MAN ARRESTED, ACCUSED OF AIDING ISLAMIC STATE
A New York man accused of trying to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State was charged with one count of attempting to provide aid to the militant group Thursday after his arrest at Kennedy International Airport, authorities said.
Mohamed (Adam) Raishani, 30, was arrested Wednesday as he prepared to board a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, federal prosecutors said. Raishani could face up to 20 years if convicted.
Raishani “acted on his own desire to wage violent jihad, planning to leave his family and life in New York City for the battlefields of the Middle East,” acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said.
SEVEN U.K. BUILDINGS HAVE COMBUSTIBLE CLADDING
Safety tests found at least seven high-rise apartment buildings in England have combustible external panels similar to those believed to have contributed to last week’s fire that killed 79 people, the British government said Thursday.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s office said further checks are being carried out on 600 buildings in Britain that have cladding of any kind. The tests follow the June 14 fire at engulfed the 24story Grenfell Tower in London. May told Parliament that authorities have been checking about 100 buildings a day.
BRENDAN DASSEY WINS BIG VICTORY IN FEDERAL COURT
A federal appeals court has affirmed a judge’s ruling that overturned the murder conviction of Brendan Dassey, who was featured in the Netflix series Making a Murderer.
In a 2-1 ruling issued Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit upheld the August 2016 decision by U.S. Magistrate William Duffin of Milwaukee.
Duffin found that Dassey’s constitutional rights were violated because investigators for the prosecution made false promises during multiple interrogations.
In overturning the conviction, Duffin ruled that investigators made “repeated false promises” that, “when considered in conjunction with all relevant factors, most especially Dassey’s age, intellectual deficits and the absence of a supportive adult, rendered Dassey’s confession involuntary.”
Dassey was convicted in the 2005 murder of photographer Teresa Halbach. His uncle, Steven Avery, also is serving a life term in connection with the killing.