Rand Paul Details FBI Probe That Put Catholic School Teacher On Terror Watch List
The FBI labeled Crowder a domestic terrorist.
Dan Bongino officially leaves the FBI, returns to civilian life
Dan Bongino served his final day as deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday, returning to civilian life on Sunday after less than a year of public service.
Bongino first announced mid-December that he would be departing from the bureau in the New Year. On Saturday, Bongino made his departure official, signing off in a post on X.
'I gave up everything for this.'
"It was a busy last day on the job," Bongino said. "This will be my last post on this account. Tomorrow I return to civilian life."
"It's been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President Trump," Bongino added. "It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director Patel, and to serve you, the American people. See you on the other side."
RELATED: Trump suggests Dan Bongino will leave the FBI: 'He wants to go back to his show'
President Donald Trump praised Bongino, who first assumed office in March.
"Dan did a great job," Trump said. "I think he wants to go back to his show."
Ahead of his departure, Bongino spoke about the toll his job had taken on his personal life and his family, pointing to the demanding nature of the position.
RELATED: Bongino and Bondi clash over botched handling of Epstein files
"I gave up everything for this," Bongino told "Fox & Friends" in a May appearance.
"I stare at these four walls all day in D.C., by myself, divorced from my wife — not divorced, but I mean separated — and it's hard," Bongino added. "I mean, we love each other, and it's hard to be apart."
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18-year-old ISIS sympathizer who allegedly planned New Year's Eve terror attack in North Carolina is arrested
A North Carolina man who allegedly planned to use knives and hammers for a New Year's Eve attack at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in support of ISIS was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, federal officials said Friday.
The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina said a criminal complaint was filed Wednesday and unsealed Friday after Christian Sturdivant appeared in federal court in Charlotte. Sturdivant turned 18 just two weeks ago, according to jail records.
'May Allah curse the cross worshipers.'
"This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year's Eve," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. "The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers — anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law."
FBI Director Kash Patel added that "the accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year's Eve in support of that terrorist group, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that."
The FBI in Charlotte on Dec. 18 received information that an individual later identified as Sturdivant was making multiple social media posts in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to allegations in the arrest affidavit.
Sturdivant in early December posted an image depicting two miniature figurines of Jesus with on-screen text that read, "May Allah curse the cross worshipers," officials said. The post allegedly is consistent with ISIS rhetoric calling for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims who do not agree with ISIS' extreme ideology.
The criminal complaint alleges that Sturdivant on or about Dec. 12 began communicating with an online covert employee, or "OC," whom Sturdivant believed was an ISIS member, officials said.
Sturdivant told the OC, "I will do jihad soon" and proclaimed he was "a soldier of the state," meaning ISIS, officials said, adding that on Dec. 14, Sturdivant allegedly sent an online message to the OC with an image of two hammers and a knife. This is significant because an article in the 2016 issue of ISIS' propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives to conduct terror attacks in Western countries, officials said, adding that the article inspired actual attacks in other countries. Later, Sturdivant told the OC that he planned to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina, officials said. Sturdivant also told the OC about his plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack, according to the arrest affidavit.
What's more, officials said Sturdivant on Dec. 19 allegedly sent the OC a voice recording of Sturdivant pledging "Bayat," which is a loyalty oath to ISIS.
On Dec. 29, 2025, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Sturdivant's residence, where they discovered handwritten documents, one of which was titled "New Years Attack 2026," officials said.
RELATED: FBI stops radical pro-Palestinian New Year’s Eve terror plot: Report
The document listed items such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives allegedly to be used in the attack, officials said, adding that it also described a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, with the total number of victims to be as high as 20 to 21.
The note also included a section labeled as "martyrdom op," which described a plan to attack police responding to the site of the attack so Sturdivant would die a martyr, officials said.
RELATED: Trans-identifying radicals among those arrested in alleged planned New Year’s Eve terror plot
The complaint alleges that Sturdivant lived with a relative who secured knives and hammers so Sturdivant could not use them for harm, officials said. Yet, law enforcement seized from Sturdivant's bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives which appeared hidden underneath the defendant's bed, officials said. These items appear to be the ones depicted in the online message Sturdivant previously sent to the OC, officials said.
Law enforcement also seized from Sturdivant's bedroom a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, acquired as part of the defendant's planned attack, officials said.
Sturdivant remains in federal custody, officials said, adding that he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison if convicted. He was behind bars Friday night at the Gaston County Jail with no bond.
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Here Are The Top Six Takeaways From Jack Smith’s Preposterous White-Hat Postering
If Smith were truly committed to transparency, he would respond to Sen. Grassley’s request for information concerning the special counsel’s investigation.Patel: Convicted Somali fraudsters face loss of citizenship as DHS probes Minnesota
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday said the federal government is launching a “massive” investigation into alleged fraud schemes and shared video footage from Minnesota. Earlier, FBI Director Kash Patel said Somali immigrants convicted of fraud could face possible denaturalization and deportation.
'These criminals didn’t just engage[] in historic fraud, but tried to subvert justice as well.'
In a statement Sunday, Patel said the FBI previously dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme involving COVID-19 relief funds intended to provide meals for children in Minnesota.
Patel said the case resulted in 78 indictments and 57 convictions. He identified several defendants — including Abdiwahab Ahmed Mohamud, Ahmed Ali, Hussein Farah, Abdullahe Nur Jesow, Asha Farhan Hassan, Ousman Camara, and Abdirashid Bixi Dool — who were charged with crimes ranging from wire fraud to money laundering and conspiracy.
"These criminals didn’t just engage[] in historic fraud, but tried to subvert justice as well," Patel said. He added that Abdimajid Mohamed Nur and others were charged with attempting to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash. Those defendants pleaded guilty and were sentenced, including one individual who received a 10-year prison term. Courts also ordered nearly $48 million in restitution in related cases, Patel said.
Patel described the scheme as the “tip of a very large iceberg,” adding that the FBI would “continue to follow the money and protect children” and that the investigation remains ongoing.
Noem said Homeland Security Investigations agents are currently operating in Minneapolis as part of what she described as a “massive” investigation into alleged child-care fraud and other fraud schemes.
Video shared by the DHS showed investigators questioning a man outside a facility, while another clip depicted agents entering what the DHS described as a “suspected fraud site.”
“MASSIVE fraud in Minnesota is finally being exposed. Time for accountability,” the White House wrote in a post on social media.
RELATED: News outlet is getting wrecked for story on Somali migrants' economic impact on Minnesota
— (@)
The increased scrutiny followed the publication of video by independent journalist Nick Shirley, in which he is seen confronting proprietors of day-care centers in Minnesota. Shirley blamed Gov. Tim Walz, the failed 2024 Democrat vice presidential candidate, for overseeing the state while the alleged fraud schemes flourished.
A spokesperson for Walz pushed back by noting that the state had investigated the fraud claims and that the governor had spent years working to "crack down on fraud."
Nevertheless, a group of former state health workers have accused Walz of obstructing efforts to uncover the scams.
"Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud, but no, we got the opposite response," read a statement from the group.
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Top Attorney For Special Counsel Jack Smith Previously Spiked Clinton Foundation Investigation
The recently released documents concerning Hulser’s conduct during the Clinton Foundation investigations tells a much different story about this supposed unbiased career civil servant.New Docs Reveal Shocking Lengths Obama And Biden Went To Protect Hillary Clinton, Get Trump
Not only did the Obama and Biden Administrations go to great lengths to protect Hillary Clinton, they went to unconstitutional lengths to get Trump.Another Chinese researcher busted for allegedly smuggling crop-harming biomaterial into America
Federal agents charged another Chinese national with allegedly trying to smuggle biological materials into the United States.
On Friday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the agency had filed charges against Youhuang Xiang, a postdoctoral researcher who is in the country on a J-1 visa.
'To all universities and their compliance departments: Please be vigilant of this trend.'
These visas are issued to exchange visitors approved to participate in certain programs, such as studying or conducting research, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. J-1 visas are provided to professors, research assistants, and students.
Xiang allegedly smuggled Escherichia coli, commonly referred to as E. coli, into the country. He is also accused of making false statements about the smuggling scheme.
Patel explained that E. coli, when not properly controlled, can "inflict devastating disease to U.S. crops and cause significant financial loss to the U.S. economy."
Xiang was listed on Indiana University's website as a postdoctoral fellow. His "research interests" included "recognition specificity in host-pathogen interactions and engineering crop resistance to pathogen," according to the website. As of Friday afternoon, the university removed Xiang from its Department of Biology webpage.
"This is yet another example of a researcher from China — given the privilege to work at a U.S. university — who then allegedly chose to take part in a scheme to circumvent U.S. laws and receive biological materials hidden in a package originating from China," Patel wrote in a post on social media.
The FBI director noted that the agency and Customs and Border Protection partners "are committed to enforcing U.S. laws put in place to protect against this global threat to our economy and food supply."
RELATED: University of Michigan now under fire after Chinese scholars allegedly smuggle bio-weapon
"The FBI will not tolerate any attempt to exploit our nation's institutions for illegal activity — as we have seen in this case and the three Chinese nationals charged in Michigan in November for allegedly smuggling biological materials into the U.S. on several occasions," Patel continued. "The FBI and our partners are committed to defending the homeland and stopping any illegal smuggling into our country."
Patel was referring to several Chinese scholars from the University of Michigan who were accused earlier this year of being tied to a smuggling conspiracy. Some of the biological materials the individuals allegedly brought into the U.S. were described as potential agricultural terrorism weapons.
"To all universities and their compliance departments: Please be vigilant of this trend. Ensure your researchers know that there is a correct and legal way to obtain a license to import/export approved biological materials, and it must be followed without exception. Our continued partnerships will help to better secure our nation and ensure all parties are held accountable," Patel wrote.
Indiana University did not respond to a request for comment.
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Suspect in deadly Brown University shooting and fatal shooting of MIT professor found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound
The suspect in the fatal shootings at Brown University last weekend and of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor just days later was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Thursday night in Salem, New Hampshire, officials said.
The body of Claudio Neves Valente, 48 — a former Brown student and a Portuguese national — was found in a storage facility, WCVB-TV reported.
'We don’t know why now, why Brown, why these students, and why this classroom.'
Earlier Thursday multiple reports indicated a person of interest had been identified in the Brown shooting, which took the lives of two students and wounded nine others Saturday at the Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island. Authorities also were investigating possible ties between the Brown shooting and the fatal shooting Monday of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Providence police released several images and videos of a person of interest in the days following the deadly Brown shooting with no apparent luck.
RELATED: Person of interest ID'd in deadly Brown U. shooting; warrant issued: Multiple reports
But police told WCVB a witness provided investigators with a key tip: He saw someone who looked like the person of interest with a Nissan sedan displaying Florida plates.
That bit of information led Providence police to dive into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety, the station said, adding that those cameras track license plates and other vehicle details.
Providence officials said the suspect then placed a Maine license plate over the rental car’s plate to help conceal his identity after he left Rhode Island for Massachusetts, WCVB reported.
The station said in a separate story that surveillance video from MIT professor Loureiro's Brookline neighborhood allegedly shows the gunman there days before the deadly shooting, according to Leah B. Foley, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
Investigators said video from inside Loureiro's apartment shows Neves Valente wearing a specific set of clothes before shooting the professor in the lobby Monday, WCVB reported.
A neighbor said in a WBZ-TV video report that the fatal shooting of Loureiro was a "surprise ... and a shooting in a state where it's so hard to even have a gun?" The neighbor also said fellow neighbors noted a nearby car was "parked in the wrong direction" and "seemed to be waiting."
Hours after the Loureiro shooting, Foley said surveillance video from a storage unit facility in Salem, New Hampshire, shows the gunman wearing the same clothes seen on the Brookline cameras, the station added. Neves Valente was found dead inside the storage facility Thursday night.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled at the college from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001, the station said, adding that he was admitted to the graduate school to study physics beginning in September 2000. Paxson said he had "no current affiliation with the university,” WCVB reported.
Neves Valente had studied at Brown on a student visa and obtained legal permanent residence status in September 2017, the station said, adding that his last known residence was in Miami.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha told WCVB there are “a lot of unknowns” in regard to motive: “We don’t know why now, why Brown, why these students, and why this classroom."
Foley said Neves Valente and Loureiro were former classmates at an academic program in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, the station noted.
Loureiro graduated in 2000 from the physics program at Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal’s premier engineering school, WCVB reported, citing his MIT faculty page.
Neves Valente in 2000 was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, the station said, citing an archive of a termination notice from the school’s then-president in February 2000.
More from WCVB:
Loureiro, 47, who was married, joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the school’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, where he worked to advance clean energy technology and other research. The center, one of MIT’s largest labs, had more than 250 people working across seven buildings when he took the helm. He was a professor of physics and nuclear science and engineering.
Prior to the discovery of Neves Valente's body, police in Providence said the DNA of the Brown University suspected shooter had been gathered, and images and video of the person of interest matched eyewitness descriptions.
A person of interest was initially detained last weekend before law enforcement determined they had the wrong individual.
The Brown University students who were killed and wounded Saturday were studying for a final in a first-floor classroom in an older section of the engineering building when the shooter walked in and opened fire, WCVB said.
Sophomore Ella Cook, 19, and freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, were killed in the shooting, the station said.
Cook, whose funeral is Monday, was active in her Alabama church and served as vice president of the Brown College Republicans, WCVB said, adding that Umurzokov’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan when he was a child and that he wanted to be a doctor.
The station added in regard to the wounded students, six were in stable condition Thursday, and the other three had been discharged.
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This is what ‘abolish America’ looks like in practice
Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles announced that four members of an anti-capitalist extremist group were arrested on Friday for plotting coordinated bombings in California on New Year’s Eve.
According to the Department of Justice, the suspects planned to detonate explosives concealed in backpacks at various businesses while also targeting ICE agents and vehicles. The attacks were supposed to coincide with midnight celebrations.
Marxists, anarchists, and Islamist movements share a conviction that the United States, like Israel, is a colonial project that must be destroyed.
The plot was disrupted before any lives were lost. The group behind the plot calls itself the Turtle Island Liberation Front. That name matters more than you might think.
When ideology turns operational
For years, the media has told us that radical, violent rhetoric on the left is mostly symbolic. They explained away the angry slogans, destructive language, and calls for “liberation” as performance or hyperbole.
Bombs are not metaphors, however.
Once explosives enter the picture, framing the issue as harmless expression becomes much more difficult. What makes this case different is the ideological ecosystem behind it.
The Turtle Island Liberation Front was not a single-issue group. It was anti-American, anti-capitalist, and explicitly revolutionary. Its members viewed the United States as an illegitimate occupying force rather than a sovereign nation. America, in their view, is not a nation, not a country; it is a structure that must be dismantled at any cost.
What ‘Turtle Island’ really means
“Turtle Island” is not an innocent cultural reference. In modern activist usage, it is shorthand for the claim that the United States has no moral or legal right to exist. It reframes the country as stolen land, permanently occupied by an illegitimate society.
Once people accept that premise, the use of violence against their perceived enemies becomes not only permissible, but virtuous. That framing is not unique to one movement. It appears again and again across radical networks that otherwise disagree on nearly everything.
Marxists, anarchists, and Islamist movements do not share the same vision for the future. They do not even trust one another. But they share a conviction that the United States, like Israel, is a colonial project that must be destroyed. The alignment of radical, hostile ideologies is anything but a coincidence.
The red-green alliance
For decades, analysts have warned about what is often called the red-green alliance: the convergence of far-left revolutionary politics with Islamist movements. The alliance is not based on shared values, but on shared enemies. Capitalism, national sovereignty, Western culture, and constitutional government all fall into that category.
History has shown us how this process works. Revolutionary coalitions form to tear down an existing order, promising liberation and justice. Once power is seized, the alliance fractures, and the most ruthless faction takes control.
Iran’s 1979 revolution followed this exact pattern. Leftist revolutionaries helped topple the shah. Within a few years, tens of thousands of them were imprisoned, executed, or “disappeared” by the Islamist regime they helped install. Those who do not understand history, the saying goes, are doomed to repeat it.
RELATED: The right must choose: Fight the real war, or cosplay revolution online
This moment is different
What happened in California was not a foreign conflict bleeding into the United States or a solitary extremist acting on impulse. It was an organized domestic group, steeped in ideological narratives long validated by universities, activist networks, and the media.
The language that once circulated on campuses and social media is now appearing in criminal indictments. “Liberation” has become a justification for explosives. “Resistance” has become a plan with a date and a time. When groups openly call for the destruction of the United States and then prepare bombs to make it happen, the country has entered a new phase. Pretending things have not gotten worse, that we have not crossed a line as a country, is reckless denial.
Every movement like this depends on confusion. Its supporters insist that calls for America’s destruction are symbolic, even as they stockpile weapons. They denounce violence while preparing for it. They cloak criminal intent in the language of justice and morality. That ambiguity is not accidental. It is deliberate.
The California plot should end the debate over whether these red-green alliances exist. They do. The only question left is whether the country will recognize the pattern before more plots advance farther — and succeed.
This is not about one group, one ideology, or one arrest. It is about a growing coalition that has moved past rhetoric and into action. History leaves no doubt where that path leads. The only uncertainty is whether Americans will step in and stop it.
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