Category: Breaking News

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Alberta Breaking News

RCMP Makes Arrests in Lac La Biche Attempted Murder

Lac La Biche, attempted murder, RCMP

An attempted murder in Lac La Biche has led to the RCMP arresting two individuals in connection with the crime. The incident involved occurred on Friday close to Plamondon, Alta. The Lac La Biche RCMP reported that the crime happened at around 1:30 am Friday when a man was shot and wounded during an argument that occurred alongside the road. The small community is situated around 3 hours north of Fort MacMurray. RCMP Sgt. Henry Van Dorland “Two males approached another male in their vehicles, they were side-by-side basically. A bit of an argument ensued and there was a gun shot at the victim. The victim sustained injuries to the head.” The victim was a male from Plamondon estimated to be around 50 years old, was taken from the scene to the University of Alberta hospital for surgical removal of pellets from his head.

The Lac La Biche RCMP said that two shots were fired during the incident, and two men have been arrested on charges of attempted murder as a result of the police investigation. 24 year old William Conrad Ingram has been charged with attempted murder with a firearm, careless use of a firearm, and unauthorized possession of a firearm. 20 year old Markian G. Kuznetsov has been charged with one count of attempted murder with a firearm and breach of condition charges. So far the reason for the argument that led to the shooting has not been determined by law enforcement. Van Dorland stated “That part of the investigation is still ongoing. We don’t know if it was a party gone sour, or if there was drugs involved or if it was over somebody’s wife or anything of this nature at this time.”

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Alberta Breaking News Canada

Crime and Terrorist Financing Act Leads to Cash Seizure at Calgary Airport

cash seizure, Calgary airport, Crime and Terrorist Financing Act

A cash seizure at the Calgary airport occurred under the Crime and Terrorist Financing Act when border patrol agents caught a man traveling to the Middle East with a large amount of undisclosed cash. During an interview with the traveler on January 15 officials with the Canadian Border Service Agency the traveler told officials that he had $9,000 in cash but a further inspection proved that this was false. After searching the traveler and his bags agents discovered that the man had over $18,000 in his jacket and his carry on luggage. Another $20,000 was found when officials searched the checked bags that the man had. Lisa White, the spokesperson for the agency, explained that “The cash was seized due to its ability “to potentially finance organized crime or terrorist activity.” All fo the cash located during the search was in Canadian currency, all in the form of $20 bills.

The goal of the Crime and Terrorist Financing Act is to prevent terrorism financing, and this was the reasoning behind the cash seizure at the Calgary airport. According to CBSA officials the man was from a lower income level, and that raised suspicions because of the large amount of cash being transported. When asked where the money came from the man could not provide an explanation that was adequate and reasonable, so the money was seized. White stated “It gives the CBSA the ability to investigate people for currency that’s not declared/ There’s no crime but it can be seized if there could be potential charges — if we feel there might be, we hand it over to the RCMP.” No charges have been filed yet against the man but he could be charged once the investigation is complete.

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Alberta Breaking News Politics

Are Canadians Being Monitored on the Internet by Electronic Spy Agency?

electronic spy agency, Edward Snowden

The electronic spy agency for Canada may be monitoring Canadians who use the Internet according to recent revelations by Edward Snowden. If this is true what does this mean for Canadians who are online? Snowden has claimed that the Canadian electronic spy agency has been intercepting data which is being further analyzed concerning as many as 15 million file downloads every single day, and a report that was published Wednesday also makes these claims. This is the first time that Canadians have been told that they are being spied on by their own government in this way, and there are mixed emotions about what this means. For some the loss of privacy is no big deal, with the reasoning that is an individual is not doing something wrong they have nothing to worry about. Others believe that this action is a violation of privacy and of trust.

According to recent reports from journalists and whistle blowers, including disclosures from Edward Snowden, the Canadian electronic spy uses the nickname Levitation. According to CBC the CSE is a secret agency, just like the NSA in the USA, and part of the duties of the agency is to monitor electronic communications. With the numerous acts of terrorism around the world recently governments are taking several steps to minimize the risks to citizens and ferret out extremists who may already be in the country. Critics are calling for a new system though, because there are some privacy concerns with the current system that operates in full secrecy. According to Jack Harris “There are privacy concerns but we don’t really have a framework to ensure that, and we can’t just go with ‘Just trust us’.” OpenMedia.ca, a lobby group, responded to the report by saying “CSE is clearly spying on the private online activities of millions of innocent people, including Canadians, despite repeated government assurances to the contrary”.

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Breaking News Politics World

Is Boy Executing Russian Spies on Latest IS Video?

boy executing Russian spies, IS video
boy executing Russian spies, IS video

The latest IS video released by the terrorist organization is supposed to show a boy executing Russian spies, and the two men executed are supposed to be Russian Intelligence Service operatives. In the video both men are questioned about supposed attempts to enter Syria and infiltrate the IS organization, and after the interrogations a boy shoots both men and executes them. This newest release by ISIS is titled Uncovering An Enemy Within, and it is narrated in Russian although the title is in English. The recording starts out with one of the men being interrogated, and the prisoner says that he is a citizen of Kazakh and was trying to get close to an IS fighter after being recruited by the Russian Federal Security Service.

On the IS video which is supposed to show a boy executing Russian spies the second male prisoner does not disclose where he is from, but admits during the interrogation that he was working for the Russian FSB and that his mission was to kill a specific fighter with ISIS. Both of the prisoners told their captors that part of their orders were to gather any information they could about ISIS fighters operating in Syria and transmit it to the Russian security agency. The video then switches to an outdoors scene where a young boy is holding a pistol and there is an adult ISIS fighter with a beard beside the boy. This IS video is the first one to feature an execution by a child, although previous videos have shown children in combat training.

 

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Breaking News Politics World

Fritz-Joly Joachin, a Frenchman Linked to Paris Attackers, Arrested in Bulgaria

Frenchman linked to Paris attackers, Fritz-Joly Joachin
Frenchman linked to Paris attackers, Fritz-Joly Joachin

On New Years Day 29 year old Fritz-Joly Joachin, a Frenchman linked to Paris attackers the Kouachi brothers, was arrested in Bulgaria when he tried to cross the border into Turkey. Joachin is a convert to Islam, and he is a French citizen with Haitian ancestry. According to French prosecutor Darina Slavova Joachin “was in contact several times with one of the two brothers — Cherif Kouachi.” The contacts all occurred before Fritz-Joly departed from France on December 30, a week before the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices by the Kouachi brothers. During a remand hearing after Fritz-Joly Joachin was taken into custody the 29 year old told court officials that he was with Kouachi but that “he cannot be held responsible for their actions.”

The Frenchman linked to Paris attackers who was arrested in Bulgaria was initially taken into police custody after Fritz-Joly Joachin’s wife made allegations that he had kidnapped their 3 year old son. A second arrest warrant was issued by a Paris court and delivered to Bulgarian prosecutors, and according to Slavova “The charges are for participation in an organized crime group whose aim was the organization of terrorist acts.” Joachin’s wife told police that he became a Muslim convert 15 years before, and that two years ago he had turned radical. According to the wife Fritz-Joly wanted to take their 3 year old son to Syria so the child could be educated in a community of jihadists. The investigation into the activities and connections of Fritz-Joly Joachin is still ongoing.

 

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Breaking News U.S. World

US Military Experiences Twitter Hack, IS Sympathizers Suspected

US military, Twitter hack, IS sympathizers
US military, Twitter hack, IS sympathizers

IS sympathizers are suspected by the government after a Twitter hack was performed on the US military Twitter account, although so far no one has claimed responsibility. After the hack the US went into overdrive to ensure that the security of the military and the country were not compromised, and there have been reassurances that the matter has been taken care of and that the accounts in question have been suspended. It is suspected that the hack is retaliation by IS sympathizers for the American bombing campaign against ISIS. Two anonymous sources from the defense department told reporters that the incident was embarrassing for the United States government but that it was not a serious security threat. Many have voiced concern that if the Central Command is not secure then no other accounts or online method are secure either.

The US military responded quickly to the Twitter Hack by suspending both Twitter and YouTube accounts, and it is doubtful that the IS sympathizers suspected of being behind the hacking gained any useful information from their illegal activities. There is growing concern about lone wolf terrorists, both in the USA and in many other countries around the world, and part of the hack involved a posting of the top generals in the military along with the addresses which are associated with these commanders in the system. A message posted by the hackers told Americans to “Watch Your Back.” After the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris many believe it is just a matter of time before extremists make an attempt on American soil again.