Christians are disappearing for worshipping a God other than Xi
When the power cut out and his signal dropped, TJ knew something was wrong.
Seconds later, the banging started on his front door. Terrified, he stood as still as possible with his wife and three-year-old daughter, hoping they wouldn’t be noticed.
But the Chinese police officers broke down the door, shoved his wife and child into a separate room and began to question TJ.
“They grabbed my clothes and grabbed my hands so I couldn’t move. I could hear my daughter crying so much in the room next door but I couldn’t go to her, I couldn’t hug my wife,” he told The Telegraph.
TJ knew what his family’s crime was: being Christian and worshipping a God that was not Xi Jinping. In China, following a church that is not state-controlled is punishable.
The Chinese leader is intensifying Beijing’s crackdown on Christians amid a wider purge of top officials, showing signs of an increasingly paranoid leader.
The country officially recognises five religions, including Protestantism and Catholicism, but this only extends to churches that are fully state-controlled, where congregation is expected to sing patriotic songs before every service and affix Mr Xi’s portrait above the pulpit.
Many Christians such as TJ, who withheld his full name for security reasons, and his wife have chosen to join unofficial churches – or underground churches – where they can preach the gospel away from the government’s oversight.
But attending these places of worship carries its own risks – not least because they are seen as traitors. TJ last saw his wife when she was taken to a police station along with their phones, some books and artwork, and she has yet to be released. He still doesn’t understand why he was not taken too.
Under Mr Xi’s iron-tight grip, China has expanded its nationwide suppression of Christians during the last decade, arresting more than 10,000 people, according to Bob Fu, the founder of ChinaAid, a charity for victims of persecution in the country.
In the most recent crackdown, armed police stormed the Early Rain Covenant, an influential underground church, and detained more than 30 members last month.
Mr Xi’s ruthless campaign against these underground churches aims to ensure the survival of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and remove any threat to his power.
Mr Fu said: “It’s the emperor playing God. [Mr Xi] wants to be exclusive, he doesn’t want to have anything treated or worshipped more superior than him.”
TJ is one of six Chinese Christians who spoke to The Telegraph who have either been directly targeted by the CCP or have close relatives that are incarcerated.
They described police officers showing up at their homes unannounced in the middle of the night. Friends being rounded up and questioned by authorities, sometimes for weeks on end. Loved ones being convicted on trumped-up charges such as “using superstition to undermine the law” and detained indefinitely in crammed, dirty cells. And lawyers were targeted and suspended from practising law for defending Christians.
Knocks at the door
Jun Yang, a pastor with Zion Church, one of the largest underground churches in China, knows all too well about the risk of living as a Christian in China.
Nearly 30 members of his church, including Qu Qiuyu, his wife, and Ezra Jin Mingri, the church’s leader, were detained in October last year during one of the largest raids against Christians in recent years.
Mr Jin was released in early July, but many of those detained remain in prison.
Founded in 2007, Zion Church used to operate in a converted nightclub in Beijing but was forced to move to a decentralised, hybrid format 10 years later after the mass arrests of Christians across the underground church network and restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic forced many of the church’s sessions online.
The church’s membership has grown from 1,500 in 2018 to around 5,000 followers now, since the church adopted the hybrid format. Mr Yang and other Zion Church members who spoke to The Telegraph said the arrests in October were not a complete surprise.
Police had been harassing church members for months before the arrests and had been coming up with incriminating information about the church leaders.
In Mr Yang’s case, they were trying to pin corruption charges on him. “The police reached out to church followers, even took them back to the police station for questioning. They asked them about donations to the church, whether such donations went into my pocket to buy apartments, or if I had misused them in any way,” he said.
“They were trying to look for excuses to see if they could set a trap for me,” he added.
Mr Yang was visiting South Korea when they raided his family home. Officers arrested his wife and hauled her away in front of their two young children. Gao Yingjia, another pastor from Zion Church, was also targeted in the October 2025 raids, using similar tactics.
His wife, Geng Pengpeng, told The Telegraph that they had been awoken at 1.30am by loud knocks on the door. The police stormed in, handcuffed her husband and took him away.
“We both knew something like this might happen,” said Ms Geng. “All of our rental [church] locations were shut down and sometimes they would take someone to the detention centre for a week or 15 days.”
Neither Ms Geng nor Mr Yang has spoken to their spouses since they were detained.
For Mr Yang, while he counts himself lucky in some ways, he would do anything to go back in time. “If there was the chance, I would rather be the one arrested than my wife,” he said. But as much as he wants to see his wife and children, he knows he may never get the chance to return to China.
“I am on the wanted list of religious practitioners so if I return to China I would be arrested,” said Mr Yang.
A threat to the throne
While Christians have long been treated as outsiders in China, when Mr Xi came to power in 2012, he piled on policies to further assimilate Christians and other religious groups in the country.
In 2015, he launched a “Sinicisation” campaign, which forced all religious and ethnic groups to assimilate and prioritise loyalty to the CCP over individual religious beliefs.
The same Sinicisation policy has been used to imprison and torture Uyghur Muslims in what has been characterised by many human rights organisations as genocide.
In 2018, Beijing rolled out a five-year plan to target Christians, which included censoring sermons, controlling church donations, supervising Bible translations and including “Xi Jinping Thought” in the curriculum of seminary schools.
They also systematically closed underground churches and demolished houses of worship as part of the campaign against worshippers outside the state’s control.
Those who agreed joined China’s two official churches – the Catholic Patriotic Association and the Protestant Three Self Patriotic Movement – while the rest remained part of the underground church network.
Today, there are an estimated 44 million members of the state-sanctioned church and around 115 million unregistered Christians, which are expected to double by 2030.
“My dad was approached many times about the [Three Self churches], and he said no, just like many others because they’re fake churches, to put it bluntly,” said Gao Pu, the son of Gao Quanfu, the incarcerated founder of the Light of Zion Church (different from Zion Church), and Pang Yu.
Experts note that Mr Xi’s Sinicisation campaign and the registered churches aim to remove any threat to the Communist Party’s stronghold over the country.
“On paper, the CCP is still an atheist entity so there’s an element where they fear what they cannot control and don’t understand – or don’t want to understand,” explained Mr Gao. “Anybody that’s possibly out of their control, they tend to crack down on them very, very fast. They learnt the lessons from the past,” he said, referring to the 1989 student uprisings that were met with violent responses by police at Tiananmen Square.
Weaponising the court
Under the Sinicisation policy, Chinese police have arrested Christians and isolated them in detention.
Many of those arrested, including Mr Yang and Ms Geng’s spouses, were initially charged with the “illegal use of information networks”, a law that broadly covers any communication connected to “illegal or criminal acts”.
Typically, the charge carries a maximum sentence of three years, but is often combined with additional charges that can carry up to life imprisonment.
Authorities have also accused Christians of “using superstition to undermine the law”, for which the sentence can range from three years to an “indefinite imprisonment”.
However, in some of the cases described to The Telegraph, including those of Ms Geng’s husband and Mr Gao’s parents, authorities adapted the initial charges to fraud instead.
“They change to fraud because it’s much easier for them to slap a number on there and give a sentence, which is actually very heavy,” said Mr Gao.
He told The Telegraph that he did not know how long his parents would be in prison. While they could face more than 10 years, he hopes, given their age – both are in their late 60s – they will be released after only three years. For Mr Yang’s wife, the charge was updated to illegally operating a business, which carries a longer sentence. However, Mr Yang has no idea how long the sentence will be. Part of the uncertainty around sentencing is because of a lack of fair legal representation.
Several people who spoke to The Telegraph said that the government had revoked the licences of lawyers who had been hired to represent Christians.
Zhang Kai, whose law firm was working with many of the Zion Church members, including Mr Jin, had his licence revoked recently because he allegedly “disrupted order in the court”.
Several other lawyers at his firm were also forced to step down, including those working on Mr Yang’s wife’s case. The Chinese government has previously targeted lawyers who have taken on politically sensitive cases, with some suspended and others thrown in prison.
Between 2017 and 2023, at least 30 human rights lawyers had their licences revoked, according to Frontline Defenders, the Irish human rights organisation.
In response to The Telegraph, a spokesman from the Chinese embassy in the UK said it “manages religious affairs in accordance with the law”.
They added that “anti-China forces” had used the guise of religious freedom and human rights to engage in “political manipulation, made sweeping generalisations, maliciously maligned China’s ethnic and religious policies, and fabricated and disseminated disinformation”.
They also said that “judicial organs in China handle cases strictly in accordance with the law and fully safeguard the lawful rights of criminal suspects and defendants throughout judicial proceedings”.
For those watching from a distance as this reality unfolds, it is hard to imagine the circumstances improving any time soon.
Ren Ruiting, a member of the Early Rain Covenant Church who fled to the US following the 2018 crackdowns, said that even thousands of miles from China, she still felt the watchful eye of the CCP.
“If I speak out, they’ll know immediately and they have some way to make me feel bothered and make me feel bad,” said Ms Ruiting.
Like Mr Yang, she doesn’t think she will ever go back to China.
“Once Xi Jinping is still the chairman in China, I don’t think anything will be better and if the persecution is not better, that means we cannot have our church and we are in danger anytime.”
After spending 11 years in South Africa, Lucky Otoikhila left behind his investments and family to save his life. He talks about surviving repeated xenophobic attacks, his determination to rebuild his life, and why no amount of persuasion will make him leave the country again
Tell us about yourself and life in South Africa?
I am a 49-year-old indigene of Edo State. I lived in South Africa for 11 years before returning to Nigeria. I have families in both countries.I was born and raised as a Muslim, and under my faith, I am permitted to marry up to four wives. My South African wife and our two children are still back there. I have three children in Nigeria.
My father is late, and my mum is alive. My siblings are all with me now. We are six, and I am the eldest.
How would you describe life in South Africa?
It was rough and bloody because of the experience I had there. I faced xenophobic attacks, not once, not twice. That was before the present incident in that country. I was attacked by gun-wielding South Africans. They said their anger stemmed from the fact that we Nigerians were always with their women.
Even my passport was thrown into the bush by some armed South Africans, although I managed to search for and recover it. That was a few years ago. I think the incident happened in 2017. One of the South Africans pointed a revolver at me.
How did you survive such a scary situation?
I cried like a baby when they pointed the gun at me. I knelt down and begged like a baby because I was at the point of being killed.
Some South Africans said only foreigners without legal documents should leave their country. Do you have legal documents?
Now, it is not only people without legal documents. They are saying they don’t want all foreigners. Whether you are legal or not, they don’t want you. To be honest with you, my documents have expired. My passport has expired, and my asylum permit has expired because I couldn’t go out to renew them for fear of being attacked.
What was your occupation in South Africa?
I was hustling, but I was not into drugs. I never sold drugs during the 11 years I stayed in South Africa. I am from Edo State; I will never do drugs. I was buying and selling phones, laptops, and their accessories.
Were you making a profit good enough to take care of your family?
The profit was not enough, but my wife was taking good care of me. My wife was in charge of the rent and all that because she works.
Do you intend to visit South Africa again because of your wife and children who are there?
I will never travel to South Africa again.
Why?
The situation there is bad. Even if they say I should come for free, I will not go because I’m home now and I am very free. By the grace of God, I’m a farmer. I have a sixteen-and-a-half-acre oil palm farm in my village, which I want to invest in.
However, the means of investment are not there. That was what I told the government. So, I’m pleading with the Nigerian government to see what they can do for me.
If the government wants to come and assess my farm in my village, Afuze, in Owan East Local Government Area, I am open to it. Those of us who recently returned from South Africa are begging the government to come to our aid.
We don’t want to come back to this country and embark on anything that is not legitimate. Most of us are educated, and as I said, my sixteen-and-a-half-acre oil palm farm is there. It is not a joke.
Nigeria is blessed with enough natural resources. Most of us who came back did not return to relax; we came home to do one or two legitimate businesses. That is not to say that there are not a few of us who plan to go into dubious means to earn income, but I am among those who want to do legitimate businesses.
Why did you leave the country for South Africa?
I left the country for greener pastures and to earn something to take care of my farm. But when I got there, the dream I had was not what I saw in South Africa. I lived from hand to mouth until I met my woman in South Africa. I had been begging God to see me through until the President said, ‘Okay, I want you all to come home.’ I should be among the first set of people who volunteered to come back home.
What I went through in that country was hell. I was robbed several times because I am a Nigerian. But now, I’m free because no policeman will stop me on the road to ask me for any ID or work permit. I am free. As I speak with you, I’m with my younger ones, and we are enjoying our lives because, unlike South Africa, Nigeria is a free country.
I thank God for bringing me home, and I thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for giving us the opportunity to come back home. There are a lot of Nigerians in South Africa who do not want to come back. I have always said that Nigeria is a blessed country and that they should come home.
Are you considering going back to the laptop and phone accessories business you did in South Africa?
No, I am not going back to the business. I can never do that in Nigeria. I’m home now, and I have seen that there are opportunities in Nigeria. What we need from the government is to empower the citizens. A lot of Nigerians are still planning to travel out of the country, but they don’t know what awaits them there.
Some of them are saying they want to travel to Europe, but I am at home; I will not travel out of the country anymore. I have an investment here, and I’m begging the federal and state governments to come to my aid.
Beyond the negative things you experienced in South Africa, what do you enjoy most in that country?
Like Nigeria, South Africa is a good country. I never suffered a lack of electricity supply in South Africa; I never suffered a lack of government water supply. There are good roads; everything in that country is good, apart from the xenophobic attacks.
I don’t think any Nigerian is working in a big organisation in that country. So, this issue about foreigners taking South Africans’ jobs is nothing. It is just that South Africans are hungry. I saw a video in which my friend’s shop was looted. It happened last Monday night. His phones, laptops, and accessories were looted by South Africans. Another incident involved a scrap yard that was set ablaze. How will the owners survive?
Is it true that South African women love Nigerian men?
It depends; not all of them. It is just as our Nigerian women love men from other countries. That is how it is in South Africa. South African women are good. Most of them are good; it depends on your relationship with them.
Did you go job-hunting when you got to South Africa 11 years ago?
South Africans don’t give foreigners jobs. So, when I was leaving Nigeria, I had a dream of furthering my education after one or two years if God should bless me financially. But when I got there, things didn’t go as planned.
What went through your mind when you were about to leave for Nigeria because of the xenophobic attacks?
I was happy the day I decided to return to Nigeria. I was not sad because, about two years ago, I already had it in mind to leave South Africa. I prayed to God to bless me, and I promised to process my ETC (Emergency Travel Certificate) and get my ticket.
The means to come back home were not there; I did not have the finances until President Bola Tinubu intervened and asked us to prepare to come home if we were willing. So, I went through the screening process and all that. When I got there, the first batch had left. If you check the list, I was No. 11 in the second batch that was airlifted to Nigeria from South Africa.
Were you stranded in South Africa at one point?
I was never stranded because we were told that there were logistical and other unforeseen circumstances that affected our original date of travel back home. I was supposed to travel on the 15th of June. But when I heard that there was a stop in the exercise due to logistical and other unforeseen circumstances, I prayed to God to allow His will to be done.
So, I had been screened, and I knew I would come home. Later, I was called and told that the issue had been resolved. I was never stranded, but I was worried to the extent that I began to ask God what was going on. I told myself that I wanted to go home. Later, I was called one day and told that my name was among the list of Nigerians who would be travelling back to Nigeria. It was the second batch.
So, I am happy to be home. You can see that I am free to speak with you. I am very free, and I am with my family and friends, enjoying life.
Nigeria is a free country; I love Nigeria because we don’t discriminate against anybody.
If you are from Mozambique, Rwanda, or America, be informed that there is no discrimination in my country, Nigeria.
A friend of mine in South Africa told me that he would visit me as soon as I settled down in Nigeria. I told him there was no problem and that I would welcome him anytime, and he could stay for two weeks or a month. But he said he was scared, and I told him there was nothing to be scared about, so long as he came with his documents as a South African.
I told him that in Nigeria, we don’t kill foreigners; we don’t rob foreigners, and we don’t intimidate them. So, he is planning to visit soon.
One of the returnees said in a video that he decided to leave South Africa when his South African friend from KwaZulu-Natal, from whom he used to buy fuel, threatened to kill him if he refused to leave the country. Is the situation in South Africa that bad?
It is very bad. I was never in KwaZulu-Natal. I heard that the xenophobic attacks started there. I was in Johannesburg at the time.
Some South Africans said Nigerians in their country were into drugs and other serious crimes. How would you react to these claims?
Not all Nigerians in South Africa are into drugs or any other crimes. My friend in South Africa called me today (Tuesday) and asked me why I left. He told me that I was safe with them. Not all South Africans are bad. Those who are chasing foreigners away are doing so because of politics.
I pray to God to redeem that country. South Africa is a nice country, but just like my country, there are bad eggs. There are bad eggs in America; there are bad eggs in Spain and France. No country is perfect.
[quote author= post=139995299]This is very and highly commendable from Rangers. We were so surprised to read all that has been peddled against this great team since last week. Facts don't lie.[/quote]
He learnt about his grandmother's death just before he represented his country against the Czech Republic on the 18th of June and now he's gone. Tragic and heartbreaking news.
Jayden Adams: South Africa World Cup player dies aged 25
South Africa and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Jayden Adams has died at the age of 25, just weeks after featuring for his country at the World Cup.
Adams featured in all three of South Africa's group games at the tournament, where they reached the knockout stages before losing to co-hosts Canada in the round of 32.
"It is with profound shock and a heavy heart that I have learnt of the passing of Jayden Adams," South Africa's minister of sport, arts and culture Gayton McKenzie said, in a statement.
"South African football has lost one of its brightest young talents, and our nation mourns alongside his family, his team-mates and the millions of supporters who watched him grow from a promising academy prospect into a full Bafana Bafana international."
Police in South Africa said they had opened an investigation after the body of a 25-year-old man was found at a house in Schotschekloof, a suburb in central Cape Town, on Saturday morning.
McKenzie added: "The cause of Jayden's passing has not yet been confirmed, and I wish to appeal to members of the media and the public to exercise restraint and compassion, and to refrain from speculation, while his family and Mamelodi Sundowns are given the space and privacy they need at this incredibly difficult time.
"Any official information will be communicated by the appropriate parties in due course."
Adams started in the 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic in Group A despite learning that his grandmother had passed away only hours before kick-off.
The South African Football Players Union said it was "devastated by the untimely passing" of Adams who made his debut for his country in 2022.
"Jayden had only recently represented South Africa at the 2026 World Cup, carrying the hopes of the nation with pride, courage and distinction.
"His passing is an immeasurable loss to his family, team-mates, clubs, the football fraternity and the country at large.
"South African football has lost a gifted player, a proud servant of the game and a young life that still had so much to offer."
Adams started his career at Stellenbosch FC, before moving to Mamelodi Sundowns in January 2025, where he won league and African Champions League titles.
He was part of the South Africa squad that reached the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals before being called up to Hugo Broos' squad for the World Cup, where the team made history in reaching the knockout stages of the competition for the first time.
The prize money for the Women’s World Cup is $4.29 million which is about 4 times smaller than what a team can win for getting to the 2nd round of the men's world Cup
dominique: The women's team will also share their prize money with the men's team so what's the fuss?
The U.S. women’s national team won’t play a World Cup match until 2027, but it is still set to receive a major payday from this year’s big tournament.
The U.S. men’s national team earned $16 million from FIFA for reaching the round of 16 before being eliminated by Belgium in a 4-1 loss in Seattle. Under U.S. Soccer’s landmark equal pay collective bargaining agreements, that money will be shared equally with the women’s national team.
U.S. Soccer keeps 20 percent of the prize money. The remaining 80 percent is split evenly between the men’s and women’s player pools, meaning each team is set to receive $6.4 million from the USMNT’s run. Based on 26-player rosters, that comes out to roughly $246,153 per player.
The women’s share will not be paid immediately.
The USWNT has not yet qualified for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, and the final roster will not be selected until closer to the tournament. Until then, the money owed to the women will sit in an interest-bearing account, with that interest also split between both player pools.
The arrangement exists because of the equal pay fight led by the U.S. women. The USWNT has won four World Cups, while the men have not advanced past the round of 16 since 2002. In 2019, members of the women’s team sued U.S. Soccer, accusing the federation of gender discrimination. A settlement followed in 2022, along with new CBAs for both teams.
The key piece was the decision to pool and split World Cup prize money, a structure designed to address the gap between FIFA’s payouts for the men’s and women’s tournaments.
That gap was clear in the previous cycle. The USMNT earned $13 million for reaching the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup. The USWNT earned just $1.87 million for reaching the same stage at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Now, the same system is paying out again.
Round-of-16 teams at the expanded 48-team men’s World Cup earned $16 million, while the champion will receive $51 million. Had the U.S. beaten Belgium, a quarterfinal appearance would have earned $20 million, leaving $8 million each after U.S. Soccer’s cut.
Instead, the USMNT’s tournament ended with another round-of-16 exit.
The result stung, but the payout will still ripple across both national teams. The USWNT can return the favor in 2027, with any prize money the women earn in Brazil split with the men under the same agreement.
Raydos: It felt like stepping into a forgotten world. The factory was so hauntingly silent that my own heartbeat felt loud, punctuated only by the distant, eerie chirping of birds nesting in the rafters.
REELING Iranian chiefs want a deal “so bad” according to Donald Trump following US strikes on over 90 military targets in just one night.
It comes as new footage revealed the devastation caused by deadly US-Israeli strikes on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound in February.
Overnight, the US bombarded 90 Iranian military targets for the second night running.
Tehran then begged Trump for a peace deal following the fresh round of attacks, the US president claimed today.
He said while travelling back from Turkey’s Nato summit: “They [Iran] called a little while ago. They want to make a deal so badly.”
The last two nights of renewed strikes come after Trump declared the ceasefire over following three attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Explosions rocked several cities along Iran’s southern coast – before Tehran claimed to have struck American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain in response.
Trump shared dramatic footage of the blitz on Truth Social, writing: “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!”
The historic strike wiped out Khamenei and top mullah chiefs, while also injuring the Supreme Leader’s son Mojtaba who has now taken charge of the regime.
The US president had previously warned on Wednesday that there was “not a thing” the “scum” regime could do to avoid a looming blitz.
And overnight, US Central Command (Centcom) said they hit “air defence systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline”.
Three people reportedly died in western Iran amid the blasts in the city of Ahvaz, in Khuzestan province, according to the Fars state new agency.
Renewed fighting has broken out just weeks after the two nations agreed a fragile ceasefire by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
US Central Command said on Tuesday that it had launched “powerful” strikes on Iran in response to three separate attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz – shattering the temporary peace deal.
Tehran then vowed to shut down the key waterway – which funnels around a fifth of the world’s oil – in the event of another bombardment.
Those attacks have now come, with CENTCOM writing on X: “US forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump vowed to hit Iran again at the Nato summit in Ankara, and declared the ceasefire “over”.
He accused the “sick” regime of “playing dirty” after Tehran struck 85 American military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Trump called Iran a “bully” and “mentally disturbed” in the wake of renewed strikes this week – as oil prices continued to soar once again.
He also threatened to “knock down every bridge in Iran in one day” and take over Kharg island, the regime’s strategic oil hub.
“They really deserve it,” the US leader warned, while also hinting he could re-impose the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz once again.
JD Vance weighed in by warning the US would “punch back harder than ever” ahead of Wednesday night’s attacks.
He continued: “The basic deal that we cut was: ‘We’ll lift our blockade if you stop shooting at ships, but if you shoot at ships, we are going to punch back, and we’re going to punch back harder than ever before.’
“That was the deal. They said they would stop shooting at ships and what happened 24 hours ago? They started shooting at ships again.”
Sanctions have meanwhile been reimposed on the sale of Iranian oil and the atest exchange of fire pushed fuel prices up by six per cent to to $78.70 (£59.01) a barrel.
Global stocks and bond prices also tumbled on Wednesday as the US president declared the peace deal dead.
It comes amid fears Iran may succeed in assassinating Trump.
“They want to take out the US leader, me. I’m on every list,” he said.
“I saw a thing this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky.
“But that maybe doesn’t last very long.”
Trump mysteriously refused to leave the Nato summit aboard his new Air Force One after declaring he is “number one on Iran’s kill list”.
The US President stunned allies by ditching the Qatar-gifted $400 million “flying palace” in a dramatic last-minute switch.
He instead boarded the older model, which fuelled speculation the luxury jet may not have been considered safe enough.
But Trump insisted the aircraft was instead heading to RAF Mildenhall in the UK so American troops could tour it.
Donald Trump is to allow Ukraine to make US Patriot air-defence missiles in a sign of closer ties between Washington and Kyiv.
The US president said he would extend the licence for Ukraine to make the weapons domestically, which Volodymyr Zelensky has long sought to bolster defences.
Sitting alongside the Ukrainian leader on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Ankara, Mr Trump said: “We’re going to give a licence to you to make Patriots, that’s pretty cool.”
During Wednesday’s meeting in the Turkish capital, Mr Trump also praised Ukraine’s deep strikes within Russia and hailed his relationship with Mr Zelensky.
He vowed to work on security guarantees with European allies for Ukraine that would ensure Vladimir Putin could not break a peace deal if one were signed in the future.
It marked a notable shift in tone from the ill-tempered Oval Office clash in February, which Mr Trump recalled at the start of the joint press conference.
“We’ve actually developed a good relationship. It’s hard to believe, right? From the Oval Office to that,” he said.
Earlier he told reporters that Mr Zelensky had “done an amazing job”, adding: “Look, he’s been very effective, and he’s had the best equipment because he’s had our equipment.”
Mr Trump said: “We’ll give them the right to make Patriots. We’ll show them how to do it. It’s very complex, actually, but you’ll figure out the complexity quickly.
“This way you can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough, I say ‘make them yourself’. We haven’t informed the company of that yet, but that’ll work out all right.”
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the interceptor missiles that fit the Patriot system.
The manufacturing licence fulfils a long-standing Ukrainian request for more air defence systems.
Russia has recently escalated its air campaign against Ukraine, exploiting their dwindling numbers of Patriots after shipments were hampered by delays.
Patriot missiles are effective against the ballistic missiles and drones Moscow has regularly used to target civilian targets.
‘Difficult characters’
On Monday, Mr Zelensky warned that as long as the weapons stayed out of Ukraine’s hands, Putin would keep “vanquishing” residential buildings.
Mr Trump maintained that both Russia and Ukraine wanted the war to end but said Mr Zelensky and Putin were “difficult characters”.
“I talked to president Putin a lot. He wants to end the war, people don’t believe that,” he said.
Mr Trump said Putin had asked to sign a peace deal with Mr Zelensky in Moscow. But the Ukrainian leader joked on Wednesday that it would be difficult to visit the Russian capital because of the number of Ukrainian drones targeting the city.
Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight, officials said on Wednesday, a third attack on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week.
While Ukraine’s air defences intercepted 139 of the 169 drones during the overnight strikes, they were unable to down any of the five ballistic missiles used by Russia, air force data showed.
Mr Trump also said he thought the US would make a deal to buy Ukrainian drones.
Ukraine has developed a highly sophisticated drone industry after having only limited expertise when Russia invaded in February 2022.
She called him a "bruto" which could mean an animal or an unintelligent person.
She panicked and deleted the tweets and tried to apologise. But even in her so called apology, she accused Mbappe of discriminating against her in his response (he called her a despicable woman) to her initial tweet because she's a woman.
France star Kylian Mbappé on Monday spoke out against racist comments made by a Paraguay senator.
Mbappé posted a message on his X account this Monday branding the senator, Celeste Amarilla, a "despicable woman unworthy of her office."
The French Football Federation (FFF) also issued a statement Monday, calling the politician's comments "racist" and "utterly abhorrent and unacceptable" while also saying they would take judicial action.
On Saturday in the World Cup round of 16, Mbappé broke through against a physical, defensive-minded Paraguay side when he converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute, lifting France to a gritty 1-0 World Cup win.
"We knew what kind of match we were going to have," Mbappé said about the victory. "We can also get our hands dirty, we know how to do it. We know how to play ugly football. Guess they were thinking we were going to show up in tuxedos, but we were ready."
Amarilla, in two social media posts, launched a vicious personal attack against the Real Madrid forward, calling him "stupid" and criticizing him for allegedly refusing to shake hands with Orlando Gill, Paraguay's goalkeeper. She also advised Gill that he "should have given [Mbappé] the middle finger."
Mbappé wrote: "You are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honor throughout the competition.
"Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished during this World Cup, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country.
"I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world."
The FFF statement said: "The racist remarks by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla targeting Kylian Mbappé are utterly abhorrent and unacceptable."
Paraguay Vice President Pedro Alliana deplored Amarilla's remarks, saying:
"Football is an expression of brotherhood. It should united countries and people. Within the passions and emotions of its realm, there is no room for any form of discrimination."
Paraguay congresswoman Johanna Ortega was critical of Amarilla, saying of the France-Paraguay match: "On the field, we are adversaries, but off it, we are united by far more: respect, dignity, and the pursuit of equality among all people. As a member of the Paraguayan Congress, my solidarity and my apologies to the French people."
Mbappé has seven goals for France, placing him alongside Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland in the current lead for the World Cup's goalscoring race.
On July 9, France will take on Morocco in the quarterfinals.
Folarin Balogun set to play for USA in World Cup last 16 as White House direct call helps overturn red card
Folarin Balogun will be available to play for the United States in their World Cup clash against Belgium after the White House helped overturn his red card, talkSPORT understands.
The striker was due to miss the last 16 fixture on July 6 (1am UK time on July 7) after being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Folarin Balogun 20 of the United States reacts to receiving a red card for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic 4 of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 01, 2026 in Santa Clara, California.
Balogun was dismissed during the second half of the 2-0 victory for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic.
Even though it did not appear to be intentional, it looked ugly in replays and he was shown a straight red.
It's understood that Balogun can play against Belgium as he has been given a suspended one-match ban.
FIFA sources insisted that US Soccer had no appeal, and sources say they did not attempt one as a result.
However, Balogun looks set to return in what will be a massive boost for the World Cup co-hosts.
talkSPORT understands the White House put pressure on FIFA to review the decision, and made a direct call to ask their president Gianni Infantino to review the red card.
FIFA sources insist White House influence could not affect the decision due to the powers contained in Article 27 and the independent nature of the disciplinary panel.
President Donald Trump also posted on Truth Social, saying: "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, a reversing a great injustice!"
A statement from US Soccer said: "We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow.
"Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans.
FIFA said: "The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed the following sanction on United States national-team player Folarin Balogun, who was sent off as a result of a direct red card during the FIFA World Cup 2026™ match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina played on 1 July 2026 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium:
"One-match suspension for breaches of articles 14 and 66 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC).
"In line with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year.
"If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement." Belgian FA astonished
The Belgian FA have reacted to the news and expressed their shock.
In statement, they said: "The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is astonished by FIFA's decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the USA–Belgium match on Monday, 6 July at 5:00 p.m. (Seattle time).
"FIFA bases its decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This provision states that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may decide to suspend the enforcement of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction.
"However, Article 66.4 of the same FIFA Disciplinary Code clearly provides that a red card (sending-off) automatically results in a suspension for the team's next match, as has been the case for all previous red cards issued during this FIFA World Cup.
Furthermore, and irrespective of the above, the decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, as set out in Article 10.5:
"If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team's subsequent match. In addition, further sanctions may be imposed."
"The automatic nature of such a suspension was also explicitly reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, which was distributed to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026.
"The same rule is reiterated at every FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Coordination Meeting prior to each match and is included in all FIFA World Cup 2026 workshop presentations.
"In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options."
As one of the three co-hosts, the United States hoped to make a statement at the World Cup this summer.
They did just that in their opening 4-1 win over Paraguay, before a 2-0 win against Australia sent them into the last 32.
Only a late 3-2 defeat to Turkey could spoil their run of form.
Mauricio Pochettino's side then showed their class against Bosnia and Herzegovina to confirm their last 16 status.
A win against Belgium in Seattle would send them into the quarter-finals for just the second time ever.
The winners of Portugal v Spain will meet them there if so.
DONALD Trump has warned that a “one shot” strike could take out Iranian chiefs gathered at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral.
The US president’s comments come amid reports that the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba has been banned from attending the six-day ceremony.
Trump told Axios he has been following the week-long event in Tehran commemorating the tyrannical dictator’s 37-year reign.
And he explained that both his team and their Iranian counterparts have taken a week off from negotiations so mullah leaders can attend the funeral.
But he warned: “They are all there. One shot [and we can take them all out], but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with.”
The US president claimed Iran were “begging to make a deal”, and noted how he was surprised at how emotional millions of regime supporters appeared to be at the funeral.
Saying that he thought many Iranians despised the late Ayatollah for his brutal rule, Trump added: “Maybe it’s fake tears.”
Though the event will be attended by up to 20 million Iranians, regional world leaders and top mullah officials, one figure will be glaringly absent – the new Ayatollah.
Mojtaba, who took over as new Supreme Leader shortly after his father was assassinated in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, has reportedly been banned from going to the funeral.
He had asked to perform rites over his dad’s body on the last day of the ceremony.
But security officials warned that the risk would be too high and that they wouldn’t be able to rule out the risk of Israel targeting the new dictator at his dad’s funeral.
Even if Tel Aviv didn’t attack him there, they would probably be tracking him down to his secret hideout, sources from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps told the New York Times.
Mojtaba’s whereabouts are currently unknown, and the new leader is in deep hiding amid reports he was left severely disfigured from the US strikes that killed his father.
He has not been seen publicly since he was named Ayatollah.
The late Supreme Leader’s funeral entered its second day on Sunday – with images showing scores of regime sympathisers gathering for the ceremonies.
Mourners flocked to Tehran to commemorate the despot’s four-decades-long rule which came to a dramatic end in February.
Dubbed the “funeral of the century” by regime chiefs, the event kicked off with the national anthem, religious eulogies and readings from the Koran.
Grieving hard-line supporters of the mullah regime waved Iranian flags while fuming: “Death to America!”
Sobbing mourners were also heard chanting “Our slogan is one word: Revenge, revenge,” and “We will kill, we will kill he who killed our Imam.”
It comes as the fragile ceasefire remains in place following an initial peace deal signed between the US and Iran last month.
Khamenei’s body is being taken to Qom, Najaf and Kerbala, the great Shi’ite centres of Iran and Iraq, before being laid to rest on Thursday in Mashhad.
The late pariah’s death came just one month after he greenlit his security forces’ blood-soaked crackdown on millions of anti-regime protesters in January.
Tens of thousands of arrests were made and roughly the same number of people were killed – with some human rights groups putting the death toll as high as 37,000.
Regional world leaders have flooded in to attend Khamenei’s funeral.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was among the high-profile guests.
His country acted as the mediator for crucial peace talks between the US and Iran.
Also in attendance for the major gathering were former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and the Afghan Taliban‘s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
They were joined by a host of other global representatives including officials from Iraq, Armenia, and Turkey.
A delegation of Gulf states also touched down, with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman joining the crowds.
Trump acknowledged the week of mourning taking place in Iran on Friday night.
He previously said Tehran was “dying to settle” as negotiations to end the war once and for all continue.
The US president said: “We gave them [Iran] a week off for a funeral because we’re nice.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday he was pleased the U.S. men's national soccer team advanced to the round of 16 at the World Cup by beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday night in Santa Clara, California, but he wasn't happy with a crucial referee call.
Rubio said of the Americans' triump, "It's great," according to The Hill.
He had a much different reaction to the red card shown to American striker Folarin Balogun, which will sideline him for Team USA's next game against Belgium on Monday in Seattle.
"They got screwed with that red card," Rubio said. "There needs to be an appeal process for that. It's probably too late for that."
Balogun, 24, leads the U.S. with three goals in the tournament, including the opening goal Wednesday.
But Brazilian referee Raphael Claus showed him a red card in the 64th minute following a video review of a challenge on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic, triggering an automatic one-game suspension.
The U.S. has no route to appeal the automatic red card suspension, though Balogun could face a longer ban if FIFA's disciplinary panel deems the incident worthy of additional punishment.
A U.S. Soccer spokesperson reportedly said after the game the federation would appeal any suspension longer than one match.
"Red card there is a total bunk," Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr wrote Wednesday night in a post on X.
Many agreed Balogun committed a foul. His shoe came down on Muharemovic's ankle while both were chasing the ball.
"I think it's a yellow card," U.S. captain Tyler Adams said, according to the New York Post. "I think when you slow everything down, it's always gonna look worse."
Children from Igbo households recorded the highest level of foundational reading skills (58%), followed closely by Edo (57%) and Yoruba (51%). In contrast, Fulani (6%) and Kanuri (10%) children recorded the lowest levels.
NB: In the MICS module, foundational reading skills refer to the expected learning outcomes in basic reading and comprehension for children in Grades 2 and 3. These skills were assessed among children aged 7–14 years.
His name is Evan and he has nearly 100,000 followers on YouTube.
We need to investigate this man immediately.
Call the FBI.
Call the CIA.
Call the Department of Justice.
I don't care.
Call somebody and look into this guy. The rest of the world was talking about how Americans don't know soccer.
Well, we do now. And this is what you're going to get. Are you ready?
So, obviously last night, USA was playing Bosnia and Herzegovina. And late in the match, this happens:
Flo Balogun is one of the best players on our team. He had already scored a goal at this point, and he gets a red card for an action that many other players have done in this tournament including one guy by the name of Messi who did the same thing if not worse and did not get a red card.
But to cut a long story short, now that Flo got a red card, he cannot compete in our huge round of 16 game against Belgium on Monday next week. And it's all because of this ref from Brazil right here, whose name is Raphael Claus. And ironically, once this red card happened, we started digging in to Mr. Claus here.
In 2024, the Brazilian Parliament opened an investigation into match fixing and irregular cards in the Brazilian League Series A. And guess who was called in to testify?Mr. Claus.
He was never charged, but multiple Brazilian clubs while this investigation was ongoing came forward and asked for him to be removed from officiating in their games.
And here's where it gets even more interesting:
Per IFAB and VAR protocols, slow motion is only supposed to be used for facts,point of contact, off-sides, and other things like that.
But when a referee is judging the intensity of a challenge, especially what is going to separate a red card from a yellow card, he has to watch the replay at normal speed in real time. And Mr. Claus here never even called a foul when this happened in real time. And then he went to the sideline, looked at still frames and slow motion, and changed it to a red card.
Hm. Now, FIFA says that the US can't appeal this red card itself. But you know what we're going to do? We're going to appeal this damn protocol because he looked at slow-mo to give Flo a red card.
FIFA's going to have their hands full.
We're not going to mess around here.
You guys should have never gotten the Americans involved. You should have just kept us out of it.
I'm not sure how true that is, because there are similar attitudes towards homosexuality in North Africa. In North Africa they call it Zamel.
The Zamel is a young man who dresses up as a woman and allows his male friends to have intimacy with him. It is very common in parts of North Africa where there is strict gender segregation between men and women due to religious restrictions.
madridguy: The colonial masters brought the rubbish to the Northern Nigeria.
I have so many questions after reading this article. For example, what do the two quoted statements below actually mean?
some pay ₦100.00 — ₦400.00 a night since they know the gain in form of business yields
immediately one does it with a man who intends to use one's sperm-duct for his business to flourish, one ceases to be a man again
I've also heard that the Hisbah who enforce Sharia law typically target bars and restaurants in these areas of Kano for selling alcohol, but rather curiously they have a habit of leaving these dan daudus alone. How true is this?
Throwback: See 1988 Article About Homosexual Prostitutes In Kano
In the Sabon-Gari area of Kano are four streets: Abadie, Freetown, Santgiwa and Weatherhead. Apart from Weatherhead which is about 600 metres away, the three other streets are adjacent to each other. One common feature of these four streets is the proliferation of dingy hotels and brothels.
This is a Kano red area which is different from red areas all over the world in one unique feature. The prostitutes with light make-up, feminine-looking clothes and who effect feminine voices are males.
They are the dan-daodus, who, unlike regular homosexuals, peddle their male flesh, not for fun, but for cash.
And every evening these streets are filled with different cars coming to pick a dan-daodu or a girl, depending on the patron’s tastes or choice.
Dan-daodu is an Hausa name for homosexual.
This is a trade or profession practised by young men between the ages of 14 and above. There are two categories: Those who pay ₦10.00 for a small room per day in a hotel or rent a room among innocent tenants. And there are others who come from their homes to this area from 6.00 p.m. hanging around for prospective customers. And even those in hotels or rented houses are not allowed to perpetrate their act in their rooms, thus a customer has to take his ‘dan-daodu’ to his own rented accommodation or home.
Also there are times when ‘dan-daodus’ don’t have customers and on such occasions they resort to acting as intermediary for men who want girls and since they (dan-daodus) know these girls, they easily persuade such girls to follow the men after collecting their commission on the deal which ranges from ₦5.00 — ₦10.00 depending on their influence on the girl.
Prime People kept vigil for three nights to study their modus operandi before this reporter later talked to some of them. Most of them agreed that they came into the business because of poverty and others because of interest which they developed from information earlier gotten on this act.
For example, Taula agreed to follow this reporter who posed as a customer after so many meetings (dan-daodus don't normally follow a stranger except those they've known or those they had seen with other dan-daodus) to his hotel room on an agreed fee of ₦40.00 a night which was paid before leaving his rented hotel room. And so we set off but since I didn't know how to go about it I told my guide and interpreter to tell Taula that I needed to be taught the act first before I could do it properly.
Before Taula started 'working' on me while my guide waited outside the door, he agreed to relate how he became a dan-daodu.
According to him ... "I came into this pofession sometime in 1987 after leaving my trading business and ever since I've been making nothing less than ₦100.00 on the average, daily." His customers are mainly rich men with Merçedes Benz who pay higher. than people like you," referring to the amount I paid for his service.
And when asked how much these rich men pay he said "some pay ₦100.00 — ₦400.00 a night since they know the gain in form of business yields."
But do you enjoy it? "Haba! If I no enjoy am how I go do am? I enjoy it more than eight years ago when I used to have fun with women and because of this I don't regret my inability to have fun with girls or bear children in life."
As to what it takes to be a 'dan-daodu' this reporter was told by other dan-daodus, as was buttressed by Taula, that all one needs to do is to first start by soliciting girls for men who need them and in this process men interested in men get to know one, before inviting one to do it with them; though initially some wouldn't lose his manhood, immediately one does it with a man who intends to use one's sperm-duct for his business to flourish, one ceases to be a man again.
Supporters of a hardline Bangladeshi preacher have heeded his call to counter fan frenzy around the World Cup by raising Islamic flags across the constitutionally secular country, putting police on alert, the force said Wednesday.
Football is extremely popular in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, with hundreds of thousands of fans supporting mainly Brazil and Argentina.
Mufti Harun Izhar, a Muslim religious leader, has urged supporters in a recent speech to take down the flags of Argentina and Brazil and raise white flags bearing the Kalima — profession of faith — wherever they could.
Such Islamic flags were raised in more than a dozen districts, leading police to say they would “act if these flags create a law and order situation”.
“We are on alert,” police spokesman Shahadat Hossain told AFP.
Since Izhar’s speech has circulated online, supporters have also held motorcycle rallies carrying the flags while playing religious songs.
The preacher told AFP that “there should be restraint in displaying support for Argentina, Brazil or any other country.”
Izhar stressed that the white flags raised by his supporters should not be confused with those used by Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities or the black banners of the Islamic State group.
“Secularists have certain attitudes towards these flags, and readily label them Taliban flags or ISIS flags — that is not correct,” he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
Zahed Ur Rahman, an adviser to the prime minister, said the government was closely following the issue.
“This could send the wrong message globally,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Some fans have also pushed back.
“Football helps people forget their hardships and challenges for a while,” said Mohammad Moniruzzaman Chisty, a passionate Brazil fan.
“For us, football is the ultimate form of entertainment.”
A major intelligence-led cybercrime investigation involving the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), the Ghana Police Service, and international law enforcement partners has culminated in the arrest and prosecution of a Nigerian national who had become a person of significant investigative interest to both the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The suspect was arrested over alleged transnational cyber-enabled financial crimes linked to compromised United States bank cards.
The arrest represents a significant breakthrough in the fight against cross-border cyber-enabled financial crime.
The operation followed months of intelligence gathering and coordinated investigations led by the Cyber Security Authority in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, with investigative cooperation and intelligence sharing involving INTERPOL and the FBI to help dismantle an international financial crime network.
The accused, Aderinsola Oluwanifemi Adeleye, a Nigerian national who operates a cement block manufacturing business and resides at Oyarifa in Accra, has been arraigned before court following extensive investigations into alleged fraudulent Point of Sale (POS) transactions carried out at multiple fuel stations across Ghana.
The case began on June 25, 2026, when the manager of Haatso Shell Filling Station reported to the police that Shell Headquarters had received a complaint from Ecobank Ghana PLC concerning suspicious POS transactions conducted using two Citibank debit cards issued in the United States.
According to investigators, the unauthorized transactions were traced to POS terminals at Haatso Shell Filling Station and Osu Total Filling Station.
Internal investigations by Shell Ghana subsequently identified two fuel pump attendants as persons suspected of facilitating the fraudulent transactions.
The two attendants were arrested and, during police interrogation, disclosed that the accused, together with another accomplice, had repeatedly visited Haatso Shell Filling Station, where they allegedly used Citibank debit cards through mobile devices to process fraudulent transactions.
Later that same day, at about 8:00 p.m., the accused allegedly returned to Haatso Shell Filling Station to conduct another transaction using one of the Citibank debit cards.
He was immediately recognized by the two pump attendants as the individual involved in the alleged fraudulent activities and was arrested by the police.
A search conducted on the accused at the time of his arrest led to the recovery of a Beretta pistol loaded with two rounds of 9mm live ammunition and a Citibank Visa debit card bearing the number 5262 2611 2797 4764.
Investigators subsequently searched the offices of AA Global Homes Construction Limited at Katamanso in Accra.
During the operation, officers recovered 15 rounds of live 9mm ammunition and one empty 9mm shell casing concealed in a drawer in the accused's office.
The recovered ammunition and shell casing were retained as exhibits pending further investigations into their possession and possible use.
Investigators disclosed that the accused had already come under the intelligence radar of the Cyber Security Authority before his arrest in connection with suspected cyber-enabled financial crimes.
Acting on intelligence gathered, the Ghana Police Service, working in collaboration with the Cyber Security Authority, obtained a court-issued search warrant to search the accused's residence at Oyarifa.
The search was executed on June 27, 2026, during which investigators recovered several electronic devices, including two mobile phones believed to have been used in the commission of the alleged offences.
The electronic devices have been retained for forensic examination to establish their evidential value and determine the full extent of the accused's alleged involvement in the criminal enterprise.
During investigations, the accused admitted using the recovered Citibank debit card to conduct transactions at both Haatso Shell Filling Station and Osu Total Filling Station.
In his cautioned statement, he claimed that an individual identified as Gail Oneara, whom he said resides in the United States, had sent him the debit card with an available balance of approximately US$10,000 for his personal use.
According to the accused, he had spent or withdrawn approximately US$8,000 from the card before his arrest.
Investigations were subsequently extended to Ecobank Ghana PLC, where an officer from the Internal Audit Department's Investigation Unit confirmed that the bank had received a fraud complaint from Citibank through Visa International regarding unauthorized transactions carried out on two Citibank customers' debit cards.
Further investigations established that the accused, acting together with accomplices who remain at large, allegedly visited several fuel stations, including Haatso Shell and Osu Total, where he connived with fuel pump attendants to process fictitious fuel purchases using stolen or compromised Citibank debit cards.
Investigators allege that once the fraudulent transactions were successfully authorized through the POS terminals, the accused received cash equivalent to the purported fuel purchases instead of fuel, thereby dishonestly obtaining the proceeds of the fraudulent transactions.
The investigation further revealed that the accused allegedly invested the proceeds of the scheme in acquiring substantial assets, including a four-bedroom storey building, a cement block manufacturing factory at Katamanso near Amrahia, a black Nissan ZNA pickup vehicle, and other properties reasonably suspected to have been purchased with proceeds of crime.
Law enforcement agencies are continuing investigations to identify and arrest other members of the criminal network, trace additional assets believed to have been acquired through illicit proceeds, and establish the full extent of the alleged fraudulent transactions.
Authorities say forensic examination of the electronic devices recovered during the searches is expected to provide further evidence regarding the activities of the syndicate and any possible international links.
The accused has since been formally charged and arraigned before the appropriate court, where the matter is currently pending.
Foreign Affairs › Chinese Christians Are Disappearing For Refusing To Worship President Xi by BlackViper(op): 6:38pm On Jul 12
