Harris County Sheriff’s Office Robbery Division seeks help in identifying two suspects

Anyone with information on these two suspects is encouraged to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Robbery Division at 713-274-9210, or Crime stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5000 for information leading to the charging or arrest of suspects.

Harris County, TX) Harris County Sheriff’s Office Robbery Division is seeking the public’s help in identifying two suspects wanted for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon of two women in west Harris County. Robbery investigators say on Tuesday, February 23, 2016 , the two suspects pictured, followed the 37 year old and 78 year old complainants from the Woodforest Bank located at 1313 N. Fry road after they withdrew a large amount of cash. The female complainants told investigators they noticed the two suspects standing near the bank teller line. They finished their transaction and were leaving the bank, when they observed a white colored Nissan Maxima parked near their vehicle with a young black female in the driver seat.

They then left the parking lot and traveled to their home in the 4800 block of Redwing Brook Trail. The women were exiting their vehicle, when the same white Nissan stopped, and the two suspects got out, with one brandishing a silver colored revolver at them. The suspect with the short braids demanded their money and other valuables.
The suspects then ran back to the vehicle and fled in an unknown direction. The first suspect is described as black male 5’5 to 5’6 in height, weighing 150 to 160 lbs. with a light complexion, and short braids. The second suspect is a black male 5’10 in height, heavier build, with a light goatee beard.

Anyone with information on these two suspects is encouraged to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Robbery Division at 713-274-9210, or Crime stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5000 for information leading to the charging or arrest of suspects.

Mississippi woman who attempted to join ISIS pleads guilty to terror charge

Jaelyn Young poses for a photo in 2012. (Melanie Thortis/The Vicksburg Evening Post via the AP)

Foxnews.com – She tried to trade in her pom-poms for suicide bombs.

Former Mississippi State chemistry major Jaelyn Young – who had been a high school cheerleader, honor student and homecoming maid – pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to one count of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. She’ll be sentenced at a later date.

The Vicksburg beauty turned her back on her teenage pageantry after she converted to Islam in March 2015, when she began wearing a burqa and distancing herself from non-Muslim friends. Prosecutors said she “began to express hatred for the U.S. government” and expressed “support for the implementation of Shariah law in the United States.”

Young, whose father is a police officer and Navy veteran, sought to travel to Syria with her fiancé, Muhammad Dakhlalla, in order to become a medic for a terrorist group infamous for its cruel treatment of women and non-members. Dakhlalla pleaded guilty to a similar charge on March 11 and is also awaiting sentencing.

But far from a case of a love-stricken young girl following her beau to a Middle Eastern fantasy, Young agrees with prosecutors who say she was the primary driver of the intended move to Syria and continually prodded Dakhlalla to speed up their passport approval so they could leave.

“I found the contacts, made arrangements, planned the departure,” prosecutors said she wrote to her family in a “farewell letter” last August. “I am guilty of what you soon will find out.”

Young, whose father is a police officer and Navy veteran, sought to travel to Syria with her fiancé, Muhammad Dakhlalla, in order to become a medic for a terrorist group infamous for its cruel treatment of women and non-members.

The couple was arrested Aug. 8 before boarding a flight from Columbus, Miss., with tickets for Istanbul that Young had purchased using her mom’s credit card without permission.

Authorities began tracking Young and Dakhlalla in May when the couple contacted undercover federal agents for help traveling to Syria.

Aside from her own admissions and actions, prosecutors cited prior online statements from Young expressing support for ISIS and ISIS-inspired terror attacks. Prosecutors said Young approvingly cited a video of a man accused of being gay being thrown off a roof to his death by militants. She also expressed joy at the shooting of five members of the military in Chattanooga, Tenn., by an Islamic militant in July.

“What makes me feel better after watching the news is that an akhi carried out an attack against US marines in TN! Alhamdulillah, the numbers of supports are growing…” she’s said to have written.

In her “goodbye” letter, she told her family not to look for her.

“Do not alert the authorities,” Young wrote. “I will contact you soon. I am safe. Don’t look for me because you won’t be able to retrieve me if you tried. I am leaving to become a medic.”

Nigerians mourn elder statesman Braithwaite

By Adebisi Onanuga and Joseph Jibueze | The Nation

Nigerians spoke with one voice yesterday the late elder statements Dr Tunji Braithwaite was a great Nigerian.

Governors, Senior citizens, lawyers and other categories of eminent Nigerian involved has emerge.

L:agos state Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, All Progressives National leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President Augustine Alegeh, extolled his virtues.

One of Braitwaite’s children, Olumide, a lawyer said: “He was a selfless lawyer who laid down his life for the nation. Where other politicians feared to tread, my father stormed. His style of politics was unique, he remained resolute and never waiver. He inspired Gani Fawehinmi in the legal profession.”

“He taught us integrity, selflessness and he led by example. He was courageous, brave, upright and showed diligence in any anything he took part in.

“His death shocked the family and brought sadness to Nigeria, because that was his constituency. He would be greatly missed by the downtrodden whose cause he fought till he breathed his last. He left us a unique legacy, which the Braithwaite family will continue.”

“He wished there was more people who shared his political ideals to truly change the country.

In a statement by his media officer Asiwaju Tinubu said: “I am saddened by the passing away of the great Nigerian elder statesman, Dr Tunji Braithwaite. His death has left a vacuum in the political firmament of Nigeria. But though dead, he lives behind a robust political legacy and his vibrant intellectual contributions to the polity will remain relevant for a long time to come.

“He was a staunch advocate of a united and progressive Nigeria. Dr Braithwaite started with the forming of the National Advance Party, NAP, at a very young age. From then on, there was no stopping him. His seminal interventions helped to sharpen Nigeria’s moral orientation even as he strove to weld politics with morality in a bid to bring good governance to Nigeria. He will be missed.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and fellow Nigerians.

“He was very consistent in fighting for what he believed was right and fair to every human regardless of their ethnic leaning or creed, he was not one to shy away from taking a position that he strongly believed in.

“He was always consistent in creating independent platforms to fight for the interest of the common man,” the Governor said.

He said as a lawyer, Braithwaite stood tall among his equals, which earned him respect not only in Nigeria, but across the globe.

“He was one of the very best of lawyers this country has ever produced; he was consistent in the struggle to see the rebirth of a new Nigeria.

“At over 80 years, he came out to protest on the streets with the likes of Professor Ben Nwabueze and other activists against the economic policies of the then Federal Government,” he said.

Governor Ambode while commiserating with the family of the late legal luminary urged them to uphold the ideals he stood and fought for, saying that the nation will continue to draw inspiration from his life and times.

“His demise, just like that of our heroes past, must never be in vain. There can be no better time to unite together to achieve a better and more prosperous Nigeria,” he said.

He said Braithwaite was a prominent Lagos citizen who had paid his dues and has left his footprints on the sands of time.

“On behalf of the government and good people of Lagos State, I want to express our heartfelt condolence to the family of Dr. Tunji Braithwaite on this great and irreparable loss. He was a pride to all Lagosians and we will surely miss him.”

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said: the death of Nigeria’s veteran

According to him, the late veteran lawyer and politician was not “your typical Nigerian politician that opportunistically changes his opinions to ingratiate himself with the new powers that be.”

According to the Turaki Adamawa, “These are extraordinary virtues for which I admire him deeply and regard him as a role model. May his soul rest in peace.”

Amosun described as “a great loss,” the death of Dr. Braithwaite

Amosun said, “he will be remembered, not just for his contributions to the legal profession, but also to the development of democratic ethos in Nigeria.”

“We can only take solace in the fact that Dr. Braithwaite lived a purposeful, impactful and successful life,” Governor Amosun said.

“It’s no doubt that as many of us in Nigeria and the Africa continent who have consistently drawn from his wisdom and wealth of experience as well as the masses on whose side he deployed his legal sagacity over the years will greatly miss him”,

NBA President, Augustine Alegeh (SAN), said, “The Bar mourns one of the legal icons in the country. He has gone but we are consoled that he has gone to a better place. His name would be written in gold for the good work he did and he would be remembered.

Lagos lawyer, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) said: “In spite of his background and achievements in life, he lived a simple life. He was a man of impeachable character and a man of principle. He lived a very discipline and decent life, in spite of his background, he comport himself in the best form. He never lived a complicated life but a decent life.”

The Founder and President of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun said: He was a “personal friend and fellow democrat.

“He was a legal luminary, human rights gladiator, constructive commentator and selfless philanthropist. In Braithwaite’s death I have lost a fellow soldier.

“His death is a sad and painful death. He should not have died at this time of Nigeria’s political history, when the country needs patriots, zealots and visionaries like him. People like Braithwaite have the patriotic zeal and vision capable of moving the nation forward. We wish the family the strength to bear this monumental loss.”

Lagos lawyer, ýFestus Keyamo said:“Dr. Braithwaite was a true and thorough revolutionary. He used his revolutionary ideas to challenge the status quo and all anti-people policies of all regimes. I came into close contact with him many times when we planned various protests in his house in Victoria Island. The last notable one was the fuel subsidy protest in January, 2013, which we co-ordinated from his residence. Nigeria has lost a loud voice against oppression, against bad government and against the status quo.”

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian National Summit Group , Mr. Tony Uranta said he envisioned Nigeria long ago before most of us were born.

He said he would have wished Dr. Braithwaite was allowed to be the president of Nigeria at least for one term “with all sense of modesty, he was another president that never was. He was a firm Nigeria whose true feature is none in the firmament.”

Former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA), Ikeja branch, Monday Ubani said the death of Dr. Braithwaite was a shocking occurrence.

”He was a man who helped Nigeria find redemption. He was a principled politician who did not jump from party to party. He strived to help Nigerians find an alternative source to governance.

”I am pained by his death, and I am sure he would have died an unhappy man because he did not live to see the Nigeria of his dreams,” Ubani added.

Finally – Justice Department cracks iPhone; withdraws legal action

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI said Monday it successfully used a mysterious technique without Apple Inc.’s help to hack into the iPhone used by a gunman in a mass shooting in California, effectively ending a pitched court battle between the Obama administration and one of the world’s leading technology companies.

The government asked a federal judge to vacate a disputed order forcing Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone, saying it was no longer necessary. The court filing in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California provided no details about how the FBI did it or who showed it how.

The FBI is now reviewing the information on the iPhone, the Justice Department said in a statement.

In response, Apple said in a statement that it will continue to increase the security of its products. While saying it will still provide some help to the government, “as we have done all along,” the company reiterated its position that the government’s demand was wrong.

“This case should never have been brought,” Apple said in its statement.

Both sides left important questions unanswered: Who showed the FBI how to break into iPhones? How did the government bypass the security features that Apple has invested millions of dollars to build into its flagship product? Are newer iPhones vulnerable to the same hacking technique? Will the FBI share its information with scores of state and local police agencies that said they also need to break into the iPhones of criminal suspects? Will the FBI reveal to Apple how it broke its security? Did the FBI find anything useful on the iPhone?

The surprise development also punctured the temporary perception that Apple’s security might have been good enough to keep consumers’ personal information safe even from the U.S. government — with the tremendous resources it can expend when it wants to uncover something.

Tim Cook.... A debate raged about the responsibility of a corporation to national security: Should Apple concede to a federal court order and unlock the phone of San Bernardino mass shooter Syed Farook, which might reveal useful information about the massacre and the Farook’s network? — Tim Cook….
A debate raged about the responsibility of a corporation to national security: Should Apple concede to a federal court order and unlock the phone of San Bernardino mass shooter Syed Farook, which might reveal useful information about the massacre and the Farook’s network?

The FBI used the technique to access data on an iPhone used by gunman Syed Farook, who died with his wife in a gun battle with police after they killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December. The iPhone was found in a vehicle the day after the shooting; two personal phones were found destroyed so completely that the FBI couldn’t recover information from them.

U.S. magistrate Sheri Pym of California last month ordered Apple to provide the FBI with software to help it hack into Farook’s work-issued iPhone. The order touched off a debate pitting digital privacy rights against national security concerns.

Apple was headed for a courtroom showdown with the government last week, until federal prosecutors abruptly asked for a postponement so they could test a potential solution brought to them by a party outside of the U.S. government last Sunday. Technical experts had said there might be a few ways an outsider could gain access to the phone, but the FBI insisted repeatedly until then that only Apple had the ability to override the iPhone’s security. FBI Director James Comey said the bureau even went to the National Security Agency, which did not have the ability to get into the phone.

A law enforcement official said the FBI was successful in unlocking the iPhone over the weekend. The official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to publicly comment. The official said federal law enforcement would continue to aid its local and state partners with gaining evidence in cases — implying that the method would be shared with them.

First in line is likely, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who told a U.S. House panel earlier this month that he has 205 iPhones his investigators can’t access data from in criminal investigations. Apple is also opposing requests to help extract information from 14 Apple devices in California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York.

The case drew international attention and highlighted a growing friction between governments and the tech industry. Apple and other tech companies have said they feel increasing need to protect their customers’ data from hackers and unfriendly intruders, while police and other government authorities have warned that encryption and other data-protection measures are making it more difficult for investigators to track criminals and dangerous extremists.

Apple CEO Tim Cook had argued that helping the FBI hack the iPhone would set a dangerous precedent, making all iPhone users vulnerable, if Apple complied with the court order. Cook said Congress should take up the issue.

The withdrawal of the court process also takes away Apple’s ability to legally request details on the method the FBI used in this case. Apple attorneys said last week that they hoped the government would share that information with them if it proved successful.

The encrypted phone was protected by a passcode that included security protocols: a time delay and self-destruct feature that erased the phone’s data after 10 tries. The two features made it impossible for the government to repeatedly and continuously test passcodes in what’s known as a brute-force attack. Comey said with those features removed, the FBI could break into the phone in 26 minutes.

The official said the method used to unlock the phone appears to work on the iPhone 5C operating a version of iOS 9. In late 2014, Apple updated its operating system so the passcode is linked to the phone’s overall encryption. The Cupertino-based company said that made it impossible for it to access data on the phone.

The Justice Department wouldn’t comment on any future disclosure of the method to Apple or the public.

The government’s announcement was praised by Stephen Larson, a Los Angeles attorney who filed a brief in support of the Justice Department’s case and represents seven families of those killed in the attack. “For this to have dragged out in court battles would not have served the interests of either” the victims or law enforcement, he said.

Alex Abdo, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a brief supporting Apple in its case, said the case is far from settled and it was “just a delay of an inevitable fight” about whether the government can force a company like Apple to undermine the security of its products to facilitate an investigation.

EgyptAir says only crew and four foreigners remain on hijacked plane

CAIRO (Reuters) – EgyptAir said in a statement on Tuesday that only crew and four foreigners remained on a hijacked Egyptian plane that was forced to divert to Cyprus. It had said in a previous statement that the number of foreigners remaining on the aircraft was five.

INITIAL REPORT

EgyptAir flight MS181 en route from Alexandria to Cairo has been hijacked and has landed in Cyprus, Cypriot officials have stated. It was also confirmed that the plane’s pilot was threatened by a passenger with a suicide belt.

The Civil Aviation Ministry says that the pilot of the EgyptAir plane, Omar Al-Gammal, told the authorities he was threatened by a passenger with a suicide belt. This has also been confirmed by Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, who said that one hijacker is believed to be strapped with explosives and the person has ordered police to stand clear of the aircraft.

Egyptian state media say that the hijacker is an citizen of Egypt. He has been named as Ibrahim Samaha and was sitting in seat K38. According to the Greek television station Sky, the hijacker has demanded a translator and wants political asylum in Cyprus.

The aircraft is an A320 belonging to EgyptAir. It landed in Larnaca at 08:46 local time, with 81 passengers on board.

Larnaca Airport has been closed, while ambulances have been sent to the scene.

This latest incident will be a bitter blow to the safety reputation of Egypt’s air industry, which is still reeling after a bomb on a Russian passenger plane on October 31, 2015, killed all 224 people on board.

Islamic State claimed responsible for bringing down the Russian A321 passenger jet over Sinai, which was bound for St. Petersburg.

Two employees at Sharm el-Sheikh Airport were arrested on suspicion of assisting those who planted the explosive device on the Russian jet that crashed in Sinai.

Earlier last November, an AP investigation found that Sharm el-Sheikh Airport had many gaps in security, such as lax searches at the entry gate and poor quality of scanning devices. Seven officials involved in security at Sharm el-Sheikh Airport, several with more than a decade’s service, told AP of the lapses, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A 10-year-old CTX scanner had broken down several times because operators didn’t use it properly, an official at the airport said. “I have seen people unplug it to save power.”

Another official added that the machine wasn’t working properly at all and only managed to scan a sample of the bags, and not all the contents that they contained.

Pakistani Taliban faction claims Easter park bombing

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A breakaway Pakistani faction of the militant Taliban group has claimed responsibility for an Easter Sunday bombing that killed 65 people in a park in the eastern city of Lahore that was crowded with Christians, including many children.

Ahsanullah Ahsan, spokesman for Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, told the Associated Press that a suicide bomber with the faction deliberately targeted the Christian community.

The explosion took place near the children’s rides in Gulshan-e-Iqbal park local police chief Haider Ashraf said. He said the explosion appeared to have been a suicide bombing, but investigations were ongoing.

The attack killed 65 people and wounded over 300, said Deeba Shahnaz, a spokesman for Lahore rescue administration.

Punjab’s chief minister Shahbaz Sharif announced three days of mourning and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice, said Zaeem Qadri, a spokesman for the provincial government.

The park was manned by police and private security guards, police chief Haider Ashraf said. “We are in a warlike situation and there is always a general threat but no specific threat alert was received for this place,” he added.

Schools and businesses in the city will remain closed on Monday, the city’s schools association and the Union of Lahore Traders said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting to assess the security situation in Lahore, according to a government statement. Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, also convened an emergency meeting of the country’s intelligence agencies to begin to track down those responsible for the attacks, said army spokesman Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa.

Salman Rafiq, a health adviser to the Punjab government, called on people to donate blood, saying that many of those wounded were in a critical condition.

One witness, who wished to be identified only by his first name, Afzal, told AP that he had taken 20 children to hospital and carried three dead bodies to a police car. “I can’t explain to you the tragic situation,” he said.

Another witness, Tariq Mustapha, said that he had just left the park when he heard an explosion. He said his friend was still missing.

Footage broadcast on local television stations showed chaotic scenes in the park, with people running while carrying children and cradling the wounded in their laps.

A witness, not identified by name on Pakistan’s Geo TV station, said he was heading toward a fairground ride with his wife and two children when he heard a huge bang and all four of them were thrown to the floor. A woman was shown crying while looking desperately for her missing 5-year-old son.

A spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council said that the United States “condemns the attack in the strongest terms,” describing it as a “cowardly act in what has long been a scenic and placid park.” Ned Price said the U.S. would continue to work with Pakistan and its partners to “root out the scourge of terrorism.”

Vikas Swarup, spokesman for India’s External Affairs ministry, tweeted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif to express his deep condolences. He said Modi “underlined the need for uncompromising efforts to fight against terrorism.”

Coke-mule JetBlue beauty staying in jail until she’s sent to California

She’s grounded.

The alleged coke-mule flight attendant from Queenswho fled a Los Angeles airport just before workers spotted $3 million in blow in her luggage will stay jailed until she’s shipped to California for an April appearance, court papers show.

California federal Judge Andre Birotte Jr. ordered that Marsha Gay Reynolds, 31, remain locked up until she faces an arraignment for drug raps there April 7.

Brooklyn Judge Viktor Pohorelsky had granted the former beauty queen and NYU track standout a $500,000 bail package Thursday but stayed the ruling until California authorities could weigh in.

Reynolds had abruptly kicked off her Gucci shoes and fled LAX Airport last week after she was selected for a random screening. Agents discovered a stunning cache of cocaine in her bags — almost 70 pounds of blow worth roughly $3 million, prosecutors said.

Reynolds was later able to hop on another flight home to New York because she hadn’t been ID’d as the suspect at the time. She eventually turned herself in before appearing in Brooklyn federal court Thursday.

“The defendant is ordered to remain in custody and await transport by the United States Marshal to the Central District of California,” Birotte ruled.

Brooklyn prosecutors — who opposed a bail package — revealed in court that Reynolds had an accomplice who remains at large.

A family representative defended her outside of court, portraying her as a hard-working nursing student and flight attendant who had no prior contact with the law.

But Brooklyn prosecutors said in court Thursday, without elaborating, that she had transported cocaine on prior occasions.

HOW and WHEN it ALL STARTED

Reynolds dropped two suitcases full of cocaine at Los Angeles International Airport — along with her Gucci shoes — before fleeing in panic turned herself in to authorities in New York on Wednesday, sources said. She was arrested by Drug Enforcement Administration agents, sources said.

The JetBlue flight attendant, a former beauty pageant contestant, was randomly stopped last Friday at a checkpoint for airline workers. She kicked off her Gucci heels, dropped the drugs and bolted, according to sources. She then boarded a flight to New York and went to her Queens apartment before holing up in the Hilton Hotel near JFK Airport, the sources said.

The bundles of drugs that authorities allegedly found in the bags left behind by flight attendant Marsha Gay Reynolds.

The nearly 70 pounds of cocaine found stashed in her suitcases was estimated to be worth $2 million. During the LAX incident, Reynolds was escorted to the front of the screening area and apparently became alarmed when she realized she’d be caught. After walking about 15 feet with her carry-on bags, the former NYU track star threw them down and made a run for it, leaving behind the dope.

“She kicked her high heels off and left her shoes and bag behind,” said Marshall McClain of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association. “She knew if she dropped both of them, she’d be able to run away more quickly,” he explained. “She was then able to high-foot it out of the terminal, down an up escalator while barefoot, where we assume she got into a car and took off to parts unknown.” In her bags, TSA agents found clothes, Trojan Magnum condoms and 68.49 pounds of cocaine wrapped in green saran wrap and labeled “BIG Ranch,” cops said. She also left behind her leather, size-8½ Gucci shoes.

But because TSA agents did not get her name, Reynolds may have been able to board her red-eye flight to La Guardia on Friday night. After being apprehended in New York, she was charged in a criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Reynolds is listed as a member of NYU’s 2004 women’s track and field team, according to the school’s website. She was also a runner-up in the 2007 Miss Jamaica Universe pageant, according to the Jamaica Gleaner. Reynolds was awaiting arraignment at Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday night.

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