logo
Michigan AG Nessel provides details on raid in three Southeast Michigan communities

Michigan AG Nessel provides details on raid in three Southeast Michigan communities

CBS News25-04-2025

Michigan officials say search warrants that were carried out this week in multiple Southeast Michigan communities were related to vandalism that occurred at 12 locations over the last year.
Attorney General Dana Nessel's office confirmed that five search warrants, authorized by the 45th District Court, were executed at homes in Ann Arbor, Canton and Ypsilanti. Investigators forcibly breached one house to gain entry.
Officials estimate that the cost of damage is $100,000. Officials say no one was arrested and no charges were filed.
According to the AG's office, the warrants stemmed from an investigation of vandalism that occurred at the following locations:
Knollwood Country Club in West Bloomfield (Feb. 15, 2024)
Goodman Acker Law Firm in Southfield (June 3, 2024)
Rolls Royce Solutions America Inc. in Novi (June 30, 2024)
Maersk in Romulus (July 8, 2024)
Home of the University of Michigan's chief investment officer, Erik Lundberg (Oct. 7, 2024)
Home of University of Michigan President Santa Ono (Oct. 7, 2024)
Jewish Federation of Detroit in Bloomfield Hills (Nov. 27, 2024)
Home of a law enforcement officer in Ann Arbor (Nov. 27, 2024)
Home of University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker (Dec. 9, 2024)
Home of University of Michigan Provost Laurie McCauley (March 15, 2025)
Raymond James office in Plymouth (March 19, 2025)
Historic Jack Wilcox House in Plymouth (March 29, 2025)
TAHRIR Coalition, a group that was central to Gaza War divestment protests on the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus, claims these raids targeted pro-Palestinian protesters. The AG's office says the searches were unrelated to protests or encampments on U of M's campus.
The AG's office confirmed federal, state and local law enforcement agencies were involved in this operation, but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wasn't one of them.
Four people were put in handcuffs at their home in Ypsilanti, but the Nessel's office says law enforcement released them within 15 minutes and never arrested them.
Commander H. Eugene Rush with the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office issued a statement on Thursday:
"On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, several search warrants were conducted due to the ongoing criminal investigations by the Attorney General's Office. Immigration enforcement was not involved nor was the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office. We cannot provide more details at this time as this matter is being handled by the Attorney General's Office and we respectfully ask all questions and inquires be directed there."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

University of Michigan drops private security after reports of surveillance
University of Michigan drops private security after reports of surveillance

Chicago Tribune

timean hour ago

  • Chicago Tribune

University of Michigan drops private security after reports of surveillance

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan said it's cutting ties with a private security company that was accused of following pro-Palestinian activists on and off campus. The university said it found the actions of one security company employee 'disturbing, unacceptable and unethical.' It did not elaborate. 'Going forward, we are terminating all contracts with external vendors to provide plainclothes security on campus,' President Domenico Grasso said in a statement Sunday. In a Guardian story last week, students said they were surveilled around Ann Arbor. The news outlet posted video from a member of a Muslim group who decided to confront a man who was watching him from a car last summer. That man in turn yelled and accused him of trying to steal his wallet. Tensions have been high between the university and pro-Palestinian student groups. A student encampment stood for a month on campus last year before authorities shut it down citing safety issues. Seven people were charged with felonies related to the encampment's removal, though charges were dropped in May. The university, which has campus police, said it hired private security about a year ago to report suspicious activity in high-traffic areas, not to perform surveillance. 'No individual or group should ever be targeted for their beliefs or affiliations,' Grasso said.

Israel Draws Outrage For Seizing Gaza-Bound Aid Boat And Detaining Activists
Israel Draws Outrage For Seizing Gaza-Bound Aid Boat And Detaining Activists

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Israel Draws Outrage For Seizing Gaza-Bound Aid Boat And Detaining Activists

Israel is drawing fire from rights groups, activists and some politicians for seizing the Gaza-bound 'Freedom Flotilla' that carried humanitarian assistance, and forcibly detaining the boat's dozen civilians in international waters ― calling the move illegal and representative of the Israeli government's commitmentto destroying the Palestinian territory. The Israeli military seized the 'Madleen' in the middle of the night, about 120 miles from Gaza in international waters, and forcibly detained all 12 civilians from seven countries ― including climate activist Greta Thunberg and European Parliament member Rima Hassan. Footage from the boat carrying humanitarian aid showed those onboard in lifejackets with their hands up, and some of the activists recorded themselves giving updates on the matter until connection was severed. 'Israel has absolutely no authority to intercept and stop a boat like this, which carried humanitarian aid and, most than everything else, humanity to the people of Gaza,' said U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who was on the phone with the Madleen's captain during the boat's seizure. 'You know, there should be state navies breaking the siege instead of a boat of volunteers risking their life. But this is what we are left with – the humanity of these volunteers.' In the event of harm, each activist pre-recorded a videosaying they've been 'kidnapped' by Israel, and that they urge the public to pressure their home country's government to get them released and demand an end to the aid blockade. The Madleen was flying the flag of the United Kingdom, while the activists hail from France, Sweden, Turkey, Spain, Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands. 'Recalling the principle of freedom of navigation in international waters, Brazil urges the Israeli government to release the detained crew members. It further stresses the need for Israel to immediately remove all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Palestinian territory, in accordance with its obligations as an occupying power,' the Brazilian government said in a statement, adding that embassies in the region are ready to provide any necessary consular assistance. French President Emmanuel Macron said that the six French nationals who were on board the Madleen ― including Hassan ― be allowed to return 'as soon as possible,' according to AFP. Germany's ambassador to Israel also confirmed he is in touch with authorities and has offered consular assistance to its one citizen in the group, while the Turkish government condemned the seizure as a 'heinous attack' in international waters. In a change of tone from the other countries, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said Thunberg is not in any danger and therefore in no need of consular support, and implied that the detained civilians bear responsibility for setting sail to Gaza despite warnings from the Swedish government. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the Madleen has since arrived at the Ashdod port, where the passengers are being processed and transferred into the custody of Israeli authorities. The government released images of Thunberg and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila at what appears to be the dock, the first look at any of the activists since Israel seized what they called the 'Selfie Yacht.' 'He is a different human being. He is a good guy, he's a golden guy with a giant heart, and I get very concerned because he's my little brother,' Avila's sister Luana said in Portuguese through tears on Instagram. 'And I don't know what will happen to him. I hope that normal procedures will be followed and that there is loyalty at least in that, and [they] let him come home to us.' The activists are allegedly expected to be charged with entering Israel illegally ― despite being forcibly taken to the country ― and held in isolation at a detention facility in Ramleh unless they agree to leave immediately, in which case they may be able to fly out of Tel Aviv as early as Monday night. The U.K. said that it wants Israel to resolve the situation 'safely with restraint' and 'in line with international humanitarian law,' though continued to demand the free flow of aid into the territory. The Israeli government said it will send the Madleen's 'meager cargo' to Gaza, accusing Thunberg specifically of 'feeding [her] own ego' instead of feeding Palestinians. It should be noted that Israel has been widely accused of violating international humanitarian law by blocking almost all aid from entering Gaza and intentionally starving Palestinians as a form of collective punishment. 'The Madleen's mission emerged as a powerful symbol of solidarity with besieged, starved and suffering Palestinians amid persistent international inaction. However, this very mission is also an indictment of the international community's failure to put an end to Israel's inhumane blockade,' Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard said in a statement. Protesters around the world flooded the streets on Monday, calling on their governments to protect the detained activists and follow their lead in trying to break Israel's siege on Gaza. 'Israel's interception of the Madleen despite global calls for it to be granted safe passage underscores the longstanding impunity Israel enjoys which has emboldened it to continue to commit genocide in Gaza and to maintain a suffocating, illegal blockade on Gaza for 18 years,' she continued. 'Until we see real concrete steps by states worldwide signaling an end to their blanket support for Israel, it will have carte blanche to continue inflicting relentless death and suffering on Palestinians.'

Chinese PhD student from Wuhan arrested smuggling biological materials after deleting electronic evidence: DOJ
Chinese PhD student from Wuhan arrested smuggling biological materials after deleting electronic evidence: DOJ

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Chinese PhD student from Wuhan arrested smuggling biological materials after deleting electronic evidence: DOJ

A national from the People's Republic of China (PRC) has been arrested after allegedly smuggling biological materials into the U.S. and making false statements to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers about the contents of her packages. The Department of Justice said Chengxuan Han is charged with smuggling goods into the U.S. and making false statements. According to the complaint, Han is a citizen of the PRC who is working on her Ph.D. at the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. Han allegedly sent four packages to the U.S. from the PRC in 2024 and 2025, containing concealed biological material. The packages were sent to individuals at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. 'Coming For Us': Expert Sounds Alarm On Ccp's Mission To 'Kill Americans' After Fbi Makes Shocking Arrests Han arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Sunday on a J1 visa, when CBP officers conducted an inspection. Read On The Fox News App During the inspection, Han allegedly made false statements about the packages and the materials she previously shipped to the U.S. CBP officers also discovered the content of Han's electronic device had been deleted three days before she arrived in the U.S. After the inspection, FBI agents and agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) interviewed Han. During the interview, Han allegedly admitted to sending the packages and revealed they contained material related to round worms. She also allegedly confessed to making false statements to CBP officers during the inspection. "The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China—to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory—is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security," U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. said. "The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions." Chinese Official Claims No Knowledge Of Fungus Situation, Says China Requires Citizens 'Abide By Local Laws' Han's arrest comes on the same day another Chinese national, 42-year-old Shenghua Wen, pleaded guilty to federal crimes after he exported firearms, ammunition and other military items to North Korea, at the direction of North Korean government officials. Wen, a citizen of the People's Republic of China, came to the U.S. in 2012 on a student visa, where he remained illegally despite his visa expiring in December 2013. Before coming to the U.S., the DOJ said, Wen met with North Korean government officials at a North Korean Embassy in China. At the meeting, the officials directed Wen to obtain goods on behalf of North Korea. Foreign Nationals Charged Amid Trump Visa Crackdown For Scheme To Smuggle Us Military Equipment Into China Nearly 10 years later, North Korean government officials contacted Wen using an online messaging platform in 2022, instructing him to purchase and smuggle firearms, sensitive technology and ammunition, from the U.S. to North Korea via China. The DOJ said the plea agreement shows Wen shipped at least three containers of firearms from Port of Long Beach in California to China, which then went to North Korea, in 2023. He also took steps to hide that he was shipping firearms to North Korea illegally by falsifying information regarding the contents of the containers. Chinese National Smuggled Illegal Immigrants To American Territory As Us Sees Influx From Adversary Many of the firearms Wen sent to North Korea were purchased in Texas. He then drove the firearms to California, where he arranged to have them shipped. According to the DOJ, Wen purchased a firearms business in Houston in May 2023 using money from one of his contacts in North Korea. By December 2023, one of the shipments left Port of Long Beach and arrived in Hong Kong in January 2024. It was then transported from Hong Kong to Nampo, North Korea. Wen intended to send another shipment to North Korea containing about 60,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition in September, as requested by North Korean officials, the DOJ said. Former Us Army Intelligence Analyst Sentenced For Selling Sensitive Documents To Chinese National He also obtained sensitive technology with the intention of sending it to North Korea. The technology, the DOJ said, included a chemical threat identification device and a handheld broadband receiver that detects known, unknown, illegal, disruptive or interfering transmissions. The DOJ added that he also acquired or offered to acquire a civilian airplane engine and thermal imaging system that could be mounted on a drone or some other aircraft for reconnaissance and target identification. North Korean officials wired Wen about $2 million during the operation, to be used for obtaining firearms and other goods. Ultimately, he admitted during the plea agreement that he knew it was illegal to ship the items to North Korea, while also admitting to never having the necessary licenses to ship the ammunition, firearms and sensitive technology to North Korea. Wen also confessed to working at the direction of North Korean officials and did not provide notification to the Attorney General of the U.S. As part of the agreement, Wen faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for violating the IEEPA and 10 years for acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. article source: Chinese PhD student from Wuhan arrested smuggling biological materials after deleting electronic evidence: DOJ

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store