Latest news with #pro-Hamas
News18
4 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
LeT Terrorist Saifullah Khalid Plotting New Jihadist Front In Bangladesh, Warn Intel Sources
Last Updated: In his address in Pakistan on Wednesday, top LeT commander Saifullah Khalid portrayed Bangladesh as a land of oppressed Muslims and called for jihad against Hindus. Saifullah Khalid, a high-ranking Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and a key figure behind the Pahalgam terror attack, appeared at a public rally in Punjab, Pakistan, on Wednesday. According to top Intelligence sources, Khalid's speech at the event is being seen as a blueprint for destabilisation in the region. Intelligence sources indicate that by leveraging Lashkar-e-Taiba's state-supported infrastructure and the presence of Talha Saeed (Hafiz Saeed's son), Khalid aims to exploit political gaps in Bangladesh to initiate a new jihadist front. In his address, Saifullah Khalid portrayed Bangladesh as a land of oppressed Muslims and called for jihad against Hindus. His speech at the Milli Muslim League rally is considered a significant threat to Bangladesh. This threat combines ideological provocation with operational directives, as Khalid provided specific targets and advocated for jihad against India, Bangladesh, and Hindus. Intelligence sources confirm that Khalid also plans to establish terror infrastructure and a hospital in Allahabad in Pakistan's Kasur, aiming to recruit Bangladeshi youth by exploiting their socioeconomic grievances. Saifullah Khalid's support for Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) cadres in Bangladesh was evident in his speech. Recent arrests of JMB handlers in Pakistan have revealed their involvement in operations against Bangladesh. JMB has already demonstrated readiness for cross-border collaboration by organising pro-Hamas rallies in Dhaka. Intelligence sources note that Lashkar-e-Taiba supports JMB with training, funding, and logistical aid, facilitated by the ISI. As LeT's deputy chief, Khalid provides JMB with resources for attacks within Bangladesh and against Indian interests in the region. Sources say his speech indicates that Lashkar-e-Taiba aims to position itself as a defender of Islamic identity against secular oppression. This indicates that, as ISI's auxiliary team, they are prepared to establish a new front in Bangladesh with local terror groups. In the video widely shared on the internet, Khalid could be heard spewing venom against India, Hindus, and the Bharatiya Janata Party. He also referred to the Pakistani terrorists killed in India's 'Operation Sindoor' as 'martyrs". 'I was informed that there was a terrorist attack in India on April 22, and later I came to know that India had referred to me as the mastermind of the attack," Khalid said at the rally, adding, 'We are not going to be scared by bullet shots and firing, and we aspire to die as martyrs." Khalid is the deputy chief of LeT and is known to be close to Hafiz Saeed. reports say Khalid had reached Kanganpur in Punjab, Pakistan, two months before the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which, 26 non-Muslim tourists were shot dead by armed terrorists after being enquired about their religion. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Conservative legal experts slam latest Mahmoud Khalil ruling
A federal district judge on Wednesday said that the Trump administration's effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil may be unconstitutional, but some conservative legal experts are not buying it. Khalil is a pro-Palestine, anti-Israel activist who led protests at Columbia University. An immigration judge recently said he could be deported, but U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz for the District of New Jersey said that the order is likely to be dismissed as "unconstitutionally vague." Still, Khalil will remain in custody. "The district court held what we already knew: Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio's weaponization of immigration law to punish Mahmoud and others like him is likely unconstitutional," lawyers for Khalil said after the judge's ruling. Federal Judge Says Attempted Deportation Of Anti-israel Ringleader Mahmoud Khalil May Be Unconstitutional However, various conservative legal experts disagree with the judge. "A judge just handed Hamas a win on American soil. Mahmoud Khalil lied his way into our country, concealed ties to a foreign regime, and then led a pro-Hamas takeover at Columbia University. Now, a judicial activist wants to block his deportation? That's not justice — it's national suicide. President Trump has both the constitutional authority and the moral obligation to remove threats like Khalil," Republican attorney Mehek Cooke told Fox News Digital in a statement. Read On The Fox News App Click Here For More Immigration Coverage "The Supreme Court has made this power crystal clear. In Kleindienst v. Mandel (1972), the Court upheld the executive's broad discretion in immigration matters. That authority was reaffirmed in Trump v. Hawaii (2018), where the Court ruled that the President has sweeping power to exclude noncitizens deemed detrimental to U.S. interests," she continued. Anti-israel Ringleader Mahmoud Khalil's Free Speech Lawsuit Against Us Government Must Be Heard: Judge "By declaring the Immigration and Nationality Act 'unconstitutionally vague,' Judge Farbiarz isn't interpreting the law — he's rewriting it. That violates the separation of powers and dangerously ties the hands of our Commander in Chief. Citizenship is a privilege — not a sanctuary for liars and Hamas sympathizers. I am confident this will be overturned on appeal," Cooke added. Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said it is a "ridiculous, meritless claim by a rogue federal judge," and said that even though Kahlil is a legal resident of the U.S., he can still face consequences. "Aliens have no constitutional right to be in the U.S. Moreover, under federal immigration law, 8 U.S.C. 1227, aliens like Khalil, including permanent resident aliens, can be removed if the alien 'endorses or espouses terrorist activity' or support 'a terrorist organization.' Khalil's blatant support for Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, makes him immediately deportable. This is another biased, partisan judge refusing to abide by federal immigration law and interfering in the president's constitutional and statutory authority," he told Fox News Digital in a statement. Lawyers For Columbia Anti-israel Activist Mahmoud Khalil Blast Rubio Evidence Letter: 'Two Pages, That's It' The White House also condemned the ruling, continuing its frequent clashes with federal judges over immigration policy. "Mahmoud Khalil was given the privilege of coming to America to study, but he squandered that opportunity by siding with Hamas terrorists and organizing protests that disrupted college classes and harassed Jewish-American students. Secretary of State Rubio has the right to revoke green cards or visas for any individuals who are adversarial to United States foreign policy and national security interests," Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement. Fox News' Anders Hagstrom and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this article source: Conservative legal experts slam latest Mahmoud Khalil ruling
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Harvard graduate criticizes university for fighting Trump more than antisemitism
Harvard alumnus Jonathan Harounoff told Fox News Digital on Thursday that Harvard is putting more effort into fighting against the Trump administration than addressing antisemitism on campus. "I think it's part of an increasing trend of the university putting all of its resources and force and weight behind fighting against the White House and… spending much less time fighting against antisemitism and the problems that have got the university to where we are now," Harounoff told Fox News Digital. Harounoff, Israel's international spokesperson to the United Nations, reacted to President Donald Trump's feud with Harvard amid the administration's crackdown on antisemitism and allegedly harboring pro-Hamas sentiments on the Ivy League school's campus. Trump Accuses Harvard Of Being 'Very Slow' To Turn Over Foreign Student Info Harounoff said Harvard should not be a place for endorsing violence and harboring students or employees who have "very unambiguous terrorist sympathies." "I suspect that the reason why Harvard is pushing back is just because it wants to protect all of its student population and that may be the case, but at the same time, the university – any university, any employer – can't expect the administration to accept students or employees who have very unambiguous terrorist sympathies," he told Fox News Digital. Read On The Fox News App Harounoff continued, "If those do exist, then they should be addressed head on, but we've seen on plenty of college campuses students and people who have no connection to anything to do with the university – on Columbia's campus and elsewhere." "You have people who unambiguously wave the flags of terrorist organizations, whether it's Hamas or Hezbollah, and who are chanting very proudly these openly antisemitic and anti-Western and anti-American slogans on a Western American, what's meant to be philosemitic campus, and that is not acceptable," he said. "And those are not just innocent protests – they're open calls for violence. The university should not be a space for endorsing such violence." Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over Termination Of Student Visa Program "This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement announcing the administration's move to eliminate the student visa program due to "pro-terrorist conduct" during campus protests. It is a consequence of what DHS claims is Harvard's refusal to comply with its requests for behavioral records of student visa holders. Senior State Department officials told Fox News that not only are student visa holders being scrutinized, but all visa holders associated with Harvard are subject to investigation. Along with student visas, the State Department will be conducting a substantive investigation into B-1, or business visas; B-2, or tourist visas; as well as others, officials said. The investigation is aimed at identifying potential security vulnerabilities or other abuses of the visa system. The Department of Homeland Security is eliminating the student visa program at Harvard University due to "pro-terrorist conduct" at campus protests. Harvard has pushed back against the Trump administration by filing legal challenges to the president's orders. A court temporarily paused the Trump administration's move to cancel Harvard's student visa program after the university filed a lawsuit. The judge granted Harvard's request for a temporary restraining order to preserve the status quo while the case plays out in court. Harvard said the policy will affect more than 7,000 visa holders — nearly a quarter of the student body — and is a "blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act," per its court filing. Trump Administration Terminates Harvard's Student Visa Program Harounoff told Fox News Digital that one of the proudest moments of his personal and professional career was getting into Harvard. "As an international graduate student coming from England, my family was overjoyed, and it was a privilege, and it is a privilege of a lifetime. Harvard is the most famous university in the world. For a long time, it sat on the pantheon of great universities, educational institutions out there for people of all backgrounds, faiths, nationalities," he said. "And with that immense global recognition comes huge responsibility," Harounoff continued. "And that's why it's especially difficult and disappointing to see the university fight against the White House in recent months, much harder than it ever appeared to fight against antisemitism, the rampant antisemitism that had been enveloping the Ivy League campus, especially since October the 7."Original article source: Harvard graduate criticizes university for fighting Trump more than antisemitism
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration backtracks on Harvard foreign student policy
Ahead of a federal hearing over Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, the acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a letter Thursday giving the school 30 days to challenge the administration's revocation of that certification. The letter formally notifies the school that its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification would be withdrawn -- but backtracks from the administration's earlier stance by giving Harvard 30 days to achieve compliance. "Your school has 30 calendar days from the date of service of this Notice to submit written representations under oath and supported by documentary evidence, setting forth the reasons why SEVP should not withdraw your school's certification," the notice said. "If SEVP certification is withdrawn, your school will then no longer be approved to enroll or continue to educate nonimmigrant students." MORE: Timeline: Trump administration's actions against Harvard University The notice comes one week after Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced she had ordered the termination of the school's SEVP certification. "As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' policies, you have lost this privilege," Noem wrote last week in a letter to the university. At a hearing Thursday shortly after the Trump administration issued its 30-day notice, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said she plans to issue a preliminary injunction that prohibits the Trump administration from revoking Harvard's SEVP certification without first going through the legally required procedure. "I do think an order is necessary. It doesn't need to be draconian, but I want to make sure nothing changes. I want to maintain the status quo," the judge said at the hearing, which took place as thousands of Harvard students and their families gathered for the school's commencement. For now, Judge Burroughs said a temporary restraining order she issued last week will remain in place until a preliminary injunction is ironed out. Over the coming days, both Harvard and the Trump administration will submit proposals for an order that would block DHS from immediately revoking the school's SEVP certification. Harvard, under the current ruling, will still able to enroll international students, but DHS said it still plans to pursue the administrative avenue to revoke Harvard's SEVP certification. Judge Burroughs suggested she would allow that administrative process to play out, with Harvard submitting evidence to rebut the allegations made by DHS that they allowed antisemitism on campus and failed to provide information on international students. The judge said that, despite the Trump administration's backtracking, she felt an order was necessary to protect Harvard's international students. "I would feel more comfortable given what has preceded this," she said during 20-minute hearing. "It gives some protection to international students who are anxious about coming here." Department of Justice attorney Tiberius Davis pushed back on the restraining order, saying the issue had effectively become "moot" since the Trump administration changed course. MORE: Judge temporarily blocks Trump's move to bar Harvard from enrolling international students "The Department has decided it would be better, simpler going forward, to go through the procedure," Davis said. Despite the change, Harvard attorney Ian Gershengorn said that a restraining order was still necessary, arguing that the Trump administration was unlawfully violating the school's First Amendment rights by retaliating against the school for its decision not to budge to other demands from the government. He called the recent notice "the next step" in the Trump administration's campaign to retaliate against the school. "There seems to be a different set of rules, procedures for Harvard," he said. "The First Amendment harms we are suffering are real and continuing." Judge Burroughs suggested that the parties might end up coming back to court in a few months, once the legal process has played out, to determine if the potential revocation is retaliatory. "By that point, we think the case would be quite different," Davis said. Arguing that the Trump administration actions are part of a "campaign to coerce Harvard into surrendering its First Amendment rights," Harvard has alleged that the SEVP revocation is unlawful because it violates the school's free speech rights; that the policy is arbitrary and therefore violates the Administrative Procedure Act; and that the policy runs roughshod over the school's due process protections because it was not given the opportunity to respond to the revocation. "The surrounding events, and Defendants' express statements, make clear that the Department of Homeland Security took these actions not for any valid reason, but purely as punishment for Harvard's speech, its perceived viewpoint, and its refusal to surrender its academic independence or relinquish its constitutional rights," the school said in its lawsuit against the Trump administration. "It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government's demands to control Harvard's governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students," said the suit. DHS officials have said that the revocation was necessary because Harvard failed to turn over information about international students -- including disciplinary records -- as requested by the Trump administration. "It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused.' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement last week. MORE: Trump to push for end to all federal agencies' Harvard contracts Harvard is also fighting the Trump administration's attempt to freeze more $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to the school. Harvard filed a separate lawsuit to challenge the funding freeze in April, and the next hearing in that case is set for July. Trump has continued to ratchet up the pressure on the school over the last two months, threatening to revoke the school's tax-exempt status, directing his administration to cancel contracts with the school, and continuing to demand information on international students. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump suggested that Harvard should cap the number of international students to 15% of the school's total student body. "We have people who want to go to Harvard and other schools, they can't get in because we have foreign students there. But I want to make sure that the foreign students are people that can love our country," Trump said. Trump administration backtracks on Harvard foreign student policy originally appeared on
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Jewish Republican lawmaker talks antisemitism in America after deadly DC shooting
The deadly shooting outside Washington, D.C.'s Capital Jewish Museum has added to an ongoing conversation about antisemitism after Hamas' brutal Oct. 7 massacre. Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were killed when leaving an event at the museum hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC). The suspected shooter, Elias Rodriguez, has since been charged with their murders. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., is one of only four Jewish Republicans serving in Congress, placing him in a unique position when it comes to assessing antisemitism in America and how it has been politicized. Adl Urges Americans To Fight Hate After Deadly Shooting In Dc "We know that antisemitism has been around for a very long time, and obviously, after October 7, 2023, it came to the forefront. It came out as strongly as it did, in part because colleges and universities allowed some pro-Palestinian and frankly some pro-Hamas protesters to preach hate and antisemitism—and they didn't do anything to stop it," Kustoff told Fox News Digital. The Tennessee congressman condemned the shooting in D.C., calling it "a horrific act of antisemitic terrorism." "Antisemitic violence has no place in our society. We must remain united in calling out and confronting this rising tide of hate," Kustoff wrote in a post on X. Read On The Fox News App Kustoff said that in his district, which he described as "strongly Republican, strongly pro-Trump," there aren't many Jewish people. In fact, according to World Population Review, just under 30,000 Jews live in Tennessee, which has more than 7.3 million residents. Despite the small Jewish population, Kustoff told Fox News Digital that people in his district are "very supportive of Israel, very supportive of the U.S.'s relationship with Israel, and they love the Jewish people." However, Kustoff also said that Jewish people in his district have "real concerns about going to synagogue." Jewish institutions and community centers have had "to go above and beyond" in terms of security, according to Kustoff. Witness Recounts Chilling Moment Dc Jewish Museum Shooter Confessed 'I Did This For Gaza' The congressman spoke about an incident in 2023 when a man opened fire outside the Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South. The suspect was later identified as Joel Alejandro Bowman, who faces several charges, including attempted second-degree murder. Kustoff sees the issue of combating antisemitism as one that has received bipartisan support in Congress. He praised Democrats like Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill. — who are Jewish — for their support of Israel and its relationship with the U.S., calling them "true leaders." Kustoff also noted that, while they are not Jewish, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., have been vocal about their support for Israel. While Kustoff praised colleagues on both sides of the aisle, he also criticized members of Congress who have made "incendiary" remarks about Israel, saying such rhetoric "in effect helps to breed antisemitism." Kustoff spoke to Fox News Digital shortly after a video of outspoken Israel critic Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., refusing to condemn the murders of Lischinsky and Milgrim went viral. When asked about the incident, Kustoff said that "We get asked easy questions and difficult questions all the time as members of Congress. That was clearly an easy question to answer, and her constituents can make their own decisions." As chairman of the House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group, Kustoff has had a close-up view of U.S.-Israel relations. He recalled his July 2024 trip to Israel, where he toured the site of the Nova Music Festival and a kibbutz that was attacked on Oct. 7, and met with Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "[Netanyahu] told me that he knows that the American people are still very supportive of Israel and the Israeli people know that," Kustoff told Fox News Digital. "We talked about the instances on college campuses. In closing, his feeling was that a number of these students probably couldn't look at a map and know where Israel is located."Original article source: Jewish Republican lawmaker talks antisemitism in America after deadly DC shooting
