PROFILE: The Coming War_How He Became Tommy Robinson

 

2nd Attack As US Celebrates New Year's Day 2025_Trump Hotel in Las Vegas gets firebombed by agitator who set afire their rented Tesla Cybertuck and died in the process, injuring 7 more

By Alexandra E. PetriEmmett Lindner and Pashtana Usufzy
Jan. 1, 2025Updated 7:52 p.m. ET

One person was killed and at least seven people were injured after a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, the authorities said, on the same day that a man drove a truck through a crowd in New Orleans, killing at least 15 people.




Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said during a news conference that the authorities “believe this to be an isolated incident” but have not yet ruled out a connection to the Wednesday morning attack in New Orleans.




“There is no further threat to the community,” Sheriff McMahill said. Sheriff McMahill. As of Wednesday afternoon, there was no indication the explosion was connected to ISIS, which President Biden said inspired the New Orleans attack, but the investigation remains ongoing, he said.




At a news conference on Wednesday, Jeremy Schwartz, the acting F.B.I. special agent in charge in Las Vegas, said the agency is investigating whether the explosion “was an act of terrorism or not.”




“I know everybody’s interested in that word and trying to see if we can say, ‘Hey this is a terrorist attack,” Mr. Schwartz said. “That is our goal, and that’s what we’re trying to do”




The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department received a report of an explosion at about 8:40 a.m. local time at the Trump Hotel.




Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, said in a statement on X that “the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck” and said the vehicle was functioning properly.




Police were told that a 2024 Cybertruck “pulled up to the last entrance doors of the hotel,” Sheriff McMahill said earlier at a news conference.




The driver was the only person in the truck, Mr. McMahill said, and was killed inside the vehicle. At least seven others were reported to have sustained minor injuries.




Sheriff McMahill said the authorities found gas canisters, camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars in the back of the truck. It was unclear how they were ignited, Sheriff McMahill said.




The authorities said that the truck was rented in Colorado using Turo, the same car rental app used in the New Orleans attack. The authorities were able to trace the car back to Colorado using video footage captured at charging stations, Sheriff McMahill said.




The truck arrived in Las Vegas at around 7:30 a.m. local time, Sheriff McMahill said, and went up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before immediately pulling into the Trump Towers.




Videos posted to social media showed what appeared to be a Tesla Cybertruck engulfed in flames just outside a hotel’s lobby entrance doors. Other social media posts showed what appeared to be a line of people being led out of the building.




“Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” Eric Trump, Donald J. Trump’s son and a leader of the Trump Organization, said in a statement on X. “The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority.”




The same message was posted by the Trump Las Vegas’s social media account. People who were staying at the hotel said they were evacuated because of the fire.




Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.




Oscar Terol, who was visiting the United States from Barcelona, said that he was walking toward the hotel entrance with his wife when he stopped at a food cart right before the explosion occurred. “Those 10 seconds were the difference,” he said.




He and his wife stumbled backward and Mr. Terol saw a vehicle with flames and an array of colors shooting out of it that he assumed were fireworks.




Todd Hansen was on the 27th floor of the hotel when he said he heard a series of loud popping sounds. He took the elevator down to a waiting area, where he saw smoke and sprinklers on in the driveway outside of the hotel entrance.




“The elevator area was full of people,” Mr. Hansen said. “They would not let you out of the elevator area and into the lobby.” He went back to his room to alert his wife and they were both evacuated when they returned downstairs, he added.




Shir Poli, of San Antonio, said that he had noticed a gas-like smell on the floor and elevator. He managed to take his luggage with him as evacuations were underway.




Kerri Ford, of Wisconsin, said she had left her room for a cup of coffee when she was told to leave the building. She was set to be married on Wednesday afternoon, and her wedding dress and marriage license were left in the room.




“We didn’t know there was anything going on,” Ms. Ford said. “We just happened to come down for coffee and they’re like, ‘You have to evacuate.’”




The incident comes as Mr. Musk has cultivated a close and highly public relationship with President-elect Donald J. Trump. Mr. Musk has been using a cottage at Mar-a-Lago that Mr. Trump converted into a members-only club, providing easy access. In November, Mr. Trump tapped the tech billionaire to help lead a new Department of Government Efficiency.




And federal filings revealed in December showed that Mr. Musk had spent more than $250 million in the final months of the presidential campaign to help Mr. Trump win the White House.




The Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, on Fashion Show Drive, has nearly 1,300 suites and is 64 stories, according to the Trump Hotels website.




Pashtana Usufzy reported from Las Vegas and Emmett Lindner reported from New York. [SOURCE]

Reality Check: The Emperor Wears No Clothes_When the amateur FBI spokeswoman convinces no one that the New Orleans massacre was NOT an act of terrorism

 

Pam Geller: No Contact from FBI, Homeland Security Since Terror Attack

Illustration of PaM Geller, Founder, Editor, and Publisher of AtlasShrugs.com, and Executive Director of The American Freedom Defense Initiative.

Pamela Geller, the woman targeted by terrorists in Texas over the weekend, says the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have yet to contact her after the thwarted attacked. She made the comments last night in an interview with Sean Hannity.
"This is a serious threat," said Hannity. "Basically a Fatwa, a death threat, has now been issued. Your reaction to that? Have you had any contact with the FBI?"
"They have not contacted me, but of course we've now increased my team. I have a team now, private security, and NYPD counterterror has been in touch with me," said Geller.
"Did you reach out to the FBI?"
"I did," Geller confirmed.
Hannity followed up, "Homeland Security hasn't gotten ahold of you, the FBI hasn't gotten ahold of you?"
"No, and this is interesting because this is a terrorist threat. And the FBI, President Obama should provide security. There's no question about it. Because he created an environment that raised the stakes on this," Geller said.[source]

After Days Of Media Treatment of Pam Geller As The Real Problem In The Garland, Tx, Terrorist Shooting, Islamic Fundamentalists Openly Call For Killing Her

Garland, Texas, Shooting Suspect Linked Himself To ISIS In Tweets

One of 2 armed Islamic terrorists responsible for attacking a Texas free speech event.

 

(CNN)They wore body armor. They carried assault rifles. And one had declared loyalty to ISIS.

A day after police killed two gunmen who tried to ambush a Garland, Texas, event featuring controversial cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, details began to emerge about the shooters.

One suspect, identified as Elton Simpson by a federal law enforcement source, linked himself to ISIS in a tweet posted just before the attack.

He also was no stranger to federal investigators. In 2011, he was convicted of making a false statement involving international and domestic terrorism.

The other suspect, identified as Nadir Soofi by two federal law enforcement officials, was Simpson's roommate in a Phoenix apartment.

He wasn't well-known to federal law enforcement and was not on the FBI's radar, one of the officials said. Investigators were combing through evidence retrieved from the shooters' Arizona home to help piece together a timeline of how their plot came together, the official said.

Authorities are still trying to determine the suspects' motives, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said Monday. At this point, he said, one thing appears clear: A quick-thinking police officer "likely saved a number of innocent lives."

Simpson and Soofi never made it inside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, where in addition to the cartoon contest, a right-wing Dutch politician who's on an al Qaeda hit list was speaking Sunday evening.

A traffic officer working after-hours as security for the event and armed only with a service pistol killed both men, who were wearing body armor and carrying assault rifles, Garland Police Department spokesman Joe Harn told reporters Monday.

"We think their strategy was to get into the event center, and they were not able to get past our perimeter that we had set up," Harn said.

An unarmed security officer working with the patrol officer was shot in the ankle, police said. None of the approximately 200 people attending the event was hurt.

Harn declined to call the incident a terror attack, saying the motive was still under investigation.

"We don't know their intent, other than that they were willing to pull up and shoot police," Harn said.

Links to ISIS?

Investigators haven't revealed what they found in the suspects' apartment, but Simpson's social media footprint reveals one possible motive; he linked himself to ISIS in a tweet posted just before the attack.

"May Allah accept us as mujahideen," the tweet said, adding that Simpson and his fellow attacker had pledged loyalty to "Amirul Mu'mineen" (the leader of the faithful) -- a description that CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said likely refers to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.

After the shooting, an ISIS propagandist that Simpson had earlier asked his readers to follow tweeted, "Allahu Akbar!!!! 2 of our brothers just opened fire" at the Texas event.

"If there is no check on the freedom of your speech, then let your hearts be open to the freedom of our actions," tweeted the propagandist, who was identified by two American groups that monitor jihadi websites as Junaid Hussain, a British ISIS fighter in Syria who goes by the name Abu Hussein al Britani.

In 2011, Simpson was sentenced to three years of probation after his conviction on the terror-related charge, court records show. Prosecutors said he told FBI agents that he had not discussed traveling to Somalia to engage in "violent jihad" when, in fact, he had, according to an indictment reviewed by CNN.

U.S. authorities are investigating whether Sunday's shooting has any link to international terrorism. Simpson's tweet could indicate the attack was inspired by ISIS, but not necessarily orchestrated by the group, sources said.

Similarities to attacks in Denmark, France

The incident bears similarities to attacks this year on events in France and Denmark featuring images of Mohammed, which some Muslims believe is blasphemous.

In January, gunmen attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine that has a controversial history of depicting Mohammed, and killed 12 people. The next month, a gunman attacked a free speech forum in Copenhagen, Denmark, featuring cartoonist Lars Vilks, who infuriated al Qaeda with his depictions of Mohammed.

Why Islam forbids images of Mohammed

The Sunday night event in Garland invited cartoonists to send in caricatures of Mohammed. It was organized by the American Freedom Defense Initiative -- considered an anti-Muslim group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.

The keynote speaker was right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who's on an al Qaeda hit list.

Organizers said they received more than 350 submissions for the event.

The winning entry won $12,500. The black and white drawing shows a cartoonist's hands sketching a sword-wielding Mohammed, who is shouting, "You can't draw me!"

A speech bubble coming from the hands depicts the cartoonist's response: "That's why I draw you."

What is the American Freedom Defense Initiative?

"The Islamic jihadis are determined to suppress our freedom of speech violently." Pamela Geller, president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, told CNN. "They struck in Paris and Copenhagen recently, and now in Texas."

Responding Monday to criticisms of her group as anti-Islamic, she said, "There is a problem in Islam, as illustrated last night, and anyone that addresses it gets attacked in this same way."

Venue hosted anti-Islamaphobia event

The American Freedom Defense Initiative said it specifically picked the venue for Sunday's event, a school district-owned facility, because it had hosted an event denouncing Islamophobia in January.

SoundVision, the organizers of the January "Stand with the Prophet" event, denounced Sunday's attackers and also criticized Geller's organization for "hate mongering."

"Unfortunately, some insane persons, however, decided to give hate-mongers the attention they desired with their violent act. ... Once again, a bad name for the community," SoundVision said on its website. "We, the people of faith, must counter the war-terror-hate cycle with peace-love-respect."

Shortly after the Sunday night shooting, a prominent Muslim leader in Dallas tweeted about it.

"The community stayed away from event," Imam Zia Sheikh wrote. "Seems like a lone wolf type of attack. Just what we didn't want."

'A gentle person'

Members of a mosque the suspects attended, the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix, are in shock about what happened, said its president, Usama Shami.

Simpson was a regular worshiper at the mosque until around 2010 or 2011, about the time the FBI arrested him on the false statement charges.

During that time, he offered no signal that he held radical views, Shami said.

"He was a gentle person," Shami said of Simpson. "He always had a good attitude, a good demeanor."

Soofi came to the mosque less frequently, Shami said. He owned a local pizza shop and would show up at the mosque with his young son.

"They didn't show any signs of radicalization or any signs of even thinking about those things in that manner. So when that happens it just shocks you," Shami said. "How good did you know these people, that's the question that people ask themselves."

Americans with links to ISIS

Texas crime scene after 2 armed Islamic terrorists tried to attack a free speech event.

'Freedom of speech is under violent assault'

Wilders, the Dutch politician who was the keynote speaker at the Garland event, is controversial for his anti-Islam views. He was placed on the al Qaeda hit list for his film "Fitna."

The film, which Wilders released online in March 2008 to international outcry, features disturbing images of terrorist acts superimposed over verses from the Quran in an apparent attempt to paint Islam as a threat to Western society.

In 2011, Wilders was cleared of charges of inciting discrimination and hatred with the movie.

"The day we give away humor and freedom of speech is the day that we cease to exist as a free and independent people," he told the attendees at the Garland event Sunday night.

The American Freedom Defense Initiative is also known for its anti-Muslim stance, with the Southern Poverty Law Center describing Geller as "the anti-Muslim movement's most visible and flamboyant figurehead," a description that she disputes.

The conservative blogger first gained national attention with her group, "Stop the Islamization of America," and its vocal opposition to an Islamic community center planned near the site of New York's ground zero, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed by Islamist hijackers on September 11, 2001.

Geller said Sunday's attack showed how necessary the event was, adding that she plans to hold similar events in the future.

"The freedom of speech is under violent assault here in our nation," she said. "The question now before us: Will we stand and defend it or bow to violence, thuggery and savagery?"

CNN's Ed Lavandera reported from Garland and Joe Sutton from Atlanta, and Saeed Ahmed reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Kevin Conlon, Kristina Sgueglia, Vivian Kuo, Janet DiGiacomo, Chris Lett, Holly Yan, Pamela Brown, Jim Sciutto, John Couwels, Wolf Blitzer and Kyung Lah contributed to this report.[source]http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/us/garland-mohammed-drawing-contest-shooting/