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A Dallas police officer was “executed” and two others injured Thursday in what officials called a “targeted” and “premeditated” attack on law enforcement.

Officer Darron Burks was parked near the front entrance to a community center between call assignments just after 10 p.m. when the suspect approached his squad car, police said in a statement Friday.

Corey Cobb-Bey, 30, appeared to be recording on his cellphone as he briefly spoke to the officer through the driver’s side window, police said. Then, they said, Cobb-Bey drew a handgun and fatally shot Burks.

“I know that the word ‘ambush’ has been thrown around in the last 24 hours or so,” Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said at a news conference Friday. “That’s not what happened here. Officer Burks was executed.”

Roughly a dozen other Dallas police officers have been killed in the past decade. Of those, five were killed in a single incident in 2016.

On Thursday, a dispatcher noticed an “unusual transmission” from Burks’s radio, police said. The dispatcher tried to contact Burks but got no response, so they sent other officers to check on him.

Cobb-Bey, meanwhile, went back to his Buick, took out a shotgun and put it on the roof of Burks’s patrol car, police said.

When Officer Jamie Farmer got to the parking lot at 10:11 p.m., Cobb-Bey immediately shot him with the handgun, striking his leg, police said. Farmer shot back and ran across the parking lot.

Cobb-Bey then grabbed the shotgun from the top of the squad car and fired once more toward Farmer, who kept running, police said.

The assailant then ran at Officer Karissa David as she got out of her squad car and shot at her several times. David returned fire and was struck in the face during the exchange, police said.

Cobb-Bey fled into Lewisville – about 20 miles northwest of downtown Dallas – then stopped on an expressway and got out of his car, police said. He allegedly approached officers and pointed a shotgun at them. Six officers fired at him, hitting him several times.

Cobb-Bey died at the scene, and none of the six officers were injured.

Farmer was released from the hospital on Friday, and David was in critical but stable condition.

“The investigation determined last night was premeditated – again, for no other reason than the uniform we wear, that my men and women proudly wear, and for the brave and honorable job our men and women do each day,” Garcia said at the news conference.

Days earlier, he said, Cobb-Bey had approached an unmarked squad car belonging to an unknown law enforcement agency and recorded himself asking officers why they were parked there. Online, Cobb-Bey had shared that he had problems in his professional and personal life, Garcia said, and “made a post indicating an event” would happen on Friday.

There is currently no evidence that Cobb-Bey and Burks knew each other, Garcia said. He added that Cobb-Bey’s guns were purchased legally.

Garcia also said there were indications that Cobb-Bey was part of the Moorish sovereign citizen movement, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as a collection of people who believe that individual citizens hold sovereignty over governments. Moorish sovereign citizens have recently “engaged in violent confrontations with law enforcement,” the SPLC says.

The Dallas Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit is probing the incident, and the Dallas County district attorney’s office will carry out its own investigation, police said.

“As a department and as a family, we are devastated,” Garcia said at the news conference. “Last night, we lost a brother, a hero. Officer Darron Burks was a son, a nephew, a friend to many, and he was senselessly and tragically murdered in the line of duty.”

Burks, who recently had joined the department, taught high school math at Texans Can Academy in Dallas for about 17 years, the Associated Press reported. Tina Shaw, the school’s principal, told the AP in a statement that he was “not only an excellent educator but also a mentor to countless students.”

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson (R) said the city had “suffered a great tragedy.”

“Officer Darron Burks truly was a hero. As a teacher and a Dallas police officer, he lived his life in service to others – to all of us. He dedicated himself to giving us a better, smarter world and a safer city. And last night, he made the ultimate sacrifice,” Johnson said in a statement read at the news conference. (His office said he is isolating with covid-19.)

Flags at city facilities are being flown at half-staff.

(c) Washington Post

Sadly, some of the family members of the six hostages whose bodies were recovered yesterday from Gaza heard rumors of the news that their loved ones were found dead on social media. Elchanan Danino, the father of slain hostage Ori Danino, H”yd, told Army Radio that he was officially informed of the news of his son’s murder by an IDF representative on Sunday at 4 a.m. but he was exposed to rumors of the news hours beforehand – beginning on Motzei Shabbos at 8 p.m. “I want to utilize this platform to say – keyboard warriors, please stop!” the bereaved father said. “You murdered us beginning at 8 p.m.” “I beg and plead – for the sake of the other families, so they shouldn’t endure what we endured tonight. I request of you, stop collecting ratings and followers on the backs of the families. You murdered us – we’re talking here about people’s lives!” In a retrospectively heartbreaking scene, the video below shows Ori, z’l, singing “בעד עמך רחמים שאלי” with his family on Sukkos only a week before his abduction. Ori, H’yd, 25, was from a Chareidi family from Jerusalem and was engaged to be married.   (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Hundreds of Jewish and Israeli students at Columbia think that the Ivy League school “has not treated them with the standards of civility, respect and fairness it promises to all its students,” according to a report from Columbia’s task force on antisemitism released on Friday.

The 91-page report, which draws on interviews with almost 500 students, found that Jew-hatred on campus is “serious and pervasive.”

“These student stories are heartbreaking, and make clear that the university has an obligation to act,” the task force’s report states. (It wasn’t clear from the report how many of the 500 students were Jewish or Israeli.)

“Unfortunately, some members of the Columbia community have been unwilling to acknowledge the antisemitism many students have experienced—the way repeated violations of university policy and norms have affected them and the compliance issues this climate has created with respect to federal, state and local anti-discrimination law,” the report states.

“Many of the events reported in the testimonials took place well before the establishment of the encampments and the takeover of Hamilton Hall,” it adds. “The experiences reported during that period were even more extreme.”

Students, who often didn’t know how to report Jew-hatred to Columbia, found that “some faculty and staff responded with compassion and determination,” but “others minimized the concerns of these students, reacting sluggishly and ineffectively even to the most clear-cut violations,” the report states. “Even students who had successfully reported an incident spoke of a recurring lack of enforcement of existing university rules and policies.”

The task force suggested its own working definition of Jew-hatred for Columbia to use and recommended “in-person workshops about antisemitism and Islamophobia, as well as a range of optional training and workshops for others in our community, including on implicit bias and stereotypes, bystander interventions and having difficult conversations.”

“Many Jewish students said they now avoid walking alone on campus,” the report states. It quotes a student who said that crossing campus with a visible Star of David or wearing a kippah “could start World War III.”

“The experiences of these students demonstrated that there is an urgent need to reshape everyday social norms across the campuses of Columbia University,” per the report. “We need to promote a richer ethic of pluralism, which would encourage greater tolerance of and respect for differences in religion, culture and national origin.”

“If we were really to succeed in promoting tolerance, students would come to understand and value these differences,” it added.

(JNS)

A nationwide general strike, announced by Histadrut chief Arnon Bar-David, will begin tomorrow morning, with Ben Gurion International Airport set to be closed in protest of a hostage deal not having been reached yet. The strike will commence at 6 a.m., with the airport closure scheduled for 8 a.m., when all takeoffs and landings will be halted. The duration of the airport’s closure remains uncertain, with the spokesman stating that it is “unclear” how long Israel’s only international hub will be shuttered. However, it appears that the strike is planned to last – at least at this point – for one day. “A deal is more important than anything else,” Histadrut Labor Federation chief Arnon Bar-David said in announcing the nationwide strike. “Jews are being murdered in the tunnels of Gaza. It is impossible to grasp and has to stop,” he added, asserting that no deal has been reached “because of political consideration.” “We are no longer one people; we are camp against camp,” Arnon added, saying “we need to bring back the State of Israel.” “We are getting body bags instead of a deal. I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention might move those who need to be moved,” he declared. “I call on the people of Israel to go out to the streets tonight and tomorrow and for everyone to take part in the strike.” A full list of workplaces set to participate in the strike will be announced later, the spokesman added. The general strike is expected to have significant impacts on various sectors, with the airport closure likely to cause disruptions to international travel – and to thousands of American yeshiva bochurim planning to fly to Israel this week. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The names of hostages have been written on the pavement of a major highway running through Tel Aviv

The Levaya of Hersh Goldberg-Polin HY’D will take place on Monday, September 2, at 4:00 p.m. (Israel time) at the Har Hamenuchos cemetery in Yerushalyim.

Billionaire ‘Shark Tank’ star and rabid Trump critic Mark Cuban polled his followers on X Friday night, asking them a simple question: “Who’s persona and character would you like to see young children grow up to have?” in a two way poll between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Unfortunately for Cuban, 68.9% of respondents selected Trump, compared to only 31.1% for Harris.

Back in 2015, Cuban was actually a supporter of Trump, and even considered being his running mate in an interview with Business Insider in July 2015.

Cuban said in August: “In 2015, I was like, ‘He’s great. He’s not a typical Stepford candidate. I thought that was a positive,” Cuban said. “A big part of that is I didn’t think he had a chance. I just wanted to kind of screw things up in traditional politics, which I’m not a fan of.”

In 2015, Cuban posted online about Trump, saying: “I don’t care what his actual positions are. “I don’t care if he says the wrong thing. He says what’s on his mind. He gives honest answers rather than prepared answers. This is more important than anything any candidate has done in years.”

However Cuban has changed his tune to the point that earlier this year, Cuban said he would vote for Biden instead of Trump even if Biden were “being given his last rites.”

Cuban has now switched to supporting Kamala Harris over Trump, and recently accused Trump of copying her policy positions.

{Matzav.com}

As news spread that 6 hostages had been found murdered, the staff and patients at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital stood in silence to honor their memory.

Video footage captured the moment Duvdevan commandos launched missiles at a building in Hebron, successfully neutralizing the Palestinian gunman responsible for the deaths of three police officers in the southern West Bank earlier today. The precision strike by the elite unit ended the deadly confrontation, ensuring the assailant was taken out.

A bomb threat on Friday evening led to the evacuation of a shul in Miami Beach, Florida, and prompted a swift response from local police. At approximately 7:40 p.m., officers responded to Beit Chabad South Beach and the Lubavitch Educational Center on Alton Road and 12th Street after a shul member flagged down an officer due to a suspicious envelope left in front of the building. The envelope contained handwritten lettering indicating a bomb threat and the words “safe house” on the other side. As a precaution, the shul was evacuated, and officers established a perimeter, shutting down Alton Road between 11th and 13th streets and diverting cars. Bomb squad officers and K-9s were deployed to conduct a thorough sweep of the shul and learning center. After a comprehensive investigation, police gave the all-clear, and the scene was cleared, with mispalelim. The incident is under further investigation, and police urged anyone with information to come forward. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Watch Jessie Waters interview with Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis, about his investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Trump, and about the FBI’s stonewalling.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the commander of the country’s air force Friday, four days after an F-16 warplane that Ukraine received from its Western partners crashed during a Russian bombardment and killed the pilot. The order to dismiss Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk was published on the presidential website. “We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers,” Zelenskyy said in an address minutes after the order was published. He said Ukraine needs to strengthen its army on the command level. Lt. Gen. Anatolii Kryvonozhko was appointed acting air force commander, the army’s general staff said. The dismissal came on the same day that Oleshchuk directed scathing criticism at a lawmaker who is deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s defense committee for her claims that the F-16 was downed by a Patriot air-defense system. Ukraine has received an unspecified number of the U.S.-made systems. Mariana Bezuhla cited unnamed sources for her claim and demanded punishment for those responsible for the error. Oleshchuk accused Bezuhla of defaming the air force and discrediting U.S. arms manufacturers and said that he hoped she would face legal consequences for her claims. “The truth will win,” Bezuhla posted on X shortly after the dismissal order was published. The air force did not directly deny that the F-16 was hit by a Patriot missile. U.S. experts have joined the Ukrainian investigation into the crash, the air force said. Meanwhile, a Russian attack on the northeastern city of Kharkiv using powerful plane-launched glide bombs killed six people, including a 14-year-old girl on a playground, and wounded 47 others, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. The bombs struck five locations across the city, which had a prewar population of 1.4 million people, the governor said. One of the bombs hit a 12-story apartment block, setting the building ablaze and trapping at least one person on an upper floor. Emergency crews searching for survivors feared the structure could collapse. In other developments, Ukrainian rockets hit the Russian city of Belgorod and its surroundings on late Friday, killing five people and injuring 37, said regional govenor Vyacheslav Gladkov. The region borders northern Ukraine ans comes under drone or artillery attacks almost daily. Zelenskyy pointed to the Kharkiv strikes as further evidence that Western partners should scrap restrictions on what the Ukrainian military can target with donated weapons. The Kharkiv strike “wouldn’t have happened if our defense forces had the capability to destroy Russian military aviation at its bases. We need strong decisions from our partners to stop this terror,” Zelenskyy said. F-16s are one of the weapons that could be used to hit Russian bases behind the front line. Oleshchuk said on Telegram that “a detailed analysis” was already being conducted into why the F-16 jet went down Monday, when Russia launched a major missile and drone barrage at Ukraine. “We must carefully understand what happened, what the circumstances are, and whose responsibility it is,” Oleshchuk wrote in the post shortly before his dismissal. The crash was the first reported loss of an F-16 in Ukraine, where the warplanes arrived at the end of last month. At least six are believed to have been delivered by European countries. Military analysts say the planes will not be a game-changer in the war, given Russia’s massive air force and […]

[COMMUNICATED]

Today is the first day of school for 1 Million+ children in Eretz Yisroel, most of whom go to public schools where Torah and Mitzvos are not discussed.

Today is the 23rd Yahrtzeit of Rav Pam zt”l, who started Shuvu schools to provide a Torah alternative to secular schools. Over  34 years, tens of thousands of children have B’H attended a Shuvu school! https://www.shuvuusa.org/donate

Today is the first day of the Shuvu school year in which 6,000+ children in Eretz Yisroel will start the year. Due to the war, the Israeli government has slashed budgets, leaving Shuvu and other religious schools in a precarious situation.

Today, the Yahrtzeit of Rav Pam zt’l is an opportune time to help Shuvu. Please support Shuvu and help bring Torah to thousands of children.  Rav Pam will surely advocate on behalf of those who strengthen Shuvu’s Torah schools in Eretz Yisroel. 

Today is a day of extraordinary opportunity. Please support Shuvu TODAY! https://www.shuvuusa.org/donate

Today is the first day of school for 1 Million+ children in Eretz Yisroel, most of whom go to public schools where Torah and Mitzvos are not discussed. Today is the 23rd Yahrtzeit of Rav Pam zt”l, who started Shuvu schools to provide a Torah alternative to secular schools. Over  34 years, tens of thousands of children have B’H attended a Shuvu school! https://www.shuvuusa.org/donate Today is the first day of the Shuvu school year in which 6,000+ children in Eretz Yisroel will start the year. Due to the war, the Israeli government has slashed budgets, leaving Shuvu and other religious schools in a precarious situation. Today, the Yahrtzeit of Rav Pam zt’l is an opportune time to help Shuvu. Please support Shuvu and help bring Torah to thousands of children.  Rav Pam will surely advocate on behalf of those who strengthen Shuvu’s Torah schools in Eretz Yisroel.  Today is a day of extraordinary opportunity. Please support Shuvu TODAY! https://www.shuvuusa.org/donate

The autopsies of the bodies of the six hostages rescued from Gaza on Shabbos revealed that all six had signs of gunshot wounds in their heads and other parts of their bodies, Ynet reported on Sunday. IDF officials estimate that they were murdered in the previous 48 hours. One of the hostages’ bodies bore signs of being tied up. The conditions of the bodies also showed that the hostages had been systematically neglected, and among other things, they had not showered for an extended period of time. IDF forces found the bodies in a tunnel about 20 meters deep in Rafah, about one kilometer away from the tunnel where Bedouin-Israeli hostage Farhan Al-Qadi was found. The IDF did not have precise intelligence about the location of the six hostages but were aware that there were hostages in the area. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum is calling on Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to take accountability for the perceived neglect of the hostages following the discovery of six bodies in the Gaza Strip.

According to the forum, the deaths of these hostages are a “direct result” of Netanyahu’s decision to “torpedo” proposed deals for their release, as well as his insistence that the IDF maintain its position in the Philadelphi Corridor.

“Over the past months, eight hostages were rescued alive in military operations, compared to 105 hostages who were released in the [November] deal,” the forum noted.

The forum further urged, “Don’t hide behind the IDF spokesperson. Give the public an account of the never-ending abandonment.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed deep sorrow over the tragic death of six Israeli hostages at the hands of their Hamas captors before a rescue operation could be carried out.

“The heart of an entire nation is shattered to pieces with the news of the murder of Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lonanov, Almog Sarusi, and Eden Yerushalmi, whose bodies were brought back from Gaza in a military operation,” President Herzog said. “On behalf of the State of Israel, I embrace their families with all my heart, and apologize for failing to bring them home safely.”

“We will continue to fight relentlessly against the criminal, terrorist organization Hamas, which has once again proven there is no end to its willingness to commit murder and crimes against humanity.

“The blood of our brothers cries out to us. Our sisters and brothers are still there enduring Hell. The supreme covenant between the state and its citizens is to ensure their safety. We have the sacred and urgent mission to bring them home,” Herzog said.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari revealed that the Hamas terrorists killed the six hostages just before the IDF forces arrived to rescue them.

In response to the deaths of the hostages, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “During this painful and difficult time, my thoughts and my heart are with the families of the hostages who were killed: Ori Danino. Alexander Lobanov. Almog Sarusi. Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Carmel Gat. Eden Yerushalmi.”

“They were held hostage by Hamas and murdered in cold blood. May their memory be a blessing. I commend the IDF and ISA forces for conducting a complex operation to retrieve the bodies of the hostages for burial in Israel,” Gallant stated.

{Matzav.com Israel}

President Joe Biden stated shortly before midnight night that he is “devastated and outraged” after the U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin was identified among six bodies that Israeli forces recovered earlier in the day in a tunnel in Rafah.

Biden vowed that “Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes,” but then said that the United States “will keep working around the clock” to secure a deal—which would be between the Jewish state and the Hamas terror organization—to release the rest of the hostages.

“Hersh was among the innocents brutally attacked while attending a music festival for peace in Israel on Oct. 7. He lost his arm helping friends and strangers during Hamas’s savage massacre. He had just turned 23. He planned to travel the world,” Biden stated. “I have gotten to know his parents, Jon and Rachel. They have been courageous, wise, and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable.”

Goldberg-Polin’s parents have been “relentless and irrepressible champions of their son and of all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions,” the president added. “I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express. I know all Americans tonight will have them in their prayers, just as Jill and I will.”

Biden called Goldberg-Polin’s death “as tragic as it is reprehensible.”

“Our hearts break after receiving the devastating news of the hostages’ bodies being found in Hamas tunnels,” stated Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. “Our thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. The terrorist monsters who murdered innocent hostages deserve nothing less than death.”

Goldberg-Polin is “an American hero, who will be remembered for his kindness and selflessness. Our hearts break for Jon, Rachel and their entire family, as well as the other families who found out today their loved ones won’t be coming home. May their memory be a blessing,” stated Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state who is Jewish.

“The killing of these hostages only further confirms Hamas’s depravity. It should release all the hostages immediately,” Blinken said. “We will continue to work with our partners in the region to secure an agreement without delay that frees the remaining hostages.”

“Hamas murdered Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American-Israeli hostage, kidnapped from a music festival for peace on Oct. 7,” stated the Republican Jewish Coalition. “Israel’s fight against these barbaric terrorists is America’s fight.”

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stated of Goldberg-Polin that “we now know he was murdered by Hamas.”

“Doug and my prayers are with Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Hersh’s parents, and with everyone who knew and loved Hersh. When I met with Jon and Rachel earlier this year, I told them: ‘You are not alone,’” Harris stated. “That remains true as they mourn this terrible loss. Americans and people around the world will pray for Jon, Rachel and their family and send them love and strength. As is said in the Jewish tradition, may Hersh’s memory be a blessing.”

“Hamas is an evil terrorist organization. With these murders, Hamas has even more American blood on its hands. I strongly condemn Hamas’s continued brutality, and so must the entire world,” Harris said. “From its massacre of 1,200 people to sexual violence, taking of hostages and these murders, Hamas’s depravity is evident and horrifying.”

“The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel—and American citizens in Israel—must be eliminated and Hamas cannot control Gaza,” Harris said. She added that “the Palestinian people too have suffered under Hamas’s rule for nearly two decades.”

“As vice president, I have no higher priority than the safety of American citizens, wherever they are in the world,” she said. “President Biden and I will never waver in our commitment to free the Americans and all those held hostage in Gaza.”

Members of Congress also commented on Goldberg-Polin.

“I am absolutely heartbroken by the deaths of several hostages held by Hamas, including U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin,” stated Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “These innocent people should all be home today with their families; instead they were murdered by terrorists. My heart is with all of the bereaved families, including the Goldberg-Polin family, who I met earlier this summer.”

“For 331 days we prayed for Hersh’s safe return. Today we learned he was murdered in Gaza. May his memory be a blessing,” stated Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), who is Jewish.

JNS

The British government expressed its deep concern on Friday regarding Israel’s ongoing military actions in the occupied West Bank, Reuters reports.

“We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions,” stated a spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign Office.

Since the onset of Israel’s conflict with Hamas terrorists in Gaza nearly 11 months ago, clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank have intensified.

According to Palestinian reports, over 660 individuals—both combatants and civilians—have lost their lives, with some fatalities resulting from vigilante-style attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

In one of the largest operations in the Israeli-occupied territory in recent months, Israeli troops on Thursday killed a local commander of the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad movement along with four other militants during a gunbattle.

“We recognize Israel’s need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also noted that the UK “strongly condemns settler violence” and stressed that further conflict and instability in the occupied West Bank would benefit no one.

{Matzav.com}

Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, one of Mexico’s most-feared drug lords, has been released from a U.S. prison after serving most of a 25-year prison sentence, authorities confirmed Friday. A U.S. Bureau of Prisons official said Cárdenas Guillén had been released from prison and was placed in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That would normally suggest he would be deported back to Mexico. A Mexican official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said Cárdenas Guillén faces two arrest warrants in Mexico, making it likely he would be detained upon arrival. The former head of the Gulf cartel was known for his brutality. He created the most bloodthirsty gang of hitmen Mexico has ever known, the Zetas, which routinely slaughtered migrants and innocent people. Cárdenas Guillén was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 and ordered to forfeit tens of millions of dollars. It was not clear why he did not serve his full sentence, but he had been extradited to the U.S. in January 2007. The 57-year-old native of the border city of Matamoros, Mexico, moved tons of cocaine and made millions of dollars through the Gulf cartel, based in the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros. He created the Zetas, a gang of former Mexican special forces soldiers who he recruited to become his private army and hit squad. They committed acts of terror that regularly involved slaughtering dozens of people, decapitating them or dumping heaps of hacked-up bodies on roadways. The Zetas lived on long after Cárdenas Guillén was captured in 2003. By 2010, the Zetas had formed their own cartel, spreading terror-style attacks across Mexico as far south as Tabasco until their top leaders were killed or arrested in 2012-2013. An offshoot of the Zetas, the Northeast cartel, continues to control the border city of Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas. But Cárdenas Guillén’s own gang, the Gulf cartel, has become hopelessly splintered after more than a decade of bloody infighting between factions with names like The Metros, The Cyclones, The Reds and The Scorpions. Cárdenas Guillén’s own nickname was “El Mata Amigos,” or “The one who kills his friends.” Cárdenas Guillén’s most brazen act was when he surrounded and stopped a vehicle carrying two U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and one of their informants in 1999 in the border city of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas. His gunmen pointed their weapons at the agents and demanded they hand over the informant, who would almost certainly be tortured and killed. The agents toughed it out and refused, reminding him it would be a bad decision to kill employees of the DEA. Cárdenas Guillén eventually called off his gunmen, but not before reportedly saying “You gringos, this is my territory.” (AP)