Friday, July 4, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Saudi officials accused of aiding 9/11 hijackers

Published 28 May 2024
– By Editorial Staff
The extent of the Saudi role in the September 11 attacks has long been the subject of speculation.
2 minute read

According to a lawsuit filed against the Saudi Arabian government by families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Wahhabi kingdom played a much larger role in the attacks than officials have previously claimed.

According to a 71-page document filed with the court by the plaintiffs’ lawyers, Saudi government officials formed and operated a US-based network that assisted the first group of hijackers in various ways once they arrived in the country.

They allege that the Saudi network included diplomats and intelligence agents, and that both the Saudi embassy in Washington and senior officials in Riyadh were involved.

They point to Fahad Al-Thumairy, a former imam at a Los Angeles mosque and a diplomat at the Saudi consulate, and Omar Al-Bayoumi, who claimed to be a former graduate student but was identified by the FBI as an intelligence agent.

The plaintiffs allege that these individuals, along with other Saudi officials, provided the hijackers with logistical support, including lodging, transportation, and immigration assistance – allegedly enabling the hijacking to take place.

Saudi Arabia denies all allegations

It should be noted that much of the evidence referred to is currently classified, but is expected to be released in the coming weeks. These documents also allegedly prove that several Saudi officials were involved in the attacks.

According to analysts, if the information proves to be correct, it could lead to a deterioration in relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and “shatter” claims that the terrorist group al-Qaeda acted independently and on its own initiative.

It should also be noted that the Saudi government has repeatedly denied any involvement in the September 11 attacks over the years, and has denied the plaintiffs’ allegations during this trial.

The September 11, 2001 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 in the deadliest terrorist attack in US history. Because of the many ambiguities and major flaws in the official account of the events, the September 11 attacks have also been the subject of a variety of alternative theories and hypotheses about what actually happened – a recurring one being that some form of state actor was involved.

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Owens: Trump asked me to stop saying Macron’s wife is a man

Published yesterday 11:45
– By Editorial Staff
The biological sex of French First Lady Brigitte Macron has long been the subject of speculation and debate.
3 minute read

American right-wing commentator Candace Owens claims she received a personal call from Donald Trump – at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron – pleading with her to stop discussing theories that France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron is biologically male.

The background stems from several episodes of Owens’ YouTube show “Candace”, where she repeatedly questioned whether Brigitte Macron is actually a woman. According to Owens, Trump called her in February, just days after she concluded the series.

– This phone call is coming from Florida. Pick up the phone and lo and behold… It is President Donald J. Trump! He is calling me and in true President Trump fashion, he jumps right into the narrative. He’s not ‘Hey, how you do?’ Owens explains in her program.

– He just like jumps right into the narrative of exactly how this went down. I am literally… it is hard to catch my breath to comprehend that four days ago I am literally ending a series about Brigitte Macron, and now I’m speaking to the President of the United States and the topic of conversation is about Macron’s wife’s penis.

According to Owens, Trump described how during a White House meeting, Emmanuel Macron, surrounded by Secret Service and escort vehicles, approached him. The French President allegedly asked Trump to contact Owens and get her to stop talking about Brigitte.

– She’s old and this is really, really impacting her, Trump reportedly said.

Refused to “stop telling the truth”

The former president further claimed that he had seen Brigitte Macron up close during a dinner at the Eiffel Tower in Paris and assured that “she looked like a woman”.

Owens states that she questioned Trump’s request and countered by saying that Brigitte Macron, in her opinion, “has had this amazing doctor who specializes in transgenderism surgeries or feminization”. She continued:

– Like you are requesting that I really, and despite your reasoning, which is very sound, that I stop telling the truth.

Owens says she finally responded to Trump jokingly:

– You know, respectfully, Mr. President, it’s not my fault that he married someone with a penis.

A personal favor

According to Owens, Trump tried to convince her by saying that Macron had been “very good” to him and that this was “something he wanted to get out of the way”. He also added a personal compliment in classic Trump style:

– Melania loves you… she says you’re beautiful.

Owens says she agreed to a temporary pause on the topic, concerned it might affect Trump’s ongoing efforts to mediate in the Russia-Ukraine war. However, she emphasized the decision wasn’t permanent:

– This is not long term for me.

Toward the end of the conversation, Trump allegedly tried to win Owens over by suggesting he could appear on her podcast – something he said would generate high viewership numbers, to which Owens responded by returning the compliment:

– Respectfully, Mr. President, I’m apparently good for ratings too, because you’ve got a leader of a country, the president of the country, asking you to ask me to do you a favor.

Foreign policy concern

Owens suggests that while Trump never explicitly stated it, she got the impression that her comments about Brigitte Macron had become a foreign policy concern.

She references information from a third party in Washington, interpreting Trump’s plea as indicating that the French presidential couple believed her statements could affect Macron’s willingness to support an American proposal for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Neither Donald Trump nor Emmanuel Macron has publicly commented on these claims.

Slovakia urges West to engage in dialogue with Russia

The new cold war

Published 2 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Juraj Blanar believes that Western leaders must use diplomacy and dialogue to end the war.
2 minute read

Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar believes that the war in Ukraine cannot be decided on the battlefield. Instead, he urges the Western world to seek a peaceful solution through direct dialogue with Russia – and warns that continued tensions could lead to a catastrophic large-scale war between NATO and Moscow.

– We do not want a war between Russia and NATO to break out, because that would be the Third World War. We want the conflict to be settled peacefully, Blanar said during a discussion program on Slovak public broadcaster STVR last Sunday.

Blanar emphasized the importance of diplomacy and called for a return to “respect for international law”. He also suggested that the Western world should seek ways to renew contact with Moscow – “and perhaps even forgive everything that has happened”.

Slovakia, like Hungary, has consistently pushed for de-escalation of the conflict and opposed additional EU sanctions against Russia.

The country’s president Peter Pellegrini has also urged EU member states to resume direct talks with Moscow and has simultaneously rejected demands for rapid military buildup within NATO, arguing that defense spending should reflect each country’s own priorities – rather than concerns about Russia.

Russia demands Ukrainian neutrality

Russian officials have condemned the US-led bloc’s decision last week that member countries should raise their defense budgets to 5 percent of GDP – a measure that NATO says will deter the “long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security”.

The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that it has no intentions of attacking any NATO country and has called the accusations “nonsense” – a scare tactic that, according to Moscow, is used by the West to legitimize increased defense spending.

Moscow states that it seeks a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that a lasting agreement must include recognition of the actual situation “on the ground”, as well as Ukrainian neutrality.

According to Putin, contacts between Moscow and Kyiv are being maintained regarding a possible third round of peace negotiations. Previous talks have been held in Turkey, where the parties have exchanged draft peace proposals and carried out several prisoner exchanges.

Trump suggests possible deportation of Elon Musk

Donald Trump's USA

Published 2 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The relationship between tech entrepreneur Elon Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump appears to oscillate between frosty and outright hostile these days.
3 minute read

US President Donald Trump recently suggested the possibility of deporting his former ally and advisor Elon Musk, while hinting that the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) might review the government subsidies received by Musk’s companies.

The unexpected statement came during a press conference on the White House lawn, where the president was directly asked about the possibility of deporting the Tesla and SpaceX CEO.

– We’ll have to take a look, the president responded.

Musk, who was born in South Africa, has been a US citizen since 2002. Under current law, deportation would require a criminal conviction. Trump elaborated on his comment with a sarcastic attack aimed at his former friend:

– We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets lots of subsidies, he said.

Escalating conflict

The conflict between Trump and Musk has escalated in recent weeks, particularly regarding the comprehensive “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, which forms the core of Trump’s domestic policy agenda. Musk has called the bill “completely insane” and “political suicide”.

The president responded to the criticism with a post on his Truth Social platform:

“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa”, he wrote.

“No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”

The background to these statements is Musk’s repeated attacks on the bill, which he claims threatens both jobs and future technology. In a post on X on Saturday, he wrote that “The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!”

“Insane and destructive”

“Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future”, he continued.

On Monday, he intensified his rhetoric:

“Anyone who campaigned on the PROMISE of REDUCING SPENDING , but continues to vote on the BIGGEST DEBT ceiling increase in HISTORY will see their face on this poster in the primary next year”.

Musk also described the political climate in the US as “a one-party country – THE PORKY PIG PARTY!!” and called for the formation of a new political party.

Electric vehicle dispute

On Tuesday, Trump emphasized that his previous support from Musk didn’t change his stance on electric vehicle policy:

“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate”, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one”.

Trump threatens to sic DOGE on his former ally. Photo: facsimile/Truth Social//Donald Trump

With Tuesday’s Senate approval, where the bill passed with a 51-50 vote, the conflict between Trump and Musk deepened further. Recently, Musk also expressed support for impeachment proceedings against the president, though he later retracted this and apologized.

Musk resigned from his position at DOGE on May 29, in accordance with the 130-day limit for special government employees.

Trump’s top diplomat compares Syria’s jihadist leader to George Washington

The escalation in the Middle East

Published 2 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Ahmed al-Sharaa and America's first president George Washington (1732-1799).
3 minute read

The US government is considering removing Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa – a former jihadist leader within the terrorist group al-Qaeda – from its global terrorist list. Meanwhile, American top diplomats are comparing him to America’s first president George Washington.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order dismantling major parts of the comprehensive sanctions program against Syria. Simultaneously, he has ordered a review of the terrorist classification of Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the Islamist terrorist leader who now governs the country after Bashar al-Assad’s secular government was overthrown by Islamist groups.

According to the order, which was made public on Monday, broad financial restrictions against Syria are lifted, while targeted sanctions against Assad and his former government remain. HTS – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – and other militant groups involved in Assad’s fall are not directly affected, but the order opens the door for changes.

Trump instructs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review both HTS’s status as a foreign terrorist organization and al-Sharaa’s designation as a “specially designated global terrorist”. Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, implemented in 1979, will also be reconsidered.

Historical parallels

The decision comes in the wake of Trump’s notable meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh in May. The focus then was on Syria’s reconstruction and a possible normalization of relations with Israel. Trump described the new leadership in Damascus as deserving “a chance at greatness”.

To lead contacts with Damascus, Trump has appointed Thomas Barrack as Special Envoy for Syria. Barrack is a former ambassador to Turkey and longtime confidant of the president.

On Monday, Barrack commented to reporters about the “controversy here, of somebody who had been al-Nusrah and had been considered a bad guy who all of a sudden becomes the leader” – and drew a historical parallel between Syria’s political transformation and the early years of U.S. independence.

“And in thinking through it, if you remember, we had a revolutionary war that lasted 14 months.  And we had brutality.  We had the Battles of Concord, the Battle of Lexington.  And from 1776 when we declared independence, it was 12 years until we got a president.  And who was the president?  The president was a general.  Who was the general?  It was George Washington”.

The American Revolutionary War actually lasted over eight years, between 1775 and 1783.

“And in those 12 years, we were defining everything.  We were defining a constitution, we were defining the framework, we were defining a judiciary – trying to figure out where we’re going before we ever had the election”, Barrack continued.

Trump: “Young attractive guy”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously warned that Syria has become “a playground for jihadist groups, including ISIS and others”. He also admitted that the new leadership in Damascus “didn’t pass their background check with the FBI”, but emphasized that the US must still support the development to counter greater regional instability.

“The US is taking further actions to support a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors”, Rubio wrote in a post on X on Monday.

Donald Trump has previously caused some controversy when he described the Syrian Islamist leader and terrorist as a “young, attractive guy, very strong past” and a “fighter”.

The Nordic Times has in several previous articles highlighted al-Sharaa’s/al-Julani’s background as an Islamist terrorist and how, after Assad’s overthrow, he was suddenly being promoted by Western powers as a legitimate political leader.

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