Displaying items by tag: ISIS

Seventeen Kent State business students studying abroad for spring break are safe after several terror attacks struck Brussels Tuesday morning. The students are visiting France and Belgium to learn about the economics of the European Union.

The university's Associate Dean for Graduate and International Programs Bob Hirsrich says the group will continue with their trip.

"They are in their hotel and won't be doing any touring of Brussels today, but they plan to if everything goes well leave for Luxemburg which weas part of their trip plans tomorrow.

The group will be back in Kent on March 28th.

Kent State University history associate professor Julio Pino has been under investigation for alleged ties to ISIS for the last year and a half, according to a report from student publication The Kent Stater.

An FBI agent told the paper there is no direct threat to the university, and KSU spokesman Eric Mansfield said the university is cooperating with the investigation. No charges have been filed.

Pino denied any wrongdoing or ties to ISIS in a video recorded by KentWired.com.

This is not the first time Pino has been in the headlines. He drew criticism in 2014 for a letter on History News Network blaming "academic friends of Israel" for the murder of over 1,400 Palestinian children. In 2011, Pino shouted "death to Israel" during a presentation on the Kent Campus by former Israeli diplomat Ishmael Khaldi, leading then-university president Lester Lefton to call the outburst "an embarassment to our university."

UPDATE: Kent State university Beverly Warren has issued an official statement to the KSU community in response:

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Dear Members of the Kent State Community,

Many of you have heard unsettling news overnight that the FBI has been on our Kent Campus investigating a serious matter. We are cooperating with the FBI, and we have been assured that there is no indication of a threat to campus. As this is an ongoing investigation, it is not prudent to speak further about the case.

We continue to find Julio Pino's comments reprehensible and counter to our core values of civil discourse and respect. As a university, we do not defend his views, and he does not speak on behalf of Kent State or members of our community.

Campus safety continues to be our top priority at Kent State, and we remain committed to providing a safe learning environment for our community.

Sincerely,
Beverly Warren
President
Kent State University

One of the biggest debates in the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Paris has been whether to accept refugees from Syria. The governors of 32 states have asked the federal government to not place Syrian refugees in their states, and there is speculation that Republicans in Congress may insert language into a key spending bill to block Syrian refugees from being accepted into the United States.

Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Wadsworth) believes Ohio Gov. John Kasich made the right decision by calling for Syrians to not be placed in Ohio.

"We need to ensure those coming over have no ties to ISIS or other terrorist organizations. We need to have a system in place, we need to be screening." Renacci said. "If we can't do that, we shouldn't just be allowing individuals to come in."

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Niles) sees it differently. While he also wants to make sure terrorists don't enter the country, he says there are safeguards in place to ensure the wrong people don't come in.

"If we don't know something... or we don't know who exactly you are, you don't get in the country," Ryan said.

When asked about the "gaps" in the ability to vet Syrian refugees noted last month by FBI director James Comey, Ryan said a refugee whose information falls into one of those gaps would not gain entry into the United States.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that would, among other changes, require FBI background checks for refugees. The Associated Press reports President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the bill if it reaches his desk.