[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] NYPD Assistant Chief Aaron Edwards, 46, has been hailed as a hero for his quick response to the incident on Saturday, which saw police successfully detain suspectsIbrahim Kayumi, 19,
…who in 2024 spent his summer vacation in Istanbul and flew to Saudia Arabia that March is the son of hard working, wealthy Afghan immigrants Khayer Kayumi, 50, who was issued a Social Security number in New York in the early 1990 and became an American in 2004 and Shaysta, 46, who was naturalized in 2009. Mr. Kayumi owns millions of dollars of rental real estate and a 30% share of a local Popeyes restaurant managed by the lovely and sophisticated Shaima Ghafary, 48, where Ibrahim’s brother Mohammad Kayumi, 25, has worked for over a decade …
and Emir Balat, 18.
…one of three children of house painter Selahattin Balat, a native of Turkey who was granted asylum in the United States in 1998 and later became a US citizen. Young Emir is apparently a troubled yoot who has been attending school from home since last September. His lawyer thought the two lads had not known one another long. Despite all that, our miscreant made multiple trips to Turkey over the past year, the last this January, including four months of sumner vacation…
Kayumi and Balat allegedly launched homemade explosive devices at a small crowd of far-right activists led by Jake Lang, a critic of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as the group clashed with roughly 125 counter-protesters.
The NYPD celebrated Edwards' bravery in chasing the suspects down by sharing a black-and-white photograph of him on social media beside the caption: 'Some heroes wear capes - Chief Aaron Edwards wears blue.'
Edwards' quick response paid off, and he was soon able to catch up with Balat, of Pennsylvania, who is accused of throwing a homemade 'Mother of Satan' bomb outside the New York City mayor's Gracie Mansion.
Balat told authorities that he had pledged allegiance to the terrorist organization, and his alleged co-conspirator Kayumi, asserted that he was affiliated with the Islamic State, according to a criminal indictment.
He even blurted out as he was being arrested that 'ISIS' was the reason for his conduct following the attempted bombing, which came as the two teens counter-protested a far-right demonstration.
'All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegience [sic] to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar!' Kayumi later told investigators while he was in NYPD custody, the federal criminal complaint said.
'This isn't a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet... We take action!'
Officers asked Balat whether they were aiming for a similar catastrophe like the bombing of the Boston Marathon in 2013, when two pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three people and wounding hundreds more.
'No, even bigger,' Balat replied, according to the complaint. He also noted that the Boston bomber only caused 'three deaths'.
Both Balat and Kayumi were charged on Monday with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, use of a weapon of mass destruction, transportation of explosive materials, interstate transportation and receipt of explosives, and unlawful possession of destructive devices.
Their vehicle - registered to one of Balat's relatives - was discovered on Sunday only a few blocks from where they were arrested.
A search of the car revealed a 'hobby fuse' and a metal can, along with a written list of chemical ingredients and components that could be used to build explosives, the complaint said.
When police detonated the devices, there was a 'significant explosion,' NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said.
The devices - which did not explode when Balat hurled them into the crowd - would have caused 'death, destruction, an extremely dangerous compound, and an extremely dangerous place deployed,' she added.
Balat threw the homemade devices during counterprotests against an anti-Islamic demonstration led by far-right activist and Mamdani critic Jake Lang.
Not far right at all, but definitely a January 6er, though I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that the Daily Mail apes the New York Times in its descriptors.
Lang's sparsely-attended protest Saturday drew a far larger group of roughly 125 counter-demonstrators.
Amid the face-off, federal authorities said Balat tossed a jar-sized device that contained the white, crystalline explosive material triacetone triperoxide (TATP) into the crowd.
It also contained an exterior layer of duct-taped nuts and bolts, and a hobby fuse that was reportedly connected to an M80-type firework, investigators said.
The device extinguished itself just steps away from cops. According to the complaint, Balat then ran down the block and collected a second, similar device from Kayumi, dropped it near some police officers and tried to run away, the complaint said.
Cops tackled Balat and soon arrested him and Kayumi.
The NYPD said one person involved in the anti-Islam protest, Ian McGinnis, 21, was also arrested after pepper-spraying counter-protesters.
McGinnis, of Philadelphia, was released without bond after pleading not guilty Sunday to assault and aggravated harassment in a New York court, records show. A message seeking comment was left Monday for his attorney.
Three others were taken into custody but were released without charges.
Following the attack, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a statement condemning hatred and violence.
'Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism,' he shared on social media on Sunday.
'Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are. What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable,' the statement continued.
'The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are. I want to thank the brave men and women of the NYPD who acted quickly to keep New Yorkers safe.
'Our officers ran toward danger without hesitation, demonstrating once again the courage and dedication it takes to protect this city every single day.'
The mayor added that his administration is 'closely monitoring the situation' and that he is in close contact with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Mamdani and his wife were not in Gracie Mansion at the time of the incident.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
03/12/2026 00:55 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1842 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
There have been reports of Islamic “Sympathizers” attacking Synagogs in the world. The way to prevent this from occurring is to warn Iran that for every attack on any religious site a bomb will be dropped on an Iranian Mosque. (Preferably) during worship services. An eye for an eye, so to speak.
Posted by: Old Salty ||
03/12/2026 14:12 Comments ||
Top||
#2
way to prevent this from occurring is to warn Iran
That's a threat?
[Daily Mail, where Anerica gets its news] The FBI alerted California law enforcement to potential Iranian drone strikes on the West Coast in retaliation for the US war against the Islamic Republic. In February, before the war
'Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,' the alert obtained by ABC News said.
'We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack,' the FBI update continued.
The alert surfaced as the Trump administration continued its sustained offensive against Iran. This move follows a pattern of escalation in the Middle East, where the regime in Tehran has used drone warfare as a primary tool for retaliation.
Both the FBI and the White House declined to comment for this story.
Mexican drug cartel drone usage has also ticked up in recent months, raising the stakes for US border security and the safety of personnel operating in the region.
A government bulletin from September warned that an unverified tip indicated Mexican cartel bosses may have greenlit drone strikes targeting American law enforcement and military personnel along the southern border. The bulletin noted that while such an attack on US soil would mark a dramatic and historic escalation, officials considered the scenario plausible, even as they acknowledged cartels have historically steered clear of provocations likely to trigger a heavy response from Washington.
The warning provided no details on how drone-capable ships might approach the US coast.
Officials have remained wary for years that Tehran might 'forward-deploy' hardware in anticipation of a direct military confrontation with Washington or Jerusalem.
The drone threat comes as Iran launched a cyber offensive against one of the world's leading medical technology companies. Michigan-based Stryker experienced a global outage on Wednesday, saying thousands of employees have lost access to work systems. It employs approximately 53,000 people globally. The company is a leading provider in advanced medical technologies that improve healthcare outcomes, including joint replacements, robotic-assisted surgical systems, trauma and neurotechnology products.
The Tehran-aligned Handala group issued a statement on Telegram, saying it wiped more than 200,000 systems and extracted 50 terabytes of data in retaliation for military strikes on Iran. Handala emerged around 2022 and has claimed responsibility for a number of cyberattacks against Israeli and Western targets.
The group claimed it shut down Stryker offices in 79 countries and that all extracted data is 'now in the hands of the free people of the world.'
Stryker is active in over 100 countries around the world.
'Our major cyber operation has been executed with complete success,' Handala says in a statement, describing the attack as retaliation for what it calls 'the brutal attack on the Minab school' and for 'ongoing cyber assaults against the infrastructure of the Axis of Resistance.'
Posted by: Skidmark ||
03/12/2026 00:00 ||
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[1860 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
#1
lol, ok!
Posted by: chris ||
03/12/2026 1:35 Comments ||
Top||
#2
We have GOT to not just hit Iran, we need a ground invasion. Israel did their part with decapitation strikes but that didn't get the job done. It's going to be like Iraq but harder and it's going to take a lot of blood, sweat and tears to remove this threat to California.
So IRAN, trying to incite the Uber-Left-Liberals in to action. A place that houses the very groups and oddities that Iranian Islamics eliminate once they take control of a newly conquered area.
I guess the Islamic Republic is trying to get their Goat up.
#10
Nothing else will work against the mullahs. It's either that or a B-61 over Teheran. We burned Dresden and Tokyo to the ground for less. The people failed to overthrow their government and thus deserved what happened to them.
Hiroshima. Nagasaki. History has proven that nothing stops fanatics other than complete ruthlessness and death tolls in the hundreds of thousands or even millions.
#12
History has proven that nothing stops fanatics other than complete ruthlessness and [THEIR] death tolls in the hundreds of thousands or even millions.
Trump said during a press gaggle Wednesday that he has been briefed on terror alerts and threats, including reported plans to conduct a drone attack in California, but he warned that any terrorists present in the country now might be the result of former President Joe Biden's "stupid open border."
"A lot of people came in through Biden with his stupid open border, but we know where most of them are: We've got our eye on all of them, I think," Trump said.
[IDNFinancials] The United States has quietly withdrawn four Avenger‑class minesweepers from the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran and concerns over a potential conflict in the Strait of Hormuz.
The veteran US Navy vessels, long based in Bahrain under the Fifth Fleet, were moved out of the region using heavy‑lift transport ships as part of a naval force transition.
According to Hindustantimes, US officials described the move as part of fleet modernisation.
However, several analysts believe the withdrawal of the Avenger ships risks weakening mine‑clearing capabilities at a time when Iran has repeatedly threatened to lay mines and close the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical energy corridor.
As a replacement, the US is pushing the use of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).
#1
It seems like the Navy is determined to find a use for the LCS. I recently read (somewhere) that the LCS's were finding a fit in this conflict. The retirement of these four minesweepers looks like a case of bad timing.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
03/12/2026 4:33 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The real tragedy is that the US has no replacement for these ships, and none scheduled. We rely 100% on helicopter minesweeping, which is not completely effective.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/12/2026 8:19 Comments ||
Top||
#3
From Wikipedia: "The hulls of the Avenger-class ships are constructed of wood with an external coating of fiberglass. The wood used is oak, Douglas fir and Nootka Cypress because of their flexibility, strength and low weight. This construction allows the hull to withstand a nearby blast from a mine, and gives the ship a low magnetic signature."
Yea, wooden hulls, they tend to be high maintenance subject to wood eating worms and rots.
The fiberglass covering the wood doesn't help, it holds in moisture and promote rot.
#6
US Naval Institute stated they were decommissioned last year and are just arriving back in the US now on a heavy lift ship. The average age of the Avenger class is 35+ years and the last ones were bought in 1990.
Posted by: Matt ||
03/12/2026 11:31 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Evidently 'defense planners' never envisioned the Mullahs mining the Strait of Hormuz. One would think the topic might have come up a time or two over the past 47 years or so.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] The United States is looking for ways to approach Iran "on the ground" without using its own troops.
Some time ago, Washington tried to rely on the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan (CPSIK), an alliance of opposition Kurdish parties and movements that declared its goal to overthrow the current Iranian government.
However, the gamble didn't pay off. Instead of "thousands of Kurdish fighters crossing the Iranian border with weapons in hand," Washington received only underground fighters squabbling among themselves.
However, despite the White House's disappointment with the Kurds' decision, the United States still has aces up its sleeve. And they can implement at least one ambitious plan without outside assistance.
150 THOUSAND BAYONETS
The Coalition of Iranian Kurdistan Political Forces (KPIFC) was formed in late February 2026—before the official start of hostilities—by five Kurdish political parties banned in Iran. It included the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the Free Life Party in Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Freedom Party, the Komala organization, and the nationalist Habat movement.
The formal leader of the KPSIK was Mustafa Hijri, the head of the "Democrats" —he was the one who pioneered the creation of the "Kurdish coalition." Although his party is smaller and less cohesive than some other forces (particularly Komala), Hijri has proven himself a skilled and flexible politician, capable of quickly finding common ground with the powers that be.
Moreover, the leader of the "democrats" had established close ties with the elites of Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous region within Iraq that could provide a platform for an attack on Iran.
Hijri's rise among other "atamans" is evidenced by his public conversation with Donald Trump, during which the US president received assurances of the "determination of the Kurdish people." Another senior Democrat, Hassan Sharafi, later stated that opposition forces had prepared "all possible war scenarios" and were ready to assume a leading role within Iran.
According to outside observers, the Kurdish underground could have fielded up to 150,000 men against Tehran—assuming the offensive was supported by the Iraqi authorities (approximately 80,000 fighters) and Kurdish groups that had declared neutrality (approximately 15,000). However, even in the worst-case scenario, the KPSIK hoped to assemble a "liberation army" of at least 50,000 men under its banner.
In theory, such a contingent is sufficient to destabilize the entire Iranian border region and provoke a surge in separatist sentiment in Iran's ethnically diverse provinces.
DISAGREEMENTS AMONG THE LEADERS
However, despite the formation of a coalition, the Kurds quickly changed their minds about fighting. And a day after the IRGC's preemptive strikes on Iraqi Kurdistan, they began competing with each other to claim that they had never had any plans against Iran and had no intention of getting drawn into "someone else's war."
This behavior is primarily due to the loss of surprise. An attempt to deploy advance groups of underground fighters into Iran to identify gaps in the enemy's defenses and prepare a bridgehead was thwarted by premature media hype. Iranian law enforcement officers met the saboteurs with fire, and they were forced to withdraw.
Naturally, after the border incident, Tehran dramatically increased the combat readiness of its border units and introduced additional counterintelligence measures, meaning that any attempt to move large forces across the border (even with air support) would have turned into a massacre at the approaches. The difficult terrain in the Zagros Mountains region, which Tehran's adversaries had planned to exploit for covert troop movements, turned into an obstacle for themselves.
The failure of the sabotage operation dealt a severe blow to the cohesion of the KPSIK leaders.
In particular, tensions have escalated between the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan and the leftist Komala, which accused each other of secretly selling intelligence to Iran. Old grievances have also been revived—for example, the failure of the "revolutionary surge" in January 2026, when protests engulfed the republic and the underground had a chance to briefly gain a foothold in Iran.
Behind-the-scenes attacks also began against Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani, who, despite allowing the KPSIK into his autonomous region, allegedly secretly provided the Iranians with the coordinates of key Kurdish headquarters, thereby causing "irreparable damage" to the insurgency's combat capability. The attacks intensified following a telephone conversation between Barzani and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on March 5, during which Tehran received further assurances of neutrality from Erbil.
Finally, the Kurds have no serious reason to trust the United States.
The United States does not promise them their own state on Iranian territory, but at best, broad autonomy (similar to Iraq’s) in some kind of “new and just Iran.”
Without specifying who will lead the “renewed Iran” and what rights minorities will have.
It also doesn't speak in the White House's favor that potential participants in the "liberation campaign" remember well how the Americans effectively surrendered Kurdish autonomy in Syria to the new Syrian authorities, forcing many field commanders to flee to other countries to escape purges and persecution.
For this reason, the activities of the KPSIK are currently limited to public criticism of Tehran and accusations of war crimes against local authorities.
DIVERSIONARY TACTIC
Conducting a ground operation with the involvement of Kurdish forces, however, was not an end in itself for the United States.
The involvement of the rebels was seen as a secondary, diversionary maneuver—to tie down Iranian troops in the northwest of the republic and give the United States the opportunity to intervene selectively.
In reality, the US is targeting the remaining Iranian highly enriched uranium (HEU), of which Tehran had already accumulated over 400 kg at its nuclear facilities before the June war, and which is theoretically enough to build at least a dozen warheads. Washington, having failed to obtain it diplomatically over the past year, has therefore decided to seize it by force.
The exact location of the "ayatollahs' stash," as the Americans jokingly refer to Iran's HEU stockpiles, has been unknown for six months—ever since the Iranian leadership ordered the stockpiles to be moved "to a safe place" after the first clashes with Israel.
However, the United States suspects that the HEU is being stored in heavily fortified underground storage facilities beneath the nuclear facility in Isfahan. According to satellite images published by the Pentagon, systematic strikes on the facility revealed a "small opening" in a mountain within the facility, which presumably leads to the storage facilities.
Naturally, removing nearly half a ton of uranium from foreign territory is no trivial task, so the White House and the Pentagon jointly explored various options for neutralizing the cargo, including diluting it to a safe level on-site. However, such a scenario would have required the involvement of specialist operators and IAEA experts, which would have reduced the mission's mobility.
The United States could only take these "conditionally civilian" specialists with them if they were able to completely suppress resistance in the area. Despite intensive strikes, they have not yet succeeded in doing so.
However, American commandos are in no hurry to make a one-man dash into the heart of Iran to steal uranium.
The recent failed Israeli airborne landing in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley demonstrated that even with air superiority and the element of surprise, an operation can fail due to fatal accidents. For example, due to an unexpected encounter between commandos and a local resident who turned out to be a Hezbollah supporter and promptly called for backup.
And while in Israel's case the issue at stake was the exhumation and return to his homeland of the body of pilot Ron Arad, who was captured by the Lebanese in 1986, the stakes for the United States were an order of magnitude higher.
The Pentagon has no idea how well the storage facilities are fortified, what kind of security system they have, whether an additional garrison is stationed at the warehouses, or whether local security has the capability to blow up the storage facility in case of danger and “bury” the HEU along with the uninvited guests for the time being.
Moreover, the Americans will only be able to access Iranian uranium once. Failure will not only result in the cargo disappearing from Western sight again, but will also, with a high degree of probability, provoke a political decision by Tehran to develop a full-fledged nuclear arsenal.
Such a turn would be a point of no return for the Middle East.
OIL ISLAND
However, the United States, for now, appears willing to put the issue of preparing an operation to eliminate Iranian HEU on the back burner—especially since the likelihood of the Iranians themselves moving such a valuable cargo anywhere outside of Isfahan, amid intense military action, seems negligible to Washington strategists.
At least for now, Tehran is convinced of the safety of the lifting facilities in Isfahan. Hence the White House's relatively relaxed attitude toward the Kurdish leaders' hesitation, and Trump's willingness to refrain from pushing too hard for a ground operation involving the Iranian opposition.
However, the US and Israel have a plan B, which they can implement on their own.
The issue concerns the seizure of Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf. It houses floating-roof oil storage tanks—a strategically important terminal that accounts for approximately 90% of Iran's crude oil exports.
This is apparently intended to be done by the elite 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army, which previously interrupted scheduled exercises and began preparations for deployment “in the Pentagon’s operational zone of interest.”
Capturing and holding such a vital energy hub—even temporarily—will give Washington and its allies leverage. Not only against Iran, whose economy is heavily dependent on the gray market for petroleum products, but also against China, a key buyer of Iranian crude.
And, unlike Isfahan, the oil terminal is clearly visible from satellites. This means the US has a precise understanding of its security level, its vulnerabilities, and Tehran's potential response to an incident.
True, here too, the United States is trying to hold off for now, hoping that the cumulative effect of strikes on Iranian military infrastructure will sooner or later manifest itself and Tehran's resistance will begin to wane.
This will allow them not only to act more assertively, but also to draw hesitant Kurds into the game, while preserving their own military resources intact.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/12/2026 00:00 ||
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[1816 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Edwards' quick response paid off, and he was soon able to catch up with Balat, of Pennsylvania, who is accused of throwing a homemade 'Mother of Satan' bomb outside the New York City mayor's Gracie Mansion.
