Militants threaten to “blow up” Capitol during State of the Union – National & International News – FRI 26Feb2021

Militants threaten to “blow up” Capitol during State of the Union. New COVID variant arises in New York. US attacks “Iran-backed” militants in Syria. Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls feared kidnapped.

NATIONAL NEWS

Militants threaten to “blow up” Capitol during State of the Union

Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman told lawmakers yesterday that Capitol Police (USCP) would maintain an “enhanced and robust security posture” in light of ongoing threats to the Capitol. Pittman explained that militias tied to the Jan. 6 insurrection had recently expressed a desire to ” to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible”.

It is unclear how serious or mature any such plans for violence are, and the White House has not yet set a date to address a joint session of Congress.

Pittman was testifying as part of a broader Congressional inquiry regarding USCP’s security and intelligence failings on and before Jan. 6. Pittman denied that USCP had ignored relevant intelligence, saying simply that “no credible threat indicated that tens of thousands would attack the U.S. Capitol”.

There remains a lot of confusion regarding the actions of former USCP brass before and on Jan. 6. The USCP inspector general has also opened an investigation into “misconduct” by 35 USCP officers on the day of the attack. The scope of that investigation also examines officers’ social media activity leading up to the attack.

When pressed by lawmakers, Pittman would not commit to public briefings either on the IG investigation or other matters related to Jan. 6.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).

New COVID variant arises in New York

Researchers have identified a new COVID variant, first identified in New York. New variants crop up all the time as the virus spreads and evolved. So far, opinion is divided as to whether the New York variant is a cause for concern.

Local officials, including New York City mayor Bill DiBlasio, are attempting to tamp down fears over the new variant. Two papers, one from Columbia University and another from CalTech, have flagged mutations which may reduce the effectiveness of vaccines against the variant. These mutations are similar to the those in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil variants. The sampling of the papers show different prevalence of the new variant, one saying it accounted for about a quarter of recent cases in the area, and the other around 10%. The Columbia paper found that those infected with the variant were more likely to be older and to have been hospitalized.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

US attacks “Iran-backed” militants in Syria

President Biden authorized a missile attack against “military infrastructure” under the control of Iranian militias operating in Syria. The strike reportedly hit three trucks carrying munitions coming from Iraq near the Syrian border. The latest reports indicate that 17 militants died in the attack.

The Pentagon characterized the strike as a “response” to recent missile attacks by Iranian militants on US bases in Iraq and “ongoing threats” in that region. The strike in Erbil nearly two weeks ago killed one foreign civilian contractor and wounded nine others, including an American soldier. 

It’s not immediately clear how the US strikes in Syria will better secure US assets in Iraq. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says the Pentagon is  “confident” that the trucks belonged to the same Shia militia that struck in Erbil. It’s also unclear what effect this will have on ongoing negotiations with Iran for a reset of the 2015 Iran nuclear treaty.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).

Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls feared kidnapped

At least 300 female students are unaccounted for after an armed raid on a school in the northwestern state of Zamfara. The details echo a similar December raid on a school in a different province. At that time, the gunman kidnapped 300 male students. They were later released through a combination of negotiation and armed confrontation by police.

Concerned parents have amassed outside the school while others have gone into the bush looking for their daughters. In 2014, a similar attack by Islamic militant group Boko Haram made off with 300 girls. Of those girls, 112 are still missing.

It’s unclear whether these latest kidnappings are the work of Boko Haram or opportunistic bandits operating in the area. Many Nigerians have been frustrated at the lack of action on the part of their government. The defense minister recently unleashed a furor when he tweeted that Nigerians “shouldn’t be cowards” when attacked by bandits. He went on to advocate that local villages form their own defense forces to protect schools and combat bandits.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).