The Spanish National Police arrested four migrant minors aged 14 to 17 from Elche last month on suspicion of links to jihadism, marking another alarming incident in a year that has seen 15 minors detained for terrorism-related activities.
The operation was launched after investigators identified concerning messages posted on social media by the teenagers. Authorities acted swiftly, arresting the suspects on Dec. 19 — just days before Christmas, a period of heightened security risks due to festive gatherings.
As reported by El País newspaper, the suspects, all of Moroccan origin, allegedly planned an attack targeting the Basilica of Santa María in Elche during its Jubilee Year celebrations. The basilica, a historical and cultural landmark, hosts El Misteri d’Elx, a UNESCO World Heritage medieval drama, attracting large crowds.
The arrests were made just two days before the scheduled reinforcement of anti-terrorist measures were implemented across major Christian landmarks in Spain. These measures are typically in force between Dec. 21 and Jan. 8 where places of interest can expect a heightened police presence.
The National Court has ordered the four African-born minors to be placed in a juvenile center in Madrid while the investigation continues.
One of the accused, a fourth-year secondary school student, reportedly showed no prior behavior that might have raised alarms among classmates or teachers, adding to the concerns over hidden radicalization.
The arrests in Elche come just days after a separate operation in Barcelona, where the Civil Guard detained a 19-year-old man in what was dubbed “Operation Kerkoporta.” Born in Melilla, the suspect is accused of attempting to indoctrinate others and seeking information on how to carry out mass poisoning using arsenic.
Experts warn of a growing trend of youth radicalization through online platforms, where extremist groups exploit vulnerabilities to indoctrinate and recruit individuals. This year alone, 15 minors have been arrested across Spain for terrorism-related offenses, sparking calls for urgent action to counter extremist propaganda and prevent radicalization.
“In many investigations, minors appear involved when this was not the case before,” a high-ranking Spanish police officer told El Confidencial.
Minors can serve a maximum of five years in a closed juvenile facility for such offenses, with a further three years of supervised release, while prison sentences can be extended to eight years for those 17 and over.
Today, at approximately 3:15 a.m. CST, an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 10 and injuring dozens of others. After hitting the crowd, he exited the vehicle and fired upon local law enforcement. Law enforcement returned fire, and the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene. Two law enforcement officers were injured and transported to a local hospital.
The subject has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas. He was driving a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented, and we are working to confirm how the subject came into possession of the vehicle.
FBI literally photographed the ISIS flag from the truck of the New Orleans terrorist, and still tried to tell us this wasn’t a terrorist attack… pic.twitter.com/BCiZcvXntc
An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.
Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle. Other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter. The FBI’s special agent bomb technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any of these devices are viable, and they will work to render those devices safe.
⚠️BREAKING: The man who ran over dozens of people in New Orleans with his vehicle and killed many of them is named Shamsud Din Jabbar.
He carried an ISIS flag. There is no difference between ISIS and Hamas; they're all monsters.
The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are aggressively running down all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject.
The FBI has set up a digital tip line, and we ask anyone with information or video of the incident to submit them to www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
A trans-identified male who previously sued a spa for not allowing him to bathe with women has announced that he has been accepted to compete as a “woman” in the 2025 Boston Marathon. Riya Young Suising, born Robert Chien Hwa Young, has placed on the winner’s podium at multiple women’s running competitions.
Suising, 57, celebrated his qualification in the race via Facebook with his confirmation email from the 129th Boston Marathon: “Yay! 15th Boston next April, and I barely made it in this time,” he wrote. He has qualified for the female category. The race is set to take place in April 2025.
The Boston Marathon has age and gender qualification categories. Genders include male, female, and “non-binary.” Notably, the “non-binary” category has identical qualifying times as the corresponding female categories.
In Suising’s case, he had to demonstrate a time of 4 hours and 5 minutes or less; Suising qualified with a time of 4 hours, 1 minute, and 27 seconds. Had he been forced to compete with other males he would not have qualified for the marathon, as participants in the men’s category are required to meet a 3 hour and 35 minute performance cutoff.
Suising has been competing in women’s running since at least 2010, and has also participated in female dance classes at the San Jose Dance Theatre. In addition to being a flight attendant with United Airlines, he works as a part-time massage therapist and Zumba instructor.
Suising competed in the 2024 San Francisco Marathon dressed in a “sexy” bumble bee costume, complete with black nylons and a mini skirt. He wore the same outfit in previous races, including a 2017 New York City Marathon and in a 2018 Los Angeles Rock and Roll Half Marathon. He also competed in the female category of the 2024 California International Marathon on December 8.
In a since-deleted Facebook post from 2015, the Palo Alto Run Club announced that Suising was seen taking second place in the women’s category of the Brazen Racing half marathon, seizing a $500 prize.
In November of this year, Beth Bourne, an advocate for women’s rights and safety, recognized Suising as one of her attendants on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Mexico. Bourne had previously competed against Suising at multiple races in Northern California, including the 2014 Golden Gate Park cross-country women’s race.
9. In closing, my draft letter to @united's CEO Scott Kirby:
Dear Mr. Kirby,
On Friday, November 8th, I flew from SFO to MEX on flight UA821. I am writing today to request a refund ($320) for this portion of my trip.
“I first saw this man in our local racing scene here in the San Francisco/Sacramento area in 2013. It made me so uncomfortable seeing him dressed up as a woman—but I didn’t know what was happening. So I said nothing… [It’s] awful that the race directors let him compete in the women’s category, as it impacted individual and team scoring,” said Bourne.
“I find it misogynistic and degrading to see men pretending to be women, so I was upset to see a male trans-identified United Airlines flight attendant on my recent flight. As a paying customer, I don’t believe my speech should not be compelled when talking to other passengers, including my boyfriend who was seated next to me, about this flight attendant.”
Bourne says she felt particularly concerned because she was aware of a recent incident involving another United customer whose family had been removed from a flight for allegedly “misgendering” a flight attendant.
A family has reportedly been left stranded in San Francisco by @united after "misgendering" a flight attendant.@JennaLongoria, her mother, and her toddler were denied boarding while the plane took off with their stowed medications and luggage.pic.twitter.com/czUfdZLjSJ
“If men want to dress up as women in the privacy of their own home that is fine – if United Airlines wants to employ men dressing up as women outside of the view of paying customers, that might also be a different circumstance but in this instant, flying between San Francisco and Mexico City, I was being held hostage to having to participate in this man’s fetish.”
On X, Bourne announced that she requested a refund from United Airlines, describing Suising’s in-flight behavior as “degrading and misogynistic to women” and noting that he had been wearing a name tag with “she/her” pronouns listed. Bourne says she has not received any communications from the company regarding her complaint.
On Suising’s participation in the Boston Marathon, Bourne says she is upset that he has been allowed to compete in the women’s category.
“The qualifying time for men in the 55-60 age group is 3:30 and 4:00 for women. Likely he would never be able to make the men’s time standard but by declaring himself a ‘woman’ he can steal a coveted spot that was meant for a woman,” Bourne says.
“I’ve competed in several international marathons, including the Boston Marathon in 2010, so I know this it’s a big deal to qualify for a spot. I’m also super disappointed that the captured Boston Athletic Association has a ‘non-binary’ division, which of course is predominantly men winning all of the top spots across all age groups.”
Biological males have won in the non-binary category both years it has been offered by the marathon, and with the accommodation of trans-identified males in the women’s category, it provides men three opportunities to take top spot.
Violence reigned in the New Year in Brussels as miscreants attacked police and firefighters and set dozens of fires in the de-facto capital of the European Union.
Brussels Police said that they made at least 159 arrests during New Year’s Eve and had to intervene in over 1,700 incidents with members of the public, Le Soirreports.
Meanwhile, firefighters in the EU capital responded to at least 30 cars being set on fire, with some areas seeing several cars being set ablaze simultaneously. Three electric bikes were also set on fire during the evening.
At least 54 other fires engulfed various pieces of street furniture, trash cans, and trees, Brussels firefighters said.
In Brussel werden auto’s, steps en deelfietsen in brand gestoken en in Antwerpen en Gent daagde eveneens allochtoon tuig de politie uit met zwaar vuurwerk dat gebruikt werd als wapen. Tijd voor zerotolerantie en de harde aanpak. De angst moet opnieuw van kamp veranderen! pic.twitter.com/SRrLbfBqjG
Police, emergency workers, and firefighters all reported coming under attack with either fireworks or Molotov cocktails.
Several buses and trams in the city also came under attack with fireworks, resulting in a tram passenger being hospitalised.
Belgian sovereigntist political party Vlaams Belang published footage they said had been recorded overnight. Breitbart News was unable to immediately verify the origin of the footage, but it appeared to portray police coming under attack with fireworks.
Chaotic scenes also broke out in Antwerp, Belgium’s second-largest city after Brussels, with riots breaking out shortly after midnight. After coming under attack by fireworks, police were able to disperse rioters at around 2 am local time, according to De Standaard.
Antwerp Police spokeswoman Kim Bastiaens said that 49 people were arrested, including 28 minors, four of whom have been arraigned for acts of public destruction.
Elsewhere, five people died in firework-related incidents in Germany, including a 24-year-old man in North Rhine-Westphalia, two men aged 45 and 50 in separate instances in Saxony, a 20-year old man in Hamburg, and a 21-year-old man in Brandenburg.
A fourteen-year-old boy also reportedly lost his life after a firework exploded too early in The Netherlands as well.
Yesterday evening, Villa Verucchio, a municipality in the Rimini area, was the scene of a dramatic attack that led to the death of an Egyptian citizen. The man, armed with a knife, hit four people in the street, causing panic among those present. The first to be attacked was an 18-year-old, wounded in the back while he was at a vending machine to buy cigarettes. The boy’s friends, having noticed what had happened, tried to help him, but the assailant did not stop and continued his mad rush, also attacking an elderly couple and a girl.
The situation quickly escalated, forcing the Carabinieri to intervene. When the military arrived on the scene, they attempted to stop the attacker, who, in a moment of extreme tension, tried to stab one of the Carabinieri. In response to this threat, the soldier shot, fatally wounding the man. It is still unclear what drove the Egyptian citizen to commit such a violent act, especially in the context of New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The injured people were immediately assisted by the 118 health workers and transported to the hospital. Three of the injured were taken to the ‘Bufalini’ hospital in Cesena, while another was transferred to the ‘Infermi’ hospital in Rimini. Fortunately, none of them are in danger of life. The magistrate on duty also intervened at the scene of the accident to start the investigations. The community of Villa Verucchio is shocked by this tragic event, which abruptly interrupted an evening of celebration.
The attacker carried a Quran and a Muslim prayer rug with him during the attack, Italian media report.
Investigators found a prayer rug and medication for psychotic illnesses in his flat. The public prosecutor’s office is now investigating a terrorist background.
The man had entered Italy illegally in 2022, but was granted protection status and worked temporarily as a bricklayer.
A social cooperative helped him to find accommodation.
NCF Senior Fellow Rafe Heydel-Mankoo is also the editor of Burke’s Peerage: World Orders of Knighthood & Merit, the definitive guide to honours. He comments on the elevation of Sadiq Khan to knighthood.
Christmas was canceled for many in France due to a variety of robberies, arson and knife attacks, and acts of property destruction in various locations across the country.
Thieves stole hundreds of thousands worth of Christmas presents
A trio of car and package thieves, operating in the Melun Val de Seine district in France, produced hundreds of thousands of euros in damage and deprived families of their Christmas presents. The team, which is aged between 19 and 21, stole 11 containers containing Christmas presents waiting to be delivered on the night of Dec. 14 to 15 from Chronopost. They also stole two delivery vans belonging to the delivery company in Brie-Comte-Robert.
However, the group was only caught on Dec. 19 near the Rougeau forest in Seine-et-Marne after a public highway officer spotted them driving a stolen Renault Megane vehicle. When the officer tried to pull them over, a high-speed chase ensued that went as far as Essonne when the three men ran out of fuel. They were arrested by specialized police forces, according to Actu.fr.
Inside the vehicle, they found crowbars and the keys to five other stolen vehicles that were taken from a dealership in Cesson on Dec. 15 and 16, which means the thieves hit the dealership right after their Christmas present theft.
“They were very active and a significant amount of telephone communication (between police) allowed them to be caught in other cases committed the night before,” said a police source. At first, the suspects denied the thefts, but they actually filmed themselves putting on balaclavas right before the thefts, which the police confronted them with.
“They ended up at least admitting to the facts,” said the police source.
Two are awaiting criminal trial, while the third is under judicial supervision.
Violent repeat offender terrorizes store day after Christmas
The day after Christmas, repeat offender 53-year-old Mustafa Bessam robbed a manager at the Obral Déstockage, a store on Avenue des Prés-le-Roi in Bourges right at the store opened. The man pulled out a box-cutter and threatened the manager. He stole a bottle of rosé and fled the scene. Although he was caught by the manager, the police did not respond to his calls for backup, and the man fled.
Mustafa Bessam has 43 convictions over the course of 30 years and was charged with violence with the use of a weapon and theft in the latest case. The Bourges criminal court sentenced him to thirty months in prison, six of which are suspended, according to Le Berry Republican. His first conviction for violence was in 1994.
However, the man returned at 5 p.m. and intimidated customers with his weapon, at which time, the man was this time tackled and arrested. Police arrived on scene to take him into custody.
Truck full of charity Christmas presents stolen and vandalized
Thieves not only stole charity Christmas presents from an association that set up a special grocery store to provide food to the elderly and homeless every month since 2020, but they also destroyed the truck.
On the night of Dec. 19, a truck loaded with Christmas charity packages was stolen on the rue Paul Marcelin in Vaulx-en-Velin. The organization, ASAV solidarity grocery store, was alerted that the truck was found abandoned in a parking lot in the same town, but had suffered extensive damage, according to Le Progress.
A complaint was filed by the police station, with the president of the association, Mohamed Zaiani, stating it was “really sad because in addition to stealing products, they broke the truck.”
Christmas nativity goes up in flames
On the night of Dec. 27, there was a suspected arson attack that destroyed a nativity scene at the market hall of La Roque-Gageac in Dordogne. The nativity scene was installed every Christmas for about 20 years, and the mayor, Jérôme Peyrat, said it was “a remarkable work…designed by a craftsman from the town,”
Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading further in the market, according to Sud Oue
“Secularism very poorly understood? Violence against a Christian symbol? Gross imbecility? A bit of all that? Whatever the real question, it will find the same answer,” said Jérôme Peyrat, who announced that he will file a criminal complaint.
He also announced a new nativity scene will be built: “We will not let ourselves be impressed and will preserve our traditions and our values,” he wrote.
Jesus statue robbed from cemetery
A theft targeting bronze Jesus statues occurred over the Christmas holidays in a cemetery located in Ambérieu-en-Bugey, a time when the cemetery is less busy.
As the French newspaper Progress notes, Christian believers see the theft of Jesus statues on this symbolic day as a desecration.
“We redirected complaints to the town hall, which manages the cemetery. Thefts in cemeteries are not new, but this is the first time we have had one of this magnitude here,” a cemetery employee said.
The French newspaper also notes that these thefts “required an expert hand, since tools are needed to be able to detach the religious figure from its cross. Only the bronze Jesuses were removed. Thefts of these metals are frequent in cemeteries, by unscrupulous looters who then resell them.”
One family who was visiting their loved one noticed a large number of Jesus statues missing from tombs across the cemetery.
Police arrived on scene and recorded the crime, but the Progress reports the “couple is hurt by this damage, resents the municipality for not locking the entrance gate at night, and considers that it is simply desecration. They have notified the police and will file a complaint.”
These are a just short sampling of some of the incidents that happened around France during the holiday season.
