(LONDON) — Mouaz Moustafa, the head of the U.S.-based Syrian advocacy organization, the Syrian Emergency Task Force, told ABC News Tuesday there are believed to be well over 100,000 bodies in a “massive” grave discovered at a site 25 miles north of Damascus.
Opposition groups and rescue workers are still uncovering evidence of the alleged human rights abuses committed by toppled President Bashar Assad’s regime over his 24 years in power — and over 50 years of Assad family rule.
The overthrown president was in power from 2000 to his ousting on Dec. 8. His sudden fall in the face of a surprise, multi-pronged rebel offensive marked the end of a 14-year conflict between Damascus and a collection of anti-government forces.
Now, Syria’s rebel-led transitional government, NGOs and rescue workers are uncovering Assad’s vast network of prisons and suspected mass burial sites, where more than 100,000 people may have gone missing since 2011.
SETF believes it has identified three other “mass graves” so far, as well as two “smaller ones,” Moustafa said.
Moustafa told ABC News from the Syrian capital that the site in al-Qutayfah close to Damascus consists of “massive graves” where “lines or trenches were 6 to 7 meters deep, 3 to 4 meters wide and 50 to 150 meters long.”
“In my conversation with the gravediggers, they told me that four tractor trailer trucks each carrying over 150 bodies came twice a week from 2012 until 2018,” Moustafa said.
“The bulldozer excavator driver described how intelligence officers forced workers to use the bulldozer to flatten and compress the bodies to make them fit and easier to bury before digging the next line or trench,” he added.
The graves contained men, women, children and the elderly “tortured to death” by Assad’s regime, Moustafa said.
The Qutayfah burial site is in an area that was under military control, with the road in closed to civilian traffic.
Large villas nearby housed Iranian and Iraqi allies of the Assad regime, which became increasingly reliant on foreign partners in Moscow, Tehran and Baghdad to retain control as the brutal civil war wore on.
Syria’s Air Force Intelligence — considered the most powerful branch of Assad’s military — also maintained a presence nearby.
At the site, workers clad in white overalls piled large black plastic bags of human bones onto a truck. Some of the bags had Farsi — the official language of Iran — written on them.
Locals told ABC News they saw bags being dumped at the site in the days leading up to Assad’s fall, as rebels surged towards the capital from Idlib and Aleppo in the north and Daraa in the south.
In his first statement since fleeing Syria, Assad on Monday blamed a “terrorist onslaught” for the stunning collapse of his regime.
Assad made no comment on the longstanding human rights abuse allegations, abuses that the opposition and key Western governments say intensified after the outbreak of civil war in 2011.
The fall of his regime saw jubilant fighters and residents emptying Assad’s infamous prisons. More than 100,000 people are still believed to be missing, disappeared into Damascus’ fearsome security apparatus.
The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group, which led the surprise offensive striking out of Idlib southwards towards Damascus, vowed that the transitional government would hold to account those implicated in Assad’s human rights abuses.
Ahmed al-Sharaa — also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani — said shortly after the fall of Damascus, “We will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people.”
(WASHINGTON) — In a sweeping change that could American save consumers time and money — the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday finalized a rule that would ban surprise “junk fees” for live event tickets, hotels and vacation rentals.
The rule would require businesses to disclose total prices upfront, rather than tacking on extra costs like “convenience fees” or “resort fees” when consumers check out online.
“Whatever price you see is the price that you are paying at the end, no more mystery surprise fees at the very end of the process, which really cheat consumers and also punish honest businesses,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in an exclusive interview with ABC News.
The FTC said the final rule, which takes effect around April of next year, could save consumers 53 million hours in wasted time searching for the total price of live event tickets or short-term lodging — equal to about $11 billion in savings over a decade.
The rule would not stop businesses from charging fees. But they would be required to list prices clearly from the onset and to display the total cost more prominently on a website than any other price.
“This should really provide the American people with just some more clarity and confidence so they don’t feel like they’re getting cheated or having to be bait and switched by all of these deceptive pricing tactics,” Khan said. “This is really about saving people money and saving people time.”
The change is part of a broader push from the administration of President Joe Biden to lower costs as households have been plagued by stubborn inflation. Last week the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a final rule to curb bank overdraft fees.
In a statement to ABC News, Biden said: “Today’s announcement builds on work across my Administration to ban junk fees and lower costs — saving many families hundreds of dollars each year.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has opposed the rule, calling it “nothing more than an attempt to micromanage businesses’ pricing structures, often undermining businesses’ ability to give consumers options at different price points.”
The business lobbying group has already sued the FTC over other regulations, including a rule to ban noncompete agreements for millions of workers.
Asked about the likelihood the junk fee rule would face challenges in court, Khan told ABC News the FTC is on “firm legal grounds.”
“We’ve also seen bipartisan proposals in Congress to take on these junk fees in these in these industries,” Khan said. “I can’t predict the future, but I’d be very surprised if something that’s just common sense was going to be stripped away.”
At the helm of the FTC, Khan has been credited with ushering in a new era of anti-trust regulation, challenging the business models of major corporations in industries ranging from Big Tech to pharmaceuticals. Her aggressive approach quickly made her a prominent target among conservatives and Wall Street investors.
President-elect Trump announced last week he nominated Andrew Ferguson, a current Republican FTC commissioner, to replace Khan.
“These junk fees have really proliferated across the economy, and I would want to make sure that future enforcers and future policy makers were taking on these junk fees across the economy,” Khan told ABC News.
As for her political future, Khan said she’s still laser-focused on her current role.
“I’m just focused on doing my job in the in the days and weeks we have left,” she said. “I’ve just been really thrilled to see the enormous support across the country for a strong and vigorous FTC.”
(PORT VILA, VANUATU) — The U.S. Embassy in Port Vila was damaged on Tuesday as a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.
The embassy, which is in the capital on the island of Efate, “sustained considerable damage during the earthquake and is closed until further notice,” U.S. officials said in an alert. All staffers who were in the building at the time of the quake were safe and accounted for, officials said in a later update on social media.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this earthquake, and the U.S. government will work closely with our partners in Vanuatu,” the update said.
The earthquake struck about 2 miles west of the capital just before 1 p.m. local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said. A series of aftershocks followed, but no tsunami warnings were issued.
“The U.S. Embassy is hearing reports that flights to and from Vanuatu are canceled,” the embassy said in the alert “There are also reports of landslides in the Port Vila area.”
“People are advised to avoid entering buildings as they may be damaged or unstable,” the alert said.
The embassy was opened in July, Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesperson, said at the time.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Prosecutors on Long Island plan to announce a “significant development” in their case against accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann on Tuesday, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
The architect and father has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the murders of six women whose remains were found in a remote spot along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach and parts of eastern Long Island.
Prosecutors have also linked him to the death of several other unsolved killings — including that of Valerie Mack, a New Jersey woman whose remains were discovered in Manorville and near Gilgo Beach. Like the other women, the prosecutors have said she was also involved in sex work.
Prosecutors named Heuermann a suspect in Mack’s death in June based on evidence allegedly found on an electronic device seized from Heuermann’s home in Massapequa Park on Long Island. Prosecutors have said Heuermann kept detailed notes about serial killings, body disposal and torture pornography.
A spokeswoman for Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney declined to comment.
Heuermann, 61, is scheduled to appear in court in Riverhead at 9:30 a.m.
(MADISON, WI) — Details are still emerging about the course of the Madison, Wisconsin, school shooting that left three people — among them the 15-year-old female shooter — dead and several others injured on Monday.
Police said that Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha, used a handgun to kill one teacher and one fellow student in the shooting.
Rupnow died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound before officers reached the school, police said. Officers did not fire their weapons.
Two students sustained life-threatening injuries and are in critical condition, while one teacher and two other students were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said in a Monday briefing that the shooting was contained to “a classroom in a study hall full of students from multiple grade levels.”
Police have not yet suggested any motive for the attack nor said whether they believe the victims were specifically targeted.
The suspect’s father reportedly spoke with police at one of their facilities shortly after the incident. Police are “trying to determine what he knew or may have not known about what happened today, but again, he lost someone as well,” Barnes said.
“The parents are fully cooperating, we have no reason to believe that they have committed a crime at this time,” Barnes said.
A second-grader made the 911 call, Barnes said. “Let that soak in for a minute,” Barnes added. “A second-grade student called 911 at 10:57 a.m. to report a shooting at school.”
President Joe Biden called the incident “shocking and unconscionable” in a statement Monday evening that called on Congress to act, “now.”
He insisted that they pass “commonsense” gun safety laws including universal background checks, a national red flag law and a ban on both assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
“It is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence,” the statement said, adding, “We cannot continue to accept it as normal.”
Biden also mentioned his administration’s efforts to combat the gun violence epidemic in the United States, including the implementation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, while stating that more needed to be done and offering his prayers to those affected in Madison.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement, “There are no words to describe the devastation and heartbreak we feel,” calling the shooting a “gut-wrenching tragedy.”
Evers said he and his wife are “praying for the families and loved ones of those whose lives were so senselessly taken and for the educators, staff, and the entire Abundant Life school community.”
“It is unthinkable that a kid or an educator might wake up and go to school one morning and never come home,” he said. “This should never happen, and I will never accept this as a foregone reality or stop working to change it.”
(LONDON) — A senior Russian general was killed in a bomb blast in a residential neighborhood in Moscow, Russian media reported early Tuesday, in what Ukrainian sources told ABC News was an intelligence operation.
Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov was killed by an explosive device that appears to have been hidden in a parked scooter and set off by remote control, Russian state-affiliated media TASS reported. The explosion also killed an aide accompanying him.
Kirillov was the head of Russia’s radiation, chemical and biological protection troops. Sources told ABC News that the Security Service of Ukraine was behind the killing.
“Kirillov was a war criminal and an entirely legitimate target, as he issued orders to use prohibited chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops,” an SBU source said. “Such an inglorious end awaits all those who kill Ukrainians. Retribution for war crimes is inevitable” the source said.
On Monday, the SBU charged Kirillov in absentia with war crimes for alleged orders approving chemical weapon use against Ukrainian troops.
Kirillov, the SBU said on Telegram, “is responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons” on the Ukrainian front lines.
“By order of Kirillov, more than 4,800 cases of the enemy’s use of chemical munitions have been recorded since the beginning of the full-scale war,” the SBU said.
Among the delivery methods, the SBU said, were grenades equipped with toxic substances like CS and CN irritants.
(WASHINGTON) — The thousands of drone sightings reported over the last month in Northeastern states don’t appear to be “anything anomalous,” nor do they present a national security or public safety risk, federal officials said in a multiagency statement late Monday.
The FBI has received more than 5,000 tips in the last few weeks about drone sightings in New Jersey and other states, said the statement, which was released jointly by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense.
Those tips have resulted in about 100 leads, with federal investigators supporting state and local officials.
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” the joint statement said.
Uncrewed aerial drones have been lighting up the sky at night in New Jersey and nearby states for weeks, since about mid-November, leading to concern from residents and speculation online. Some had demanded answers from local and state officials for answers.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have deployed infrared cameras and drone detection technology to ensure the drones flying over the New Jersey and New York area aren’t harmful, according to a law enforcement source. Dozens of agencies have been out daily to find answers and track down any operators acting “illegally or with nefarious intent,” the FBI said recently.
The agencies are also looking at social media and other photos to determine what exactly is in the photos. Most of the photos and video depict manned aircraft, according to a law enforcement source.
But the newly released statement appeared to take a sober view of the mysterious drone sightings, noting that federal official have yet to identify “anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.”
“That said, we recognize the concern among many communities,” the statement said. “We continue to support state and local authorities with advanced detection technology and support of law enforcement.”
ABC News’ Calvin Milliner, David Brennan, Luke Barr, Meredith Deliso, Luis Martinez, Matt Seyler, Aaron Katersky, Sarah Kolinovsky and Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — A 5-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound in her upper body after her 3-year-old brother accessed an unsecured firearm in a southwest Washington, D.C., apartment on Monday evening, police said.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said that officers responded at approximately 6:30 p.m. to an apartment in the Unit block of Galveston Street SW for reports of a shooting.
“What we know at this time is the female victim was injured when a younger child accessed a firearm that was unsecured in the apartment,” Smith said.
The girl was administered first aid and transported to an area hospital in serious condition. She remained in critical condition, according to Smith.
A man, who was responsible for providing care for the children at the time the incident occurred, was inside the apartment and was arrested and charged with cruelty to children, police said.
A woman was also arrested and charged with assaulting a special police officer, who worked at the apartment complex, police said. Police said they believed the woman was the sister of the girl who was shot.
“What I want to emphasize tonight is that this incident really highlights the danger of unsecured firearms in homes and especially around children,” Smith said. “We want to emphasize the importance of firearm safety and we are asking everyone to keep our young female victim in your prayers at this time.”
Smith said the investigation remained ongoing and that the information provided at the press conference was preliminary and subject to change.
(NEW YORK) — East Coast residents and lawmakers are again demanding answers after another slew of drone sightings in the region, with the origins of the alleged craft still unclear.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have deployed infrared cameras and drone detection technology to ensure the drones flying over the New Jersey and New York area aren’t harmful, according to a law enforcement source.
The agencies are also looking at social media and other photos to determine what exactly is in the photos. Most of the photos and video depict manned aircraft, according to a law enforcement source.
There have also been no reports from pilots about seeing any drones in the sky, according to the source.
Another other issue federal authorities are dealing with: over-reporting of potentially seeing drones, according to the source. In the New York-New Jersey area, where they are being spotted, there are very few restrictions.
President-elect Donald Trump called on the government to provide more information to the public on the drone situation.
“Our military knows, and our president knows, and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense,” he said during remarks at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. “Something strange is going on and for some reason they don’t want to tell the people. And they should.”
When asked by a reporter if he had received an intelligence briefing on the drones, Trump said, “I don’t want to comment on that.”
Matthew Murello, the mayor of Washington Township, New Jersey, told “Good Morning America” on Monday he believes “something’s going on,” expressing concern and frustration at the lack of answers from federal authorities.
“I’m not trying to stir anything up, but we all know — if you just turn on the television — that drones can be used in an aggressive fashion,” Murello said. “They can carry payloads. They can be used for all kinds of really aggressive-type things.”
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Thursday that “many” of the reported drone sightings appear to be lawfully operated manned aircraft, adding there was “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus.”
But Murello said those living under the drones are not reassured.
“That’s a wonderful thing to tell your residents,” he said when asked about Kirby’s assurances. “That’s fantastic, until it’s not.”
“Nobody knows what these things are doing,” Murello added. “Best case scenario, they’re just getting video of us. Again, I don’t know why out here. We’re nothing but farm country. If you want videos of cows, I’ll be happy to send you some.”
Murello cast doubt on the official statements suggesting “no perceived threat.”
“We’ve heard that before from our federal government — ‘We’re not looking, we’re not watching you, we’re not watching your calls, we’re not doing everything and don’t worry — we’re here and we’re here to help you’,” he said.
Murello was among a group of New Jersey mayors who wrote to Gov. Phil Murphy asking for more information. The mayors were subsequently invited to a meeting, but Murello said the governor did not attend.
Instead, state police told the mayors they had little information on the drones. Authorities, Murello said, could not explain why some drones are being flown without emitting radio frequencies or using transponders — both of which are required by law when a drone is used at night.
Murello said he had personally seen “a couple” of drones “around my town.” He disputed Kirby’s statement that many of the reported sightings were of misidentified manned aircraft.
“I have no way of telling you how big it was, but I can sure as heck can tell what they sound like,” the mayor said. “And I know that they are not. What Adm. Kirby said — which is a manned aircraft — that just isn’t right.”
“I’ve seen multiple rotor, helicopter-type aircraft hovering above the tree line,” Murello said, recalling one police official who said the drones can be up to 6 feet in diameter. The fact that most are spotted at night makes it “very difficult to kind of get an idea on them,” Murello added.
Reports of drone activity forced the temporary closure of runways at New York’s Stewart International Airport on Friday. The potential danger to aircraft is causing concern on the East Coast, Murello said.
“If pilots don’t see these things and they’re 6 foot in diameter and they hit an airplane — that is not going to end well,” he said.
The airspace over Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio was closed temporarily for four hours Friday night into early Saturday due to drone incursions, a base spokesman confirmed to ABC News. The drones, which were spotted over and near the base, had no impact to base residents, facilities or assets, a spokesperson said. There have not been any other reported sightings since then.
The military has no reason to suspect there is any threat related to reported drone sightings, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Monday.
“There are thousands of drones flown around the U.S. on a daily basis. So as a result, it’s not that unusual to see drones in the sky, nor is it an indication of malicious activity or any public safety threat,” he said, noting that the same applies to drones flown near military installations.
“Some fly near or over our bases from time to time. That in and of itself, is not unusual, and the vast majority pose no physical threat to our forces or impact our operations,” Ryder said.
Senators are pushing federal agencies for more information. Last week, New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim wrote to the heads of the FBI, Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Homeland Security requesting meetings.
“We write with urgent concern regarding the unmanned aerial system activity that has affected communities across New York and New Jersey in recent days,” the letter said, requesting a briefing “as soon as possible on how your agencies are working with federal and local law enforcement to identify and address the source of these incursions.”
The mystery has caught the public’s attention, with photos and videos of alleged sightings proliferating across social media. One FBI official told reporters Saturday that out of the nearly 5,000 tips the agency had received, less than 100 generated credible leads for further investigation.
Many of the reported drone sightings have actually been manned aircraft, Ryder said. Drone reports may also be inflated due to an aircraft getting reported several times, he said.
Following a briefing with New Jersey mayors and multiple federal agencies Monday afternoon, Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali said there are no perceived threats posed by the drones, but that there is still “no information” about their owners, operators or origins.
“While it is reassuring that multiple agencies are actively investigating the situation, the unsettling part is that we still don’t know who is behind these drones or why they are appearing now,” he said in a social media update.
As the search for answers continues, Murello said he sees “only two logical conclusions.”
“One is somebody knows something and they’re just not willing to tell us,” the mayor said, suggesting potential national security sensitivities around the Morristown Airport and President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf course.
“If this is an area that needs to be surveilled in the eventuality that the incoming president is going to spend a lot of time here, you know what? I’m fine with that. Just simply say it’s an issue of national security,” he said.
An “even scarier” explanation is that “we’re the greatest nation in the world with the most technologically advanced military on the planet Earth, and we don’t know what the hell these things are,” Murello added. “That’s scary.”
The DHS and FAA have both warned against attempting to shoot down a suspected drone, citing the danger of falling debris and ammunition.
It is illegal to shoot down a drone. Anyone who does so could be fined up to $250,000 and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Murello said he would “definitely” not advise anyone to try to down a drone. “You also don’t know if you do hit it, where it’s going to come down and where are the rounds of ammunition going to land,” he said.
“But I will say that, speaking with friends of mine that are current and former state troopers, we have the technology to be able to bring a drone down,” Murello added, suggesting it was “absolutely silly” that law enforcement authorities are not authorized to down drones unless they are deemed a threat by the federal government.
“We don’t need to bring all of them down, we need to bring one of them down,” Murello continued. “We bring one down, we figure out what’s going on.”
ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Matt Seyler contributed to this report.
(MADISON, Wis.) — A teacher and teenage student were killed and six students were hurt in a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, police said.
Police had briefly mentioned a higher death toll but later revised the information.
The suspect, a teenage student at the school, is also dead, police said. The suspect used a handgun, police said.
A motive is not clear, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a news conference.
Of the six injured students, two are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, Barnes said. Four other students suffered non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
Officers responded to the active shooter report around 10:57 a.m. The suspect was dead upon police arrival and no officers fired their weapons, Barnes said.
The shooting was “confined to one space,” but it’s not clear if it was a classroom or hallway, the chief said.
“I never saw so many police cars in my life — just blue and red lights lining the school, lining the streets. Fire department, paramedics, everybody was there,” swarming the usually quiet neighborhood, John Diaz De Leon told ABC News Live.
He said he saw officers with long guns at the scene and older students run from the school across the parking lot.
“Later on, very slowly in a more orderly fashion, the younger students holding hands were let out to go across the parking lot,” he said.
The school has been cleared, Barnes said. There’s no danger to the community, he said.
The suspect’s family is cooperating, the police chief said.
Officials are working to reunite students with their parents. About 390 students from kindergarten through 12th grade attend the school.
The police chief said he began his career as a teacher.
“We owe it to our community to do everything possible to ensure [schools are] not only a special place, but a safe place,” he said.
“I hoped that this day would never come in Madison,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.
She stressed the need for gun violence prevention and said she wants the community and country to make sure “no public official ever has to stand in this position again.”
Jill Underly, Wisconsin’s superintendent of public instruction, stressed the need for change, saying in a statement, “This tragedy is a stark reminder that we must do more to protect our children and our educators to ensure that such horrors never happen again. We will not rest until we find solutions that make our schools safe.”
“The time for change is long past,” Underly said.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers wrote, “I am closely monitoring the incident at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond.”
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., tweeted, “I have been briefed on the active shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison and my heart goes out to all those impacted. My office is in touch with local and state officials, and I stand ready to assist law enforcement and anyone affected.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., wrote on social media, “My sincere condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School. I will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting, according to the White House.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
