Month: May 2024

An illegal alien was arrested at a Virginia truck stop last week for allegedly abducting and taking “indecent liberties” with a Louisiana girl.

The minor girl called the police at 3:51 a.m. on May 22 from a LOVES truck stop in Covington.

When police arrived, the girl explained that she was from Louisiana and was being held captive against her will in a vehicle by Diego Soch Castro.

Castro was arrested at the scene and charged with abduction, indecent liberties with a minor, and assault and battery.

The minor’s name and age have not been publicly released. It is also unclear where she was kidnapped from or her relation to Castro.

Castro’s age and where he is from have not been publicly released.

In a press release posted to social media, the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office said that, in addition to the charges, an ICE detainer was placed on him.

The minor was transported to Lewis Gale Alleghany Hospital for an evaluation and was later released to child protective services.

The post Illegal Alien Arrested at Virginia Truck Stop for Abducting and Taking ‘Indecent Liberties’ with Minor appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Former George W. Bush advisor Karl Rove is no friend of Trump, yet even he is slamming the Joe Biden campaign over the decision to let unhinged TDS suffering actor Robert De Niro speak for them today.

De Niro ended up lashing out at critics in the crowd and looked like a crazy person.

Transcript via FOX News:

KARL ROVE: Stupid mistake by the Biden campaign. … While all the cameras were there, they wanted to get their moment in the sun. And it was a big mistake. It politicizes the trial. Better to have waited. And then what was said, with all due respect to Mr. De Niro, who’s a wonderful, wonderful actor… “Donald Trump wants to destroy New York, destroy America, and destroy the world. And if you reelect him, he’s never going to leave office. He’s going to make himself a tyrant for life.”

Are those the kind of credible statements that are going to cause people who don’t like Biden and don’t like Trump, but are trying to figure out who to vote for, are they going to cause people to say, ‘well, geez, you now told me you wanted to destroy our country.’ Of course he did. The people who believe that are already in the Biden camp. That’s not who they should be trying to reach out to. He came close in a moment of talking about January 6th and talking about the two officers, but that might have had an impact.

But this was so over-the-top as to simply be useless. And what a stupid mistake on the part of the Biden campaign. More reason why Democratic leaders are probably going to be concerned that he’s the likely nominee of their party.

Here’s the video:

‘Stupid Mistake!’: Karl Rove Torches Biden Campaign for Holding Bizarre Robert De Niro Press Conference pic.twitter.com/LUfk2WbLH1

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 28, 2024

Rove may be annoying, but the point he makes here is pretty solid. The Biden campaign looks ridiculous for doing this.

The post Even Anti-Trumper Karl Rove is Dunking on the Biden Campaign Over Robert De Niro Stunt: ‘A Stupid Mistake’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

If you burn the American flag, that is called free speech but if you drive on a gay pride mural, that is a felony.

As the Gateway Pundit reported,

A manhunt is underway for a driver accused of deliberately defacing a Pride mural, marking the second act of vandalism against the same artwork within a week.

The St. Petersburg Police Department reports that the latest incident involved a blue two-door vehicle performing donuts over the mural at the 2500 Central Avenue roundabout. This act of vandalism, occurring early on May 22nd, follows a similar incident on May 17th involving a truck.

If found, the individual responsible will face a felony charge of criminal mischief.

Democrat Mayor Ken Welch took to social media to condemn the vandalism.

“In light of the recent vandalism targeting our Progressive Pride flag mural, I want to emphasize that there is no place for hate in St. Petersburg. We stand united in valuing and appreciating every resident, regardless of their orientation, gender identity, or expression. Our differences make St. Pete the vibrant and diverse community we cherish,” the mayor said.

Why would a city be so determined to spend tax payer money on a mural that the citizens of their community clearly do not appreciate? Is there no better use for the time, money, and resources that are going into an entire manhunt?

The post Victor Reacts: Felony Charges For Defacing LGBTQ Pride Mural (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

China has unveiled its brain-computer interface, rivaling Elon Musk’s Neuralink.

During the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum, Beijing Xinzhida Neurotechnology debuted its brain-computer interface (BCI) implant called Neucyber.

According to the Global Times, the new brain implant technology has already been tested on primates, giving them the capability of controlling a robotic arm.

Although Chinese media has compared Neucyber to Musk’s Neuralink, Neucyber has yet to be implanted into a human brain as Nueralink has already successfully done.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, Neuralink implanted a brain chip into quadriplegic Noland Arbaugh, who uses Neuralink to control a computer cursor with his thoughts.

“China’s version of Neuralink unveiled” – that’s how observers described Neucyber, an invasive implanted brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, independently developed by Chinese scientists.” https://t.co/bQvXtdJIMB

— TheChirpingCricket (@GunnarChase7) May 23, 2024

Per Global Times:

“China’s version of Neuralink unveiled” – that’s how observers described Neucyber, an invasive implanted brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, independently developed by Chinese scientists.

In its latest public appearance in April, through Neucyber, a monkey with its hands tied up can control a robotic arm with “just its thoughts” and successfully grasp a strawberry.

Recently, the Global Times visited the Chinese Institute for Brain Research in Beijing to witness the magical scene.

The wired Neucyber linking the monkey’s brain is a system composed of three core components — high-throughput flexible microelectrodes, two high-speed neural signal acquisition devices and a generative neural decoding algorithm. It is able to capture subtle changes in the monkey’s brain’s electrical signals, decode the brain’s intentions and achieve “thought” control of “actions.”

Watch Musk’s neural link in action:

Elon Musk’s first Neuralink patient demonstrates how the brain chip implant works..

THIS IS INSANE. pic.twitter.com/axg6JbcbDf

— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) May 23, 2024

The post China Unveils Advanced Brain-Computer Interface Implant, Rivaling Elon Musk’s Neuralink appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The Georgian government has scored today a great big win, despite international pressure of an unprecedented scale by the US and the EU.

The Georgian Parliament, led by the Centrist Georgian Dream Party, has just announced that, by a majority vote, it overcame President Salomé Zurabishvili’s veto on the law on foreign agents.

Read: COLOR REVOLUTION IN GEORGIA: Globalist NGOs Foment Mass Protest Against ‘Foreign Agent Bill’ That Would Mandate Disclosure of Funding Sources of These Same Organizations

That concluded the long and hard-fought legislative process that saw the law approved in three consecutive Parliament votes, then be vetoed on May 18 by the President, and now the veto was overturned and the law will be adopted.

Read: Georgian Mass Protests: USAID and George Soros Are Pulling the Strings of Color Revolution

All this under mass protests organized by the same evil NGOs as in the West, under threat of sanctions by the US, of ostracism by the EU, and finally, a EU Commissioner reportedly threatened the Prime Minister.

Read more:

DEATH THREAT: Georgian PM Says EU Commissioner Menaced Him With ‘The Fate of Robert Fico’, as the US Increases Pressure Against ‘Foreign Agent Law’

Georgian Special forces with water cannons immediately concentrated in Tbilisi’s Freedom Square after the passage of a law on foreign agents, because the protests that had lost in numbers recently are sure to become inflamed again in the next days.

The Eurofanatic crowd outside the parliament shouted ‘slaves’ at the MPs after.

The overcoming of the veto by Salomé Zurabishvili was widely expected.

Watch: Tblisi today, during vote for ‘Foreign Agents Law’. The Government overturned the President’s veto

Tblisi today, during vote for ‘Foreign Agents Law’. The Government overturned the President’s veto. pic.twitter.com/gcTO58DVSb

— Paul Serran (@paul_serran) May 28, 2024

It only bought time for the influence of the European Union to battle a Georgia pragmatically sovereign over its future inside the Parliament.

And the government won again.

Watch: Riot police arrives in force at Tblisi’s Freedom Square.

Riot police arrives in force at Tblisi’s Freedom Square. pic.twitter.com/QV0g5PxSdp

— Paul Serran (@paul_serran) May 28, 2024

The Joe Biden Administration – as one would expect – condemned the decision of the Georgian parliament.

If Georgia implements the law on foreign agents – which now they will – the US State Department threatens visa restrictions and signals consequences for European integration.

Watch: Pro-EU protesting crowd and the MSM media in Tblisi – united front.

Pro-EU protesting crowd and the MSM media in Tblisi. pic.twitter.com/zCwLUx1U16

— Paul Serran (@paul_serran) May 28, 2024

Hundreds of opponents of the law on foreign agents are gathered for a protest in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi after deputies overwhelmingly overrode the president’s veto on the law.

Color revolution, anyone?

The post Georgian Parliament Overturns the President’s Veto and ‘Foreign Agents Law’ Is Approved, Despite Unprecedented International Pressure – Pro-EU Groups Protest (VIDEOS) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Fars Media Corporation, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Hamas is calling for a cease-fire. However, they already had a ceasefire on October 6th, but they violated it.

In 2005, Israel withdrew its troops from Gaza as part of a unilateral disengagement plan, which included the evacuation of all Israeli settlers and the dismantling of military bases. Gaza subsequently became a stronghold for Hamas, an Islamist militant group that originated from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1980s. Hamas, which has not held elections since 2006, took full control of Gaza in 2007 following a violent conflict with the Palestinian Authority. Since then, Hamas has utilized Gaza as a base to launch attacks against Israel, including rocket fire and other militant activities. The international community has condemned Hamas for its numerous suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and other acts of violence targeting Israeli civilians. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States, the European Union, and Israel.

Hamas commits acts of repression and other human rights violations against the people of Gaza. According to Amnesty International, “Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip repressed the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Torture and other ill-treatment were reported in Palestinian detention centers. Members of Palestinian armed groups summarily killed several suspected ‘collaborators’. In Gaza, death sentences were passed, and executions were carried out.”

In 1988, Hamas published its official Covenant, which explicitly called for the elimination of Israel and the killing of all Jews. In 2017, Hamas released an updated version, the Document of General Principles and Policies, which removed the specific language about killing Jews but still did not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli state, referring to it as “a racist, anti-human and colonial Zionist project.” The document states, “The Islamic Resistance Movement ‘Hamas’ is a Palestinian Islamic national liberation and resistance movement. Its goal is to liberate Palestine and confront the Zionist project.” It defines Palestine as the land “from the River Jordan in the east to the Mediterranean in the west and from Ras Al-Naqurah in the north to Umm Al-Rashrash in the south.” This definition encompasses the entire territory of the State of Israel, implying the complete elimination of Israel as it currently exists.

Given the ongoing threat that Hamas poses to the state of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that Israel will never be safe unless Hamas is completely annihilated. To this end, he has launched one of the most intense military campaigns since the beginning of the Ukraine War. Israel provided warnings for civilians and non-combatants to leave Gaza. However, their exit is being impeded by neighboring countries. The Rafah crossing, the only border crossing between Gaza and Egypt not controlled by Israel, has frequently been closed or heavily restricted by the Egyptian government. This has severely limited the ability of Gaza residents to flee to Egypt during periods of conflict. To exacerbate the situation, Egypt is also blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza through Rafah, further contributing to the humanitarian crisis.

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) has faced accusations of targeting civilians, with women and children comprising more than half of the casualties. However, given that women and children make up about two-thirds of Gaza’s population, they are more likely to be collateral damage when Hamas is targeted. Additionally, women and children have been involved with Hamas, sometimes as human shields or suicide bombers. The term “children” includes those under 18, and Hamas has used minors in combat roles for harassment by throwing stones at IDF soldiers or using kites for espionage and dropping incendiaries.

Israel has also been criticized for restricting aid shipments to Gaza. The rationale behind this includes the fact that Hamas and other Islamic terrorist groups have used aid shipments to smuggle weapons, ammunition, and military equipment. As the governing authority in Gaza, Hamas handles the acceptance and distribution of aid, increasing the likelihood that it will support terrorist activities rather than aid civilians.

There are claims that at least 260 humanitarian aid workers have been killed in the conflict, but this does not demonstrate that Israel is intentionally targeting aid workers. War zones are inherently dangerous, and although aid workers, press, and other noncombatants are not intended targets, they face significant risks by virtue of their roles. Most are aware of these dangers and accept the associated risks. A specific issue with this conflict is that Hamas terrorists have either worked as or posed as humanitarian aid workers. This has led to the suspension of U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) when it was discovered that several of its employees were involved in the October 7th attack on Israel.

Hamas could alleviate civilian suffering by refraining from using them as shields. They could also release the Israeli hostages and surrender, which would end the current military campaign. Additionally, the entire situation could have been avoided if they had not attacked Israel in the first place.

The post Hamas Responsible for Suffering in Gaza appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

A newly unsealed motion confirms that someone in Trump’s world, likely an attorney, agreed to become a cooperating witness for the US government in Jack Smith’s classified documents case against President Trump.

A reference to a cooperation agreement with the government was mentioned in a motion filed by Trump’s co-defendant Walt Nauta.

Just unsealed filing in classified docs case appears to confirm someone in Trump world (perhaps an attorney) agreed to become a cooperating witness for the government. Keep in mind DOJ tried every trick in the book to try to get Nauta to flip, too. pic.twitter.com/TeQUewdWEq

— Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) May 28, 2024

Recall that Walt Nauta, a former White House employee and Navy veteran who worked valet for Trump and served as a personal staffer at Mar-a-Lago was indicted along with Trump last year.

A previous court filing revealed a lawyer with an attorney-client privilege relationship with Trump proposed to act as an informant for the DOJ.

As previously reported, a defense motion unsealed earlier this month related to search warrants against Walt Nauta revealed a lawyer with an attorney-client privilege relationship with President Trump proposed to act as an undercover informant in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s classified documents case.

According to the motion filed earlier this month, a lawyer for Trump was enlisted to act as an undercover informant/source in Jack Smith’s classified documents case.

“The affiants hid information about [redacted] who were acting as political enemies of President Trump, including one attorney who had an attorney-client privilege relationship with President Trump and then proposed to act in an undercover parallel role to [redacted].

The defense motion argued that the affiants “used attorney-client violations as the basis for evidentiary allegations, but the SCO cannot use information it gathers improperly to justify a search warrant, or as evidence against a third party.”

Well this seems important.

From defense motion related to numerous search warrants against Trump aide Walt Nauta.

I’ve long suspected at least one govt informant/source involved in this case. This suggests that hunch is true.

Not exactly sure what it means but we will find out pic.twitter.com/0Keo9yghUC

— Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) May 12, 2024

Cannon earlier this month indefinitely postponed Jack Smith’s classified documents trial against Trump after the Special Counsel admitted to tampering with evidence.

Judge Cannon set a second set of pre-trial deadlines to manage pending discovery and disclosure matters.

The Judge vacated the May 20, 2024 trial date. It may be several months until Judge Cannon sets a new trial date.

The post Newly Unsealed Motion Confirms Someone in Trump’s World (Attorney?) Agreed to Become Cooperating Witness for Government in Jack Smith’s Classified Docs Case appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Far left Judge Juan Manuel Merchan

GOP Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY) on Tuesday filed a misconduct complaint with the New York State Unified Court System related to the “random” assignment of far-left radical and conflicted Judge Juan Merchan to Trump’s NYC ‘hush money’ trial.

“I just filed an official misconduct complaint with the New York State Unified Court System related to the “random” assignment of Acting Manhattan Justice Juan Merchan, a Biden donor whose daughter is fundraising millions off his unprecedented work, to criminal cases against President Donald J. Trump, his companies, and his allies.” Elise Stefanik said.

The judge’s daughter, Loren Merchan, is a far-left political operative who worked for the Biden-Harris campaign. The media has infantilized 34-year-old Loren Merchan in an effort to attack Trump’s First Amendment-protected speech with a gag order.

Loren Merchan’s firm, Authentic Campaigns, Inc., has received tens of millions of dollars from Democrats who want to take down Trump.

According to The New York Post, Loren Merchan helped Democrats raise $93 million off of her father’s case.

Here is Rep. Stefanik’s judicial complaint:

Members of the Commission, and Madam Inspector General,

I am writing to alert you to potential misconduct by Justices and employees of the Supreme Court, Criminal Term, New York County.

The potential misconduct pertains to the repeated assignment of Acting Justice Juan Merchan, a Democrat Party donor, to criminal cases related to President Donald J. Trump and his allies. Acting Justice Merchan currently presides over the criminal case against President Trump brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Acting Justice Merchan also presided over the criminal trial against the Trump Organization and will be presiding over the criminal trial of Steve Bannon, a senior advisor in President Trump’s White House and a prominent advocate for President Trump.1

The website for the Supreme Court, Criminal Term, New York County does not provide a comprehensive list of every justice and acting justice sitting in the courthouse, but based on the courtroom directory there are at least 24 sitting justices on the court.2 Acting Justice Merchan is not even listed among them, one assumes, because of his status as an acting justice.

Section 200.11(c) of the Uniform Rules for New York State Trial Courts requires that criminal actions be assigned to a judge “pursuant to a method of random selection authorized by the Chief Administrator.” If justices were indeed being randomly assigned in the Criminal Term, the probability of two specific criminal cases being assigned to the same justice is quite low, and the probability of three specific criminal cases being assigned to the same justice is infinitesimally small. And yet, we see Acting Justice Merchan on all three cases.

This is the same Acting Justice Merchan who, in violation of New York State Code of Judicial Conduct 100.5(h), donated to President Biden’s 2020 campaign, along with the Progressive Turnout Project and its “Stop Republicans” subsidiary.3 It’s also the same Acting Justice whose daughter is a political consultant working for prominent Democrats, whose firm stands to profit greatly if Donald Trump is convicted.4

One cannot help but suspect that the “random selection” at work in the assignment of Acting Justice Merchan, a Democrat Party donor, to these cases involving prominent Republicans, is in fact not random at all. The simple answer to why Acting Justice Merchan has been assigned to these cases would seem to be that whoever made the assignment intentionally selected Acting Justice Merchan to handle them to increase the chance that Donald Trump, the Trump Organization, and Steven Bannon would ultimately be convicted.

I request that both the Commission and the Inspector General investigate this anomaly to determine whether the required random selection process was in fact followed in the assignment of these criminal cases to Acting Justice Merchan. If Acting Justice Merchan or any other Justices of the Court are found to have violated these rules, I would hope that the Commission would subject them to the required discipline. And if any non-judicial employees of the Court are involved in such a scheme, I would hope that the Inspector General subject them to the appropriate sanction.

I just filed an official misconduct complaint with the New York State Unified Court System related to the “random” assignment of Acting Manhattan Justice Juan Merchan, a Biden donor whose daughter is fundraising millions off his unprecedented work, to criminal cases… pic.twitter.com/OsBjFc3qeI

— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) May 28, 2024

The post JUST IN: GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik Files Misconduct Complaint with New York State Unified Court System Related to “Random” Assignment of Judge Merchan appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Jack Smith’s plan to impose a gag order on Trump in his classified documents case backfired spectacularly.

Not only did Judge Aileen Cannon deny Jack Smith’s request to bar Trump from criticizing law enforcement after it was revealed Biden’s DOJ authorized the use of deadly force during the Mar-a-Lago raid, she threatened sanctions against his prosecutors if they continued to violate the rules.

Jack Smith late Friday night sought a gag order barring Trump from criticizing Biden’s rogue DOJ/FBI.

The names of the armed FBI agents involved in the Mar-a-Lago raid were redacted but Jack Smith tried to illegally gag Trump anyway.

“The Government moves to modify defendant Donald J. Trump’s conditions of release, to make clear that he may not make statements that pose a significant, imminent, and foreseeable danger to law enforcement agents participating in the investigation and prosecution of this case.,” Jack Smith wrote in a motion filed Friday evening.

“The Government’s request is necessary because of several intentionally false and inflammatory statements recently made by Trump that distort the circumstances under which the Federal Bureau of Investigation planned and executed the search warrant at Mar-a-Lago,” Smith wrote.

On Tuesday Cannon responded to Jack Smith’s order and warned sanctions could be next if he kept violating the rules.

Jack Smith’s prosecutor Friday evening at 5:30 sent Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche an email informing him that the Special Counsel will be filing a motion to modify Trump’s conditions of release to bar him from making statements about law enforcement after it was revealed the DOJ had a deadly force policy in its Mar-a-Lago raid.

The last-minute email Jack Smith’s prosecutor sent Blanche violates the “Meet and Confer” requirement where lawyers try to resolve an issue before getting the judge involved.

“We assume you will oppose this motion and will want an opportunity to respond. Could you please confirm?” We plan to file the motion later this evening,” Jack Smith’s prosecutor Jay Bratt wrote Friday at 5:30 PM ET on Friday going into the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Jack Smith’s office violated a meet and confer requirement. In non legal speak, a M&C is where lawyers try to resolve issues over the phone before crying to the judge. It’s not optional.

Anyone else gets sanctioned.

Jack Smith must be disbarred. https://t.co/D2y5qpdGYU

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) May 28, 2024

Todd Blanche blasted Jay Bratt 10 minutes later.

“Jay, we very much object to a 5:30 pm email on Memorial Day weekend asking our position on a very serious motion that has First Amendment implications and addresses the conditions of release of President Trump,” Todd Blanche wrote.

Blanche warned Jay Bratt he was violating the ‘meet and confer’ rules.

“A 5:30 pm email on the Friday before Memorial Day is not meeting and conferring in any sense of the word, and certainly not as we have been ordered to do by Local Rule and Judge Cannon. As you know, the names of the law enforcement officers associated with this investigation and associated with the prosecution of this case have been redacted from all of the public filings. There cannot be a real imminent danger, as you are well-aware,” Todd Blanche wrote before offering to meet and confer on Monday afternoon.

Blanche, of course, is representing Pres Trump in NY case too–delivering closings today.

Blanche reminds Bratt that Judge Cannon already warned both sides about following the rules.

As I also noted, Cannon ordered redacting of officers’ names in all filings. pic.twitter.com/vII8LBwpX0

— Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) May 28, 2024

An hour later, Jay Bratt shot back a snotty email and claimed there was no point in meeting because it would be a “fruitless exercise and does nothing to mitigate the danger your client is creating.”

Now read this in your most powerhungry little man voice so it makes sense.

Bratt cites Trump opposition to gag order in NY and DC as reason not to bother conferring (Cannon also addressed this today)

I am actually surprised Cannon did not sanction Bratt for his willful brazen… pic.twitter.com/DHdJpcN7yF

— Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) May 28, 2024

Todd Blanche blasted Jack Smith’s prosecutor David Harbach for docketing the motion at 8 pm on Friday evening.

“There are rules. You guys violated them. I appreciate the attempted explanation, but it does not in any way pacify us,” Todd Blanche wrote.

This email from Todd Blanche (Trump) to David Harbach (special counsel) confirms the purpose of the rush job to post the gag order motion.

To dominate the weekend news cycle and diminish coverage of FBI use of lethal force policy for MAL raid.

Hence the 8pm docketing of Smith’s… pic.twitter.com/6IS9ImY7o8

— Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) May 28, 2024

Judge Cannon denied Jack Smith’s motion seeking a gag order and admonished his prosecutors.

“Any future, non-emergency motion brought in this case–whether on the topic of release conditions or anything else–shall not be filed absent meaningful, timely, and professional conferral,” Cannon wrote.

“Failure to comply with these requirements may result in sanctions,” Cannon wrote.

The post Jack Smith’s Proposed Gag Order and Nasty Email Exchange with Trump Attorney Todd Blanche Backfires as Judge Cannon Warns Sanctions Could be Next appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Credit: WKBN

A massive explosion ripped through the heart of downtown Youngstown on Tuesday afternoon, injuring six people and leaving one missing.

Initial reports suggest a gas leak may be to blame for the devastating incident. Witnesses described hearing a loud boom followed by thick smoke billowing from the Chase Bank building, located on the ground floor of the Realty Building.

Eyewitnesses, including Debora Flora, executive director of Mahoning County Land Bank, described the scene with harrowing clarity.

“I heard the boom, and I could see dark smoke coming out of the side of the Chase Bank building… but it was such a really strong, strong boom,” Flora told WKBN.

Security camera footage from a neighboring business captured the terrifying moment the explosion ripped through the structure, shattering windows and sending debris flying.

WATCH:

BREAKING: Chase Bank building explodes in downtown Youngstown, Ohio; People are missing under the rubble. pic.twitter.com/t4APr8R3MZ

— The General (@GeneralMCNews) May 28, 2024

WFMJ reported:

Chase Bank occupies the first floor of the building, but the 13-story building also houses numerous apartments.

The neighboring apartment building International Towers is being evacuated for safety.

People are being evacuated from the building and all occupants and news crews have been ordered to move to the Market Street Bridge.

About seven people have been taken to the hospital and one person is still considered missing, Youngstown Fire crews are working to locate them now, according to Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Finely.

Finley says an evacuation order has been issued for everyone 365 degrees around the building. We’re also told everyone in the building has been accounted for.

First responders have the area blocked off and the bomb squad, as well as a structural engineer were called to the scene. The Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has taken over the scene.

The post Chase Bank Building Explodes in Downtown Youngstown, Ohio — One Missing, Six Hospitalized (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.