Tree of Life, WWII Shipwreck, and a Superbloom Boom

Tree of Life Trial Begins

Jury selection begins today in the trial of the assailant in the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that left 11 dead and six wounded, the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history. Robert Bowers, 50, faces 63 federal charges including hate crimes resulting in death, among others. The trial is expected to last until July.

On the morning of October 27, 2018, the shooter opened fire with three pistols and a semi-automatic rifle at the Tree of Life synagogue, attacking members of three separate congregations meeting for Shabbat services. It took police over an hour to take the gunman into custody (see timeline), who was wounded but survived. Investigations revealed the attacker was a committed antisemite highly active on the social media site Gab, commonly used by users with extreme views. 

The trial has seen unusual delays as the defendant has sought a guilty-plea deal in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table. Read about the 11 victims here.

Sudan Evacuations

US special forces evacuated the American embassy in Sudan yesterday, airlifting nearly 100 government personnel from the capital of Khartoum as intense fighting in the city reached its ninth day. The operation reportedly took around an hour, with no shots fired or injuries reported. 

Fighting began in the North African country April 15, when Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo led his Rapid Support Forces—a group with roots in the infamous Janjaweed militias—and attacked key government sites. Sudan's de facto leader, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, led the country's military into open clashes with opposition forces in a battle for control of Khartoum. More than 400 people have been killed and 3,700 injured in the fighting to date.  

A 2019 uprising in Sudan ousted longtime strongman Omar al-Bashir, setting the stage for a potential transition to democracy. Dagalo and al-Burhan joined forces to oust a transitional council in 2021, before eventually fighting against each other. See a history of conflict in Sudan here. 

WWII Shipwreck Discovered

An underwater expedition announced the discovery of the Montevideo Maru yesterday, a Japanese warship sunk during World War II while carrying almost 1,000 Australian prisoners of war. Its sinking is considered the worst maritime disaster in the history of Australia.

In February 1942, the Japanese military defeated Australian forces in New Guinea in the Battle of Rabaul, one of the most significant Allied defeats in the Pacific theater. After the victory, the Montevideo Maru was chartered to carrying prisoners to the occupied Chinese island of Hainan. Travelling unaccompanied, the ship was pursued and torpedoed by the USS Sturgeon, unaware it carried Allied captives. 

The wreckage was located at a depth of more than 13,000 feet in the South China Sea by the Silentworld Foundation, a nonprofit focused on marine archaeology and history in the region. Officials said the site would not be disturbed as it is considered a war grave. 

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