Israel Strikes Lebanon’s Northernmost City For First Time Of War
An Israeli drone bombed a Palestinian refugee camp in the Lebanese city of Tripoli, killing a Hamas leader and three members of his family in the early hours of Saturday.
Al-Jadeed TV channel reported that “an Israeli drone targeted a residential apartment in the vicinity of Khalil al-Rahman Mosque in the Beddawi camp in Tripoli,” killing four people and injuring others who were transported to the Hilal Hospital inside the camp.
Hamas issued a statement announcing the death of Qassam Brigades commander, Saeed Atallah Ali, his wife Shaima Khalil Azzam, and his two young daughters, Zainab and Fatima, who were killed as a result of the airstrike.
The Hamas statement added that “the Qassam Brigades, in light of the ongoing and escalating massacres of the occupation in the steadfast Gaza Strip, our proud West Bank, and our camps, the fortresses of our return, pledge to our people to avenge the pure blood that was shed and is still being shed.”
According to Al-Jadeed, the Israeli bombing was the first of its kind in northern Lebanon since the beginning of the war. Israel also struck targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut for the third night in a row.
Lebanese News Agency reported that the Israeli warplanes launched 12 raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut at dawn on Saturday.
Witnesses speaking with Reuters said a blast was heard and smoke seen early on Saturday in Beirut, amid evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli military for residents to evacuate several areas. The alerts warned residents to evacuate buildings in the Burj al-Barajneh neighborhood, the Choueifat district, and Haret Hreik.
The Israeli army announced it bombed a mosque within the Martyr Salah Ghandour Hospital compound in the town of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon overnight. A statement from the hospital said that nine medical workers were injured in the strike, including many in serious condition.
The army claimed Hezbollah had established a “command room” within the mosque “to plan and carry out acts of terror against IDF troops and the State of Israel.”
BREAKING | An Israeli airstrike targeted a residential apartment in the Beddawi camp in the city of Tripoli, in northern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/eNhmYupMrq
In Gaza, the Israeli military has regularly bombed hospitals, mosques, and schools, claiming without evidence they are being used by Hamas fighters. Lebanon’s Health Ministry has announced that more than 2,000 people have now been killed in Israeli attacks on the country since 8 October last year, including 127 children and 261 women.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 41,802 people, with the local health ministry saying the majority are women and children, and injured 96,844 since the war began on October 7 last year.
The IRS said it is preparing a tax-enforcement crackdown after a Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) audit revealed that more than $1.4 billion in taxes may have gone uncollected from individuals who won large sums in gambling.
The report from TIGTA’s audit, released on Sept. 30, found that nearly 150,000 Americans with gambling winnings exceeding $15,000 between 2018 and 2020 failed to file tax returns, leaving potentially significant amounts of unpaid taxes.
The watchdog’s report identified more than $13.2 billion in gambling winnings during the period in question, while estimating that the IRS “could potentially increase tax revenue by approximately $1.4 billion through addressing the 139,045 individual nonfilers with gambling winnings.”
The audit revealed that tax enforcement on nonfilers with gambling winnings has been limited, with the TIGTA noting that 103,000 individuals from this population have not been issued notices or faced other enforcement actions to bring them into compliance. The watchdog recommended that the agency “begin appropriate enforcement actions” to collect the unpaid taxes.
In a written response to the report, the IRS agreed with the recommendation, vowing to begin enforcement actions.
“We agree. For tax years (TY) 2018 through 2020, the IRS will identify high-income non-filers with gambling winnings where no enforcement actions have been taken, including the top 100 non-filer cases identified by TIGTA,” wrote Lia Colbert, commissioner of the IRS’s Small Business Self-Employed Division, which oversees the agency’s collection activities and the examinations of most U.S. businesses.
“We are committed to improving tax compliance.”
Colbert said the IRS would begin enforcement by issuing the first return delinquency notices to select nonfilers with gambling winnings.
However, the audit raised further concerns beyond income-tax compliance. Hundreds of W-2G forms, which are used to report gambling winnings, were filed without the required taxpayer identification numbers (TINs), making it difficult for the IRS to track the winnings and enforce tax compliance, the TIGTA found. The watchdog also pointed out that the IRS has few processes in place to identify noncompliance with excise taxes by gambling operators, particularly in the rapidly growing online sports-betting market.
While the IRS agreed with most of the watchdog’s recommendations, it disputed the significance of the W-2G forms missing TINs, arguing that they represent a small fraction of overall reporting. In response, the TIGTA wrote that “while this population may not be large in absolute terms, we believe that the amount of backup withholding that should have been withheld is significant” and that the IRS should investigate payers who filed W-2G forms with missing TINs.
In a separate report, also released on Sept. 30, the TIGTA found potential unpaid taxes and penalties stemming from early retirement withdrawals. The watchdog estimated that around 2.8 million taxpayers who took early retirement distributions between 2018 and 2022 might owe some $1.6 billion in additional taxes and failure-to-pay penalties.
However, the IRS disputed these findings, stating in a written response that a “very high” percentage of these taxpayers qualify for exemptions and that the actual amount of unpaid taxes would likely be much less. The IRS also took issue with an additional $788 million in estimated unpaid taxes related to retirement withdrawals, arguing that the TIGTA’s analysis did not account for income reported on other tax forms or exemptions that applied to many of the early distributions. Still, the IRS partially agreed with the watchdog’s recommendations, including vowing to look into 54 taxpayers who did not report early retirement distributions as income on their tax returns.
The TIGTA’s audits, which highlight gaps in compliance and enforcement, signal that more aggressive tax-collection efforts may be on the horizon, as the IRS faces pressure to reduce the “tax gap,” which is the difference between taxes owed and taxes paid.
In Attack Targeting Civilians, Rampaging Haitian Gang Slaughters 70, Including Women, Infants
A blood-drenched, fiery horror scene played out in Haiti on Thursday, as a rampaging gang killed at least 70 people and injured 16 more. Mowed down by automatic weapons or choked to death by house-arson, the dead included three infants and 10 women, according to the UN’s human rights office.
In a troubling indicator of gang violence sprawling beyond the country’s capital, the bloodshed took place in the town of Pont-Sondé, which is located in the agricultural Artibonite department, about 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince. The carnage, which commenced around 3 am local time, prompted more than 6,000 to flee the town for their lives.
“Today, once again, once too often, we are faced with the most absolute cowardice,” said Haitian Prime Minister Gary Conille in a social media post. “This heinous crime, perpetrated against defenseless women, men and children, is not only an attack on these victims, but on the entire Haitian nation.”
The pattern of gunshot wounds illustrated the pure viciousness of the massacre. As Frantz Alexis, the director of the hospital that received the majority of the casualties, told the Washington Post:
“The patients we admitted had gunshot wounds in almost every part of their bodies.They had been shot in the chest, abdomen, thigh, leg and other areas. … We often receive gunshot wounds in this area, but this is the first time we’ve had such a large number all at once. It’s unprecedented.”
The rampage by the notorious Gran Grif gang targeted property as well, with the perpetrators setting fire to 45 houses and 34 vehicles. The gang’s leader, Luckson Elan, claimed responsibility for the murderous mayhem, and said it was an act of retaliation against civilians who refused to prevent police and vigilantes from killing members of the gang, Reuters reports.
Even though Haiti has been suffering through gang violence on a grand scale, the scope of Thursday’s attack shocked the sensibilities of the country’s citizens. The incident also underscored the impotence of security forces. Speaking for the Dialogue and Reconciliation Commission to Save the Artibonite Valley, Bertide Horace told Reuters that local police refused to leave their station, apparently confident they’d be no match for Gran Grif’s firepower. “The gang did not meet any resistance,” she said.
In July, Kenyan soldiers deployed to Haiti in a UN-endorsed operation began patrolling Port Au Prince in US-supplied MRAP armored vehicles. They were promptly welcomed with gunfire, and have yet to have any significant impact on the security situation in the impoverished country. Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Haiti, as a senior State official said the White House was considering a plan that would elevate the status of the Kenyans to official UN Peacekeepers.
Last week, the UN Security Council unanimously approved an extension of the multinational security force’s mandate, but refrained from the “peacekeeping” escalation. The current outside forces consist of a mere 400 Kenyans and a couple dozen Jamaicans. That’s a mere fraction of the 2,500 total police officers pledged by countries like Chad, Bangladesh, Barbados and Benin, AP reports. About 80% of Port au Prince is said to be under firm gang control.
“Washington will likely struggle to gain support for the UN Peacekeeping mission from both the Security Council and Haitians,” noted the Libertarian Institute’s Kyle Anzalone. “Peacekeepers have a dark legacy in Haiti, including causing a cholera outbreak that killed over ten thousand people and committing rampant acts of sexual violence against women.”
Iranian oil tankers have moved away from Kharg Island, Iran’s biggest oil export terminal, amid fears of an imminent Israeli attack on the most important crude export infrastructure in Iran.
Satellite images and tanker tracking companies have detected the major exodus of Iranian tankers away from Kharg Island, which handles about 90% of Iran’s all oil exports, CNBC reports.
“The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) appears to be fearing an imminent attack by Israel,” TankerTrackers.com posted on social media platform X late on Thursday.
“Their empty VLCC supertankers vacated the country’s largest oil terminal, Kharg Island, yesterday,” TankerTrackers.com said.
The vessel-tracking service noted that “crude oil loadings continue, but all of the extra vacant shipping capacity has been removed from the anchorage of Kharg Island.”
“This is the first time we see anything like this since the 2018 sanctions round,” TankerTrackers.com said.
Satellite imagery captured two weeks ago by the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission showed a number of very large crude carriers in the waters around Kharg Island, CNBC says.
But satellite images of the same area from October 3 showed that no tankers can be seen around Iran’s most important oil export terminal, according to CNBC.
The removal of vacant shipping capacity from Kharg Island suggests that Iran could be bracing for an Israeli attack on its oil infrastructure.
The oil market is also awaiting the Israeli response to the Iranian missile attack on Israel earlier this week. Oil prices were up by 1.5% early on Friday and on track for a strong weekly gain amid reignited tensions in the Middle East.
Most analysts say that the OPEC spare capacity, concentrated in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, would be enough to compensate for an Iranian loss of supply.
An even more significant disruption to supply from the Middle East could lead to triple-digit oil prices. But analysts currently believe attacks on oil infrastructure in other producers in the region or the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are low-probability events.
Alex Jones Creditors Target Future Assets – Which Could Include His Name
Lawyers targeting Alex Jones over a $1.4 billion judgement to Sandy Hook families have asked a Texas court to appoint a receiver to manage assets he acquired after his recent Chapter 7 bankruptcy conversion.
The move seeks to control any new ‘non-exempt’ assets or endeavors that Jones might generate in the future. If the receiver deems that Jones’ name, as a business entity or brand, holds value – they could seize control of any profits or business activity generated under it to satisfy the debt.
Jones explained the situation on Friday:
Breaking exclusive! The democrats have launched a new attempt to take me off the air and shut down INFOWARS on October 18th! The deep state is openly planing to trigger a civil war if Trump is reelected and wants my show off air so I can’t expose their plans! pic.twitter.com/DpGl0olTO6
Breaking! Democrat Party Lawyers Have Filed In Texas State Court To Appoint A Receiver Over Alex Jones The Person, Literally Repealing the 13th Amendment’s Outlawing Of Indentured Servitude and Slavery.
Non-exempt assets are properties and income streams that bankruptcy protection does not cover. In the Jones’ case, this could include future earnings from personal appearances, digital content revenues, or any new business ventures initiated after the conversion of his bankruptcy case from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7.
Jones has raised just under $80,000 as of this writing in a GiveSendGo campaign to foot his legal bills.
As President Trump has rightly stated hundreds of times, “They’re not after me, they’re after you—I’m just in the way,” when you stand with Alex Jones in the face of the globalist onslaught you are standing up not only for yourself but your family, your country, and God.
Again, your desperately needed donations will fund Alex Jones’ legal defense and expenses associated with staying on the air that are essential to him being able to stay on the air regardless of what happens to InfoWars.
We the people have turned the tide but evil is striking back. Without your support the enemies of humanity will win.
Europe has experienced negative energy prices several times this year, as the rapid pace of development of solar and wind energy outpaces the region’s ability to cope with excess supply. Electricity prices dropped into negative figures for 7,841 hours during the first eight months of 2024, sometimes to as much as -$22 per megawatt hour, according to the consultancy ICIS. The main culprit has been the solar sector, driven by inconsistencies in the delivery of electricity due to its unstable nature. While the deployment of utility-scale batteries could help to tackle this challenge, this could take several years and countries will have to deal with these price dips in the meantime.
Countries across Europe have invested heavily in wind and solar energy projects in recent decades as the price of these clean energy sources has decreased in line with the falling costs of installations. The cost of solar photovoltaics (PV) has dropped by 90 percent in the last decade, while the cost of offshore wind has fallen by 70 percent, and batteries by over 90 percent. This is largely thanks to the sharp rise in wind and solar energy production over that time. Data comparing the rising global production versus the cost of wind and solar energy shows that costs have decreased by approximately 20 percent each time the global cumulative capacity doubles. Over the last four decades, solar power has shifted from being one of the most expensive energy sources to one of the cheapest.
However, as countries increase their renewable energy capacity, they face financial challenges in the transition. Solar and wind energy are highly volatile, producing energy when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, and not during the night or on still days. This means that on days when wind and solar power generate high levels of electricity, the market can become oversaturated with inexpensive power. This drives down the price of electricity greatly, sometimes to negative figures. Meanwhile, during times of low or no production, no electricity is delivered to the grid, leaving it to rely on other more stable energy sources, such as natural gas.
This does have some benefits, as customers can enjoy cheaper energy prices in places where utilities offer off-peak promotions. Utility companies are increasingly encouraging customers to use more energy during high-production hours, and thereby decrease use during peak and low-production hours. This can be done by offering customers cheaper energy prices during certain hours of the day, driving them to use high energy-consuming appliances or charging electric vehicles when there is an abundance of clean energy available.
Nevertheless, the unreliability of many clean energy sources presents a clear challenge to utilities that are trying to deliver stable power to consumers. Although investment in wind and solar energy projects continues to rise, as governments worldwide pursue a green transition through the provision of financial incentives, some operators are pausing projects due to the uncertainty around energy prices. Several producers across Europe have been forced to reduce their electricity output or pay to offload electricity due to grid saturation, which is discouraging them from making new additions to wind and solar farms.
This demonstrates the clear need to increase energy storage in line with the rise in renewable energy capacity. The International Energy Agency (IEA) stated, “Developers who choose not to co-locate their wind and solar PV power parks alongside battery storage or other sources of flexibility may see a drop in potential revenues during peak generation – hampering profits and discouraging investment.”
The EU expects that energy storage will need to increase by more than three times between 2022 and 2030, to match the forecast of a 69 percent renewable energy electricity share by the end of the decade. The rollout of battery storage could be further supported by greater investment in AI-powered smart grids and meters, to better manage energy efficiency for consumers.
The IEA’s Special Report on Batteries and Secure Energy Transitions states that battery storage was thefastest-growingg energy technology in 2023, with deployment more than doubling year on year. A total of 42 GW of battery storage was added globally. However, the rate at which battery storage is being rolled out does not match the growth in renewable energy capacity worldwide, which is resulting in volatile energy prices in countries with a high share of green energy on the grid.
To address the issue of negative wind and solar energy pricing, producers must take proactive measures to mitigate the effects of this challenge. This may be done by investing in battery storage or by working with utilities to move consumers from fixed to variable energy contracts, to encourage them to reduce use during low-production hours. This should be supported by stronger national policies on battery storage and clean tech uptake to strengthen electricity grids from governments worldwide.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited Ukraine on Thursday, just two days after replacing Jens Stoltenberg as the head of NATO, demonstrating the alliance’s commitment to the proxy war.
“This is now my fifth time in Ukraine since the full onslaught of Russia started in February 2022,” Rutte said alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “But this is my very first time as NATO Secretary General, and it was important to me that I come to Ukraine at the start of my mandate.” He has previously expressed that Ukraine will remain a top priority of the alliance.
Rutte vowed he would work to support Ukraine’s continued move closer to NATO and eventual membership in the alliance. “Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before. And we will continue on this path until you become a member of our alliance. I very much look forward to that day,” he said.
Rutte’s visit comes as Ukraine continues to lose territory to Russian forces in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. On Wednesday, Ukraine announced it was withdrawing from the strategic Donetsk town of Vuhledar, and Russian troops are closing in on Pokrovsk.
Zelensky is still pushing hard for the US to allow NATO missiles to be used in long-range strikes inside Russian territory, a step that would risk a direct NATO-Russia war and nuclear escalation.
“The frontline must be strengthened, and long-range capabilities must finally be provided in the way necessary to end this war. Everyone in the alliance understands the needs,” Zelensky said in his nightly address after meeting with Rutte.
NATO press release & photo: Mark Rutte took office as the NATO Secretary General. He was welcomed to NATO Headquarters in Brussels by the outgoing Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Last month, the US appeared poised to approve the decision on long-range strikes but may have backed down after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned it would mean NATO is at war with Russia and ordered changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine.
Researchers have identified a protein that may prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a new study published in the Developmental Cell on Oct. 2.
AMD is the leading cause of vision loss among older adults, affecting nearly 20 million Americans. As the population ages, this number is expected to rise significantly. Currently, there are no treatments that can stop AMD’s progression.
“I think we identified something that can target early-stage disease. … That’s a big deal,” the study’s lead author Ruchira Singh, an associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Rochester in New York, told The Epoch Times.
The study used human stem cells rather than animal models, which may give a more accurate depiction of what is happening in AMD, according to the researchers.
“Older research methods have been limited in their ability to capture important aspects of either healthy or diseased human cells,” Singh noted.
Researchers Identify the Protein Driving AMD
The researchers extracted human stem cells from healthy people and AMD patients and programmed them into cells lining the retina.
Compared to healthy people, AMD patients’ retinal cells overproduced a type of protein called tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3), which leads to a buildup of fats and proteins called drusen. Drusen are a marker of early-stage AMD.
In AMD, the macula, the part of the retina responsible for sharp vision, becomes damaged.
In the early stages, yellow deposits of drusen begin to accumulate in the retina. Early AMD symptoms include blurred vision or seeing a black spot in the central field of vision, making everyday activities like reading, driving, and even recognizing faces increasingly difficult.
Dry AMD, which accounts for 90 percent of diagnosed cases, is characterized by the gradual buildup of drusen and slow vision loss. Wet AMD, which is less common and more severe, is linked to the growth of abnormal blood vessels under the retina.
In the study, researchers found that TIMP3 blocked another enzyme called matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP2), which acts as the eyes’ cleanup crew, removing harmful substances and keeping the eyes healthy. With less MMP2 activity, drusen accumulates, driving AMD disease.
Boosting MMP2 Prevents AMD
Singh’s team found that by blocking TIMP3, they could increase MMP2 levels, which help regulate inflammation and eye health. When MMP2 levels are low, inflammation increases, leading to more drusen buildup and vision loss.
By boosting MMP2 levels, the researchers were able to reduce drusen accumulation.
Singh’s team has filed provisional patents for enzyme inhibitors that could help treat the disease. Next steps include preclinical studies and determining the best method of delivery, such as oral medication or eye drops. Only after these stages conclude can the therapy be tested and, eventually, made available to patients.
Although the exact cause of AMD is not fully understood, genetic and environmental factors are known to contribute. Having a family history of AMD may increase the risk.
Specific genes, such as ABCA4, have been linked to the condition. However, research is ongoing to determine their role in treatment, according to a review published in Clinical Interventions in Aging.
Older age, smoking, obesity, and cardiovascular disease increase a person’s risk of AMD. Some studies have also linked diets high in saturated fat with an increased likelihood of AMD.
Lifestyle Preventative Tips
AMD progresses at different rates in different people. Up to 3 percent of people with minor drusen accumulation experience vision problems within five years, while about 50 percent with larger drusen develop late-stage AMD and vision loss within the same time frame.
Daily vitamins and nutritional supplements may help slow the progression of intermediate dry AMD.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), certain nutrients benefit eye health, including vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3 fatty acids. These are linked to a lower risk of developing AMD later in life.
Citrus fruits, dark-green leafy vegetables, whole grains, fatty fish, and nuts are good food choices for supporting eye health.
Additionally, the AAO recommends a low-glycemic-index diet for those with AMD or who are at risk. Glycemic index indicates how quickly foods raise blood sugar, and low-glycemic-index diets tend to be high in nonstarchy vegetables and whole or minimally processed grains and low in processed foods.
Physical activity is also associated with lower odds of early and late AMD. The AAO notes that consistent physical activity, such as walking, cycling, swimming, and even active gardening, can help keep eyes healthy.
Without treatment, dry AMD can progress to wet AMD, which worsens quickly.
Saudis Declare Neutrality On Iran-Israel Conflict, Not Wishing For A Repeat Of 2019 Aramco Attacks
The world’s largest oil exporter Saudi Arabia says that it is staying neutral and on the sidelines when it comes to the ratcheting wars in Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen – and the Iran vs. Israel showdown.
Other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – which includes Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait – have also this week “sought to reassure Iran of their neutrality” in the Iran-Israel conflict, Reuters has reported.
Prior to the Gaza war, Saudi Arabia was widely seen as on the cusp of signing a full normalization and diplomatic relations deal with Israel, as part of the Abraham Accords – but that was derailed in the wake of Oct.7.
At the same time, Riyadh and Tehran have recently made peace. The kingdom is now seeking to assure Iran it will not join Israel’s side.
The Saudis and other GGC states wish to avoid the kind of attacks which could impact its oil production and exports, such as the 2019 Abqaiq–Khurais Saudi Aramco drones strikes. The US blamed Iran for those historic attacks, but Tehran leaders never owned up to it.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has been in Doha this week. He told Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan on Thursday, “We consider Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, as our brothers, and we emphasize the importance of setting aside differences to enhance cooperation.”
Bin Farhan also expressed the desire to set aside all rifts. “We aim to permanently close the chapter on our differences and focus on resolving issues, developing relations as two friendly and brotherly countries,” he said, as cited in Iranian state media.
Regional tensions are soaring, and global oil markets have been reacting with each big headline and statement related to reports that Israel could be preparing major strikes on Iran’s oil and gas fields.
As for the latest Friday afternoon, which sent oil sliding…
President Biden asked Friday for clarification on his Thursday’s comment about potential Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities:
“I think if I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields.”#OOTT
More broadly, things between the Gulf states and Iran began cooling in the wake of the decade-long proxy war in Syria to oust Assad. The GCC countries were active in funding jihadist rebels seeking to conquer Damascus (and to counter the Iranian/Shia axis), but once it became clear that the Syrian government emerged victorious, GCC diplomats began racing back to Damascus.
Federal prosecutors have charged five Chinese nationals with allegedly lying and trying to conceal their actions, more than a year after authorities spotted them near a remote Michigan military site where thousands of troops had gathered for summer drills.
The five defendants, who were undergraduate students at the University of Michigan at the time of the incident in August 2023, left the United States after graduating in May, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court on Oct. 1. Arrest warrants have been issued for the five individuals.
“The defendants are not in custody. Should they come into contact with U.S. authorities, they will be arrested and face these charges,” Gina Balaya, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit, said on Oct. 2.
The incident happened at Camp Grayling, the largest Army National Guard training facility in the United States, during last summer’s annual Northern Strike training event.
According to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, more than 7,000 participants from 25 states, one territory, and four countries took part in the military exercises.
The five defendants are not charged for what happened at Camp Grayling. Instead, they are accused of misleading investigators about their trip to the location and conspiring to delete photos from their cellphones.
In 2020, three Chinese nationals were sentenced to prison terms for trespassing and taking photos of the Naval Air Station Key West in Florida.
In July, a Chinese student pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors under the Espionage Act for using a drone to take photos of naval shipyards in Virginia.
Encounter
The five defendants are Xu Zhekai, Guan Renxiang, Zhu Haoming, Tao Jingzhe, and Liang Yi, according to the complaint.
On Aug. 13, 2023, the five were confronted after midnight at a boat launch on Bear Lake at Camp Grayling by a sergeant major with the Utah National Guard. According to the FBI, one of the defendants said, “We are media,” before they gathered their belongings and agreed to leave the area.
The Utah National Guard had a tactical operations center near Bear Lake. The center had tents, antennae, satellite dishes, vehicles, and generators, all of which were “visible from the location” where the sergeant major encountered the five defendants, according to the complaint.
The five had reserved a room at a nearby hotel a week before they were spotted.
On Dec. 18, 2023, Guan arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport to board a flight to South Korea en route to China. He told U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials that he and his classmates had taken a trip to northern Michigan four months earlier “to see shooting stars,” the FBI said.
In Guan’s possession was an external hard drive containing two images of “military vehicles” taken on the same night as the encounter with the National Guard officer, according to the complaint.
On March 3, FBI agents interviewed Xu, Tao, Zhu, and Liang separately at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after they arrived on a flight from Iceland. According to the FBI, the four said they were in Michigan in August 2023 to “see a meteor shower.”
Investigators said the five defendants discussed deleting photos from their phones and cameras on the Chinese social media app WeChat.
The five “appear to have coordinated their statements regarding the incident and discussed the deletion of photos from their electronic devices to prevent them being seen by law enforcement,” according to the complaint.
Concerns About Espionage
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, said in a post on social media platform X on Oct. 2 that the case “shows once again that CCP espionage can happen anywhere in America and we must be vigilant.”
“The CCP obviously has an interest in Camp Grayling and this is further evidence it would be a mistake for Michigan leaders to allow Gotion to build in our state,” he wrote, referring to Chinese battery maker Gotion’s plans to build a manufacturing plant in the state.
“State funding for Gotion’s plan to bring Chinese nationals to Mecosta County is an open invitation for more spying. For national security reasons, Governor Whitmer and the legislature must revoke state funding for Gotion immediately.”
Whitmer has said that Gotion’s plant, which is set to be built about 100 miles from Camp Grayling, would make Michigan the “global hub of mobility and electrification.”
Moolenaar also referenced his recent report, saying that American universities “must shut down their joint institutes with Chinese universities, and enact stricter guardrails on emerging technology research.”
“American universities must realize they are a target for espionage and protect the critical taxpayer-funded research they do,” he said.
According to the report, China has gained “back-door access” to U.S. technologies through partnerships with academic research institutions over the past decade, with millions of dollars in U.S. funding indirectly going toward advancing Chinese military technology.
The FBI said the five defendants studied at the University of Michigan as part of the school’s joint program with Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in China. They began their studies for the two-year program in August 2022.
The University of Michigan states on its website that more than 150 SJTU students attend the school through dual degree or joint graduate programs every year. The two universities have also established a joint institute in China.
Canberra-based think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute, in a 2019 report highlighting the risks of research partnerships with Chinese universities, said SJTU had several links to the Chinese military and was home to three of China’s major defense laboratories.
In a speech in March 2020, Yang Zhenbin, SJTU’s party secretary, said that he would “fully support and resolutely obey the central government’s decisions” and “uphold the party’s overall leadership of the school,” according to the school’s website.
