President Trump on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for Decarlos Brown Jr., who is accused of brutally stabbing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina last month.
“The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There can be no other option!!!”
Disturbing video from the incident shows 23-year-old Zarutska being attacked with repeated knife thrusts, apparently from a pocket knife, while traveling on the Lynx Blue Line train on August 22.
On Tuesday, federal prosecutors charged Brown, 34, with causing a death on a mass transit system, a serious federal offense.
In addition to the federal charge, Brown is also facing state prosecution on a count of first-degree murder.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said authorities intend to pursue the harshest punishment possible, promising to “seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime” and vowing that the accused “will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
{Matzav.com}
[COMMUNICATED]
He was waiting at the bus stop, sefer in hand.
Not wasting a single minute.
That was Rabbi Yosef David Hy”d — immersed in Torah until his very last breath.
A terrorist’s bullet ended his life in an instant. And with that his family’s world fell apart.
Four orphans. The oldest is just ten. The baby is barely one.
They don’t understand how Abba, the man who woke up every morning with the sunrise to learn, isn’t coming home again.
They will never again run to greet him at the door.
Never again hear his voice bent over a sefer.
Never again feel his arms around them… or see that smile that lit up their days.
And his wife is left alone to carry the weight of their home, their pain, their future.
A young widow, broken, trying to be both father and mother, when all she wants is her husband back.
He built his home on simplicity, bitachon, and joy.
Even with the little they had, he gave them everything.
Now their everything is gone.
We can’t bring him back.
But we can make sure nothing else is missing.
This is not “someone else’s story.” It’s ours.
A family of Torah, torn apart in Jerusalem, now depending on us to survive.
Please open your heart. Open your hand.
Give now. Because their tomorrow depends on us today.
Arab media outlets released a photo of senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya appearing to lie in a hospital bed with his brother at his side in what was presented as proof that Israel’s alleged attempt to assassinate him in Qatar had failed.
The authenticity of the image, however, remains uncertain. Reports suggest that the photograph may have been taken years ago during a previous hospital visit for medical care, casting doubt on whether it reflects current events.
Hamas had declared earlier that Israel’s operation to target its leadership in Doha was unsuccessful. The terror group said, “the treacherous attempt by the Zionist occupation to assassinate the Hamas negotiating delegation in Doha, the capital of Qatar, today is a heinous crime, a blatant aggression and a flagrant violation of all norms and international law.”
In an additional statement, Hamas insisted, “We confirm the enemy’s failure to assassinate our brothers in the negotiation delegation. The attack on the negotiation team, while discussing the latest proposal of U.S. President Donald Trump, confirms beyond any doubt that Netanyahu and his government do not want any agreement and are deliberately seeking to thwart every opportunity and undermine international efforts, while ignoring the lives of their prisoners held by the resistance, the sovereignty of states, and the security and stability of the region.”
The organization further stressed, “This cowardly assassination attempt will not change our positions or our clear demands, which include: the immediate cessation of aggression against our people, the complete withdrawal of the occupation army from the Gaza Strip, a genuine prisoner exchange, and aid and reconstruction for our people.”
{Matzav.com}
The Dutch government declared on Tuesday that Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are now prohibited from entering any of the 29 countries within the Schengen zone.
“The cabinet decided to declare the ministers persona non grata,” the government in The Hague announced, adding that the order has been formally added to the Schengen Information System, according to Haaretz.
This measure requires border officials throughout the Schengen countries to refuse entry to the two ministers.
Still, a source cited by Haaretz noted that individual nations could choose to instruct their border agents to overlook the restriction, creating uncertainty about whether the ban will be uniformly applied.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the move was made under “exceptional circumstances” and stressed that the Netherlands intends to keep pressing for broader coordinated action across the European Union.
The decision comes in the wake of Spain taking similar steps, barring Smotrich and Ben Gvir from its territory. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares described his country’s action as retaliation after Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had blocked two Spanish ministers from visiting Israel the day before.
The Netherlands had already signaled its intention to impose restrictions, accusing the two Israeli officials of having “encouraged settler violence against Palestinians.”
Back in June, the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Norway jointly imposed sanctions on Ben Gvir and Smotrich.
Slovenia has also announced that it will not allow the two ministers to enter, becoming the first EU member state to introduce such a ban.
{Matzav.com}
