Beards

‘Twisted’ — Nidal Hasan killed 13 at Fort Hood to save mother’s soul, researcher says The 2009 massacre was sparked by Hasan's belief that killing U.S. soldiers would secure his mother a place in heaven, according to an academic paper.

(San Antonio Express-News) As he sits in a military prison, condemned to die for killing 13 people in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, you might think the state of his beard wouldn’t be Nidal Hasan’s top concern. But just as […]

Books

Rushdie probe expands overseas

(Semafor) The investigation into last year’s near-fatal attack on the Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie has expanded to examine potential international involvement in the crime, the district attorney overseeing the case in rural New York told Semafor. Jason Schmidt said his office in […]

Children & Teens

German Islamist sentenced to 14 years for killing of girl Former IS member Jennifer W. has had her sentence extended by four years following an appeal by prosecutors. The 32-year-old was found responsible for the death of a Yazidi girl who had been enslaved.

(Deutsche Welle) The Munich state court on Tuesday imposed a new, extended 14-year prison sentence on former “Islamic State” member Jennifer W. for her role in allowing a young Yazidi girl, named only as Rania, to die of thirst in Iraq in […]

Health & Medicine

Man accused in 9/11 plot is not fit to face trial, board says The question of Ramzi bin al-Shibh’s sanity has shadowed the case since he first appeared at the Guantánamo court in 2008. A new medical panel report says he has a mental illness making him incompetent for trial.

(NY Times) A military medical board has concluded that Ramzi bin al-Shibh, who is accused of conspiring in the Sept. 11 attacks, has a mental illness that makes him incompetent to either face trial or plead guilty in the death penalty case, […]

Government & Politics

Lawyers ask Supreme Court to hear case of 4 Canadian men being held in northeastern Syria Federal Court of Appeal previously ruled that Ottawa is under no obligation to repatriate the men

(CBC) Lawyers for the families of four Canadian men detained in northeastern Syria are asking the Supreme Court of Canada to rule on whether the federal government has to repatriate them. The men are among many foreign nationals in Syrian detention camps […]

Health & Medicine

Man charged over mid-air rant involved in court drama The man at the centre of an incident that forced an international flight to return to Sydney airport has refused to come out of his cell.

(NCA NewsWire) The man at the centre of the mid-air drama which forced an international flight to be turned around will make a bid to be released on bail on Wednesday after his lawyer flagged he was suffering from mental health issues. […]

Children & Teens

Philly criminal lawyer reveals teen terror suspect is his son 'I didn’t see it coming at all. At all,' the lawyer, whose 17-year-old son was arrested in an FBI raid on charges of plotting a national terrorist attack, told the Daily Beast.

(Daily Beast) A prominent Philadelphia criminal defense attorney has confirmed that the terror suspect arrested by the FBI in an armed raid on his suburban home [Friday] is his 17-year-old son. Qawi Abdul-Rahman, 50, told the Daily Beast that he was “shocked […]

Children & Teens

Teen terror suspect lived in home of Philly lawyer who just ran for judge 'You wanna find out what I'm really about?' attorney Qawi Abdul-Rahman said when we asked him about the arrest. 'Text or call me one more time, and you'll find out what I'm really about.'

(Philadelphia Magazine) On Monday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and the FBI announced that police arrested a 17-year-old from West Philadelphia on Friday, charging him with crimes stemming from a terrorism investigation. I had been aware of the arrest since right after […]

Halal

Federal judge sends Muslim inmate’s lawsuit to trial over denial of religious diet Although self-represented, a jury could find Ray Anthony Smith established a violation of his constitutional rights, a judge ruled

(Colorado Politics) A jury will decide whether Colorado Department of Corrections officials violated an incarcerated man’s rights by terminating his religious diet when he purchased multiple items that allegedly were in conflict with his meal plan. On Aug. 3, U.S. District Court […]

Academics & Education

Maryland families say LGBTQ school readings violate religious beliefs In a lawsuit, several Montgomery County families are asking a judge for an opt-out from such materials

(Washington Post) Montgomery County’s mandate that students read books with LGBTQ characters forces religious families either to forfeit their beliefs or depart the public school system, lawyers for Muslim and Christian families suing the district said during oral arguments Wednesday at the […]