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Disgruntled worker invokes Luigi Mangione in $500M warehouse inferno he filmed in anti-capitalist rage: feds

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A disgruntled Inland Empire employe accused of causing $500 million in damage invoked Luigi Mangione as he filmed himself torching a warehouse as he railed against wages, authorities said.

Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, of Highland, California, is charged with deliberately setting the April 7 inferno that destroyed a 1.2 million-square-foot Kimberly-Clark distribution center in Ontario. He pleaded not guilty Monday to federal and state charges, authorities said.

According to a Department of Justice criminal complaint, Abdulkarim, who worked at the facility through a third-party logistics provider, filmed himself setting multiple pallets of paper goods on fire in the early morning hours.

In the video, he allegedly complained about wages, saying, “If you’re not going to pay us enough to [expletive] live… at least pay us enough not to do this,” according to the DOJ affidavit.

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Federal prosecutors say the flames quickly spread, collapsing the roof and leveling the entire facility, which stored household products like Kleenex and Cottonelle.

Investigators allege Abdulkarim later bragged about the destruction in texts and phone calls, including one message that read, “I just cost these [expletive] billions,” while railing against corporate profits and shareholders.

In a separate call, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Abdulkarim compared himself to Mangione — the suspect accused in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

“Luigi popped that muther——,” Abdulkarim said, according to the federal complaint, adding “a lot of people are going to understand.”

Fox News contributor and former FBI special agent Nicole Parker told Fox News Digital that Abdulkarim seems to have used similar tactics as Mangione, calling it the “Luigi effect.”

“Luigi garnered a substantial amount of attention and empathy from many because of his ‘cause’ as a justification for his grievance,” she said. “Several are now copying him to one degree or another in an effort to gain that same level of attention and hero status.”

Abdulkarim “believes he was speaking and acting out on behalf of the American people” as he ranted about workers being paid enough to live.

“Chamel was proud to have cost over $1 billion to the company,” Parker said. “It is a troubling time in our society when offenders will go to all lengths no matter how destructive or evil to prove a point for their cause. 

“I refer to it as the ‘Luigi effect’ where offenders have learned to focus attention on their grievance through violence due to the sensationalization from online platforms and social media. Law enforcement and specifically the FBI will be digging into his behaviors and what led him down the path to violence. Turning to violence to settle a grievance is never the answer. He chose to carry out these awful crimes but he will not choose the consequence.”

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Prosecutors allege Abdulkarim acted “willfully, maliciously, and with premeditation” when he set the fire, conduct they say was carried out under circumstances likely to cause injury and massive property destruction, according to a San Bernardino County felony complaint.

The complaint charges him with aggravated arson, a top-tier felony, along with multiple additional counts of arson of a structure tied to the same blaze.

Authorities say the fire caused losses far exceeding $10 million, a key threshold that elevates the severity of the charge, while federal officials estimate total damage at roughly $500 million.

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“America is founded on free enterprise and capitalism… Anyone who attacks our values, our way of life, our system… we’re gonna come after aggressively,” Essayli said.

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Abdulkarim was arrested about two miles from the scene shortly after the fire broke out. Roughly 175 firefighters responded to the six-alarm blaze, which is considered one of the most destructive warehouse fires in the region. No injuries were reported.

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San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson blasted the alleged crime, calling arson “a real head-scratcher” and warning it puts lives, jobs and commerce at risk.

“I do not understand somebody… to displace people from their jobs, to ruin commerce, to get in the way of labor, to put people in physical harm,” Anderson said.

Abdulkarim is charged federally with arson of a building used in interstate and foreign commerce and faces multiple state felony counts that could significantly increase his prison exposure.

If convicted on the federal charge alone, he would face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors have also signaled the case involves aggravating factors, including the scale of destruction and potential danger to others.

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Ex-CENTCOM commander warns against ‘risky’ US ground operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium

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Ret. U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus said assassinating more of Iran’s leadership will not end ongoing issues while warning against a U.S. ground operation to seize Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.

“This would be a very, very tall order, it would be exceedingly risky. And the casualties could potentially be quite substantial,” he said Monday on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

“Assassinating a few more leaders is not going to bring this issue to a close,” he added.

Petraeus’ comments come as the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire Wednesday, with President Donald Trump asserting an extension is “very unlikely.”

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The former CENTCOM commander, who led troops into battle during the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, said the deployment of U.S. ground troops to Iran would be very risky.

“We’re not really sure where these canisters are, of this thousand pounds of 60 percent enriched uranium,” he said. “They’re going to have to excavate very, very substantially. And by the way, that’s what makes the idea of a forced ground operation very, very challenging.” 

Petraeus noted that while Iran has felt the damage of the United States’ military campaign, the regime is not hopeless.

“They’ve seen lots and lots of damage that we can inflict,” he said.

“They know what we can do… They’re also trying to figure out how much they can give on these other issues that traditionally have been very, very difficult to negotiate.”

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Trump said he will enforce the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports until a deal is reached. However, Petraeus said the economic pressure has not made Iran completely hopeless.

“They’re not at the point of desperation,” he argued.

The former CIA director argued that both the U.S. and Iran want the war to end, citing economic challenges that both nations have experienced amid the 52-day conflict.

“I don’t think that either side really wants to return to full-on combat,” Petraeus said. “There has been damage to infrastructure in the Gulf states. And we certainly don’t want to see more of that.”

Vice President JD Vance and senior White House officials are set to depart for Pakistan on Tuesday for a new round of peace talks, though recent reports from Iranian state media cast doubt on such meetings.

“I think both sides, frankly, really do want an agreement,” Petraeus said. “Obviously, there are challenges domestically for us if this continues. Obviously, there are huge challenges for them [Iran] economically and financially if it continues.”

The former CENTCOM commander said the two main points of discussion in the talks will be Iran’s uranium enrichment and the restoration of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We’ll see if there is trade space,” he said.

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Nancy Sinatra slams Trump’s use of father’s song ‘My Way’ as ‘sacrilege’

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Singer Nancy Sinatra called President Donald Trump’s reference to her father Frank Sinatra’s song “My Way” a “sacrilege.”

On Saturday, Trump posted a video to Truth Social of Frank Sinatra singing his classic song in light of his renewed threats to destroy Iranian infrastructure for the country allegedly violating a ceasefire agreement.

The song begins with the opening lines, “And now/the end is near/And so I face/the final curtain” which resemble Trump’s past threats to destroy the nation.

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“Omg, @NancySinatra will not be happy about this. Trump goes against everything that Frank stood for. He was a big champion for equality and supported the Civil Rights movement,” one person commented on X.

The 85-year-old “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” singer later responded to this comment, adding, “This is a sacrilege.”

She reposted users’ comments criticizing Trump’s post and use of the song, insisting Frank Sinatra would not agree with Trump’s politics.

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“Trump may love Sinatra, but Sinatra did not love Trump,” one person wrote.

“This is just sickening. Frank Sinatra would never have allowed that monster in the White House to use his music or put his lyrics in his mouth. Sinatra was a man of honor, a man who never had to lie about who he truly was because he WAS the greatest. trump is a loser,” another wrote.

Sinatra also responded to a fan asking if she could do anything to stop Trump from using the song.

“Unfortunately no. The only people who can do something are the publishers,” she responded.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Trump previously danced with first lady Melania Trump to the song “My Way” at the Liberty Ball after his first inauguration in 2017. At the time, Sinatra joked about the news writing, “Just remember the first line of the song.”

She later deleted the post and denied that she was “angry” that Trump used the song.

“What a rotten spin to put on a harmless joke,” Sinatra tweeted.

She also wrote, “I’m not sure why this became such a big deal. It was really just a joke.”

When asked whether she was upset over her father’s song being used by Trump, Sinatra wrote at the time, “Actually I’m wishing him the best. A good president helps the entire world. I don’t believe anyone tries to be a bad president.”

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Mom, pregnant teen and 12-year-old found bound and murdered as police hunt multiple suspects

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An Alabama woman, her pregnant teenage daughter and her 12-year-old son were found brutally murdered in their home, authorities said.

Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said deputies responded to a home in Wilmer just after 2:30 a.m., where they discovered the three bodies in separate rooms with their hands tied behind their backs.

The victims were identified as 46-year-old Lisa Gail Fields, who was stabbed; 17-year-old Keziah Arionna Luker, who was shot; and 12-year-old Thomas Cordelle Jr., who had his throat cut and was nearly decapitated.

“It was a brutal scene,” Burch said. “If you’ve got a beef with an adult… there’s nothing worth killing over, but to murder two children brutally… I hope and feel comfortable we’ll have this animal or animals off the streets soon.”

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An 18-month-old child was found unharmed in the home.

“At this point, we don’t suspect any kind of domestic or family-type situation,” Burch told reporters.

Burch noted that the home was “left in disarray,” suggesting the perpetrators may have been searching for something. Investigators believe more than one person was involved in the killings because the victims had been subdued.

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Luker was seven or eight months pregnant, the sheriff added.

“The mother was stabbed, the 17-year-old was shot, and the 12-year-old’s throat was cut as was the mom,” Burch said. “It tells me that they had a plan coming in to bring zip ties or flex cuffs with them so they had a plan.”

The father-to-be, who works offshore, triggered the discovery after he grew concerned when he could not reach Luker after he saw her cell phone activated on Life 360, the sheriff said. Another family member went to check on her and found all three victims in separate rooms with their hands bound behind them.

The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office will determine whether the death of Luker’s unborn child warrants an additional murder charge once a suspect is arrested.

Burch said investigators currently have “positive leads” in the case.

Luker’s father told WALA-TV that his daughter had just received her GED.

“It’s a senseless murder,” he said. “She was a bubble of sunshine. A person that makes you smile; a person that’ll make you laugh whenever you’re down. She had empathy for everybody. She loved her brothers; she loved her mom; she loved all of us.”

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