Trump Shooter Searched Online For Info On John F. Kennedy Assassination A Week Before Rally - FBI Says
AFOLABI
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray disclosed that the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13 had performed a troubling Google search about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy just one week before the shooting.
The FBI said it was still working to determine the motive behind 20-year-old Thomas Crooks' actions, which resulted in the death of one attendee and injuries to Trump and two others, CBS News reports.
Despite gaining access to Crooks' electronic devices, including his cellphone, investigators have yet to uncover any significant information regarding his motive or ideology.
Wray's testimony highlighted the complexity of the case, as authorities strive to understand the reasoning behind Crooks' violent actions. The investigation remains ongoing, with the FBI exploring all possible leads to shed light on this disturbing incident.
A chilling discovery was made on a laptop linked to Crooks. A search history revealed a disturbing query made on July 6, exactly one week before the Pennsylvania rally: "how far away was Oswald from Kennedy?"
This eerie search suggests Crooks may have been drawing inspiration from the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963.
Oswald fatally shot Kennedy from a sixth-floor perch at the Texas Schoolbook Depository in Dallas, with the Warren Commission later determining the distance between the two to be approximately 265.3 feet at the time of the deadly shot.
This striking search term stands out as a significant finding in the investigation, potentially offering a glimpse into Crooks' motivations or mindset leading up to the attack. As authorities continue to probe the circumstances surrounding the shooting, this haunting query raises more questions about the influences and intentions behind Crooks' actions.
Crooks fired shots from a rooftop approximately 400 feet away from the target.
The gunfire struck Trump in the ear and injured rally attendees.
According to FBI Director Christopher Wray's testimony at Wednesday's hearing, Crooks wielded an AR-style rifle and left behind a trail of evidence, including eight spent bullet cartridges found on the roof.
The Muslim Rights Concern has called for the ban of the yet-to-be-released movie where popular actress Nancy Isime and other actresses wore purdah, an Islamic full covering popularly called the Niqab, and brandished dangerous weapons.
The group described the movie as ‘satanic’, adding that it depicts Muslim women as criminals and incites the public against them.
The call was made in a statement signed by the Executive Director, MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Thursday.
The statement read, “An extremely anti-Muslim film has been released into the Nigerian movie industry. The upcoming film, which was recently unveiled by Nancy Isime, shows women in purdah brandishing dangerous weapons and robbing banks. It is Islamophobia taken to the highest level. This film is satanic, repugnant, and provocative.
“It is aimed at portraying Muslim women as criminals with a violent proclivity. The film is capable of inciting the public against Muslim women. It may also expose Muslims in general to public ridicule and opprobrium.
“We believe that the film is the handiwork of Muslim-haters and part of the plot to stop Muslim women from wearing hijab and niqab. The plot was hatched a long time ago, and its execution began in the schools. This plot was boldly and diligently confronted in Nigerian courts by Muslims until the highest court in the land made a pronouncement on it. This Satanic film is the latest effort in the war against hijab.
Akintola maintained that the film is capable of setting Nigeria on fire if urgent action is not taken by the relevant authorities while urging the National Film and Video Censors Board to investigate and place an immediate ban on the coming film.
“To Nigerian Muslims who have inundated our communication channels with video clips, voice notes, and other types of messages, we have this to say: please remain calm and peaceful. You have spoken loud and clear.
“We have received your messages and action is being taken right now. Our religion brought a message of hope and peace to the world. We will not allow anyone to paint our women, our mothers, our wives, our daughters and sisters in the colours of Shaytan. Be good ambassadors of Islam. Don’t take the law into your hands. Allow the authorities to take necessary action,” he added.
Recall that Isime had sparked outrage among the Muslim community in the country after unveiling a movie poster that features women wearing hijab and face veils holding guns in a bank robbery scene.
They have threatened to file a complaint with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, seeking action against the account responsible for sharing what they described as “Islamophobic content”.
Reacting, one Latifat Adewunmi Jumah, with a Facebook page named Laj Fingers, expressed her dissatisfaction over the offensive posts, saying, “The niqab/hijab is not an armed robbery attire! The niqab/hijab is not an attire for concealing identity.
She queried the actress, saying, “If you needed to conceal your identity for a perfect robbery role, you could have used a nose mask or worn a mask. Why wear Islamic attire?”
“I find this offensive. Something needs to be done to stop this people. Niqab/Hijab is not a costume, neither is it a joke,” she added.
Another Facebook user, who identified as Alfa Shehu, commented, “And one of our brothers from Ilorin is kuku in the movie with them. Hypocrites! It is these same people who will turn around tomorrow and say women in Niqab are doing this and doing that. Awon alarun opolo gbogbo. Anything for clouts and monetisation.”
[Punch]
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Thursday to crush anybody who tries to divide Russian society as he hailed the effectiveness and unwavering loyalty of his country’s powerful law enforcement agencies.
Putin has escalated a decades-long crackdown on civil society, independent media and opposition amid his military offensive in Ukraine, with dissent and criticism of the Kremlin outlawed and punishable by years-long prison sentences.
“Those who try to intimidate people, to split our society, to play on religious or national feelings will never succeed,” Putin said in a video message posted by the Kremlin.
“Inevitable and just retribution awaits them,” he added.
Russia regularly uses such language to describe those who oppose the Kremlin, including domestic critics who Moscow paints as being Western spies or puppets.
Putin was marking Russia’s “Investigation Officers’ Day” and paid tribute to various Russian law enforcement agencies, including the Investigative Committee and the FSB security services, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
“Investigators show unconditional loyalty to the Fatherland and our people,” Putin said.
Critics of the Kremlin say Russia’s focus on investigating and prosecuting its domestic political opponents and rivals have left it blind to genuine security threats.
In March, armed gunmen killed more than 140 at a Moscow concert hall in the country’s most deadly terror attack in almost two decades.
The incident came just days after warnings from Western intelligence agencies that Putin publicly rejected as “blackmail” and an attempt to “destabilise our society”.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility, but Putin and other officials tried to link the massacre to Ukraine, without providing any evidence.
Almost all of Putin’s main opponents are in jail or have fled into exile.
Having stamped out dissent and passed strict military censorship laws that make criticism of the military illegal, Putin has repeatedly claimed Russian society is united behind his offensive on Ukraine.
AFP
A really heartbreaking video has emerged online, showing a teenage Nigerian boy who is living a very hard life at the time.
The video showed the boy from the Barnawa community in Kaduna State, who is forced to gather grass meant for livestock as food for his family due to extreme poverty.
The boy, who is estimated to be between 12 and 16 years old, is seen carrying a sack of grass from a farm. In his testimony, he reveals how his family has resorted to consuming grass due to unbearable hardship, highlighting the dire circumstances faced by his household.
The boy who spoke in Hausa language explained, “We prepare the grass with Maggi (seasoning cube) and groundnut cake (known as Kulikuli). It can be eaten alone or with these ingredients.”
The teenage boy shared that his family has been forced to rely on grass as a substitute for food because they can no longer afford staple meals like spaghetti or rice.
In a poignant plea, he urged the government to intervene, saying, “We need palliative measures to help us and others survive Nigeria’s harsh economy.”
His words highlight the devastating impact of poverty on vulnerable families and the need for urgent support.
Media
The Federal Government has announced a slash in allowances of foreign scholars currently stranded in Russia, Morocco, and Algeria, among others, by 12.7 per cent due to economic hardship in the country.
The students in a swift reaction, lamented the debilitating impact the slash in allowances would have on the welfare of foreign lands.
The government’s decision to slash the scholars’ allowances was contained in a memo signed by the Director of the Federal Scholarship Board, Ndajiwo H.A., on behalf of the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman.
The students are studying under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement, BEA, Scholarship which was established for education exchange between Nigeria and the partnering countries.
The Federal Scholarship Board, FSB, is supervising the scholarship under the Federal Ministry of education.
The memo read: ” I am directed to inform you that the prevailing situation concerning the domestic exchange rate in Nigeria makes it difficult for the Federal Scholarship Board to sustain the payment of Bilateral Agreement, BEA, scholars’ allowances as contained in the award letters issued at the point of departure to the host countries.
”After due consultations, the Federal Scholarship Board, FSB, has come up with adjustments in line with budgetary provisions in the payment of BEA scholar’s supplementation allowances for the 2024 academic year.”
Based on the memo, supplementation allowances per month are slashed from $500 to $220; PG research allowance from $1,000 to $500; and passage/graduation allowance from $2,500 to $2,000.
However, the warm clothing allowance per annum remained unchanged at $250; the health insurance allowance $200; the pilot allowance $700; and the medical allowance $500.
Reacting to the development yesterday, the scholars noted that the government had failed to release their allowances for over 13 months, leaving them to source for their means of survival in foreign countries.
One of the affected scholars, Ronald Donald, said: “Firstly, students have stayed 13 months without stipends, just promises upon promises.
“Now, the only thing the FSB could come up with is to reduce the stipends. Let me give you an idea of how living in Russia and Morocco looks like;
“In Russia, a student needs a minimum of $300 to survive. The bus fares are expensive, and the hostel prices are up. Bread used to be sold for 70 rubbles is now 120 rubbles. In Morocco, the students don’t have hostels provided for them. As such, they rent apartments (at a starting price of $200 a month).”
Speaking on how some of the stranded scholars were surviving, Donald said: “Normally, the embassy in Russia gives out loans to students in difficulty. They take the money back when FSB pays.”
[Vanguard]
Andy Murray withdrew from the tennis singles at the Paris Olympics on Thursday but the two-time gold medallist will play doubles in what will be the final event of his glittering career.
The British former world number one, who will retire at the end of his fifth Games, has still not fully recovered from back surgery last month.
He believes the men’s doubles, where he is playing with Dan Evans, offers his best chance of another medal.
“I’ve taken the decision to withdraw from the singles to concentrate on the doubles with Dan,” said the 37-year-old.
“Our practice has been great and we’re playing well together. Really looking forward to getting started and representing GB one more time.”
Murray won gold in singles at London 2012 and in Rio four years later, as well as silver in mixed doubles with Laura Robson in 2012.
His withdrawal means his final singles match was his brief second-round appearance at Queen’s Club against Jordan Thompson last month before he was forced to pull out because of a spinal cyst.
The Scot confirmed on Tuesday that he would retire after the Paris Olympics.
“Competing for Great Britain has been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get to do it one final time,” the three-time Grand Slam champion posted on social media.
Murray has been ravaged by injuries in recent years, slumping to 121st in the world.
He has played with a metal hip since 2019 and suffered ankle damage earlier this year.
Murray was not fit enough to play singles at Wimbledon this month due to his back surgery but played doubles with brother Jamie and was defeated in the first round before an emotional tribute arranged by tournament chiefs.
“It’s hard because I would love to keep playing, but I can’t,” admitted Murray at the All England Club.
“Physically it is too tough now, all of the injuries, they have added up and they haven’t been insignificant.”
Murray ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s champion at Wimbledon when he triumphed in 2013, defeating rival Novak Djokovic in the final.
He added a second title in 2016, taking his career majors total to three after breaking his duck at the 2012 US Open.
Murray won gold at the 2012 Olympics on an emotional day at the All England Club when he defeated Roger Federer just weeks after he had lost the Wimbledon final to the Swiss on the same Centre Court.
Four years later, he defeated Juan Martin del Potro to become the first tennis player, male or female, to win two Olympic singles golds.
Murray also led Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015, the country’s first in 79 years.
He has won 46 titles in all and banked around $65 million in prize money.
[Vanguard]
On Wednesday, July 24, the Delta State Police Command, paraded four suspects arrested for working with kidnappers to collect ransom from kidnap victims.
Parading the suspects at the state police command in Asaba, the state capital, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said the arrested suspects sent their account details to kidnappers and after the victims paid the ransom, the suspects deducted between 15% and 40% as their share and then sent the balance to the kidnappers.
The police spokesperson said, “They work in conspiracy with kidnappers. They are always in touch with kidnappers. Once they kidnap their victims and they are looking for where to send the ransom money to, they will contact this force man (pointing at one of the suspects) who contracts his friends to provide an account number where the ransom money will be sent to.
“After sending the money, they take their own commission which is between 15% and 40% and send back the balance to the kidnappers.”
The suspects are Chimerije Joshua Nwakpa, from Ebonyi State; Eze Levy Onyekachi, from Enugu State; Ezemma Maxwell Nnadozie, from Enugu State and Emmanuel Otubo, from Ebonyi State.
Interrogated by Edafe, Nwakpa said he was contacted by Nnadozie who communicated with the kidnappers to provide his account details and that ransoms were paid for three kidnap victims.
According to Nwakpa, the first ransom paid to his account was N3.6 million; second ransom was N4.3 million while the third ransom was N200,000.
He said that his share from the N3.6 million ransom was N530,000 which is 15% of the total amount.
He said after deducting his percentage, “I sent the balance to Maxwell who then sent it to them,” adding that he had known Nnadozie for about two years.
Asked if Maxwell told him that the money being sent to his account were ransoms from kidnap victims, Nwakpa said yes.
He said they used their shares of the ransoms to build a cryptocurrency website that they wished to use for internet fraud.
Asked how he got to know the kidnappers he worked with, Nnadozie said, “Ifesi (one of the kidnappers) and I were living in the same street at Oduke in Onitsha (Anambra State) when we're small.
“Now, I don't know where he is living but he contacted me in April to send him an account number where the ransom would be paid.”
He said that after deducting their own share, he would withdraw cash through POS and give it to the kidnappers.
The police spokesperson called on residents of Delta State to be bold to report any crime or suspicious activities in their areas to the police, whether before, during or after it has happened.
The Ondo State government has pleaded with Nigerian students not to participate in the upcoming protest against hardship and hunger.
This is as the state maintained that Nigeria shall be great.
Making the appeal, the Senior Special Assistant on Students’ Affairs to the state government, Kevin Olaolu, said the government urged its citizens to embrace peace and dialogue.
The state government also urged its citizens to give the administration of President Bola Tinubu more time to address the pressing issues facing the nation, including the economy, security, and education.
“We urge all students to support the Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to bring about positive change and development in our country.
“In the spirit of unity and progress, we call for peace among all Nigerian students and emphasize the importance of constructive engagement and dialogue in addressing our challenges.
“It is important to note that Ondo state students firmly dissociate themselves from any planned protests, violence, or destruction of public properties belonging to the government. We believe that change takes time, and as the saying goes, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
“Let us remain steadfast in our commitment to the progress and prosperity of our great nation. Together, we can overcome our challenges and build a better future for all. Nigeria shall be great,” the state government said.
Veteran Nigerian actors Binta Ayo Mogaji and Ajibola Dabo used to be lovers, and they share a son together.
In an interview that has made its way to social media, Ayo Mogaji recounted how she had the mindset of adopting a child if she didn’t give birth by age 40.
The movie star who later gave birth to her only child and son 6weeks before she clocked 40 and with one fallopian tube said she was in an unstable romantic relationship with Jibola Dabo.
They dated intermittently while he was in the country and after he left they kept in touch for a while.
When Jibola got back to Nigeria, the duo stayed in touch, rekindled their relationship at some point and started living together, which led to the pregnancy and birth of her only child.
Binta maintained that Jibola Dabo never wanted to be married, which he made clear from the onset of their relationship.
Ayo Mogaji further stated that they lived together until their child was two but had their differences, so they had to part ways.
On Thursday, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) announced the tragic loss of three construction workers who perished in a building collapse at Arowojobe Estate in Maryland, Lagos.
According to LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the fatal incident occurred at a building located at no 13, Wilson Mba Street, Arowojobe Estate, Maryland, Lagos.
The incident was confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said the three males that were recovered dead at the building were site workers.
“The agency received a distress call regarding a collapsed building at the above address at about 3.49 a.m.
“This prompted the immediate activation of the agency’s response team to the scene of the incident at 3.58 a.m.
“It was discovered that a set of three terraces under construction had collapsed.
One of the rescued was receiving treatment on-site.
“Search and rescue operations began immediately, and three adult males were recovered dead, two male adults were rescued alive, and one adult male trapped under the rubble was rescued,” he said.
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Supporters of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and those of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, clashed on Wednesday during a medical outreach in the Eliozu community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that trouble started when the state Ministry of Health officials were carrying out a medical outreach for women at the Eliozu Health Centre.
It was further gathered that no sooner had the programme started than some supporters allegedly loyal to a factional Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, arrived at the venue to find out the reason for the gathering.
The venue is said to be near the residence of Amaewhule, who is the leader of the 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike.
But supporters of the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in the state, Chijioke Ihunwo, loyal to Fubara, who were at the venue allegedly stopped them from assessing the venue, leading to a heated argument and subsequent clash.
Following the fisticuff, stones were pelted from several directions, as the medical outreach was disrupted abruptly.
A few minutes later, a team of riot policemen arrived at the scene, firing teargas to disperse the opposing groups and quell the situation from getting out of hand.
It was, however, gathered that a child who was said to have inhaled the substance from the teargas was rushed into the facility and later regained consciousness.
It was also gathered that the outreach was later moved to a state-owned medical facility at the Waterlines axis of Port Harcourt, the state capital where the programme was launched.
Reacting to the incident, Ihunwo accused Amaewhule of leading policemen to disrupt the outreach.
Ihunwo stated, “This morning, there was an incident at the Eliozu Health Centre where the former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, led some security men to disrupt a programme by the Ministry of Health.
“A few minutes later, some policemen came and started beating up our women, shooting teargas at pregnant women who were at the health centre.
“We want to say that Obio/Akpor Local Government Area will not be under siege. We want to call on the President, Bola Tinubu that the Inspector General of Police and the Minister of the FCT are tarnishing the image of your government.
“We are calling on you to call them to order so that Rivers State can have peace. Let the FCT Minister concentrate on his job in Abuja and leave our dear Governor alone.”
When contacted, Martins Wachukwu, media aide to Amaewhule, said he would speak to our correspondent on Thursday morning.
Wachukwu stated tersely, “Please I will speak to you tomorrow morning.”
The spokesperson for the state Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident.
Iringe-Koko, in a short message to our correspondent, said the police responded to a distress call over the scenario, adding that the investigation was ongoing.
She stated, “A distress call was received from the health centre in the Eliozu community today, July 24, 2024, where supporters of two separate political factions were engaged in a fight.
“The police responded by sending operatives to the scene to restore law and order.
“The police deployed anti-riot tactics, including the use of canisters, to disperse the crowds. An investigation into the matter has been initiated.”
Credit: Punch
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, on Thursday, cautioned President Bola Tinubu not to stop the upcoming August 1 protest against hardship in the country.
Primate Ayodele said Nigerians are very bitter and have formed hatred toward the present government due to the hardship in the country.
In a statement by his Media Aide, Oluwatosin Osho, Ayodele said the protest will hold but the government should work on mitigating the effects by reducing the prices of essential commodities like food, fuel, electricity, etc.
The clergy explained that the current hardship is affecting the poor and rich because many didn’t expect it to get to this level even though he warned them before voting in another APC government.
He urged the president to discard those deceiving him that the economic situation of the country is getting better.
According to Ayodele, ‘’People are very bitter and they have hatred towards this government. Some states will participate and some will not but definitely there will be protests. The government needs all it needs to do; crash the price of food, electricity, petroleum, find solutions to insecurity, regulate prices and others to mitigate the effect of the protest.
‘’People are in serious hardship but the government doesn’t understand, they need to do something fast because it will be more than an ordinary protest. Nigeria doesn’t need this protest now because there is ‘protest inside protest’ due to pains, hardship, and hunger.
‘’This government is just assumption-based; it is not a realistic one so it’s difficult to connect with people or understand their pains. The government must adjust, it’s very simple to stop this protest by doing all that is needed. It will be a protest of hunger, pains and reward.
‘’The government is affecting the rich and poor, there is hardship everywhere but people didn’t expect this. People who surround the government are deceiving him. They want the government to collapse. The government has not done anything so they should expect the protest, it will stand. ‘’
‘’Nigeria deserves better welfare despite the increment in minimum wage, it’s not an achievement but let this government go after a better achievement that the people will be grateful for.’’
The Bauchi State Government has warned any individual or group planning to organise any protest, saying there would be no protest taking place in the state.
The Secretary to the State Government, Ibrahim Kashim, while speaking against the backdrop of the planned nationwide protest, dismissed any speculation of protests occurring within the state’s borders.
“On the part of the government, we completely dissociate ourselves from any protest. We are not aware, we are not welcoming any protest, and it’s not going to happen in Bauchi State,” Kashim said.
While highlighting the state’s reputation for peace and tranquility, Kashim emphasized that the government is resolute in maintaining the atmosphere, cautioning the organizers to stage the protest elsewhere and not in Bauchi State.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria will begin their quest for a podium finish at the 2024 Olympic Games when they confront Brazil in their opening Group C fixture on Thursday (today).
The encounter is slated for the Matmut Atlantique Stadium, Bordeaux. It will kick-off at 6pm.
The Super Falcons are back to the Olympics after a 16-year absence.
Tonight’s encounter will be the third meeting between Nigeria and Brazil.
Brazil won their first meeting 4-3 at the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The South Americans also claimed a 3-1 victory the last time both countries met at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Brazil will be led by the legendary Marta, who has scored 118 goals in 183 appearances for the Samba Girls.
The Super Falcons will also face current world champions Spain and former world champions Japan in the same group.
Randy Waldrum’s side lost 1-0 to Canada in their only friendly before the Olympics.