5 Things to Know This Morning
5 Things to Know This Morning
— -- Your look at the five biggest and most buzz-worthy stories of the morning.
1. Abduction Suspect Back in Virginia
Delvin Barnes, the man suspected of abducting a woman in Philadelphia, is back in Virginia, extradited to face attempted murder and rape charges in connection with an Oct. 1 attack on a 16-year-old girl.
Barnes, 37, cursed at assembled reporters when he arrived at the Charles City County Sheriff’s Office.
Barnes was charged federally with kidnapping. According to a federal complaint released Thursday, Barnes admitted to the Nov. 2 abduction of Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, 22, stating that he didn’t know her prior to the attack and later drove with her to Aberdeen, Maryland.
2. Obama Writes Rare Letter to Iran's Supreme Leader
In a rare outreach to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Barack Obama has written a letter about the fight against Islamic State militants, a common enemy in Syria and Iraq, according to diplomatic sources.
The U.S. and Iran are each engaged in military efforts to degrade the Islamic State group, essentially putting the longtime foes on the same side in the campaign against the extremists. However, the Obama administration has repeatedly insisted that it is not coordinating and will not coordinate its military actions with Iran, though officials from both countries have discussed the matter more broadly.
Obama's letter to Iran's powerful religious leader comes against the backdrop of the looming Nov. 24 deadline in nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, as well as five other world powers. While Obama has previously sent letters to Khamenei, any communication between the two men has been extremely rare.
3. 'Trojan Horse' Bug Lurking in Vital US Computers Since 2011
A destructive “Trojan Horse” malware program has penetrated the software that runs much of the nation’s critical infrastructure and is poised to cause an economic catastrophe, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
National Security sources told ABC News there is evidence that the malware was inserted by hackers believed to be sponsored by the Russian government, and is a very serious threat.
The hacked software is used to control complex industrial operations like oil and gas pipelines, power transmission grids, water distribution and filtration systems, wind turbines and even some nuclear plants. Shutting down or damaging any of these vital public utilities could severely impact hundreds of thousands of Americans.
4. So Who Actually Killed Osama Bin Laden?
Three and a half years after American bullets felled Osama bin Laden, controversy has been reignited over who actually pulled the trigger that fateful night now that the Navy SEAL who claims to have personally killed the al Qaeda leader has been publicly identified.
The special operations news website SOFREP.com reported Monday that Robert O’Neill is the name of the former SEAL Team Six member who was identified only as “the Shooter” in an Esquire magazine article last year titled “The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden… Is Screwed.” Wednesday international publications reported the name as well, and today The Washington Post published an interview with O’Neill in which he describes the terror leader’s purported final moments. Two special operations sources previously identified O’Neill as “the Shooter” to ABC News.
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