarines, prepare its army to fight a war in Europe and become 'a battle-ready, armor-clad nation.' The plans represent the most sweeping changes to British defenses since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than three decades ago. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
