Syria’s ‘Princesses of Freedom’
Khijou comes back into the living room with her laptop. “Here he is,” she says. The picture of her son, Samir, is grim. In it, he’s still alive but his limbs are skeletal. He is starving from al-Assad’s siege over Moadhamiyet al-Sham in 2013. Samir’s ribs jut out from his skin, his bony elbow bent painfully. Three days later, Syrian officers allegedly kidnapped him after Khijou sent him for medical evacuation with a United Nations convoy. He never came back. “They took him to the Air Force Intelligence branch, that’s what we were told at the time,” she recalls. Samir would be 32 years old today, Khijou says – if, by some slim chance, he managed to survive all those years of prison. Other than that, “we don’t know anything”, she says. Perhaps he went to some other prison, she figures, maybe Sednaya. She is calm and composed at this possibility, a civilian journalist simply pointing out another injustice around her, the years of heartbreak seemingly calcified into the fact of Samir’s likely death. The chance that he’s still among the survivors becomes slimmer by the day. Today, Khijou shares his picture and name on social media in the hopes that someone, somewhere, might have information. Khijou al-Khateeb’s son Samir, then 21, who she photographed in 2013, just three days before his disappearance during the siege of Moadhamiyet al-Sham [Raghed Waked/Al Jazeera] Khijou’s other son, Muhammad, who shares a name with his 22-year-old cousin, is also gone. He fled to Germany a year ago through Europe’s forests, the thought of al-Assad’s fall a distant dream. Khijou supported him in taking the journey, fearing he, too, might get arrested at a regime checkpoint someday and never return. He’s now stuck in a refugee camp, unable to work or study. In Khijou’s profile picture on WhatsApp, pictures of the two young men are copy-pasted together side by side, looking so similar – Samir’s clean-shaven portrait from before 2013 next to Muhammad’s more up-to-date beard and moustache, posing in front of a wintry skyline in Germany. It’s not clear yet what justice might look like for families like the al-Khateebs. Legal justice for Syrian prison survivors has been limited. In 2022, a German court in Koblenz convicted Anwar Raslan, former head of investigations at the notorious General Intelligence Directorate’s Branch 251 in Damascus, of crimes against humanity. He was sentenced to life in prison. That case was successful because Germany has implemented “universal jurisdiction”, meaning the country’s legal system can prosecute crimes against humanity and other serious cases no matter where the crimes happened. “So that is still an option, of course, if any perpetrators are found in a country that implements universal jurisdiction,” explains international criminal lawyer Nadine Kheshen. Inside Syria, things might be different. As of now, it’s been less than a month since the fall of the al-Assad regime, so it isn’t yet clear how the justice system could play out for prison victims and their families. “It’s still not clear how the judicial and legal system will look, at least in the transitional period,” says Obai Kurd Ali, a Syrian lawyer and specialist in international human rights law at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. “People are still trying to understand the new system.” Most important, for survivors like the al-Khateeb sisters and others, is documenting what happened to them in the hopes of future accountability, Kurd Ali says. The sisters say they are willing to speak to lawyers and hope to someday “file a lawsuit” over what happened to them in prison. Khijou says she simply isn’t ready to forgive the people who imprisoned her and her family. “As female detainees, as mothers of detainees, as wives of detainees, we have no forgiveness,” she says, matter-of-factly. Behind her is the laptop with images of her son Samir’s starved, skeletal body. His absence still stings. Khijou’s husband, named Muhammad, now suffers severe depression. “It’s been two years now that he hasn’t been able to leave the house. He sits with us at home, but quiet. Silent. He doesn’t speak,” Khijou says. The elder Muhammad is with us, apparently, in the house, as we drink our sweet tea. But he remains hidden somewhere in the freezing apartment, beyond a series of closed doors, past Mayyasa’s ring light for her makeup videos, and Khijou’s industrial sewing machine. For now, the family have their quiet anger. Adblock test (Why?)
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Trump taps team to work with US Treasury nominee Scott Bessent
President-elect Trump announced several appointments to his administration Thursday, including the team that will work with his nominee for the U.S. Treasury, Scott Bessent. In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that Ken Kies will serve as assistant secretary for tax policy. Kies, who has worked as a tax lawyer for 47 years, has served as the chief of staff for the Joint Committee on Taxation and the chief Republican tax counsel of the House Ways and Means Committee. Also joining the team is Alexandra Preate, who Trump appointed as senior counsel to the secretary. TRUMP PICKS MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMISSIONER KEVIN MARINO CABRERA FOR PANAMA AMBASSADOR Trump said Preate is an accomplished executive in public relations. Trump appointed Hunter McMaster to serve as the director of policy planning and Daniel Katz was appointed to serve as chief of staff. Katz, Trump wrote, is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a graduate of Yale. Katz also served as a senior adviser at the Treasury Department. Trump’s appointment as deputy chief of staff in the Treasury Department is Samantha Schwab, who worked in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs during the president-elect’s first term. GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? “All of them are incredible, hardworking Patriots, who will work tirelessly to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump said of the team. In addition to the Treasury Department appointments, Trump announced that Benjamin Leon James will serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Spain. “Benjamin is a highly successful entrepreneur, equestrian, and philanthropist. He came to the U.S. from Communist Cuba at 16-years-old, with only five dollars in his pocket, and proceeded to build his company, Leon Medical Centers, into an incredible business,” Trump wrote. “He has helped support many worthy causes, like La Liga Contra el Cancer, and important Medical Research at Johns Hopkins and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.” HOW PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP COULD PULL OFF ‘THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY’ AS HE ENTERS OFFICE Trump also appointed Joe Popolo to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands. Popolo helped transform the Freeman Company into what Trump called “the world’s leading live event brand experience company.” Popolo also serves as founder and CEO of Charles & Potomac Capital, LLC; the chairman of the board of Pinnacle Live, LLC; and, as a board member of Ondas Holdings. “Joe is an E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner, and also a recipient of the Dallas Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Award,” Trump wrote. “He is a proud graduate of Boston College, a member of their Board of Regents, and also, a Patron of the Arts in the Vatican Museum.” Trump also appointed Cora Alvi to serve as his deputy chief of staff. Alvi, Trump wrote, most recently worked as the national deputy finance director for Donald J. Trump for President Inc.
New Orleans attacker had ‘remote detonator’ for explosives in French Quarter, Biden says
New Orleans attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar acted alone and planted “remote detonator” explosives inside coolers in two nearby locations in the French Quarter, just a few hours before he drove a pickup truck at a high rate of speed into a crowd of people celebrating New Year’s on Bourbon Street, President Biden said at a news conference Thursday. “We have no information that anyone else was involved in the attack,” Biden said during a news conference about his administration’s 235 judicial confirmations. “They’ve established that the attacker was the same person who planted the explosives in those ice coolers in two nearby locations in the French Quarter, just a few hours before he rammed into the crowd with his vehicle. They assessed he had a remote detonator in his vehicle to set off those two ice chests.” NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: INSIDE BOURBON STREET TERRORIST’S HOUSTON HOME Biden stated that federal agents are investigating potential links to the Las Vegas explosion, also probed as a terror attack, and urged them to “accelerate” their efforts. Fourteen people were killed, and Jabbar died in a shootout with police. “As of now, they’ve just been briefed,” Biden said. “They have not found any evidence of such a connection thus far. I’ve directed them to keep looking.” The FBI identified Jabbar as the driver who crashed a rented truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The bureau told congressional lawmakers on Thursday that it had zero information about Jabbar prior to his attack. They also said that while Jabbar has said he was “inspired” by ISIS, investigators have not found any evidence that he was directed by ISIS. INVESTIGATORS USE TATTOO, PHOTOS TO IDENTIFY SUSPECT BEHIND CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION AT TRUMP HOTEL New Orleans hospitals treated a total of 37 victims who were injured in Wednesday’s attack. LCMC Health has not stated how many of those injured have since been discharged, nor has it clarified the condition of those still hospitalized. Authorities had been investigating a potential military connection between Jabbar and the Las Vegas suspect, who law enforcement identified to The Associated Press as Matthew Livelsberger. “As you know, there’s also an FBI investigation in Las Vegas. We are following up on all potential leads and not ruling anything out,” FBI Deputy Assistant Director of the Counterterrorism Division Christopher Raia told reporters Thursday. “However, at this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas.” Jabbar, a U.S. native born in Texas, had previously served in the U.S. military. Authorities are still investigating how and when he became radicalized. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Kash on Demand
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… – What to know about the race for Speaker of the House – Trump says he’s not changed his mind on H-1B visas as debate rages within MAGA coalition – Biden gives presidential medal to Liz Cheney ahead of Oval Office exit President-elect Donald Trump’s allies are excoriating the FBI for its initial characterization of the brutal car attack in New Orleans as not terror-related, before the nation’s top federal law enforcement agency backtracked and launched a terrorism investigation allegedly connected to ISIS. “The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It’s a necessity that Kash Patel gets confirmed ASAP,” a source close to Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning. Early Wednesday morning, chaos broke out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as New Year’s Eve revelers partied on the streets. The suspect, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is accused of ramming a truck into the crowds on the beloved and famed party street, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens of others. Jabbar, who was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle, was killed after opening fire on police. As details filtered to the public on Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials, including the FBI, held a press conference where a special agent initially told the public that the attack was not related to terrorism…Read more ‘RADICALIZATION’: New Orleans terror suspect’s brother says attack is sign of ‘radicalization’…Read more NEW ORLEANS: What we know about the victims of New Orleans terrorist attack…Read more AIRBNB LINK: Bomb-making materials found at New Orleans Airbnb linked to Bourbon Street terrorist: report…Read more WAR ON TERROR: New Orleans, Las Vegas suspects latest in long line of military radicals…Read more ISIS INFLUENCE?: Pro-ISIS group called on Muslims to conduct NYE attacks ahead of New Orleans massacre…Read more SIGNS OF TERROR: NYC protesters follow New Orleans attack by calling for ‘intifada revolution’ hours after rampage…Read more LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas police say Cybertruck that exploded at Trump hotel had fuel containers large firework mortars…Read more SUSPECT IDENTIFIED: Suspect behind Cybertruck that exploded at Trump hotel identified as active-duty U.S. Army soldier…Read more CHRISTIANS TARGETED: Christians increasingly persecuted worldwide as ‘modern and historical factors converge’…Read more 2025 SHOWDOWNS: As Trump returns to the White House, these are the elections to watch in 2025…Read more VICTORY RALLY: Trump to headline ‘victory rally’ in nation’s capital on eve of inauguration…Read more ‘LIVES DEPEND ON IT’: Republicans push for prompt Trump confirmations in wake of New Orleans attack…Read more ‘NO WAY IN HELL’: Derrick Van Orden targets Chip Roy over speakership vote: ‘Chip is fighting to keep his brand marketable’…Read more SPEAKER STRUGGLE: Mike Johnson gets public GOP Senate support ahead of tight House speaker vote…Read more CHANGING THE RULES: House Republicans move to change rules for vacating speakership one year after McCarthy’s ousting…Read more SPOKE TOO SOON?: Hochul’s Christmastime boast of safer subway came amid string of alarming violent attacks…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
FLASHBACK: Biden downplays ISIS threat to US, repeatedly says white supremacy ‘most lethal’ danger
Before the devastating terror attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day rocked the nation, President Biden and his administration repeatedly stressed that the greatest threat facing the country was white supremacy — even explicitly stating that terrorist organizations such as ISIS could not compare to the danger posed by white supremacists. “According to the intelligence community, terrorism from white supremacy is the most lethal threat to the homeland today. Not ISIS, not al Qaeda — white supremacists,” Biden said in June of 2021 on the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. The comment came just weeks after he declared during the State of the Union that year, “We won’t ignore what our intelligence agencies have determined to be the most lethal terrorist threat to the homeland today: White supremacy is terrorism.” Early on New Year’s Day, New Orleans and the nation were rocked by a suspected terror attack when a man identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, allegedly rammed a truck into crowds of revelers celebrating the holiday on the city’s famed Bourbon Street. The FBI confirmed on Wednesday that they were investigating the incident as an act of terror, noting that they had confirmed the suspect had an ISIS flag in the vehicle at the time of the attack. BIDEN BLASTED FOR CALLING ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’ ‘MOST DANGEROUS TERRORIST THREAT’ AT COLLEGE SPEECH: ‘PURE EVIL’ ISIS is a jihadist group that has carried out terrorist attacks worldwide but has lost momentum in recent years, including in 2019 when U.S. forces killed Iraqi militant and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The FBI said Thursday that Jabbar had been “inspired” by ISIS, adding that they have not found any evidence that he was directed by ISIS to carry out the attack. BIDEN TELLS HOWARD GRADS ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’ IS THE ‘MOST DANGEROUS TERRORIST THREAT’ TO THE UNITED STATES The shocking attack has resurrected Biden’s previous rhetoric on white supremacy and the state of national security, which was also promoted by administration leaders such as Attorney General Merrick Garland. “In the FBI’s view, the top domestic violent extremist threat comes from ‘racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists, specifically those who advocated for the superiority of the white race,’” Garland declared in May of 2021 before the Senate Appropriations Committee of the top threats to the U.S. Garland was joined by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayarokas in sounding the alarm on the threat that white supremacists posed to the U.S. that year. Garland and Biden administration officials at the time argued that Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of President-elect Donald Trump breached the Capitol building, opened the floodgates to concern over home-grown threats to democracy. “I have not seen a more dangerous threat to democracy than the invasion of the Capitol,” Garland said at the time, calling it “an attempt to interfere with the fundamental element of our democracy, a peaceful transfer of power.” Biden has also cited the threat of white supremacy in more recent public remarks, including during his commencement address to Howard University in 2023. “White supremacy … is the single most dangerous terrorist threat in our homeland,” Biden said. “And I’m not just saying this because I’m at a Black HBCU. I say this wherever I go.” BIDEN ADMIN MOCKED FOR LABELING ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’ THE GREATEST THREAT TO US The U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration released a report in 2020, called the “Homeland Threat Assessment,” which found that white supremacists and other “domestic violent extremists” posed “the most persistent and lethal threat” to the nation. Following Biden’s inauguration, Mayorkas declared that DHS was “taking a new approach to addressing domestic violent extremism, both internally and externally,” compared to the previous administration. Following the attack on Wednesday morning, conservative social media users and critics of the Biden administration resurrected Biden’s previous comments on white supremacy, quipping that the comments have “not aged well.” COLLEGE OFFERING ‘WHITE SUPREMACY IN THE AGE OF TRUMP’ COURSE AS PRESIDENT-ELECT RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE The brother of the suspected terrorist told the New York Times that Shamsud-Din Jabbar had been raised Christian, but converted to Islam. The brother, Abdur Jabbar, underscored that his brother does not represent the Islamic faith and instead called his actions an example of “radicalization.” “What he did does not represent Islam,” he added. “This is more some type of radicalization, not religion.”
US Army soldier charged over alleged hacking of Trump, Harris phone records
A U.S. Army soldier has been charged with selling confidential phone records. Cameron John Wagenius, 20, was charged by federal authorities in Texas with two counts of unlawful transfer of confidential phone records information on Dec. 20 and the indictment was unsealed this week. Wagenius was a soldier at Fort Cavazos in Texas. Court records didn’t specify his rank. TOP REPUBLICAN DEMANDS ‘COSTS’ FOR CHINA AFTER IT HACKED TREASURY DEPT IN YEAR MARKED BY CCP ESPIONAGE He was allegedly linked to the online handle Kiberphant0m, which was part of several high-profile data breaches, including the Snowflake data hacking, and which claimed to have hacked President-elect Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris’ phone records, Reuters reported, citing cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs. The alleged AT&T call logs for the 2024 presidential candidates were posted online in November, according to The Verge, which noted that the call logs had not been verified as genuine. The indictment didn’t give details on the hacking. GOP SENATOR QUESTIONS FBI OVER REPORTED IRANIAN HACK ATTEMPT OF TRUMP PICK KASH PATEL The indictment accuses Wagenius of selling “confidential phone records” online. “We are aware of the arrest of a Fort Cavazos soldier,” Fort Cavazos told Fox News Digital. “III Armored Corps will continue to cooperate with all law enforcement agencies as appropriate.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Justice for comment. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Wagenius will next be extradited to Seattle where the case is being handled. Reuters contributed to this report.