UNITED STATES: Two More Charged in Capitol Riot
The probe into one of the most heinous events in American history continues, with two more alleged perpetrators brought to justice.
According to court documents, Julian Elie Khater, 32, of State College, Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, were arrested on March 14 in connection with a complaint filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., charging them with conspiring to injure officers and assaulting federal officers, among other charges, on Jan. 6. Khater was arrested as he disembarked from an airplane at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Tanios was arrested at his residence in West Virginia.
Khater and Tanios are each charged with one count of conspiracy to injure an officer; three counts of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon; one count of civil disorder; one count of obstructing or impeding an official proceeding; one count of physical violence on restricted grounds, while carrying dangerous weapon and resulting in significant bodily injury; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct, act of physical violence on Capitol grounds.
According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Khater and Tanios were at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and were observed in video footage working together to assault law enforcement officers with an unknown chemical substance by spraying officers directly in the face and eyes.
During the investigation, it is alleged that law enforcement discovered video that depicted Khater asking Tanios to “give me that bear s—.” Tanios replied, “Hold on, hold on, not yet, not yet… it’s still early.” Khater then retrieved a canister from Tanios’ backpack and walked through the crowd to within a few steps of the police perimeter. The video shows Khater with his right arm up high in the air, appearing to be holding a canister in his right hand and aiming it at the officers’ direction while moving his right arm from side to side.
The complaint affidavit states that Officers Sicknick, Edwards, and Chapman, who were all standing within a few feet of Khater, each reacted to being sprayed in the face. The officers retreated, bringing their hands to their faces and rushing to find water to wash out their eyes.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the FBI Pittsburgh and Newark Field Offices, the United States Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department are investigating the case, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.
Anyone with tips is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct for purposes of establishing probable cause, not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
EUROPE: Several Countries Halt Vaccine
One of the star players in the ongoing fight against the coronavirus has been taken off the field.
As of this writing, at least 13 nations in Europe have stopped use of the AstraZeneca- Oxford vaccine. The main concern is that there have been reports of patients who took that vaccine getting blood clots, including some deaths.
In response to the recent concerns, AstraZeneca released the following statement:
“Following a recent concern raised around thrombotic events, AstraZeneca would like to offer its reassurance on the safety of its COVID-19 vaccine based on clear scientific evidence. Safety is of paramount importance and the Company is continually monitoring the safety of its vaccine.
“A careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union (EU) and UK with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country.
“So far across the EU and UK, there have been 15 events of DVT and 22 events of pulmonary embolism reported among those given the vaccine, based on the number of cases the Company has received as of March 8. This is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines. The monthly safety report will be made public on the European Medicines Agency website in the following week, in line with exceptional transparency measures for COVID-19.
“Furthermore, in clinical trials, even though the number of thrombotic events was small, these were lower in the vaccinated group. There has also been no evidence of increased bleeding in over 60,000 participants enrolled.”
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) also released a statement:
“WHO is aware that, as a precautionary measure, a few countries in the European Union have suspended use of a specific batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine distributed in the EU, based on reports of rare blood coagulation disorders in persons who had received vaccine from that particular batch. This was decided as a precaution whilst a full investigation is finalized
“It is important to note that the European Medicines Agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee position is that the vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh its risks, and the vaccine can continue to be administered while investigation of cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing.
“WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) systematically reviews any vaccine safety signals and concerns related to COVID-19 vaccine safety, and meets every two weeks to advise WHO on any new safety signals or concerns related to COVID-19 vaccines.
“The GACVS is carefully assessing the current reports on the AstraZeneca vaccine. As soon as WHO has gained a full understanding of these events, the findings and any changes to current recommendations will be immediately communicated to the public.
“Vaccination against COVID-19 will not reduce deaths from other causes. Deaths from other causes will continue to occur, including after vaccination, but causally unrelated.
“As of March 9, over 268 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered since the start of the pandemic, based on data reported to WHO by national governments. No cases of death have been found to have been caused by COVID-19 vaccines to date.”
AFRICA: Another Mass Kidnapping
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the latest mass kidnapping of students in Nigeria, in the country’s northwestern region.
On March 11, some 30 female and male students and as well as several school staff, were reportedly abducted by gunmen from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, just outside Kaduna city in the Igabi local government area – marking at least the fourth round of students kidnapped in the country since December.
While some of the students have reportedly been rescued by Nigerian security forces, Guterres called for “the immediate and unconditional release of those students that remain in captivity,” his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric told journalist at a regular press briefing.
“The Secretary-General underscores that schools must remain safe spaces for children to learn without fear of violence or kidnapping or any other attacks on them,” Mr. Dujarric continued, adding that “attacks on schools and other educational facilities constitute a grave violation of children’s rights and human rights more broadly.”
The UN chief “urges the authorities to safeguard schools and to ensure the right to education in a safe environment,” he said.
Last week, 279 schoolgirls were freed after being snatched from their boarding school at Jangebe, in northwest Nigeria’s Zamfara state. Weeks before, dozens of children and staff were taken from a boarding school and in December, more than 300 boys were abducted.
In 2014, Islamist extremist group Boko Haram’s attack on the Chibok secondary school in Borno state sparked international outcry and prompted the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Of the 276 girls taken then, more than 100 are reportedly still missing nearly seven years later.
ASIA: Myanmar Crisis Worsens
Violence continues to rage across the southeast Asian nation at the hands of forces loyal to leaders of the Feb. 1 military coup, and, according to media reports, dozens of people lost their lives, including around 50 on March 14 alone.
“The killing of demonstrators, arbitrary arrests and the reported torture of prisoners violate fundamental human rights and stand in clear defiance of calls by the Security Council for restraint, dialogue and a return to Myanmar’s democratic path,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in the statement released by his Spokesperson in New York.
Mr. Guterres urged the international community “to work collectively and bilaterally” to help bring an end to the repression.
He called on the military to allow a visit by his Special Envoy “as an important element in calming down the situation and setting the stage for dialogue and return to democracy.”
In a statement, Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener said she “personally heard from contacts in Myanmar heartbreaking accounts of killings, mistreatment of demonstrators and torture of prisoners over the weekend.”
“The ongoing brutality, including against medical personnel and destruction of public infrastructure, severely undermines any prospects for peace and stability.”
Ms. Schraner Burgener also underlined that the international community, including regional actors must come together “in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and their democratic aspirations.”
