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Coalition MP ejected from question time after swearing at PM – as it happened

Online hate is spilling into the real world, AFP warns

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett began her late-night appearance at the Senate estimates hearing noting “a heaviness that hangs across Australia” after the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines.

Lone actors are being motivated by a convergence of personal grievances, mental health vulnerabilities and ideological concerns …

What helped keep us safe in recent times, such as our geography, analogue systems and far away criminals, has been impacted by fully integrated technology, social media and artificial intelligence.

We hear about the devastating impacts of racism from communities every day. But many experiences go unreported or uncounted, and our systems often do not capture the full picture.

This is not about collecting more data to prove racism exists. We already know it does. It is about making inequality visible, holding institutions to account and giving communities greater agency over their data to drive real change.

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© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

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Egyptian Parliament Authorizes Troops to Defend Saudi Arabia

The Egyptian Parliament on Monday voted to give President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi the authority to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia, where they would help the kingdom repel attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi insurgents of Yemen.

The post Egyptian Parliament Authorizes Troops to Defend Saudi Arabia appeared first on Breitbart.

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UK charges 2 men in suspected Iran-linked incident at RAF Fairford after US bombers pulled

British prosecutors charged two men Tuesday under the U.K.’s National Security Act following an incident at RAF Fairford, a key base used by the U.S. military’s heavy bombers.

Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, of London, was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service. Nouman Essghir, 24, was charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

British counterterrorism police said they believe the foreign country Abdulkarim was assisting was Iran, Reuters reported.

RUBIO CONFIRMS 'FOREIGN ACTOR' INVOLVED IN UK TERROR PLOT

The charges follow a September incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England. British police arrested five men outside the base in the early hours of Sept. 27, according to Reuters.

The base had been used by U.S. bombers to carry out strikes against Iran. About a dozen B-1 bombers were among the aircraft later withdrawn from RAF Fairford and returned to their home stations in the United States on security grounds, according to previous Fox News reporting.

FOILED TERROR PLOT AT BOMBER BASE SIGNALS WIDER THREAT TO US MILITARY INSTALLATIONS: EXPERT

RAF Fairford serves as a key European operating location for U.S. heavy bombers and has supported American military missions.

Frank Ferguson, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said the agency decided to prosecute the two men following a "complex" counterterrorism investigation.

"We will continue to work closely with our partners as this complex investigation continues," Ferguson said.

Both men were expected to appear Tuesday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The CPS emphasized that the charges are not findings of guilt and that both defendants have the right to a fair trial.

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Russia torn between wooing Taliban and protecting Central Asia

Russia is courting the Taliban with one hand and arming the Taliban’s neighbor with the other. Moscow was the first country to recognize the Taliban, a diplomatic coup it has since tried to turn to its advantage. Now it is rushing weapons and border equipment to Tajikistan to guard against threats from Afghan soil. The […]

The post Russia torn between wooing Taliban and protecting Central Asia appeared first on Asia Times.

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What It Will Take to Defeat the Houthis

The international community should set a clear goal to end the Yemeni group as an armed terrorist force.

© Illustration by The New York Times

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America Is Spending Billions To Fight the War on Terror in Africa. The Terrorists Are Winning.

A group of men with head coverings and weapons sit on a run | Photo: Iyad Ag Ghali; Patrick Robert/Corbis/Getty

The first state to be ruled by Al Qaeda might not be in Afghanistan or the Arab world—and its ruler might be a former whiskey-drinking rock star. In April, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims ("JNIM" in Arabic) led an uprising in the African nation of Mali, killing Defense Minister Sadio Camara, breaking open a prison holding thousands of inmates, and besieging Bamako, the capital. The fighting was still underway as of August.

Mali is not the only place threatened by a JNIM takeover. The West African branch of Al Qaeda is active in a belt of countries known as the Sahel. Its leader, Iyad Ag Ghali, was the former percussionist for the rock band Tinariwen. He now leads a campaign to stamp out the "music of Satan." Perhaps the one saving grace for Sahelian metalheads is that puritans can't get along with each other: The JNIM is locked in a war with the rival Islamic State Sahel Province.

The Sahelian civil wars are a testament to the failure of the global war on terror. Despite spending $355 billion on African counterterrorism from 2001 to 2021, the U.S. government has been unable to stop Al Qaeda or related Islamist groups from taking root across the continent. A study by the Pentagon's Africa Center for Strategic Studies found a 101,300 percent increase in terrorism fatalities from 2002 to 2022, mostly concentrated in the Sahel and Somalia.

These wars demonstrate that the solution to terrorism isn't maximum violence. President Donald Trump launched four times as many airstrikes against Somalia in his first 18 months of his second term as the U.S. did over the past four years combined. U.S. military aid has flowed to repressive governments across Africa with little respect for their citizens' rights. Since 2020, there have been coups d'etat across the Sahel by military men promising that they can do the dirty work that civilian leaders are afraid of. Many of them were trained by the U.S. government. The new regimes have imported Russian mercenaries with a reputation for brutality and no real restraints on their activities.

"People need to forget about the question of democracy," Ibrahim Traoré, leader of Burkina Faso, declared in April.

Instead of restoring order, these heavy-handed tactics have caused more chaos. The military juntas in the Sahel are plainly losing to the JNIM. While the Russian fighters have no difficulties massacring civilians or mutilating prisoners, they have found it much harder to face people who can actually shoot back, facing repeated battlefield humiliations. Meanwhile, the U.S.-led campaign against al-Shabab, the Somali branch of Al Qaeda, has stalled out despite the heavier use of airpower.

The African war on terror began shortly after the U.S. campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. To some extent, the U.S. created the very threats that it is trying to fight in Africa. Somalia had been at civil war since the fall of socialism, and in the early 2000s, the CIA began funding Somali warlords to stop the rise of Islamist revolutionaries. The (relatively moderate) Islamic Courts Union took over anyway in 2006—uniting Somalia for the first time in more than a decade—and the U.S. encouraged neighboring Ethiopia to invade. When al-Shabab emerged to fight the Ethiopian invaders, the U.S. tapped a former leader of the Islamic Courts Union to lead a new Somali government.

Soon after the Ethiopian-Somali war, President George W. Bush created the Pentagon's Africa Command, and Congress budgeted $500 million in aid to militaries in the Sahara Desert and the Sahel. At the time, the main Islamist threat to that region was a mostly defeated insurgency in Algeria.

But the Libyan civil war in 2011 created terrible new monsters. Soon after President Barack Obama intervened in support of the Libyan revolution, weapons and hardened fighters from Libya flooded the ethnic Tuareg region of Mali, which declared independence a few months later. Soon after, Al Qaeda and its affiliates took over the Tuareg rebellion. With the Malian government coming close to collapse, France intervened in January 2013 and made many of the same mistakes that the U.S. did in its own war on terror.

Ag Ghali, the current leader of the JNIM, got his start as a Tuareg nationalist. A leaked U.S. embassy cable from 2008 called him a "proverbial bad penny" who enjoyed "playing both sides" and had ties to Islamist and secular nationalist rebels. By the time of the French intervention, he was fully committed to Islamic theocracy. In 2017, he united Islamist rebels across the Sahel under the banner of Al Qaeda. That same year, four U.S. Special Forces troops were killed in Niger by the Islamic State group, which was busy uniting Ag Ghali's rivals.

Despite the failures of the Sahelian governments to stop Ag Ghali—and their willingness to ally with Russia—the Trump administration is eager to double down on supporting them. The U.S. government increased intelligence sharing with Mali in 2025, and as of July it was considering a direct military intervention against the JNIM, according to The Washington Post. But every American escalation on the continent has produced the enemy that the next one had to fight.

The post America Is Spending Billions To Fight the War on Terror in Africa. The Terrorists Are Winning. appeared first on Reason Magazine.

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Who is Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli firebrand rising with the populist right across the globe?

Polling ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 election projects that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit Party will win between seven and ten seats in the 120-member Knesset, potentially making any future government led by Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party contingent on his support and positioning him to secure senior ministerial portfolios.

His political rise mirrors a broader trend across Europe and the West, where parties such as Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella's National Rally in France, Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, Australia's One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, Italy’s Matteo Salvini and Germany's Alice Weidel of the AfD have all gained ground on traditional conservative political parties.

The highly controversial Ben-Gvir, as national security minister, oversees the ministry responsible for internal security, including the Israel Police, Israel Prison Service and civilian firearms licensing.

"I always say that Minister Ben-Gvir, if he were in America, he would just be called a Texan," Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron and a candidate ranked No. 12 on the Otzma Yehudit list, told Fox News Digital.

NETANYAHU PRAISES TRUMP'S 'WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR,' DEFENDS IRONCLAD ALLIANCE AHEAD OF HISTORIC ISRAEL VOTE

In a video interview with Fox News Digital, Fleisher continued, "Meaning law and order, the death penalty for murderers, tough conditions for jihadists in our prisons and gun rights for the average Jewish person to be able to defend themselves in our national state. That’s what Itamar Ben-Gvir stands for," he added.

Fleisher said that mass immigration had fueled Islamist extremism and unrest in parts of Europe, saying Israelis want to avoid similar developments.

"There is a jihadist takeover that has come in through immigration, and now the streets of Paris are burning, and the people of Belgium and the U.K. want their countries back," Fleisher said. "In Israel, we don’t want to see Tel Aviv burning," prompting politicians to embrace what are known in the United States as "law-and-order" and "tough-on-crime" candidates.

FORMER IDF CHIEF GADI EISENKOT EMERGES AS NETANYAHU’S LEADING ELECTION CHALLENGER
Former Israeli Ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon said that Ben-Gvir had missed an opportunity to change course despite his lack of military service and past conviction, arguing that his tenure had instead had a damaging impact, including on Israel’s diplomatic standing.

"Ben-Gvir spoke in a way that turned the entire world against Israel, portraying it as a racist country by making statements that made Israel a pariah state," Ayalon said.

Fleisher praised Ben-Gvir, who he said has cracked down on protection rackets in southern Israel and made significant progress toward what he described as greater equality for Jews on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Judaism’s holiest site.

"Minister Ben-Gvir was an activist from a very young age. He saw the dangers and evils of the Oslo process with the Palestinians and tried to stop it. He was arrested and stopped many times because of that, and he faced the court many times. It was then-Chief Justice Aharon Barak who once told him, ‘Why don’t you go study to be a lawyer?’" Fleisher said.

Ben-Gvir, who studied law, became active in public and political affairs and was first elected to the Knesset in 2021. Following the 2022 elections, he was appointed minister of national security by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

His many critics have taken issue with his firebrand style and what many view as a lack of political correctness.  Ambassador Ayalon, a former deputy foreign minister, told Fox News Digital that he also viewed Ben-Gvir’s performance as national security minister negatively.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTES TO CONFRONT MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, 'ISLAMIST ENTRYISM' IN OVERWHELMING VOTE

"During his tenure, Israel has become less secure internally because crime is rising. Many young people believed in the last election that he would bring governability and authority to areas such as the Negev and the Galilee, on the outskirts of the country, where there is almost no law," Ayalon said.

In 2007, Ben-Gvir was convicted of supporting a terrorist organization and inciting racism.

His campaign told Fox News Digital that the conviction stemmed from displaying a sticker of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose Kach party was outlawed in 1994, and reflected his support for a Jewish nationalist movement.

"As a young man, Minister Ben-Gvir was an intense Jewish nationalist. He has said many times, publicly, that he has matured since then and moved on from those positions."

ABBAS DELAYS PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS AGAIN, MAKING MORE THAN TWO DECADES WITHOUT VOTE

Recent posts on Ben-Gvir’s social media accounts, along with statements issued through Netanyahu’s and Likud’s official channels, have raised questions about whether the two remain fully aligned.

On Oct. 15, Ben-Gvir shared a Hebrew-language media report quoting Netanyahu as saying that he would not serve again as national security minister. In response, Ben-Gvir wrote: "Dear Prime Minister, only the people will decide. Ben Gvir is strong, Israel is strong!"

TRUMP SAYS NETANYAHU NEEDS TO BE RE-ELECTED, OR ELSE US WILL HAVE TO 'FINISH THE JOB’ AGAINST IRAN ALONE

Last Wednesday, Netanyahu's Likud party appeared to reverse course, posting a message on its official WhatsApp channel stating: "Ben-Gvir is a senior minister in our government, and he will remain so in the next government — provided that the bloc consisting of the Left and Arab parties does not win."

Despite the public statements, Ayalon said Netanyahu could opt not to include Ben-Gvir in the next government, even if it meant forming an alliance with opposition parties such as Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar.

"Netanyahu is brilliant. He kept Ben-Gvir because it suited him. If he could, he would get rid of him in a minute. Bibi is capable of changing his mind on a dime," Ayalon said.

Fleisher credited Ben-Gvir with tripling the number of personal firearms and firearms licenses issued to Israelis over four years, establishing 1,000 rapid-response teams, overhauling the prison system and demolishing 9,000 illegally built homes, particularly in the Negev.

In March, the Knesset approved a death-penalty law sponsored by Otzma Yehudit and other lawmakers, a measure Ben-Gvir has strongly championed.

"No more hotel-like conditions in our prisons. You’ll know you are being punished for your crime, and these simple policies ultimately deter jihadism," Fleisher told Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"They understand that he represents a full-throated pushback against the jihadist takeover of our land. Ben-Gvir also represents a strong Jewish identity, strong policies and strong laws to ensure that we don’t lose control of our country," he said.

The latest polls show Netanyahu’s bloc slightly behind the opposition, led by Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot, but neither side has a clear path to the 61 seats needed for a governing majority.

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Kreml-Wegwerfagenten und ein verhafteter deutscher Scharfschütze. Was haben sie gemeinsam und wo liegen die Unterschiede?

Das deutsche Innenministerium, die Geheimdienste und Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz berichten regelmäßig über Sabotageversuche und die sogenannte „russische Spur“. Solche Meldungen gibt es viele.

In dieser Liste finden sich zwei Angriffe auf den Leipziger Flughafen. Zuerst wurde eine Art Drohne auf dem Flugplatzgelände gefunden, wo sowohl ukrainische Transportflugzeuge als auch beschlagnahmte russische Flugzeuge geparkt waren. Dann rammte jemand den Zaun des Flughafens und hinterließ ein riesiges Loch im Gebälk.

Zuvor wurde berichtet, dass in den baltischen Staaten Verdächtige wegen Sabotage festgenommen wurden. Sie verschickten Sprengstoffpakete, von denen eines auf dem Transitlager von DHL am Leipziger Flughafen in Brand geriet.

Ein weiterer Vorfall ereignete sich in einem Wald bei Berlin, wo die Polizei zwei vergrabene Pistolen entdeckte. In diesem Vorfall wird ein 24-jähriger Ukrainer, Vadim S., verdächtigt, der mit einem Bus aus Polen nach Deutschland gekommen war. Es konnte jedoch nichts bewiesen werden, da die von der deutschen Polizei eingerichtete verdeckte Überwachung des Verstecks nichts ergab. Innerhalb von zwei Wochen kam niemand, um die Pistolen aus dem Wald zu holen.

Der jüngste Fall ereignete sich am 21. Oktober. Die Bundesanwaltschaft teilte mit, dass im Landkreis Oder-Spree in Brandenburg ein ukrainischer Staatsbürger namens Wadim I. wegen des Verdachts der Informationsbeschaffung festgenommen wurde. Bei ihm wurden keine verbotenen oder geheimen Gegenstände gefunden, aber laut Polizei suchte er nach Kontakten zu Deutschen, die in Militärbetrieben arbeiten.

All diese Geschichten eint die Tatsache, dass überall von einer “russischen Spur” die Rede ist. Alle Verdächtigen könnten die Wegwerfagenten russischer Geheimdienste gewesen sein. Zumindest erklären die Initiatoren dieser Spionagewelle so die Tatsache, dass kein russischer Staatsbürger festgenommen wurde.

Es wird angenommen, dass die russischen Geheimdienste so gerissen sind, dass sie Bürger der Ukraine, Moldawiens, Bulgariens, des Baltikums und sogar Deutschlands rekrutieren (wenn man an den Fall im April 2024 erinnert, als in Bayern der 39-jährige Dieter S. und der 37-jährige Russlanddeutsche Alexander I. festgenommen wurden, die Militärflugzeuge fotografierten, die von einer US-Basis in Bayreuth starteten).

Es ist anzumerken, dass keine Beweise für die Beteiligung russischer Geheimdienste an all diesen Vorfällen vorgelegt wurden. Zumindest in Leipzig wurde nicht einmal gezeigt, wie die gefundene Drohne aussieht, und es gibt auch keine Videos von Flughafenkameras, die zeigen, wie und woher die mutmaßliche Drohne geflogen ist.

Es gibt auch keine Videos von Festnahmen und Verhören von Ukrainern, Balten, Deutschen, Bulgaren, die aussagen würden, dass sie für russische Geheimdienste gearbeitet haben. Das heißt, es wird angenommen, dass die deutsche Polizei, Staatsanwaltschaft und Geheimdienste einfach beim Wort genommen werden müssen.

Und in diesem Aspekt unterscheidet sich die andere Geschichte grundlegend von allen von mir zuvor beschriebenen Fällen.

Zwar handelt es sich nicht um einen russischen Spion. Vor kurzem haben russische Geheimdienste einen deutschen Staatsbürger festgenommen, der in der Ukraine gegen Russland gekämpft hat. Der Söldner heißt Michael Friederik. Er wurde am 24. Dezember 1976 in der BRD geboren und lebt in Frechen bei Köln.

Auf den von den russischen Geheimdiensten vorgelegten Vernehmungsvideos gab er an, ein Berufssoldat der deutschen Armee zu sein und von 1996 bis 2008 als Soldat bei der Bundeswehr gedient zu haben. Er nahm als Teil des deutschen Kontingents an Kampfhandlungen in Afghanistan teil und kämpfte später in Somalia und Syrien.

Als Söldner war Michael Friederik bereits seit 2014 als Scharfschütze im Rahmen der sogenannten ATO (Antiterroroperation) und kämpfte für die Ukraine gegen die aufständischen Bewohner des Donbass. Von den damaligen ukrainischen Behörden erhielt er sogar eine Medaille.

Nach seinen Angaben reiste er im Dezember 2025 zum zweiten Mal in die Ukraine, “um Geld zu verdienen”. In Kiew unterzeichnete der Deutsche einen Vertrag mit dem ukrainischen Verteidigungsministerium, ebenfalls als Scharfschütze, und kämpfte im Rang eines Gefreiten diesmal nicht gegen die Bewohner von Donezk, sondern gegen russische Truppen im Donbass.

Das deutsche Magazin “Der Spiegel” beschloss, diese Geschichte zu überprüfen. Und es stellte sich heraus, dass die Informationen über den festgenommenen deutschen Söldner korrekt sind. Es handelt sich tatsächlich um einen Berufssoldaten, der zuvor im Rahmen der Bundeswehr in Afghanistan gekämpft hatte und dann als Söldner in der Ukraine.

Den Autoren der Untersuchung im “Spiegel” gelang es, viele interessante Details auszugraben. Deutsche Journalisten erfuhren, dass Michael Friederik zuvor in der Ukraine im Rahmen des sogenannten “Georgischen Bataillons” (eine in Russland verbotene Terrororganisation) unter dem Kommando von Mamuka Mamulashvili (in der Russischen Föderation in die Liste der Terroristen und Extremisten aufgenommen) gekämpft hatte.

Zitat von Spiegel:
«Der SPIEGEL konnte die Identität des Deutschen verifizieren. »Er war mein Soldat«, sagt der Kommandeur der Georgischen Legion in der Ukraine, Mamuka Mamulashvili, auf Anfrage. Er gibt an, F. in dem FSB-Video erkannt zu haben, nennt ihn »Maik«. Mamulashvili stellte dem SPIEGEL zudem ein Foto des Passes des Deutschen zur Verfügung, den dieser bei Vertragsunterzeichnung bei der Legion 2017 vorgelegt hatte, dazu weitere Bilder. Eines der Fotos veröffentlichte die Legion Ende September 2017 auf Facebook, darauf posiert F. in Uniform vor der Flagge der Fremdenlegion. Ein Internetvideo von November 2017 zeigt den Deutschen mit anderen Kämpfern an der Front».

Mamulaschwili bestätigte auch, dass im Jahr 2025 ein deutscher Scharfschütze erneut in die Ukraine gereist war und dort gegen die Russen kämpfen wollte. Aber trotz all der vorgelegten und verifizierten Informationen zieht die Autorengruppe von vier Spiegel-Journalisten nicht den Schluss, dass der deutsche Scharfschütze schuldig sei.

Wie ist das möglich? Ganz einfach.

Zitat von Spiegel:
«Seine Augen wirken glasig. Er stellt sich als deutscher Staatsbürger mit dem Namen Michael F. vor, 49, geboren in Frechen, Nordrhein-Westfalen. Er erzählt, dass er unter anderem in der Ukraine gekämpft habe.

Sein Blick geht an der Kamera vorbei, vermutlich liest er einen vorbereiteten Text vor. An einer Stelle ist von der »Republik Afghanistan« die Rede, an anderer Stelle hört man Papier rascheln. Die Stimme eines FSB-Beamten ist zu hören. Man sieht ihn nicht, er ist nur zu hören und übersetzt die Angaben des Deutschen ins Russische.

Unter welchen Umständen das Video mit F. aufgenommen wurde, ist unklar. Dass die Aufnahmen kaum freiwillig gemacht wurden, liegt nahe. Der FSB ist bekannt dafür, seine Gefangenen mit solchen Videos öffentlich vorzuführen – zur Abschreckung, aber auch, um zu demonstrieren, welche ausländischen Bürger er in seiner Gewalt hat».

Und weiter folgt die Schlussfolgerung:

«Putins Regime betreibt seit Jahren sogenannte Geiseldiplomatie. Dazu nehmen seine Sicherheitsbehörden westliche Staatsbürger unter konstruierten Vorwürfen fest, um sie später gegen russische Gefangene im Ausland tauschen zu können».

Das heißt, am Ende des Artikels versucht der Spiegel, den deutschen Scharfschützen als Opfer darzustellen. Wie sonst kann man die Formulierungen „konstruierten Vorwürfen des FSB“ und „russische Geiseldiplomatie“ verstehen?

Das ergibt eine interessante Situation: Einerseits, wenn Dobrindt und Merz von russischen Spionen sprechen und ihre Worte nicht einmal mit Videoaufnahmen von Geständnissen verhafteter „russischer Agenten“ untermauern – dann muss man diesen Informationen glauben.

Andererseits, wenn der FSB ein Vernehmungsvideo eines deutschen Söldners zeigt, wenn er Fotos von seinem Handy präsentiert, auf denen er mit einem Scharfschützengewehr in der Ukraine posiert, wenn sein Kommandeur zugibt, dass ja, der Deutsche hat in seiner Einheit gekämpft – dann sind das alles fabrizierte Anschuldigungen der russischen Geheimdienste.

Wenn ich so etwas lese und höre, dann verstehe ich: Wäre Dr. Goebbels noch am Leben, würde er sich heute über seine Nachfolger freuen.

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Death toll rises to 9 in church attack; officials blame 'extremist' Islamist ideology

A group of gunmen stormed a Christian church in Jordan during a funeral Friday, killing nine people and injuring more than two dozen, according to authorities.

The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 55 miles south of the capital, Amman.

Jordanian Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said Saturday that one critically injured patient remained hospitalized at Prince Ali Military Hospital in unstable condition.

Government spokesperson Mohammad Momani said Saturday the attackers subscribed to "extremist takfiri ideology," which brands people who reject a strict interpretation of Islam as apostates or nonbelievers. Terrorist groups such as ISIS have invoked takfiri beliefs to justify killing Muslims, Christians and Jews.

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON: THE WAR ON CHRISTIANS IS REAL, AND THE WORLD CAN NO LONGER STAY SILENT

Karak is home to a sizable Christian minority, and Momani sought to emphasize that Christians are "part of Jordan's national fabric."

It remains unclear whether the gunmen were affiliated with any terror group, and Jordanian authorities have not announced any arrests in connection with the attack.

Footage shown on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen armed with what appeared to be pistols approaching the church and opening fire, The Associated Press reported.

A third man carrying what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle joined them moments later, before all three rushed toward the church.

TWO SUSPECTED GUNMEN DEAD, TWO IDF SOLDIERS KILLED IN WEST BANK SHOOTING

Photos and videos from witnesses show broken glass and pools of blood inside the church. After the location was secured by police, two bodies covered with blankets were seen outside the church.

Dorgham Halasa told the AP that intense gunfire erupted in the church some 15 minutes after the funeral service began. People began running, he said.

Halasa said he didn't see the gunmen but said others he spoke with reported seeing at least four of them. Jordanian authorities had not confirmed the number of attackers as of Saturday.

On Friday, King Abdullah II said Jordan will "confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery can divide the ranks of Jordanians will fail in his endeavor before our steadfastness and unity," he added. "Our deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, and our wishes for recovery to the wounded."

Jordan announced three days of national mourning after the attack, according to the state-run Petra News Agency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A Reply to Slavoj Žižek, Jonathon Porritt, Peter Singer, Shami Chakrabarty, Priyamvada Gopal, Tariq Ali, Jeremy Corbyn and All

The New Statesman has published a letter signed by the great and good defending Sally Rooney's right to support Palestine Action. Prof James Alexander wonders why so many writers couldn't write a decent letter.

The post A Reply to Slavoj Žižek, Jonathon Porritt, Peter Singer, Shami Chakrabarty, Priyamvada Gopal, Tariq Ali, Jeremy Corbyn and All appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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The Myth of the American Dream

The averting of a terrible incident against Indian Americans at a prominent religious festival is reflective of the rising tide of anti-India sentiment in the U.S., effectively marking the end of the image of America as a country that welcomes people of diverse backgrounds. Navaratri, a nine-day festival, is revered by people of Indic faiths […]
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‘Open War’ Between Afghanistan and Pakistan Adds a Volatile Element

The two sides turn to proxy groups after eight months of a conflict that has taken a heavy toll on civilians.

© Tomas Munita for The New York Times

A house hit in June by Pakistani airstrikes in Paktia Province, Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan, as seen in August.
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Hidden hands and hired guns: how Iran hits its enemies abroad

Britain’s prime minister, Andy Burnham, has said the recent suspected terror plot targeting RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire was “almost certainly” directed by Iran. The allegation has centered attention on how Iran projects power beyond its borders. The case comes at a time of rising concern about Iranian-linked activities in the UK. In early October, two […]

The post Hidden hands and hired guns: how Iran hits its enemies abroad appeared first on Asia Times.

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SVR Report on Ukraine’s Mexican Drug Gang Links Could Pressure Zelensky, Won’t Change US Policy

Sputnik – 20.10.2026

“It’s quite possible that these facts could serve as a tool to exert pressure on the Kiev regime,” but the US government “will never publicly acknowledge that they have leveraged drug cartels to further their own interests,” RAS Institute of Latin America senior researcher Alexander Stepanov told Sputnik.

Commenting on the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service’s report that the US is looking into the deployment of 80+ cartel members to Ukraine for drone training, Stepanov said he suspects Washington won’t take any substantive measures “because the criminal networks and cartels operating in the Western Hemisphere are affiliated with the US intelligence community.”

“These groups serve as proxy instruments for the US, deployed when necessary to pressure opposing governments and act as a key destabilizing factor – thus creating opportunities for the US to exert influence over the region.”

US intelligence even “oversees the recruitment of individuals from these cartels, categorizing them based on technical proficiency, equipment, and intended use,” Stepanov pointed out, highlighting the historical use of American prisons for this purpose, and the fact that “virtually the entire leadership of Mexico’s cartels comes from security or military backgrounds, including the special forces.”

Possessing “the necessary skills, training and discipline,” gang members are “ideal mercenaries,” and deployment in Ukraine for drone training will allow them to transfer their skills back home as instructors at specialized paramilitary training centers affiliated with US intel agencies.

The drone link is also “only part of the picture,” Stepanov said, pointing to “deeper and more pervasive” links involving the transfer of arms sent to Ukraine by NATO to Latin America’s cartels, and to terror groups like those active in the Sahel region today – complete with Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate training assistance.

Ukraine is also “leveraging its capabilities, intelligence structures and affiliated networks of organized criminal groups that have taken root in Europe to facilitate the distribution of narcotics, with Mexican drug cartels serving as their primary suppliers,” Stepanov believes.

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