More than 60 dogs missing or reported stolen in Wisconsin as criminals target pets during pandemic

MILWAUKEE — Animals become a part of our families. During the pandemic, there's a high demand for pets. But the I-Team learned not everyone is going about the right way to get one.

Kristin Wilson is the Executive Director of Billy's Posse, a group that helps owners find their lost dogs.

"Dogs have become a commodity," Wilson said. "A lot of times it is just trying to make a quick buck."

More Than 60 Dogs Missing, Reported Stolen In Wisconsin [PHOTOS]

Staff with the nonprofit are currently looking for more than 60 dogs that vanished without a trace. The group suspects many of them were taken. In some cases, criminals go after a certain breed and resell them on the internet.

"It's nothing new, there are certain dogs that do seem to be targeted," she said.

Wilson says breeds like French Bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are popular targets.

Jackie Bourque's two-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Riley, has been missing since early summer. She suspects Riley was stolen.

"It's been heartbreaking every single day and just knowing that she's out there," Bourque said.

Bourque said Riley slipped through a gate and got out of a friend's backyard. She hasn't seen her since.

"I've also talked to the police, and all I kept hearing was that someone has your dog or she's been sold, and this was kind of a shock to me," Bourque said.

Bourque posted on social media about Riley, hoping someone will come forward. One fellow user said they spotted Riley posted for sale on a Facebook page.

"She said she remembers it vividly because a lot of people were asking what the breed was and how much they could get for her," Bourque said.

So far, that lead and others haven't turned anything up.

Kathy Shillinglaw is the outreach coordinator at Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission.

"Jackie lost her dog in June. What are her chances of being reunited with Riley?" The I-Team's Kristin Byrne asked Shillinglaw.

"The longer it gets, the [fewer] opportunities that people get their animals back but I would want to encourage people to keep hope. We've seen animals returned to owners after years," Shillinglaw said.

moar:

https://www.tmj4.com/news/i-team/more-than-60-dogs-missing-or-reported-stolen-in-wisconsin

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Acting Brotherhood General Guide's Arrest a Major Blow to the Group

by Hany Ghoraba

Special to IPT News

September 10, 2020

Egypt's arrest of a long-sought Muslim Brotherhood leader Aug. 28 is sure to create new challenges for the Islamist group. Acting General Guide Mahmoud Ezzat, 76, was arrested Aug. 28 after years in hiding.

Egyptian police found him in his hideout apartment in a posh district in New Cairo. Police confiscated a number of computer devices, cellular phones with encrypted programs, and documents which include plans for terrorist attacks, Egypt's Ministry of Interior said in a press statement. The statement described Ezzat as "responsible for handling the organization's (MB) funds and providing it with financial support as well as financing all its activities."

The charges claim he masterminded terrorist attacks after the June 2013 revolution forced the Muslim Brotherhood-led government from power.

Ezzat became the Brotherhood's acting leader after General Guide Mohamed Badie was arrested and indicted in several terrorism cases. Badie is serving a life sentence.

For Egyptian security, Ezzat's fall generates a wealth of information on the whereabouts of the Brotherhood's splinter cells, such as Hasm and Liwa Al Thawra, both of which the United States designated as terrorist organizations. Hasm has carried out 14 terrorist attacks in Egypt and more than 304 suspected members have been arrested and sent to military courts. Liwa Al Thawra was involved in several assassinations of police and army officers.

Ezzat is no stranger to prison, having first been tried in 1965 as part of a group following Muslim Brotherhood ideologue Sayyid Qutb. Qutb was executed in 1966 while Ezzat received a 10-year prison sentence for joining a group that aimed to topple the government through violence. He was served five years in prison in 1995 for his role in the Brotherhood's guidance bureau.

Before his latest arrest, Ezzat already faced a death sentence after being convicted in absentia for plotting the 2015 assassination of Egypt's General Prosecutor Hisham Barakat. He is also accused of plotting the bombing of a Cairo cancer medical center last year killing 20 people and injuring 50 more.

The government's evidence linking Ezzat to the attacks is not likely to be seen before his trial.

Additionally, he is charged with leading the online Brotherhood brigades accused of spreading rumors and Muslim Brotherhood propaganda in the country. He is set for retrial for all convictions now, according to Egyptian law, since the convictions were obtained in a trial held in absentia.

General Farouk Al Maqrahi, a former top official in Egypt's Interior Ministry, described Ezzat as "the most dangerous of the Brotherhood militant apparatus." "Mahmoud Ezzat controlled the group (MB) and his capture breaks its power."

moar:

https://www.investigativeproject.org/8543/acting-brotherhood-general-guide-arrest-a-major