Iranian Judiciary Chief Warns of ‘Malicious Acts’ in Iraq

Sudani receives the delegation of the Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei in Baghdad on Wednesday. (Governmental media)
Sudani receives the delegation of the Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei in Baghdad on Wednesday. (Governmental media)
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Iranian Judiciary Chief Warns of ‘Malicious Acts’ in Iraq

Sudani receives the delegation of the Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei in Baghdad on Wednesday. (Governmental media)
Sudani receives the delegation of the Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei in Baghdad on Wednesday. (Governmental media)

Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei warned on Wednesday during his visit to Baghdad of the “malicious acts” carried out by Israel and the US in Iraq.

His visit coincided with Iraqi officials stressing the crucial need to strengthen bilateral relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly in investment and trade.

According to an Iraqi statement, Mohseni arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday to discuss the regional situation and the reinforcement of judicial coordination between the two countries.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani underscored the pivotal role of Iraq in advancing dialogue in the region.

The Iraqi government said in a statement that they discussed bilateral ties and coordination in various topics of common interest.

The Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office reported that Ejei and Sudani discussed joint efforts to confront terrorism and drug trafficking. The meeting further touched on the developments in Gaza and the continuous barbaric crimes committed by the occupation against civilians.

Sudani stressed the need to level up political pressure from the Islamic and Arab world to end the genocide in Gaza.

Speaking in a meeting with members of Iraq’s Coordination Framework, Mohseni Ejei stressed the importance of cooperation between Iran and Iraq.

He said that the US and the Zionist regime are “carrying out malicious actions against Islamic countries, including Iran and Iraq.”

Ejei went on to stress that there is a need for unity and cooperation between the two countries "more than ever".

Mohseni Ejei concluded his visit to Baghdad by visiting the location where General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps, was assassinated by a US strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020.

The visit comes amid diplomatic deliberations between Baghdad and Washington regarding the fate of international military presence. While Iraqi government officials assert that the talks are geared towards orchestrating the departure of foreign forces, the US Ministry of Defense has refuted such claims.

- Coordination with Riyadh

Al-Sudani emphasized the significance of coordinating stances with Saudi Arabia on regulating the energy market and oil prices within the framework of OPEC.

Al Sudani met Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud and his accompanying delegation.

The meeting discussed expanding the economic partnership between the two countries.

“Iraq welcomes the entry of Saudi companies into the Iraqi market, in which there are many great investment opportunities today," Al Sudani said. He highlighted the “advanced level” of relations between the two countries, especially in the investment and energy sectors.

The Saudi minister conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, expressing his country's desire to continue strengthening bilateral partnership and cooperation with Iraq in various fields.



Suspect in Trump Assassination Attempt May Have Lain in Wait for 12 Hours 

Law enforcement officials work at the crime scene outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 16, 2024, following Sunday's attempted assassination on former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (AFP)
Law enforcement officials work at the crime scene outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 16, 2024, following Sunday's attempted assassination on former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (AFP)
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Suspect in Trump Assassination Attempt May Have Lain in Wait for 12 Hours 

Law enforcement officials work at the crime scene outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 16, 2024, following Sunday's attempted assassination on former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (AFP)
Law enforcement officials work at the crime scene outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 16, 2024, following Sunday's attempted assassination on former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (AFP)

A man suspected of hiding for nearly 12 hours in an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course was charged with two gun-related crimes on Monday, a day after authorities say he was spotted in the bushes with a rifle as the former US president played nearby.

The suspect never had the Republican presidential candidate for the Nov. 5 election in his line of sight and did not fire any shots. But the incident raised questions about how an armed man was able to get so close to Trump, just two months after another gunman grazed his ear with a bullet during a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump's visit to his golf course in West Palm Beach was not on his public schedule, acting US Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe told reporters on Monday afternoon, and it was not clear whether the suspect knew Trump would be there.

The Secret Service opened fire after an agent sweeping the course saw a rifle barrel poking out of the bushes a few hundred yards away from the former president, who was on the fairway of the fifth hole.

"All of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air. I guess probably four or five," Trump said during an event on X Spaces. "Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me. ... We got into the carts and we moved along pretty, pretty good. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job."

While praising the Secret Service agents, he added: "We do need more people on my detail."

The gunman fled in a sports utility vehicle, according to court papers on Monday. Officers found a loaded assault-style rifle with a scope, a digital camera and a plastic bag of food left behind.

A suspect, identified on Monday as Ryan Routh, 58, was arrested about 40 minutes later driving north on Interstate 95. The license plate on his vehicle had been reported stolen from another car.

Records show a phone associated with Routh was located at the golf course starting at 1:59 a.m. (0559 GMT) on Sunday morning, 11-1/2 hours before the incident.

The suspect was on the "public side" of a fence along the golf course's boundary, Rowe said.

Routh was the subject of a 2019 tip to the FBI alleging that he was a convicted felon who illegally possessed a firearm, Jeffrey Veltri, the agent in charge of the FBI's Miami field office, told reporters.

The complainant was unable to verify the information when the FBI investigated the tip, Veltri said.

GUN CHARGES

Routh made a brief appearance in federal court in West Palm Beach on Monday, where he was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. More charges could follow.

The defendant invoked his right to an attorney when investigators sought to question him, Rowe said.

In 2002, Routh pleaded guilty in North Carolina to possession of an unregistered fully automatic gun, defined in state law as a weapon of mass destruction, according to the county district attorney's office, and was sentenced to probation. He was also convicted of possessing stolen goods in 2010.

Trump's campaign schedule will remain unchanged, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.

Trump blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, for the apparent assassination attempt. He claimed the suspected gunman was acting on Democrats' "highly inflammatory language," though authorities have not yet offered evidence of any motive.

"Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country - both from the inside and out," he said, according to Fox.

Democrats including Biden have repeatedly called Trump a danger to democracy, citing among other things his refusal to acknowledge his 2020 election defeat, which inspired the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol. Trump himself repeatedly uses incendiary rhetoric and false statements about his political opponents and, recently, Haitian immigrants.

Both Biden and Harris decried the incident, and Biden also spoke with Trump on Monday.

"President Biden just spoke with former President Trump, and conveyed his relief that he is safe. The two shared a cordial conversation and former President Trump expressed his thanks for the call," the White House said in a statement.

Trump, in a statement, called it a "very nice call."

SECRET SERVICE UNDER PRESSURE

The Secret Service, which protects US presidents, presidential candidates and other high-level dignitaries, has been under intense scrutiny since the earlier attempt on Trump's life.

That led to the resignation of Director Kimberly Cheatle. The service bolstered Trump's security detail following the July 13 attack, in which the gunman was shot dead by responding agents.

The agency "needs more help," including possibly more personnel, Biden told reporters on Monday, adding: "Thank God the president's OK."

House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who convened a bipartisan task force to investigate the first assassination attempt, told Fox News that Congress would also examine the latest incident, saying, "We need accountability."

Rowe, who took over after Cheatle's resignation in July, told Congress on July 30 he was "ashamed" of security lapses in the earlier attack.

Routh is a staunch supporter of Ukraine and traveled there after Russia's 2022 invasion, seeking to recruit foreign fighters. Ukrainian officials distanced themselves from Routh on Monday, and The International Legion, where many foreign fighters in Ukraine serve, said it had no links with Routh.

Harris has promised unwavering support for Ukraine if elected.

Trump has expressed skepticism about the amount of aid the US has provided Ukraine and has vowed to end the war immediately if elected. He told Reuters last year that Ukraine might have to cede some territory to gain peace.