Free Republic

A federal court in New York City convicted an Iranian agent of attempting to assassinate US officials, including US President Donald Trump, in a trial that showcased allegations of Iran-backed plotting on American soil.The verdict on Friday came during the US-Israeli airstrike campaign against the Iranian regime. Asif Merchant, a business owner who has family in Pakistan and Iran, acknowledged during the trial that he sought to put an assassination plot in motion during the 2024 presidential campaign, which was quickly disrupted by American investigators before it had a chance to proceed. ...He admitted at trial that he attempted the...

A Wisconsin man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after he pleaded guilty to killing his parents in order to fund a plot to assassinate President Trump involving a drone with explosives or an AR-15 assault rifle. Nikita Casap, 18, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in Waukesha County Circuit Court in January. He and prosecutors struck a deal to drop seven other charges that included two counts of hiding a corpse and theft.... The plot to assassinate Trump developed in late 2024, when he thought of using an AK-47 rifle attached to a drone, she...

A man accused of hiring a hitman to take out US politicians, including President Donald Trump, says he was pressured by Iran's elite ​Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to devise the plot. A man accused of plotting to kill US President Donald Trump and other top politicians told the court on Wednesday he was pressured by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to organise their assassinations. Pakistan national Asif Raza Merchant, 47, was charged in September 2024 with seeking to hire a hitman to assassinate unidentified US politicians. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. The IRGC — Iran's elite...

France will summon U.S. Ambassador Charles Kusher to protest comments made by the Trump administration over the death of a far-right activist, the foreign affairs minister said on Sunday. Jean-Noel Barrot was reacting to a statement by the U.S. State Department's Counterterrorism Bureau, which stated that "reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all." The State Department said in its post on X that "violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque's death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety. We...

From the Skripal poisonings to the invasion of Ukraine to subverting American elections, it is hard to think of a Russian outrage Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev has not been involved in. He is now fighting for his life in a Moscow hospital, the victim himself of foul play. The military intelligence deputy chief had a role in so many of Vladimir Putin's acts of malice stretching back decades. And he would have had no shortage of enemies. And yet, this high-ranking soldier spy was so badly protected that his would-be killer was able to shoot him several times at close...

PROVO, Utah (KUTV) — The first man to be taken into custody in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination at Utah Valley University in September entered a guilty plea earlier this week. George Hodgson Zinn, 71, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony obstruction of justice and two counts of second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor.

RIPLEY, W.Va. (WOWK) — A Ripley woman was arrested following an investigation into “a social media recruitment of individuals to pursue and assassinate President Trump,” a Sunday Facebook post from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said. Sheriff Ross Mellinger said in the post that Morgan L. Morrow, 39, of Ripley, was arrested and transported to South Central Regional Jail as part of the investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and the Jackson County Bureau of Investigations. According to the criminal complaint, Morrow is charged with one count of threats of terroristic acts. The criminal complaint filed in Jackson County Magistrate Court...

British authorities on Wednesday indicted two men for the March chemical-weapons attack on a former Russian double agent on British soil. The new details add to the evidence that Vladimir Putin’s regime is responsible, but its reckless methods are the real stunner. Police and prosecutors allege the men they identify as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov—almost certainly pseudonyms—arrived at London’s Gatwick airport on Friday, March 2, smuggling the weapons-grade nerve agent Novichok in a small counterfeit perfume bottle. They ferried the chemical on suburban trains and the Tube through central London to a hotel, where nonfatal quantities of Novichok were...

Hyun-bo Son, a Korean pastor known for his outspoken stance on biblical teachings, remains jailed on election law charges. His case gained fresh international attention recently after his son, Chance Son, spoke in Arizona at Turning Point USA's AMFEST, sharing his father's story with thousands of attendees… Support from Americans is also growing. That includes the late Charlie Kirk, who met Pastor Son in Seoul at a conference during Kirk's final international appearance. Son said, "My father was able to share what's happening in Korea, especially to the Christian leaders, including himself. And also the possibility that my father could...

A volunteer radio show host has resigned after authorities confirmed they are aware of a post on left-wing-dominated social media app Bluesky, in which a person advocated for killing Vice President JD Vance.

A Wisconsin man accused of killing his parents and stealing their money to fund a plan to assassinate President Donald Trump is set to enter a plea deal resolving the case Thursday. Nikita Casap, 18, is expected to agree to the deal during a morning hearing in Waukesha County Circuit Court in suburban Milwaukee. He goes into the hearing facing multiple charges, including two homicide counts, two counts of hiding a corpse and theft, with a trial scheduled to begin March 2. Online court records did not list the terms of the plea agreement. Harm Venhuizen, a spokesperson for the...

Fresh turf marks spot where poisoned Russian spy and his daughter were found slumped on a bench as sealed off Salisbury businesses reopen for first time since nerve agent attack Thoroughfare near bench has been closed since nerve agent attack 11 weeks ago Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia were found unconscious on bench on March 4 Businesses are preparing to reopen today as Salisbury makes steps in recovery Shoppers were avoiding area over health and safety fears, harming businessesFresh turf marks the spot where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped on a bench after...

MANNHEIM, Germany – Eighty years after his death, the legacy of Gen. George S. Patton Jr. endures, yet his life was cut short not by a final, glorious battle, but by a mundane traffic accident on a wintry German road. Patton, the celebrated and feared commander of the U.S. Third Army, succumbed to a blood clot while paralyzed, passing away in his sleep at the age of 60 in Heidelberg, Germany, on Dec. 21, 1945. The paralysis and subsequent complications were the result of a car accident 12 days prior. On Dec. 9th, for the first time, at the intersection...

His colleagues described him as a beacon of hope. Portuguese newspapers stumbled upon his story by chance. The scientific community was shaken to its core. The political establishment in Portugal set aside a minute for him — a single, paltry minute. Something doesn’t add up. Call me paranoid. Call me what you will. I’ve worked in security long enough to trust my instincts. They’re not always right, I admit, but I’ll take that chance. Last night, over dinner, when I heard the news of the acclaimed scientist’s death — a fellow Portuguese — I voiced my suspicions to everyone at...

Ella Cook vigil Vigil held for students killed at Brown University. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Ella Cook, of Mountain Brook, identified as a victim. ************************************************************************** The Mountain Brook woman who was killed in the Brown University shooting was the vice president of the school's Republican club and was likely targeted, according to multiple sources. Ella Cook was one of two shot and killed on Saturday while studying with a group of students. "We are devastated to learn of the loss of our Brown College Republicans Vice President, Ella Cook," the club's president, Martin Bertao, stated. "Ella was known for her bold,...

What used to be online threats, harassment, and social-media trolling has started to bleed (literally) into the real world. Conservatives are being swatted. Homes are being shot up. Public figures are facing assassinations. Events are being shut down by threats of violence. And now, once again, a young conservative is dead. ...... but think about it: you have a visible right-wing leader on a campus where conservatives already say they’re afraid to speak freely, a violent act followed by silence and unanswered questions, and an administration with a record of caving to activist pressure. When you put it all together,...

Matthew 5:43-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. What a weekend of massacres this one had. In the three however they...

A Utah man accused of assassinating conservative superstar Charlie Kirk smirked as he made his first public appearance in court. Tyler Robinson, 22, appeared inside a Utah courtroom flanked by his legal team as they pushed to further limit media access in the high-profile criminal case. It was the first time Robinson was seen in person after making previous court appearances via video or audio feed from jail. He was seen smiling as he engaged in deep conversation with his legal team before the hearing started. As he entered the courtroom he smiled at the people sitting in a row...

Russia - Masque Of The Red Death Vladimir Putin has been hailed perhaps as the pivotal post cold war Russian leader. He has executed a skillful dog and pony show, convincing both the Bush and Blair administrations that the former Soviet Union was not only no longer a military threat to the West but was indeed now becoming a close ally. Obviously Russia's cooperation with the French and German UN delegation's intransigence in dealing with Iraq has done much to throw cold water on this heretofore-budding union. It's important to note that such a relationship offered hope, though ultimately unfounded,...

Ren Hatt, the mayor of Green River, died in a crash Friday night on U.S. Highway 6. “Our community is heartbroken today,” the city posted Saturday on its Facebook page. According to a news release from the Utah Highway Patrol, Hatt was headed east on U.S. Highway 6 about eight miles west of Green River, when a westbound semitrailer truck drifted into oncoming traffic. The semitruck collided with the Hyundai Palisade that Hatt was driving, killing him, UHP said. The semitruck driver was not injured, according to the release. Officials said they were not sure what caused the semitruck driver...