Criminal charges coming in alleged Iranian hack of Trump campaign emails: Sources
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(WASHINGTON) — Federal law enforcement officials plan to announce criminal charges Friday in connection with the alleged Iranian hack of emails from members of former President Donald Trump’s campaign, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
The Iranians allegedly gained access to data and files taken from the email accounts of Trump advisers, which included internal documents used to vet Trump’s perspective running mate, the sources said.
The Trump campaign, as victims, would be notified of any criminal charges that happen, as is standard Department of Justice practice.
Sources tell ABC News the Trump campaign has been informed.
A Justice Department official declined to comment when reached by ABC News.
A Trump campaign spokesperson also declined to comment.
(NEW YORK) — Election workers across the country are being bombarded with threats, and law enforcement agencies nationwide are dedicating “substantial resources” to ensure public safety during the election, according to a new threat assessment obtained by ABC News.
The document, transmitted Monday by the NYPD Intelligence Bureau, encapsulates the full picture of Election Day threats, including the risk of physical violence and disinformation generated by foreign governments. Potential targets include “election personnel and government officials, campaign offices, as well as voting-related sites, infrastructure, and technology,” the assessment said.
“Individuals may employ a variety of tactics that could include physical attacks, threats of violence, delivery of suspicious packages, swatting, arson, and property destruction, harassment, as well as cyberattacks and mis/dis/mal-information campaigns,” the assessment also said.
The FBI has received more than 2,000 threats to election workers and “opened at least 100 investigations into these unlawful actions” as of April, the assessment said, citing a September report by the U.S. Department of Justice, with more than 20 people charged.
In the last week alone, multiple individuals in separate states have faced charges related to threats against election officials, according to the assessment:
Teak Brockbank, 45, of Colorado, pleaded guilty to transmitting interstate threats after he made a series of online threats against election officials in Colorado and Arizona, a judge in Colorado, and federal law enforcement agents.
Richard Glenn Kantwill, 61, of Tampa, allegedly made threats against an election official.
John Pollard, 62, of Philadelphia, allegedly threatened to kill a state party representative who was recruiting poll watchers online.
Threats and hostile rhetoric against election officials have proliferated online, according to the assessment:
Last month, the NYPD Intelligence Bureau found users on several platforms that accused Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger of attempting to influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, and called for his execution.
A user in an online extremist messaging channel called for a “national militia for the defense of the Republic” to ensure “election integrity.”
In September, suspicious packages containing powder were sent to secretaries of state and state election offices in at least 15 states.
“Each state runs elections a little bit differently but the commonalities across all the states are that election officials are professional, they follow the laws of their state, and the process is transparent,” Benjamin Hovland, chairman of the bipartisan U.S. Election Assistance Commission, told ABC News.
(MALIBU, Calif.) — Several Southern California counties are under “extremely critical” wildfire warnings as warm, dry temperatures and strong winds create volatile fire conditions.
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a rare red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties alerting of an “extreme fire risk” from Malibu into the San Gabriel Mountains, north of Los Angeles, where winds could gust near 100 mph.
“A very strong, widespread, and long-duration Santa Ana wind event will bring widespread extremely critical fire weather conditions to many areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday into Thursday,” according to the NWS warning.
Named after Southern California’s Santa Ana Canyon, the region’s Santa Ana winds bring blustery, dry and warm wind that blows out of the desert, drying out vegetation and increasing wildfire danger.
As of Wednesday, at least two wind-driven fires have already broken out in Southern California.
Mountain Fire
The fast-moving Mountain Fire in Ventura County has spread over 1,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders, threatening structures and leaving several people injured, according to local fire officials.
Due to extreme wind conditions, fixed-wing aircraft are unable to assist in firefighting efforts, according to the Ventura Fire Department, which said ground crews, helicopters and mutual aid resources are “actively working to protect lives and property.”
Evacuation orders are in effect for Walnut Ave to Balcom Canyon Road and North Highway 118 to the ridgeline and west to Saticoy County Club in Ventura County, according to CAL Fire.
Broad Fire
A second wildfire erupted in Los Angeles County’s Malibu area Wednesday — named the Broad Fire — and has burned at least 50 acres southwest of South Malibu Canyon Road and the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, according to CAL Fire.
Local fire officials have warned residents to prepare for potential evacuations and the PCH has been closed in both directions between Webb Way and Corral Canyon.
Santa Ana wind conditions
The long-duration Santa Ana wind event will reach its peak on Wednesday, becoming moderate on Thursday, then tailing off to light offshore winds on Friday.
Northeast winds moving 20 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph are expected across the canyons and passes of Southern California through Wednesday, with higher winds in the more wind-prone areas.
Another surge of wind is expected to peak late Wednesday night through Thursday morning with widespread northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph before weakening considerably by Thursday afternoon.
(LONDON, Ky.) — As a massive search continued Monday afternoon for the suspect in a Kentucky interstate shooting that injured five people and left a dozen vehicles with bullet holes, an arrest warrant released by authorities alleges the fugitive gunman sent a woman a text message threatening to “kill a lot of people” about a half hour before highway rampage.
The suspect, 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch, was also allegedly involved in a domestic dispute on Saturday morning and legally purchased an AR-15 rifle and ammunition at a gun store hours before allegedly opening fire on vehicles traveling on Interstate 75 near London, Kentucky, law enforcement officials told ABC News.
According to an arrest warrant, Couch is wanted on charges of attempted murder and first-degree assault.
Before the interstate shooting, according to the arrest warrant, a Laurel County 911 dispatcher received a call from a woman who alleged Couch texted her before the interstate shooting and “advised he was going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least.” The text message was sent to the woman at 5:03 p.m. Saturday, about a half-hour before the interstate shooting started, according to the arrest warrant.
“Couch sent another message to [the woman] that read, in part, ‘I’ll kill myself afterwards,” according to the arrest warrant.
London city officials told ABC News the woman Couch texted is the mother of his child.
Details of the domestic dispute that allegedly involved Couch were not disclosed.
Couch allegedly purchased a Cobalt AR-15 rifle with a mounted sight and 1,000 rounds of ammunition for $2,914 at a London, Kentucky, gun store on Saturday morning, according to the arrest warrant.
Saturday’s interstate shooting unfolded around 5:30 p.m. local time on I-75 at Exit 49, about eight miles from London, officials said.
At a news conference Sunday night, Laurel County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Richard Dalrymple estimated that 20 to 30 rounds were fired at vehicles in both the north and southbound lanes of I-75, from a hillside near Exit 49. At least 12 vehicles were struck by gunfire, leaving five people with gunshot wounds, including one victim who was shot in the face, officials said.
The five victims suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
Authorities initially said seven people were injured in the incident.
Officials said they do not believe any of the victims of the shooting were targeted.
State police announced Monday that a $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest of the suspect.
A silver Toyota SUV registered to Couch was found abandoned on a forest road in the dense woods near Exit 49, according to the arrest warrant issued for Couch. A Cobalt AR-15 rifle believed to have been used in the shooting and a green army-style duffle bag containing ammunition and several magazines were discovered in roughly the same area, according to the arrest warrant. The duffle bag had “Couch” handwritten on it, according to the warrant.
Investigators believe that the suspect was unprepared for a long period of trying to evade law enforcement in the woods because he left his gun, ammunition and vehicle behind. There is no indication, so far, that Couch had any type of stash of supplies that would enable him to disappear into the rugged terrain, investigators said.
Couch was initially named as a person of interest in the shooting, and the sheriff’s office released his photo and said he was “considered armed and dangerous.” On Sunday afternoon, Laurel County Sheriff John Root announced that Couch had been upgraded to the primary suspect.
Root said Couch has an address in Woodbine, Kentucky, and the sheriff’s office described him as about 5-foot-10 and 154 pounds.
According to military records, Couch served as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve from March 2013 to January 2019. Records show he was part of an Army Reserves engineering company, the 979 Engineering Company, based in Lexington.
More than 150 law enforcement officers are participating in the search for Couch.
Authorities are focusing their search in the area of Exit 49, although they have also investigated reported sightings of Couch in other areas of Laurel County and outside the county, officials said.
The area around Exit 49 is the most remote area of I-75 and the terrain is densely wooded and rugged, Kentucky State Police Trooper Scottie Pennington said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
“We’re in the Daniel Boone National Forest; this is thousands and thousands of acres. It’s kind of like a jungle,” Pennington said.
Pennington said the plan is to continue applying pressure on Couch to “wear him down.”
“Hopefully he has no water and nothing to eat,” Pennington said.
London Police Department Assistant Chief Bobby Day told ABC News that the area authorities believe Couch is hiding in has an extensive cave system and that the search has included underground caves.
At least nine Kentucky school districts and a community college campus closed Monday due to safety concerns stemming from the search for Couch.
“Student and Staff safety is a priority in the Laurel County Public Schools; therefore, out of an abundance of caution, school is canceled for tomorrow, Monday, September 9, 2024,” the Laurel County Public School said in a statement Sunday night.
ABC News’ Darren Reynolds and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
