He burned alive on his 10th birthday. The landlord is going to prison.
The licensed attorney and D.C. landlord apologized for the fire that killed 10-year-old Yafet Solomon and 40-year-old Fitsum Kebede, saying that he was 'very sorry for their deaths' and 'did not mean to cause them harm.'
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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Family of Kurd executed by Iran deny allegations linking him with Mossad
Iran's judiciary has executed Kurdish porters under charges including "moharebeh" (enmity against God), and "efsad-e fel-arz" (corruption on earth). Iran's judiciary ordered the execution of three Kurdish porters on the day the ceasefire between Israel and Iran was announced, BBC's Farsi site reported on Friday, quoting the family of one of the three, who insisted that he was innocent. According to the report, the three were arrested two years ago on charges of collaborating with the Mossad by allegedly smuggling equipment to be used in the assassinations of Iranian officials. The judiciary is continuing arrests of dozens of Afghan refugees, Kurdish porters, and Iranian citizens on charges including "moharebeh" (enmity against God), and "efsad-e fel-arz" (corruption on earth), both of which can carry the death penalty. "If someone is even slightly guilty, would they go on their own feet to a place where they know they will be arrested? He was innocent," the cousin of one of those executed claimed. The daughter of one of the executed porters is asking for the autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq to assist in bringing her father's body home. His family reportedly stated that they will not believe their relative was executed until they see his body. However, the KRG told the BBC that they have not received a formal request to assist in returning the body. Kurdish porters often work across the border between KRG and Iran, transporting goods that are usually pre-packaged. The porters do not open the packages because Iranian buyers will only accept unopened goods, BBC reported. "Even if the Islamic Republic's claim is true, and these porters were transporting equipment for Mossad, Mossad would never tell them that it is for an assassination. Mossad can hide explosives in a pager, so it certainly can hide them in cigarette or perfume boxes," BBC cited a KRG security official as saying. "We have no evidence that equipment has been smuggled from Kurdistan to Iran. Mossad has high-level influence in Iran and doesn't need porters in border villages," the official added. According to the report, the three Kurds were alleged to have been transporting equipment used by Mossad to assassinate nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Human rights organizations speak out against Iranian execution Human rights organizations are concerned that the executions were an attempt to "terrorize the population" of Iran rather than to punish the actual perpetrators of any crimes, following Israel's airstrikes in June. The three Kurds were executed "without a fair trial and based on confessions extracted under torture," BBC cited Director of Iran Human Rights, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, as saying. Activists also condemned the executions as "rushed and unjust." Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
5 days ago
- New York Post
Theme park fraudsters duped widower, 91, out of $60M by convincing him God was ‘commanding him' to fund it: suit
They took him for a ride. A devoutly religious 91-year-old widow was bamboozled into dumping $60 million into an Oklahoma theme park by alleged fraudsters — who posed as God and 'commanded him' to fork over his cash for the failed project, according to a new lawsuit. Gene Bicknell, a wealthy former Florida businessman, was 'tricked' into sinking his fortune into the American Heartland Theme Park in Vinita by three park officials, two of whom sent him hundreds of text messages posing as the big man upstairs and other religious figures, according to a lawsuit filed July 25. 4 A devoutly religious 91-year-old widow alleges he was 'tricked' into sinking his fortune into the American Heartland Theme Park by park officials posing as the big man upstairs and other religious figures. American Heartland 4 According to the court papers, they ultimately constructed nothing more than a gravel road and a fence. Andy Dossett / Examiner-Enterprise / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The years-long scheme of 'psychological manipulation' was allegedly carried out by Missouri-based preacher Larry Wilhite and supposed entertainment industry executives Richard Silanskas and Stephen Hedrick, according to the lawsuit, filed in Oklahoma federal court. 'AWAKE MY CHILD. THIS IS A DAY OF GREAT DECISION AND URGENCY,' declares one of the messages, supposedly sent from God on May 2, 2022. 'This mission will not tolerate anything but ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE,' it read, allegedly ordering Bicknell to hand over millions for the theme park. 'I AM INSTRUCTING YOU TO EMPTY THE STOREHOUSES AND ACCELERATE THIS MISSION WITHOUT DELAY,' it proclaimed. Previous 1 of 6 Next Advertisement The messages received by Bicknell. Northern District Court of Oklahoma The messages received by Bicknell. Northern District Court of Oklahoma Advertisement The messages received by Bicknell. Northern District Court of Oklahoma Message from Bicknell. Northern District Court of Oklahoma Advertisement More messages purportedly from 'God' followed, prompting Bicknell — a former Pizza Hut franchise owner from a 'humble' upbringing — to begin spending millions on land for the 1,000-acre theme park, which was initially designed to rival Disney destinations, according to the lawsuit. 'For years, those electronic messages preyed upon Gene's devout Christian faith and admonished [him] to obey 'God's' will without doubts or second-guessing,' the suit states. 4 The 1,000-acre theme park was initially designed to rival Disney destinations, according to the lawsuit. American Heartland 4 The park was initially scheduled to open in 2026 and has been delayed until at least 2028, according to reports. Business Wire via AP Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! 'Silanskas and Wilhite made Gene believe that God Himself was commanding Gene to infuse ever more cash into the Project.' But after years of allegedly fleecing the elderly man out of more than $60 million and spending some of the dough on 'themselves and their family members,' they ultimately constructed nothing more than a gravel road and a fence, the court papers state. The alleged scam caused Bicknell to suffer 'severe emotional distress' and 'a stroke,' according to the lawsuit, which seeks a jury trial and an unspecified monetary damages. The theme park officials ultimately 'operated a criminal enterprise that defrauded Bicknell and duped him into sinking his remaining fortune,' according to the suit. The stalled $2 billion theme park project — which was slated to include a modern indoor water park and an RV area, hotel and cabins — was initially scheduled to open in 2026 and has been delayed until at least 2028, according to reports. A lawyer for Bicknell declined to comment Wednesday. Wilhite, Silanskas and Hedrick couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Yahoo
KINSELLA: Canada to recognize Palestinian state despite Hamas' atrocities?
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT A Thai man is lying on the ground. He seems to be bleeding from a gunshot wound to his chest. The man moves his arms, a bit. A Gazan man, one not in a Hamas uniform, takes a hoe, and starts hacking at the man's neck, over and over. It makes a thick, crunching sound every time it lands. It is apparent the Gazan is trying to behead the Thai man, who came to Israel to work on a farm. 'God is great!' he shrieks, over and over, as he brings down the blade on the man's neck. Not far away, at yellow metal gate leading to the Be'eri kibbutz — which is just up the road from the site of the Nova Music Festival — a man drives up in his car, waiting for the gate to slide open. Uniformed Hamas terrorists step out from some bushes and shoot the man. He's dead. His car slowly slides forward, and comes to rest against the gate. The terrorists fire off a few more rounds into the man's body, and then walk into the kibbutz. They creep past rows of single-story white homes, mostly silent. On the GoPro footage they are collecting, they can be heard whispering to each other: 'Where did they go?' They are looking for Jews to kill. At another kibbutz, security camera footage shows a man running out of his house, a boy in his arms, another boy rushing ahead of them. They had woken to the sounds of gunshots and screams, so they are in their underwear. They run into a fortified concrete bomb shelter. The shelter — like most of the shelters in Israel — doesn't have a door that locks from the inside. A minute or two later, a Hamas terrorist appears and throws a hand grenade into the shelter. The father is killed. The boys stagger back into their house, covered in blood, crying out for their father. The younger one says he can't see. He does not seem to have his eye anymore. 'We're going to die,' he says to his brother. At another kibbutz, a woman can be seen: She is dead. She is holding a dead child in her arms. They are in a dimly-lit room. Other dead children and adults can be seen, as well. The Hamas terrorists stand among the bodies, laughing and taking selfies. Periodically, they fire more bullets into the motionless bodies of the Israeli adults and children and cheer. Recommended video Another Hamas video shows the Hamas terrorists firing automatic weapons at cars carrying Israeli families. The windshields crack and shatter. The Hamas videos show sprays of blood and viscera, and the cars slow to a halt. The terrorists pull the Israelis out, and shoot them in their heads, which they do even when it is obvious the Israelis are already dead. The Hamas terrorists — and, sometimes, Gazan citizens — cheer and dance beside the bodies. There are many, many bodies. One video shows a girl, perhaps six or seven, her tiny frame covered in blood and dirt. She is wearing Mickey Mouse pyjamas. Hamas has killed her. There is the bloodied body of another girl, this one younger. She is still in a sun dress with little blue butterflies on it. At a bus stop in Sderot, which isn't far from the border with Gaza, a video shows piles of bodies of senior citizens. They had been on a sightseeing tour, and the terrorists killed them all. Their bodies are lying sprawled on the ground, among the canes and walkers and the dirt. There are glimpses of the bodies of women and girls, unclothed from the waist down, their legs bloody and spread wide. One has smoke rising from her genitals. There's audio, as well. There's intercepted phone calls to and from Hamas terrorists. One calls his parents in Gaza. 'Dad,' he said in Arabic, 'I'm talking from a Jewish woman's phone. I killed her and her husband. With my bare hands, Dad. Dad, I killed 10, 10 with my bare hands.' His mother comes on the line. 'Mom, your son is a hero! Kill kill kill them!' Another exchange, also caught on tape, captures another man's voice: 'Let history be my witness,' he said. 'That this was the first man I killed. The first one. A Jew. Give me a knife, I swear to you by God I will cut off his head.' In another audio recording, two terrorists can be heard talking about a dead Jew. 'Bring him and crucify him,' one says. One man laughs. 'We've totally slaughtered them.' There's more video footage and audio of the slaughter, most of it kept by Hamas itself. Thousands of Jews and non-Jews, shot — and dismembered, and raped, and tortured, and burned alive. Hundreds, even babies, kidnapped. Bodies and blood, everywhere. Gaza is ruled by Hamas, and Gaza is part of Palestine. And Hamas sent those men to Israel to do those terrible, horrible things. And, on Wednesday night, Canada said it would recognize Palestine as a state.
