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By Curt Anderson The Associated Press Mon., Oct. 29, 2018 MIAMI — The Florida man accused of sending packages containing explosive material to prominent Democrats and other opponents of U.S. President Donald Trump is due to make his first court appearance Monday. An initial hearing is set in Florida federal court for Cesar Sayoc, 56, who faces five federal charges. The hearing will come hours after a 14th package was intercepted, this one in Atlanta and addressed to CNN. Another was delivered to the cable network’s New York offices last week, causing an evacuation. On Monday, bomb squads from the FBI and Atlanta police responded to a “suspicious package” at a post office in downtown Atlanta. The FBI did not identify to whom the package was addressed, but CNN President Jeff Zucker announced that a suspicious package addressed to the cable television network was intercepted Monday at an Atlanta post office. Authorities did not immediately say … [Read more...] about Florida bomb suspect Cesar Payoc set for Florida court appearance
Florida district court
US student barred by Israel appeals to top court
JERUSALEM: A U.S. student barred from Israel under a law against pro-Palestinian boycotters filed an appeal on Sunday with its top court, which suspended her deportation pending a discussion of the case.Lara Alqasem, 22, flew to Israel on Oct. 2 on a study visa but was refused entry by security officials who cited her role as president of a small local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida.In airport detention since then, she has been contesting the exclusion, with the backing of Jerusalem's Hebrew University, where she was due to begin a year-long master's programme on Sunday.On Friday, Tel Aviv District Court rejected Alqasem's appeal to be allowed in. On Sunday, her lawyers said she filed a dual motion to Israel's Supreme Court to block her looming deportation and consider a last-ditch appeal for entry."A stay has been issued against the deportation, and the appeal motion will be heard this week," a court spokesman said.Her case has touched off … [Read more...] about US student barred by Israel appeals to top court
Israeli court upholds entry ban on US student Lara Alqasem
JERUSALEM (REUTERS) - An Israeli court on Friday (Oct 12) upheld the barring of an American student from the country over her activities in support of an international boycott campaign by pro-Palestinian groups. Lara Alqasem, 22, flew to Israel last week on a student visa but was refused entry. While in airport detention, she filed an appeal with Tel Aviv District Court against the ban. The court turned her down on Friday, finding for the state. It was not immediately clear if she would be deported. Alqasem's case has touched off debate in Israel over whether democratic values have been compromised by a 2017 law that bars the entry of foreigners who publicly support anti-Israel boycotts, and if a hard line against the student would ultimately harm the country's image. Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said during a discussion of Alqasem's case on Israel Radio that the law's implementation "has not proven especially successful". Alqasem was accepted into a graduate programme at … [Read more...] about Israeli court upholds entry ban on US student Lara Alqasem
Florida man who pretended to be an Australian jihadist has been jailed for 10 years
caption Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Australia. source Chris Hopkins/ Getty Images A Florida man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after posing as a jihadist online and planning to blow up a building. Joshua Ryne Goldberg had a number of unusual online personas, and reportedly became fixated on stoking fears of a terror attack in Australia. Law enforcement began investigating Goldberg for his online discussions prior to a 2015 shooting in Garland, Texas. Shortly before his arrest, Goldberg instructed an FBI informant to place a bomb at a firefighter’s memorial event for first responders killed in the September 11th attacks in Kansas City, Missouri. A Florida man was sentenced to 10 years in a federal medical prison facility, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, after posing online as a jihadist and planning to blow up a building. Joshua Ryne … [Read more...] about Florida man who pretended to be an Australian jihadist has been jailed for 10 years
US veteran pleads guilty to Florida airport killings
MIAMI: A U.S. veteran of the war in Iraq on Wednesday pleaded guilty to fatally shooting five people to death at Fort Lauderdale International Airport in January 2017, in a deal approved by a federal judge that spared him the death penalty.Esteban Santiago, 28, agreed in U.S. District Court in Miami to a plea deal that calls for him to serve five consecutive life sentences followed by 120 years in prison without a right to appeal. He is due to be sentenced on Aug. 17.Santiago flew from his home in Anchorage, Alaska, to Fort Lauderdale, retrieved a Walther 9mm pistol and two clips of ammunition that he had checked on the flight and opened fire near a luggage carousel. Six people were wounded in addition to the five he killed, according to court papers.After running out of bullets, he placed his weapon on the ground and surrendered to police. At the end of Wednesday's court hearing, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom asked Santiago why he committed the violent act."I don't know. I wasn't … [Read more...] about US veteran pleads guilty to Florida airport killings