Netherlands: Axe Attack in Nijmegen

-Powned

On January 7, in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, some sort of dispute broke out between two men at a checkout line in a supermarket. Subsequently, one of the men began to chase the other out of the store with an axe, striking him at least once before bystanders overpowered him. The victim, a 39-year-old man, not further identified, was taken conscious to a hospital. The attacker, identified only as a 45-year-old man from Nijmegen, is in custody, and neither his name nor a motive has been released.

Witnesses interviewed by reporters at the scene blamed the government for the incident, and one stated that "they should all be sent to Siberia." In the videotape of the incident, one person, possibly the suspect, is heard to possibly say "takbir" (which in Arabic is related to the phrase, Allahu Akhbar") a couple of times, but this is not certain. It should also be pointed out here that one of the bystanders who responded and helped overpower the attacker was named Mohammed.  

We will update this story as further details become available. In the meantime, the article below from RTL Nieuws is translated by Fousesquawk.

   

Man attacked with axe in a shopping center, bystanders intervene

RTL News  January 8, 2026 Updated January 8, 2026

A serious incident (occurred) in a Nijmegen shopping center yesterday afternoon. A 45-year-old man from Nijmegen attacked at least one bystander with an axe. A 39-year-old man was injured and was taken to the hospital. The suspect is under arrest. The incident was filmed by bystanders.

Caption: Screenshot from the video

The images show that initially, a scuffle breaks out at the cashier of a supermarket, in which a person runs away. In the background, screaming and yelling can be heard.  

Watch the images here.

Further on in the shopping center, the axe is wielded again. Both the man with the weapon and another involved bystander landed on the ground.

Several bystanders rushed to help, and the man was then overpowered. According to the police, the victim was conscious and taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Dispute

The two men involved, according to a witness, had a dispute with each other before the incident that was captured on video, Raymond Jansson told De Geldlander. According to him, Jansson was one of the men who managed to overpower the suspect with the blade. 

Attempted manslaughter

The police inform RTL News that the man is suspected of attempted manslaughter. Depending on the investigation, that suspicion could change. The man is in custody, and the exact circumstances surrounding the violence are still under investigation.

Police are not sharing more information in connection with the investigation.

Austria: Teenage Rat Pack Faces Justice (Sort of)

Donaustadt (Vienna)

A teenage rat pack is facing justice in an Austrian courtroom. Four defendants (ages 14, 15, 15, and 17) are facing sentencing for a series of assaults committed in Donaustadt, a district of Vienna. The defendants, in beating and robbing their victims, also videotaped the acts, including one clip where a 16-year-old teenager was forced to kiss the hands and feet of one of the 15-year-olds before being violently beaten.

The defendants in the article are described as citizens of Iraq, Romania, and Austria. That is probably misleading.

This case is reminiscent of what is happening in Sweden, where immigrant gangs not only attack and beat young Swedes, but consciously humiliate them in the process. It appears this has spread to Austria.

The article below from today's Kronen Zeitung is translated by Fousesquawk.

Victim of violence (16) had to kiss the feet of the perpetrator

Court  January 8, 2026

Caption: Four defendants (14, 15, 15, and 17) brought to trial from pre-trial detention

A brutal youth gang from Donaustadt filmed their attacks with a cell phone. A particularly disgusting clip: The 15-year-old defendant forces a teenager to kiss his hands and feet. Before the situation escalates.

During the questioning of the accused in Vienna District Court, the judge plays the video, which the 15-year-old, together with 4 other teenagers sitting in the defendants' dock, recorded on September 20, 2025, in a park in Kagran, Donaustadt. They are disturbing images.

A boy with fear in his eyes is seen, who has to alternately kiss the feet and hands of his tormentor. Before the perpetrator, in an explosion of violence, knocks the 16-year-old victim down, then brutally kicks the teenager. The clip was promptly uploaded onto Snapchat with Arab music, smileys, and the text: "I f----ed up his nose. So cool."

Insert:

"I only wanted to protect my friend... We talked nicely to him, but he answered rudely".

This is how a 15-year-old justifies forced kissing and assault

Random victim brutally assaulted

"I only wanted to protect my friend," the young defendant argues insolently. "From whom?", the female judge is puzzled over the curious claims presented to her by the 5 defendants-Austrian, Iraqi, and Romanian citizens- in the trial. In addition to the forced kissing, there are also serious robbery and other assaults-also, according to the charge, involving a knife. 

Caption: The lawyers Marcus Januschke and Florian Höllwarth 

Violence was involved in the attacks. An adult random victim suffered multiple facial fractures and 4 broken teeth. The first defendant paid damages of 2,800 euros in the trial. The loot in another case: Just 15 euros.  

Partial sentences for the 15-year-old

The boys, 4 of whom were brought out of pre-trial detention, partially confessed. Two received diversion, the other 3 partial sentences. In addition, the 15-year-old who forced his victim to kiss his feet got 15 months in custody, 12 suspended. (The sentence) is not yet in effect.  

Today's ICE Shooting in Minneapolis

This article first appeared in New English Review. It was written yesterday.

Today, an ICE agent shot and killed a woman as she attempted to drive away from agents who were ordering her out of the car for blocking a street in Minneapolis. There are videos of the incident, some of which do not conclusively show where the agent who shot was standing in relation to the suspect's car.

Fox News has a clearer video here. In addition, this photo shows a bullet hole in the suspect's vehicle on the left side of the front windshield.

-Fox News

So, as one agent is attempting to open the suspect's driver door, the agent who fires the shots is standing in front of the vehicle's left front headlight. The suspect backs up and then drives forward toward the agent who fired the shots. This video does not conclusively tell us if the car actually struck the agent. (reportedly, the agent suffered some injury that required hospitalization, though that is not apparent from the video.) At any rate, once the vehicle starts in the agent's direction, he draws his weapon and fires. 

So what is the law and the policy that federal agents operate under in this kind of situation? First of all, federal policy says agents do not fire at a moving vehicle. There are just too many things that can go wrong when that happens. Federal policy is also not to fire at a fleeing suspect, whether in a vehicle or not.

But there is a very big exception: If the fleeing suspect is posing an immediate threat to the lives and safety of the agents-or anybody else, firing is justified. The same goes for when a suspect is trying to run down an agent with a moving vehicle. It is not just the agent who is in immediate threat of injury or death; any other agent seeing that threat can fire when a vehicle is being weaponized. The basic rule here is that if you try to ram your car at law enforcement, you can expect to be shot at.

This morning, I heard some talking heads on CNN say that the agent should have just gotten out of the way. That is common sense and the first natural reaction. It appears the agent in question made such a maneuver. That doesn't necessarily affect the justification for firing.

As a retired DEA agent (and US Customs before that), I was in an almost identical situation one night in Los Angeles, in which one of my fellow agents (an Immigration officer at that) was struck by a suspect who was behind the wheel. (Not at full speed but with a couple of start and stop maneuvers by the driver. I was just a few feet away from the driver's side window and had a clear shot at his head. I almost fired, but held back when I noticed that one of our agents was standing just to my left and slightly in front. Had he suddenly moved in front of me as I fired, I would have hit him. As it was, I held my fire, the Immigration agent who was struck fired his weapon at the left front tire and put a hole in his hubcap. What resulted was a car chase through several municipalities around Los Angeles until he finally crashed into the curb, and we could pull him out of the car.

As is policy, both DEA and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)  investigated the shooting, and the Immigration agent was cleared. The fact was that the driver had attempted to drive through the agent, not once, but twice (from a starting position). The agent was able to show that he was in danger of his life. He had actually been struck (bumped) by the car twice. 

But what if I had fired-and most assuredly would have killed him? My defense would have been the same as the INS agent. In other words, I would have been acting in his defense. Would I have been justified? Or would I have been prosecuted? Let's just say that I think I made the correct, split-second decision. In the case of today's shooting, it comes down to whether the agent reasonably felt that his life was in immediate danger when he made that split-second decision.  I think he can make that case.

Turning now to the reactions from Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, I can only call them despicable. Walz kept saying he wanted to speak carefully, but, as usual, he didn't. He even implied that he might use the National Guard in his state against ICE. Frey was worse. He told ICE to "get the F--- out of Minneapolis," and said that the reasoning given by ICE of self-defense was "BS" (he did not use the acronym). In effect, Frey is fanning the flames. 

The plain and simple fact is that the state of Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis are acting irresponsibly and bear some of the blame for this death. They don't have to actually go out and help round up illegal aliens, but they have a duty to keep their streets safe. There should be complete cooperation between state, local, and federal law enforcement. Ideally, ICE should be informing the local police of an impending operation, and the police should ensure that order is kept on their streets. In addition, local police should always notify ICE when they have someone in custody who is not in the country legally. How much easier -and safer for all concerned- if ICE agents could simply go to a jail when they are advised that an illegal alien prisoner is being released and take that person into federal custody pending deportation. Instead, what we have are sanctuary cities that will not do that, necessitating ICE agents having to go into the community, find, and arrest these people at much greater risk to themselves and everybody else, including the suspect.

So now we have incidents like what happened today in Minneapolis.

The Indictment of Maduro

 This article first appeared in New English Review.

As a retired DEA agent, I could not help but feel a sense of pride seeing Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro being led into the DEA office in New York to be processed (fingerprinted and photographed). It was very similar to my feeling of pride in 1989 when Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was brought to the US by DEA agents. Like Noriega, Maduro is not charged with being a dictator or a political foe of the US. Like Noriega, Maduro is faced with serious charges for his involvement in facilitating the smuggling of drugs into the US. Noriega was convicted and served 3 decades in prison in the US, France, and Panama. Maduro's guilt or innocence will be decided by a federal court as well.

As for the military action that resulted in Maduro's arrest in terms of international law, that will be widely discussed in the days, weeks, and months ahead. What happens in Venezuela now is open to question. Whether it will follow the path of Panama after Noriega or Iraq after Saddam Hussein, I have no idea. Much of that will depend on how the Venezuelan military and the populace react.

I am not a lawyer, so take it for what it's worth. In my view, in terms of US law, there is little to debate, although the Democrat left has already condemned the action. Some are already demanding that Maduro be returned to Venezuela. That will not happen. These legal points were argued and settled in the Noriega case. No US law has been violated in bringing Maduro to justice.

For the benefit of those who may not know, under American conspiracy statutes, those who are involved in the importation of drugs to the US are chargeable, even if they have never previously set foot in the US. Drugs destined for the US represent a crime against the US, and everyone involved in that activity is indictable. Among the charges Maduro is facing are 21 USC 841 (a) (1) pertaining to manufacture, possession, and distribution of controlled substances, 21 USC 952 pertaining to importation of controlled substances, and 21 USC 963, conspiracy to commit the above offenses. Since the drugs in question were destined for the US, our courts have jurisdiction.

It is also legally irrelevant how the defendant came into the custody of US authorities-unless such action violates the "conscience of the court". Albeit vague, the term does have legal implications. In this case, it is a result of a military action. Are the courts going to rule that the invasion of Venezuela was unconstitutional?

I will leave the questions of international law, failure to consult with Congress, and the righteousness of going into Venezuela to the experts and the local bartenders. I have my own opinion and concerns, but the main point here is that legally, the prosecution of Maduro et al. is on solid ground. 

Final comment: Today DHS Secretary Kristi Noem made a statement praising the work of her department, the military, the FBI, and the CIA. Call it inter-agency rivalry or whatever, but I was taken aback that she did not mention DEA. I was not following the case over the years as to who was doing what, and I am certain that many agencies had a part in this. But there must be a reason that Maduro was processed in the DEA office.

Italy: New Year's Eve in Florence

Piazza Duomo, Florence-in quieter times

In Europe, New Year's Eve was difficult, to say the least. The worst incident happened in Crans Montana, Switzerland, a Swiss ski resort in the Swiss Alps, where young celebrants accidentally set fire to the roof of a nightclub. The death toll is over 40. It is the top news story all over Europe, and there are several nationalities among the dead and injured.

Meanwhile, the usual riots and torched cars broke out all over France. There were riots in Dutch cities as well as in Germany.

In Florence, young men described as North Africans engaged in a mega brawl in front of the famed cathedral (Il Duomo). The article below from Il Tempo, translated by Fousesquawk, has a brief video of the incident.

Radio Genoa has a much clearer version of the video here (hat tip Gates of Vienna).

Shocking video, the mega brawl by foreigners in Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square) in Florence

January 2, 2026

Foreigners rampaging in Cathedral Square on New Year's Eve. Around 12:40 am, some 20 youths of Maghrebian (North African) origin started a violent brawl, using tables, chairs, and bottles. The incident began in Republic Square and then moved to a pizzeria in Cathedral Square. The outside of the location was vandalized. During the brawl, a bottle was thrown inside, fortunately without hitting any of the employees. Law enforcement intervened at the location to report the situation under control. In these images, the fury of the groups of North Africans.

"The images of the mega brawl that took place in Cathedral Square deeply wound Florence and the residents of Florence," said European Parliament deputy of Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy party), Francesco Torselli, municipal councilor of Fratelli d'Italia, Alessandro Draghi, and the president of the National Youth of Florence, Simone Sollazzo. "Brutal, gratuitous, senseless violence exploded in the heart of the city in one of the most beautiful squares in the world, and, at least on paper, among the most protected. Shocking scenes that require serious reflection: How is it possible that all this has happened right here, before the eyes of everybody?"Fratelli d'Italia members write. Municipal Counselor for Security, Andrea Giorgio, speaks of the exploitation of the incident on the part of the center-right. 

"New year, the usual Torselli: The brawl incident in Cathedral Square is serious and will be investigated by law enforcement, but as usual, the Fratelli d'Italia European Parliament deputy exploits it and says things that are not true, forgetting that the right has been governing for three years, and the Italians are still awaiting answers on security,"  Giorgio asserts. "The propaganda mechanisnm from the right is always the usual: distort reality, constructing polemics and lies to cover their failure, and attack Mayor Funaro and the administration (...) "Describing the most beautiful New Year's Eve in Florence in recent years by summarizing it with only one incident, serious-not to minimize it, but still limited like that, is to manipulate reality." But the images speak clearly.

How to Get Promoted to Full Professor at Columbia University

"Entry only for Aryans"

Sign in Nazi Germany

Columbia University 2024

An associate professor at Columbia University named Manan Ahmed was captured on videotape blocking an unidentified student from accessing a part of the campus during the spring 2024 encampment fiasco.

I am cross-posting an article from The College Fix dated December 29, 2025, which shows a video of a verbal confrontation between Ahmed and an unidentified student in which Ahmed is telling the student "you can't go in", apparently referring to the spring pro-Palestinian encampment. The video clip ends at the point when the student tells Ahmed he is going in and invites (Ahmed) to stop him. What happened after that is not shown. The video was posted on X December 3, 2025, by the group, Columbia Jewish and Israeli Students.

You might think that Columbia would take some sort of disciplinary action against a professor who blocks a student from entering any part of public space on campus.

Wrong!

Columbia has now reportedly promoted Ahmed to full professor, according to the X posting.

"Jews not wanted here"

According to the website of Columbia's Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, Ahmed is still listed as an associate professor. However, the History Department lists him as a full professor.

It would appear that Columbia University has still not learned its lesson.

Austria: Move to Ban Sharia Law

In an interview with an Austrian newspaper, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker has called for a ban on the use of Sharia law in Austria. Whether that happens apparently depends on the opinions of other coalition partners in the government, as well as certain government ministers.

The article below in Die Presse is translated by Fousesquawk.

Sharia-ban: Neos (New Austria and Liberal Party) and SPO (Social Democrat Party of Austria)  generally agreeable to change in law, Justice Ministry skeptical

The coalition partners of the SPO (Social Democratic Party of Austria) are generally in agreement with the changes. The SPO, however, first wants to hear specific suggestions. The SPO-led Justice Ministry warns of hasty decisions. 

Caption: Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker wants a Sharia ban

December 30, 2025 at 11:10

In an interview with the Standard, Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker has called for a ban on Sharia. He is not willing to accept Sharia being applied in Austria, even in individual provisions.  This would be a legal system for a religious state, which contradicts our values. We should send a clear signal even if, in specific cases, there is no contradiction to our own laws. The Austrian People's Party now wants to ban the use of Sharia law in Austria permanently. If it were up to them, a corresponding proposal could be adopted in January at the government retreat. However, that would first need an agreement with the coalition partners. 

On Tuesday, the SPO took a wait-and-see attitude, but did not reject the proposal out of hand. "It is our opinion that Austrian law applies to all and must stand above Sharia law," says a spokesperson for Philip Kucher, head of the Parliamentary group. If legal clarifications must be given, we are open to that. However, the Integration Ministry must now be involved. Minister Claudia Plakolm must say which legal changes are necessary in her view. After that, the usual coordination process will take place within the coalition. Therefore, it is too early to say what the SPO's position will be.

The Neos are in favor of a change in law, in principle. "In our governmental program, we have agreed that we want to prevent the use of Sharia law in personal and marriage issues in Austria, and thus, take a further step against oppression and for full equality of women and men," they say in a (Neos) statement. That is currently being negotiated and should be implemented as quickly as possible. However, only those laws passed by the national Council are currently valid.

The Justice Ministry, led by Anna Sporrer (SPO), views changes with skepticism. International private rights would also be affected by changes-and in this area, many people, as well as our economic relations with other countries, would be affected. "The area of international arbitration is especially considered an economic engine in Austria. This is no place for hasty political decisions," the Ministry says in a statement.

In its government program and, most recently, within the framework of the National Action Plan against violence against women, the Federal Government has agreed to examine potential changes in international private rights within the framework of a working group in 2026. The working group already began its work in December.

"Possible legal changes must be coordinated broadly and with care. If one aspect is adjusted here, that has repercussions on many other legal areas, for example, family law, where a possible nullification of a marriage could lead to disruptions in custody and alimony rights or to undesired polygamy," the Justice Ministry states. Because of the international component and relations with other countries, the Foreign Ministry will also have to be involved in the matter.

The Sharia issue in Austrian law became more acute this year when a civil court validated an agreement between two business persons based on Sharia law. The specific provisions did not violate the fundamental values of Austrian law. Austrian courts also frequently apply foreign laws in family law matters, including Sharia. That applies in cases in which marriages were entered into on the basis of foreign law. However, even here, Islamic rules cannot contradict Austrian legal principles.

Italy: 9 Arrests in Genoa for Funneling 7 Million Euros in Charitable Funds to Hamas

Mohammad Hannoun

-Ansa (IT)

Italian authorities have arrested 9 people in Genoa accused of funneling 7 million euros to Hamas through 3 charities, ostensibly set up in Italy to benefit the Palestinian people. The most significant arrestee is Mohammad Hannoun, considered one of the top leaders in the Palestinian community in Italy. 

We are in the process of providing English subtitles to a Corriere della Sera video contained in this article from today's edition.

*Update (January 29, 2025

Here is the aforementioned video from Corriere della Sera. Subtitling by Gates of Vienna, Vlad Tepes, and RAIR Foundation USA. Translation by Fousesquawk.

2025 Fousesquawk Jerk of the Year: Tim Walz

This year's winner of the Fousesquawk Golden Penguin Award is Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Walz, of course, already showed the world in 2024 that he was a jerk when he became Kamala Harris' running mate for vice president. She couldn't have picked a worse running mate. The guy became a national joke as he repeatedly came out bouncing around the stage like a jack-in-the-box.

This year, Walz has denounced the ICE raids in his state, calling them "public theatrics".

Now, it has been revealed that under his watch as Minnesota governor, one of the biggest frauds in US history was going on right under his nose within the Somali community, largely in Minneapolis, the largest Somali community in the US. Whether Walz has any active involvement in all this remains to be seen, but, regardless, Tim Walz is the winner. He is the 2025 Fousesquawk "Jerk of the Year". 
 

France: Multiple Stabbings in Paris Metro

This afternoon in Paris, three women were stabbed at 3 different Metro stations by the same attacker. The suspect, identified tentatively as a 20-year-old man from Mali and previously known to police, was arrested at Sarcelles (northern suburb of Paris).

The French blog, Francois deSouche, has posted 2 excerpts of updated articles from Le Figaro and Le Parisien-with links to the entire articles. The excerpts are translated by Fousesquawk.

Note that there is a discrepancy in the articles, one stating that the attacks occurred on Friday, while another reports it as Saturday. The reference to Saturday is clearly incorrect since this attack occurred today between 4:15-4:45 pm, Paris time. 

(Since this translation was completed, the headings of Francois de Souche's post have been updated. The updated information indicates that he had previous arrests for robbery and sexual assault, had been given an order to leave the country, was placed in a detention center, but since he could not be deported within 90 days due to lack of appropriate travel documents, he was under house arrest,)

Paris: 3 women stabbed in the Metro at 3 different stations: Assailant already known to police. He was born in 2000 and is of Malian origin. He was arrested at Sarcelles. (Update)

12-26-2025 at 18:56

Born in 2000, the individual was already known to police services for various crimes, including property crimes, the Paris Prosecutor's office told Le Figaro

Le Figaro

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

According to our information, the terrorist theory is ruled out; it is more likely the work of an unstable or psychologically fragile person.

The attacks took place on Friday between 16:15-16:45, a police source told us, at the stations of Arts-et-Metiers, Republique, and Opera, information confirmed to Le Parisien by RATP (Public Transport). The victims were quickly treated by Paris emergency personnel. Fortunately, these 3 women only have slight injuries, 2 of them, specifically, to the back and thigh, a police source states. "The young woman was injured in her thigh, a woman who was present at the Republique station at the time of the attack stated, "there was a lot of blood, it was a deep cut."

Le Parisien

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The attacker, who was reported to be on the run, was reportedly arrested at Sarcelles, according to our information. The vital prognoses of the victims are not critical, and the injuries were reportedly superficial. 

The individual in question, "thin, of African origin, and wearing a khaki coat", first attacked a woman with a knife at the Republique station before continuing his rampage at the Arts-et-Metiers station, then Opera (station).

{-------}

Le Figaro

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several women were attacked with a knife when they were at the Metro on line 3. The incidents occurred on Saturday between 16:15- 16:45. The perpetrator fled.

The suspect fled and is reportedly still being sought. Of Malian origin born in 2000, according to a police source, he is dressed in a puffy, green and black jacket.

{....}

Le Parisien

Netherlands: Eritrean Human Smuggler Extradited to Netherlands

An accused Eritrean human smuggler has been extradited from the United Arab Emirates to the Netherlands, where he is charged with human smuggling and extortion.  Kidane H., along with Walid D. (already on trial in the Netherlands), are both charged with imprisoning Eritreans on their way to Europe in camps in Libya, where they were beaten, tortured, and raped. In addition, family members, many of whom were living in the Netherlands, would be extorted for money to release their relatives.

Torture camp in Libya.

-Algemeen Dagblad

This is another aspect of the migration issue in Europe that is often overlooked.

The article below in NOS is translated from Dutch by Fousesquawk.  

NOS News Today 18:31

Notorious Eritrean human smuggler extradited to the Netherlands

A notorious Eritrean human smuggler was extradited today from the United Arab Emirates to the Netherlands. 41-year-old Kidane H. is suspected by the Public Prosecution Office of atrocities against migrants who were on their way to Europe.

He stands charged in one of the largest human smuggling cases ever in the Netherlands. Last month, the Public Prosecutor's Office demanded 20 years in prison for the other main suspect in the case, Walid D.

The two men allegedly ran a very violent organization together. Eritreans on the way to Europe were imprisoned by them in camps in Libya. There, the migrants were tortured and raped.

At that time, family members of the victims were called. They had to listen to how the victims were beaten and then pay to have them freed. If they did not do that, their family members were held longer. One of the victims told NOS (News) how traumatic the time in Libya was.

Escape in Ethiopia

According to the prosecution, the main suspects made a lot of money from the beatings and extortion of primarily Eritrean refugees. Since many of the extorted family members of the Eritrean victims are living in the Netherlands, the Public Prosecutor's Office is prosecuting the men here.

Kidane H. was originally charged with human smuggling in Ethiopia, but he escaped from there in 2021 during a court hearing. Since then, he has been sought internationally. 

On January 1, 2023, H. was arrested in Sudan in an international police operation led by the United Arab Emirates. That country suspected him of money laundering. For that, he has since served a prison sentence, after which he could be extradited.

Life sentence in absentia

The verdict in the case against co-defendant Walid D. is scheduled for the end of January. His lawyers would like to call Kidane H. as a witness. It is not yet clear when that would happen, and if it would affect the verdict. Kidane H. will be tried in a separate trial.

In Ethiopia, he was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia for human smuggling in Africa. In the Netherlands, he will stand trial for other charges. The Public Prosecutor's Office suspects Kidane H. as well as Walid D. of participating in a criminal organization between 2014 and 2020, in which they engaged in human smuggling, hostage taking, extortion, and violence.

In addition to the 2 main suspects, there are also 5 others standing trial on suspicion of receiving and transferring money. The investigation is being led by the Royal Marechausee (Military Police), who, among others, is working with Italy, the International Criminal Court (ICC), Europol, and Interpol police services.

News Hour produced this video on the human smuggling network.

Italy: Attempted Sexual Assault Against 14-Year-Old Boy: 25-Year-Old Egyptian Charged

Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes

Reggio Emilia

Italian media is reporting the arrest of a 25-year-old Egyptian migrant and asylum-seeker in Reggio Emilia, who allegedly accosted a 14-year-old boy after they both got off a bus. The man allegedly approached the boy, stripped down naked, and groped his victim in his private parts before the boy managed to escape into an ice cream shop.

The below article from  Gazetta di Reggio is translated by Fousesquawk

Reggio Emilio, sexual attack at bus stop. The victim is a 14-year-old student who was returning from school. 25-year-old arrested

The suspect targeted him on public transport, then once he was off the bus, chased him from behind trying to touch him. The boy escaped to an ice cream shop and asked for help. Now the break thanks to the investigation by the Mobile Squad (police).

December 21, 2025 09:24

Reggio Emilia- A 14-year-old was victim of a sexually based attack in the early afternoon of November 19, near via Settembrini in Reggio Emilia. The incident occurred around 2 pm after the boy had gotten off the bus and was heading home, returning from school. According to what was reconstructed by the investigators, the attacker reportedly noticed him on board the public transport and followed him when he got off. Under a pretext, he allegedly tried to initiate a conversation, but the boy, suspecting bad intentions, tried to get away. The man then came up from behind, stripped down naked, and groped his private parts. The boy escaped into an ice cream shop asking for help, and they called the police from here.

Following the investigation, the National Police Mobile Squad executed a pre-trial jail custody order against a 25-year-old man of Egyptian nationality, with minor violations against property and (who is) an asylum-seeker, suspected of sexual violence against a minor.

The video cameras installed inside the bus and those of the commercial businesses, in fact, allowed the reconstruction of the events before and after the attack. The 14-year-old, after getting off the bus, with his backpack on his back and drawing folder in hand, was walking back home when the delinquent approached him, and, under a pretext, began talking to him. The victim, however, perceiving the bad intention, tried to get away in various ways, but the man suddenly came up behind him, stripped down naked, and groped him in his private parts. The boy managed to escape, finding refuge in an ice cream shop, and the intervention of passersby caused the attacker to flee.

The victim's account, which was immediately confirmed by the images on the video surveillance acquired and analyzed by the Mobile Squad invesigators, in the witness statements, and a video that the victim himself managed to capture in the tense moments prior to the attack, provided the prosecutor's office with a solid evedentiary framework, fully shared by the judge of preliminary investigation, who issued the custody order. The 25-year-old was put in jail, where he will remain pending an evidentiary hearing.  

Informativa