Latest news with #USCitizen
CNA
22-05-2025
- CNA
Woman detained after shooting outside CIA headquarters
WASHINGTON: Security guards opened fire on a woman who drove toward the gates of the CIA's headquarters near Washington, DC on Thursday (May 22), ignoring orders to stop, and she was then taken into custody, according to a person familiar with the matter. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a check of public records showed the suspect, identified as a young US citizen, had a history of driving under the influence. A CIA spokesperson said earlier that security staff "engaged a person" outside the main gates and then arrested the suspect. The spokesperson declined to say whether gunfire struck the suspect. The source familiar with the matter also did not say whether the woman was hit, but that she was in stable condition after the incident, which occurred at around 4am (0800 GMT). NBC News reported earlier that the suspect was shot, citing a person with knowledge of the matter. The woman drove into the main entrance through the outbound lane, and when security guards tried to stop her, she evaded them and continued toward the gate, drawing their fire, the source told Reuters. The vehicle never entered the CIA compound, and no security officers were hurt, according to the source. The FBI was investigating the incident, the source said. The CIA closed the main gate at its Langley compound and directed employees to seek alternate routes. The shooting incident came after two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed by a lone gunman in downtown Washington on Wednesday night. The source said there was no sign of a connection between the two incidents. There have been other shootings over the years at or near the CIA compound. In May 2021, a man was shot by the FBI outside CIA headquarters when he got out of his car with a weapon after an hours-long standoff. He later died in hospital and was subsequently identified as Roy Gordon Cole. News reports said he was shot after getting out of his car brandishing a sword and that he had a history of apparent mental illness. In 1993 a Pakistani man angered by CIA involvement in Muslim countries killed two CIA employees outside the agency's headquarters. Mir Aimal Kasi was eventually executed in Virginia in 2002 after being captured by the FBI in Pakistan in 1997.
Asharq Al-Awsat
22-05-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Woman Detained after Shooting Outside CIA Headquarters
Security guards opened fire on a woman who drove toward the gates of the CIA's headquarters near Washington, D.C. on Thursday, ignoring orders to stop, and she was then taken into custody, according to a person familiar with the matter. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a check of public records showed the suspect, identified as a young US citizen, had a history of driving under the influence. A CIA spokesperson said earlier that security staff "engaged a person" outside the main gates and then arrested the suspect. The spokesperson declined to say whether gunfire struck the suspect. The source familiar with the matter also did not say whether the woman was hit but that she was in stable condition after the incident, which occurred at around 4 a.m. (0800 GMT). NBC News reported earlier that the suspect was shot, citing a person with knowledge of the matter. The woman drove into the main entrance through the outbound lane, and when security guards tried to stop her she evaded them and continued toward the gate, drawing their fire, the source told Reuters. The vehicle never entered the CIA compound, and no security officers were hurt, according to the source. The FBI was investigating the incident, the source said. The CIA closed the main gate at its Langley compound and directed employees to seek alternate routes. The shooting incident came after two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed by a lone gunman in downtown Washington on Wednesday night. The source said there was no sign of a connection between the two incidents.
Al Jazeera
20-05-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Venezuela frees US citizen in latest exchange with Trump administration
A United States citizen has been transferred to the US after being held for nearly six months in Venezuela. The family of US Air Force veteran Joseph St Clair confirmed his release on Tuesday, following his detention in November of last year. 'This news came suddenly, and we are still processing it, but we are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude,' St Clair's parents, Scott and Patti, said in a statement. US President Donald Trump's envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, later explained on social media that he had met with Venezuelan officials on the Caribbean island of Antigua to negotiate the release. Grenell credited St Clair's freedom to Trump's 'America First' political platform. 'Joe St. Clair is back in America,' he wrote. 'I met Venezuelan officials in a neutral country today to negotiate an America First strategy. This is only possible because [Trump] puts Americans first. ' Citing anonymous sources familiar with the negotiations, the Reuters news agency reported that Grenell discussed St Clair's case on Tuesday with Jorge Rodriguez, the president of Venezuela's National Assembly and an ally of President Nicolas Maduro. Reuters and another news agency, Bloomberg, both reported that a deal was struck to extend a licence for the US oil company Chevron to operate in Venezuela by 60 days. The Trump administration had previously announced it was revoking the licence in February, on the basis that Venezuela had not upheld its commitment to fair elections. The licence was due to end on May 27. Any extension will likely need the approval of the US Department of State and the US Treasury. The South American country relies on oil as the pillar of its economy. But since the mid-2010s, Venezuela has experienced an economic crisis that has pushed even basic supplies like food and medicine beyond what some families can afford. That, combined with alleged political repression, has prompted an exodus of nearly 7.9 million people out of Venezuela, according to the United Nations. In 2023, Venezuela committed to electoral reforms under the Barbados Agreement, a deal that the US applauded. Then-US President Joe Biden loosened restrictions on Venezuela's oil industry in the aftermath of the agreement. But Venezuela's presidential election on July 28, 2024 was widely criticised for its lack of transparency. While Maduro and his allies claimed he had won a third term, the electoral authorities did not provide any proof of his victory. Instead, the opposition coalition published voting tallies it said proved that its candidate had won by a landslide. That prompted widespread protests and a deadly crackdown from law enforcement. During his first term in office, from 2017 to 2021, Trump had pursued a campaign of 'maximum pressure' on Maduro's government, even offering a $15m bounty for information that led to the Venezuelan leader's arrest. But critics have pointed out that Trump may need Venezuela's cooperation to carry out his goal of 'mass deportation' during his second term. Since returning to office in January, Trump has signalled a willingness to negotiate with Maduro. In late January, he even sent Grenell to meet with Maduro in person in the capital of Caracas. Part of Grenell's directive was to ensure all detained Americans in the country were returned home. As Grenell left the country, he revealed he was returning with six Americans who had previously been imprisoned in Venezuela. In March, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio estimated that nine Americans remained in Venezuela's custody. Venezuela, for its part, has started to accept deportation flights from the US, although in the past it has refused to accept migrants removed from the US. St Clair's family has said that the military veteran was a language specialist who was seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in South America.
Washington Post
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Hamas says it will release U.S. hostage Edan Alexander from Gaza
Hamas said Sunday it is preparing to release Edan Alexander, the last known U.S. citizen hostage held alive in the Gaza Strip, as part of an effort to secure a ceasefire with Israel and after what it said were direct contacts with the Trump administration 'in the last few days.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Family of 2-year-old deported US citizen dismisses suit against Trump administration
The family of the 2-year-old U.S. citizen who was deported with her mother to Honduras last month, voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against the Trump administration, one of the attorneys who represents the family told ABC News. "Given the traumatizing experiences the families have been through, they are taking a step back to have full discussions about all their options, the safety and well-being of their children, and the best ways to proceed so the harms they have suffered can be fully addressed," attorney Gracie Willis said. "They are voluntarily dismissing this case to give themselves space and time to consider all the options that are available to them," she added. Last month, a federal judge said he had a strong suspicion that the Trump administration deported a 2-year-old U.S. citizen to Honduras "with no meaningful process." MORE: Trump administration deported 2-year old US citizen 'with no meaningful process,' judge says The U.S. citizen, identified in the filings as "V.M.L," was initially detained with her mother and sister, who both lacked legal status to be in the United States, at a routine immigration check-in in New Orleans last month. After the father of the 2-year-old learned that his family was detained, his lawyer called immigration officials to inform them that V.M.L. is a U.S. citizen and could not be deported, according to court documents. Before the court responded to the habeas petition and a motion for a temporary restraining order, the 2-year-old, along with her mother and sister, were deported to Honduras, according to court filings. In response to the motion, lawyers with the Department of Justice said it was in the best interest of the minor that she remain in legal custody of her mother and that she was not at "risk of irreparable harm because she is a U.S. citizen." U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty had scheduled a hearing in the case for May 16. "The ACLU dropped its lawsuit on the false claims that DHS deported a U.S. citizen," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on Saturday. MORE: Video Trump faces tough questions over upholding the US constitution "The truth is, and has always been, that the mother -- who was in the country illegally -- chose to bring her 2-year-old with her to Honduras when she was removed. The narrative that DHS is deporting American children is false and irresponsible," she added. Family of 2-year-old deported US citizen dismisses suit against Trump administration originally appeared on
