Latest news with #FBI
Fox News
6 minutes ago
- Fox News
Who is Benjamin Song? New details emerge about anti-ICE suspect captured after major Texas manhunt
Benjamin Song, who was captured by the FBI in Dallas on Tuesday afternoon for his alleged role in an anti-ICE Texas attack on Independence Day, was previously sued over his alleged involvement in an Antifa protester that resulted in assault charges in 2023. The Federal Bureau of Investigation spent over a week trying to hunt down Benjamin Song, 32, for his alleged role in the Alvarado, Texas, attack targeting ICE agents, which left a local police officer shot in the neck and cars vandalized. The police officer is expected to recover. A $25,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest and conviction. "The FBI has worked tirelessly to arrest everyone associated with the shooting at the Prairieland Detention Center," FBI Dallas Field Office Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said. "We would like to thank all the entities that publicized this case and assisted in our efforts to successfully locate Benjamin Song." There were ten suspects already facing federal charges for the attempted murder of federal officers and for "discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence." Song is now facing the same charges. Song is a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, and the FBI warned during the manhunt that he should be considered "armed and dangerous." Song was mentioned as an alleged member of an Antifa group in a 2023 lawsuit after three people protesting a drag queen brunch near Fort Worth, Texas, were assaulted by the members, according to the Post Millennial. According to KERA News, Song was part of the Elm Fork Brown Gun Club that was both counter-protesting and doing security at the event, with the outlet reporting that they wore face coverings. The group made headlines at the time for its Fort Worth counter-protest, including Rolling Stone, as those protesting were part of a Christian nationalist group. Song's father is Tailim Song, a registered Democrat and partner at the Dallas-based law firm, Song Whiddon PLLC, according to online records reviewed by Fox News Digital. His law firm bio says he "has been handling and trying cases for more than 20 years" and "has represented businesses and individuals across a wide variety of industries and practice areas, including litigation, real estate, land use, zoning, manufacturing, intellectual property, technology…environmental, aviation, consumer products, insurance, entertainment, transportation, medical devices, oil and gas, and renewable energy." His bio goes on to say that he is a member of the "Dallas Asian American Cultural Center, Friends' Committee" and is a former commissioner of the Cultural Affairs Commission in Dallas, among other professional memberships. Song's mom is Hope Song, the program director of an Arlington, Texas, martial arts studio called Sentinel Martial Arts, according to online records reviewed by Fox News Digital. An archived webpage of her bio says she is a 4th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and "oversees the implementation of all in-house and off-site programming," which includes "seminars and classes at local learning centers, schools, churches, camps and clubs; and coordination of special events, festivals, demonstrations and performances." Her bio also says she likes to empower young girls and women with self-defense classes to help them stay safe amid bullying and other potential dangers. In addition to Song, a twelfth suspect, Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada, is also facing conspiracy to tamper evidence charges. He is reportedly the husband of one of the alleged attackers. He was granted a green card under the Biden administration and is a prior recipient of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Some of the suspects charged in the Independence Day incident met in an online chat group on Signal, and court records show it could have been worse. A July 7 criminal complaint filed by the U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas alleges that assailants shot 20 to 30 rounds from an AR-15-style rifle before it jammed, causing it to malfunction, on Independence Day. Investigators continued on Tuesday to look into how the suspects were linked, including through a possible Signal group chat. Court records revealed extensive planning as well as anti-government literature obtained in an apartment tied to a suspect, including literature entitled "Organising for Attack! Insurrectionary Anarchy." Another suspect allegedly had flyers in his backpack with "Fight ICE terror with class war!" and "Free all political prisoners." Cars in the parking lot were spray-painted with "Ice pig" and "traitor." Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI as well as Song's parents.
Time of India
7 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bombshell letter claims Governor Walz's involvement as Vance Boelter is indicted for politically motivated killings of Melissa and Mark Hortman
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday(July 15) filed murder and stalking charges against Vance Boelter, 57, in connection with a politically motivated attack that left two prominent Minnesota political figures dead and two others critically wounded. Boelter is accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman , and of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, at their Champlin home during the early morning hours of June 14. The attack, which prosecutors say was premeditated and politically motivated, has shaken lawmakers across the country. 'Vance Boelter planned and carried out a night of terror that shook Minnesota to its core,' said Acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson. 'He carried out targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 이 게임은 대부분의 TV 프로그램보다 더 재미있어요 – 게다가 무료예요. Raid: Shadow Legends 플레이하기 Undo According to the indictment, Boelter was found with multiple firearms, tactical gear, and a list of dozens of elected officials, including Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Michigan Reps. Inside his vehicle, authorities discovered five firearms, including assault-style rifles and a 9mm pistol, along with law enforcement-grade body armor and emergency lights. The letter Live Events A two-page handwritten letter found in Boelter's abandoned car has stunned investigators and fueled political outrage. Addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel, the letter contains rambling, conspiratorial accusations, including a claim that Gov. Tim Walz directed Boelter to assassinate Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Tina Smith to secure political power. 'Tim Walz wanted me to kill Amy Klobuchar,' Boelter wrote, also alleging covert 'off-the-books' military assignments in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Boelter claimed he refused Walz's request and was threatened in return: 'He said he would hurt my family if I didn't play ball.' Prosecutors dismissed the letter as delusional, but confirmed its authenticity. 'The letter is filled with pure fantasy,' a Justice Department spokesperson said. 'Boelter acted alone, driven by political extremism.' Boelter was apprehended without incident after a two-day manhunt in Green Isle, Minnesota. Officials say he had been preparing for a standoff and living in near-seclusion. Hoffman and his wife were seriously wounded in the attack but survived. The couple had been shielding their daughter during the shooting, authorities said. The Hortmans were killed less than two hours later at their home in Brooklyn Park. The shootings drew national condemnation and renewed concerns over politically motivated violence. Former President Joe Biden paid his respects as the Hortmans lay in state at the Minnesota Capitol. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who had met with Melissa Hortman just hours before her death, called the killings a 'wake-up call' on the dangers of violent political rhetoric. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether they will pursue the death penalty. Boelter appeared in federal court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. A grand jury indicted him on charges of murder, attempted murder, stalking, and firearm violations. 'Today, a grand jury indicted Boelter with the most serious of federal charges for these heinous political assassinations,' Thompson said. 'Let me be clear: Boelter will see justice.'
Al Jazeera
20 minutes ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump says ‘credible' Epstein files should be released amid MAGA outrage
United States President Donald Trump has expressed support for the release of 'credible' files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein amid outrage among his supporters over his administration's handling of the case. Trump said on Tuesday that US Attorney General Pam Bondi should disclose 'whatever she thinks is credible' about the government's investigations into Epstein as he sought to quash a growing backlash on the political right. 'She's handled it very well, and it's going to be up to her,' Trump, who last week encouraged supporters to move on from the case, told reporters at the White House in Washington, DC. 'Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.' Trump also claimed the so-called Epstein films were 'made up' by former US Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and former FBI director James Comey, despite his administration's role in publicising their existence. Trump later on Tuesday repeated his support for the release of 'credible' information, even as he expressed disbelief over the continuing fascination with the 'sordid' but 'boring' case. 'Credible information – let them give it,' he said. 'I would say anything that's credible, let them have it.' Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement has been up in arms since the release of a law enforcement memo last week that concluded that Epstein died by suicide and there was no credible evidence that he possessed a 'client list' or blackmailed powerful figures. Epstein, who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges, has for years been the source of lurid theories and speculation, including that he was murdered and used sexual blackmail to compromise powerful figures on behalf of intelligence agencies. Theorising about Epstein has been particularly frenzied in MAGA circles, which campaigned for Trump's re-election in the belief he would expose the full extent of the late financier's crimes and those of his elite connections. Since the release of the joint US Department of Justice and FBI memo contradicting the most popular theories about Epstein, prominent MAGA followers have accused the Trump administration of breaking its promises and joining a cover-up aimed at protecting Epstein's associates, possibly including the president himself. 'I want to make this very clear to those on the right, including the president himself, who are telling us to just drop the subject and move on,' conservative commentator Matt Walsh said on his podcast on Tuesday. 'We can't drop it. We can't move on.' Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, on Tuesday became the most powerful Trump ally yet to add to his voice to calls for greater transparency. 'We should put everything out there and let the people decide,' Johnson said in an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, adding that Bondi needed to 'come forward and explain it to everybody'.
Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Accused Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter indicted on federal murder charges over Democrat shootings
A man indicted Tuesday on charges he fatally shot the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband, and wounded another lawmaker and his wife, confessed to the crimes in a rambling handwritten letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, but didn't say why he targeted the couples, prosecutors said. Vance Boelter also wrote in the letter that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz had approached him about killing the state's two US senators, fellow Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. Asked by a reporter if all that was a fantasy, acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson replied: 'Yes, I agree.' 'There is little evidence showing why he turned to political violence and extremism,' Thompson said. 'What he left were lists: politicians in Minnesota, lists of politicians in other states, lists of names of attorneys at national law firms.' The indictment handed up murder, stalking and firearms charges against Boelter. The murder counts in the deaths of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, could carry the federal death penalty. The indictment also charged Boelter with shooting and wounding a state senator and his wife, and attempting to shoot their adult daughter. Thompson said a decision on whether to seek the death penalty 'will not come for several months' and will be up to US Attorney General Pam Bondi. Minnesota abolished its state death penalty in 1911, but President Donald Trump's administration says it intends to be aggressive in seeking capital punishment for eligible federal crimes. Prosecutors initially charged Boelter with the same six counts, but under federal court rules they needed a grand jury indictment to take the case to trial. His arraignment, where he could enter a plea, will probably be scheduled for later in the week, Thompson said Boelter's federal defender, Manny Atwal, did not immediately return messages seeking comment on the indictment and the new allegations. Thompson also disclosed new details at a news conference. He said investigators had found the handwritten letter, which was addressed to the FBI chief, in a car Boelter abandoned near his home. 'In the letter, Vance Boelter claims that he had been trained by the U.S. military off the books and he had conducted missions on behalf of the U.S. military in Asia, the Middle East and Africa,' Thompson said. The letter doesn't specifically say though why he targeted the Hortmans and Hoffmans. Friends have described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views who had been struggling to find work. At a hearing on July 3, Boelter said he was 'looking forward to the facts about the 14th coming out.' In an interview published by the New York Post on Saturday, Boelter insisted the shootings had nothing to do with his opposition to abortion or his support for Trump, but he declined to discuss why he allegedly killed the Hortmans and wounded the Hoffmans. 'You are fishing and I can´t talk about my case...I´ll say it didn´t involve either the Trump stuff or pro life,' Boelter wrote in a message to the newspaper via the jail´s messaging system. Boelter also faces state murder and attempted murder charges in Hennepin County, but the federal case will go first. Prosecutors say Boelter, 57, who has lived in rural Sibley County south of Minneapolis, was disguised as a police officer, driving a fake squad car, wearing a realistic rubber mask and wearing tactical gear around 2am on June 14 when he went to the home of Senator John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin. He allegedly shot the senator nine times, and Yvette Hoffman eight times, but they survived. He also allegedly tried to kill their adult daughter, Hope, but they pushed her out of the way and she was not hit. Prosecutors allege he then stopped at the homes of two other lawmakers. One wasn't home while a police officer may have scared him off from the other target. Boelter then allegedly went to the Hortmans' home in nearby Brooklyn Park and killed both of them. Their dog was so gravely injured that he had to be euthanized. Brooklyn Park police, who had been alerted to the shootings of the Hoffmans, arrived at the Hortman home around 3:30am, moments before the gunman opened fire on the couple, court documents said. Boelter allegedly fled and left behind his car, which contained notebooks listing dozens of Democratic officials as potential targets with their home addresses, as well as five guns and a large quantity of ammunition. Thompson said the gun used to shoot the Hoffmans was found near the Hortman home, while the gun used to shoot the Hortmans was recovered from a pond near their home a few days later. Law enforcement officers finally captured Boelter about 40 hours later, about a mile from his rural home in Green Isle, after what authorities called the largest search for a suspect in state history. Senator Hoffman is out of the hospital and is now at a rehabilitation facility, his family announced last week, adding he has a long road to recovery. Yvette Hoffman was released a few days after the attack. Hope Hoffman said in a statement Tuesday that she was relieved that Boelter will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 'Though I was not shot physically, I will now forever coexist with the PTSD of watching my parents be nearly shot dead in front of me and seeing my life flash before my eyes with a gun in my face,' she said. Hortman led the House from 2019 until January and was a driving force as Democrats passed an ambitious list of liberal priorities in 2023. She yielded the speakership to a Republican in a power-sharing deal after the November elections left the House tied, and she took the title speaker emerita.
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Jeffrey Epstein prison video metadata reveals nearly 3 minutes of footage removed by FBI
Metadata analysis reveals that nearly three minutes of footage were removed from surveillance video the Department of Justice and FBI described as "full raw" footage from Jeffrey Epstein's prison cell the night before his death. The video was released last week as part of the Trump administration's investigation into Epstein's 2019 death. However, technical analysis shows the footage was edited in Adobe Premiere Pro from two video files, contradicting Justice Department claims about its unedited nature. Also read: Epstein files: Donald Trump says justice department must release all information FBI edited Jeffrey Epstein prison video before release Analysis of the video's metadata shows one source clip was approximately 2 minutes and 53 seconds longer than the segment included in the final video. The footage appears to have been trimmed before public release. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo The nearly three-minute discrepancy may relate to the widely reported one-minute gap between 11:58:58 pm and 12:00:00 am that Attorney General Pam Bondi attributed to a nightly system reset. Metadata confirms the first video file, showing footage from August 9, 2019, continued for several minutes beyond what appears in the final version. The file was trimmed to the 11:58:58 pm mark, right before the jump to midnight. Surveillance video assembly details revealed through metadata The metadata shows the file was created at 4:48 pm and last modified at 8:16 pm ET on May 23, 2025. The editing process occurred over more than three and a half hours, with multiple saves during assembly. Live Events Two clips labeled "2025-05-22 and "2025-05-22 were stitched together. The first clip runs 4 hours, 19 minutes, and 16 seconds, but only the first 4 hours, 16 minutes, and 23.368 seconds appears in the published version. Also read: With Epstein conspiracy theories, Trump faces a crisis of his own making The metadata references "MJCOLE~1," likely a shortened version of a longer username beginning with "MJCOLE." The full name cannot be determined from available metadata. Justice Department claims video shows complete surveillance footage The footage was released amid political tension over Epstein's death. Trump allies had speculated about disclosure of explosive new evidence, but DOJ and FBI stated no "incriminating 'client list'" exists and reaffirmed Epstein died by suicide. In response to detailed questions about video assembly, the Department of Justice referred inquiries to the FBI. The FBI declined to comment on the metadata analysis. Video forensics experts confirm editing occurred The analysis was provided by an anonymous researcher and reviewed by two independent video forensics experts with over 15 years of experience in Premiere and video production. Both experts confirmed the edit occurred just before the missing minute mark. The FBI released both "raw" and enhanced versions of the video. Both versions include internal comment markers, annotations typically used in editing software to flag moments of interest. Metropolitan Correctional Center surveillance system limitations According to a 2023 DOJ Office of the Inspector General report, only two cameras near the Special Housing Unit where Epstein was held were filming at the time of his death. The camera that recorded the released footage captured video of the SHU common area and parts of stairways leading to various tiers. Also read: Trump defends Attorney General Pam Bondi amid backlash over Epstein files The OIG report notes the MCC's surveillance system was outdated, "had not been properly maintained," and DVR hard drives "frequently malfunctioned and needed to be replaced." Anyone entering or attempting to access the tier containing Epstein's cell from the SHU common area would have been visible on the camera. However, Epstein's cell door was not within the camera's field of view. Trump defends Attorney General Bondi amid criticism President Donald Trump defended Bondi on Saturday, July 12, following criticism about the video release. "What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein."
