Random News and Notes 7 April
We start out today’s RNN in Kangaroo land where the Aussies have just arrested their most decorated living soldier for war crimes committed more than a dozen years ago in Afghanistan. Ben Roberts-Smith, a 47-year-old former SAS corporal, was arrested Tuesday after flying in from Brisbane and charged with five counts of murder from deployments in Uruzgan province between 2009 and 2012. Each charge alleges he intentionally killed or ordered the deaths of detained, unarmed Afghan men and each carries a possible life sentence.
Based on the quick bit of research I did for this piece, it looks like 20ish other SAS troopers testified against Roberts-Smith. Is he guilty? I don’t know. Can the Kangaroos prove it? I doubt it. Is this a stunt of some sort? Probably. Am I mad about it? Meh. Like I said, based on ten minutes of digging, it looks like he may have been involved in at least 2 unlawful killings and that is what trials are for.
I am a bit mad about how they went about it. Under no circumstances do you make an arrest like this publicly.
Artemis II is on her way back to earth. The capsule – and the 4 astronauts aboard – completed the lunar flyby this morning and sent back some incredible images.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Boston announced the arrests of Danny Granados-Garcia from El Salvador, Kele Cristian Alves-Pereira, Magno Jose Dos Santos and Altieris Chaves Paiva from Brazil and Bryan Rafael Gomez from the Dominican Republic. All five entered illegally during the Biden administration and faced warrants or Interpol Red Notices for murder or aggravated homicide.
The arrests occurred between March 10 and April 5.
Epic Fury News
Today is ‘Bridge and Powerplant’ day in Iran.
It stems from this Truth social post by the President:
The Iranians chose not to reopen the Strait, so the bombs are falling. Israel has taken out several strategic railheads while the US has let slip the dogs of war on Kharg island, the main Iranian oil facility in the Gulf.
Early indications point to mostly military targets being struck on Kharg. Based on the way the Iranians do things, I would expect at least some military targets to be at least adjacent to – if not co-located – with oil infrastructure.
Here is today’s CENTCOM brief:
Iran has reportedly ceased negotiations with the US.