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Christians flee to monastery
8/19/2014 1:38:37 AM
Christian villagers outside of Mosul, Iraq have fled to an ancient monastery. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.
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Abducted Amish girls 'abused'
8/18/2014 8:56:02 PM
- A district attorney says the girls were sexually abused by their captors
- The kidnapping and sexual abuse are suspected to have been premeditated
- A man and his girlfriend are charged in the kidnapping
- The girls were apparently abducted near their farm in upstate New York
(CNN) -- The two Amish girls kidnapped last week in upstate New York were sexually abused while in captivity, St. Lawrence County District Attorney Mary Rain said.
Police on Friday arrested a couple and charged them with kidnapping in the abduction of the girls last week, authorities said.
Stephen M. Howells II, 39, and his girlfriend Nicole F. Vaisey, 25, are being held without bond, the St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Office said. Federal charges are also a possibility.
Rain said that evidence found in the couple's house, in addition to interviews with the couple and the victims, shows that the kidnapping was premeditated and that the couple had planned for more.
"There is no doubt in my mind that if they were successful, they were going to continue with future acts," Rain told CNN.
The District Attorney's Office is also looking into whether the couple had sexually abused others, Rain said.
On Wednesday of last week, an Amber Alert was issued after a 6-year-old and her 12-year-old sister disappeared from a vegetable stand near their family farm in Oswegatchie, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Canadian border.
A witness told police the girls were tending to a customer who drove up in a white four-door sedan and disappeared when the vehicle pulled away, according to the Amber Alert.
The Amber Alert was canceled Thursday night after the girls were apparently abandoned along a road in Richville, about 40 miles away.
"The children walked up to a home, knocked on the door of a stranger," Rain told CNN affiliate WWNY. "The stranger brought them home to their house, and police were waiting."
She said the girls were "a little wet and cold," but otherwise healthy.
The investigation moved quickly Friday, as "good police work" and tips from the girls led authorities to the suspects, St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells said.
"We have two strong young girls," he said. "The reason we're able to make an arrest tonight is because of just how strong they are and things they're able to remember."
A red care and a white one were towed from the scene by authorities, affiliate WSYR reported. The house where Howells and Vaisey live is being processed for evidence, Wells said.
A preliminary hearing for Howells and Vaisey that was scheduled for Thursday was canceled Monday. If convicted, the couple faces a minimum of 25 years in prison on the kidnapping charge.
CNN's Ed Payne and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
Deadly monsoon hits India, Nepal
8/18/2014 8:56:27 PM
- Dozens dead after heavy rains in northern and eastern parts of India
- More than a 100 dead, thousands missing in Nepal
- Heavy rains in recent days have caused flooding and landslides across the region
(CNN) -- Dozens of people have been killed in flooding in northern and eastern India, while the death toll in Nepal has passed 100, government officials in the two countries told CNN.
At least 56 people have died in flooding and rain-related incidents in northern and eastern India over the weekend, with 28 deaths reported in Uttar Pradesh state, another 22 in the neighboring Himalayan region of Uttarakhand and six in Bihar state in eastern India.
The heavy rains have hit thousands of villages along the border with Nepal, Kishan Singh Atoria, a regional disaster-management commissioner, told CNN Monday.
India's water resources ministry warned that the Rapti river in Uttar Pradesh had risen to "unprecedented" levels in the state's Balrampur district.
Nepal
Meanwhile, the death toll from floods and landslides in western Nepal since Thursday has reached 101 with another 126 people missing. More than 17,000 families have been displaced, according to government data.
The biggest challenge for the government of this impoverished Himalayan country now is to provide relief to the people displaced since their homes have been washed away by the rivers, said Jhankanath Dhakal of the National Emergency Operations Center on Monday.
Flooding was caused by incessant rain from Wednesday night to Friday night in some districts in western Nepal.
"Since the rainfall was unusually high the water could not flow in the rivers causing flash floods," said Dhakal. "This was unexpected."
CNN's Brian Walker contributed to this report.
Real reason Ferguson has big guns
8/19/2014 1:51:26 PM
- Kara Dansky: The militarization of policing has become commonplace across America
- Dansky: That police departments receive surplus military weapons is not whole story
- She says the federal government has been trying to fight the failed War on Drugs
- Dansky: This deliberate strategy negatively impact communities of color the most
Editor's note: Kara Dansky is the senior counsel for the ACLU's Center for Justice and author of "War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- It used to be billy clubs, fire hoses and snarling German shepherds. Now it's armored personnel carriers and flash-bang grenades. The weaponry has changed, but the target is still the same.
If some of the photos from Ferguson last week were in black and white, you might confuse them with scenes from the 1950s south. White police officers beating black protestors. Young black men lying face down in the street with police officers standing over them with assault rifles.
We have a long history of aggressively policing communities of color in America. Police have treated black and brown people like the enemy for decades. In that context, the recent events in Ferguson in the wake of Michael Brown's shooting come as no surprise. But they go way beyond Ferguson.
Complete coverage of Ferguson shooting and protests
What we're witnessing is the militarization of policing, and it has become commonplace in towns across America.
Every year, the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice funnel billions' worth of dollars and military equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies to help them amass arsenals of combat-ready weaponry, according to our report "War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing." Two of the armored vehicles patrolling St. Louis right now were purchased with these federal funds. An estimated 600 police departments have received Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, which are tanks built to withstand armor-piercing roadside bombs. In the years since the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, this sort of federal funding has only become more available for state and local police departments.
We're told that part of the impetus for the federal agencies is to get rid of surplus military equipment. But that's certainly not the whole reason.
At least one third of the wartime weapons flowing to state and local police departments are brand new. The better explanation is that the militarization of state and local police is a deliberate strategy funded by the federal government to aggressively fight the failed "war on drugs." As has always been true of the war on drugs, the battlegrounds are disproportionately in communities of color.
This deliberate strategy explains why almost 80% of the paramilitary raids we studied were to search homes (usually for drugs); why SWAT teams forced their way into people's homes using military equipment like battering rams 60% of the time; and why they were 14 times more likely to deploy flash-bang grenades, originally invented to ambush wartime enemies, in drug raids than during SWAT raids for other purposes.
And just has been true for decades, our police's most aggressive tactics are doing disproportionate damage to communities of color. Overall, 54% of people impacted by the paramilitary searches were people of color. Dumping weapons and equipment designed for overseas combat into local neighborhoods is only adding dangerous fuel to the fire of aggressive policing.
It might be tempting to think that the brutal tactics we've seen are the result of a few bad police officers. It might be comforting to think this is a fluke. And that might be partially true. But when the government arms cops like soldiers, trains them in counter-insurgency tactics, tells them they are fighting an enemy, we should expect this type of combustive, tragic result.
But that doesn't mean we should accept the status quo. We need to change it.
It's time for Congress to rein in its support for programs like the Department of Defense's 1033 program that allows the Pentagon to dole out weapons and stop the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security from handing out cash to police departments.
Cutting this funding is part of a larger recognition that aggressively fighting the war on drugs has failed to abate drug use and instead done incredible damage to communities. The federal government must recognize that the funding currently going toward this war can and should be spent on more effective interventions like drug and mental health treatment and housing.
Concurrently, state and local governments should constrain the ability of law enforcement to raid people's homes and police neighborhoods using wartime weapons and tactics. Part of the reason this hasn't happened yet is that many people were simply unaware of how militarized our police have become. The events in Ferguson should dispel any illusions people may have about that.
It's time for the federal government to stop financing a siege on communities of color.
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Ebola drug brings sign of hope
8/19/2014 2:19:21 PM
- NEW: Health workers in Liberia given ZMapp are recovering, local government says
- Some encouraging signs seen in Nigeria and Guinea, WHO says, but risk still high
- Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone have been hit by the virus
- The WHO has called for exit screenings of travelers from those countries
(CNN) -- Three health care workers who were given the experimental Ebola drug ZMapp in Liberia have shown "very positive signs of recovery," the Liberian Ministry of Health said Tuesday.
Medical professionals treating the workers have called their progress "remarkable."
The good news comes as the number of deaths from the outbreak in West Africa climbed to 1,229, according to the World Health Organization.
The Liberian government also reported that all 17 patients who fled a local clinic after it was attacked earlier this week have been accounted for. Those who tested positive for Ebola are now being treated at another medical center.
The government met with local community leaders and concluded the attack stemmed from a misunderstanding; locals thought the clinic was "importing Ebola victims from the rest of the country," according to health officials. Looters who took a generator, mattresses and critical medical supplies have promised to return the items.
There are other small signs of hope amid the largest Ebola outbreak in recorded history. WHO has seen "encouraging signs" from Nigeria and Guinea that positive action can rein in the deadly disease. The current outbreak began in December.
The situation in Lagos, Nigeria, where the country's first case was detected in July, "looks reassuring," WHO said Tuesday.
"At present, the city's 12 confirmed cases are all part of a single chain of transmission. Those infected by the initial case include medical staff involved in his treatment, a patient in the same hospital, and a protocol officer in very close contact with the patient," the organization said.
No one on the same flight as the man who carried the infection into the country on July 20 was infected, despite him vomiting frequently on the flight and on arrival, it said. The man died July 25 and the 21-day incubation period has now passed, the WHO said.
Intensive efforts to track those at risk have not turned up any new cases outside the 12 identified.
One of those 12 has made a full recovery, the WHO said, which "counters the widespread perception that infection with the Ebola virus is invariably a death sentence." Evidence suggests early detection and therapy can help people survive, it said.
"The intensity of the search and monitoring effort raises cautious optimism that further spread of the virus in Nigeria can be stopped. The search for additional cases continues, as does the current high level of vigilance."
In Guinea, the situation is "is less alarming" than in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the WHO said, thanks to higher awareness and innovative efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
Community leaders have persuaded 26 villages that were resistant to outside help to cooperate, it said. As a result there has been a surge in reported cases -- but these are cases that were previously concealed, so they should not be seen as surge in infections.
But despite the positive signs, the WHO warned that the outbreak is not under control and that progress is fragile, with a real risk of another flare-up and the continued spread of the disease.
The WHO on Monday called on the affected countries to carry out exit screenings of travelers at international airports, seaports and major land crossings.
But it said it doesn't currently recommend travel restrictions and active screening of passengers on arrival in countries that don't have borders with the affected countries.
READ: Ebola facility in Liberia attacked; patients flee
READ: Ebola virus: Nine things to know
CNN's Jacque Wilson, Nana Karikari-apau and Elaine Ly contributed to this report.
Internet video warns U.S. on Iraq
8/19/2014 7:57:35 PM
- NEW: CPJ estimates 20 journalists are missing in Syria
- The video also appears to show missing journalist Steven Sotloff
- James Foley was last seen in Syria on November 22, 2012
- ISIS is demanding the United States end its operations in Iraq
(CNN) -- A video released by ISIS shows the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley and threatens the life of another American if President Barack Obama doesn't end military operations in Iraq.
In the video posted Tuesday on YouTube, Foley is seen kneeling next to a man dressed in black. Foley reads a message, presumably scripted by his captors, that his "real killer'' is America.
"I wish I had more time. I wish I could have the hope for freedom to see my family once again," he can be heard saying in the video.
He is then shown being beheaded.
"We have seen a video that purports to be the murder of U.S. citizen James Foley by (ISIS)," NSC spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said. "The intelligence community is working as quickly as possible to determine its authenticity. If genuine, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American journalist and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We will provide more information when it is available."
CNN is not airing the video.
ISIS has carried out executions, including beheadings, as part of its effort to establish an Islamic caliphate that stretches from Syria into Iraq. In many cases, ISIS -- which refers to itself as the Islamic State -- has videotaped the executions and posted them online.
What to know about ISIS
Foley disappeared on November 22, 2012, in northwest Syria, near the border with Turkey. He was reportedly forced into a vehicle by gunmen; he was not heard from again. At the time of his disappearance, he was working for the U.S.-based online news outlet GlobalPost.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Facebook group set up to support Foley and his family, "Free James Foley," wrote, "We know that many of you are looking for confirmation or answers. Please be patient until we all have more information, and keep the Foleys in your thoughts and prayers."
The video also shows another American journalist. His life is said by the militant in the video, who speaks English in what sounds to be a British accent, to hang in the balance, depending on what Obama does next.
U.S. Official: ISIS 'credible alternative to al Qaeda'
The journalist is believed to be Steven Sotloff, who was kidnapped at the Syria-Turkey border in 2013. Sotloff is a contributor to Time and Foreign Policy magazines.
The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates there are about 20 journalists missing in Syria, many of them held by ISIS.
Among them is American Austin Tice, a freelance journalist who was contributing articles to The Washington Post. Tice disappeared in Syria in August 2012. There has been no word of from him since his abduction.
As a freelancer, Foley picked up work for a number of major media outlets, including Agence France-Presse and GlobalPost.
"On behalf of John and Diane Foley, and also GlobalPost, we deeply appreciate all of the messages of sympathy and support that have poured in since the news of Jim's possible execution first broke," Philip Balboni, GlobalPost CEO and co-founder, said in a published statement, referring to James Foley's parents.
"We have been informed that the FBI is in the process of evaluating the video posted by the Islamic State to determine if it is authentic. Until we have that determination, we will not be in a position to make any further statement. We ask for your prayers for Jim and his family."
Foley had previously been taken captive in Libya. He was detained there in April 2011 along with three other reporters and released six weeks later.
Who is the ISIS?
Afterward, he said that what saddened him most was knowing that he was causing his family to worry.
Foley grew up in New Hampshire and graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 2008. Like other young journalists who came of age after the September 11 terror attacks and American wars overseas, Foley was drawn to Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of conflict.
Friends described Foley as fair, curious and impressively even-tempered.
"Everybody, everywhere, takes a liking to Jim as soon as they meet him," journalist Clare Morgana Gillis wrote in a blog post about him in May 2013, six months after he disappeared in Syria.
"Men like him for his good humor and tendency to address everyone as 'bro' or 'homie' or 'dude' after the first handshake. Women like him for his broad smile, broad shoulders, and because, well, women just like him."
Will anyone stop ISIS?
The video of Foley was released as ISIS is being targeted by American airstrikes ordered by Obama.
"I think they may have been surprised and are doing the best they can to retaliate," former CIA director R. James Woolsey, Jr. told CNN.
Foley's killing recalled the murder of Daniel Pearl, The Wall Street Journal correspondent who was kidnapped while reporting in Pakistan in January 2002. His murder was captured on video and posted on line by al Qaeda.
It also harkened to the videotaped beheadings of Americans Nicholas Berg, Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley carried out by al Qaeda during the height of the Iraq War.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Mayra Cuevas, Brian Stelter and Elise Labott contributed to this report.
Lance Armstrong: 'I blame myself'
8/19/2014 3:20:11 PM
- Lance Armstrong says "day-to-day life is positive" 18 months after he admitted doping
- The cyclist was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in 2013
- Armstrong is confident of winning his legal battle with U.S. Federal Government
- The Texan plans to write a third book that "needs to be pretty intense and transparent"
Editor's note: Warning: This article contains explicit language which may offend some readers.
This is the first installment of a two-part look at the legacy of the Lance Armstrong's doping. In the second installment , we speak to some of the victims of the cyclist's lies.
(CNN) -- It's a year and a half since Lance Armstrong sat in front of Oprah Winfrey and admitted it was all a lie, every single word of it. In the fallout, everything that had been built on that lie came crashing down around him.
From being virtually deified for his cancer survival and subsequent seven successive Tour de France wins, a record achievement which has now been erased from the history books, the American was demonized.
The fallout has left him persona non grata in the cycling fraternity and vilified on social media but, somewhat surprisingly, he claims to still be well received in society.
"In this day and age, there's plenty of outlets for people to hurl the most heinous comments that you can think of, you only have to look at the comments that will be at the bottom of this piece," the 42-year-old tells CNN in a phone interview from his home in Aspen, Colorado.
"But day-to-day life is positive. I never get crap, not once, and I'm surprised by that. Sure, I sometimes get the vibe that someone wants to say something, but it's never happened."
The Armstrong lie, or lies -- there have been countless -- plus the bullying and the betrayal ... he knows it has laid him bare to all manner of abuse. Call it what you will, but in his words what ensued was a "shit storm, a fall from grace, a disgrace."
And, to put it bluntly, "there is a still a bit of drama out there." A number of the legal cases that followed once his doping was finally exposed have been resolved, but the biggest of all looms large.
Read: 'Deeply flawed' Armstrong admits to doping
Lance Armstrong
Armstrong's fight with the U.S. Federal Government over its sponsorship of his former cycling team has potential $100 million ramifications for a man who was previously one of the world's most bankable sports stars.
"I'm very confident that that's a winner for us," he says. "I don't think anyone can truly argue the U.S. Postal Service was damaged. They made a lot of money in the deal and got what they bargained for.
"I worked my ass off for them and I'm proud of it. Furthermore there wasn't a technical relationship between myself and the U.S. Postal Service. In many ways, I'm no different to (former teammates) Tyler Hamilton or Floyd Landis or whoever. We were just independent."
Armstrong relishes a fight. It's what made him a great cyclist, drugs and all, and he is ready for another one. Perversely, you get the sense he is relishing the next round. It is not one, he says, that gives him sleepless nights despite the possible outcome because, he argues, it is out of his control.
But it is that love of a fight that let him down as a human being.
"I definitely have a 'fuck you' attitude," he says. "I fight in training, I fight to win races, I fight to motivate the guys in the team.
"That brazenness is a great thing for that but it's not a great place for personal relationships. I just didn't have the switch to turn that off. It helped me on the bike but it also got me where I am today."
The list of those he hurt, and who won't forgive him, is long: three-time Tour winner Greg LeMond; journalist David Walsh, who spent more than a decade trying to expose Armstrong; and former friends Frankie and Betsy Andreu, to name just a few.
Many have questioned if the Texan's public mea culpa on Oprah and other off-camera apologies are enough, or does he need to show more contrition?
"That's a difficult one for me to answer," he says. "You can't do justice in a one-hour conversation. It was a situation for a lot of people that it was too much information, like 'Holy shit, really?' but for other people -- cycling fans, sports fans, for other parts of the population -- it wasn't enough, I didn't go far enough."
Armstrong says he's sorry in conversation repeatedly but, at the same time, he knows it doesn't matter to many people. "I don't blame anyone for thinking, 'I don't trust this guy with all his bullshit for 10 years,' " he adds.
Read: Armstrong returns Olympic bronze medal
Some have accepted the apologies, such as his former masseuse Emma O'Reilly, despite him effectively labeling her as an alcoholic prostitute, while others, such as the Andreus and the LeMonds, have not.
"The LeMonds would never take my phone call, so I can't do anything about that," he says, "and I'm not going to go and camp out on someone's doorstep.
"My first call was to Betsy and my apology was accepted but, if possible, it appears that's now been revoked. The bottom line is that I'm sorry, I told them and I meant it. Okay, I don't want to have relationships with these people, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm embarrassed about my behavior and I'm sorry. I wish the apology had stuck."
All this has spawned from one lie, a refusal to tell the truth that he doped. He has lost count of the people he has lied to. I remember standing face to face with Armstrong at his team bus moments after he had finished a Tour de France prologue. I asked him then if he'd ever doped. He said categorically not, and convincingly so.
"I was good at playing the part," he admits now. "After the 850th time, it's not like I'm going to say, 'Matt, you seem like a nice guy, I'm going to be honest with you.' Once you say 'no' you have to keep saying 'no.'
"If this stuff hadn't taken place with the federal investigation, I'd probably still be saying 'no' with the same conviction and tone as before. But that gig is up."
But surely a lie like that eats away at you? "At the time, it didn't feel tiring," he replies.
Then what about morally? Being a father of five children -- two sons and three daughters -- did it not feel morally wrong? "Well, that's a conversation for my kids. But there was a lot of stuff in that lie, not simply me saying 'no.' I couldn't change the story."
There are others who perpetuated the lie, who were part of the cover-up, and could yet face sanctions of their own.
Armstrong, though, insists he is not about to pass the blame. "I'm a big boy, I made my own decisions and I need to be held accountable for that," he says. "I'm not going to blame people. A lot of people have blamed everyone else but that's bullshit.
"No-one forced me or bullied me, so I'm not going to say, 'It's not my fault.' I blame myself, that's the bottom line."
There is a sense that Armstrong is trying to rebuild his tattered reputation. It seems unlikely he will ever be welcomed back into cycling society, and gone are the days when he mixed with presidents and the Hollywood glitterati, although he insists he is still friends with such people.
Lance Armstrong
There were friends who stopped ringing or answering his calls ("Some surprising ones," he says) but slowly he appears to be emerging from his bunker. He welcomed Esquire magazine into his home, and there's been the occasional interview, but he is adamant it is not part of a premeditated damage-control offensive.
"I know at times it looks like it, but there's no PR campaign," he says. "I'm talking to you because I was riding my bike with Scott Mercier (a former professional cyclist who left the sport rather than dope and who has become an unlikely friend and bike-riding companion of Armstrong.) He said, 'This dude's alright, you should talk to him,' and that's all there is to it.
"There's not a big study room where we're bouncing off ideas saying, 'Let's do Esquire, let's talk to Matt at CNN.' I'm just flying by the seat of my pants."
So what next for Armstrong? He has plans to reboot his original cancer foundation, the Lance Armstrong Foundation that preceded Livestrong, although no time frame has been set, and there are imminent plans to release a third book. Bearing in mind his first, "It's Not About the Bike," had a major untruth at the heart of it, finding the right author to take on the project might prove challenging.
But it is something he wants to do, and this time he promises he will be completely transparent.
"I need to write a book and it needs to be pretty raw," says Armstrong, who claims he has not read any of the books about him, or watched any of the programs, since the post-Oprah fallout, describing them as a "cesspool."
Read: The rise and fall of an all-American hero
"The book needs to be pretty intense and transparent. I need to 'boom' -- put it out there and let it sit. The sooner the better. It has to be the right book, the right tone and there has to be totally no bullshit."
He seems unsure, however, if it will give him closure.
"That depends on how it's received. It could be a case of one step forward and 10 steps back. Shit, I don't know. I'm fully committed to putting it all out there."
He draws parallels with the book with therapy. Some have suggested Armstrong might even have psychological problems -- displaying behavior associated with "narcissistic personality disorder" according to psychotherapist and author Joseph Burgo, a throwback to a difficult upbringing, a father who was not part of his life, and being raised by a single mother.
It clearly gave him the fight and drive to succeed, but it may also have been to his mental detriment.
The suggestion of therapy, however, is laughed off. "My therapy is riding my bike, playing golf and having a beer," he responds.
"Look, we all have these events in our lives, whether it's good, bad or medium. I haven't gotten around to it (therapy). I get it totally, but it's not something that's taken place yet."
There has, though, been plenty of time for self-analysis, to assess his past indiscretions. "A little bit of reflection helps to learn and grow, but I'm not going to dwell," he says.
Armstrong is not the first cyclist to deny doping, and he is not the first to have been caught lying.
Former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis was allowed to continue in the sport as a team manager despite his belated admission of doping as a rider. Armstrong, however, cannot even take part in U.S. Masters swimming competitions.
"I'm not angry," he insists. "I think most people are smart enough to look at that situation and say, 'That doesn't make any sense.' I think more and more people will see that view over time."
For someone who so dominated his sport between 1999-2005, a man who was so defiant before accepting his legacy had been ruined, it must hurt to see other names remaining in the record books during an era where doping was apparently so rife?
"What stands out in a lot of people's minds is that we all know what happened in those other years, but those still stand," he says.
Despite his recent frankness, a myriad of questions still circulate around Armstrong. Has he changed? Is he truly contrite? Will he survive such a gargantuan fall from public grace?
Most will say it's the same Lance as always -- and he says he's happy for others to be the judge.
"That's best answered by someone else. My opinion on that doesn't fucking matter. Ask other people -- that's going to be a true answer ... and let me know what they say."
Read: The man who brought down Armstrong
Read: Robin Williams' passion for cycling
Pope's relatives die in crash
8/19/2014 12:34:11 PM
- Police: A car driven by the Pope's nephew struck a truck on a highway in Cordoba, Argentina
- The crash killed the nephew's sons and wife, police say
- The Pope's nephew, Emanuel Bergoglio, is in critical condition
(CNN) -- Two of Pope Francis' grandnephews and the boys' mother were killed early Tuesday in a car crash in the pontiff's homeland of Argentina, police said.
The pontiff's nephew, Emanuel Horacio Bergoglio, was critically injured in the crash on a highway in Cordoba province, said Carina Ferreyra, a Cordoba provincial police spokeswoman.
A car driven by Bergoglio struck a truck about 12:30 a.m., killing his sons -- Jose Bergoglio, 8 months, and Antonio Bergoglio, 2 -- and his wife, Valeria Carmona, 36.
Emanuel Bergoglio, 35, was taken to a hospital in Cordoba, where he was in critical condition Tuesday morning, Ferreyra said.
5 ways the Pope is tougher than you think
Pope Francis was "deeply hurt" by news of the crash, a Vatican spokesman said.
"The Pope has been informed of the tragic accident that took place in Argentina involving some of his family members," said the spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. "He is deeply hurt.
"He asks to all of those who participate in his sorrow to be with him in prayers."
Pope Francis, the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio, served the Roman Catholic Church in Argentina for 43 years, including 15 years as archbishop of Buenos Aires. He succeeded Pope Benedict XVI as leader of the church in March 2013.
The 77-year-old pontiff recently visited South Korea -- the first papal visit to the country in 25 years.
The Pope's first year in 60 seconds
CNN's Jason Hanna and Elwyn Lopez reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Hada Messia contributed to this report from Rome.
Jackie Chan's son arrested
8/19/2014 12:34:20 PM
- Jaycee Chan, from Hong Kong, and Taiwanese actor Kai Ko tested positive for marijuana
- Police found more than 100 grams at Chan's Beijing apartment
- Beijing authorities have been clamping down on drug use, especially among celebrities
- Jackie Chan has been an anti-drugs campaigner in China
Hong Kong (CNN) -- The 32-year-old son of actor and kung fu star Jackie Chan has been arrested in Beijing on drugs charges, as authorities clamp down on celebrity offenders.
Police say they detained Jaycee Chan, who is originally from Hong Kong and also an actor, as well as Kai Ko, a 23-year-old Taiwanese actor, during a raid on Thursday in Dongcheng district, the city's commercial and cultural center, state media, citing Beijing police, said Tuesday.
Both men tested positive for marijuana.
Police later found more than 100 grams of the drug after searching Chan's apartment. He was also accused of "hosting others to take drugs," the state-run China Daily said. He could face three years in jail under Chinese law.
State broadcaster CCTV aired footage of Chan, his face blurred, showing police where the drugs were hidden at his home, while Ko was shown making a tearful apology.
"I very much regret about what happened. I'm very sorry to those who support me, like me or even know me personally," he said. "I just want to tell them I'm really sorry. I've set the worst example, which had the most terrible influence. And this is a huge mistake."
Celebrity targets
The two actors are being seen as the targets of the capital's latest anti-drugs campaign, which has seen more than 7,000 people detained for using drugs, a 72% year-on-year increase, according to the China Daily.
Celebrities are increasingly in the spotlight, with a number of high-profile arrests over drug-related incidents in recent months, including popular movie actor Zhang Mo and singer Li Daimo, who was actually sentenced to nine months in jail for hosting a crystal meth party at his home, according to the China Daily.
Earlier this month, dozens of management agencies representing performers in the entertainment industry signed an agreement with Beijing authorities banning drug use from the industry and pledging to sack artists who break the law.
The elder Chan, who has starred in a number of Hollywood movies including "Rush Hour" and "The Karate Kid," has actually campaigned against drug use, and was named an anti-drugs ambassador in China in 2009.
Robert Downey Jr.'s son Indio faces felony drug charge
CNN's Dayu Zhang in Beijing contributed to this report.
ISIS beheads U.S. journalist, threatens another over Iraq
8/20/2014 6:58:43 AM
- "He gave his life" to expose the suffering of the Syrian people, Foley's mother says
- CPJ estimates 20 journalists are missing in Syria
- The video also appears to show missing journalist Steven Sotloff
- James Foley was last seen in Syria on November 22, 2012
(CNN) -- A video released by ISIS shows the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley and threatens the life of another American if President Barack Obama doesn't end military operations in Iraq.
In the video posted Tuesday on YouTube, Foley is seen kneeling next to a man dressed in black. Foley reads a message, presumably scripted by his captors, that his "real killer'' is America.
"I wish I had more time. I wish I could have the hope for freedom to see my family once again," he can be heard saying in the video.
He is then shown being beheaded.
"We have seen a video that purports to be the murder of U.S. citizen James Foley by (ISIS)," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said. "The intelligence community is working as quickly as possible to determine its authenticity. If genuine, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American journalist and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We will provide more information when it is available."
Obama was briefed about the video, and "he will continue to receive regular updates," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said.
ISIS has carried out executions, including beheadings, as part of its effort to establish an Islamic caliphate that stretches from Syria into Iraq. In many cases, ISIS -- which refers to itself as the Islamic State -- has videotaped the executions and posted them online.
CNN is not airing the video.
What to know about ISIS
'They are innocents'
Foley disappeared on November 22, 2012, in northwest Syria, near the border with Turkey. He was reportedly forced into a vehicle by gunmen; he was not heard from again. At the time of his disappearance, he was working for the U.S.-based online news outlet GlobalPost.
On Tuesday, Foley's mother, Diane, took to social media with an emotional statement to praise and mourn her son.
"We have never been prouder of our son Jim. He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people," she said in a post on the Free James Foley Facebook page.
"We implore the kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world.
"We thank Jim for all the joy he gave us. He was an extraordinary son, brother, journalist and person. Please respect our privacy in the days ahead as we mourn and cherish Jim.''
Another American in video
The video of his killing also shows another U.S. journalist. The militant in the video, who speaks English with what sounds like a British accent, says the other American's life hangs in the balance, depending on what Obama does next.
U.S. Official: ISIS 'credible alternative to al Qaeda'
The journalist is believed to be Steven Sotloff, who was kidnapped at the Syria-Turkey border in 2013. Sotloff is a contributor to Time and Foreign Policy magazines.
The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates there are about 20 journalists missing in Syria, many of them held by ISIS.
Among them is American Austin Tice, a freelance journalist who was contributing articles to The Washington Post. Tice disappeared in Syria in August 2012. There has been no word of from him since his abduction.
'We ask for your prayers'
As a freelancer, Foley picked up work for a number of major media outlets, including Agence France-Presse and GlobalPost.
"On behalf of John and Diane Foley, and also GlobalPost, we deeply appreciate all of the messages of sympathy and support that have poured in since the news of Jim's possible execution first broke," Philip Balboni, GlobalPost CEO and co-founder, said in a published statement, referring to James Foley's parents.
"We have been informed that the FBI is in the process of evaluating the video posted by the Islamic State to determine if it is authentic. Until we have that determination, we will not be in a position to make any further statement. We ask for your prayers for Jim and his family."
Foley had previously been taken captive in Libya. He was detained there in April 2011 along with three other reporters and released six weeks later.
Afterward, he said that what saddened him most was knowing that he was causing his family to worry.
Who is the ISIS?
Fair, curious and popular
Foley grew up in New Hampshire and graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 2008.
Like some other young journalists working after the September 11 terror attacks, Foley was drawn to Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of conflict.
Friends described Foley as fair, curious and impressively even-tempered.
"Everybody, everywhere, takes a liking to Jim as soon as they meet him," journalist Clare Morgana Gillis wrote in a blog post about him in May 2013, six months after he disappeared in Syria.
"Men like him for his good humor and tendency to address everyone as 'bro' or 'homie' or 'dude' after the first handshake. Women like him for his broad smile, broad shoulders, and because, well, women just like him."
'Our hearts are broken'
People in Foley's hometown of Rochester, New Hampshire, expressed shock and sadness at the news.
"This is a tragedy which is beyond imagining. There are no words to describe this kind of inhumanity," the Rev. Paul Gousse of the Holy Rosary Church told CNN affiliate WMUR.
"You just feel sad," Sully Harte, a neighbor, told the local broadcaster. "You just hope the family can grieve and deal with it because it's one of those things that you can't control at all."
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Republican of New Hampshire, said in a statement that "our hearts are broken for the Foley family."
"James was an innocent civilian who was bravely performing his job as a journalist," Ayotte said. "This barbaric and heinous act shocks the conscience and highlights the truly evil nature of the terrorists we confront, who must be defeated."
Will anyone stop ISIS?
Previous brutal killings of Americans
The video of Foley was released as ISIS is being targeted by American airstrikes ordered by Obama.
"I think they may have been surprised and are doing the best they can to retaliate," former CIA director R. James Woolsey, Jr. told CNN.
Foley's killing recalled the murder of Daniel Pearl, The Wall Street Journal correspondent who was kidnapped while reporting in Pakistan in January 2002. His killing was captured on video and posted on line by al Qaeda.
It also harkened to the videotaped beheadings of Americans Nicholas Berg, Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley carried out by al Qaeda during the height of the Iraq War.
Beheading of American journalist James Foley recalls past horrors
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq, Kevin Liptak, Mayra Cuevas, Brian Stelter, Jethro Mullen, Elise Labott and Leslie Bentz contributed to this report.
Iraq retakes Mosul Dam from ISIS
8/19/2014 4:24:25 AM
- NEW: U.S. airstrikes destroy 90 targets in Mosul dam fight, Pentagon says
- NEW: Ridding Iraq of ISIS forces a must for U.S., expert says
- NEW: ISIS threatens "America will disappear from map"
- Dam battle shows Kurdish, Iraqi forces can take the fight to ISIS, President Obama says
(CNN) -- U.S. airstrikes helped Kurdish and Iraqi forces take control of Mosul Dam on Monday, fighting back ISIS militants who had seized the dam, President Obama told reporters.
The stakes were huge for the millions of Iraqis who live downstream from the dam, the largest in the country.
"If that dam was breached it could have proven catastrophic, with floods that would have threatened the lives of thousands of civilians and endangered our embassy compound in Baghdad," the President said.
The dam has been the center of an intense battle in northern Iraq between the Islamic extremists and Kurdish forces that had been fighting to retake it since Saturday with U.S. air support.
"The U.S. military used fighters, bombers, attack and unmanned aircraft to conduct 35 strikes, " said Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby. "We destroyed over 90 targets including a range of vehicles, equipment and fighting positions," he said.
Now that the dam is cleared of ISIS militants, Iraqi forces are moving to grow their area of control, the Pentagon said.
"This operation demonstrates that Iraqi and Kurdish forces are capable of working together and taking the fight to ISIS," Obama said. "If they continue to do so, they will have the strong support of the United States of America."
Taking the fight to ISIS
U.S. airstrikes may not be enough to do the job of ridding Iraq of ISIS forces, said retired Col. Cedric Leighton, a former Air Force intelligence officer.
"At the core of the mission is to get rid of ISIS," he said. "The U.S. cannot have a Middle East in which ISIS exists," he said.
The brutal attacks of ISIS militants as they took control of towns and villages in northern Iraq forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
"ISIS tells people to pay or convert," said one Christian man who fled ISIS forces.
A Christian village near Mosul Dam is almost deserted. Some of its residents fled just in time to a monastery in the mountains.
"We were afraid, terrified they'd call us infidels," a Christian woman there told CNN's Nick Paton Walsh. "My Muslim friend told me to just leave."
Now she said she hopes ISIS fighters won't reach the monastery.
The U.S. strategy in fighting ISIS is "to take out Isis' leadership, to degrade their operational capabilities, to cut off their financing sources," U.S State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Monday.
On several ISIS websites, the group posted a message Monday threatening that "America will disappear from the map soon on the hands of knights of al-Khilafa," a reference to the caliphate ISIS claims it wants to recapture.
Water in war
When ISIS militants seized the dam this month, many feared it could be used as a weapon.
Built in the early 1980s under former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the dam sits on the Tigris River about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the city of Mosul. It serves as a key source of electricity, irrigation and flood protection.
ISIS has a track record of attacking its enemies with water.
This year, its fighters opened the gates on the Falluja Dam in central Iraq after seizing it in an effort to stop an Iraqi military advance. The water from the dam flooded a number of villages.
"ISIS has already used other smaller dams to gain control of territory, to pressure Sunnis to support them and to punish the Shiites," Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum, told CNN this month.
The 3.2-kilometer-long Mosul Dam holds back as much as 12.5 million cubic meters of water, according to Engineering News-Record, a construction industry website.
If the structure were to give way, it would unleash a wall of water tens of feet tall that would race down the Tigris toward Mosul and its 1.7 million inhabitants. It would also bring flooding to major cities farther downstream, including Baghdad.
'Very poor foundation'
But even if the militant group doesn't try to destroy the dam, concerns remain about its sturdiness.
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report in 2006 said that what made the dam especially dangerous was the risk of internal erosion of its foundations.
The structure is built on layers of soil that dissolve or erode in water.
The Army Corps said the dam was "constructed on a very poor foundation" that wasn't designed for the conditions.
Seepage has plagued the structure since the reservoir behind it was filled, according to a U.S. government report in 2007, and sinkholes have appeared near the structure, suggesting problems beneath the surface.
During the American military occupation of Iraq, U.S. authorities spent tens of millions of dollars on short-term repairs on the dam.
But with the immense structure now in the midst of a conflict zone, it remains unclear if it will get the maintenance it needs anytime soon.
READ: U.S. warplanes, Kurdish forces pound ISIS targets in bid to retake Iraqi dam
READ: Yazidi refugees braced for life in exile
READ: Can this man keep Iraq together?
CNN's Anna Coren, Barbara Starr, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Henry Shirley and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report.
Zoo animals caught in Gaza crossfire
8/20/2014 12:14:16 AM
- Zoo in Gaza nearly destroyed during recent Israel-Hamas conflict
- Many of the zoo's animals were killed -- and the survivors are struggling from lack of food and water
- CNN understands the Israeli military believes Hamas may have had rocket launchers in vicinity of zoo
- Hamas says the park is a civilian area, but CNN crew saw metal cases that looked like destroyed rocket batteries
Jabalya, Gaza (CNN) -- The sights at the Gaza zoo couldn't be sadder.
In a tiny cage, a baboon sits, picking seeds off the floor, desperately eating whatever he can find. Next to the baboon, the carcass of his mate and five offspring lay in the pen, decomposing in the August heat.
"Eight to 10 monkeys were killed," says Abu Sameer, the zoo's chief veterinarian. "Also a peacock, a gazelle, a lion, and a fox."
The carcasses of dead animals, mostly monkeys, lay scattered across the scorched grass between the pens. In one of the cages, a dead peacock lays in front of two hungry lions. In another, a crocodile lounges in the hot sun; there is almost no water in the enclosure, which also holds a pelican and a duck.
The zoo, part of the Al-Bisan recreational park in Jabalya, northern Gaza, was hit multiple times during the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas militants.
Many of the animals seem weak and traumatized. Staff members say that on top of the injuries some of the animals sustained during the violence, many also have not eaten in days because the zoo lacks funds to buy food, and they're getting virtually no assistance.
"The situation is very bad," said Sameer. "We can't get the animals out to clean the cages. Many of them are getting sick because they are weak and it is dirty. But we don't have any alternative places."
The situation is most dire for the lions, according to Sameer. One was killed during the conflict and three remain in the zoo. Sameer says he does not have the funds to buy them the meat they need.
"They have not eaten for 10 to 15 days," he said. "We could not reach them during the fighting. When it got calmer at least we could bring them some water."
To help, at least a little, the CNN crew bought six chickens at the local market for the zoo's staff to feed to the lions.
It was clear to see how hungry the lions were. They ran toward the edge of the cage and began roaring the moment they saw us approaching with the dead chickens. Once we handed them over, they would take turns -- one lion would eat while the other kept an eye on us. When we got too close to the cage, the lions would charge and roar again, warning us to back off.
Al-Bisan Park is run by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs Gaza and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel. Built in 2008, it was supposed to be a tourist attraction for Gazans. It includes a soccer field, an amusement park with carousels, and several buildings, most of which were flattened by airstrikes during the recent conflict.
An Israeli military spokesman told CNN that there is an investigation under way into allegations the zoo had been hit by airstrikes, and said he could not go into more detail due to legal reasons.
But CNN understands from Israeli sources that the military believes there may have been a number of Hamas rocket launchers in the area of the zoo, and that the zoo might have suffered collateral damage in strikes targeting those rocket launchers. Hamas says the park is in a civilian area, but our crew did see several charred and mangled metal cases that looked like destroyed rocket batteries.
The zoo staff says its main task for now is saving the lives of the animals.
"The first step has to be providing food," says vet Abu Sameer. "Then we must rebuild the place and make it suitable for them to live in again."
But with more than 2,000 people killed and many homes destroyed in the recent fighting, most people in Gaza and the international community have more pressing problems than the plight of zoo animals.
In the meantime, the lions, crocodiles, monkeys and birds who survived the hostilities at the zoo now face the danger of succumbing to hunger and disease in the aftermath of this man-made war.
Talal Abu Rahma contributed to this story.
Boat survivor: We swam to shore
8/19/2014 4:22:55 AM
- Two missing, 23 other passengers and crew were rescued on Sunday
- Boat hit rocks off volcanic island of Sangeang, at about 1 a.m. on Saturday morning
- One survivor said the group split in two, with some attempting to swim towards land
- Tour operator rejected claims the boat lacked much essential equipment
(CNN) -- Rescuers have expanded the search for two tourists missing more than three days after the boat they were traveling on sank in Indonesia, as survivors recounted their ordeal at sea.
The 23 other passengers and crew were rescued on Sunday, pulled from the water by local fishermen and search and rescue teams. The survivors spent more than 36 hours in the water.
The two missing people are believed to be Spanish, other passengers on board said -- though officials at the Spanish foreign ministry could not confirm this.
The tourists -- mostly from Europe -- were on what was supposed to be an exotic getaway: a cruise from west to east, departing from the island of Lombok -- which lies opposite Bali -- in the province of West Nusa Tenggara and ending in Labuan Bajo, in East Nusa Tenggara, with a number of stops along the way. Under normal conditions, the journey would take four nights to complete.
Boat hits rocks
Everything appeared fine when the vessel, named Versace Amara, set sail last Thursday. Three days into the trip, the boat ran into trouble.
Budiawan, head of the rescue mission, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, says it's believed the boat hit rocks off Sangeang, at about 1 a.m. local time on Saturday morning. Water began leaking into the vessel, forcing the passengers and crew to abandon ship. The vessel was carrying 20 tourists, three crew and two local guides.
Budiawan said authorities were first notified of the incident on Sunday morning and immediately deployed rescuers to the site. The nearest town is Bima on the island of Sumbawa -- a two-hour boat ride away from where the boat sank.
Recounting the disaster, one of the survivors said the group decided to split into two. "There was a coastline visible, a deserted island about five kilometers (3.1 miles) through rough water," Tony Lawton from New Zealand told CNN affiliate the Seven Network.
Survivor
"The 10 strongest swimmers decided to swim for the coast and they thought they'd probably survive it and luckily they did, but it was very close."
In the end, Lawton said the group got within half a kilometer of shore but were exhausted. They were able to wave at a group of fishermen on the beach, who went out to retrieve half of them on Sunday afternoon.
Search officials say the other five were picked up by rescue crews. All from the first group were taken to hospital in Bima.
Another 13 passengers and crew stayed in the water near the sunken boat, using lifebuoys and life vests to stay afloat. They were retrieved by local fishermen on Sunday evening, in the waters of Sape. They've since been treated in hospital, and eight are staying at a hotel in Bima, waiting for officials from their respective consulates to arrive to help them.
Lack of equipment
Another survivor, Spanish national Rafael Martinez, criticized the lack of equipment on the boat. "There was no security, no radio, no GPS, no navigation equipment. There were nothing," he told CNN affiliate Trans7 Indonesia.
"Only life jacket, but life jacket, it doesn't work. If you're in the middle of the ocean with a life jacket, what happens? Nothing."
"This problem should have been solved very, very easy," another unidentified survivor told the Seven Network. "We could have had a boat coming to rescue us in one hour, if they would have had any machine, radio, GPS or anything that all the boats will have. But without everything, maybe people are dead."
However, the tour operator rejected the survivors' claims. Tajudin Sam, owner of Eriksa Travel Agency, told CNN there was equipment on board to call for help. "I admit no GPS, but the boat had two radio communications and was working well," he said.
Tajudin said the boat was only three months' old and modeled on a traditional Phinisi sail boat -- but with a motor. He did admit he did not have a full list of the passengers' names and passport numbers.
"We normally do not make copies of the passports of the tourists for the cruise," he said. "Passengers usually write down their own names and passport numbers on a list -- that's why in this case, some tourists wrote only their first names. I cannot read some of their handwriting clearly."
The two tourists still missing are believed to be male adults.
Budiawan said it's believed the missing men, who were with the second group, became separated owing to strong currents.
CNN's Chieu Luu contributed to this report.
ISIS beheads U.S. journalist, threatens another over Iraq
8/20/2014 2:52:25 AM
- "He gave his life" to expose the suffering of the Syrian people, Foley's mother says
- CPJ estimates 20 journalists are missing in Syria
- The video also appears to show missing journalist Steven Sotloff
- James Foley was last seen in Syria on November 22, 2012
(CNN) -- A video released by ISIS shows the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley and threatens the life of another American if President Barack Obama doesn't end military operations in Iraq.
In the video posted Tuesday on YouTube, Foley is seen kneeling next to a man dressed in black. Foley reads a message, presumably scripted by his captors, that his "real killer'' is America.
"I wish I had more time. I wish I could have the hope for freedom to see my family once again," he can be heard saying in the video.
He is then shown being beheaded.
"We have seen a video that purports to be the murder of U.S. citizen James Foley by (ISIS)," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said. "The intelligence community is working as quickly as possible to determine its authenticity. If genuine, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American journalist and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We will provide more information when it is available."
Obama was briefed about the video, and "he will continue to receive regular updates," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said.
ISIS has carried out executions, including beheadings, as part of its effort to establish an Islamic caliphate that stretches from Syria into Iraq. In many cases, ISIS -- which refers to itself as the Islamic State -- has videotaped the executions and posted them online.
CNN is not airing the video.
What to know about ISIS
'They are innocents'
Foley disappeared on November 22, 2012, in northwest Syria, near the border with Turkey. He was reportedly forced into a vehicle by gunmen; he was not heard from again. At the time of his disappearance, he was working for the U.S.-based online news outlet GlobalPost.
On Tuesday, Foley's mother, Diane, took to social media with an emotional statement to praise and mourn her son.
"We have never been prouder of our son Jim. He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people," she said in a post on the Free James Foley Facebook page.
"We implore the kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world.
"We thank Jim for all the joy he gave us. He was an extraordinary son, brother, journalist and person. Please respect our privacy in the days ahead as we mourn and cherish Jim.''
Another American in video
The video of his killing also shows another U.S. journalist. The militant in the video, who speaks English with what sounds like a British accent, says the other American's life hangs in the balance, depending on what Obama does next.
U.S. Official: ISIS 'credible alternative to al Qaeda'
The journalist is believed to be Steven Sotloff, who was kidnapped at the Syria-Turkey border in 2013. Sotloff is a contributor to Time and Foreign Policy magazines.
The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates there are about 20 journalists missing in Syria, many of them held by ISIS.
Among them is American Austin Tice, a freelance journalist who was contributing articles to The Washington Post. Tice disappeared in Syria in August 2012. There has been no word of from him since his abduction.
'We ask for your prayers'
As a freelancer, Foley picked up work for a number of major media outlets, including Agence France-Presse and GlobalPost.
"On behalf of John and Diane Foley, and also GlobalPost, we deeply appreciate all of the messages of sympathy and support that have poured in since the news of Jim's possible execution first broke," Philip Balboni, GlobalPost CEO and co-founder, said in a published statement, referring to James Foley's parents.
"We have been informed that the FBI is in the process of evaluating the video posted by the Islamic State to determine if it is authentic. Until we have that determination, we will not be in a position to make any further statement. We ask for your prayers for Jim and his family."
Foley had previously been taken captive in Libya. He was detained there in April 2011 along with three other reporters and released six weeks later.
Afterward, he said that what saddened him most was knowing that he was causing his family to worry.
Who is the ISIS?
Fair, curious and popular
Foley grew up in New Hampshire and graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 2008.
Like some other young journalists working after the September 11 terror attacks, Foley was drawn to Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of conflict.
Friends described Foley as fair, curious and impressively even-tempered.
"Everybody, everywhere, takes a liking to Jim as soon as they meet him," journalist Clare Morgana Gillis wrote in a blog post about him in May 2013, six months after he disappeared in Syria.
"Men like him for his good humor and tendency to address everyone as 'bro' or 'homie' or 'dude' after the first handshake. Women like him for his broad smile, broad shoulders, and because, well, women just like him."
'Our hearts are broken'
People in Foley's hometown of Rochester, New Hampshire, expressed shock and sadness at the news.
"This is a tragedy which is beyond imagining. There are no words to describe this kind of inhumanity," the Rev. Paul Gousse of the Holy Rosary Church told CNN affiliate WMUR.
"You just feel sad," Sully Harte, a neighbor, told the local broadcaster. "You just hope the family can grieve and deal with it because it's one of those things that you can't control at all."
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Republican of New Hampshire, said in a statement that "our hearts are broken for the Foley family."
"James was an innocent civilian who was bravely performing his job as a journalist," Ayotte said. "This barbaric and heinous act shocks the conscience and highlights the truly evil nature of the terrorists we confront, who must be defeated."
Will anyone stop ISIS?
Previous brutal killings of Americans
The video of Foley was released as ISIS is being targeted by American airstrikes ordered by Obama.
"I think they may have been surprised and are doing the best they can to retaliate," former CIA director R. James Woolsey, Jr. told CNN.
Foley's killing recalled the murder of Daniel Pearl, The Wall Street Journal correspondent who was kidnapped while reporting in Pakistan in January 2002. His killing was captured on video and posted on line by al Qaeda.
It also harkened to the videotaped beheadings of Americans Nicholas Berg, Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley carried out by al Qaeda during the height of the Iraq War.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq, Kevin Liptak, Mayra Cuevas, Brian Stelter, Jethro Mullen, Elise Labott and Leslie Bentz contributed to this report.
Foley's last moments with killer
8/19/2014 7:14:39 PM
ISIS posted a video in which it beheads a man they claim is James Foley -- a U.S. journalist kidnapped in Syria.
If your browser has Adobe Flash Player installed, click above to play. Otherwise, click below.
Bergen: Is ISIS a threat to the U.S.?
8/19/2014 4:54:04 PM
- U.S. officials now see ISIS as a credible threat, on a par with al Qaeda
- Peter Bergen: Some lawmakers have exaggerated the current threat to U.S. from ISIS
- He says the problem is a potential issue, but few have been charged so far
- Bergen: Clearly ISIS is a potent force that must be countered in Middle East
Editor's note: Peter Bergen is CNN's national security analyst, a vice president at the New America Foundation and the author of "Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden -- From 9/11 to Abbottabad." David Sterman is a research associate at the New America Foundation.
(CNN) -- U.S. officials are claiming that the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, is "now a credible alternative to al Qaeda."
But what does that really mean in terms of ISIS' potential threat to the United States? After all, al Qaeda hasn't pulled off a successful attack in the States since 9/11, or indeed anywhere in the West since the London transportation bombings in 2005.
This month, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, criticized the airstrikes in Iraq ordered by President Barack Obama directed at ISIS as too limited, telling CNN's Candy Crowley, "That is simply a very narrow and focused approach to a problem which is metastasizing as we speak. Candy, there was a guy a month ago that was in Syria, went back to the United States, came back and blew himself up. We're tracking 100 Americans who are over there now fighting for ISIS. ISIS is attracting extreme elements from all over the world, much less the Arab world. And what have we done?"
The case McCain alluded to was that of Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, who grew up in Vero Beach, Florida, and who conducted a suicide bombing in Syria in May on behalf of the Nusra Front, al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate. According to The New York Times, Abu-Salha had returned to the United States after being trained by Nusra and then went back to Syria to conduct the suicide operation in which he died.
McCain asserted on CNN that 100 Americans were fighting with ISIS. In fact, according to U.S. officials, 100 is the total number of Americans believed to have fought or attempted to have fought with any of the many Syrian insurgent groups, some of which are more militant than others, and some of which are even aligned with the United States.
According to a count by the New America Foundation, eight people from the United States have been indicted with crimes related to trying to join ISIS or the Nusra Front. (By contrast, some 240 U.S. citizens and residents have been indicted or charged with some kind of jihadist terrorist crime since 9/11.)
Some of the Nusra Front cases are far from threatening. On April 19, 2013, Abdella Tounisi, an 18-year-old American citizen from Aurora, Illinois, was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to Nusra. However, he was caught in a sting operation and described his fighting skills thusly: "Concerning my fighting skills, to be honest, I do not have any." Tounisi pleaded not guilty and awaits trial.
Other cases appear more serious. In December, Sinh Vinh Ngo Nguyen, a U.S. citizen from Southern California, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda. Between December 2012 and April 2013, Nguyen had traveled to Syria, where, he stated, he fought alongside the Nusra Front. On his return, Nguyen discussed with an informant his intent to participate further in jihad.
In August 2013, Gufran Mohammed, a naturalized American citizen living in Saudi Arabia, was charged with attempting to provide material support to the Nusra Front in Syria, by facilitating the recruitment of experienced fighters from al Qaeda's Somali affiliate to Syria.
He pleaded guilty last month.
Opinion: How Iraq's black market in oil funds ISIS
Yet so far no U.S. citizen involved in fighting or supporting the Nusra Front or ISIS has been charged with plotting to conduct an attack inside the United States despite the fact the war in Syria is now in its fourth year and the war in Iraq is in its 11th year. Indeed, some Americans who have traveled to Syria have ended up dead apparently because they have no combat experience to speak of; for instance, Nicole Mansfield from Flint, Michigan, was killed in Syria last year by forces loyal to the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Further, ISIS' predecessor, al Qaeda in Iraq, never tried to conduct an attack on the American homeland, although it did bomb three American hotels in Jordan in 2005.
And it's also worth noting that in none of the successful terrorist attacks in the States since 9/11, such as the Boston Marathon bombings last year or Maj. Nidal Hasan's massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, did any of the convicted or alleged perpetrators receive training overseas.
Returning foreign fighters from the Syrian conflict pose a far greater threat to Europe, which has contributed a much larger number of foreign fighters to the conflict than the United States, including an estimated 700 from France, 450 from the United Kingdom and 270 from Germany.
Unlike in the United States, European countries have reported specific terrorist plots tied to returning Syrian fighters. Mehdi Nemmouche, a suspect in the May 24 shootings at a Jewish museum in Brussels, Belgium, that killed four people, spent about a year with jihadist fighters in Syria, according to the Paris prosecutor in the case. But Nemmouche's case is the only instance of lethal violence by a returning Syrian fighter in the West.
Still, the United States must consider European foreign fighters returning from Syria as more than a European problem because many of those returning are from countries that participate in the U.S. visa waiver program and can enter the States without a visa.
Moreover, experienced al Qaeda operators are present in Syria. As one senior U.S. intelligence official put it to us, these are veteran members "with strong resumes and full Rolodexes." The wars in Syria and Iraq allow such longtime fighters to interact with members of other al Qaeda affiliates. For example, in July, the United States adopted enhanced security measures at airports based on intelligence that bomb-makers from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were sharing their expertise in making bombs capable of evading airport security with members of the Syrian Nusra Front.
Despite these dangers, however, the threat to the United States from foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq remains only a potential threat.
The administration's airstrikes in Iraq are properly focused upon the more imminent threats to U.S. government employees and American citizens in the Kurdish city of Irbil who are threatened by ISIS advances and the humanitarian catastrophe befalling the Yazidi population in areas controlled by the militant forces.
The last time there was a similar exodus of American citizens and residents to an overseas holy war was to Somalia following the U.S.-backed invasion of Somalia by Ethiopian forces in 2006. More than 40 Americans subsequently went to Somalia to fight with Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-affiliated group.
Just as is the case today in Syria, for a good number of the Americans who went to fight in Somalia it was a one-way ticket because 15 of the 40 or so American volunteers died there either as suicide attackers or on the battlefield.
In 2011, Rep. Peter King, R-New York, then-chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, warned of Americans fighting in Somalia. "With a large group of Muslim-Americans willing to die as 'martyrs' and a strong operational partnership with al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan and in Yemen, al-Shabaab now has more capability than ever to strike the U.S. homeland."
As it turned out, those Americans who returned from the Somali jihad did not attempt or carry out any kind of terrorist attack in the States.
Now King is back at it again, telling NBC last week, "ISIS is a direct threat to the United States of America. ... They are more powerful now than al Qaeda was on 9/11."
ISIS is surely a major problem for Iraq, and its tactics and strategy are abhorrent, such as its use of crucifixions and its genocidal attacks on the small Yazidi minority. But that doesn't mean it is a serious threat to the American homeland.
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