Admin Imports Potential Afghan Terrorists, Predators Into U.S.
Scott Applewhite)

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a committee on which I serve.

The secretary has a lot of explaining to do. In the past month, we have seen a catastrophic failure of policy in Afghanistan by the Biden administration. Over and over and over again, President Biden and top officials in his administration made policy decisions that demonstrated their radical ideology and manifest incompetence.

They allowed military vehicles and weapons, and key infrastructure such as Bagram Air Force Base, to fall into Taliban hands. They left stranded hundreds of Americans and Afghans who risked their lives to support the American military mission.

Further, they loaded tens of thousands of unknown and unvetted Afghans on flights to the United States without sufficient concern for security, public health, or human rights.

Two weeks ago, I toured housing that’s being built at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. The camp will house up to 10,000 Afghan evacuees. At the time, there were flights coming in with evacuees every couple of hours. I asked the commanding general what they were doing to ensure each arriving Afghan evacuee had been properly vetted, and he told me that vetting was being done in Afghanistan.

We now know, in fact, that in many cases vetting was inadequate and, worse, in other cases checks weren’t even attempted until they arrived in the United States. 

Afghanistan is an exceptionally dangerous place where radical Islam is pervasive. We saw that just two weeks ago when a suicide bombing took the lives of 13 servicemen and women.  

Of the roughly 30,000 Afghans already brought to the United States, about one-third had not been sufficiently screened and had to be rescreened. One hundred Afghans triggered security alerts — one of whom had previously been deported after committing rape while in the United States. If even just one or two people among the evacuees are seeking to commit acts of terrorism, we could see a suicide bombing in an American mall, restaurant, or other public venue.

The failure goes beyond security. Afghanistan is also awash in horrific crimes against and abuse of women. According to the World Health Organization, 59% of women are married as child brides and 90% of women are subject to domestic abuse. That behavior is rightly both shunned and criminal in the United States. The Biden administration had a responsibility to ensure that the Afghans being brought to the United States share our values.

We also know that, instead, President Biden imported a potential humanitarian crisis into America. According to documents from the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security, there have been numerous incidents at intake centers of sexual abuse in which much older Afghan men have presented young girls as their “wives.” Some of these Afghan men reportedly exploited the withdrawal process itself, and more specifically their access to the United States provided by the Biden administration, to facilitate their abuse.

The administration has so far refused to acknowledge that risk of bringing in thousands of Afghans who haven’t been through adequate vetting, including savages who beat and rape girls they’ve forced into child marriages.

Not only did President Biden surrender to the Taliban, which is right now flying the Taliban flag over the former U.S. Embassy in Kabul, flying Black Hawk helicopters and parading advanced weapons from the U.S. military, he brought potential terrorists and predators onto U.S. soil. That is inexcusable. America needs answers, and we need them now.

Ted Cruz is a United States Senator for the state of Texas.


Politician’s Suspected Killer Named Ali Harbi Ali, Father Worked for Somali Govt: Reports

Amess
TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images
JACK MONTGOMERY
0
2:31

Sir David Amess MP’s suspected killer has been named as Ali Harbi Ali by Whitehall officials speaking to the press, who say they have identified him as the son of a man who worked for Somalia’s government.

Harbi Ali Kullane, described as “a former adviser to the prime minister of Somalia” by The Sunday Times, told that newspaper at his sister’s London home that news of his son’s arrest following Sir David’s killing had “traumatised” him.

Police are yet to officially confirm the suspect’s reported migration background, with news outlets including the state-backed BBC variously describing him as being of “Somali heritage”, “Somali origin”, or “Somali descent”, citing government and security sources.

Efforts by Breitbart London to clarify whether the suspect is a Somali migrant granted British citizenship, a British-born dual national, or an exclusive British citizen from a Somali family with the police have so far been unsuccessful, with Essex Police referring questions to the Metropolitan Police and the Metropolitan Police refusing to elaborate on their description of the suspect as simply “A 25-year-old British man” at this time.

The Sunday Times claims that the suspect was born in the United Kingdom, but it is not clear how they verified this.

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that their suspect, who has been arrested but not yet charged, has been transferred to London and his detention extended by the grant of a warrant under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

This warrant will stand until Friday, 22nd October, allowing officers to hold the suspect without charge for longer than would usually be permitted while their investigation continues.

Previously, they have indicated that “a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism” is suspected.

The BBC claims that Ali, as they have identified him, “was referred to the counter-terrorist Prevent scheme some years ago, but was never a formal subject of interest to MI5” — Britain’s domestic intelligence agency.

They added that it is “thought Mr Ali did not spend long in the Prevent programme”, to which people suspected of radical tendencies can be referred by concerned members of the public.

This story is developing…

Follow Jack Montgomery on Twitter: @JackBMontgomery
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France: Tunisian Enters Nice Basilica Threatening Staff and Shouting in Arabic

NICE, FRANCE - OCTOBER 29: Police patrol at night in front of basilica on October 29, 2020 in Nice, France. A man armed with a knife fatally attacked three people in the church, located in the heart of the city. (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)
Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images
CHRIS TOMLINSON
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2:35

Nearly a year after the deadly terror attack that saw three people murdered by a Tunisian national, another Tunisian entered the Nice Basilica and threatened staff while yelling in Arabic.

The incident took place on Monday at around 6 p.m. and saw a 26-year-old illegal migrant from Tunisia enter the Nice Basilica and start screaming in Arabic before spitting on the floor and then leaving.

The Tunisian migrant came back ten minutes later and threatened the sacristan, a Roman Catholic church official in charge of preparing for liturgical celebrations and other duties, Actu17 reports.

“The sacristan, who had been informed of the previous intrusion, approached the suspect as he began screaming in Arabic and spitting on the ground again. The man was threatening and he decided to trigger the emergency call button,” a source told the news website.

Police soon arrived and were able to apprehend the Tunisian as the church official had followed the migrant, keeping officers informed of his location. The 26-year-old was then taken into custody and was found to be intoxicated.

Nice’s Mayor Christian Estrosi commented on the incident, saying: “Thank you to the municipal police who, an alert button was activated, arrested an individual who allegedly spat, shouted in Arabic, and threatened the sacristan… Justice must be extremely harsh as we soon commemorate the attack of October 29, 2020.”

On October 29th of last year, Tunisian illegal immigrant Brahim Aouissaoui entered the Nice Basilica and murdered three people, leaving several others injured before he was stopped by police.

A report from earlier this year revealed text messages from the Tunisian’s phone that indicated he originally wanted to carry out an attack in Paris but was unable to get a train to the French capital due to the cost of the ticket.

Just three months ago, police arrested a 27-year-old man on a terrorism watchlist after he had made death threats at the Nice Basilica, shouting: “I’m going to come back, and I’m going to kill you all.”

The man is currently being held in jail until his trial.

Earlier this year in Nantes, another migrant, a 40-year-old from Rwanda, allegedly murdered a local priest. The alleged murder came months after the same migrant had set the Nantes cathedral on fire but later released from custody.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com

David Amess: MP’s killing declared a terrorist incident

Man, 25, in custody as police investigate ‘potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism’

Police at Belfairs Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea.
Police at Belfairs Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, where Amess was killed on Friday. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters
, ,  and 

The killing of the Conservative MP David Amess, who died after being stabbed several times at an open advice surgery for his constituents in Essex, has been declared as a terrorist incident.

The death of the 69-year-old veteran backbencher brought heartfelt tributes from all parties. Just five years after the murder of Jo Cox, it also prompted renewed worries about the security risks for MPs in an increasingly rancorous and polarised political era.

A 25-year-old man, believed to be a Briton with Somali heritage, is in custody and has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Sources have told the Guardian he has the same details as someone who had previously been referred to the Prevent scheme, the official programme for those thought at risk of radicalisation.

Sir David Amess
Sir David Amess profile: Eurosceptic MP with a passion for animal welfare
Read more

In a statement, the Metropolitan police said the senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, had formally declared the incident as terrorism. The early investigation has revealed “a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism”, the force said.

As part of the investigation, officers are searching two addresses in the London area, the Met said. The force believe the man acted alone and are not seeking anyone else at the moment.

Essex police had briefed counter-terrorism policing headquarters about details of the attack and suspect throughout Friday afternoon. MI5, the domestic Security Service, was also monitoring the investigation.

Amess, who had represented Southend West since 1997, and had previously been the MP for the nearby Essex seat of Basildon from 1983, was stabbed several times at the constituency event at a church in Leigh-on-Sea late on Friday morning.

Paramedics treated Amess at the scene, but were unable to save his life.

In a statement to the media outside Southend police station, the chief constable of Essex, Ben-Julian Harrington, said police and paramedics arrived at the scene “within minutes” of being called.

“When they arrived, they found Sir David Amess MP, who had suffered multiple injuries. This was a difficult incident, but our officers and paramedics worked extremely hard to save Sir David. Tragically, he died at the scene.”

News of the attack prompted shock and revulsion both in the constituency, where Amess was a well-known and visible figure, and from other MPs, faith leaders and others. Flags were flown at half-mast at Downing Street and parliament.

David Amess
David Amess in Westminster in May 2021. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Rex/Shutterstock

Priti Patel has ordered an immediate review of MPs’ security. A spokesman said: “The home secretary has asked all police forces to review security arrangements for MPs with immediate effect and will provide updates in due course.”

The Commons Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, said the killing would “send shock waves across the parliamentary community and the whole country”, adding: “In the coming days we will need to discuss and examine MPs’ security and any measures to be taken.”

John Lamb, Conservative councillor for the neighbouring ward of West Leigh and a former leader of the council, said Amess would hold his advice surgeries in a range of locations because “he wanted to come out and about and meet people”.

Lamb said he had learned of the attack from a party colleague, who had been in touch with people who were with Amess at the church. “They phoned her up to say: ‘David’s been stabbed several times,’” Lamb said. “I came straight over.”

Kevin Buck, the councillor for Prittlewell ward and a friend of Amess, said the MP’s assistant and PA were both with him when he was attacked, adding: “I would imagine they are traumatised, because they would have seen the whole thing.”

After two killings in five years, we must get serious about MPs’ security
Chris Bryant
Read more

As news of the attack emerged, there were desperate hopes that the MP’s life could be saved, with an air ambulance sent to the scene. But just over two hours later, police released an updated statement saying the man attacked had died, subsequently confirming this was Amess.

Tributes flooded in from MPs across the political spectrum, many of them highlighting Amess’s 38-year career in the Commons, one spent entirely on the backbenches, as a champion of causes including animal rights and better treatment for endometriosis.

In a brief TV interview, Boris Johnson said he was “deeply shocked and heart-stricken” at the news. The prime minister said: “Above all, he was one of the kindest, nicest and most gentle people in politics. And he also had an outstanding record of passing laws to help the most vulnerable.

“We’ve lost today a fine public servant, and a much-loved friend and colleague, and our thoughts are very much today with his wife, his children and his family.”

Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, called it “a dark and shocking day”, adding: “The whole country will feel it acutely, perhaps the more so because we have, heartbreakingly, been here before.”

'Deeply shocked': Boris Johnson pays tribute to MP David Amess – video
01:41
'Deeply shocked': Boris Johnson pays tribute to MP David Amess – video

It was in 2016, shortly before the Brexit referendum, when Cox, a Labour MP, was killed shortly before holding a surgery in her constituency, raising worries about the safety of MPs and the extent of threats and other intimidation many receive on a routine basis.

Brendan Cox, her widower, tweeted: “Attacking our elected representatives is an attack on democracy itself. There is no excuse, no justification. It is as cowardly as it gets.”

Kim Leadbeater, Cox’s sister, who was elected as an MP for the same seat of Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire in July, said the news had left her “scared and frightened”. She said: “My phone started going straight away, my mum and dad, my partner, my friends – ‘Are you OK?’ – and I was OK, I was visiting a school. But the shock and the feelings for us as a family, obviously what we went through and another family are going through that again, it’s horrific.”

In 2010, another Labour MP, Stephen Timms, was stabbed twice at a constituency surgery by a student radicalised by online videos. In 2000, Andrew Pennington, an assistant to the Liberal Democrat MP Nigel Jones, was stabbed to death as he tried to protect Jones from an attacker who stormed his constituency office armed with a sword.


Demographic Collapse: British Fertility Rate Lowest in History, But Number of Foreign Mothers at Record High

Portrait of British actor Patrick Wymark and his wife Olwen, with their children (L-R) Dominic, Tristram and Rowan, at their home, circa 1965. Printed prior to his death on October 20th 1970. (Photo by John Pratt/Keystone Features/Getty Images)
John Pratt/Keystone Features/Getty Images
KURT ZINDULKA
0
5:14

The fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen to the lowest level in recorded amid the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, at 1.58 children per woman last year.

In 2020, the British fertility rate fell by 4.2 per cent from 2019 and was 3.1 per cent lower than the previous low in 2001, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Fertility rates are determined by calculating the average number of children a woman gives birth to in her lifetime. In order to naturally maintain a country’s population, a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman is thought to be required.

The ONS report found that in 2020, there were 613,936 live births in England and Wales, a decline of 4.1 per cent over the previous year, despite people being confined to their homes for much of the pandemic.

While the native British population saw a decline in fertility rate to 1.5 children per woman, however, the foreign population actually saw its fertility rate increase to 1.98. The most common country of origin for foreign parents was Pakistan, with Romanians coming in second.

In 2020, 29.3 per cent of live births were to foreign women, a record high since records began in 1969, although it falls in line with a steady increase over the previous decades, the ONS said.

While fertility rates have continually fallen, the actual population of Britain has continued to increase, with mass migration accounting for “about 90 per cent of population growth between 2017 and 2019… linked to the impact of arrivals from abroad and their subsequent UK-born children,” according to a report from the Migration Watch UK think tank earlier this year.

The scale of mass migration has seen the foreign-born population climb to nine million and the ethnic minority population rise to 13 million, which the think tank warned could lead to a breakdown in social cohesion.

The United Kingdom’s official statistician said that increased access to contraception, people delaying childbirth, and the increasing costs of raising a family were likely factors in the decline.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) blamed the economic uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic as the cause for the sharp decline in fertility rates.

The charity — a major abortion provider — noted that other factors including the “desire to progress at work, an awareness of the ‘motherhood pay penalty’ and the ever-increasing cost of raising a child” have also contributed to the decline in women having children.

“This data reflects trends towards later motherhood and smaller family size,” the associate director at BPAS, Katherine O’Brien, said.

One reason for the high cost of raising families in Britain has been the government’s refusal to enact pro-family policies, which have seen success in socially conservative European countries like Poland and Hungary.

While the two Central European nations have put in place financial incentives such as tax breaks for mothers, the British government has maintained anti-family taxation policies, including taxing individual earnings rather than those of the family unit as a whole.

The policy means that families that are dependent on a single middle-class income of £50,000 will take home less money than two salaries of £25,000, for example — disincentivising working people to form families.

Others have suggested that anxiety over the supposed climate change crisis may be contributing to people having fewer children.

Human and planetary health fellow at Stanford Univesity in America, Dr Britt Wray, told the Daily Mail that she believed the panic surrounding climate change is “playing a roll in declining birth rates in many countries around the world,” including in the United Kingdom.

Dr Wray was one of the co-authors of a study published in September in British medical journal The Lancet, which found that 41 per cent of young people (16-25 year-olds) are “hesitant” to have children over concerns about the climate.

The study of over 10,000 young people also found that nearly six in ten were convinced that “humanity is doomed”.

“Recent research on the psychological impacts of climate change suggests that people’s anxieties about global warming may be part of the story” of declining fertility, Dr Wray said.

Earlier this month, the former chairman of Britain’s Financial Services Authority (FSA), Lord Adair Turner, argued that Western nations should actually celebrate the fall in fertility rates, as it will enable the UK and other Western countries to meet carbon emission reduction goals.

He said that reducing humanity’s impact on the environment through having fewer children will make it “easier to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions while supporting prosperity growth in developing countries.”

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka