Homeland Security News

Africa's largest mobile operator MTN says it is reviewing allegations that it paid protection money to militant Islamist groups in Afghanistan.

The allegations, made in a legal complaint filed in a US federal court on Friday, say the firm violated US anti-terrorism laws.

It was filed on behalf of families of US citizens killed in attacks in Afghanistan.

Five other companies were also named in the filing.

The complaint alleges MTN paid bribes to al-Qaida and the Taliban to avoid having to invest in in expensive security for their transmission towers.

Read more: BBC News

For years, ultra-Orthodox Jewish families priced out of increasingly expensive Brooklyn neighborhoods have been turning to the suburbs, where they have taken advantage of open space and cheaper housing to establish modern-day versions of the European shtetls where their ancestors lived for centuries before the Holocaust.

The expansion of Hasidic communities in New York’s Hudson Valley, the Catskills and northern New Jersey has led to predictable sparring over new housing development and local political control. It has also led to flare-ups of rhetoric that some say is cloaked anti-Semitism.

Read more: AP

Potential electronic voting equipment failures and cyber attacks from Russia and other countries pose persistent threats to the 2020 elections, election security analysts and key Democrats warn.

In November significant electronic voting equipment problems occurred in an election in the vital battleground state of Pennsylvania, sparking a lawsuit by advocacy groups charging the state is using insecure electronic voting machines.

Other key states like Florida and North Carolina which experienced voting problems in 2016 and Georgia which had serious equipment problems in 2018, are being urged to take precautions to curb new difficulties in 2020, say election analysts.

Read more: The Guardian (UK)

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into nighttime sightings of unidentified drones flying in formation over rural northeastern Colorado and southwest Nebraska over the last two weeks, the agency said on Tuesday.

The cluster of drones, technically known as unmanned aircraft systems, have been spotted in at least four counties in Colorado, garnering national media attention.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said in a statement emailed to Reuters that “multiple FAA divisions and government agencies are investigating these reports,” adding that the agency does not comment on the details of its open investigations.

Read more: Reuters

A reward is being offered for help identifying a person who threw an explosive device at the Adams County courthouse.

Gettysburg police said the device, similar to a Molotov cocktail, was tossed at the courthouse window around 11 p.m. Sunday. The device didn't break the window and didn't ignite, police said.

Police believe the perpetrator is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a thin build. The person was wearing a hoodie and long pants and carrying a backpack, police said.

Adams County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000.

Read more: WGAL