House Committee Could Grant Biden Witnesses Immunity to Get Them to Talk

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House Committee Could Grant Biden Witnesses Immunity to Get Them to Talk

(, The Center Square) As key witnesses in the investigation into former President Joe Biden’s mental decline continue to evade House questioning by invoking their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, lawmakers could grant them immunity to encourage them to talk, according to a legal expert.

Three witnesses close to the former president pleaded the fifth during depositions before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in less than two weeks, with more likely to come.

Committee chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said the witnesses, Annie Tomasini, who served as an assistant to the former president and deputy director of Oval Office Operations, former First Lady Jill Biden’s chief of staff, Anthony Bernal, and Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician, have pleaded the Fifth in “a pattern…seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability.”

Attorney and legal scholar John Shu notes that the committee could grant certain congressional witnesses immunity, a common tactic that would require them to testify because they no longer could self-incriminate and be subject to prosecution.

“Both the DOJ and Congress have been known to grant immunity. It would prevent witnesses from asserting the Fifth Amendment, because once you have immunity you can’t be prosecuted,” Shu said.

None of the witnesses, including those who have yet to appear, have been charged with any crime. However, echoing Comer’s assertion that the witnesses may be shielding themselves from criminal liability, Shu argues they could be pleading the fifth to avoid self-incrimination.

“Those witnesses will still want to avoid any kind of self-incrimination, even if they themselves didn’t commit a crime, because they may have been part of a conspiracy to commit a crime or they may have lied in some other setting. While we don’t know whether there was a criminal conspiracy, certainly a witness wouldn’t want to talk about his or her participation in it,” said Shu.

Biden opened the door for Congress to subpoena White House officials and aides. The former president waived executive privilege for Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, who served during Trump’s first administration.

A House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots subpoenaed Navarro and Bannon. The pair refused to comply with the subpoenas and were subsequently imprisoned for Congressional contempt.

Shu noted, “What goes around, comes around…Executive privilege goes with the office, not the president” – meaning when Trump took office in January, he inherited the right to waive the same privilege for Biden officials, leading to the former president’s aides being subpoenaed.

“Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal know that, and that’s partially why they didn’t assert executive privilege and instead pled the fifth, because Trump waived their privilege,” said Shu.

Questions regarding Biden’s mental fitness were raised well before the 2020 presidential election. Republicans and many in the conservative media continued to raise questions regarding the former president’s health throughout his presidency.

However, the White House claimed Biden received regular medical exams, showing a healthy, competent president.

The House committee announced in early June that it was expanding its investigation into the “cover-up” of Biden’s “mental decline.”

Comer sent letters to five former senior Biden White House aides, “demanding they appear for transcribed interviews.” Comer’s committee is investigating “potentially unauthorized issuance of sweeping pardons and other executive action.”

The investigations have been fueled in part by a book written by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, “Original Sin,” which the congressman quoted as claiming, “Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board.”

Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as Biden’s press secretary; Ian Sams, former assistant to the president and senior advisor in the White House Counsel’s Office; Andrew Bates, former deputy assistant to the president and senior deputy press secretary; and Jeff Zients, Biden’s former chief of staff, have also been called to testify in front of the committee.

Pope Leo XIV Condemns Israeli Attack on Gaza Church, Calls for End to ‘Barbarity’

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Pope Leo XIV Condemns Israeli Attack on Gaza Church, Calls for End to ‘Barbarity’

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) Pope Leo XIV on Sunday again condemned the Israeli tank shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City, which killed three Christians, and made another appeal for a ceasefire in Gaza, calling for an end to the “barbarity” and for a peaceful resolution.

“I express my deep sorrow over the attack by the Israeli army on the Catholic Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza City. As you know, last Thursday, it resulted in the deaths of three Christians and the serious wounding of others,” the pontiff said after his weekly Angelus prayer.

“I pray for the victims: Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud. I express, in particular, my closeness to their families and all the parishioners. This act tragically adds to the ongoing military assaults on civilians and places of worship in Gaza. I call, once again, for an immediate end to the barbarity of war,” the pope added.

Leo’s strong statement suggests the Vatican is not accepting Israel’s claim that the attack on the church was an accident, something Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, had cast doubt on since the strike was a direct hit.

Leo spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, and, according to a Vatican statement, he “repeated his appeal for a renewed push for negotiations, a ceasefire and an end to the war” and “again expressed his concern about the tragic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, whose children, elderly and sick are paying an agonizing price.”

Cardinal Pizzaballa entered Gaza on Friday along with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III to show support for the small Christian community in Gaza City following the strike on the church. The visit marked the third time Pizzaballa entered Gaza since October 7, 2023. Pizzaballa was still in Gaza on Sunday and celebrated Mass at the Holy Family Church.

When Pizzaballa entered Gaza on Friday, he received a call from Pope Leo, who expressed his support. “Pope Leo repeatedly stated that it is time to stop this slaughter, that what has happened is unjustifiable, and that we must ensure there are no more victims,” Pizzaballa told Vatican News following the call.

The bombing of the Holy Family Church came as Israel has been ramping up its genocidal war, killing close to or more than 100 Palestinians each day. Many Palestinians are also suffering from malnutrition due to Israeli restrictions, and aid seekers continue to be gunned down by Israeli forces in large numbers.

In its initial statement on the church bombing, the Latin Patriarchate said this “tragedy is not greater or more terrible than the many others that have befallen Gaza. Many other innocent civilians have also been harmed, displaced and killed. Death, suffering and destruction are everywhere.”

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.

People are Still Missing from Deadly July 4 Floods

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People are Still Missing from Deadly July 4 Floods

(Headline USA) Three people remain missing — down from nearly 100 at last count — since the Texas Hill Country was pounded by massive flooding on July 4, officials said Saturday.

Officials praised rescuers for the sharp reduction in the number of people on the missing list: Just days after the catastrophic flooding, more than 160 people were said to be unaccounted for in Kerr County alone.

“This remarkable progress reflects countless hours of coordinated search and rescue operations, careful investigative work, and an unwavering commitment to bringing clarity and hope to families during an unimaginably difficult time,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said in a statement.

The death toll in Kerr County, 107, held steady for much of this week even as the intensive search continued.

The flash floods killed at least 135 people in Texas over the holiday weekend, with most deaths along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio.

Just before daybreak on July 4, the destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe, washing away homes and vehicles.

The floods laid waste to the Hill Country, a popular tourist destination where campers seek out spots along the river amid the rolling landscape. It is naturally prone to flash flooding because its dry, dirt-packed soil cannot soak up heavy rain.

Vacation cabins, youth camps campgrounds fill the riverbanks and hills of Kerr County, including Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian summer camp for girls. Located in a low-lying area of a region known as “flash flood alley,” Camp Mystic lost at least 27 campers and counselors.

The flooding was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, experts said, and it moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off guard in a county that lacked a warning system.

In Kerrville, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Austin, local officials have come under scrutiny over whether residents were adequately warned about the rising waters.

President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have pushed back aggressively against questions about how well local authorities responded to forecasts of heavy rain and the first reports of flash flooding.

Crews have been searching for victims using helicopters, boats and drones. Earlier efforts were hampered by rain forecasts, leading some crews to hold off or stop because of worries about more flooding.

Man Rams Vehicle into LA Crowd, Hits 30 People, then Gets Shot

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Man Rams Vehicle into LA Crowd, Hits 30 People, then Gets Shot

(Headline USA) A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter a nightclub along a busy boulevard in Los Angeles early Saturday, injuring 30 people and leading bystanders to attack the driver, authorities said.

The driver, later identified as 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez, was later found to have been shot, according to police, who were searching for a suspected gunman who fled the scene along Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood.

Reports later claimed that the man had been kicked out of the club shortly before his attack. After he plowed his car into the crowd, he was dragged out of his car, beat up, and shot by one of the people he attacked.

Twenty-three victims were taken to hospitals and trauma centers, according to police. Seven were in critical condition, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.

Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen said a line of people — mostly female — were waiting to enter Vermont Hollywood when they were struck by a Nissan Versa that also hit a food vending cart and valet stand. “This was a very chaotic scene,” said VanGerpen, a public information officer.

People inside came out to help victims in the minutes before emergency crews arrived, he said.

Ramirez, whose gunshot wound was found by paramedics, was also taken to a hospital.

The person suspected of shooting him was described as a man in a blue jersey with a silver revolver.

“This is under police investigation,” VanGerpen said. “This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”

Vermont Hollywood was hosting a reggae-hip hop event from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to its online calendar. There was no immediate response to a phone message left with the business.

A fight broke out outside the venue beforehand, according to Maria Medrano, who with her husband was there selling hot dogs. Shortly afterward, she said, the car hit the people, and the couple narrowly escaped when it crushed their stand.

“The car stopped once it hit the hot dog stand, it got stuck there,” Medrano told The Associated Press from the hospital. “If not, I wouldn’t be here to tell” the story.

After the crash she heard what sounded like gunshots.

“Everyone started running,” Medrano said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Bondi Visits Alcatraz; Newsom’s Office Reacts with Skepticism

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Bondi Visits Alcatraz; Newsom’s Office Reacts with Skepticism

(The Center Square) California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s staff expressed skepticism about reopening Alcatraz as a federal prison following U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s visit to the historic tourist attraction. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the idea “stupid.”

But President Donald Trump and his supporters said the San Francisco Bay island could hold America’s worst criminals again.

Alcatraz, which held infamous prisoners such as gangster Al Capone, closed in 1963 because of its high operating costs, including transporting fresh water and other supplies by boat.

It was almost three times more expensive to operate than other federal prisons, according to the History Channel. In 1972, the site became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the public began visiting it in 1973. The National Park Service oversees the island, where rangers have given talks and tourists have had their photos taken inside the cells in the aging facility. The 19th-century buildings are decaying, and nothing remains of the warden’s mansion but a concrete shell.

“Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the same day Trump lets her release the Epstein files. So … never,” Newsom’s press office posted Thursday on X.

Ironically, after bipartisan pressure grew to release those files, Trump ordered Bondi to release grand jury documents in the sex-trafficking case against Jeffrey Epstein, whose death in 2019 at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City was ruled a suicide by a medical examiner and the U.S. Justice Department inspector general.

Bondi, who said she would release the files, traveled to Alcatraz Thursday on a Coast Guard boat with Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum.

“A great morning at Alcatraz with @SecretaryBurgum,” Bondi posted on X with photos. “Under President Trump, we are Making America Safe Again.”

Bondi and Burgum toured the cell block that housed Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly and visited the dock, power station and industry building, according to a U.S. Department of Interior news release.

“The trip to California comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to reverse the damage done by the Biden administration to The Golden State after residents experienced increases in violent crime, property crime, and robberies because of the policies of the previous administration and state officials that let criminals walk free,” the department said.

Bondi is using the visit as part of her review to determine whether Alcatraz could reopen as a prison after being rebuilt.

“This is a terrific facility,” Bondi said in a Fox News story. “It needs a lot of work, but no one has been known to escape from Alcatraz and survive.”

But Pelosi, a Democrat who continues to represent San Francisco in the U.S. House, strongly disagreed with the idea. She described the reopening of Alcatraz as the Trump administration’s “stupidest” idea, according to media reports.

Republicans in Congress are expected to introduce a bill to take away the National Park Service’s control of the site, with the goal of making Alcatraz a prison again. In May, Trump directed the Bureau of Prisons, the FBI, and the Homeland Security and Justice departments to reopen a rebuilt and expanded Alcatraz prison “to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”

“The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE,” Trump posted on his social media platform, TruthSocial.

In 1972, Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the public began visiting it in 1973. The U.S. General Services Administration said over 1.4 million people annually visit the site.

Visitors take a ferry to reach the island, where the weather jumps back and forth between fog, powerful gusts and sunshine. Tourists can get an audio tour available in a dozen languages, according to the National Park Service. A photo on the park service’s website shows tourists taking a tram.

Alcatraz, which served as a military fort during the Civil War and was transformed into a prison in 1934, was seen as inescapable. But there were 14 escape attempts by 36 men, according to the FBI. “Nearly all were caught or didn’t survive the attempt.”

The final three inmates who escaped, back in the 1960s, were never found. But the FBI, while conceding the escapes remain a mystery, said its investigation concluded inmates John Anglin, Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris didn’t survive. (John and Clarence were brothers.)

Their attempt to escape inspired the 1979 movie “Escape from Alcatraz” (1979), starring Clint Eastwood.

How Many Hearings on ‘Antisemitism’ the House Has Held? The Answer May Surprise Some

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How Many Hearings on ‘Antisemitism’ the House Has Held? The Answer May Surprise Some

(José Niño, Headline USA) Congress never held a formal investigation into the Oklahoma City bombing, Jeffrey Epstein, or a variety of other scandals with unanswered questions, but Republicans have held nine hearings on antisemitism in the last 18 months.

At least one member of Congress thinks nine is enough. Bobby Scott, D-Va., accused House Republicans of selective attention to campus discrimination during Tuesday’s antisemitism hearing.

Unfortunately for the public, Scott wasn’t pressing for an OKC or Epstein hearing. Rather, he wanted to investigate other forms of racism.

Scott, the committee’s ranking member, began his opening statement by acknowledging the seriousness of combating antisemitism, calling it “a moral and civil priority.” However, he quickly pivoted to his central concern: “I’d be remiss if I did not point out that this is our ninth hearing on antisemitism in 18 months.”

The Virginia congressman underscored what he viewed as a glaring omission in the committee’s priorities, stating that “since this committee’s first antisemitism hearing in December 2023, we’ve not held a single hearing addressing racism, xenophobia, sexism, Islamophobia, or other challenges affecting other student groups on American college campuses.”

Scott’s criticism extended beyond the hearing schedule to encompass broader educational policy concerns. He condemned what he characterized as “this committee’s silence on the administration’s wholesale attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives designed to make campuses more welcoming to all groups.”

The congressman argued that if the committee was genuinely serious about addressing antisemitism, it should focus on strengthening the enforcement mechanisms already in place. He advocated for “vigorous enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act enforced by the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education,” while criticizing the committee majority for saying “nothing about the wholesale firings attacking the Office of Civil Rights.”

Scott’s remarks came during a three-hour hearing featuring Georgetown University’s interim president Robert Groves, City University of New York Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez, and University of California Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons. The hearing marked the latest in a series of congressional examinations of campus antisemitism that began following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Scott concluded his statement by urging the committee to “focus some of your attention to those who have the responsibility to protect students from hate and discrimination, the Office of Civil Rights, or whatever is left of it, and the pressing issues facing colleges and students today.”

Addressing the rise of antisemitism has been a major priority for Congress over the last year.

As Headline USA has previously covered, members of Congress such as Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., have manifested their concerns about the alleged rise of antisemitism across both sides of the political aisle and the need for Congress to take decisive action against this trend.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

Family of a Man Crushed at an Atlanta Homeless Encampment Sues the City

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Family of a Man Crushed at an Atlanta Homeless Encampment Sues the City

(Headline USA) The family of a homeless man who died after a bulldozer crushed his tent during an encampment sweep sued the city of Atlanta on Friday over his death, calling it “tragic and preventable.”

The lawsuit filed by Cornelius Taylor’s sister and son alleges that city employees failed to look to see if there was anyone inside the tents in the encampment before using a bulldozer to clear it. Taylor, 46, was inside one of the tents and was crushed by the truck when his tent was flattened, the lawsuit says.

City officials had called for the clearing of the encampment in preparation for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The encampment was blocks away from Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King had preached. An autopsy report later revealed Taylor’s pelvic bone had been broken and that he suffered damage to organs and internal bleeding.

“A tent that was occupied by a human being was crushed by this heavy equipment. That’s obviously wrong,” attorney Harold Spence said. “Nobody looked inside the tent, and if someone who looked inside had taken 10 seconds to do so, this tragedy could have been averted. And if you don’t know what’s inside, you don’t crush it.”

The lawsuit filed in Fulton County State Court asks for a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages, as well as repayment for medical expenses, funeral costs and legal fees. It was filed against the city and seven unnamed city employees, including the driver of the bulldozer.

A spokesperson for Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement “the incident involving Mr. Taylor was a tragedy” but that he could not comment on pending litigation.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that cities across the country can enforce bans on homeless camping. But clearings are controversial.

Taylor’s death sparked outrage among local advocates and neighbors at the encampment, who called the city’s policies on clearing encampments deeply inhumane. They said the city faces a dire affordable housing shortage that makes it inevitable that people will end up living on the streets. The family’s lawyers described the lawsuit as a call for city leaders to treat homeless people as deserving of “respect and dignity” instead of rushing to clear their communities “as if they were invisible.”

City officials have said they are doing that. Right after Taylor’s death, the city put a temporary moratorium on encampment sweeps. With the FIFA World Cup coming to Atlanta next year, the city has since resumed clearing encampments with the controversial goal of eliminating all homelessness in the downtown area before then.

Last week, the city closed the camp where Taylor lived and said officials coordinated with the local nonprofit who leads the city’s homelessness services to offer people living there housing with supportive services.

Lawyers said they were grateful for the city’s efforts, but more work is needed. Members of the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition said they are still paying for hotel rooms for eight former encampment residents. Taylor’s lawyers and family called on Dickens’ administration cut through red tape such as issues with documents and help the others get housing.

Taylor’s sister Darlene Chaney teared up during a Friday news conference where lawyers announced the lawsuit as she re-listened to descriptions of the gruesome injuries her brother suffered.

She said Taylor loved to read everything from science fiction to the Bible. He was eager to leave the encampment to rebuild his life, and stayed positive about his future even as barriers such as getting him an ID slowed that process down, she said. She misses his “annoying” weekly calls — and said now she only has one brother to annoy her. She misses having two.

“We’re here, just because someone, in my own personal opinion, was lazy,” Chaney said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Man Dies after Heavy Weight-Training Chain around Neck Pulls Him into MRI Machine

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Man Dies after Heavy Weight-Training Chain around Neck Pulls Him into MRI Machine

(Headline USA) A man who was pulled into an MRI machine in New York after he walked into the room wearing a large weight-training chain around his neck has died, according to police and his wife, who told a local television outlet that he waved goodbye before his body went limp.

The man, 61, had entered an MRI room while a scan was underway Wednesday afternoon at Nassau Open MRI. The machine’s strong magnetic force drew him in by the metallic chain around his neck, according to a release from the Nassau County Police Department.

He died Thursday afternoon, but a police officer who answered the phone at the Nassau County police precinct where the MRI facility is located said the department had not yet been given permission to release the name Saturday.

Adrienne Jones-McAllister told News 12 Long Island in a recorded interview that she was undergoing an MRI on her knee when she asked the technician to get her husband, Keith McAllister, to help her get off the table. She said she called out to him.

She told News 12 that the technician summoned into the room her husband, who was wearing a 20-pound chain that he uses for weight training, an object they’d had a casual conversation about during a previous visit with comments like: “Ooooooh, that’s a big chain!”

When he got close to her, she said, “at that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in and he hit the MRI.”

“I said: ‘Could you turn off the machine, call 911, do something, Turn this damn thing off!’” she recalled, as tears ran down her face. “He went limp in my arms.”

She said the technician helped her try to pull her husband off the machine but it was impossible.

“He waved goodbye to me and then his whole body went limp,” Jones-McAllister told the TV outlet.

Jones-McAllister told News 12 that McAllister suffered heart attacks after he was freed from the MRI machine.

A person who answered the phone at Nassau Open MRI on Long Island declined to comment Friday. The phone number went unanswered on Saturday.

It wasn’t the first New York death to result from an MRI machine.

In 2001, 6-year-old Michael Colombini of Croton-on-Hudson was killed at the Westchester Medical Center when an oxygen tank flew into the chamber, drawn in by the MRI’s 10-ton electromagnet.

In 2010, records filed in Westchester County revealed that the family settled a lawsuit for $2.9 million.

MRI machines “employ a strong magnetic field” that “exerts very powerful forces on objects of iron, some steels, and other magnetizable objects,” according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which says the units are “strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room.”

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

U.S. Assessment: Iran Could Resume Nuclear Enrichment Within Months

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U.S. Assessment: Iran Could Resume Nuclear Enrichment Within Months

(Kyle Anzalone, Libertarian Institute) An assessment of the damage to Iranian nuclear facilities following US strikes last month concluded that only one site sustained major damage, and the Islamic Republic could resume enrichment operations within a few months. Washington and Tel Aviv are considering additional strikes to destroy the facility.

NBC News reported speaking with five sources who are familiar with the assessment. It found that of the three sites hit during Operation Midnight Hammer, Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, only operations at Fordo were set back by years.

President Donald Trump has asserted several times that the June 22 attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear program.

The outlet explains that Washington and Tel Aviv are considering additional strikes on the Islamic Republic to more completely destroy its nuclear program. American and Israeli politicians have long claimed that Iran is attempting to weaponize its civilian nuclear program.

The US intelligence community has assessed that the Iranian government has not ordered the creation of a nuclear weapons program.

Officials say the US and Israel could hold off on attacking if Iran returns to the table and agrees to a new nuclear deal soon.

However, Tehran says it needs assurances from Washington that the US and Israel will not attack Iran again if its negotiations return to talks. Before Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran last month, US and Iranian diplomats were scheduled to meet for nuclear talks.

Iran’s foreign minister referred to the Israeli attack, supported by the US, as a betrayal. “So they had perhaps this plan in their mind, and they just needed negotiations perhaps to cover it up,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. “We don’t know how we can trust them anymore. What they did was, in fact, a betrayal to diplomacy.”

President Trump is also demanding that the Islamic Republic give up its nuclear enrichment program. Tehran asserts that enrichment is crucial to its sovereignty, and it will not dismantle its program.

A US official said that striking Iran’s nuclear facilities would be easy going forward, as much of the country’s air defenses were destroyed by Israel. NBC News reported that officials explained the Pentagon presented Trump with an option that would have involved more attacks on Iran that lasted weeks. The President chose a limited option with just one round of strikes.

This article originally appeared at The Libertarian Institute.

What to Know about Arson and Explosives Units after Blast at Training Facility in LA

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What to Know about Arson and Explosives Units after Blast at Training Facility in LA

(Headline USA) Three members of the arson and explosives unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were killed Friday in a blast at the department’s training facility.

It was not immediately clear what they were doing when the explosion happened in a parking lot at the Biscailuz Training Facility or what caused it. However an early line of investigation is examining whether it may have been a training accident, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The detectives who died were part of a team that undergoes in-depth training and responds to more than 1,000 calls a year, according to the Sheriff Robert Luna.

Here’s what to know about law enforcement agencies’ arson and explosives units:

What do such units typically do?

Depending on the agency, they can be responsible for everything from bomb disposal to search and prevention operations to arson investigations, according to Mark Lomax, former executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association and a retired major for the Pennsylvania State Police.

In bomb disposal actions, team members might respond to a package or box that could contain an explosive device and then use tools like robots or X-ray devices to “render it safe,” Lomax said.

If there is an explosion, members could be sent to investigate, including working to determine the types of materials used to make the bomb, he said. They may also help with search and prevention at big events using bomb sniffing dogs and scanners.

On the fire side of the unit, team members could be responsible for arson investigations, including determining the cause of a fire and whether it was natural or intentional, Lomax said.

How common is it for a law enforcement agency to have a team like this?

Whether or not an agency has such a unit would likely depend on the size of the department and its location.

There are thousands of police departments in the U.S., and the majority of them are under 50 people, according to Lomax. Smaller departments might not have sufficient personnel, money or equipment to have their own explosives team.

“A lot of times, depending on location, they may use the county sheriff’s department in certain locations or the state police in other locations,” Lomax said.

The team from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department would likely be deployed to smaller cities in the county to help with such incidents as suspicious packages or even to educate the community about what to look out for.

What type of training do team members typically undergo?

A certified bomb technician would need to have a certification from the FBI, most likely from its Hazardous Devices School in Huntsville, Alabama, Lomax said.

That training includes threat assessment and puts participants in “true-to-life training settings,” according to a video on the FBI’s website.

For advanced training, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has a national center at the same location, according to Lomax. There is also regional training.

“It’s very dangerous, and therefore it demands higher, more advanced training, more advanced equipment,” Lomax said.

For arson investigations, officials may go to the National Fire Academy in Maryland or participate in fire investigations training through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to Lomax. There are also local academies that offer more basic arson investigation courses.

The people on these teams likely were already officers, troopers or deputies and then later took the specialized training, Lomax said.

How dangerous can training be for this type of unit?

Explosives training involving actual explosive devices can be very dangerous because there can be many unknowns, according to Lomax.

Everything from the amount of moisture in the air that day to how long the material has been on the shelf could impact an exercise.

“There’s so many different variables that make that type of training extremely, extremely dangerous and hazardous,” Lomax said.

He referenced a 2022 incident in which five bomb technicians were injured by the detonation of an explosive device during a training exercise in Pennsylvania conducted by the FBI’s Philadelphia field office.

And in 2021, there was a catastrophic explosion in Los Angeles as homemade fireworks were being destroyed by a bomb squad. It injured 17 people and damaged dozens of homes, businesses and vehicles.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

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