Iran Receives Mojahedin-e Khalq's Computers Seized by Albania

Members of the People's Mojahedin Organization in front of the entrance to Camp Ashraf 3 near the Albanian capital, Tirana, on June 20 (AFP)
Members of the People's Mojahedin Organization in front of the entrance to Camp Ashraf 3 near the Albanian capital, Tirana, on June 20 (AFP)
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Iran Receives Mojahedin-e Khalq's Computers Seized by Albania

Members of the People's Mojahedin Organization in front of the entrance to Camp Ashraf 3 near the Albanian capital, Tirana, on June 20 (AFP)
Members of the People's Mojahedin Organization in front of the entrance to Camp Ashraf 3 near the Albanian capital, Tirana, on June 20 (AFP)

Albanian authorities handed over computer devices to Iran that were confiscated during a police raid of a camp inhabited by the opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (Mojahedin-e Khalq) about two weeks ago near Manze, Iranian presidency official said on Tuesday.

On June 20, Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) said one of its members had been killed during a raid by hundreds of Albanian police officers on the Ashraf-3 camp, which Tirana denied. It also reported that the Albanian police confiscated 200 computers.

Chief of the Government's Information Council Sepehr Khalaji announced on Twitter that Iran received part of the hard drives and computer cases seized from Mojahedin-e Khalq.

Khalaji said the Iranian specialists are "busy retrieving information, identifying operatives, and the destructive cores and blind spots," adding that the "results so far are promising."

MEK warned that collaboration with Iran would lead to the "arrest, torture, and execution of the families, prisoners, and supporters of the MEK."

It accused Western countries of appeasing the Iranian regime amid reports about accelerating Iranian and European talks to revive the nuclear agreement.

Albanian police said they carried out searches at Ashraf-3, which is home to members of the People's Mojahedin suspected of plotting cyberattacks against foreign institutions, according to local media.

Albanian media reported that these operations were carried out as part of investigations into cybercrimes, noting that the police confiscated computers and software. It also announced the indictment of six members of the organization.

Iranian General Prosecutor, Mohammad Jaafar Montazeri, vowed that the trial of 700 MEK members would start soon.

Relations between Tehran and Tirana have been strained in recent years after the Balkan country agreed to receive on its territory 2,800 MEK members, the most prominent Iranian opposition faction in exile, at the request of Washington and the UN in 2013.

The Organization created a base camp near Durres, the country's main port.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, warned France of the repercussions of "supporting and hosting terrorists" after the MEK held its annual conference in Paris.

The conference was held in the presence of former US Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and British ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss.

The "Iranian regime has never been weaker than it is today," said Pence, one of the potential Republican candidates for the presidential elections.

"I call upon the Biden administration, and leaders of all freedom-loving nations, to stand with the people of Iran, to stand up for the cause of freedom and justice and to cease and desist all nuclear negotiations with Tehran immediately," Pence said.

Thousands of MEK supporters staged a rally in the center of the French capital that the police had initially banned.

Kanaani "strongly condemned" the decision by the French government to host the meeting, reported AFP.

"Instead of compensating for the gross mistakes of the past in supporting the murderers of the Iranian people ... the French statesmen are providing an arena for the gathering of terrorists," Kanaani said, urging the French government "to heed the demands" of its people instead of "supporting terrorist groups."

The spokesman warned Paris of the political and legal repercussions of continuing to support and host terrorists and murderers of Iranian citizens and officials.

In 1979, the People's Mojahedin Organization supported the revolution led by Khomeini, which overthrew the Shah's regime before joining the opposition.

Tehran has banned the group since the early eighties, accusing it of being behind many attacks and bombings that have claimed the lives of thousands of Iranians.

The group also supported the Iraqi army during the war with Tehran between 1980 and 1988.



Donald Trump Tries to Blunt Democrats’ Momentum in North Carolina

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives for a town hall event at the Crown Complex in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on October 4, 2024. (AFP)
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives for a town hall event at the Crown Complex in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on October 4, 2024. (AFP)
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Donald Trump Tries to Blunt Democrats’ Momentum in North Carolina

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives for a town hall event at the Crown Complex in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on October 4, 2024. (AFP)
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives for a town hall event at the Crown Complex in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on October 4, 2024. (AFP)

Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina on Friday for the fourth time in a month, as the Republican presidential candidate tries to firm up support in a state he was handily leading a few months ago but is now among the most competitive in the race.

The former president's visit to Fayetteville, home to a large military community, came as the state has been convulsed by literal and political storms.

Once-in-a-generation floods triggered by Hurricane Helene killed dozens in the state's western mountains, while the Republican candidate for governor has faced damaging reports about past inflammatory and lewd comments.

Trump drew cheers from the raucous crowd of thousands packed into a coliseum when he declared that if elected, he would seek to change the name of the state's sprawling military base, Fort Liberty, back to Fort Bragg. The name, changed last year, previously honored a Confederate general in the US Civil War.

Trump dismissed comments by US President Joe Biden, who cautioned this week that Israel should not attack Iranian nuclear facilities.

"Isn't that what you're supposed to hit?" said Trump. "When they asked him that question, the answer should have been hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later."

Some Trump allies privately say the race in North Carolina, which Trump won in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, is too close for comfort, even as they think he still has a slight leg up on Democratic rival Kamala Harris ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Hurricane Helene has intensified those concerns amid fears by some Trump advisers and donors who privately worry the storm could depress turnout in the state's conservative mountain regions.

By some metrics, the vice president is doing marginally better here than she is in Arizona and Georgia, two states which Trump lost in 2020. The three states are among a handful of battlegrounds that both candidates have a legitimate shot of winning next month, and will play a critical role in determining the election winner.

"I'm freaking out about North Carolina," said one major Trump donor, who was granted anonymity to give his candid assessment of the race. "Georgia and Arizona are not in the bag but heading in the right direction."

Trump leads Harris by 0.5 percentage point in North Carolina, according to a polling average maintained by FiveThirtyEight, a polling and analysis website. The former president leads Harris by 1.1 points in Georgia and 1.2 points in Arizona. All of those figures are within the margin of error for major polls, meaning either candidate could walk away with a victory.

On his way to North Carolina, Trump stopped in Evans, Georgia, for a briefing at a hurricane response center with the state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp.

The two men recently struck a truce after Trump publicly criticized Kemp for not supporting the specious election fraud claims he used in 2020 to try to overturn his loss in Georgia.

"I'm not thinking about voters right now, I'm thinking about lives," Trump told reporters.

HITTING THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL HARD

Trump had been leading Biden by several percentage points in North Carolina before the Democratic president dropped his re-election bid in July and passed the baton to Harris, who has steadily closed the gap with Trump.

While Trump's ad spending in the state has been relatively modest compared with most other battleground states, he has hit the campaign trail hard. His four campaign events in North Carolina, including stops in Wilmington and Mint Hill, in the last month outnumber those in any other state except for Wisconsin and Michigan, according to a Reuters tally.

The Trump campaign referred a request for comment to North Carolina's Republican Party. Matt Mercer, the party's communications director, said the Trump campaign was going as planned in the Southern state.

"North Carolina is close and has been for several cycles," Mercer said. "However, President Trump has won the state twice, and we are confident we will deliver a third time."

Harris also has made frequent trips to North Carolina and is expected there again on Saturday.

Dory MacMillan, a communications official for her campaign, said Harris "is gaining momentum as voters continue to learn more about Vice President Harris' vision for a New Way Forward where our freedoms are protected and everyone has the chance to not just get by, but get ahead."

Among the potential headwinds Trump faces is the state's Republican gubernatorial candidate, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, a Trump ally.

In September, CNN reported that Robinson, a Black man, had called himself a "black NAZI," advocated bringing back slavery and said he enjoyed transsexual pornography in an online chatroom. Robinson denied making the comments.

Analysts say it is unclear if the Robinson scandal will depress turnout among Republicans on Election Day, potentially hurting Trump. But it will certainly not help.

"It hasn't necessarily changed voters' minds, but where I would be concerned is that you want everyone rowing in the same direction," said Doug Heye, a veteran Republican strategist and North Carolina native, who noted the disarray around Robinson's campaign was hampering its ability to drive voters to the polls.

Privately, two Trump donors and a Trump adviser added that the fallout from the hurricane was a worry. The most affected areas of the state are also among its most Republican.

"If you don't have a home, do you really care about the presidential election?" the adviser said, summing up the concerns.