Category: Security

Police officers pulled over a 19-year-old recent graduate from Okeechobee High School because the headlight on his truck was out. Then they found handwritten pages detailing plans to kill everyone at his high school.

Henry Horton IV, of Okeechobee, was arrested Thursday by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s detectives after they uncovered his plans for mass killings at multiple locations, according to a probable cause affidavit, discovering that he had done “recon” at two targets in Parkland, including Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Asked why he would attack Stoneman Douglas, the site of a school massacre that killed 17 and injured 17 in 2018, the affidavit says, Horton replied, “for attention or fame.”

Horton is now charged with written threats to kill or do harm. He was being held Friday in the Palm Beach County jail on $1 million bond, court records show. Should he be released, he will be placed on house arrest with a monitor.

The investigation into Horton began the night of Sept. 19, when Jupiter police officers pulled him over because of the passenger’s side headlight was out on his pickup truck.

Officers asked if he would consent to a search, which he did, the affidavit says.

Officers found handwritten papers with plans to purchase guns and then “kill everyone at OHS” with them, a bong with burnt residue, and three filet knives, according to the affidavit.

Agreeing to speak to the officers without a lawyer, Horton detailed his plans to kill 15 people at his former high school, Okeechobee High, on his 22nd birthday in 2026, including an administrator, then to go on a stabbing spree at a Miami church, according to the affidavit. He said he wanted to be killed by police afterward.

Horton told the officers that he was having several thoughts about mass killings, and that he had admitted himself into a medical facility in Virginia for a mental health evaluation for similar thoughts.

The officers took Horton into custody under Florida’s Baker Act, a provision of Florida law allowing people to be held at a designated institution for up to 72 hours if they are believed to pose a threat to themselves or someone else. He was taken to JFK North Hospital in West Palm Beach for a mental health evaluation.

At the facility, he told a PBSO detective that he had been driving in Palm Beach County when he was stopped because he was on his way to the El Rey church in Miami to do “recon” for the attack he was planning there.

When the detective asked him why, he said he wanted to do something violent because his stepmother had kicked him out of the house. He had written a manifesto, which was in his truck when he was stopped.

Asked if he had done recon anywhere else, Horton told the detective that he had gone to a church in Parkland near Stoneman Douglas High a few weeks ago, according to the affidavit. His truck was spotted in the area on Sept. 11, the affidavit says.

A few weeks before that, he admitted, he had gone to the Parkland high school itself for “recon,” watching people outside on a school day and thinking “hmm, interesting.”

The detective searched his phone, finding notes detailing different mass killing plans and Google searches of “how much is an AK47.” In messages with a friend, Horton also revealed plans to kill his stepmother.

“She kicked me out for telling her my honest thoughts,” he wrote. “Now I suffer in Florida in the middle of nowhere.”

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© 2023 South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The National Hockey League (NHL) recently announced additional changes to its theme night initiatives, banning the use of pride-themed stick tape on the ice.

According to Fox News, the decision restricts teams from wearing specialty jerseys on themed nights and further prohibits the use of rainbow-colored stick tape on the ice. The NHL’s decision to ban pride-themed jerseys and stick tape has ignited controversy.

According to a recent confirmation by Deputy NHL Commissioner Bill Daly to The Associated Press, the league set out an updated memo to its 32 teams last week. The memo outlined the guidelines players will be required to follow for themed nights.

The memo explicitly banned the use of “Pride Tape” for sticks and reiterated the ban on special theme night jerseys, encompassing occasions like “Pride,” “Hockey Fights Cancer,” and military appreciation celebrations.

An ESPN report first brought attention to the new memo. An unnamed league source revealed that the NHL memo emphasized the idea that “players should be encouraged to express themselves off the ice.”

READ MORE: NHL manager suffers sudden cardiac arrest, ‘catastrophic brain injury’

Reacting to the NHL changes, Pride Tape, the company behind the colorful athletic tape, released a statement on social media Tuesday.

“The Pride Tape team is extremely disappointed by the NHL’s decision to eliminate Pride Tape from any league on-ice activities. The league has used language in recent days which would prohibit the tape from any proximity to NHL Hockey,” the company said. “We hope the league — and teams — will again show commitment to this important symbol of combating homophobia. Many of the players themselves have been exceptional advocates for the tape.”

Additionally, the You Can Play Project, an organization that promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports and has partnered with the NHL for about ten years, tweeted a statement in response to the league’s decision. The organization criticized the league’s new stance, lamenting what it described as the NHL “stepping back” from promoting inclusivity.

“We are now at a point where all the progress made, and relationships established with our community, is in jeopardy,” You Can Play Project stated. “Making decisions to eradicate our visibility in hockey — by eliminating symbols like jerseys and now Pride Tape — immediately stunts the impact of bringing in more diverse fans and players into the sport.”

In June, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told Sportsnet, that the league had decided to no longer allow themed jerseys to be worn on the ice in an effort to remain focused on the game of hockey.

“That’s just become more of a distraction from really the essence of what the purpose of these nights are,” Bettman stated. “We’re keeping the focus on the game. And on these specialty nights, we’re going to be focused on the cause.”

This news article was partially created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and edited and fact-checked by a human editor.

A new report indicates that Hezbollah met with Iran-backed terrorist groups in March, urging them to prepare for a war with Israel that would include a ground invasion.

According to a report by The New York Times based on Syrian and Iranian sources, in March, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, conducted an extended meeting online with Iran-backed strategists. Nasrallah reportedly told the Iran-backed groups to prepare for war with Israel that would include a ground invasion.

According to two of the online participants from Syria and Iran, the Hezbollah leader said the anticipated war with Israel would “mark a new era.”

Paul Cruickshank, head editor at CTC Sentinel, shared The New York Times report on X. In addition to outlining The New York Times report, Cruickshank stated, “My analysis: This extraordinarily detailed new reporting from the New York Times indicates that we may be heading towards a regional war whose architects are Tehran and Hezbollah. With tensions escalating every minute, can the Middle East pull back from the brink?”

New York Times: “Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, held an hourslong online meeting in March with an elite group of strategists from all the Iran-backed militias and told them to get ready for a war with Israel with a scope and reach — including a ground invasion — that…

— Paul Cruickshank (@CruickshankPaul) October 13, 2023

The New York Times reported that people familiar with the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel indicated leaders from Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah helped plan the brutal attacks for more than a year, provided Hamas terrorists with training, and had prior knowledge of the attacks.

Training for the attacks reportedly occurred in Syria and Lebanon. Based on information from Iranians and a Syrian with knowledge of the attacks, The New York Times reported that a secret joint command center was established in Beirut.

As part of the training reportedly led by Hezbollah’s top commandos, Hamas terrorists were instructed on the raiding of Israeli communities and were trained to take civilians as hostages.

READ MORE: Iran-backed terror groups threatening to join war against Israel, expert says

The New York Times report also reported that two Iranians explained how Hezbollah created distractions along the northern border of Israel in order to convince the Israeli military that any potential threat would come from the northern border.

Israeli intelligence officials previously told The New York Times in September that they had obtained information that suggested Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, had called for actions to be taken against Israel, including the targeting of Israeli citizens, carrying out sabotage efforts in Israel, and smuggling weapons to Palestinians in order to spark a civil war in the region of the West Bank.

British perfume magnate Jo Malone’s son is reportedly one of three Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee student leaders who helped publish a letter earlier this week blaming Israel for the devastating Hamas terrorist attacks against the Jewish people.

According to The Daily Mail, Malone’s son, 22-year-old Josh Wilcox, is studying Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard, with a specialization in Arabic. Wilcox is also a member of Harvard’s fencing team.

As one of three reported leaders of the Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, Wilcox has published at least three articles through the Harvard Crimson in support of Palestine, including “To the Editor: When Will You Stop Silencing Palestine?” in February.

According to The New York Post, Wilcox wrote an op-ed in January that criticized Harvard Kennedy School for offering a fellowship to Amos Yadlin, who formerly served as a senior officer in the Israel’s military. Wilcox blasted Harvard for “welcom[ing] agents of colonial violence.”

READ MORE: 31 Harvard groups blame Israel for Hamas killing 700 civilians

Last Saturday, 31 Harvard student organizations, including the Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, released a letter blaming Israel for the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas, saying, “The apartheid regime is the only one to blame. Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years. From systematized land seizures to routine airstrikes, arbitrary detentions to military checkpoints, and enforced family separations to targeted killings, Palestinians have been forced to live in a state of death, both slow and sudden.”

JUST IN: Perfume giant Jo Malone’s son was reportedly behind the letter at Harvard that blamed Israel for the Hamas terror attacks.

Her son, Josh Willcox, is one of the leaders of the Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.

Malone spoke out about the war in the Middle… pic.twitter.com/nMd8pQ9HB2

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 12, 2023

Malone, who was the founder and owner of Jo Malone before selling the perfume company to Estee Lauder in 1999, provided a statement to The Daily Mail in response to the violence against Israel; however, she refused to address her son’s involvement in the Harvard student group’s controversial letter.

“We as a family are heartbroken by the events of recent days and strongly condemn all forms of violence. The abhorrent attack on innocent people on Saturday in Israel is beyond what any family should endure,” Malone said. “We again strongly condemn all forms of violence and those that incite it. We have always acted with a heart for people wanting always to strive towards a peaceful solution to any conflict.”

Malone described the Hamas attacks against Israel as a “horrendous moment” in history that has resulted in “innocent people” being forced to pay “the greatest price with their lives.” Malone called for the “utterly heartbreaking” situation to be brought to an end.

“As a family our hearts goes out to all those suffering terrible losses at this time and we send untold gratitude to all those selflessly risking their lives for others,” she added. “We call upon all leaders to find a humanitarian resolution for all.”

According to The Daily Mail, Malone emphasized that her statement to the news outlet would be the only comment she would make regarding the violent events in Israel.

A suspect who allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” fatally stabbed a teacher in France on Friday. Two others were seriously injured in the knife attack.

This is breaking news that will be updated as more information becomes available. Keep reading below.

According to the French outlet BFMTV, the suspect stabbed the assistant principal and a gym teacher at the City School Gambetta-Carnot.

Both the suspect, 20, and his brother were arrested. The suspect is known to intelligence services and was designated for radicalization, BFMTV reported.

The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the attack as “assassination in relation to a terrorist enterprise,” “attempted assassination in relation to a terrorist enterprise” and “association of terrorist criminals with a view to preparing crimes against people.”

A spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Military Wing warned there will be more attacks in Israel and abroad, adding the violence so far is “only a tiny example of the horrors that await you.” The warning comes after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel over the weekend, killing 1,200 people – primarily civilians – and wounding thousands more.

According to a translation by the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman warned the “impending nightmare will destroy your dreams.”

“We, at the Al-Quds Brigades and the Palestinian resistance announce on the fifth day of the heroic Operation Al-Aqsa Flood that the war is no longer limited to Gaza alone,” the spokesman said in a video shared on Twitter. “The enemy has already witnessed our active resistance in the West Bank, which might expand soon into the (pre-1967) occupied areas, and other places, according to developments on the ground.”

“You Zionist lowlifes, the fire is spreading. What you witnessed in the village of Duheira in south Lebanon, the ferocious killing of your officers and brigade commanders, is only a tiny example of the horrors that await you, and the impending nightmare that will destroy your dreams,” he continued.

“Oh Zionists, what you do not know is what we have prepared for you outside of Palestine, as well as inside Palestine,” the spokesman added. “What you saw in the Gaza Envelope, you will see in other places, Allah willing.”

Al-Jazeera Network Qatar first aired the Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman’s audio-recorded message.

The warning comes after a leader and founding member of Hamas, Khalid Mashal, reportedly called for a global Jihad on Tuesday, asking Muslims around the world to target the people of Israel on Friday, Oct. 13.

“He said: This is the time for Jihad to be applied on the ground rather than just in theory. He asked the Mujahedeen to go in long caravans to spell their blood on the land of Palestine,” according to a translation and analysis of the video by author Rachid Hammami.

Despite robust efforts and the introduction of several pilot programs in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the U.S. Navy missed each of its recruitment goals.

The Navy announced on Tuesday that they fell short by 7,464 for enlisted sailors, with only 30,236 enlistments of its 37,700 target enlistments. As a result, the Navy has increased its goals for FY 2024, aiming to secure a larger and more diverse talent pool.

In response to the FY 2023 shortfall, Lt. Cmdr. Richard Parker told USNI News, “Looking back on FY23, Navy Recruiting Command is proud of the effort put forth not only by our hardworking and dedicated recruiters across the nation but also by several new recruiting initiatives that have opened up opportunities for people to serve in the Navy. We are also proud of the fleet response to the recruiting shortage, and impressed by the ways the Navy has gone into action to help recruiting meet its goals.”

The Navy did witness a silver lining with a net gain of 6,000 contracted future sailors in FY 2023 as compared to FY 2022.

To widen the pool of candidates, the Navy has employed strategic changes such as increasing the maximum age of enlistment to 41 and easing restrictions on entrance exam scores. Capt. Jodie Cornell, spokesperson for the Office of the Chief of Navy Personnel, elaborated on this strategy to USNI News.

“By carefully evaluating individual circumstances and granting waivers where appropriate, we have been able to tap into a broader talent pool, including individuals who may have previously been disqualified due to minor infractions or medical conditions,” she said. “This flexibility has not only increased our recruitment numbers but also allowed us to consider candidates with unique skills and experiences that greatly benefit the Navy.”

In an attempt to resonate with the younger generation, the Navy launched the “Forged By The Sea” advertisement campaign targeting the Gen-Z demographic through social media.

The videos are focused on sailors sharing their motivations behind joining the service. The advertisement campaign was in conjunction with the Navy’s $1.8 million investment in Super Bowl ads, marking a significant shift in their recruiting tactics.

Other innovative measures introduced included a program to assist potential recruits not meeting body composition criteria, offering them a three-week fitness course to prepare them for boot camp. Additionally, multiple enlisted shipping bonuses and extended waivers were announced to further incentivize enlistments.

READ MORE: Pentagon lowering recruitment standards again: Report

Despite the aggressive recruitment measures, not all of the initiatives led to positive results. The introduction of a six-day workweek for recruiters was met with backlash and was promptly retracted, according to USNI news.

While recruitment posed its challenges during FY 2023, retention in the Navy was much more positive. The Navy announced that it exceeded its retention goals in multiple categories by utilizing strategies like billet-based advancements and expanded selective reenlistment bonuses to ensure sailors continued their military service.

Lt. Cmdr. Parker remains optimistic for the future, stating that recruiting efforts will be geared towards greater creativity and exposure.

He stated, “Recruiting will continue to think outside of the box and look for opportunities that increase exposure to our target audience and that increase opportunities for that audience to join the Navy. Anything that helps us do that is a success.”

This news article was partially created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and edited and fact-checked by a human editor.

Lana Del Rey took a Christian influencer to church after being accused of using witchcraft at one of her shows.

The “Say Yes to Heaven” singer slammed Traci Coston, who posted a video on her Instagram, claiming that “demonic energy” knocked over a crowd at a Del Rey concert.

“B— I know the Bible verse for verse better than you do,” Del Rey commented below the influencer’s video, which urged people not to attend her shows, according to Stereogum. Comments have since been disabled on the video. “PS you’re giving off super gremlin energy. Not in a good way,” Del Rey added.

In the video, Coston, who has more than 200,000 followers, said, “This is not normal … that is not a mosh pit,” and pointed to footage of the concert during which a group of people appear to be blown back from the stage, where Del Rey is singing while on her knees, and topple each other. The footage appears to be from a Mexico City show in August where concertgoers fell over because of an apparent domino effect.

Coston went on to warn viewers that “whatever witchcraft Lana Del Rey is doing, the spells she’s putting on her music to make it attractive” will invite demons and will “destroy your life.” She claimed she has exorcised demons out of people who go to “stuff like this.”

Coston and representatives for Del Rey did not immediately respond to the L.A. Times’ requests for comment.

The Grammy nominee, who defended her religious identity against possible misrepresentation, has long been open about her religious upbringing. In 2011, she told Clash that while growing up in Lake Placid, New York, she sang at various church choirs as a child. She also attended a Catholic elementary school and was a cantor at the church across the street, she said in a 2013 interview with Nylon.

“I loved church,” Del Rey told Nylon. “I loved the mysticism, the idea of something bigger, the idea of a divine plan. For me, the concept of religion transitioned into a really healthy idea of God — I don’t have the traditional views of a conservative Catholic, but my imagination was opened within the big blue-and-gold cathedral walls. I liked the idea of being looked after.”

In recent years, she has been regularly spotted attending services at the Los Angeles branch of Churchome, a Kirkland, Washington-based megachurch. Its services, held at Beverly Hills’ Saban Theatre, have also drawn a host of other celebrities, such as Kourtney Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ciara and Russell Wilson.

Del Rey included recordings of sermons from the church’s pastor, Judah Smith, in her recent L.A.-inspired album, “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.” Bieber did the same in his 2021 gospel EP, “Freedom.”

The inclusion of Smith proved controversial among Del Rey’s fans, given his history as a contributing preacher with Hillsong Church, which has been broiled in controversy, as well as reports of Smith making anti-LGBTQ+ comments in the past. Smith’s wife, Chelsea, defended the pastor in a Marie Claire article and said, “We are a church who love and welcome people regardless of their beliefs or background.”

Earlier this year, Del Rey also received a blessing from a Catholic priest while visiting Rio De Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue.

Coston’s accusations against Del Rey are not the first time social media has been awash with false claims of anti-Christian beliefs. In 2021, videos of individuals burning a Bible over a campfire and others with a lighter, went viral, and falsely claimed they were taken by Del Rey.

Such Christian gatekeepers have referenced Del Rey’s previous comments about witchcraft as ammunition against her.

In 2017, Del Rey admitted to promoting witchcraft as a means to remove Donald Trump from office, according to Pitchfork. She tweeted out dates that align with the waning crescent moon — which is significant to occult followers — when activists were planning to cast binding rituals on Trump.

“Yeah, I did it. Why not? Look, I do a lot of s—,” she told NME later that year.

“I’m in line with Yoko [Ono] and John [Lennon] and the belief that there’s a power to the vibration of a thought,” she told NME. “Your thoughts are very powerful things and they become words, and words become actions, and actions lead to physical charges.”

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© 2023 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The U.S. Supreme Court will not take up a high-profile Idaho case that tested whether a drug-sniffing police dog illegally searched a car during a traffic stop.

The Idaho Supreme Court in March ruled that when a Mountain Home police drug-sniffing dog jumped on the side of a car while following an officer’s directions, a suspect’s Fourth Amendment protection against unlawful searches was violated. The federal court’s inaction means the decision from the state’s highest court will stand, setting a precedent for limitations on law enforcement’s use of canines in drug searches.

The case stems from the 2019 arrest of Kirby Dorff, a Mountain Home man, who was later convicted of drug possession and delivery. During a traffic stop, the dog, Nero, alerted to drugs in Dorff’s car, after the dog jumped up against the vehicle multiple times to sniff its upper seams, including once when his paws rested on the driver’s side door and window.

Dorff appealed his conviction to the state Supreme Court, arguing that law enforcement found a pill bottle, folded papers and a baggie with a white substance found in his car during an illegal search. The Idaho Supreme Court ruled that when Nero “intermeddled” with Dorff’s property, it meant police conducted a “warrantless search.”

In June, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. In its petition to the federal court, the attorney general’s office argued that Nero’s actions were “instinctive” and unattributable to law enforcement and that a police dog’s “brief contact” with the outside of a car is not a “physical intrusion of a constitutionally protected area.” The court last week declined the petition.

The Dorff case attracted national attention among other recent cases asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on police powers under the Fourth Amendment. That includes a California case that involved a police officer who, while attempting a traffic stop for a noise violation, followed a man into his garage, where the officer discovered the suspect was drunk. The court ruled that police pursuits for suspected misdemeanor offenses don’t always justify warrantless entry into suspects’ homes.

The Idaho Supreme Court previously determined that the dog’s actions were prompted by an officer who made “upward gestures,” directing the dog toward areas to sniff.

“There is no asterisk to the Fourth Amendment excusing the unconstitutional acts of law enforcement when they are accomplished by means of a trained dog,” Idaho Justice Robyn Brody wrote in the majority opinion.

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© 2023 Idaho Statesman

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.