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Jumat, 08 November 2019

Hong Kong student who fell during weekend protests dies - Al Jazeera English

A student of a Hong Kong university who fell during protests at the weekend died early on Friday morning, hospital authorities said, setting the stage for a fresh wave of demonstrations in the self-governing territory in the coming weekend.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology students' union said the man was a 22-year-old surnamed Chow who was a two-year undergraduate in the computer science department. In some reports, he was identified as Alex Chow and Chow Tsz-lok.

The South China Morning Post reported that he died of cardiac arrest after being in a coma since early Monday morning.

Chow's case has been embraced by the protest movement, which has called for city-wide vigils in his honour.

The student was believed to have fallen in the early hours of Monday in the New Territories district of Tseung Kwan O, while police were trying to disperse the protesters with rounds of tear gas.

Chow was later found lying unconscious in a pool of blood inside a car park that police had fired tear gas into after protesters hurled objects from the building.

Protesters claimed that by firing the tear gas, police also delayed the deployment of emergency medical services to the victim.

Police officials acknowledge that tear gas had been used to disperse protesters near the car park, but say there was only a small amount of gas in the air when emergency responders found Chow.

The precise circumstances of how Chow came to be injured are unclear but he has been embraced by the five-month-old protest movement.

Alex Chow, the HKUST student fell from a carpark 4 days ago, is gone. He was just 22 yo, and had a bright long future ahead of him. https://t.co/EeNu6YSrnk
— LO Kin-hei 羅健熙 (@lokinhei) November 8, 2019

Al Jazeera's Sarah Clarke reporting from Hong Kong said that the protesters are blaming police, saying they had failed to adhere to tear gas guidelines.

Clarke added that as Friday also marks as a day of graduation for a number of students at the University of Hong Kong's science and technology campus, students have joined a memorial to paid tribute to the 22-year-old.

"The university has... asked for students and these protesters to show restraint, to show peace and to avoid conflict but at the moment the protesters have marched up and are now vandalising and graffitiing some of the operations on this campus that are affiliated with the mainland Chinese companies," Clarke said.

In a social media post, pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong said Hong Kong residents "mourn the loss of the freedom fighter in HK."

"We will not leave anyone behind - what we start together, we finish together. Given the losses suffered by HK society in the past month, the gov must pay the price."

Anger in Beijing

Meanwhile, China slammed protesters, calling them as "mobsters", after a pro-Beijing legislator was injured in a stabbing.

In the latest incident, a man holding a bouquet approached pro-Beijing legislator Junius Ho on Wednesday morning as the politician was campaigning in his constituency near the border with China.

The attack was "not only a serious criminal act but also pure election violence," Xu Luying, spokeswoman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of China's central government, said on Thursday, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Xu said protesters in Hong Kong "intend to create a 'chilling effect' by threatening and intimidating their candidates and their supporters", in order to "affect the election results of the district councils and realise their purpose of seizing political power".

Xu also called for "strong punishment" against violence in Hong Kong and for a "fair, just, safe and orderly environment" for the district elections, set to be held on November 24.

The international finance hub has been shaken by five months of huge and increasingly violent protests calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.

With Beijing and Hong Kong's unpopular leader Carrie Lam refusing to offer a political solution to the protesters' grievances, violence has spiralled on both sides of the ideological divide.

In October, Wong, the pro-democracy leader, was barred from contesting a seat in the upcoming polls.

An election officer had ruled that the concept of self-determination advocated by Wong's party, Demosisto, contradicted the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution.

Students attend a ceremony to pay tribute to Chow Tsz-lok, 22, a university student who fell during protests at the weekend and died early on Friday morning [Tyrone Siu/Reuters]

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-11-08 08:33:00Z
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Kamis, 07 November 2019

Al-Baghdadi killing: One of al-Baghdadi's wives revealed lots of information about ISIS after her capture, source says - CBS News

One of slain Islamic State of Iraq and Iran (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's wives revealed "a lot of information" about the jihadist group's "inner workings" after she was captured last year, a Turkish official told Agence France-Presse.

The official said Baghdadi's spouse identified herself as Rania Mahmoud but was in fact Asma Fawzi Muhammad Al-Qubaysi.

She was said to be the "first wife" of the ISIS leader, who was killed in a U.S. special forces raid in Syria last month. Al-Bagdadi was known to have four wives, according to The Associated Press.

The Fight Against ISIS More

China and U.S. 'agree to phased rollback' of extra trade war tariffs - POLITICO

There is no meeting set between Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump during the Chinese president's trip. | Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

This report is being published by POLITICO as part of a content partnership with the South China Morning Post. It first appeared on scmp.com on Nov. 7, 2019.

China and the United States have agreed to remove additional tariffs in phases once their leaders sign an interim deal towards ending a costly trade war, with both sides still working to wrap up the agreement, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

Ministry spokesman Gao Feng said China and the U.S. had extensive and serious discussions over the past two weeks to try to end their trade war, and the agreement would help stabilize the world economy.

“In the past two weeks, top negotiators have had serious and constructive discussions on resolving issues of core concern. Both sides agreed to remove the additional tariffs imposed in phases as progress is made on the agreement,” Gao said.

“If China and the U.S. reach a phase one deal, both sides should roll back existing additional tariffs in the same proportion simultaneously.”

He said that both sides could decide how much would be scrapped in the first phase based on the content of the agreement.

“Economic and trade teams from both sides have been in constant communication. We hope to resolve our issues of core concern in an equal and mutually respectful manner,” he said.

But Gao said he had no information about where or when an agreement would be signed.

Adding momentum for the trade talks, the General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said they were considering removing restrictions on imports of U.S. poultry.

Stocks rallied on Thursday, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbing 0.6 percent. European shares and US stock futures also rose and the yuan strengthened to a three-month high.

Although both the US and China have tried to send positive signals, it is unlikely that the world’s two biggest economies will be able to sign the interim deal this month — as some had hoped.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Greece and Brazil November 10 -15, but so far his itinerary does not appear to include a stop in the U.S. There is also no indication of any meeting between Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump during the trip.

Xi will attend an emerging markets summit in Brazil and hold talks in Greece about a “development regarding the [Chinese-owned] Port of Piraeus,” according to vice foreign minister Qin Gang.

“Besides the Port of Piraeus, the two sides will also talk about how to better build the Belt and Road Initiative,” Qin said.

An initial plan for Xi and Trump to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile on November 16 and 17 had to be abandoned when the Chilean government canceled the forum because of social unrest.

Trump and other U.S. officials have since suggested that a meeting could be held in Iowa, Hawaii or Alaska.

At a recent closed-door event in Washington for members of the U.S.-China Business Council — a non-profit organization aimed at promoting trade between the countries — a senior Chinese diplomat said a presidential meeting appeared “extremely important” for Trump but that Beijing did not see it as critical, according to a source who attended the event.

The Chinese diplomat also said Beijing felt that Trump was fixated on a “phase one” deal for domestic political purposes, according to the source.

An interim trade deal is widely expected to include a U.S. pledge to scrap tariffs scheduled for December 15 on about $156 billion worth of Chinese imports, including mobile phones, laptop computers and toys. China is expected to buy more U.S. agricultural products, open up its financial markets and address restrictions on genetically modified American food, but the deal may not include Chinese energy purchases from the U.S.

Rory Green, an economist from TS Lombard, said the Ministry of Commerce’s announcement was a positive signal.

“Improved household sentiment will support retail sales. Greater business confidence will eventually show in investment data, however there will be some lag between signature of the deal and a signs of improvement in monthly data series,” he said.

Green said he did not expect a pickup in Chinese exports this year, but a positive turn would come in the first quarter of 2020, with improvements in U.S. and European demand helping sales.

Ding Shuang, chief economist for Greater China and North Asia at Standard Chartered, said that if both sides confirmed the tariff removal, the decision should be a positive step.

“A phased rollback of extra trade war tariffs indicates that it is a solution acceptable to both countries,” he said.

“It also lays a foundation for future negotiations, which is quite significant.

“There are still some difficulties ... but at least we now know that the final agreement is linked to tariff cuts, which was not clear before. China is willing to make promises in many aspects, but the compromises must lead to tariff cuts.”

But Yu Chunhai, from Renmin University’s school of economics, said the announcement might simply reflect China’s expectations, given that the U.S. had not said it had agreed to it.

“There are still many uncertainties. A partial tariff withdrawal might happen only when the two sides make breakthroughs in terms of an agreement,” he said.

“A phase one deal won’t be affected by the U.S. declining China’s demand for a tariff withdrawal. It’s part of China’s negotiation strategy. More important, it shows China is thinking about the future and preventing the U.S. from asking for big concessions in the more difficult second and third phases.”

Owen Churchill, Jun Mai, Amanda Lee, Cissy Zhou and Frank Tang contributed to this report.

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2019-11-07 12:03:00Z
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Mourners of Mexican cartel massacre victims, escorted by military, arrive for first funerals - Fox News

Hundreds of mourners from the U.S. reportedly spent the night in a remote farming community in northern Mexico ahead of Thursday’s scheduled funerals for some of the victims of a horrible massacre of nine American women and children.

Armed Mexican military personnel, traveling in jeeps, escorted caravans of visitors as they arrived in La Mora, Sonora, from Utah and from Tucson, Ariz., where many had gone to visit the surviving children in a hospital, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

COUSIN OF MEXICAN CARTEL VICTIMS CALLS FOR HELP FROM TRUMP, SAYS FAMILY WAS NOT CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE

“They won’t ever recover from something as traumatizing as this,” Rebecca Langford, a sister-in-law to victim Dawna Langford, told the newspaper. Dawna Langford’s two sons also were slain in the Monday attack.

“They won’t ever recover from something as traumatizing as this.”
— Rebecca Langford, relative of victims and survivors of cartel attack

More funerals were planned for later in the week in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora, according to the report.

Framed by heavily armed Mexican authorities, relatives of the LeBaron family mourn at the site where nine U.S. citizens, three women and six children related to the extended LeBaron family, were slaughtered when cartel gunmen ambushed three SUVs along a dirt road near Bavispe, at the Sonora-Chihuahua border, Mexico, Wednesday, Nov 6, 2019. (Associated Press)

LA TIMES ACCUSED OF 'BLAMING' MEXICAN CARTEL MASSACRE VICTIMS BY NOTING FAMILY'S 'LONG HISTORY OF VIOLENCE'

Much of the route from the Arizona border to the Mexican village was winding dirt roads and the journey took as long as four hours.

Many Americans who moved to the area will likely end up leaving because of the violence, Steven Langford, a former mayor of La Mora, told the Associated Press.

"It was a massacre, 100 percent a massacre," said Langford, whose sister Christina Langford was one of the women killed. “I don't know how it squares with the conscience of someone to do something so horrible.”

“The country is suffering very much from violence,” added William Stubbs, a pecan and alfalfa farmer who serves on a security committee in nearby Colonia LeBaron. “You see it all over. And it ain’t getting better. It’s getting worse.”

“The country is suffering very much from violence. You see it all over. And it ain’t getting better. It’s getting worse.”
— William Stubbs, farmer on regional security committee

MEXICO'S LOPEZ OBRADOR DOUBLES DOWN ON 'HUGS, NOT BULLETS' POLICY AMID MOUNTING CRITICISM

Much of the area has been without law enforcement personnel over the years, so residents have taken it upon themselves to provide for their own security, the AP report said. After the 2009 slaying of an anti-crime activist, residents using high-powered binoculars took turns keeping watch during the night.

Heavily armed Mexican authorities guard a caravan of friends and relatives of the LeBaron family as they arrive at the site where nine U.S. citizens, three women and six children related to the extended LeBaron family, were slaughtered at the Sonora-Chihuahua border, Mexico, Wednesday, Nov 6, 2019. (Associated Press)

But the residents know they can't fight the cartels on their own.

“We're not experts in military and war and weapons,” Stubbs said. “We're farmers, and we have great families and big families, and we definitely want our families to be peaceful."

On Wednesday, army chief of staff Gen. Homero Mendoza said the attack against the three mothers and six children started at 9:40 a.m. Monday, with the nearest army units about 100 miles away.

Soldiers didn't start out for the scene until 2:30 p.m. and didn't arrive until 6:15 p.m. — while five surviving children lay hiding in the mountains with bullet wounds.

Bullet-riddled vehicles that members of the extended LeBaron family were traveling in sit parked on a dirt road near Bavispe, at the Sonora-Chihuahua state border, Mexico, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Associated Press)

Alejandro Hope, a Mexican security analyst, told the AP that Sonora and Chihuahua states, with over 160,000 square miles between them, have only about 4,100 National Guard agents stationed there, or about one for every 40 square miles.

According to the AP, most of the victims lived in La Mora, about 70 miles south of Douglas, Ariz., while the killers were believed to be from La Linea.

Langford, the former mayor, said the Americans living in the area have long been aware of the dangers, but love the beauty of the region.

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“We’ve seen the people doing their deal,” he told the AP, referring to those connected to the cartels. “We always had the policy, 'We don't bother them.'

“We never dreamed something like this could happen," he added. "Now this place is going to become a ghost town. A lot of people are going to leave."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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2019-11-07 11:14:20Z
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Iran cancels accreditation of IAEA nuclear inspector - BBC News

Iran has cancelled the accreditation of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspector who was prevented from entering a nuclear facility last week.

The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) said an alarm was triggered when the woman went through screening at the Natanz uranium enrichment plant.

Officials feared she was carrying "suspicious material", it added.

There was no comment from the IAEA, which is in charge of monitoring Iranian compliance with a nuclear deal.

The announcement came as Iran rolled back another commitment under the 2015 accord by resuming enriching uranium at its underground Fordo facility. Enriched uranium can be used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons.

It is the fourth such step Iran has taken in response to the sanctions reinstated by US President Donald Trump when he abandoned the nuclear deal last year.

Under the accord, Iran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.

Mr Trump wants to force Iran to negotiate a new agreement that would place indefinite curbs on its nuclear programme and also halt its development of ballistic missiles. But Iran has so far refused.

The other parties to the deal - the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia - have tried to keep it alive. But the sanctions have caused Iran's oil exports to collapse and the value of its currency to plummet, and sent its inflation rate soaring.

The incident at Natanz seems to be the first of its kind since the nuclear deal was implemented.

In a statement, the AEOI said the inspector had been denied entry to the facility after a routine check suggested the possible presence of "suspicious material".

Iran reported the incident to the IAEA and cancelled the inspector's accreditation, it added. As a result, she left the country for Austria.

Three diplomats familiar with the IAEA's work told Reuters news agency that the inspector had had her travel documents taken, and two said she was briefly held.

The IAEA has not yet commented on the issue, which is expected to be raised at a special meeting of its 35-nation board of governors in Vienna on Thursday.

There are concerns about how the nuclear inspectors will carry out their work in future.

The board of governors meeting will also discuss Iran's reported failure to co-operate with IAEA inspectors investigating how traces of uranium were found at a site in the Turquzabad area of Tehran, where Israel has said a "secret atomic warehouse" was once located.

Under the nuclear deal, Iran is required to permit the IAEA "regular access, including daily access as requested by the IAEA, to relevant buildings at Natanz".

Before 2015, Iran had two enrichment facilities - Natanz and Fordo - where uranium hexafluoride gas was fed into centrifuges to separate out the most fissile isotope, U-235.

The deal saw Iran agree to only produce low-enriched uranium, which has a 3-4% concentration of U-235, and can be used to produce fuel for nuclear power plants. Weapons-grade uranium is 90% enriched or more.

Iran also agreed to install no more than 5,060 of the oldest and least efficient centrifuges at Natanz until 2026, and not to carry out any enrichment at Fordo until 2031. The 1,044 centrifuges at Fordo were supposed to spin without gas being injected.

On Monday, the head of the AEOI said it had doubled the number of advanced centrifuges being operated at Natanz. Ali Akbar Salehi told reporters it now possessed 60 IR-6 centrifuges, and that it could enrich uranium to 20% concentration "within four minutes" of being given an order.

Shortly after midnight on Thursday, Iran began injecting uranium hexafluoride into the centrifuges at Fordo under the supervision of the IAEA and the enrichment process began, state media reported.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that Iran was aware of the "sensitivity" of the other parties to the deal regarding enrichment at Fordo, which was built in secret about 90m (300ft) under a mountain to shield it from air strikes.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that the resumption of enrichment at Fordo represented a "profound change" from Iran's previous position.

"I will have discussions in the coming days, including with the Iranians, and we must collectively draw the consequences," he told reporters in Beijing.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Iran needed to "stand by the commitments it made and urgently return to full compliance".

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2019-11-07 12:00:27Z
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John Bolton trying to 'walk that tightrope' over role in Trump's impeachment inquiry - CNN

Trump's former national security adviser is at the center of several key events related to the investigation, including suggestions that he had raised concerns about the President and Ukraine, calling efforts by some top officials to help push for investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and matters related to the 2016 election a "drug deal," according to testimony last month from former top Russia adviser Fiona Hill.

Chances looked slim that Bolton would comply with the Democratic-led investigation's request to appear Thursday morning, as his lawyer has said Bolton will not testify voluntarily, but it remained unclear if he would comply with a subpoena, should one be issued at the last moment.

Several witnesses in the probe have already testified that Bolton had concerns about Trump's dealings with Ukraine and encouraged his staff to sound the alarm about potentially illegal actions by the President's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. But despite those apparent misgivings, it appears Bolton has little interest in playing the role of star witness for House Democrats.

"Bolton still wants to be a player in GOP politics and Trump still has such high approval ratings," a source close to Bolton said.

"So far, he has tried to walk that tightrope. I expect he will continue to do that," the source added, noting that Bolton is unlikely to try to take on Trump directly due to concerns that attacking the President might make it difficult for Bolton to attract wealthy GOP donors to his super PAC.

Bolton has already injected $50,0000 into the campaigns of conservative Republican candidates.

Despite his abrupt and unceremonious departure from the Trump administration, Bolton's willingness to cooperate in the impeachment proceedings remains a mystery.

He has kept a low profile in recent weeks and stayed tight-lipped about his plans regarding a potential deposition -- not even discussing the matter with some of his closest allies. In fact, Bolton has taken multiple trips abroad in recent weeks, including a weeklong stint in Asia, just as the pace of impeachment proceedings began to intensify and several of his former staffers from the National Security Council prepared to testify, according to sources familiar with his trip.

Not a 'Never Trumper'

While Trump has labeled some witnesses in the impeachment inquiry -- including another career official who still serves on the National Security Council -- as "Never Trumpers," the President would have a hard time making the same case about Bolton.

A hawkish neoconservative who served in the Republican administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, Bolton famously promised Trump he "wouldn't start any wars" when he was hired last March.

His reputation followed him to the White House, where he repeatedly clashed with the President over various foreign policy issues, including Iran and North Korea -- a dynamic that ultimately led to his ouster in September.

Bolton was kicked out of the White House just one day before the hold on the US assistance to Ukraine was lifted. He had been gone for about two weeks when the White House released the transcript of the July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Bolton was not on the call itself, but his deputy Tim Morrison was listening in.

It is unclear what kind of readout Morrison provided to Bolton, but Morrison told lawmakers that he had seen nothing illegal about the call but was fearful of it leaking.

Charles Kupperman, Bolton's former deputy at the National Security Council, who shares the same legal team, failed to appear under subpoena last week after filing a lawsuit asking a federal judge to determine if he was obligated to testify. Kupperman's subpoena was withdrawn Wednesday as House Democrats moved to avoid delays caused by court proceedings.

While it remains unclear what, if anything, the withdrawal of Kupperman's subpoena means for his former boss, sources close to Bolton have told CNN that even if he does appear Thursday, they do not expect his testimony to be explosive, despite any lingering feelings of animosity he may have toward the President.

Bolton's balancing act may include laying blame on several individuals who have come under scrutiny in the impeachment proceedings, including Giuliani, US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.

"He will say that Giuliani, Mulvaney and Sondland, to a degree, were being disloyal to the President," a source close to Bolton said. "John will say, 'I was the guardrail while Giuliani and Mulvaney were saying let Trump be Trump.' "

Bolton has a book deal in the works, which may also deter him from attacking the President directly.

Role in the impeachment depositions so far

Bolton has featured heavily in testimony provided by other witnesses, including current and former officials who have corroborated allegations that Trump attempted to pressure Ukraine to investigate his domestic political rival with the help of Giuliani and others.

Newly released transcripts of House depositions highlighted how several witnesses knew Trump was pushing for political help from Ukraine this summer. They also knew that the US government was holding up aid from Ukraine while seeking a public announcement that Ukraine would launch investigations into Trump's political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee.

Specifically, Bolton advised members of his National Security Council staff to tip off White House lawyers about potentially illegal activity being carried out by Giuliani, according to sources familiar with last month's testimony by Hill, who is the President's former top Russia adviser.

According to sources familiar with the testimony, Hill quoted Bolton as saying that Trump's lawyer, who was freelancing on Ukraine policy apparently at the President's request, was a "hand grenade" who was "going to blow everybody up."

Hill also said Bolton warned her that he would not get caught up in what he referred to as a "drug deal" being cooked up on Ukraine by Sondland and Mulvaney -- referring to their efforts to secure a commitment from Ukraine to open multiple investigations for domestic political gain.

Bolton's advice to sound the alarm followed a meeting two weeks before the now-notorious July 25 call in which Trump pressed his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

While Bolton appeared to be aware of concerns regarding Giuliani's dealings with Ukraine, it appears he did little to personally stop it.

Former Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker told the investigating House committees that Bolton "did not engage" on his warnings about Giuliani undercutting established foreign-policy efforts in Ukraine.

According to a transcript of his testimony, Volker had a conversation with Bolton about Giuliani "earlier in August," in which the envoy said, "Basically the same as with Secretary (of State Mike) Pompeo: 'I want you to know Giuliani's out there spinning these narratives. I'm concerned that this is affecting the President's views of Ukraine.' "

It does appear, however, that Bolton was working behind the scenes to help lift the freeze on military aid to Ukraine, according to testimony from the top US diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor.

Taylor testified that he "was told a couple of times by people at State and people at the NSC that the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, the National Security Adviser, and the head of the CIA all strongly supported the resumption of this assistance," referring to the Ukraine aid.

Taylor also noted that he "had known from earlier conversations with people that Bolton was working with the two secretaries and the Director of the CIA to get this reversed. So he confirmed that and urged me to make my concerns known to the Secretary again."

In his opening statement, Taylor relayed that Bolton had wanted him to send a cable to Pompeo.

"It was he who suggested then at that meeting that I write this note to Secretary Pompeo, which I did the next day," Taylor said in testimony. "He indicated that he was very sympathetic."

CNN has previously reported Bolton was among those administration officials who opposed the aid freeze from the outset, believing the aid was critical to US national interests and that foreign policy should not be conducted outside the interagency process, something that he had been warned by several officials was occurring, according to their testimonies.

Bolton has long emphasized the importance of process, telling those who worked for him that it can serve as their protector in cases when they have to listen to the person elected.

"Always get the process right: That way your opponents engage you on substance," Bolton would tell staffers, according to those who worked for him.

Bolton will almost certainly be forced to reveal whether he's followed his own advice should he testify Thursday or sometime in the future.

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2019-11-07 11:02:00Z
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Family and authorities piece together from ash what happened to mothers and children massacred in Mexico - CNN

Just that morning, they had seen the three women and their 14 children off to visit family, traveling together for safety. Now, loved ones and investigators are piecing together what happened in the remote mountains where the women and six of their children were killed.

After 'bullets rained from above,' child survivors of a Mexico ambush tried to save each other

The dual US-Mexican citizens were driving through a remote area in the mountains on the border between the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua. They had left the La Mora community, which appears to be a group of fundamentalist Mormons separate from the mainstream Church of Latter-day Saints. One journeyed to pick up her husband, another to meet her husband and move to North Dakota and the third to visit family in the neighboring state of Chihuahua, relative Kendra Lee Miller said.

The three had returned to the family ranch after one of their cars got a flat tire and set off on their way again, Miller said. Miller's brother was fixing the flat when he saw an explosion and rushed to the scene.

The family, their community, the Mexican government and the US government are now all working to understand what happened to the family and why. Here is what happened based on the accounts of the Mexican Security Minister Alfonso Durazo and a commission ordered by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to investigate the attack:

9:40 a.m. local time Monday: The first vehicle carrying Rhonita Miller and her four children, aged 12, 10 and 8-month-old twins, was ambushed, the Investigative Commission said Wednesday. None of the passengers survived. Durazo's account states that the families began their journey around this time.

11 a.m.: The second and third vehicles were attacked, the commission said. One was driven by Dawna Ray Langford. Of the nine children she had with her, two were fatally shot along with her. The third vehicle was driven by Christina Marie Langford Johnson, who had her infant daughter in the car. The baby survived, but Christina did not. Durazo disputes this timing, saying that the families were ambushed at 1:00 p.m. local time.

1:18 p.m.: Durazo said a family member, Julián LeBarón, alerted the National Guard about the attack and requested support.

6 or 7 p.m.: Search efforts begin for the children who survived. Durazo's account sets this an hour earlier than the commission's.

8:30 p.m.: The commission says that five surviving children were given first aid. About 15 minutes later, the commission says they were taken to a hospital in Bavispe, Mexico. The infant was found in her car seat on the floor of her mother's car surrounded by bullets but uninjured, Kendra Lee Miller said. The five children had been hidden in nearby bushes by their 13-year-old brother, who had walked about six hours back to the family ranch, she said. One of their sisters was not with them.

9:45 p.m.: The last surviving child -- a missing girl -- is found, the commission said. Miller said the 9-year-old had left to find help. Another family member said they found her with her feet swollen and covered in blisters from walking.

11:40 p.m.: Air transportation takes five of the children and two family members to a Red Cross ambulance in Agua Prieta, the commission said.

12:05 a.m. Tuesday: The Secretary of National Defense confirmed the deaths of three women and six minors, Durazo said.

12:30 a.m.: Those transported arrive in the US for care, the commission said.

Mistaken identity or targeted attack?

Officials and family members have been at odds over whether this was a case of a cartel mistaking them for a rival or if the family was a target.

Kendra Lee Miller, who lost her sister-in-law in the attack, said "cartels have taken too many of our family members."

These are the mothers and their children who were massacred in Mexico

She said cartels had recently threatened her family over where they can travel.

"They had stood up to the drug cartels, and they did have certain frictions either with the cartels or with neighboring communities over water rights," Former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda said.

But Lafe Langford disputed Castañeda's description of his family.

"It's so far from the truth. The only thing they were activists for was their children, the education of their children and their homesteads," Langford said.

"(Castañeda) said something about a conflict over water rights. We live on a river. We have all the water we could ever need."

A suspect arrested, but manhunt continues

On Tuesday, Mexican authorities announced the arrest of a suspect in relation to the massacre. But Wednesday, Durazo said investigators have learned the suspect was not involved.

Authorities did not say whether the individual has been released.

While the investigation unfolds, authorities in the US and Mexico have different theories on who might be responsible.

Chihuahua Attorney General César Peniche Espejel said he believes the newly formed Los Jaguares cartel, an offshoot of the infamous Sinaloa drug cartel, may be behind the massacre.

"These very cartels of Sinaloa, after the arrest of Guzman 'El Chapo,' have suffered fragmentations," Peniche Espejel said.

But a US official said Tuesday that a rival cartel called La Línea is under scrutiny.

CNN's Bethlehem Feleke, Holly Yan, Gary Tuchman, Angela Barajas, Ray Sanchez, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Konstantin Toropin, Tatiana Arias, Sandra Sanchez, Ana Melgar Zuniga, Samantha Beech, Sarah Chiplin contributed to this report.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/07/americas/mormons-attacked-us-mexico-border-thursday/index.html

2019-11-07 11:01:00Z
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