International

Armenian cleric accused of plotting bombings to overthrow government

Armenian security services on Wednesday arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a senior religious leader and prominent opposition figure, on charges of terrorism and allegedly plotting to overthrow the government. This marks the second arrest in a week of a high-profile political opponent.

According to the Armenian Investigative Committee, Galstanyan—who holds a key position within the influential Armenian Apostolic Church—was accused of orchestrating bomb plots and arson attacks aimed at disrupting the country’s energy supply and causing traffic accidents on major highways to paralyze transportation.

Galstanyan, who leads the opposition movement Sacred Struggle, has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He was at the forefront of mass protests last year after Armenia agreed to cede several border villages to rival Azerbaijan as part of normalization efforts between the two countries.

His lawyer called the charges “pure fiction” and politically motivated.

International

Gunmen attack San Juan celebration in Guanajuato, leaving 11 dead

Eleven people were killed and at least 20 others injured in a shooting during a neighborhood celebration in Guanajuato, one of Mexico’s states most affected by drug-related violence, authorities reported Wednesday.

Blood stains on the floor, bullet holes in the walls, and lit candles on the sidewalk were seen Wednesday morning at the scene of the shooting, which occurred the night before during the San Juan festival.

“This was chaos (…), everyone was rushing to get the injured into their cars, running to the hospital trying to save them. It was a desperate situation,” said a witness to AFP, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

The shooting took place Tuesday night at a residence in the city of Irapuato, the municipal government reported.

According to local press, residents of the Barrio Nuevo neighborhood were celebrating the San Juan festival when armed men burst in, opening fire.

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A video shared by the media shows neighbors dancing and socializing before suddenly fleeing as gunfire erupted.

Guanajuato, an important industrial hub hosting car assembly plants such as Mazda and Toyota, and home to several popular tourist destinations, is also one of Mexico’s deadliest states due to organized crime violence.

International

Ecuador’s most wanted criminal ‘Fito’ recaptured and set for extradition

Adolfo Macías Villamar, alias “Fito”, Ecuador’s most wanted fugitive and leader of the powerful criminal organization Los Choneros, was recaptured on Wednesday, June 25, after escaping prison last year, President Daniel Noboaannounced.

Fito, the head of Ecuador’s largest and oldest criminal gang, was apprehended as part of an operation carried out by the Security Bloc, a joint law enforcement initiative.

“Those who opposed and doubted the need for the Solidarity and Intelligence laws: thanks to those laws, Fito was captured today and is now in the hands of the Security Bloc,” Noboa wrote on social media.

He also confirmed that Ecuador will extradite Macías to the United States following his arrest.

Central America

Kristi Noem discusses border security, migration, and TPS in Honduras

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, met with Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Wednesday to discuss issues of migration and security, following her visit to Costa Rica where she offered support to enhance traveler and cargo screening systems.

During the meeting in Tegucigalpa, President Castro requested an extension of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS)for Honduran nationals living in the U.S., which is set to expire on July 5, according to Honduran Foreign Minister Javier Bu.

“The President advocated for an extension of TPS for our nationals in the U.S., who have been victims of natural disasters in Honduras,” Bu told reporters.

Currently, around 50,000 Hondurans benefit from TPS, a program that has provided legal temporary residence since 1999.

The leaders also signed a letter of intent for a new biometric data-sharing agreement to strengthen border and national security cooperation.

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Noem did not speak to the press in Honduras. Her visit followed a stop in Costa Rica, where she met with President Rodrigo Chaves and pledged U.S. support to help fully screen all travelers and goods entering the country.

“We’re going to help with that. Costa Rica may become the first country in the world to scan every person and product entering its territory,” Noem said during her remarks in San José.