��������

GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Michigan: At least four people were killed and eight injured when a gunman in a pickup truck smashed through the doors of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan during a Sunday service attended by hundreds, opened fire and set the building ablaze. Police shot and killed the suspect, authorities said.
The attack occurred at about 10:25 a.m. The gunman got out of the four-door pickup with two American flags in the truck and started shooting, Police Chief William Renye told reporters. He apparently used gas to start the fire and also had explosive devices but it wasn’t clear if he used them, said James Dier of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Authorities identified the shooter as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of the neighboring small town of Burton. The FBI is leading the investigation and considered it an “act of targeted violence,” said Ruben Coleman, a special agent in charge for the bureau.
Officers responding to a 911 call were at the church within 30 seconds and killed the shooter about eight minutes later, Renye said. After the suspect left the church, two officers pursued him and “engaged in gunfire,” the chief said.
Renye said people inside the church during the attack were “shielding children” and “moving them to safety.”
Flames and smoke could be seen pouring from the large church for hours before the blaze was put out. The bodies of two of the victims were found as authorities searched the debris, Renye said.

He said authorities had yet to make it though the entire church and that more victims could be found. One of the wounded people was in critical condition Sunday evening and the seven others were stable.
Renye said “some” people were unaccounted for, but he didn’t have an exact number.
Michigan State Police Lt. Kim Vetter said bomb threats were made at other churches in the area after officers shot and killed Sanford. No bombs were found and police were investigating the threats.
The motive not yet clear
Investigators were searching Sanford’s residence but authorities did not say what they found or provide any additional details about him, including whether he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church.
Sanford served in the Marines from June 2004 through June 2008, working as an automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator, according to military records obtained by The Detroit News. He was deployed to Iraq from August 2007 through March 2008 and had the rank of sergeant.
It was the latest of many shooting attacks on houses of worship in the US over the past 20 years, including one in August that killed two children during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.
It also was the second mass shooting in the US in less than 24 hours. On Saturday night, a man in a boat opened fire on a crowd in Southport, North Carolina, killing three and injuring five,

President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he was briefed on the Michigan shooting and applauded the FBI for its response. Local authorities said the FBI was sending 100 agents to Grand Blanc Township, a community of roughly 40,000 people outside Flint.
“PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote.
The church building, circled by a parking lot and a large lawn, is near residential areas and a Jehovah’s Witness church.
Brad Schneemann, whose home is about 400 yards (365 meters) from the church, told The Associated Press that he and his daughter heard “two rounds of four to five shots” around 10:30 a.m. “Then, we really didn’t hear anything for a while” before they left their home to see what was going on.
Tight-knit church community
Timothy Jones, 48, said his family is part of another Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation, or ward, about 15 minutes away, but that his children were at the Grand Blanc Township ward Saturday night for a youth fall festival. He and his family moved to Flint two years ago in large part because of how strong the faith’s community is in the area, he said.
As people in his congregation got word of the shooting from texts and phone calls during their Sunday service, his ward went into lockdown and police came as a precaution, he said. His children were “frantically, just trying to get word that people were OK.”
Sundays are “supposed to be a time of peace and a time of reflection and worship,” Jones said. Yet in the wake of violence at other houses of worship, a shooting “feels inevitable, and all the more tragic because of that,” he added.
The shooting occurred the morning after Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of the Utah-based faith, died at 101. The next president is expected to be Dallin H. Oaks, per church protocol.
“The church is in communication with local law enforcement as the investigation continues and as we receive updates on the condition of those affected,” spokesperson Doug Anderson said.
“Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved.”
 

The impact of the shooting spread throughout the area
When striking nurses at nearby Henry Ford Genesys Hospital heard about the shooting, some left the picket line and ran the short distance to the church to help first responders, Teamsters Local 332 President Dan Glass said.
“Human lives matter more than our labor dispute,” Glass said.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that her heart was breaking for the community. “Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she said.
The impact spread quickly to neighboring communities, including the small city that shares a name with the township.
“Although we are two separate governmental units, we are a very cohesive community,” said city of Grand Blanc Mayor John Creasey. “This sort of thing is painful for our entire community.”
About 100 people gathered for a prayer service Sunday evening at The River Church in Grand Blanc, a nondenominational Christian church about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many bowed their heads, some cried softly. A few spoke their prayers aloud, asking for healing for the victims, the victims’ families and first responders.
“We live in days that are difficult and troubled, days that are weary and tiring,” said Pastor Chuck Lindsey, leading the congregation in prayer. “We’re exhausted by the evil, we’re exhausted by these things. But Lord, you are our refuge.”
 

RIYADH: The UN’s credibility has been battered by paralysis at the Security Council, the war in Gaza, and accusations of inaction.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, admits the body’s failures have damaged “Brand UN.” While he insists reforms are on the agenda, he stresses that the world organization is not a single monolith.

Appearing on the Arab News current affairs program “Frankly Speaking,” during the UN General Assembly’s High-level Week in New York City, Dujarric acknowledged the perception of dysfunction.

“The credibility of the Security Council has taken a lot of hits recently,” he told “Frankly Speaking” host Katie Jensen.

“We’ve seen a lack of unity on the part of the Security Council, not just on Gaza, but on Ukraine, on Syria when the Assad regime was in power, on Sudan. And that does hurt the UN brand in that sense, you are correct.”

Yet, he cautioned against treating the UN as a single actor. “It is not an organization under a unified command,” he said. “If the United Nations could speak with one voice, it would not be the United Nations we have today.”

The question of Gaza and whether Israel’s military campaign constitutes genocide has brought these contradictions into sharp relief. A UN Commission of Inquiry issued a landmark report on September 16 using the term, but Guterres has himself avoided using it.

Dujarric explained why. “The secretary-general himself does not have the authority to declare something a genocide or not,” he said. “That is, as far as we are concerned, and not just for Antonio Guterres, for every secretary-general, up to a judicial body.”

“We should not be focused on semantics and on words. We are focused on the situation on the ground, regardless of whether or not you call it a genocide, what we do know is that civilians continue to be targeted and killed every day.

“People are under the state of famine in parts of Gaza and not enough aid is getting in. That’s the reality.”

Pressed on whether words matter, especially when Jewish scholars of the Holocaust are using the term, Dujarric rejected the idea that silence equates to complicity. “I mean, anyone who calls the secretary-general silent on Gaza, frankly, hasn’t been listening,” he said.

He noted that Guterres has paid a price for his language already. “You’re talking about a man who has been declared persona non grata in Israel because of the words he’s been using to describe the situation in Gaza,” he said.

“I think he has been a highly vocal advocate in terms of what is going on in Gaza. And he has been a very strong leader in ensuring that the men and women of the UN stay in Gaza to help the people.”

Another flashpoint is the wave of states now announcing formal recognition of the State of Palestine, including the UK and France. Some critics, including US President Donald Trump, say doing so rewards Hamas for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Dujarric dismissed the idea. “I don’t really understand that argument, frankly, because Hamas’ goal is not a two-state solution. I don’t see that in the Hamas Charter or in the rhetoric from Hamas,” he said.

“So again, it’s not a gift to Hamas. On the contrary, it is recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people to have their state just as the Israelis have a right to have their state. And in fact, recognizing the two-state solution is a statement against extremists.”

Outrage over Israel’s conduct in Gaza has revived prospects for the two-state solution, with �������� and France arranging a UN summit pledging time-bound steps for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel with no role for Hamas in its leadership.

While Israel and the US remain opposed, most world leaders now see two states as the only path to peace and regional stability after the Gaza war.

Dujarric was unequivocal that statehood is a Palestinian right. “Let’s put it frankly, it’s not a gift to the Palestinian people, but the right that they have to have a state, just like the Israelis have a right to have a state,” he said.

While diplomatic wrangling at the Security Council dominates, Dujarric said the daily humanitarian work that UN staff continue to undertake in Gaza and the West Bank remains critical.

“Even if there’s a deadlock in the Security Council, it doesn’t mean that our own people are not in Gaza trying to exploit the little humanitarian space they’re being given to try to help the people of Gaza,” he said.

Dujarric said the UN Relief and Works Agency remains at the forefront of that response, despite attacks on its reputation and a squeeze on its funds after Israel accused members of its staff in Gaza of participating in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

“We have UNRWA who is helping and supporting the Palestinian Authority. We will continue to do whatever we can,” he said.

However, he did stress that illegal Israeli settlement expansion, including the government’s approval for the new E1 settlement east of Jerusalem that will effectively bisect the West Bank, was creating new “facts on the ground” that would undermine hope of a Palestinian state.

The dysfunction of the Security Council, dominated by the veto power of its five permanent members, China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US, has prompted renewed calls for reform. Dujarric agreed that the system no longer reflects today’s realities.

“We need a reform of the Security Council because … the Security Council is the beating heart of the UN in terms of peace and security,” he said. “It remains a reflection of the world of 1945. The fact that it continues that way keeps hurting the UN brand globally.”

While he admitted reform remains distant, he said momentum is building. “The membership is much more engaged in it now than it was from where I stood more than 10 years ago. So there is movement,” he said.

“The secretary-general has been advocating very strongly for an African seat. The fact that Africa is the only continent that is not represented on the Security Council is abhorrent.”

“Some critics suggest that Guterres, frustrated by repeated US vetoes on Gaza ceasefire resolutions, should resign in protest. Dujarric dismissed this outright.

“I think resigning, for the secretary-general to resign, would be a gift for those people who find him a little too annoying. So he has absolutely no plans to resign. He’s determined not to give up,” he said.

Instead, Guterres will continue to push on every possible diplomatic front, including quiet back-channel talks.

“He has been very much in contact with the Qataris, the mediators. He stays in contact with the Egyptians. We’ve been using a lot of back channels and we will continue to push for a ceasefire to get humanitarian aid in, to see an end to the conflict and to see the hostages released,” he said.

Asked if the UN has become powerless, unable to fulfill its founding promise after the Second World War of “never again,” Dujarric acknowledged failings, but defended Guterres’ resolve.

“I think the Security Council has not lived up to its promises in terms of being the focus of stopping wars and of peace and security,” he said.

“We have to keep the promise of an end to conflict alive. The secretary-general will continue to advocate for it and not only advocate for it but to work for it through different means. And he will do so until the very last day of his mandate.”

For Dujarric, the UN’s future credibility depends not only on the secretary-general’s persistence, but on whether member states are willing to modernize the system they created.

“Member states need to find a way to adapt their own organization, the UN, the one they created, to make it more effective, to make it more credible and to make it more representative of the world of 2025.”