Free Republic

In 1988, two bank robbers took hostages in what was then West Germany. The police blundered mightily and three people died - none of them the bank robbers.

Yesterday I wondered if Democrat Rep. Jacki Speier of California had gone off the deep end by musing that the Taliban aren't really terrorists, but rather "part of the fabric of Afghanistan." It turns out she was basically mangling the new talking points from the Obama Administration, which is going all-in for the reinvention of the Taliban butchers as legitimate battlefield opponents. CNN reports on Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's testimony before Congress today: Bergdahl was held by the Haqqani network, a Taliban wing designated a terrorist group in 2012. However, Hagel noted Bergdahl was a war captive, not a...

Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has secured the release of 17 prisoners foreign governments had detained. “We’ve had 17 released, and we’re very proud of that record. Very proud. And we have others coming,” Trump said Saturday evening as he welcomed home Joshua Holt, an American citizen who had been detained in Venezuela for two years without trial. Unlike his predecessor, the president has managed to bring these prisoners home without freeing terrorists or paying millions of dollars in suspected ransom payments. 1. Sabrina De Sousa: Portuguese-American Sabrina De Sousa, a former CIA agent, was arrested and...

Freed American pastor Andrew Brunson met and prayed with President Trump in the Oval Office Saturday, thanking him for having "really fought for us" -- a day after his release from house arrest in Turkey.

American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was swept up in a wave of arrests in the wake a failed coup attempt in Turkey, was released on Friday, easing a major controversy between the United States and the NATO ally. A judge ordered Brunson's release as part of a reported deal in which President Trump will “ease economic pressure” on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s country. Turkey is not dropping the case against Brunson. The prosecutor “demanded up to 10 years in prison for terror charges,” a pro-government outlet reported, but Brunson will be allowed to leave the country. “The Second High Criminal...

Finally, after an excruciatingly long wait of almost two years, it appears the incarceration of United States pastor Andrew Brunson will finally come to an end. According to NBC News, the White House has brokered a deal to secure Brunson’s freedom: The White House expects North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson to be released by the Turkish government and returned to the U.S. in the coming days, two years after he was detained, according to two senior administration officials and another person briefed on the matter. Under an agreement senior Trump administration officials recently reached with Turkey, Brunson is supposed to...

About halfway through the three-hour siege at Trader Joe’s in Silver Lake, the wounded gunman, Gene Atkins, looked at one of his hostages, MaryLinda Moss, and told her it was all over for him. “I just shot at a cop,” he said. Moss, a 55-year-old artist who exudes calm, feared a suicidal gunman could spark a bloodbath. Through a series of disastrous decisions by Atkins, dozens of strangers had ended up at the grocery store on a hot Saturday afternoon, drenched in fear and surrounded by SWAT teams, helicopters, squad cars and ambulances.

Defying expectations, a Turkish court rebuffed appeals today to free Andrew Brunson, the US pastor whose trial on bogus terror charges has become a litmus test for turbulent ties between Turkey and the United States. The trial was adjourned until Oct. 12.The North Carolina pastor has been charged with espionage and links to coup plotters and Kurdish militants and could face up to 35 years if convicted. Brunson continued to deny any wrongdoing in his third courtroom hearing, amid a string of wild assertions from witnesses for the prosecution. “I am an innocent man on all these charges. I reject...

As the families of U.S. hostages currently held in Iran have struggled for years to rally the determination to bring their loved ones home, newly released emails from the former secretary of State reveal the infuriating truth that those with connections get their case raised to the top. In 2009, Iason Athanasiadis was covering the protests of the disputed election win of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over Mir-Hossein Mousavi for the Washington Times. The Greek citizen was detained by Iranian authorities on June 17, 2009, as he tried to fly out of the country. Athanasiadis was thrown in Evin prison and released...

“My way or no way.” That is perceived to be the brand of politics pursued by Turkish President Erdogan. Or so many of Turkey’s Western allies believe. It’s true that Erdogan has seen international relations as an area in which he could test his will and has resorted to extreme measures when his assertive approach didn’t work. A report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington think-tank, is relevant in this regard. Titled “Erdogan’s Hostage Diplomacy: Western Nationals in Turkish Prisons,” the report is written by senior analyst Aykan Erdemir and a former US Ambassador to Turkey...

A Utah man who has been incarcerated in a Venezuelan jail since 2016 was on a flight home to the U.S., Venezuelan officials said Saturday. Joshua Holt, 26, has been jailed in Venezuela after he traveled to the South American country in the summer of 2016 to marry Thamara Candelo, whom he met on a website for Mormon singles. The two planned to return to the U.S. after getting married, but where jailed in El Hilcolde on what human rights groups said were largely trumped-up charges. “Good news about the release of the American hostage from Venezuela. Should be landing...

An American hostage imprisoned by the Maduro regime in Venezuela begged for assistance in a note as police cracked down on political prisoners demanding an end to their repression on Wednesday. “Helicoide the prison where I am at has fallen [sic] the guards are here and people.are trying to break in my room and kill me [sic],” Joshua Holt wrote on his Facebook page. “Help me please united states, how long do I have to suffer unjustly in this place?” he continued. “They want to kill me and paint the walls with my blood. I am a political prisoner, and...

President Donald Trump warmly received three Americans back from North Korean imprisonment early Thursday, calling their release a vindication of his aggressive foreign policy strategy. But many Americans jailed by other repressive regimes around the world appear to have gained little from Trump’s ad-hoc and often confrontational international approach, their advocates say, and in several cases the president may have actually made it harder for them to come home.

FLOTUS was busy this week. Announcing her Be Best initiative.Who moves that gracefully in 6 inch heels and a pencil skirt?Hosting the Military Families Mother’s Day breakfast:Greeting the returning hostages from North Korea:Who looks that good at 2:00 am?And the MSM coverage was everything we’ve come to expect: Gasp! Melania wears white pumps before Memorial Day! Melania designs her own logo, and it’s just as bad as you think! Melania plagiarizes…again! Too much talk, not enough action! Who’s being dismissive, even derisive, of women now I ask you?And by the way, in the FLOTUS logo contest I’m giving it to Melania...

At 3:02 am Thursday morning, President Trump welcomed three American hostages previously held in North Korea back to the United States and  celebrated their freedom."This is a great honor.  Hopefully everything is going to work out at the highest level.  We want to thank Kim Jong-un, who really was excellent to these three incredible people.  They are really three incredible people.  And the fact that we were able to get them out so soon was really a tribute to a lot of things, including a certain process that's taking place right now.  And that process is very important," President...

Americans' homecoming. VP President already arrived at AFB. Secretary Of State Pompeo should land shortly with freed Americans.

These clowns know no shame: “No regime has the right to hold American citizens in captivity without cause, and under no circumstances should American citizens be viewed as bargaining chips.“If countries in the world think they can detain Americans and get something in return, we’ll see many more hostages.” Chuck E. Schumer, Oracle of the West, on the release of the NoKo prisoners Where were you with that wise-acre mouth of yours when Obama negotiated with Iran for the release of our Navy prisoners? Or when he negotiated for the release of U.S. Army deserter, Bowe Bergdahl:Can you ‘splain how...

Three American prisoners freed by North Korea were flying back to the United States on Wednesday, heading toward an air base where President Trump planned to personally welcome them home as he celebrates a diplomatic breakthrough in advance of nuclear talks. The three prisoners, all American citizens of Korean descent, were described as healthy and able to walk on their own after months of imprisonment by one of the world’s most repressive governments. They were scheduled to land at 2 a.m. Thursday at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, where Mr. Trump intended to greet them.

The Latest on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the release of three Americans from North Korea (all times local): 11:50 a.m. President Donald Trump is hailing the release of three Americans detained in North Korea as they make their way back home. Trump says as he kicks off a Cabinet meeting at the White House that he "appreciates" North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's decision to release the detainees ahead of the leaders' planned summit. He says he's looking forward to the meeting and believes it's going to be a great thing for North Korea....

Three American hostages held by the North Korean regime have been released by Dictator Kim Jong Un and are on their way home. President Trump made the announcement Wednesday morning and said Kim Hak-song Kim Dong Chul and Kim Sang Duk are in good health.  I am pleased to inform you that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the air and on his way back from North Korea with the 3 wonderful gentlemen that everyone is looking so forward to meeting. They seem to be in good health. Also, good meeting with Kim Jong Un. Date & Place set.— Donald...