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Teen testifies about boy’s death and firearms training at New Mexico compound

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Teen testifies about boy's death and firearms training at New Mexico compound

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — With his hand placed on his son’s neck, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj recited verses of the Quran as part of a ritual meant to rid the toddler of evil spirits that Wahhaj and members of his extended family believed were causing the boy’s ailments.

The ritual known as ruqyah had been done countless times on the boy. But this time was different. It ended with the child foaming from the mouth until he stopped breathing.

There were no calls to 911 or attempts to rush him to the nearest hospital. Nor was he given any medication that December day in 2017 at a remote desert encampment in northern New Mexico.

Details about the last moments of Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj’s life were laid out in testimony Wednesday in a trial that centers on accusations of kidnapping and terrorism. The boy’s father and three other family members, including two of his aunts, were charged following an August 2018 raid of a squalid compound near the Colorado state line as authorities searched for the 3-year-old boy, who had been taken from Georgia without his mother’s permission.

The defendants were living with their 11 hungry children. There was no running water at the encampment, which was encircled by berms of tires with an adjacent shooting range where guns and ammunition were seized.

Prosecutors presented evidence Wednesday that Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and his partner Jany Leveille, a Haitian national, took Abdul-Ghani to resettle in New Mexico, where they performed prayer rituals on the boy and the other children. Leveille was initially charged with kidnapping and terrorism-related charges, but she agreed to accept a reduced sentence on weapons charges. She has not appeared at the trial.

Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, along with his sisters Hujrah and Subhanah Wahhaj, and the latter’s husband, Lucas Morton, were charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, among other counts. Morton and Siraj Ibn Wahhaj were also charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. government personnel.

No one was charged in the boy’s death because the body was too badly decomposed to determine how he died. His body was initially wrapped in plastic and placed under one of the beds in the trailer where the family was living. The body was brought out daily so it could be washed, until the remains were eventually placed in a tunnel on the property.

Leveille’s son, who was 13 at the time, was asked by prosecutors about the moments before the boy died, the family’s journey to New Mexico and the prophecy that his mother had relayed to the group — that the boy would be resurrected as Jesus Christ and an army they hoped to recruit would rid the world of nonbelievers.

The teen said his role was to memorize the Quran and teach it to others, while Siraj Ibn Wahhaj’s role was to train the army.

The teen described the firearms and tactical training he and his older brother participated in at the makeshift shooting range. Fearing that they were being surveilled by federal authorities, the group spent months out of sight under a tarp, in a camper trailer and underground in tunnels they had dug. They used a bucket for the bathroom, and Morton was able to get food from a food bank miles away.

The teen, who now lives with an aunt and cousins in New York, testified that life at the compound was “terrible.”

“I was stuck in a hole that I couldn’t get out of,” he said.

The teen spent more than three hours on the stand, with defense attorneys scheduled to question him Thursday. Two other children who lived at the compound also were expected to testify.

Defense attorneys for Wahhaj’s sisters have argued that the terrorism charges are largely based on a fantastical diary written by Leveille about her belief that Abdul-Ghani would be resurrected and that the family’s efforts to secure basic shelter in a harsh, remote environment were being misrepresented by prosecutors.

Prosecutors showed numerous photos of the compound and videos of some of the firearm exercises while Leveille’s son was on the stand. The teen testified that the group had to stay hidden because Abdul-Ghani had been reported missing.

Early on, authorities who were searching for the boy had visited the home where they were staying in Georgia. The teen said it was soon after that his mother, stepfather and the others gathered a few belongings and began the caravan to New Mexico, where Morton owned land.

The teen said his mother had received a message from Allah that they had to move quickly. The teen was told to pack seven outfits. He also took his game console. Everything else was left behind.

A prosecutor asked about the mood the night they left Georgia.

“It felt dark and rushed and surreal,” the teen testified.

Brandon Rachel is a novelist, blogger, and aspiring screenwriter currently residing in the DMV. Brandon started his writing journey as a young kid, penning short stories and poems.

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Israeli Power Company Reports Employee Fatally Struck By Attack From Lebanon

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Israeli Power Company Reports Employee Fatally Struck By Attack From Lebanon

Shalom Abudi, a 56-year-old employee of an Israeli power firm, was murdered by an anti-tank missile strike that came from the other side of the Lebanese border.

The Israel Electric Corporation acknowledged that the event happened in the Dovev area, about half a mile (800 meters) from the border between Lebanon and Israel.

The bombing increased hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, a militia supported by Iran.

The region has experienced heightened confrontations, especially between Israel and Hezbollah, in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 onslaught from the Gaza Strip.

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Base station antennas produce six signal beams

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Base station antennas produce six signal beams

With the changing needs of carriers in mind, MatSing has made its new 6-beam MBA product set generally available. In order to provide 4×4 MIMO support, greater beam separation, and significant signal gain increase, the high-performing antenna solution is made to deliver the best possible coverage and capacity for 4G LTE and 5G networks.

The whole low- and mid-band spectrum is covered by MatSing’s extensive 6-beam lens antenna portfolio, which supports frequencies from 600 MHz to 4200 MHz. Some of the new Gen II antennas that are perfect for capacity relief and macros are as follows:

For all forms of connection, including 4G LTE and 5G, the new 6-beam panel lens antenna portfolio offers an instant capacity relief alternative with scalability supplied in a highly economical manner. The performance of the 4G LTE networks has to be improved continuously, even as 5G deployments around the world continue to move quickly and are predicted to continue expanding over the next ten years. Carriers’ primary objective continues to be connecting more devices to the network at the same time while improving customer happiness.

See also: RF Engineers Gain Access To Technical Data And Simulation Models Through Modelithics And RFMW Collaboration

The enhanced coverage and increased capacity that carriers have been requesting are met by the new 6-beam MBA product set. The new Gen II antennas provide the best coverage and capacity option for 4G LTE and 5G networks due to their significant signal gain improvement, improved beam isolation, and support for 4×4 MIMO. These features are in response to the growing need for connection.

The extensive portfolio of 6-beam lens antennas covers all low- and mid-band needs, supporting frequencies from 600 MHz to 4200 MHz. The new antennas are perfect for macros and capacity relief since they offer a scalable, instantaneous solution at a very low cost for all connectivity types, including 4G LTE and 5G.

The ideal coverage and capacity solution for 4G LTE and 5G networks is offered by MatSing’s new 6-beam panel lens antenna portfolio, which is designed to offer significant signal gain enhancement, greater isolation between beams, and support for 4×4 MIMO. With quick capacity relief and scalability offered in a highly economical way for all forms of connection, including 4G LTE and 5G, the new Gen II antennas are perfect for macros and capacity relief.

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Indonesia Receives Almost 200 Rohingya Refugees, Reports Local Official

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Indonesia Receives Almost 200 Rohingya Refugees, Reports Local Official

The largest group of Rohingya refugees to arrive in Indonesia’s westernmost region in months, approximately 200 people, including women and children, did so on Tuesday. The Rohingya, a marginalized ethnic group from Myanmar, frequently embark on risky maritime expeditions, enduring protracted and costly voyages in delicate vessels in an attempt to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

Local navy commander Andi Susanto claimed that the 196 refugees landed in the Pidie region of Aceh Province, in a remote place.

Some of the evacuees left right away after arriving inland; accounts vary as to how many of the ten or seven who made their way to the neighboring hills sought safety. A representative for the local fishing community, Marfian, surmised that these people might have been middlemen who brought refugees to the area on purpose.

Residents and local authorities helped the refugees by bringing food and drink to those who were left stranded on the shore.

Images sent to AFP showed exhausted refugees—including mothers holding small children—waiting for assistance on the shore. With around 200 Rohingya reported dead or missing during such treacherous sea crossings last year, the UN refugee agency predicts that over 2,000 Rohingya have tried the dangerous trek to Southeast Asian countries in 2022.

There is a pattern to the Rohingya migrants traveling by water to Indonesia, which is followed in this episode. 184 Rohingya refugees were forced to swim ashore after being abandoned at sea before arriving in the town of Peureulak in eastern Aceh in March. The difficulties and dangers Rohingya refugees encounter on their journey to safety and a better life in Southeast Asia are brought to light by their continuous arrival.

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