Russian hackers threaten release of sensitive DC police data – National & International News – 13May2021

DC police at mercy of Russian hackers. Attorney: deputies ambushed Andrew Brown. Biden scrambles response to all-out war in Israel.

NATIONAL NEWS

Russian cyber gang threatens release of DC police data

A Russia-based ransomware group is threatening to release sensitive data from the Washington DC police department if they do not receive a sufficient ransom payment. The police department would not confirm details of any negotiation, nor would it say if they had offered the group any money.

The group released some screenshots of the data it has seized. One of the screenshots shows data from the department’s list of confidential informants. These are usually private citizens who feed police information in exchange for lenient treatment. The release of these names could put the informants’ lives in immediate danger.

The group also posted disciplinary files on the department’s officers. The gang has previously released personal information from background checks of some police officers. These included details of officers’ past drug use, finances and at least one incident of past sexual abuse.

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Attorney: Footage shows deputies “ambushed” Andrew Brown

Weeks after North Carolina sheriff’s deputies in Andrew Brown, a 42-year-old black man, Brown’s family and their attorneys have finally been allowed to see more than a 20 second snippet of the police bodycam footage from the incident. At least seven sheriff’s deputies showed up at Brown’s home to serve a search and arrest warrant related to drugs charges.

According to Brown family attorney Chance Lynch, who viewed the footage along with the family, the confrontation amounted to an “ambush” by the deputies. According to Lynch, when Brown pulled up in his driveway, both hands were clearly visible on his steering wheel when deputies opened fire. Brown, in fear of his life, then attempted to drive away.

Lance says that the tape contradicts the local district attorney’s assertion that Brown had struck deputies with his car. Rather, he had backed up and attempted to drive away from them after multiple shots rang out. Lynch said, “There were so many shots that we had difficulty in counting the number”.

Medical examinations of Brown’s body show that he was fatally shot in the back of the head as he drove away from the scene.

North Carolina law requires a court order to make bodycam footage available to the public. A local Superior Court judge has already dismissed requests to release the footage from media organizations.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Fears of all-out war in Israel

Four days of riots, raids, Hamas rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes mark the most severe escalation in the Israel-Palestine conflict since 2014. More than 87 have died in the conflict, including more than 80 Palestinians (17 of them children) and 7 Israelis (including one child).

Hamas militants have launched hundreds of rockets, and for the first time, some of which have even targeted northern Israel. Israel’s Iron Dome defense system has deflected the majority of rocket attacks from Gaza. But some have made it through, causing extensive damage to buildings, injuries and some deaths in Israel. Israeli airstrikes have also targeted high-rise apartment buildings in Gaza, several of which quickly collapsed. Israel’s defense forces say these sites were linked to Hamas operations, but many also housed hundreds of innocent civilians.

Now, it appears that the Israeli military is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza. Israeli troops have been amassing at the Gaza frontier since Tuesday.

International response

In hopes of helping to de-escalate the violence, President Biden has dispatched a top State Department official to Israel. So far, there is not yet a nominee for US ambassador to Israel. The conflict seems to have caught the Biden administration unprepared and without a clear plan of action.

Biden’s hands-off approach prevented the US from taking any action regarding the evictions of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, one of the catalysts of the present conflict. Israeli settlers have sued and won the right in Israeli courts to seize Palestinian property. Palestinians received ownership of this property in the 50s, in exchange for waiving their refugee status. The UN says the removals of the Palestinians to make way for Jewish settlers in the area violated international law.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has called for Russia, the US, the UN and EU to serve as international mediators to resolve the current crisis.