Category: Crime

MIL-OSI Security: Big Island Attorneys and Businessman Found Guilty of Bribery

Source: US FBI

HONOLULU – After a three-week trial before United States District Judge Jill A. Otake, a federal jury today found Paul Joseph Sulla, Jr., 78, Gary Charles Zamber, 55, and Rajesh P. Budhabhatti, 65, guilty of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and nine counts of honest services wire fraud. Sulla was additionally convicted of money laundering. Sentencing is set for October 7, 2025 for Zamber, October 8, 2025 for Budhabhatti, and October 21, 2025 for Sulla. The defendants were permitted to remain released on bail pending sentencing.

At trial, the evidence showed that Sulla and Zamber, both attorneys living on the island of Hawaii (“Big Island”), and Budhabhatti, a private businessman on the Big Island, paid bribes and kickbacks to Alan Rudo, a Housing Specialist for the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development, in exchange for Rudo using his official position to ensure the County approved three affordable housing agreements (AHAs) benefitting the defendants’ development companies Luna Loa Developments, LLC, West View Developments, LLC and Plumeria at Waikoloa, LLC. Although the defendants promised in the AHAs to build affordable housing for the citizens of Hawaii County, their development companies never built a single unit. Through the AHAs, the defendants fraudulently obtained at least $10,980,000 worth of land and excess affordable housing credits (AHCs). From that amount, the defendants paid or attempted to pay Rudo approximately $1,931,778 in bribes and kickbacks.

The defendants were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, and nine counts of honest services wire fraud, each of which also carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Sulla alone was charged with and convicted of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Alan Rudo, who testified at trial, previously pled guilty in July 2022 to conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud in connection with the bribery and kickback scheme. Rudo is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13, 2025.

“Today’s verdict reiterates our unwavering message to those who bribe and attempt to buy the discretion of Hawaii’s public officials at the expense of the public’s trust and the integrity of our public institutions—you will be federally prosecuted and brought to justice,” said Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Our office will continue to root out and vigorously pursue those who engage in public corruption or who violate their positions of public trust.”

“The defendants in this investigation defrauded their own community for personal financial gain,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “The corruption of government officials corrodes public trust and weakens our communities. The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue these cases to protect and maintain public trust and hold criminals accountable.”

“This verdict marks an important step toward accountability and reinforces the importance of integrity in public service,” said County of Hawaii Mayor Kimo Alameda. “We understand the impact this case has had on our community and remain committed to restoring trust. Since the initial findings, the Office of Housing and Community Development has taken concrete actions to strengthen internal controls, improve oversight, and ensure that public resources are managed responsibly and transparently. These changes reflect our commitment to kuleana— our shared responsibility—to serve with integrity and protect community resources.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohammad Khatib and Margaret Nammar and Trial Attorney William Gullota, of the Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Public Integrity Section, prosecuted the case.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Province Addressing Issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

Source: Government of Canada regional news

Released on June 6, 2025

The Government of Saskatchewan is honouring its ongoing commitment to respond to the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released on June 3, 2019. In the six years since the Report was released, the province has made significant progress in developing responses to and raising awareness about the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

“Our government is committed to addressing the critical issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and creating safe communities for all Saskatchewan residents,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod, K.C. said. “This includes targeted investments in programs and services to prevent and respond to missing persons and gender-based violence, and collaborating with Indigenous and community partners to build a future free from exploitation and abuse.”

Earlier this spring, Saskatchewan commemorated Missing Persons Week and Red Dress Day to honour those who have gone missing and show support for their families and loved ones.

In November of 2022, Saskatchewan endorsed the National Action Plan to End Gender Based Violence. The province was among the first in Canada to sign on to the federal National Action Plan to End Gender-Based violence (NAP), which provides $20.3 million over four years to enhance programs and services that address interpersonal violence and abuse.

“Indigenous women and girls embody strength, resilience and wisdom, yet they are disproportionately impacted by violence and abuse,” Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Alana Ross said. “Saskatchewan remains committed to preventing and ending this violence by expanding education and awareness, increasing Indigenous-led initiatives, and enhancing supports for survivors, families and communities.”

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls+ (MMIWG+) Community Response Fund continues to provide $800,000 to Indigenous community-based projects that promote and enhance prevention and safety, with half of the funding provided by Women and Gender Equality Canada. Since 2022-23, 59 projects have received up to $40,000 in funding from the fund.

“The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to working alongside Indigenous communities to prevent gender-based violence and to support its victims,” Minister Responsible for First Nations, Métis, and Northern Affairs Eric Schmalz said. “From the very beginning, Indigenous knowledge, tradition and lived experience have guided the development and administration of the MMIWG+ Community Response Fund. The projects supported through the fund are often created and led by Indigenous communities, organizations and grassroots initiatives. Together, we work to support safety, healing and resilience across Saskatchewan.”

In addition, the Family Information Liaison Unit helps families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls navigate government processes to ensure that they can access support and information about their loved ones. Currently, the Unit supports over 170 families across the province.

The province’s Face the Issue campaign, designed to raise awareness and start conversations about the reality of interpersonal violence, continues to run across social media platforms. In 2024-25, the Government of Saskatchewan released a new public awareness campaign that focused on raising awareness of human trafficking in the province. Posters were placed in public sites across the province to connect with individuals who are most at risk of being trafficked.

Government also collaborates with and provides funding to 211 Saskatchewan to support its role as a 24/7 service referral platform for situations involving interpersonal violence and abuse, including sexual violence and human trafficking.

For additional information about Saskatchewan’s response to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, visit:

May 5 is Red Dress Day in Saskatchewan | News and Media | Government of Saskatchewan.

Government of Saskatchewan Proclaims Missing Persons Week | News and Media | Government of Saskatchewan.

Applications Open for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls+ Community Response Fund | News and Media | Government of Saskatchewan.

Government of Saskatchewan Releases Cross-Government Progress Report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls+ | News and Media | Government of Saskatchewan.

-30-

For more information, contact:

MIL OSI Canada News –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Nouvelle traduction : Nations unies – Sanctions américaines contre quatre juges de la Cour pénale internationale (06.06.25)

Source: Republic of France in English
The Republic of France has issued the following statement:

France learned of the establishment of new U.S. sanctions against four International Criminal Court judges, in addition to those already imposed on its chief prosecutor.

Once again, it calls on the United States to withdraw all of these measures.

France expresses its solidarity with the judges targeted by this decision and reaffirms its unwavering support for the ICC and its staff, who play a vital role in the fight against impunity. Together with its European partners and other States Parties to the Rome Statute, it will remain committed to ensuring that the Court can independently and impartially continue its efforts to obtain justice for the victims of the most serious crimes.

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Art dealer jailed for terrorism offence

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

An art dealer from London has been jailed after an investigation by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command revealed £140,000 of sales to a suspected financier of the proscribed group Hizballah.

Oghenochuko Ojiri 53 (05.05.72) of west London, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 6 June after he admitted eight counts of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector, contrary to section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said:

“This prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation, is the first of its kind and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, pursue those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups.

“Oghenochuko Ojiri wilfully obscured the fact he knew he was selling artwork to Nazem Ahmad, someone who has been sanctioned by the UK and US Treasury and described as a funder of the proscribed terrorist group Hizballah.

“Financial investigation is a crucial part of the counter-terrorism effort. A team of specialist investigators, analysts and researchers in the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit works all year round to prevent money from reaching the hands of terrorists or being used to fund attacks.”

Ojiri was arrested on 18 April 2023 in Wrexham on the same day the UK Government announced sanctions against Nazem Ahmad, a wealthy art collector, based in Lebanon, suspected of providing funding to Hizballah, a proscribed organisation.

Officers subsequently obtained a warrant to seize a number of artworks belonging to Ahmad held in two UK-based warehouses.

The artwork, including a Picasso and Andy Warhol paintings, were seized on 4 May 2023 and the NTFIU obtained a forfeiture order later the same year. The artwork, valued at almost £1 million, is due to be sold and the funds will be reinvested back into the police, CPS and Home Office.

The Met’s investigation into Ojiri was carried out in partnership with US Homeland Security, which is conducting a wider investigation into alleged money laundering by Ahmad using shell companies.

Officers from the NTFIU analysed a series of invoices for sales of art by Ojiri and identified that eight purchases were completed with names inserted on the invoices that were not Ahmad’s – despite Ojiri knowing the sale was being conducted for him and on his behalf.

The art market became regulated in 2019 under Anti-Money Laundering regulations. This brought the art market in line with other regulated sectors such as banking and solicitors. The regulator is HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

People who operate in the art market, like gallery owners, must be registered with the HMRC as an Art Market Participant (AMP), undertake due diligence and report any suspicions of money laundering or terrorist financing.

Detectives from the NTFIU recovered WhatsApp messages on Ojiri’s mobile phone from 31 January 2020, which showed Ojiri discussing the new money laundering regulations with a colleague.

Analysis of messages and web history on Ojiri’s mobile phone also showed that he was aware of the financial sanctions by the US Treasury against Ahmad due to his suspected involvement in being a high-level financier of Hizballah.

In police interview, Ojiri apologised for his actions but denied that money or greed were the motivating factors behind dealing with Ahmed, claiming it was the excitement and kudos of dealing with a ‘name’ in the art collecting world.

Ojiri pleaded guilty to the charges, which relate to a period from October 2020 to December 2021, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 9 May.

On Friday, 6 June Ojiri was sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment.

The prosecution, believed to be the first of its kind, followed an investigation by the NTFIU, alongside the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in HM Treasury, HMRC, and the Met’s Art and Antiques Unit.

Bethan David, Head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: “It is clear that Oghenochuko Ojiri was aware of new money laundering regulations in the art world and that he had knowledge of Nazem Ahmad’s background.

“Ojiri engaged in activity designed to conceal the identity of the true purchaser by changing the details on invoices and storing Mr Ahmad’s name under a different alias in his mobile phone.

“His motivation appears to be financial along with a broader desire to boost his gallery’s reputation within the art market by dealing with such a well-known collector.

“This prosecution is believed to be the first of its kind, and the CPS will not hesitate to bring criminal charges against individuals who flout the law in this way.”

Louise MacDonald, Deputy Director of Economic Crime at HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said:

“This landmark case clearly shows how government and law enforcement is effectively tackling those who may fund terrorism.

“As a money laundering supervisor, we know criminals prey on weaknesses. That’s why we work tirelessly with sectors like the art market to ensure they have the defences in place to stop criminals in their tracks.”

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Moran, Fine Push Tougher Penalties for Visa Overstays After Boulder Attack
Source: Congressman Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-01)

Congressmen Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-01) and Randy Fine (R-FL-06) reintroduced the Visa Overstays Penalties Act to close dangerous immigration loopholes and hold accountable those who abuse the legal entry system.
Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressmen Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-01) and Randy Fine (R-FL-06) reintroduced the Visa Overstays Penalties Act to close dangerous immigration loopholes and hold accountable those who abuse the legal entry system.

“East Texans understand that illegal immigration doesn’t stop at the border,” said Rep. Moran. “Thousands have entered the U.S. legally, only to overstay their visas and remain here unlawfully. This bill reclassifies visa overstays as ‘illegal entry’ and imposes serious penalties to help restore law and order.”

The legislation would impose up to six months of jail time for first-time offenders and civil fines starting at $500—doubling with each violation. Several 9/11 hijackers overstayed visas, as did Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect in the recent Boulder, Colorado, terror attack.

“As we all know, the failed policies of the former Biden-Harris Administration turned every state into a border state,” Moran added. “We cannot allow that era of lawlessness to ever return. We must build on President Trump’s historic momentum to secure and protect our border. Visa overstays must carry real consequences—and this legislation delivers on restoring peace and justice.”

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL-06) said, “The only place a foreigner should be the day their visa expires is on a plane out of our country. If you’re not, congratulations—you’re now a criminal alien. Being a criminal has consequences, and this bill adds teeth to existing immigration laws to deter and discourage foreign visitors from violating American law. This law makes preventable tragedies like the antisemitic Muslim terrorist attacks in Boulder less likely and makes our communities safer overall. I’m proud to work with Congressman Moran to co-lead this bill, and I’m looking forward to seeing it passed in the House again.”

“In 2023, Mohamed Soliman overstayed his tourist visa but was never deported; two years later, he launched an antisemitic terrorist attack that maimed 15 innocent American citizens,” said Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX-11), Chairman of the Republican Study Committee. “This man should have never even been in our country—and yet he was, because the Biden Administration refused to enforce our laws. I’m thankful to Congressman Moran for his leadership in reintroducing the Visa Overstays Penalties Act, which will criminalize the act of overstaying a visa and guarantee that terrorists like Soliman are never again able to illegally remain in our country.”

Background:

The legislation is being co-led by Congressman Randy Fine (R-FL-06), reinforcing its national importance and broad Republican support.

The Visa Overstays Penalties Act includes:
- Reclassification of Visa Overstays: Overstaying a visa for more than 10 days would be classified as “illegal entry,” aligning it with unauthorized border crossings.
- Criminal Penalties:
o First Offense: Up to six months of imprisonment.

o Subsequent Offenses: Up to two years of imprisonment.
- Civil Penalties:
o First Violation: Fines ranging from $500 to $1,000.

o Repeat Violations: Fines doubling from the initial amount.

This legislation aims to address security concerns by ensuring that visa overstays are met with the necessary legal consequences, thereby reinforcing the integrity of the U.S. immigration system.

The Visa Overstays Penalties Act was originally included as part of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, which passed the United States House of Representatives with a 219-213 vote last Congress.

###

Related Coverage: Exclusive: Reps. Moran, Fine Introduce Visa Overstays Penalties Act in Wake of Boulder, Colorado Terrorist Attack — Breitbart News
MIL OSI USA News –
June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Murder investigation launched following disappearance of a woman from Ilford

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A murder investigation has been launched by Met detectives following the disappearance of a woman from Ilford.

Yajaira Castro Mendez, aged 46, was reported missing to police on Saturday, 31 May, having left her home on the morning of Thursday, 29 May.

Today, a man known to her appeared in court charged with her murder, and detectives are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in Camden, said: “Officers have been working around the clock to find Yajaira. She has not been seen or heard from by her family or friends since the date she was reported missing.

“Yajaira’s disappearance was initially treated as a missing person investigation led by local officers. The investigation was then transferred to the Met’s Specialist Crime Command on Thursday, 5 June after a range of extensive further enquiries very sadly suggested she has come to harm. Yajaira’s family continue to be supported by specialist officers, and we are keeping them updated with developments.

“I understand the impact this news may have on our local community, however we do have a man charged and in custody and we are not searching for anyone else at this stage. The man and Yajaira are believed to be known to each other.

“Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances and there are crime scenes in place across Camden and Lambeth. We thank the community for their patience while we carry out our enquiries and ask that any one with information please comes forward.”

Yajaira is a Colombian national who has been residing in the UK.

Officers are appealing for anyone with any information relating to Yajaira’s disappearance to contact police via 101 or @MetCC quoting CAD 3020/06JUN25.

To remain 100 per cent anonymous call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers-uk.org.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Finds Venezuelan National Guilty of Harboring Illegal Aliens in El Paso Apartment

Source: US FBI

EL PASO, Texas – A federal jury in El Paso convicted a Venezuelan national for conspiracy to harbor aliens.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Marcel Eliezer Zapata-Colmenarez, 26, opened the door of his residence on Jan. 30 to find agents from the U.S. Border Patrol and other federal law enforcement agencies present. With Zapata-Colmenarez’s consent, the agents entered and searched the residence, finding piles of clothes on the floor, wet and muddy clothing hanging in a closet, and other signs consistent with harboring and smuggling illegal aliens. Zapata-Colmenarez also granted consent for agents to search his cell phone, leading to the discovery of proof-of-life videos—videos sent by recently-crossed illegal aliens acknowledging that they had been smuggled with the assistance of a smuggling network. Zapata-Colmenarez later admitted that he accepted an offer to harbor illegal aliens in his apartment and was paid $50 per alien.

Zapata-Colmenarez was arrested Jan. 30 and indicted on Feb. 26 for one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens for financial gain. His sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for Aug. 26, 2025, and he faces up to 10 years in federal prison along with a fine of up to $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case with assistance from the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Wisniewski and Mathew Engelbaum are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

###

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The UK is gearing up for autonomous warfare – but missing the reality of war today

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Anthony King, Professor of War Studies, University of Exeter

The UK is facing a security crisis. Great power competition has returned, and the threat of hostility from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea is increasing. The west can no longer assume military superiority, and the UK can no longer depend unconditionally on the US. The character of war itself is changing as new technology is introduced.

This is the situation laid out in the latest strategic defence review. The implications for the UK are clear: the country must prepare for high-intensity, protracted war, not counter-insurgency operations like Iraq or Afghanistan.

In order to address these challenges, the review says, “the UK must pivot to a new way of war.” Nuclear weapons are important here, and will be renewed and expanded. But the recommendations in the review focus on conventional weaponry and, above all, new remote and autonomous technology.

Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.

Sign up for our weekly politics newsletter, delivered every Friday.

The ongoing Ukraine war underpins much of the thinking about the military changes the UK needs to make. That conflict has demonstrated a significant change in the character of 21st-century warfare. Most obviously, it has involved a proliferation of cheap, expendable remote systems, some of which have autonomous capabilities.

Remote first-person-view drones, and drones controlled by unjammable fibre-optic cables, have become ubiquitous on the frontline – reconnoitring, targeting and striking troops on both sides. They have made conventional strategic manoeuvres at the front almost impossible, while also striking civilian and military targets deep in Russia and Ukraine.

At sea, uncrewed naval drones have struck Russian shipping and infrastructure in Crimea. The Ukrainian armed forces have also developed a digital battle management system and live-data, AI-enabled targeting system, drawing together information from satellite, open-source, ground-sensor and signal intelligence. This has allowed Ukrainian commanders to see deeply across the battlespace, and target Russian forces with an unprecedented depth and precision.

As a result of remote systems enabled by digitised targeting, military forces have become exponentially more lethal in close battle – and also in the deep.

The strategic defence review aims for the UK to incorporate these two elements into its war-fighting capabilities, recommending massive investment in remotely controlled and autonomous systems.

It calls for the UK to create a “leading, tech-enabled defence power”. Part of this involves integrating UK forces and the construction of a unified “digital targeting web”. This would be fed by sensors from every domain (land, air and sea) so that all forces have access to the same intelligence and a common operating picture. The idea is that a target identified in one domain might be prosecuted by forces in another, to “enhance the Armed Forces’ precision and lethality at scale and reach”.

In order to achieve this, the review also calls for improved and more innovative relationships between British defence, tech and industry. Once again, a lot has been learnt from Ukraine, whose industrial and tech sectors have been integrated into the war from the start.

The missing link

The review’s authors – three external experts led by former defence secretary and Nato chief, Lord Robertson – are correct to highlight the increasing importance of remote (and sometimes autonomous) systems in warfare. They are clear that military forces should increasingly draw on live data, processed by artificial intelligence, to help them understand the battlespace, plan and target. The UK must remain competitive with peer enemies who are developing these capabilities.

However, even assuming that all of this is affordable at 2.5% of the UK’s GDP from 2027 (a 0.2% rise from where defence spending is now), there is a serious gap in the review’s proposals.

As a scholar who has studied war in the 21st century, and has just completed a book on AI and war, I believe the document vastly overexaggerates the capability of AI and autonomy. For example, it states:

In modern warfare, simple metrics such as the number of people and platforms deployed are outdated and inadequate. It is through dynamic networks of crewed, uncrewed, and autonomous assets and data flows that lethality and military effect are now created.

This analysis presumes that autonomy will be vital in the future, and implies it will displace the need for large numbers of human combatants. In fact, true autonomy is still rare in combat – and will remain so, according to my research.

Even if autonomous drone swarms appear, they will not eliminate the need for human programmers or operators behind the frontline. AI has limited military functions which require a huge amount of human input.

Defence secretary John Healey being shown unmanned and autonomous units on a demonstration.
UK MOD Crown Copyright 2025

The review prioritises preparedness for protracted inter-state war. But it ignores the blindingly obvious from Ukraine: the imperative of mass.

The Ukrainian frontline combat forces have expanded to about 300,000 – Ukraine claims its whole force, including allied fighters, is around 1 million. There are about 400,000 Russian combat troops in Ukraine. Casualties have been eye-watering: the Russians have suffered about 800,000 casualties, the Ukrainians nearly 500,000.

In my view, the strategic defence review has been mesmerised by the prospect of new technology – and, perhaps, by some wishful thinking.

In 21st-century war, troop mass matters. Fleets of drones and the most sophisticated digital targeting will be irrelevant without human forces willing to fight and to operate them.

What is the review’s answer to this? While acknowledging that in the cold war, the British fielded forces of 311,000, UK regular armed forces are to remain the same size: 136,000, of which the army will consist of only 73,000 troops and staff.

The review proposes that active reserves (volunteer, part-time forces) will be increased by 20%, and that the strategic reserve (ex-regulars) “is central to military mobilisation and must be reinvigorated”.

It is not surprising that the review’s authors have offered such thin solutions to the question of mass. There has been profound resistance from successive governments, Whitehall and civil society to any expansion in the size of British military forces in the UK. But it is doubtful that an expanded reserve and a reinvigorated strategic reserve will be remotely enough for the UK to fight and win a war of any kind in the coming decade.

Anthony King does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The UK is gearing up for autonomous warfare – but missing the reality of war today – https://theconversation.com/the-uk-is-gearing-up-for-autonomous-warfare-but-missing-the-reality-of-war-today-258240

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Pfluger Announces Hearing on Rise in Antisemitic, Anti-Israel Terror Attacks on U.S. Soil

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11)

This week, Chairman Pfluger (R-TX) and Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) also sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem requesting the alien file for the suspect, an Egyptian national named Mohamed Sabry Soliman, which will include information on his expired visa, work authorization, and asylum application.

HEARING DETAILS:

What: A Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence hearing entitled, “The Rise of Anti-Israel Extremist Groups and Their Threat to U.S. National Security”

When: Wednesday, June 11,at 10:30 AM EDT

Where:310 Cannon House Office Building

Watch: Witness testimony will be added here. The hearing will be livestreamed on YouTube and will be open to the public and press. Press must RSVP in advance.

WITNESSES:

Kerry Sleeper

Deputy Director, Intelligence and Information Sharing, Secure Community Network

Oren Segal

Senior Vice President, Counter-Extremism and Intelligence, Anti-Defamation League

Additional witnesses will be announced and are by invitation only.

BACKGROUND:

In 2024, Chairmen Pfluger and Green sent a letter to then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray, requesting information and documents pertaining to any efforts by DHS and the FBI to assist law enforcement and other partners in response to anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas mobs on college campuses.

In 2023, the Subcommittee held a roundtable on the growing trend of antisemitism on U.S. college campuses in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks against Israel by Hamas terrorists.

In October 2024, an illegal alien who had been released into the country under the Biden-Harris administration shot and killed a Jewish man on his way to his Chicago Synagogue.

In February, Chairman Pfluger introduced the “Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act,” which would require DHS to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats to the U.S. posed by terrorist organizations, like ISIS and al Qaeda, utilizing generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) applications for terroristic activity. Chairman Pfluger also reintroduced the “Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act,” legislation requiring DHS to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats posed to the United States by terrorist organizations like ISIS, al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others, utilizing foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications like Telegram.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Governor Ivey Taps Cynthia Lee Almond to Serve as Public Service Commission President

Source: US State of Alabama

MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Friday announced she is tapping Cynthia Lee Almond to serve as president of the Public Service Commission. This fills the seat previously held by Twinkle Cavanaugh, who has taken a role with the Trump Administration.

“Cynthia has proven to be an extremely effective public servant and leader, and I am confident the people of Alabama will be even better served when she takes the helm at the Public Service Commission,” said Governor Ivey. “Since 2021, I have been able to count on Cynthia to get real, meaningful work done in the Legislature, and while I know the people of Tuscaloosa will miss her representation in the State House, every person across this state will now benefit from her leadership on the Public Service Commission.”

As president, Almond will lead the three-person board responsible for regulating utilities in Alabama. Almond is a seasoned attorney and currently works in the private practice of law. She also takes the helm at the Public Service Commission after serving as a Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives for District 63.

Almond brings a wealth of experience to the Public Service Commission and has a solid track-record of serving the people she represents well, whether that be in the House of Representatives or as an attorney. She works directly with a variety of people through her legal work, which has largely concentrated on estate planning, as well as probate, business law and real estate. Additionally, she owns a title company. In the State House, she served as chair of the Tuscaloosa County Local Legislative Delegation and as a member of the Ways and Means Education Committee, Judiciary Committee, Rules Committee and as vice-chair of the Ethics and Campaign Finance Committee.

Throughout her tenure in the Legislature, Almond has been a partner to Governor Ivey on priorities like the governor’s Safe Alabama public safety package, the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, and the Game Plan economic development legislation, among other areas.

Almond is a true public servant, well-respected and recognized as a strong leader by her peers. Previously, she served four terms on the Tuscaloosa City Council where she was elected president pro tem by her colleagues on the Council, as well as chair of the Finance committee.

“I am honored to have been asked by Governor Ivey to fill this important position. It is one I accept with great enthusiasm,” said Almond. “I know how important this commission is to the people of Alabama and to the industry sectors it regulates. I believe my training as an attorney and legislator will prove to be helpful in performing this role. I appreciate greatly the confidence shown in me by Governor Ivey, and I will work hard for her and for this great state of Alabama.”

Almond attended Vanderbilt University and is a graduate of both The University of Alabama and University of Alabama School of Law.

Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Almond gives much back to the community today. She is a graduate of Leadership Alabama and was co-chair for its West Alabama Regional Council. She serves as a Sunday School teacher at First United Methodist Church, has two children and enjoys a variety of activities from playing the piano and tennis to mountain bike riding and more.

Since 2021, she has represented the people of House District 63 effectively and plans to vacate her seat in the Legislature on Sunday, June 15 ahead of joining the Public Service Commission. The Public Service Commission appointment is effective Monday, June 16, which is when the governor will swear her in as president.

An official headshot of Cynthia Lee Almond is attached.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rhode Island Man Sentenced for Setting Fires Around the Exterior of a Church and Assaulting Federal Officers

Source: US State of California

Kevin Colantonio, 36, pleaded guilty in February 2025 to malicious damage by means of fire, obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs, and two counts of assault on a federal officer. He was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr., to more than six years in federal prison. He intentionally set multiple fires around the exterior of a predominantly black church in North Providence, RI, in February 2024, and assaulted two federal correctional officers while detained at a federal detention center following his arrest.

“This defendant acted with disdain against people of faith and complete disregard for law enforcement officers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to vigorously prosecute anti-Christian bias in the United States and ensure Americans are free to worship without fear.”

Colantonio previously admitted to a federal judge that on Feb. 11, 2024, he used gasoline and a lighter he purchased minutes earlier at a gas station within walking distance of Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries, to ignite five fires around the exterior of the church. The fires were quickly extinguished by North Providence officers, but not before the church sustained some damage.

During a Feb. 15, 2024, court-authorized search of Colantonio’s residence, an accelerant detection canine indicated a positive reaction on several items of seized clothing. These items matched the clothing Colantonio was wearing on the night of the arson, based upon surveillance footage. Colantonio admitted to setting the fires and assaulting the corrections officers.

Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom for the District of Rhode Island and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter I. Roklan for the District of Rhode Island and Taylor Payne of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

The fires set at the Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with members of the North Providence, RI, Police Department and the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office. The assault of the federal officers was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: North Dakota Man and Woman Sentenced to Lengthy Terms in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a North Park, North Dakota, man and a Bismarck, North Dakota, woman who were convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencings took place on June 2, 2025.

Richard Rasmusson, age 44 , was sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Leslie Apple, age 40, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. She was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Rasmusson and Apple were indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024. Rasmusson pleaded guilty on November 4, 2024. Apple pleaded guilty on November 18, 2024.

These convictions stemmed from drug distribution activity that occurred between January 2024 and April 2024. During that time period, Rasmusson and Apple took methamphetamine from North Dakota to distribute in the Mobridge, South Dakota, area. On April 5, 2024, Rasmusson and Apple were arrested in Mobridge while possessing 104 grams of pure methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the FBI Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Mobridge Police Department, and the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.

Both Rasmusson and Apple were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Aberdeen Man Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted David Fowler, age 49, of Aberdeen, South Dakota, of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on June 4, 2025.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and/or a $1,000,000 fine, up to life on supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

David Fowler was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024.

In March and April 2024, investigators with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office conducted three controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Fowler, in amounts ranging from 10-21 grams. Authorities then obtained a search warrant for Fowler’s home, where 56 grams of methamphetamine were located. Fowler’s supplier was also arrested en route to his residence with an additional 344 grams of methamphetamine. The investigation revealed the methamphetamine was being mailed from California to a local source in Aberdeen, where it was then sold to sub-distributors, including Fowler. In total, Fowler purchased five packages of methamphetamine, totaling 2.5 pounds.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, the Aberdeen Police Department, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing will take place on September 8, 2025. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Aliens Face Federal Charges in Cobb County Methamphetamine Lab Bust

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

ATLANTA – Juan Perez-Maldonado and Francisco Garcia Gomez, both illegal aliens from Mexico, appeared in federal court on June 4, 2025, following their arrests on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Garcia Gomez and a third illegal alien from Mexico, Filemon Hernandez-Jijon, were also charged with possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States.

“Our law enforcement partners worked swiftly to disrupt a suburban drug lab, seize numerous firearms, and arrest two illegal aliens allegedly responsible for manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Criminals who traffic illegal drugs in our communities will be identified, found, and prosecuted with deliberate speed.”

“DEA remains focused on keeping America safe and protecting the homeland from by removing dangerous drugs from our communities and bringing criminals to justice,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division. “Keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On June 3, 2025, DEA agents saw Filemon Hernandez-Jijon allegedly supply two kilograms of methamphetamine to a drug customer in the Smyrna, Georgia area. Law enforcement later observed Hernandez-Jijon traveling to and from a mobile home located in Marietta, Georgia.

Hours later, DEA agents executed a federal search warrant at the mobile home and encountered Juan Perez-Maldonado and Francisco Garcia Gomez there. A third person fled the scene. Inside the mobile home, agents discovered an active laboratory used to convert liquid methamphetamine into a crystal-like form, as well as at least 13 kilograms of what appeared to be the finished drug product. In addition, agents located two handguns, including one hidden in the tank of a toilet, and money remitter receipts bearing Garcia Gomez’s and Hernandez-Jijon’s names. Outside the home, agents recovered acetone, several empty coolers, and other materials commonly used to produce crystalized methamphetamine.

In connection with this investigation, agents executed another federal search warrant at an apartment in Smyrna. In a baby’s crib, agents located a bag containing a loaded Glock pistol, two additional loaded firearm magazines, and identification for Perez-Maldonado. Elsewhere in the apartment, agents found a Springfield XD firearm and a mechanical press used to press powder into kilogram bricks.

The investigation further revealed that Perez-Maldonado and Hernandez-Jijon had been previously deported and removed from the United States.

Hernandez-Jijon is currently a fugitive. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Hernandez-Jijon, please contact your local law enforcement agency.

Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided from the Marietta-Cobb-Smyrna Narcotics Unit and the DeKalb County Police Department – HIDTA Task Force.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schwarzl and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebeca M. Ojeda are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6000. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Pittsburgh Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Supplying Cocaine to Street Gang

Source: US FBI

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 120 months of imprisonment, to be followed by eight years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Anthony Coker, 48, on June 4, 2025.

According to information presented to the Court, between July 2022 and June 2023, Coker supplied cocaine and crack cocaine to members of the Drizzy Gang, who then redistributed the drugs in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman stated that the defendant’s crimes victimized addicts, their families, and the Hill District neighborhood, and encouraged the defendant to turn his life around following his sentence.

Assistant United States Attorney Katherine C. Jordan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Coker.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Shiprock Man Charged with Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man was charged by indictment with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, in the morning hours of May 15, 2025, Jay Ray Kelly, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was seen walking in Shiprock, firing a handgun into the air. Concerned citizens called police. Later that morning, police arrested Kelly with a handgun and 155 rounds of ammunition in a backpack.

Kelly is charged federally with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition. In 2006, Kelly was convicted in the District of New Mexico for possessing a firearm in a school zone. Because of this 2006 federal felony conviction, Kelly was prohibited from possessing all firearms and ammunition.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Sanostee Man Pleads Guilty to Assault Charges

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

ALBUQUERQUE – A Sanostee man pleaded guilty to a violent assault that left a woman seriously injured.

According to court records, Nathan Mescale, 36, and enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, admitted that on December 2 and December 3, 2023, he assaulted Jane Doe, and the assault caused her serious bodily injury.

At sentencing, Mescale faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Mescale will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mia Ulibarri-Rubin is prosecuting the case.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Rhode Island Man Sentenced for Setting Fires Around the Exterior of a Church and Assaulting Federal Officers

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Kevin Colantonio, 36, pleaded guilty in February 2025 to malicious damage by means of fire, obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs, and two counts of assault on a federal officer. He was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr., to more than six years in federal prison. He intentionally set multiple fires around the exterior of a predominantly black church in North Providence, RI, in February 2024, and assaulted two federal correctional officers while detained at a federal detention center following his arrest.

“This defendant acted with disdain against people of faith and complete disregard for law enforcement officers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to vigorously prosecute anti-Christian bias in the United States and ensure Americans are free to worship without fear.”

Colantonio previously admitted to a federal judge that on Feb. 11, 2024, he used gasoline and a lighter he purchased minutes earlier at a gas station within walking distance of Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries, to ignite five fires around the exterior of the church. The fires were quickly extinguished by North Providence officers, but not before the church sustained some damage.

During a Feb. 15, 2024, court-authorized search of Colantonio’s residence, an accelerant detection canine indicated a positive reaction on several items of seized clothing. These items matched the clothing Colantonio was wearing on the night of the arson, based upon surveillance footage. Colantonio admitted to setting the fires and assaulting the corrections officers.

Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom for the District of Rhode Island and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter I. Roklan for the District of Rhode Island and Taylor Payne of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

The fires set at the Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with members of the North Providence, RI, Police Department and the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office. The assault of the federal officers was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Was the Boulder attack terrorism or a hate crime? 2 experts unpack the complexities

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Frederic Lemieux, Professor of the Practice and Faculty Director of the Master’s in Applied Intelligence, Georgetown University

A woman places flowers outside the Boulder, Colo., courthouse after an attack that injured 12 people. David Zalubowski/AP Photo

Twelve people in Boulder, Colorado, were injured by a man wielding a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails on June 1, 2025. Those burned in the attack were taking part in a peaceful, silent walk on Pearl Street, a pedestrian mall, with the aim of raising awareness about Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, yelled, “Free Palestine,” according to local news reports. Soliman is an Egyptian immigrant who was living in the U.S. illegally after his tourist visa and work authorization both expired.

On June 3, Soliman’s family, who lived with him in Colorado Springs, were detained by federal immigration authorities. Soliman’s wife and five children were placed in expedited removal proceedings.

The FBI and local authorities initially said they were investigating a “targeted terror attack”. But Soliman was later charged with hate crimes in federal court. He also faces attempted murder and other charges in state court.

We study terrorism and hate crimes.

Whether an attack like the one in Boulder is considered an act of terrorism or a hate crime changes the way a suspect is charged and sentenced.

Let’s look at how these two terms differ.

What is a hate crime?

Hate crimes are crimes motivated by bias on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity. In some states, gender, age and gender identity are also included. Hate crime laws have been passed by 47 states and the federal government since the 1980s, when activists first began to press state legislatures to recognize the role of bias in violence against minority groups. Today, only Arkansas, South Carolina and Wyoming do not have hate crime laws.

Colorado’s 2024 statute prohibits bias-motivated attacks based on a wide variety of categories, from ancestry to gender identity.

In order to be charged as a hate crime, attacks – whether vandalism, assault or killings – must be directed at individuals because of the prohibited biases. Hate crimes, in other words, punish motive; the prosecutor must convince the judge or jury that the victim was targeted because of their race, religion, sexual orientation or other protected characteristic.

If the defendant is found to have acted with bias motivation, hate crimes often add an additional penalty to the underlying charge. Charging people with a hate crime, then, presents additional layers of complexity to what may otherwise be a straightforward case for prosecutors. Bias motivation can be hard to prove, and prosecutors can be reluctant to take cases that they may not win in court.

Dylann Roof, who killed nine worshipers at a Black church in South Carolina in 2015, was convicted of 33 charges, including hate crimes.
Grace Beahm-Pool/Getty Images

What is terrorism?

Terrorism is a violent tactic – a strategy used to achieve a specific end.

This strategy is often used in asymmetric power struggles when a weaker person, or group, is fighting against a powerful nation-state. The violence is aimed at creating fear in the targeted population.

Terrorists often justify their bloody acts on the basis of perceived social, economic and political unfairness. Or they take inspiration from religious beliefs or spiritual principles.

Many forms of terrorism were inspired by struggle between races, the rich and poor, or political outcasts and elites.

How different terrorist groups act is informed by what they are trying to achieve. Some adopt a reactionary perspective aimed at stopping or resisting social, economic and political changes. Others adopt a revolutionary doctrine and want to provoke change.

In the United States, terrorism attacks were in sharp decline from 1970 to 2011, decreasing from approximately 475 incidents a year to fewer than 20.

The U.S. government began to take more note of domestic terrorism after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. And the number of domestic terrorism incidents began to rise after 2011, with notable increases in the mid-to-late 2010s and early 2020s.

Data compiled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies shows right-wing terrorist attacks and plots grew substantially during the past decade, with right-wing extremists being responsible for the majority of attacks and plots each year since 2011, except for 2013. There were 44 incidents in 2019 alone.

The Department of Homeland Security’s 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment indicates that the terrorism threat environment in the United States remains high, driven largely by domestic violent extremists motivated by a mix of racial, religious and anti-government grievances.

Terrorism is not a successful tactic. American University professor Audrey Cronin studied 457 terrorist groups worldwide going back to 1968. The groups lasted an average of eight years before they lost support or were dismantled. No terrorist organizations that she studied were able to conquer a state, and 94% were unable to achieve even one of their strategic goals.

Portions of this article originally appeared in articles published on March 19, 2021, and May 23, 2017.

Read more of our stories about Colorado.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Was the Boulder attack terrorism or a hate crime? 2 experts unpack the complexities – https://theconversation.com/was-the-boulder-attack-terrorism-or-a-hate-crime-2-experts-unpack-the-complexities-258217

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Crown Point Man Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

HAMMOND- Daeshawn Jones, 29 years old, of Crown Point, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.

Jones was sentenced to 54 months in prison followed by 24 months of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, on October 8, 2023, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in Merrillville, Indiana, in which Jones was a passenger. During a search of the vehicle, a loaded semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number was discovered from the rear driver’s side seat. Jones attempted to flee but was apprehended. His criminal history revealed that he had a prior 2022 Illinois felony conviction for attempted criminal sexual assault/force and a 2021 Indiana felony conviction for forgery, and as such, he is prohibited from possessing the firearm.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force and the Merrillville Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristian R. Mukoski.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Southwest Georgia Man Sentenced to Prison for Armed Meth Trafficking

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Investigation Targeted Illegal Drug Suppliers; Defendant Admitted “Lifelong” Meth Dealer

ALBANY, Ga. – A Southwest Georgia man with a criminal history who admitted to being a “lifelong” methamphetamine supplier and who said he distributed up to three kilograms of the illegal drug per week during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic on behalf of a Mexican drug cartel was sentenced to serve 15 years in federal prison this week.

Justin Harris Vinson, 42, of Warwick, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Gardner on June 4. Vinson previously pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Sept. 17, 2024. Codefendant Shana Rae Black, 34, of Cordele, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 168 months to be followed by five years of supervised release on Feb. 28, after she previously pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Aug. 15, 2024. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Repeat convicted felons who weaponize themselves and distribute hazardous, illegal drugs in our communities will be brought to justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “Alongside our law enforcement partners, our office is working nonstop to identity those offenders causing the most harm in the communities we serve, stop their criminal activities and hold them accountable.”

“Drug traffickers drive addiction and destroy communities,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division stated. “DEA will use any resource necessary to remove these career criminals from our streets.”

“Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug with devastating consequences to users, their families and communities,” said to Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of FBI Atlanta. “This prosecution closes a pipeline for dangerous drugs flowing into the streets of Southwest Georgia.”

“We are committed to holding those who traffic methamphetamine accountable,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “Collaborating closely with state, local and federal law enforcement agencies, we will work to ensure justice and dismantle these dangerous networks.”

“I am incredibly proud of our agency’s relentless efforts and the strong collaboration with our local and federal partners. Methamphetamine trafficking brings dangerous consequences to our community, often resulting in tragedy and loss of life. This case highlights our dedication to safeguarding the community and demonstrates the powerful results we achieve through collaboration,” stated Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock.

“This case demonstrates the daily, unwavering efforts law enforcement agents make to ensure a good case to get criminal offenders off the streets and behind bars,” said Lee County Sheriff Reggie Rachals. “We are proud of the cooperation demonstrated by all to ensure these repeat offenders are held accountable at the federal level, where there is no parole.”

According to court documents and statements referenced in court, a confidential informant (CI) working with the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) contacted Black on Facebook to obtain methamphetamine on Oct. 27, 2022. Black sold the CI approximately 111 grams of methamphetamine at a Perry, Georgia, motel; the CI reported there was a pistol on a nightstand in the motel room next to a bulk quantity of methamphetamine. On Oct. 31, an undercover Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent contacted Black to purchase methamphetamine and met her at the Walmart in Cordele. Under audio and video surveillance, the GBI agent purchased methamphetamine from Black.

On Nov. 2, FBI, DEA and GBI agents met with another CI to purchase methamphetamine from Vinson. Under surveillance, Vinson met the CI at his Warwick residence and traveled with Vinson to the Sunrise Inn in Cordele to meet with Black. During the transaction, Black provided 284.4 grams of methamphetamine and collected the majority of the cash payment for the drugs, with Vinson keeping $300 as a brokering fee. Vinson was seen with a firearm during the transaction.

On Nov. 7, CCSO and GBI arrested Black in Crisp County as she traveled in a vehicle back from McDonough, Georgia. A search of the vehicle revealed Black was in possession of 982.7 grams of 97% pure methamphetamine, 15.89 grams of 91% pure methamphetamine, a digital scale and several cell phones. GBI executed a search warrant on the Baymont Inn motel room in Cordele where Black was staying and found a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, a small bag of suspected methamphetamine, four digital scales and bulk quantities of plastic baggies. Black’s cell phones showed extensive communications between her and known drug dealers.

On Jan. 22, 2023, Vinson purchased 15 ounces of methamphetamine in Cordele and sold 277 grams of 98% pure methamphetamine to a CI utilized by GBI in Warwick. During the transaction, the CI observed Vinson place a firearm in the center console of his vehicle. A search warrant was executed at Vinson’s residence on Jan. 26, 2023. Law enforcement located a semiautomatic pistol in his bedroom, along with five other firearms, inside of an open safe. Vinson told officers he had been selling methamphetamine in the South Georgia and North Florida area his entire life and that during the peak of COVID in 2020, he would sell approximately three kilograms of methamphetamine per week for six months on behalf of a Mexican drug cartel.

Vinson has multiple prior felony convictions for possession of methamphetamine. Black also has a previous felony conviction in Jones County, Georgia, Superior Court for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by GBI, DEA and the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the FBI and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Redavid prosecuted the case for the Government.

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Co-leader of large-scale narcotics & human trafficking rings sentenced to 30 years in prison

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A leader in a case with 23 defendants involved in narcotics and human trafficking conspiracies was sentenced in federal court here today to 360 months in prison for drug, gun, human trafficking and money laundering crimes.

From 2008 until June 2022, Cordell Washington, 38, of Pickerington, ran a large-scale drug trafficking organization in Columbus with co-defendant Patrick Saultz. Their operations also included sex trafficking, labor trafficking, fraud and money laundering.

A multi-agency law enforcement task force initially announced the case in July 2022 after a federal grand jury indicted 11 defendants for distributing bulk amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a Columbus elementary school. In October 2022, the government added 12 defendants and 28 new charges.

Court documents detail that the drug trafficking organization brought large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, alprazolam and marijuana into Columbus. These drugs were sold or used to coerce individuals into sexual activity for some members of the drug ring and their profit.

As part of this case, local, state and federal law enforcement officers have executed more than 20 search warrants at various locations throughout Central Ohio and seized more than $1.7 million in drug proceeds. For example, while executing a search warrant at a local storage unit, law enforcement officials discovered approximately one million dollars in bulk United States currency. Searches of additional residences yielded 47 firearms, diamonds, Rolex watches and additional bulk amounts of cash.

The drug trafficking organization sold drugs to customers out of more than 20 Columbus residences and distributed larger amounts to regional drug traffickers who then trafficked those narcotics to places such as West Virginia and the Northern District of Ohio. Saultz began the drug trafficking organization by distributing heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine from his residences on Vida Place and South Hague Street in Columbus as early as 2008.

Most of the drug dealing took place within 1000 feet of Burroughs Elementary School in Columbus at a residence on South Burgess. For example, one of Washington and Saultz’s numerous subordinates sold approximately $18,000 worth of narcotics per day from the location on South Burgess.

The case also involves the overdose death of at least one individual and the violent death of a second victim.

As part of his plea in April 2024, Washington admitted to labor trafficking male drug addicts. The defendant provided the men with their drug of choice after the men completed construction or cleaning projects at residences owned by the drug trafficking organization. The men were recruited by Washington and some completed the work for him under serious threat of harm.

Washington would provide the addicts with advances on small amounts of drugs so that they were well enough to perform physical labor. If Washington was not pleased with their work product, he would not complete the final drug payment and would threaten violence against them.

Washington used numerous methods to launder the group’s drug trafficking proceeds, including establishing front businesses that purported to be rental, repair and construction companies.

As of today, 18 of the 23 defendants have been sentenced, including six defendants who were sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. Saultz was sentenced in March 2025 to 30 years in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Norris commended the investigation coordinated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Jared Murphy, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Andrew Lawton, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Other agencies that have assisted the task force with the investigation include the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, HIDTA Task Force, IRS-Criminal Investigation, FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), Ohio National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Pickerington Police Department, New Albany Police Department and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team.

This investigation was initiated as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Prichard and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Violent Offender Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison For Drug Trafficking

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

LAS VEGAS – A serial offender with a violent criminal history, including attacking women, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Miranda M. Du to 84 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

“Public safety is at the forefront of ATF’s mission,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Buenaventura, San Francisco Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Protecting the public from violent offenders is our duty as law enforcement. The criminal background of the defendant in this case is astounding. Today’s sentencing ensures that a repeat offender will be taken off the streets. The Las Vegas community is now a safer place.”

Anthony Chrysanthis, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Los Angeles Division, which oversees Las Vegas, said, “The methamphetamine epidemic continues to threaten the health and safety of Americans. Today’s sentencing serves as a stern warning to drug distributors: When you unleash deadly poison in our communities, we will track you down and ensure you face the full force of the law.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on or about September 12, 2021, Damien Patillo, 41, of Las Vegas, possessed 16 grams of pure methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Methamphetamine is a Schedule II controlled substance.

Patillo’s prior convictions includes brutally attacking six different women, 38 convictions, and 10 domestic violence convictions.

Following a four-day trial in January 2025, a jury convicted Patillo of one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Buenaventura for ATF’s San Francisco Field Division, and Deputy Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis for DEA’s Los Angeles Division made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the ATF and DEA. Assistant United States Attorney David Kiebler prosecuted the case.

###

MIL Security OSI –

June 7, 2025
UNESCO and MeitY wrap up AI Readiness Consultations with focus on ethical AI in India

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

The UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia, in partnership with the IndiaAI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Ikigai Law, hosted the fifth and final stakeholder consultation on the AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) at the Shangri-La Eros Hotel in New Delhi on June 3. Over 200 experts from government, academia, industry, and civil society convened to strategize the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in India.

This consultation marked the culmination of a series of five sessions held across New Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Guwahati, organized under the joint AI RAM initiative by UNESCO and MeitY’s IndiaAI Mission. The initiative is focused on crafting an India-specific AI policy report that identifies strengths, pinpoints growth opportunities, and offers actionable recommendations for ethical AI adoption across various sectors. The RAM serves as a diagnostic tool to bolster governmental capacity for AI regulation and institutional governance.

The event commenced with remarks from Tim Curtis, Director of UNESCO’s Regional Office for South Asia, who advocated for an ‘ethics-by-design’ approach to AI development. He emphasized that true inclusivity in AI demands embedding ethical principles from the start and reaffirmed UNESCO’s commitment to supporting India’s vision for a transparent and trustworthy AI ecosystem. Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at MeitY, CEO of the IndiaAI Mission, and Director General of the National Informatics Centre, delivered a keynote address, highlighting India’s pro-innovation stance on developing safe and reliable AI applications. Singh outlined key initiatives, including the AI Kosh platform for datasets, the development of foundation models, and support for Responsible AI projects under the mission’s Safe and Trusted AI pillar.

A panel discussion on “Safety and Ethics in India’s AI Ecosystem” featured notable experts, including Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow at NITI Aayog; Kavita Bhatia, COO of the IndiaAI Mission; Eunsong Kim, Programme Specialist at UNESCO; Dr. B. Ravindran, Head of Data Science and AI at IIT-Madras; and Mayank Vatsa, Professor of Computer Science at IIT-Jodhpur. The panel delved into emerging policy frameworks, regulatory mechanisms, and governance strategies to promote ethical AI adoption. Ghosh underscored the challenge of balancing AI’s vast potential with its inherent risks, while Bhatia highlighted the collaborative approach of the IndiaAI Mission in fostering both innovation and responsibility.

The consultation included breakout sessions that explored governance, infrastructure, workforce readiness, and sectoral AI adoption, with a dedicated focus on youth participation in AI development and governance. These discussions provided critical insights for shaping India’s AI policy roadmap. The RAM framework, customized to India’s context, evaluates the AI ecosystem across legal, regulatory, social, cultural, economic, scientific, educational, and technological dimensions using both quantitative and qualitative metrics. Implemented by independent consultants and supported by a diverse national team, the RAM ensures a tailored approach to AI governance.

June 7, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Jeremy Rose: Mister Netanyahu have you no sense of decency?

Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

COMMENTARY: By Jeremy Rose

The word antisemitism has become so debased that depending on who is using it I might well take it as a sign that the accused is worth listening to.

When the World Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest, he responded by saying the court was being antisemitic. One of the court’s legal advisers was Theodor Meron, a former Israeli ambassador and legal adviser who spent a chunk of his childhood in a Nazi concentration camp.

Last month, Netanyahu declared the leaders of France, the UK and Canada of fuelling antisemitism.

Their “crime”? Threatening “concrete action” against Israel if it continues its “egregious” blockade of aid entering Gaza.

Egregious not genocidal. And the concrete action referred to wasn’t sanctions or a full arms embargo but stalling free trade talks.

The bitter irony is that with none of those countries having yet imposed a complete ban on arms exports to Israel they are all in a sense fuelling a genocide.

The Army-McCarthy hearings
We’re coming up to the 71st anniversary of the Army-McCarthy hearings where an army lawyer, Joseph Welch, rebuked Senator Joseph McCarthy with the famous line: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?”

We’ll be waiting a long time for the wanted war criminal Netanyahu to show any decency, but could we be approaching a tipping point where the establishment finally calls off a witch hunt after realising no one is safe from false accusations.

The McCarthyite red scare, which began in the late 1940s, saw more than 2000 federal workers sacked, thousands of academics, teachers, and union members pressured or forced to resign due to anti-communist policies, and up to 500 Hollywood directors and actors blacklisted for being leftwing or refusing to name names.

Welch’s rebuke was triggered by none of that. It was McCarthy turning his metaphorical guns onto the military implying he would expose high ranking army personnel that saw the army lawyer return fire.

The conflating of criticism of Israel with antisemitism has been spectacularly successful in making any criticism of Israel a potentially career ending move. Three Ivy League presidents have been pushed out of their jobs for failing to crack down hard enough on students protesting the brutality of Israel’s ongoing genocide.

UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose popularity had seen the party become the biggest political movement in Europe, was toppled in 2016 after bogus accusations of antisemitism.

In the purge of the Labour Party that followed Jews were five times more likely to be investigated for antisemitism than goys.

It’s the same story in Germany where Jews feature prominently among those cancelled for alleged antisemitism. Renowned professor of Jewish studies Peter Schäfe was forced to resign as the director of Berlin’s Jewish Museum after it retweeted a post critical of Germany’s anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolutions.

Greece’s former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis — not a Jew — has been banned from Germany or even appearing via Zoom for this response, on 8 October 2023, to being asked if he condemned Hamas:

“I condemn every single atrocity, whomever is the perpetrator or the victim. What I do not condemn is armed resistance to an apartheid system designed as part of a slow-burning, but inexorable, ethnic cleansing programme.
As a European, it is important to refrain from condemning either the Israelis or the Palestinians when it is us, Europeans, who have caused this never-ending tragedy: after practising rabid anti-Semitism for centuries, leading up to the uniquely vile Holocaust, we have been complicit for decades with the slow genocide of Palestinians, as if two wrongs make one right.”

That nuanced response, with its acknowledgement of the dreadful legacy of real antisemitism, has not only seen him banned from speaking — in person or virtually — but dropped by his German publisher.

Antisemitism is often referred to as the oldest hatred — with good reason — but the word itself is relatively recent.

A ‘scientific’ word for an old hatred
Nineteenth century German journalist, Wilhelm Marr, popularised the term in a pamphlet the title of which translates as: The way to victory of Germanism over Judaism.

What distinguished antisemitism from the commonly used Judenhass — or Jewish hate — was the idea that it was a Jew’s race not their religion that was deserving of hate.

Antisemitism was a prejudice proud to speak its name. It was respectable in a way that religious intolerance wasn’t. Prominent professors and politicians happily declared themselves antisemites and adherents of “scientific racism”.

It was an old idea dressed up in new clothing. Fifteenth century Spain passed Limpieza de Sangre (cleanliness of blood) statutes to allow discrimination against Jewish and Muslim converts to Christianity.

The Judeo-Christian civilisational conflict with Islam, often referred to by right-wing supporters of Israel, is a relatively new construct. When the Jews were expelled from Spain, the Ottomans sent ships to take them to new homes in Istanbul, Thessaloniki and Izmer.

Times change and while it was once possible — even common — to be a respectable antisemite and scientific racist but frowned upon to discriminate based on religious belief, now the reverse is true.

So-called new atheists like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins declare all religions bad but Islam worse.

“Listening to the lovely bells of Winchester, one of our great mediaeval cathedrals. So much nicer than the aggressive sounding “Allahu Akhbar.” Or is that just my cultural upbringing?” Dawkins once tweeted.

The cultures of Europe have indeed cultivated racist ideas for centuries. And just as half a millennia ago conversion offered you no protection from the racism of the Spanish court, embracing Buddhism didn’t protect Columbia University student Moshen Mahdawi from being snatched from a naturalisation interview by balaclava-clad ICE agents.

His crime? Being Palestinian and telling his story.

It’s a topsy-turvy world where life-long anti-fascists like Jeremy Corbyn and Yanis Varoufakis are sanctioned on bogus claims of antisemitism while the likes of Elon Musk and Hungarian PM Victor Orban — both peddlers of old-style antisemitic conspiracies — are welcomed to Israel as friends and allies in a contrived battle of civilisations.

One thing that differentiates antisemitism from the Judeophobia, which has been a European disease since the early days of Christianity, is that it places Jews among the victims of the continent’s white supremacist legacy.

It’s perhaps no coincidence the Christopher Columbus set sail for the Americas in the same year, 1492, that Spain expelled its Jews and Muslims.

The settler colonisation of the Americas has been estimated by historian David Stannard to have resulted in the death of 100 million indigenous people — many from introduced diseases but tens of millions also died in genocides only recently making their way into history books.

Last month, when Netanyahu declared Israel’s attacks on Gaza “a war against human beasts” he was echoing the words of settler colonialists from Alaska to Aotearoa and the dehumanising language of the Nazis against the Jews.

So, back to that question about whether we’ve reached a tipping point where unfair accusations of antisemitism will be seen in a similar light to McCarthy’s red scare.

With Netanyahu accusing the leader of the Democrats party, Yair Golan, an IDF reserve major-general, of promoting a blood libel for speaking out against the starving of babies in Gaza, it’s hard not to draw parallels with the Army-McCarthy hearings.

It’s worth quoting the words that saw Israel’s PM accuse Golan of a blood libel — a reference to the lie that Jews used the blood of non-Jewish children in the baking of matzos, and a trigger for centuries of pogroms.

“A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not set goals for itself like the expulsion of a population.”

The idea that an IDF general speaking out against the killing of babies is propagating racist hatred of Jews is surely a leap too far even for many fervent Zionists.

Another sign that the tide might be turning is Kenneth Stern, the lead drafter of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, saying the US administration’s weaponisation of the IHRA definition is making academics and students (including Jews) less safe.

The self-described Zionist said the definition was being distorted and used to silence anti-Israel critics.

The IHRA working definition has been widely adopted internationally — including by institutions in New Zealand and Australia.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both criticised the definition claiming it has seen those documenting Israel’s human rights abuses being falsely accused of antisemitism.

It’s a tragedy that weaponised accusations of antisemitism aimed at protecting Israel from criticism are obscuring a rise in Judeophobic conspiracy theories and attacks on Jewish community centres and synagogues around the world.

And even more tragically that those accusations are blunting criticisms of Israel that could help bring the ongoing genocide in Gaza to an end.

Jeremy Rose is a Wellington-based journalist. He has a Substack: Towards democracy

This article was first published on Café Pacific.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

June 6, 2025
From valleys to viaducts: a decade that put J&K on the rail map

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

In a landmark visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off new Vande Bharat trains and inaugurated two major railway bridges—the Chenab Rail Bridge and the Anji Khad Bridge—marking a pivotal moment in the region’s rail connectivity journey. The event highlighted more than a decade of sustained investment in railway infrastructure aimed at expanding access, improving mobility, and unlocking economic opportunity across the Union Territory.

The Chenab Rail Bridge, now recognised as the world’s highest railway arch bridge, towers 359 metres above the riverbed—rising 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower. Spanning 1,315 metres, this engineering marvel is a critical part of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), one of India’s most ambitious transport projects. Designed to withstand extreme weather and seismic activity, the bridge is built to endure wind speeds of up to 260 kilometres per hour and has an expected lifespan of 120 years. Structural steel capable of withstanding temperatures from minus 10 to 40 degrees Celsius and cutting-edge Tekla software for structural precision were used in its construction.

Nearby, the Anji Khad Bridge stands as India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge. Stretching 725 metres across the Anji River valley and supported by 96 high-tensile cables, the bridge is anchored by a 193-metre-tall inverted Y-shaped pylon. Set against the dramatic Himalayan landscape, the structure was completed in a record time of 11 months. Over 8,200 metric tonnes of structural steel were used in its construction, making it a resilient and strategic link in the Katra–Banihal section of the USBRL. The bridge has been engineered to withstand tremors, high wind loads and shifting topography, providing a vital connection in a region marked by seismic and geological volatility.

The rail network in Jammu and Kashmir has undergone a radical transformation over the past 11 years. Once hindered by geography and conflict, the region’s integration into the national railway grid is now nearly complete. The USBRL project, which cuts across 272 kilometres of rugged Himalayan terrain, includes 36 tunnels spanning 119 kilometres and 943 bridges that connect isolated communities. Constructed at a cost of ₹43,780 crore, it represents one of the most challenging infrastructure undertakings in India’s post-independence era.

To maximise the benefit of this enhanced connectivity, the Vande Bharat Express will soon operate between Jammu and Srinagar. Designed for sub-zero conditions, the train is equipped with heated windshields, insulated toilets and advanced heating systems to withstand temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius. A snow removal train will operate ahead of it during harsh winters, and seismic dampers have been installed to ensure safety along the route.

The journey between Katra and Srinagar, which previously took more than five hours, will now be reduced to approximately three, a shift that is expected to bring substantial gains in tourism, trade and accessibility. Full electrification of railway lines in the region further strengthens this transformation, aligning with broader goals of energy efficiency and sustainability.

In addition to new services and engineering breakthroughs, the government has focused on modernising stations and expanding pilgrimage routes. In 2014, the commissioning of the Udhampur–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra rail section opened a 25.6 km link built at a cost of ₹1,132.75 crore. It features 10.9 km of tunnels, 36 bridges and a modern Katra station, constructed with dedicated facilities including public conveniences and a footbridge for local residents. That same year, the Shri Shakti AC Superfast Express was introduced to connect New Delhi with the shrine town, enhancing accessibility for pilgrims.

More recently, in February 2024, a 48-km stretch between Banihal, Khari, Sumber and Sangaldan was inaugurated, along with the electrification of the 185.66-km Baramulla–Srinagar–Banihal–Sangaldan section. Prime Minister Modi flagged off the valley’s first electric train, marking a shift towards cleaner and more efficient rail operations. The Banihal–Sangaldan section features ballast-less tracks to ensure smoother rides.

In January 2025, Indian Railways conducted safety inspections on the 111-km Banihal–Katra section, featuring 97 km of tunnels and four major bridges. Once operational, this will complete the Jammu–Srinagar rail link. Jammu station is also being redeveloped to include eight platforms and upgraded passenger amenities. A dedicated railway division with headquarters in Jammu was created in the same month, carved out from the Ferozepur Division. It will oversee operations in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Punjab, enhancing administrative efficiency and service delivery.

The T-50 tunnel, a 12.77-km stretch connecting Khari and Sumber, is now the longest transportation tunnel in India and plays a critical role in the USBRL network. Constructed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method, the tunnel includes a parallel escape tunnel and cross-passages every 375 metres for safety. Extensive geological challenges were met with strategic engineering solutions, including the construction of multiple adits to fast-track completion. The installation of CCTV cameras every 50 metres, monitored from a central control room, ensures operational safety.

To support these developments, Indian Railways also laid 215 km of approach roads to ensure access to remote construction sites. These roads have brought ancillary benefits by improving rural connectivity and enabling economic activity in previously inaccessible areas.

As part of its broader modernisation strategy, the Ministry of Railways has included four Jammu and Kashmir stations—Budgam, Jammu Tawi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Udhampur—under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. This initiative aims to deliver enhanced passenger services and drive integrated urban development.

In the Union Budget for 2025–26, the Centre allocated ₹844 crore specifically for railway development in Jammu and Kashmir. The funding is aimed at accelerating ongoing projects and strengthening rail infrastructure across the region.

The confluence of infrastructure upgrades, strategic investments and technical innovation over the past decade is reshaping Jammu and Kashmir’s transport landscape. The region, once isolated by mountains and weather, is now poised to emerge as a vital link in India’s national rail network, offering faster, cleaner and more inclusive mobility for its people.

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Latest news – 10 June – 12 June: Committees and Political Groups

Source: European Parliament

In the week of the 9 June, Members’ work will be split between meetings in political groups and parliamentary committees.

During this week, the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) will hold a Public Hearing on media freedom and journalist protection, focusing on legal challenges and reforms to safeguard journalists and counter disinformation, surveillance and manipulation.

LIBE will also hold an exchange of views on Child-Friendly Justice in Criminal Matters, aiming to identify gaps in how children participate in judicial proceedings as victims, witnesses or offenders. Follow the links below to discover this week’s highlights.

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Man charged in nat’l security case

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Police’s National Security Department today arrested a 28-year-old man in Stanley.

He was suspected of committing “conspiracy to collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security” under the National Security Law and “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence” under the Organized & Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The man was charged with one count of “conspiracy to collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security”, with the case mentioned at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts this afternoon.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

June 6, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Underwood Announces $26 Million for Local Priorities Selected for Community Project Funding

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14)

JOLIET – Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-14), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, announced the projects in the 14th District selected to be submitted for consideration for Community Project Funding in FY2026.

If funded, the projects below will have extraordinary benefits for our community: ensuring access to safe and reliable drinking water, strengthening rural access to health care, preventing workplace exploitation, helping residents get jobs, providing vulnerable populations access to necessities like emergency shelter and food, and supporting parent-students by providing affordable childcare options in northern Illinois.

“Making sure that our community’s needs are reflected in federal funding has always been a top priority of mine in Washington,” said Underwood. “Our families will feel the enormous impact of these 15 projects every day. We’re making sure our drinking water is clean and safe across northern Illinois; strengthening access to quality health care in rural communities, providing parents affordable childcare options, and so much more. I look forward to working with my colleagues to bring these federal dollars home.”

FY25 projects that were selected by Members of Congress last year were not included in the funding bill passed earlier this year, and nearly all FY25 projects in the 14^th District are being resubmitted for FY26.

Community Project Funding is an initiative that allows Members of Congress to request direct funding for projects that benefit the communities they represent, coupled with strict transparency and ethics requirements. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. In compliance with House Rules and Committee requirements, Underwood has certified that she and her immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects selected. Underwood’s certification forms for the projects listed are available here, listed in alphabetical order.

Below are descriptions of the projects submitted for consideration, in alphabetical order by project sponsor:

Project Title: Bentley Road Pathway Connection

Project Sponsor: Plainfield Park District

Amount Requested: $1,300,000

Address of Sponsor: 23729 W. Ottawa St., Plainfield, IL 60544

Project Description and Justification: This funding would be used to develop 4 uninterrupted miles along the DuPage River into a pathway connecting parks, recreation areas, and small businesses in Will County. The pathway will serve as a vital link between existing multi-use trails at Riverside Parkway, Sunset Park, and Hammel Woods along the DuPage River corridor.

Project Title: Center for Parenting Students

Project Sponsor: Waubonsee Community College

Amount Requested: $600,000

Address of Sponsor: Route 47 at Waubonsee Drive, Sugar Grove, IL 60554

Project Description and Justification: This funding would support the creation of a new Center for Parenting Students’ at Waubonsee Community College. The center will provide crucial support for student parents, helping them balance their academic pursuits with childcare.

The Center will offer a welcoming environment with designated family-friendly consultation and meeting rooms. Additionally, lactation suites, changing rooms, and a dedicated feeding space will cater to the specific needs of parenting students. The Center will provide essential support services, access to books, toys, and tablets for children while their parents work on group projects or utilize computers and printers for academic work.

Project Title: City of Lockport Environmental Infrastructure Program

Project Sponsor: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District

Amount Requested: $1,368,950

Address of Sponsor: 231 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60604

Project Purpose and Justification: This funding would be used for an environmental infrastructure project that will improve wastewater and stormwater management in the City of Lockport, Illinois.

Local infrastructure needs addressed by this project include the Bruce Road & SOS Children Village Utility Improvement Project, as the project includes the installation of a new lift station to serve the SOS Children Village.

Project Title: Clean Water Project in Oglesby, IL

Project Sponsor: City of Oglesby

Amount Requested: $1,020,800

Address of Sponsor: 110 East Walnut Street, Oglesby, IL 61348

Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will help replace 2,100 feet of water main lines currently impacted by lead and/or asbestos-cement within the City of Oglesby. The pipes pose significant risks to the public and their replacement will ensure clean drinking water, protect public health and safety, and generate long-term cost savings for the community of Ogelsby.

Project Title: Education for Parents Project

Project Sponsor: Northern Illinois University

Amount Requested: $1,000,000

Address of Sponsor: 1425 W Lincoln Hwy, Dekalb, IL 60115

Priority Project and Justification: This funding will be used to remodel and convert property at Northern Illinois University into a significantly larger child care center. The project will help the university hire new personnel and cover essential upgrades to ensure a safe and healthy environment for children; including roof, drainage, window, and flooring repairs, classroom painting, and a learning space renovation.

Project Title: Expanding Hope and Reducing Hunger in La Salle, IL

Project Sponsor: Illinois Valley Food Pantry

Amount Requested: $750,000

Address of Sponsor: 122 Wright Street, LaSalle, IL 61354

Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will help the food pantry expand their refrigeration and storage capacity, allowing them to serve more families in our community. Currently serving around 500 families monthly, the pantry is at capacity.

Project Title: Grand Prairie Water Commission Infrastructure Construction for Northern Illinois

Project Sponsor: City of Joliet

Amount Requested: $5,000,000

Address of Sponsor: 150 W Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL 60432

Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will build 7.5 miles of underground water transmission main to deliver finished drinking water from the Chicago Department of Water Management to communities in the southwest suburbs.

The City of Joliet is part of the Grand Prairie Water Commission, a group of six communities that will utilize Lake Michigan as an alternative water source.

Project Title: Law Enforcement Collaboration to Prevent Workplace Crime in Will County, IL

Project Sponsor: Joliet Township

Amount Requested: $339,346

Address of Sponsor: 1220 Richards St., Suite A, Joliet, IL 60435

Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will be used by Joliet Township to hire one attorney and two project staff dedicated to collaborating with local organizations and law enforcement to address workplace exploitation across Will County and the surrounding area. The project will connect victims of workplace abuse and violence to victim services in northern Illinois communities.

Project Title: Lead-Free Water Project in Aurora, IL

Project Sponsor: City of Aurora

Amount Requested: $3,500,000

Address of Sponsor: 44 E. Downer Place, City of Aurora, IL 60507

Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will be used to remove and replace all remaining lead water service lines within the City of Aurora, providing safe, potable water for the community. An estimated 120 lead service lines for homes, impacting nearly 400 residents, are expected to be replaced. The pipes pose significant risks to the public and their replacement will ensure clean drinking water, protect public health and safety, and generate long-term cost savings for the community.

Project Title: Lockport Township Emergency Shelter

Project Sponsor: Lockport Township

Amount Requested: $2,235,015

Address of Sponsor: 1463 Farrell Road, Lockport, Illinois, 60441

This funding will be used to support and protect the local economy in Fairmont, Lockport, and the surrounding communities in Will County by converting space within an existing building in Lockport, Illinois into a permanent emergency shelter and regional hub for first responder safety training. Specifically, this project would fund renovations that would enable the shelter to have a full-service generator, weather-resistant roof, reinforced windows and doors, modern HVAC, emergency radios, cot beds, and ADA-compliant accommodation for up to 205 evacuees and personnel.

Project Title: Reducing Recidivism and Supporting Reentry in Will County, IL

Project Sponsor: Will County Workforce Services Division—LWIA—10

Amount Requested: $600,000

Address of Sponsor: 2400 Glenwood Ave, Joliet, IL 60435

Project Purpose and Justification: This project will provide work training services to justice impacted individuals, increasing public safety and reducing the recidivism rate in Will County, IL. The program will offer participants the option to participate in work-based training or education, or to receive work-based training that leads to full-time employment. Through this program, formerly incarcerated individuals will obtain skills that will help them find and secure meaningful employment.

Project Title: Securing A Sustainable Water Source in Oswego, IL

Project Sponsor: Village of Oswego

Amount Requested: $2,640,000

Address of Sponsor: 100 Parkers Mill, Oswego, IL 60543

Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will support the construction of the three receiving stations, which are integral to the success of the Lake Michigan Water Source Project. The receiving stations will allow Montgomery, Oswego, and Yorkville to store and prepare more water from Lake Michigan. Each City requires one receiving station to prepare and store safe water, and to establish a proper connection with the lake.

The communities of Montgomery, Oswego, and Yorkville will join the DuPage Water Commission, a group of 30 communities that utilize Lake Michigan as an alternative water source.

Project Title: Senior Outreach and Care Project

Project Sponsor: White Oak Library District

Amount Requested: $3,250,000

Address of Sponsor: 201 W. Normantown Rd., Romeoville, IL 60446

Project Description and Justification: This funding will be used for the construction of a new building for the Outreach Services Department at the Crest Hill Branch Library, allowing the library to reach more people in Will County. The funding will be used to construct a new building, hire two additional staff members to support the new location’s expanded services, and purchase three computer workstations and essential technology like chargers and keyboards.

Additionally, the funding will allow the library to purchase a Bookmobile to continue outreach efforts outside the library’s physical location as well as additional books for circulation.

Project Title: Shab-eh-nay Tribal Administration Buildings

Project Sponsor: Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

Amount Requested: $1,360,914

Address of Sponsor: 16281 Q Road Mayetta, Kansas 66509

Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will support the construction of governmental office space for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and their neighbors. The new building will allow the Nation to have a designated facility to conduct its government business, deepen their connections with the community, and provide services to residents.

Project Title: Strengthening Rural Healthcare for Farmers and Families in Mendota, IL

Project Sponsor: Community Health Partnership of Illinois

Amount Requested: $1,250,000

Address of Sponsor: 205 West Randolph Street, Suite 1340, Chicago, IL 60606

Project Purpose and Justification: This funding will expand the Mendota Health Center, transforming the 10,666-square-foot warehouse into an expanded space for medical, dental, and behavioral health services.

The proposed health center will house 25 employees and serve over 6,000 individuals needing accessible, quality primary care services. The Mendota Health Center is a lifeline for the community, providing quality health care in Mendota and surrounding areas.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 6, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government’s new law sees unfair bonuses banned for six water companies with immediate effect

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Government’s new law sees unfair bonuses banned for six water companies with immediate effect

Government bans unfair bonuses for water companies that don’t meet high standards

Unfair bonuses now banned for water companies that don’t meet high standards.
Water bosses awarded themselves over £112 million in bonuses and incentive payments in the last decade.
Strengthened enforcement is just one part of the Government’s strategy to reform the water sector and attract investment as part of its Plan for Change.

Unfair bonuses have been banned for senior executives at six water companies, as new measures in the Water (Special Measures) Act come into force today (Friday, 6th June).

The government is clear that transformative change across the water sector is needed to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas, and modernise the sector for decades to come.

Under new rules, companies are not permitted to pay bonuses to water bosses that oversee poor environmental and customer outcomes. This delivers on a key manifesto commitment and has been backdated to apply to any bonuses relating to the financial year from April last year.

This applies to Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, Anglian Water, Wessex Water, United Utilities, and Southern Water, where bosses are not permitted to receive bonuses with immediate effect.

Water companies have awarded over £112 million in bonuses and incentives over the last decade. Last year alone, £7.6 million in bonuses were paid to water bosses in England.

It’s crucial that companies attract the best talent to deliver essential upgrades to the water system. Companies that do meet Ofwat’s standards will still be eligible to pay executives bonuses – a powerful incentive for them to deliver immediate environmental improvements, better customer outcomes, and improve financial resilience.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said:

Water company bosses, like anyone else, should only get bonuses if they’ve performed well, certainly not if they’ve failed to tackle water pollution.

Undeserved bonuses will now be banned as part of the Government’s plan to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.

Promise made, promise delivered.

Today’s ban holds water bosses to account and ensures they can no longer cash in while their companies pollute rivers, neglect customers, or mismanage finances.

Strengthened enforcement is just one part of the government’s strategy to reform the water sector, which also includes working with the companies and their investors to make the water industry one of growth and opportunity, attracting investment and ensuring its stable financial footing for years to come.

The government is determined to reform the sector in a way that continues to attract high quality, long-term investors to rebuild our water infrastructure. Following the publication of the Independent Water Commission’s interim report, Ministers will look at proposals carefully, and outline further action in due course.

While it is for water companies to set their own remuneration, new standards published by Ofwat that come into force today mean bonuses will not be permitted be handed out in specific cases when a water company:

Fails to meet core environmental standards and presides over serious pollution offences
Fails to meet basic financial resilience standards (e.g. meet minimum credit rating requirements)
Fails to meet core consumer standards (e.g. failure to operate and maintain sewage networks)
Is convicted of a criminal offence (e.g. criminal convictions for serious environmental failings including illegal spills)

Under new rules published by Ofwat today, any company failing to meet key standards will automatically lose the right to award bonuses. If a company pays a bonus while banned, Ofwat has the powers under the Water (Special Measures) Act to direct the company to claw back the money. Any company that does not comply with Ofwat’s directions will face enforcement action.

To further protect customers and clean up our waterways, the government has secured a record £104 billion of private investment – the largest ever since privatisation to cut sewage discharges by nearly half over the next five years. This money will now be ringfenced for new pipes and treatment works, not shareholder payouts.

Notes to editors

The table below outlines companies’ compliance on current information.
It is up to individual water companies to determine appropriate financial rewards. Ofwat will consider action required once water companies publish their remuneration decisions in their annual reports for the 2024-25 financial year.

ANNEX A: Companies affected by the ban:

Water company	Consumer standards	Environment standards	Financial resilience	Criminal offence	Subject to ban?	Details of criteria
Anglian Water		Fail – 1 incident			CEO bonus banned*	Cat.1 data in Annex C
Northumbrian Water					Company can pay bonuses
Severn Trent					Company can pay bonuses
Southern Water		Fail – 1 incident			CEO and CFO bonus banned	Cat.1 data in Annex C
South West Water					Company can pay bonuses
Thames Water		Fail – 7 incidents	Fail – April 2024		CEO and CFO bonus banned	Thames Water Utilities Limited (‘Thames Water’) – undertakings under Section 19 – Ofwat
United Utilities		Fail – 1 incident			CEO & CFO bonus banned	Cat.1 data in Annex C
Wessex Water				Fail – 1 Conviction	CFO bonus banned**	Wessex Water fined £500,000 for sewage killing thousands of fish – GOV.UK
Yorkshire Water	Fail – S94 Breach	Fail – 1 incident			CEO & CFO bonus banned	Yorkshire Water to pay £40m enforcement package following Ofwat wastewater investigation – Ofwat

*Anglian Water’s CFO is not subject to the ban because they were not in post for the Cat.1 incident. Their CEO was in post during the Cat.1 incident and therefore faces a ban.

**Wessex Water’s CEO is not subject to the ban because they were not in post for the criminal offence that triggers the ban.

ANNEX B: Total CEO/CFO bonuses paid by water companies in England (in thousands)

Water company	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	Total
Anglian Water	1,482	1,798	1,569	3,429	3,234	713	2,222	1,152	1,291	95	16,984
United Utilities	3,227	2,942	2,284	2,247	2,733	2,733	3,138	2,763	2,377	1,366	25,810
Northumbrian Water	597	484	595	479	384	269	259	214	311	315	3,907
Southern Water	757*	427	187	756	645	815	842	669	–	312	5,410
Severn Trent Water	3,367	2,294	2,978	1,788	2,201	2,674	2,777	4,471	3,413	3,309	29,271
South West Water	556	832	640	259	521	984	1,230	755	362	470	6,609
Thames Water	2,432	609	203	807	448	937	538	794	–	770	7,538
Wessex Water	236	353	482	552	485	–	640	651	459	387	4,246
Yorkshire Water	2,305	1,288	1,588	631	1,547	1,666	1,568	1,122	571	616	12,902
Total	14,959	11,027	10,526	10,948	12,197	10,791	13,213	12,591	8,784	7,639	112,676

*Long Term Incentive Plan value for Southern Water is a four-year figure, from 2011-15. Since there was no annual breakdown for 2014/15, the LTIP value has been divided by 4.

ANNEX C: Category 1 incidents

Water company	Number of Category 1 incidents	Date	Location
Anglian Water	1	September 2024	Peterborough
Southern Water	1	August 2024	New Forest District
Thames Water	7	January 2024	Three Rivers District
		January 2024	Chiltern District
		February 2024	Slough
		April 2024	Enfield London Borough
		April 2024	Sevenoaks District
		November 2024	Reigate and Banstead District
		December 2024	Runnymede District
Yorkshire Water	1	December 2024	Kirklees District
United Utilities	1	December 2024	Bolton

Quotes

Ali Plummer, Director of Policy & Advocacy at Wildlife and Countryside Link, said:

Bonuses should reflect excellence, not routine negligence and widespread environmental degradation. Our rivers and wildlife continue to suffer because companies have repeatedly prioritised profit over public health and nature protection. Removing bonuses if high standards aren’t met, is a welcome first step from Ofwat.

This must be backed up with strong resources for environmental regulators to ensure this is enforced.

Ben Seal, Head of Access & Environment, Paddle UK, said:

When something so precious as our nations water is on the line, public outrage at water executives pocketing big bonuses for failing to prevent pollution, is entirely justified.

It is positive to see the steps taken through the new Water Special Measures Act beginning to take effect. Let’s hope that blocking the payment of these bonuses is just another means of helping focus minds on driving up environmental performance, rather than prioritising profit.

Mark Lloyd, CEO, The Rivers Trust, said:

The fact that water company bosses will no longer be rewarded for poor environmental performance is a significant moment in rebuilding public trust. It’s great to see the environment being valued as it should be, and that the personal responsibility of water industry leaders in looking after the environment is being recognised.

The measures announced today tackle the most serious pollution incidents, but we still need to be aware that the vast majority of pollution comes from smaller, more insidious events which, in combination, can cause far greater harm to our rivers.

Ali Morse, Water Policy Manager at The Wildlife Trusts, said:

This is a change that’s important to billpayers. Customers don’t think it’s right that senior staff are rewarded whilst our rivers and seas bear the brunt of poor water sector performance. No one is under any illusions that this alone will significantly ease pressure on household bills, or make good the harms caused to the environment already; it’s more a point of principle – that even a single incident can result in a bonus ban –  and, along with other recent changes, sends a strong signal to the industry that it must do more to prioritise the health of the environment upon which its business relies.

Deborah Meaden, Businesswoman, entrepreneur and Dragons Den Investor, said:

This is a very welcome step as part of the battle to better protect our waters and waterways. Bonuses should rightly be focused on constantly improving water quality in our seas and rivers, not just to stop the damage but actually repair and restore.

Published 6 June 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 6, 2025