International
The international community unanimously condemns the Moscow attack
The international community has unanimously condemned the brutal jihadist attack committed on Friday in Moscow, which caused at least 133 deaths and 120 injuries, and which has triggered a massive wave of solidarity with the victims.
The attack, which occurred on Friday afternoon in the Crocus City Hall concert hall, on the outskirts of Moscow, was claimed by the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS) on social media, while the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia reported the arrest of eleven involved in the attack.
After the attack, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to condemn him. “The entire international community is obliged to condemn this horrible crime,” said María Zajárova, the foreign spokeswoman, on her Telegram channel. Convictions have happened all over the world.
From the United Nations, the European Union or the African Union, through the governments of Germany, China, India or Japan, the rejection has been resonated forcefully against terrorist attacks.
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres “condemns the terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms,” his spokesman, Farhan Haq, said in a brief note; the Security Council, in a broader note, also condemned that “atrocious and cowardly terrorist attack” and its members urged the international community to “actively cooperate with the Government of the Russian Federation” and other authorities to achieve justice.
From the EU, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, condemned this Saturday “in the strongest terms” yesterday’s “atrocious” attack “against defenseless people,” and so did the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who “forcefully” condemned the attack, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, who lamented the “horrible terrorist attack.”
The president of the African Union Commission (AU), Moussa Faki Mahamat, condemned the attack and offered his solidarity with Russia. “I was shocked to learn about the horrible terrorist attack in Moscow, which claimed many victims,” he said on his social network account X.
From Latin America, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) expressed its categorical condemnation and repudiated “any act of violence that violates the life and security of citizens,” while reiterating its commitment “to peace, tolerance and respect for human life.”
The United States, through the mouth of Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, also condemned the “terrorist attack” in Moscow this Saturday. “We stand in solidarity with the people of Russia who regret the loss of life after this horrible event,” the diplomat wrote on his social network X account.
In Europe, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, condemned “the horrible attack on innocent people who visited a concert. We think about the debts and the wounded,” she said on her X account, while the Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, expressed herself in similar terms on the same social network.
Italy also rejected “the horror of the killing of innocent civilians in Moscow,” which it considers “unacceptable.”
To these convictions must be added those of other EU countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg or Hungary.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolences to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Saturday. Xi stated in his letter that he is “shocked” by what happened and expressed his “deep condolences” to the victims and their families, as well as his “sincere solidarity” with the wounded.
Other countries in the region such as India, South Korea or Japan also expressed their condolences.
Iran strongly condemned the attack. “I strongly condemn the recent terrorist attack in Moscow and express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and my colleague Sergei Lavrov, the Government and the people of Russia in relation to this tragic terrorist attack,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdolahian, in X. “The joint and effective fight against terrorism requires serious and non-discriminatory measures on the part of the international community,” he added.
There were also convictions from countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
The president of Syria, Bachar al-Asad, assured this Saturday that the Moscow attack is “directly related to the defeats of neo-Nazism” in the Donbas, in an apparent veiled reference to Ukraine.
Al Asad conveyed this message to Putin in a telegram in which he stated that “this cowardly attack against innocent people demonstrates the inability to force the Russian people to deviate from their principles,” according to a statement from the Presidency in Damascus.
From Ibero-America, the Government of Brazil “repudiated” and declared itself “dismayed” by the terrorist attack, just like Mexico, from where the (SRE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a message in X “rejects any act of violence that threatens the lives of civilians.”
Argentina also expressed its “strong condemnation” and “repudiation” of the attack, as well as Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Cuba, Honduras and Nicaragua.
International
Brazil helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro kills six, including pilots and international figures
The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police confirmed on Monday the identities of three of the six victims killed in a helicopter collision that occurred the previous morning in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood.
All three identified victims are Brazilian nationals: the pilots of the aircraft, Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza, and music producer Lucas Brito.
The identities of the three foreign victims have not yet been officially confirmed. They include U.S. singer Oliver Tree, Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim—known online as “Gaspi”—and Argentine producer Lucas Vignale, all of whom were listed on the flight manifest.
According to police, forensic experts from the Legal Medical Institute have already collected DNA samples in order to identify the foreign victims, whose bodies were severely burned.
One of the helicopters crashed into a private parking lot, triggering a fire that destroyed around twenty electric vehicles. That aircraft was carrying the pilot and four passengers, including the three foreign nationals.
The second helicopter, which had only the pilot on board, crashed approximately 100 meters away from the first impact site.
Rio de Janeiro’s deputy mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere, stated that both helicopters were operating transport flights toward Angra dos Reis on the Rio coastline and toward the mountainous region of the state.
Oliver Tree, 32, was in Brazil as part of an international tour. The artist, known for songs such as “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” had performed to a large audience in São Paulo a week earlier and was scheduled to continue his tour in Europe.
Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim, 23, had built a following of more than two million on social media platforms, gaining popularity for humorous and often controversial video productions that had occasionally been removed by hosting platforms.
International
Mexico and U.S. Launch New Bilateral Security Group to Combat Fentanyl and Organized Crime
The governments of Mexico and the United States officially launched the Bilateral Implementation Group (BIG) on Friday, a new initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation on security issues and enhancing joint efforts against transnational crime.
In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson announced that he and Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco addressed officials from both countries who will lead what he described as a “new phase of bilateral cooperation.” The initiative seeks to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, illegal firearms, and human trafficking across the shared border.
Earlier this week, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that senior security officials from both nations would meet in Mexico City on June 12 to review and advance existing cooperation agreements.
Through social media, Ambassador Johnson explained that the new bilateral group is designed to improve coordination between the two governments by placing greater emphasis on implementation, accountability, and measurable results. The effort will also focus on combating transnational criminal organizations operating across North America.
“The participation of 15 U.S. government agencies, working alongside their Mexican counterparts, reflects the seriousness of this effort and our shared commitment to delivering measurable results,” Johnson said.
The ambassador also highlighted several achievements that he attributed to ongoing bilateral cooperation. According to Johnson, maritime drug trafficking into the United States has declined by more than 95 percent, while overdose deaths have fallen by 35 percent.
He further noted that Mexican authorities have seized more than 400 metric tons of illegal drugs and dismantled over 2,300 clandestine laboratories as part of their efforts to combat organized crime and narcotics production.
The launch of the Bilateral Implementation Group marks the latest step in the security partnership between Mexico and the United States, as both countries seek to address shared challenges related to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, and the activities of criminal networks operating across the region.
International
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has once again appealed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene on his behalf and seek his transfer from the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a sentence of more than 50 years in the United States after being convicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to reports, the latest request was made in a letter dated June 2, one of several messages that Guzmán has reportedly sent to Sheinbaum in recent months in an effort to secure his repatriation. In the letter, he expresses hope that the Mexican government can support the efforts of his legal team.
Written in English and by hand, the letter asks that he be allowed to complete his sentence in Mexico, arguing that such a transfer would enable him to receive visits from family members more easily.
Guzmán is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” one of the most secure prisons in the United States.
As in previous communications, the former cartel leader complained about his prison conditions, stating that he remains in near-total isolation and has little to no contact with other inmates.
He also reiterated his long-standing claim that he did not receive a fair trial in the United States and argued that the Mexican government bears responsibility for much of the violence associated with organized crime in the country.
In the letter, Guzmán maintains that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family amid the violence linked to criminal organizations in Mexico.
Mexican authorities have not publicly indicated whether they plan to respond to the request. Guzmán remains one of the most notorious figures in the history of international drug trafficking and is serving his sentence under some of the strictest security measures in the U.S. prison system.
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