NYPD intel chief: 1 person suspected in most Jewish threats

NYPD intel chief: 1 person suspected in most Jewish threats

NEW YORK

New York City’s head of police intelligence said Thursday that investigators believe one man using a voice changer and phone spoofing device is behind a large number of the scores of threats made against U.S. Jewish institutions this year.

John Miller appeared on the show “CBS This Morning,” describing the attacks as coordinated. The spoofing device makes it appear the call is not coming from the number the man is using, and makes it appear it’s coming from within the institution, he said.

“We have an offender with some technical prowess here,” Miller said.

Gunmen kill 2 people at Swiss cafe before fleeing

BASEL, Switzerland

Gunmen opened fire inside a cafe in the Swiss city of Basel on Thursday, leaving two people dead and a third critically wounded, authorities said.

A statement from the office of the local prosecutor said two men entered Cafe 56 at 8.15 p.m. Thursday and unleashed a salvo of gunfire. They then escaped in the direction of a nearby railway station.

The identity of the three victims had yet to be determined, authorities said. No one else was hurt in the attack.

Investigations are still ongoing, but a police officer told The Associated Press: “This is a local incident. It has nothing to do with Islamists or terrorism.”

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

South Korean court formally ends president’s rule

SEOUL, South Korea

In a historic ruling Friday, South Korea’s Constitutional Court formally removed impeached President Park Geun-hye from office over a corruption scandal that has plunged the country into political turmoil, worsened an already-serious national divide and led to calls for sweeping reforms.

It was a stunning fall for Park, the daughter of a dictator who rode a lingering conservative nostalgia for her father to a big win in 2012, only to see her presidency descend into scandal. The unanimous ruling opens her up to possible criminal proceedings and makes her South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be removed early from office since democracy came in the country in the late 1980s.

South Korea must now hold an election within two months to choose Park’s successor. Liberal Moon Jae-in, who lost to Park in the 2012 election, currently enjoys a comfortable lead in opinion surveys. Whoever becomes the next leader will take over a country facing a hostile North Korea, a stagnant economy and deep social and political divides.

Iran successfully tests ballistic missile, report says

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has successfully tested a ballistic missile, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported Thursday.

The report quotes Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, chief of the Guard’s aerospace division, as saying the missile destroyed a target from a distance of 155 miles.

It said the sea-launched ballistic missile dubbed Hormuz 2 was tested last week.

The Hormuz 2 is capable of hitting floating targets with high accuracy within a range of 186 miles, Fars said. It provided no additional details.

Associated Press