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Guatemalan migrant arrested in connection with the atrocious death of a woman set on fire and burned alive on a subway train in Brooklyn, New Yorkhe was previously deported on Sunday.

Sebastin Zapeta, 33, was arrested by the Border Police on June 1, 2018, after illegally crossed Sonoita, Arizona, and was deported by the Trump administration a few days later, on June 7, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Marie Ferguson told Fox News.

Ferguson added that Zapeta then illegally re-entered the United States “at an unknown date and location.”

He added that after Zapeta is charged and details about where he is being held are released, the crackdown and removal operation will “present an immigration detainer at the NYPD headquarters where he is being held.”

New York police arrest a migrant who allegedly set fire to a woman on the subway and watched her burn alive

NYPD officers escort a suspect wanted in a murder onto the F train at Coney Island from a Lower Manhattan borough on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (Courtesy: GN Miller/New York Post)

So far, no charges have been filed against Zapeta. The Kings County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement Monday that they “do not have a timeline for this” and “do not anticipate a court appearance today.”

Surveillance video showed the suspect calmly approach the woman, who was sitting still and possibly sleeping, while aboard an F train stopped at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station and then set her on fire.

THE New York Police Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital about the victim’s identity.

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Police investigate the scene where a woman died after being set on fire by a man aboard an MTA subway train as she slept in the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, New York, Sunday, December 22, 2024 . (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

His clothes “were completely engulfed in a matter of seconds,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, describing the case as “one of the most depraved crimes a person can commit against another human being.” .

The suspect then sat on a nearby bench outside the train car and watched officers and a transportation employee put out the flames. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police believe the woman was sleeping on board the train when a man approached her and set her on fire. She was pronounced dead at the scene. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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He was arrested hours later while traveling on the same subway line. Tisch added that the person of interest was found with a lighter in his pocket.

“The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice,” the DA’s office said. “This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will have the most serious consequences. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in our subways, and we will do everything in our power to ensure accountability in this case. NYPD for their quick work in apprehending the suspect.”

Fox News’ Seth Andrews, Greg Wehner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The federal death row inmates whose lives were spared by President Biden after commuting their sentences they have killed victims in all aspects of American society, from a sailor to children as young as 8 years old.

Biden announced Monday that he had commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row inmates to life in prison without the possibility of parole because he is “more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”

“Make no mistake: I condemn these killers, I mourn for the victims of their despicable acts, and I grieve for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable losses,” Biden added. “I cannot in good conscience stand back and let a new administration resume the executions I stopped.”

Among those who were spared are Jorge Avila-Torrez, a Navy veteran found guilty of killing Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Snell inside her barracks in Arlington, Virginia, in July 2009.

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Federal prosecutors said Avila-Torrez confessed to an inmate that he “entered Snell’s room through the open door, jumped on her while she slept in her bed, bound her wrists with the power cord from her laptop, and strangled her with the rest of the cable”.

Then, years later, Avila-Torrez pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing Laura Hobbs, 8, and Krystal Tobias, 9, on Mother’s Day 2005 in Zion, Illinois, and a judge told him that he was a “serial killer”. “, second The associated press.

Krystal Tobias, 9, left, and her friend Laura Hobbs, 8, who were killed by Jorge Avila-Torrez in Zion, Illinois, in May 2005. Navy veteran Jorge Avila-Torrez, who pleaded guilty to the he murder of Tobias and Hobbs, was reportedly a friend of Tobias’ older brother at the time of their deaths. (Zion Police Department/Getty Images)

Another prisoner spared by Biden is Daryl Lawrence, convicted of killing Columbus police officer Bryan Hurst in 2005.

This was stated by the Department of Justice, which awarded Hurst the Medal of Valor posthumously he was working on special duty in uniform at a bank when a masked gunman entered and the two exchanged fire.

“Despite receiving a fatal wound, Hurst walked around the counter and shot the suspect before he collapsed. Authorities arrested the gunman several days later when he sought medical attention at a Washington, D.C. hospital,” he added. “Officer Hurst’s quick action, exceptional courage and tenacity protected the lives of many people at the bank.”

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Thomas Sanders will also no longer face the federal death penalty despite being found guilty of the “brutal kidnapping and murder” of 12-year-old Lexis Roberts in 2010.

In that case, prosecutors said Sanders was dating Roberts’ mother, Suellen Roberts, whom he fatally shot in the head near Interstate 40 in Arizona during a trip to a wildlife park near the Grand Canyon during the late Labor Day week. He then forced Lexis into a vehicle and held her captive as it traveled east.

Thomas Sanders and Suellen Roberts, 31, mother of 12-year-old Lexis Roberts, in undated photos provided by the FBI. Sanders was found guilty of killing Roberts in Arizona in 2010 and kidnapping and killing Lexis days later. (FBI)

“Sanders drove cross-country for several days before killing Lexis Roberts in a wooded area in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana,” The Department of Justice said so. “Evidence at trial established that Sanders shot Lexis Roberts four times, slit her throat and left her body in the woods where a hunter found her body on October 8, 2010.”

Other inmates who were once on federal death row include Alejandro Umana, a member of the MS-13 gang who shot the brothers to death Ruben and Manuel Garcia Salinas at a restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina, in December 2007 “after ‘disrespecting’ his gang’s signs by calling them ‘fake,'” according to federal prosecutors.

Anthony Battaglia, who killed prison guard D’Antonio Andrew Washington with a ball peen hammer inside a maximum-security unit at an Atlanta facility in 1994, he was spared.

Correctional Officer D’Antonio Andrew Washington was killed by inmate Anthony Battle at USP Atlanta in 1994. (Federal Bureau of Prisons/U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General)

Amnesty International USA, a supporter of Biden’s decision, said Monday that “the death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment” and that Biden’s move is “a great moment for human rights.”

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“With the stroke of a pen, the President affirms his legacy as a leader who champions racial justice, humanity and morality,” added Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “This will undoubtedly be one of the key achievements of the Biden presidency.”

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Tycoons have a history of overstepping in foreign relations, and Elon Musk has recently found himself among notable figures with troubling associations.

A recent report from The Wall Street Journal revealed that Musk has maintained secret communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the past two years.

While Musk positions himself as a visionary transforming the automotive industry and aiming for Mars, his approach to geopolitics echoes the missteps of past business leaders, often leaving a negative legacy.

Diplomats and government watchdogs expressed concern over Musk’s relationship with Putin, especially considering Musk’s potential influence in a future Trump administration.

Richard Stengel, a former undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, noted that while it’s common for business leaders to engage with foreign officials, Musk’s ties to a global pariah like Putin raise significant risks. He described reports of Putin urging Musk to refrain from activating Starlink service in Taiwan as “really dicey business.”

Despite being unprecedented for a modern CEO, Musk’s actions are reminiscent of historical tycoons who used their wealth and influence to engage with authoritarian leaders.

“Musk’s wealth rivals that of historical figures like Carnegie and Rockefeller, making direct comparisons limited,” said Mark Wilson, a history professor. Musk’s attempts to foster ties with a dictator parallel David Rockefeller’s efforts in the 1970s to connect with the deposed Shah of Iran and leaders involved in the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

Henry Ford, often compared to Musk, embarked on a misguided mission in 1915 aboard his “Peace Ship” in a bid to halt World War I without government support. Although he abandoned the venture due to concerns for his reputation, he continued to engage in anti-war politics.

Historically, moguls have shown a willingness to meet with dictators in hopes of preventing conflict. Ford received accolades from Nazi Germany, while William Randolph Hearst famously visited Hitler in 1934 in an attempt to convey American sentiment.

According to the Journal, Musk has developed a personal rapport with one of the few leaders on the U.S. Treasury’s blacklist, alongside North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. This pattern reflects a naïve belief that tyrants can be placated through dialogue—a worldview often held by those unaccustomed to rejection.

Musk’s actions may trigger consequences, but it remains unclear if he will face any significant backlash. Unlike the era of Perot, when multiple firms could substitute for his contracts, Musk’s unique capabilities in space technology and satellite communication leave the U.S. government in a precarious position regarding his independent diplomacy.

As former undersecretary Stengel noted, “If this was any other contractor, there would be scrutiny, but is Musk ‘too big to fail?'”

In a nod to former President Donald Trump’s fixation on economics, Musk appears to be leading America into a retro-futuristic landscape reminiscent of Ford and Hearst, where influential figures engage with notorious adversaries while government oversight remains powerless, relying solely on their individual morals to guide these relationships.

The goal is to begin disbursement of funds by the end of the year.

The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) have reached an agreement to tap into profits from frozen Russian assets to provide a $50 billion loan to Ukraine, as announced by the G7 on Friday.

“These loans will be serviced and repaid through future extraordinary revenues from immobilized Russian sovereign assets, in accordance with the legal frameworks of the G7 and international law,” the group stated after a meeting of finance ministers in Washington.

The intention is to start releasing the funds by year-end.

The loan will be entirely repaid using profits generated from over $250 billion in Russian assets that have been frozen in Western nations since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Wednesday, Washington revealed plans to contribute $20 billion to the loan in December, aiming to protect its support from potential repercussions related to the U.S. elections. Donald Trump has previously raised doubts about ongoing U.S. support for Ukraine should he return to the presidency.

This agreement follows earlier U.S. statements indicating that substantial contributions were contingent on the EU altering its sanctions regulations.

The EU, which controls most of the frozen assets, has pledged to provide up to €35 billion to Ukraine and is expected to allocate an additional $20 billion. The remaining $10 billion will be distributed among the U.K., Canada, and Japan.

According to a statement from G7 ministers, funds will be allocated through bilateral loans, beginning as early as December 1 and continuing until the end of 2027. “Each bilateral loan will take effect no later than June 30, 2025,” reflecting Ukraine’s urgent financing needs.

The EU has also completed its expedited process for its contribution to the loan this week.

“Organized criminal gangs are trying to undermine the voting process with aggression and intimidation,” said opposition politician Ana Natsvlishvili.

TBILISI, Georgia — Violence erupted at several polling stations in Georgia on Saturday as voters participated in the country’s crucial parliamentary election.

“They beat us, spit at us, and swore at us,” reported election observer Gela Mtivlishvili from the Akhmeta polling station in eastern Georgia. Earlier, at a different location, he witnessed a coordinator from the ruling Georgian Dream party giving money to a voter.

Reports from journalists and activists indicated multiple physical altercations at polling sites, with opposition leaders attributing the violence to “criminal gangs.”

This parliamentary election is seen as a critical juncture for Georgia, potentially influencing its alignment with the EU or Moscow.

Ana Natsvlishvili of the Strong Georgia party criticized law enforcement for their inaction, asserting that “organized criminal gangs are trying to undermine the voting process with aggression and intimidation.”

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili called on the Interior Ministry to remove criminals from polling stations.

In response, ruling party parliamentary leader Mamuka Mdinaradze suggested that an opposition TV channel might be “staging special operations” to create a false sense of chaos.

In Marneuli, a southern town, a polling station was shut down after a video emerged showing a man, identified as a ruling party representative, stuffing a ballot box with multiple ballots. An investigation into potential “election fraud” was initiated, and Georgia’s Central Election Committee announced that ballots from that station would be invalidated.

As of 3 p.m. Tbilisi time, the Central Election Commission reported a voter turnout of 41.62 percent.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urged international intervention to halt what he described as “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in London. Safadi emphasized the dire humanitarian situation in northern Gaza and criticized the Israeli government for ignoring global concerns.

As Blinken concluded his Middle East diplomatic tour, Safadi noted that the regional conflict continues to worsen due to Israel’s refusal to listen to external voices. He called for immediate action to address the escalating crisis.

Blinken responded by expressing a commitment to urgently seek a diplomatic resolution to Israel’s offensive, particularly concerning the disarmament of Hezbollah in Lebanon. While he met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, he emphasized the importance of protecting civilians but did not call for a ceasefire.

During the discussions, Blinken highlighted the necessity of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which mandates the disarmament of non-state groups in Lebanon, including Hezbollah.

In recent developments, an Israeli airstrike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon, prompting Mikati to label the attack a “war crime” aimed at intimidating the media and concealing Israeli actions.

Overall, both leaders stressed the urgent need for protecting civilians and addressing the deteriorating situation in the region.

Israel’s ongoing targeting of journalists is fueled by a lack of accountability for its actions, according to advocates. The recent airstrike that killed three media workers in southern Lebanon has intensified demands to address Israel’s impunity.

The rising number of journalist fatalities attributed to the Israeli military is seen as a direct consequence of the international community’s failure, particularly the United States, to hold Israel accountable. Just before the attacks, Israeli officials accused Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza of links to armed groups, raising safety concerns for media personnel.

Rebecca Vincent of Reporters Without Borders emphasized that recent events should prompt the US and other nations to take action against the violence. The strike in Lebanon targeted a journalist compound, which was far from active combat zones, and resulted in significant destruction without any prior warning.

With at least 128 journalists killed in the past year in the region, this period marks one of the deadliest for media workers since the Committee to Protect Journalists began monitoring such incidents. Palestinian officials suggest the actual number may be as high as 176 killed in Gaza alone.

Israeli authorities have frequently labeled journalists as “terrorists,” particularly those reporting from Gaza. These unfounded accusations have sparked fears of preemptive targeting, further complicating the safety of media workers in the area. Critics argue that Israel’s restrictions on foreign journalists entering Gaza serve to obscure the realities of its actions.

Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu pointed out that under international law, only combatants can be legitimate targets in war. Israel’s tactics of labeling journalists as affiliates of militant groups undermine this legal framework.

Despite calls for access to Gaza for international journalists, Israel has maintained strict bans. Advocacy groups have documented a consistent pattern of Israeli assaults on journalists, highlighting a culture of impunity that has persisted over the years.

The lack of accountability for the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh exemplifies this trend. Although there were calls for an independent investigation into her death, little has been done to pursue justice.

While the US government recognizes the importance of journalistic truth-telling, advocates argue that this commitment is not reflected in its response to Israeli actions against Palestinian journalists. The US continues to provide significant military aid to Israel despite widespread documented abuses.

Additionally, there has been insufficient outrage from mainstream media regarding attacks on journalists in the region, which some advocates find troubling. In contrast, alternative media outlets have expressed solidarity with affected journalists, emphasizing the need for the international community to treat these attacks as a pressing issue.