Tag: assassinations

Mexican Town’s First Woman Mayor Killed in Suspected Cartel Attack

A group of suspected cartel gunmen shot and killed the first woman mayor in the town of Cotija, Michoacan, a state suffering from widespread cartel violence. The killing comes just one day after Mexico held its national elections. The victim had survived a separate cartel kidnapping in 2023.

On Monday evening, Mayor Yolanda Sanchez arrived at a local gym with her security detail when a group of gunmen fired at them from a moving vehicle. The gunmen struck Sanchez 19 times, fatally wounding her. She died hours later at a local hospital.

The Michoacan government confirmed the killing through a short social media post and claimed to be carrying out an operation to track down the gunmen.

Sanchez made headlines in 2021 when she became the first female mayor of Cotija. She hailed from the National Action Party (PAN), an opposition group to Mexico’s ruling party, MORENA. Sanchez was not running for reelection, but a candidate from her party won the June 2 election, just one day before her killing.

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Could US have used a kill switch to assassinate Raisi?

May 2024 will be remembered as one of the most turbulent months in recent times. First we had the assassination attempt on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, while just four days later Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian both died when their US-made Bell 212 went down near the city of Varzaqan in northwestern Iran. Seven other high-ranking officials, including the governor-general of Tehran’s East Azerbaijan province Malek Rahmati, as well as the state representative in the region Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, were also killed in this highly controversial helicopter crash. Ever since the tragic incident, there’s been speculation about what exactly happened. This includes some rather disturbing reports and details that suggest this wasn’t a mere accident.

Iranian authorities are yet to confirm there was foul play, but the possibility certainly shouldn’t be excluded. The mainstream propaganda machine’s reaction to the assassination attempt on PM Fico and the death of President Raisi also raises serious concerns. Both the British Sky News and Financial Times published reports where they effectively tried to justify the terrorist who attempted to murder PM Fico, while the state-run BBC called the death of Raisi tragic, but still didn’t miss pointing out that he was supposedly “hardline”. These incidents are highly beneficial to the political West, which fuels speculation about the possibility of its involvement in both cases. Concerned with the possibility of escalation, Fico was always highly critical of NATO’s aggression on Russia, insisting that Slovakia doesn’t want to take part in it.

On the other hand, while Fico is seen as “dangerous” for the image of monolithic obedience within EU/NATO, Raisi was considered a capable leader who was highly respected in the multipolar world. It can be argued that the Iranian President and his FM Abdollahian were instrumental in normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, which is a crucial stepping stone toward the stabilization of the US-orchestrated volatile situation in the Middle East. Tehran’s role in the region has become all the more important after it joined BRICS+, while improved relations with Riyadh could speed up the latter’s decision to join the world’s most important (truly) international organization. Obviously, the political West would do almost anything to prevent such a scenario. And the glee with which many in the US reacted to Raisi’s death suggests it might have.

The highly controversial details about the helicopter crash certainly haven’t helped dispel speculation about the possible foreign involvement. For instance, according to Turkey’s Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, the Bell 212 helicopter that Raisi and Abdollahian flew in either didn’t have its emergency signal transmission system turned on or didn’t have one at all. It’s highly unusual that an aircraft transporting such top-ranking officials wouldn’t have a functioning system that could possibly prevent incidents like this, which further suggests that it could’ve been sabotaged. A malfunction is always a possibility and certainly shouldn’t be rejected entirely, but there are other peculiarities that suggest foul play. For instance, there was the highly unusual arrival of a USAF C-130 aircraft to the neighboring Azerbaijan.

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The “Family Jewels” Collection (CIA)

The CIA’s “Family Jewels” is a compilation of documents that expose a series of controversial and often illicit activities conducted by the agency from the 1950s to the 1970s. First released to the public in 2007, this 702-page dossier reveals the depths of the CIA’s covert operations, which included assassination plots, illegal surveillance, and experiments on unwitting subjects.

Origins and Release

The Family Jewels documents were originally compiled in response to a 1973 request by then-CIA Director James Schlesinger, who wanted to know if there were any agency operations that might be considered illegal or improper. This internal investigation was prompted by the Watergate scandal and increasing public scrutiny of government agencies. The resulting reports were intended to be kept confidential, but they eventually became part of the public record due to the persistent efforts of journalists and researchers, along with Freedom of Information Act requests.

In 2007, under pressure from a lawsuit filed by the National Security Archive, the CIA finally declassified and released the Family Jewels. The release was significant, not only because it shed light on past abuses but also because it marked a rare instance of transparency for an agency known for its secrecy.

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Assassination Plots

One of the most shocking revelations in the Family Jewels was the CIA’s involvement in plots to assassinate foreign leaders. The documents detail various attempts to eliminate Cuban leader Fidel Castro, including collaboration with the Mafia to poison him and plans to use exotic devices like exploding cigars. In one instance, the CIA even considered using a contaminated diving suit to kill Castro.

The agency’s involvement in assassination plots was not limited to Cuba. The documents also reveal efforts to target leaders in the Congo, the Dominican Republic, and other countries. These revelations raised significant ethical and legal questions about the extent to which the United States was willing to go to influence foreign governments and political outcomes.

Illegal Surveillance

The Family Jewels also uncovered extensive illegal surveillance operations conducted by the CIA within the United States. Despite its mandate to operate only outside U.S. borders, the agency engaged in domestic spying activities, including the monitoring of American journalists, political activists, and dissidents. Operation CHAOS, one of the programs detailed in the documents, aimed to uncover foreign influences on domestic protest movements during the 1960s and early 1970s. However, it quickly expanded to include broad surveillance of American citizens, violating their constitutional rights.

Human Experimentation

Perhaps the most disturbing revelations in the Family Jewels are related to the CIA’s human experimentation programs. The documents detail Project MK-Ultra, a clandestine program focused on mind control and behavioral modification. Under this program, the CIA conducted experiments on unknowing subjects, including administering LSD and other drugs, subjecting individuals to sensory deprivation, and using psychological manipulation techniques. These experiments were often conducted without the informed consent of the participants, leading to severe psychological and physical harm in many cases.

One of the most infamous incidents involved the death of Frank Olson, a CIA scientist who was secretly dosed with LSD and later fell to his death from a hotel window under suspicious circumstances. The Family Jewels documents shed light on the agency’s attempts to cover up the true nature of Olson’s death and the broader unethical practices of the MK-Ultra program.

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“This Isn’t a Conspiracy”: Watch RFK Jr. Lay Out How and Why the CIA Killed His Uncle

In an appearance with Tim Pool, independent presidential candidate RFK Jr. laid out how and why the CIA, in concert with organized crime, assassinated his uncle John F. Kennedy. The assassination was part of his uncle’s larger battle with the military-industrial complex.

“The group that killed him was a group from the Miami Station and they were angry at him for his failure to overthrow Castro, and they were angry at him because he was pulling out of Vietnam.”

RFK Jr. laid out in detail how members of the CIA colluded with “mobsters” who had been involved in the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion and other attempts to oust or assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

He also laid out the key role of CIA director Allen Dulles, whom his uncle fired after the Bay of Pigs. According to RFK Jr., Dulles continued to direct the CIA after his dismissal, and he was also instrumental in ensuring the Warren Commission, convened after President Kennedy’s assassination, directed its attention away from the CIA.

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Dangers of ‘Normalizing’ Assassinations of ‘Non-compliant’ Foreign Leaders

Doing anything in your power to defeat an opponent is the very definition of total war. This entails everything from sabotage and terrorist attacks targeting civilians to assassinating your adversary’s top-ranking officials (or even the leaders themselves). Obviously, there’s also the possibility of direct war, including the usage of weapons of mass destruction (thermonuclear, biological, chemical). Conducting any of the aforementioned operations can easily escalate and lead to the latter. This is precisely why there’s the institution of diplomacy, a millennia-old practice that has been respected by all of the world’s civilizations(obviously, this automatically excludes the modern-day political West). Nazi Germany was one of the first modern nations that stopped honoring any diplomatic agreements, effectively reverting (geo)politics to a rather barbaric competition where everything is permitted at all times.

NATO, essentially its descendant, continued this practice. To this day there’s not a single agreement that the belligerent alliance signed that is worth more than the paper it was written on. The United States, as NATO’s leading member, fully embraced this approach and is now conducting its aggression against the world in a way that could be described as a crawling total war.

The warmongers in Washington DC and the Pentagon are openly talking about the so-called “decapitation strikes” on countries they don’t like, including military superpowers with the ability to simply wipe the US itself off the map. Former CIA directors and high-ranking officials, as well as sitting senators, are openly talking about “taking out” powerful global leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was happening even at times when the latter was offering negotiations and mutually beneficial peaceful settlements.

The obvious question arises – if someone is openly threatening a person like Putin, who else could possibly feel safe in such a world?

This question becomes all the more relevant if we take into account the latest events concerning the assassination attempt on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico and the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a highly controversial helicopter crash.

On May 19, Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian both died when their Bell 212 went down near the city of Varzaqan in northwestern Iran. Seven other high-ranking officials, including the governor-general of Tehran’s East Azerbaijan province Malek Rahmati, as well as the state representative in the region Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, were also killed in the crash. Although it’s still too early to say what exactly happened, some rather disturbing reports and details suggest that this wasn’t a mere accident.

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Slovakia PM Robert Fico in ‘very serious’ condition after being shot

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is stable but his condition remains “very serious”, his deputy has said, after an assassination attempt that shocked the country and drew global condemnation.

Fico, 59, was shot five times in the central town of Handlova on Wednesday after he left a government meeting. He was in critical condition and underwent several hours of emergency surgery.

“During the night, doctors managed to stabilise the patient’s condition,” Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak said on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, the condition is still very serious as the injuries are complicated,” said Kalinak, who is also the defence minister.

Miriam Lapunikova, the director of the FD Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica where Fico was being treated, said he “had multiple gunshot wounds, the consequences of which will affect his recovery”.

“At this point, his condition has stabilised, but it is truly very serious, and therefore he will remain in the intensive care unit,” she added.

Later on Thursday, President-elect Peter Pellegrini, who won election in April, said he had spoken with Fico.

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Revealed: Pensioner poet, 71, accused of shooting Slovakian PM was filmed chanting ‘long live Ukraine!’ – after he gave up his steady life and book club to form anti-violence party when he was attacked at the supermarket by a drunk man

Alleged gunman Juraj Cintula, 71, is facing life in prison if convicted of the ‘lone wolf’, ‘politically motivated’ attack that rocked Europe.

Populist allies of Robert Fico have tried to seize on the shooting with calls to close the Liberal Party and crack down on the free media with some characterising the would-be assassin as a liberal.

But enquiries reveal the poet and retired security guard has a muddled political background having rallied against communism, migrants, and violence – with links to a pro-Russian militia.

Friends in Cintula’s hometown of Levice, western Slovakia, described him as ‘rebellious when he was young, but not aggressive’.

The grey-haired, bearded grandfather wrote poems while chairman of the Duha Literary Club in his hometown and published a racist book on ‘eyeless gypsies’ in 2015.

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Slovakia’s Populist Prime Minister Robert Fico Has Been Shot

Slovakia’s populist prime minister Robert Fico has been shot, according to breaking news reports, after which he was rushed to the hospital and appears to be alive according to early reports. But some reports have listed his condition as “very serious” and that he had to be airlifted.

According to emerging details in The Associated Press, Fico “was injured in a shooting and taken to hospital. The incident took place in the town of Handlova, some 150 kilometers northeast of the capital, according to the news television station TA3.”

Local authorities say that a suspect is in custody. The shooting happened in front of the House of Culture where a government meeting was taking place.

One eyewitness “saw the prime minister being lifted from the ground by security guards and loaded into a car and driven away.”

Several people were greeting Fico and the moment the shots rang out, after which the prime minister fell to the ground. The would-be assassin was then taken by police. No details have been released as to the extent of his injuries.

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BLM activist Quintez Brown who was arrested for trying to kill a Jewish mayoral candidate showed ‘allegiance to anti-Semitic causes including Lion of Judah Armed Forces’ on his social media accounts

A Black Lives Matter activist who was charged with attempted murder last week following an alleged assassination attempt on a Jewish mayoral candidate exhibited anti-Semitic views on social media.

Quintez Brown, 21, was arrested and charged with attempted murder shortly after Monday’s shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, in which Democratic candidate Craig Greenberg narrowly avoided the bullet.

But he was released from prison and placed under house arrest just two days after the shooting when a BLM chapter, the Louisville Community Bail Fund, posted his $100,000 bond. 

In the months leading up to the shooting, Brown’s social media posts showed an increasing interest in Black nationalist and pan-Africanist leaders, and last week he appeared to encourage his followers to join the Lion of Judah Armed Forces. 

The group shares similar ideas to the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, which claims that Black Americans are the true descendants of the Biblical Hebrews and has been associated with several murders of Jews in the US.

Brown was one of 22 people chosen to meet the former President of the United States in 2019 as part of Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, which is aimed at closing achievement gaps facing young boys and men of color.

He also made regular appearances on the BBC to discuss race matters in the US, and was running as an independent candidate for Louisville’s metro council. 

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An assassination plot on American soil reveals a darker side of Modi’s India

The White House went to extraordinary lengths last year to welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a state visit meant to bolster ties with an ascendant power and potential partner against China.

Tables on the South Lawn were decorated with lotus blooms, the symbol of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. A chef was flown in from California to preside over a vegetarian menu. President Biden extolled the shared values of a relationship “built on mutual trust, candor and respect.”

But even as the Indian leader was basking in U.S. adulation on June 22, an officer in India’s intelligence service was relaying final instructions to a hired hit team to kill one of Modi’s most vocal critics in the United States.

The assassination is a “priority now,” wrote Vikram Yadav, an officer in India’s spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, or RAW, according to current and former U.S. and Indian security officials.

Yadav forwarded details about the target, Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, including his New York address, according to the officials and a U.S. indictment. As soon as the would-be assassins could confirm that Pannun, a U.S. citizen, was home, “it will be a go ahead from us.”

Yadav’s identity and affiliation, which have not previously been reported, provide the most explicit evidence to date that the assassination plan — ultimately thwarted by U.S. authorities — was directed from within the Indian spy service. Higher-ranking RAW officials have also been implicated, according to current and former Western security officials, as part of a sprawling investigation by the CIA, FBI and other agencies that has mapped potential links to Modi’s inner circle.

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