Person of interest apprehended in insurance CEO slaying – National & International News – MON 9Dec2024

Person of interest apprehended in insurance CEO slaying.

Syria’s islamist takeover marks end of Assad era, but perhaps not the war.

NATIONAL NEWS

Person of interest apprehended in insurance CEO slaying

Police in Altoona, PA, have arrested a person matching the description of a man seen in surveillance photos who police say killed Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in Manhattan last week. Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested after a worker at a McDonald’s called police to report seeing a man who resembled the person in the photos. CrimeStoppers in New York had offered a $10,000 reward for his capture, and the FBI offered $50,000.

Mangione was found to be in possession of a ghost gun and a silencer. He also had clothing a similar to what the killer was wearing, as well as a fake New Jersey ID matching the one used by the government to check into a Manhattan hostel before the killing. Police also found a two-and-a-half page handwritten document expressing anger towards the healthcare industry.

Social media profiles appearing to belong to Mangione claim that he earned a Master of Science in Engineering and that he lived in Honolulu, Hawaii. However, these profiles are not always reliable. Some reporting has claimed that Mangione, originally from Baltimore, was a student at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Syria’s islamist takeover marks end of Assad era, but perhaps not the war

In less than a week, al Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has managed to seize several major Syrian cities, beginning with Aleppo and Homs and, as of yesterday, Damascus. Syria’s dictator of 24 years Bashar al-Assad has fled to Russia, ending over 50 years of Assad rule, which began with his father Hafez.

Many in Syria celebrated HTS’ successful takeover, as did many Syrians now living abroad after being displaced by nearly 14 years of civil war. Given the brutal massacres committed by both father and son, it’s understandable that many Syrians are not sorry to see the end of the Assad era. However, those hoping that this will end the strife of the long-suffering Syrian people may be celebrating prematurely.

Reform or the second coming of the Taliban?

HTS currently still bears the State Department’s terrorist designation, although it appears officials are considering lifting this designation. Abu Mohammad al-Julani, HTS’ leader, has been affiliated with virtually every major takfiri salafist terror group in the region, including al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the brutal al-Nusra Front.

Now, al-Julani is presenting himself to the people of Syria and the international community as a moderate reformer. HTS claims to have renounced ties with al-Qaeda, but still officially espouses al-Qaeda’s extremist salafist ideology. Nevertheless, al-Julani is promising a pluralist government that will serve all of Syria’s ethnic and religious groups, including Christians and non-Sunni Muslims.

Whether al-Julani can be taken at his word remains to be seen. Even international experts are divided as to their predictions for Syria under HTS control. “Some will tell you [HTS] is reformist and will be law-abiding; others will say it is the Taliban all over again,” according to terrorism expert Edmund Fitton-Brown.

King toppled, board not swept

While HTS has now seized Damascus, it would be incorrect to assume that this means they now control all of Syria. Even if HTS and al-Julani are the moderate, pluralist reformers they claim to be, other factions which control territory within Syria may not be interested in joining them. This includes Kurdish groups which have held territory in northern and eastern Syria for over a decade.

There are also outside players to worry about, including Israel and Iran. Even as HTS declared victory, Israel began a series of airstrikes throughout Southern Syria, supposedly attacking military targets. However, some of these strikes have taken aim at civilian infrastructure in Damascus. Israel is also seizing more Syrian territory, having illegally occupied the Golan Heights in southern Syria since 1967.

Iran and its allied groups in Iraq may also look to carve out a corridor through which they can continue to supply Hezbollah in Lebanon. While Hezbollah has been somewhat weakened after its recent conflict with Israel, they are still a large and formidable fighting force. They remain an important asset to Tehran as a deterrent to aggression from Israel.

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