EXCLUSIVE Father of British ex-soldier, 22, who was 'captured by Putin's forces while fighting for Ukraine on Russia soil' says he's terrified he'll be tortured in captivity after he was paraded on TV By RICHARD MARSDEN and ED HOLT Published: 22:00, 24 November 2024 | Updated: 22:04, 24 November 2024 e-mail View comments A British former soldier has been captured by Russian forces while fighting for Ukraine in Kursk, his family confirmed tonight. The ‘mercenary’ fighter, James Scott Rhys Anderson, was paraded in front of the cameras and a short video clip published by Kremlin-backed sources online. The 22-year-old’s father told the Daily Mail he was in ‘complete shock’ to discover his son’s fate and said he fears he will be tortured. Scott Anderson, 41, said he and other family members had begged his son not to go to Ukraine before he joined up around eight months ago. But he said his son would not be dissuaded because ‘he thought what he was doing was right’. He said: ‘I’m hoping he’ll be used as a bargaining chip but my son told me they torture their prisoners and I’m so frightened he’ll be tortured.’ Speaking at the family home in Banbury, Oxfordshire, Mr Anderson Sr added he had been due to come home for Christmas in only a few weeks’ time. The father-of-four said: ‘We spoke on WhatsApp almost every day until he went on his most recent operation. He was acting as a signalman. Mr Anderson, appeared in the footage with an unkempt beard, his hair closely cropped and wearing green combat fatigues, but with no visible bruises or marks of torture James Anderson with his father Scott Anderson. The 41-year-old said he and other family members had begged his son not to go to Ukraine before he joined up around eight months ago James with his sister. He had been in the Army for four years, having gone to Army Foundation College as a 17-year-old ‘James last came home only a month and a half ago. He said his Ukrainian commander had made a promise that he’d contact me if he was ever killed or captured. ‘When he called me and sent the video I was in complete shock and in tears. I could see straight away it was him. He looks frightened, scared and worried. ‘I didn’t want him to go. I did try to persuade him not to go - my whole family tried to persuade him. ‘He wanted to go out there because he thought he was doing what was right. He was dead against what was happening to the Ukrainian people. ‘Since he went out earlier this year, he’s fallen in love with a Ukrainian although I don’t know her name. ‘I last spoke to him when I last saw him but we used to talk on WhatsApp every day. He’d tell me where he’d been and the things he’d seen. ‘He was alive, healthy. He sent me a video when he was at Sumy. Then he was being posted within the last week.’ Mr Anderson senior, who said he served a short prison sentence for a domestic matter at the time his son joined the Ukrainians, said he has been contacted by Foreign Office officials Mr Anderson Sr said he said his son would not be dissuaded from going to Ukraine because ‘he thought what he was doing was right’ His son had been in the Army for four years, having gone to Army Foundation College as a 17-year-old In the footage released by his captors, Mr Anderson can be heard describing his decision to go to fight for Ukraine in the Russian territory as a ‘stupid idea’ His son had been in the Army for four years, having gone to Army Foundation College as a 17-year-old. After leaving the Army last year, he became a civilian custody officer for Thames Valley Police, prior to joining the Ukrainians. In the footage released by his captors, Mr Anderson can be heard describing his decision to go to fight for Ukraine in the Russian territory as a ‘stupid idea’. He states he was a former soldier with the British Army, in the Royal Signals corps, between 2019 and 2023, but said he was dismissed. He said he then applied for the International Legion of fighters helping Ukrainian troops. Ukraine made a surprise incursion into Russia in the summer and seized 500 square miles of territory in the Kursk region. It has since lost 40 per cent of this territory, according to recent reports. In the video, Mr Anderson said: ‘When I left, got fired from my job, I applied for the international legion. I’d lost everything, my dad was in prison, I’d seen it on the TV. It was a stupid idea’. Mr Anderson, appeared in the footage with an unkempt beard, his hair closely cropped and wearing green combat fatigues, but with no visible bruises or marks of torture. He described travelling from Luton to Krakow, Poland, before travelling into Ukraine. A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention.’ In 2022, six British nationals - fighters Sean Pinner, Aiden Aslin, Andrew Hill and John Harding, and aid volunteers Dylan Healy and Paul Urey - were captured by Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine and threatened with the death penalty. Father-of-four Mr Urey, aged 45, died in Russian captivity, while the other five were eventually released in September that year following negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, brokered by Saudi Arabia and involving former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich. In a message to Mr Anderson, Mr Harding, 61, said: ‘I’d say to him, don’t give up hope. I’d hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Mr Anderson senior, who said he served a short prison sentence for a domestic matter at the time his son joined the Ukrainians, said he has been contacted by Foreign Office officials Mr Anderson Sr with James's grandmother Jacqueline Payne Ukrainian soliders fighting in the Kursk region. Andersen was captured by Putin's forces in the Russian region where Ukraine holds several hundred square kilometres Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk region of Ukraine ‘I’m sure there’ll be people from the Ukrainian side trying to negotiate his release but I understand it’s a lot worse to be captured now than when I was. There seem to be fewer negotiations going on. ‘When I was first captured, I was held in solitary but when they ran out of space, they put all us Brits together and we used to encourage each other.’ Mr Harding, who had been fighting in Ukraine for four years before being captured and subjected to interrogation and torture, added: ‘I was quite aggressive when I was first captured but it didn’t work. ‘If I was him, I’d be the grey man, try and keep my head down. You’ve got to give them (the Russians) some information but you try not to give them any information which could be of use.’ Mr Anderson’s capture comes just over a month after Russia’s defence ministry claimed that its forces killed two British ‘mercenaries’ in Ukraine. The Kremlin said that the fighters were killed during an attack on the Ukrainian village of Mykhailivka, in the Donetsk region, which was taken over by Russian forces on October 13. The defence ministry quoted the deputy commander of the Russian battalion that led the assault, Igor Krasilnikov, as saying: ‘There were two servicemen from Britain, mercenaries. They basically stayed in that stronghold. In July, Peter Fouche, 49, a former London taxi driver, was buried after he was killed in June, as his unit clashed with Russian troops. At the funeral ceremony, Ukrainian soldiers carried Mr Fouche’s coffin through Kyiv’s landmark Independence Square, the site of mass protests in 2014 that forced out a pro-Russian president. Russian President Vladimir Putin records a televised address in Moscow The burnt wreckage of a car in Kursk. Inside the region, it has been claimed that North Korean soldiers are fighting alongside Russians Read More Top Russian general and 500 North Korean soldiers 'killed by British Storm Shadow missiles' Ukraine holds several hundred square kilometres of the Kursk region, which borders the northeast of Ukraine, but Putin's forces are gradually pushing them back. Inside Kursk, it has been claimed that North Korean soldiers are fighting alongside Russians. The capture comes after a top Russian general, along with 500 North Korean soldiers, were allegedly killed by British Storm Shadow missiles in a devastating attack. The strike launched by Ukraine on November 20 wiped out Lt-Gen Valery Solodchuk and also resulted with 18 Putin officers reported lost, with a further 18 wounded, it has been claimed. Earlier reports suggested that a Kim Jong-un general had also been left injured in the attack as he commanded troops backing Vladimir Putin's Ukraine invasion. The strike carried out by Ukraine was the first time UK Storm Shadow missiles had been used blast targets deep inside Russia. It is understood that the pinpoint missiles had hit a Putin command post and military facility with the scale of Russian losses now alleged to be enormous. Russian Lt-Gen Valery Solodchuk (pictured) was reported to have been killed in the UK-supplied Storm Shadow strike by the Ukrainian armed forces on 20 November This is the moment missiles believed to be British Storm Shadow missiles struck inside Russia The strike carried out by Ukraine was the first time UK Storm Shadow missiles had been used blast targets deep inside Russia. One image following the attack showed a written indentation on a chunk of metal reading: 'Storm Shadow' Russian authorities have not yet confirmed losses which would be grievous to both Russia and North Korea if confirmed, and the reports are yet to be independently verified. The Storm Shadows were targeted on November 20 at an underground military facility in Maryino on a Tsarist estate, in Kursk region. New footage shows a Storm Shadow missile involved in the attack as it flew towards its target, it is claimed. Read More BREAKING NEWS Russia warns West WW3 is on way: Ambassador says missile strikes 'seriously escalates situation'' If true, the losses may explain Putin's furious reaction - firing a new Oreshnik hypersonic missile at Dnipro, and his public boasts he had a new super weapon which was unstoppable by the West. Moscow also threatened that the use by Ukraine of NATO-supplied missiles meant Putin could legitimately hit back with nuclear missiles. The Russian officers reportedly killed are from Putin's Southern and Eastern Military Districts. The strike carried out by Ukraine was the first time UK Storm Shadow missiles had been used blast targets deep inside Russia. US-based Global Defense Corp reported that 500 North Korean soldiers were killed alongside Russian officers, however, there was no independent confirmation. Some 10,000-plus North Koreans are believed to have been moved across Siberia to the war zone after being ordered to serve Putin by their leader Kim Jong Un. They are either currently fighting for Putin or about to be deployed. Kim's decision to inject North Korean soldiers into Russia to help in Putin's bloody war has raised concerns among Kyiv's allies who worry that the move may exacerbate what is already Europe's largest conflict since WWII. Images shared on social media showed what appeared to be fragments of a British Storm Shadow missile in Marino, Kursk, on November 20 US-based Global Defense Corp reported that 500 North Korean soldiers were killed alongside Russian officers, however, there was no independent confirmation (file photo) South Koreans watch Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin during a recent meeting The Storm Shadow missile attack last week hit the sanatorium of the Russian Presidential Affairs Directorate in Maryino, a former Tsarist estate, say reports. Britain's Storm Shadow missiles are capable of dodging air defences - making them a nightmare attack weapon for their enemy. The £800,000 rockets use GPS technology to precisely blast targets, and can travel through the air at 600mph. Storm Shadow missiles have already been used by Ukraine inside its own territory for some time, but Kyiv now appears to have been granted permission to use the weapons to strike within Russia. Storm Shadow - called Scalp by the French - is a weapon equipped with a navigation system that once launched, descends to a low altitude to avoid detection before locking onto its target using an infra-red seeker. On the final approach, the missile climbs to a higher altitude to maximise the chances of hitting the target. On impact, it penetrates the target before a delayed fuse detonates the main warhead. The strike comes after Russia issued a warning that British support for Ukraine could 'lead to a collision between nuclear powers' in a grave threat as President Vladimir Putin vowed to launch more hypersonic missiles at targets in Ukraine. Putin has said he will fire more of Russia 's new hypersonic missiles at targets in Ukraine A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile being launched as part of nuclear deterrence forces drills in Russia on October 29, 2024 Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers roll on Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9 Andrey Kelin, Russia's ambassador to the UK, cited American support for Ukraine to use Western missiles against targets in Russia, backed by Britain and France, in his warning that 'this seriously escalates the situation' and 'can lead to a collision between the nuclear powers'. The Kremlin suggested this week it was 'entitled' to fire upon 'the military targets of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities' in a thinly-veiled threat to the West, after the US gave its support for Kyiv using ATACMS missiles against Russian and North Korean forces in Russia. After striking the Ukrainian city of Dnipro with an experimental hypersonic missile early on Thursday, Putin ordered the mass production of the 'unstoppable' Oreshnik, believed to be able to reach Britain in under 20 minutes. 'There is no countermeasure to such a missile, no means of intercepting it, in the world today. And I will emphasise once again that we will continue testing this newest system. It is necessary to establish serial production,' Putin said. Ukraine Russia Share or comment on this article: Father of British ex-soldier, 22, who was 'captured by Putin's forces while fighting for Ukraine on Russia soil' says he's terrified he'll be tortured in captivity after he was paraded on TV e-mail Add commentmnl168.ph 。

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Republicans lash out at Democrats' claims that Trump intelligence pick Gabbard is 'compromised'Utica Comets end winless streak, claim back-to-back wins; Hardman Player of the WeekCompany Announcement COPENHAGEN, Denmark; November 21, 2024 - Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) announced today that the Board decided to grant 10,273 restricted stock units and 10,853 warrants to employees of the Company and the Company's subsidiaries. Each restricted stock unit is awarded cost-free and provides the owner with a conditional right to receive one share in Genmab A/S of nominally DKK 1. The fair value of each restricted stock unit is equal to the closing market price on the date of grant of one Genmab A/S share, DKK 1,447.50. The restricted stock units will vest on the first banking day of the month following a period of three years from the date of grant. Furthermore, the restricted stock units are subject to vesting conditions set out in the restricted stock unit program adopted by the Board of Directors. Information concerning Genmab's restricted stock unit program can be found on www.genmab.com under Investors > Governance > Compensation > Restricted Stock Units. The exercise price for each warrant is DKK 1,447.50. Each warrant is awarded cost-free and entitles the owner to subscribe one share of nominally DKK 1 subject to payment of the exercise price. By application of the Black-Scholes formula, the fair value of each warrant can be calculated as DKK 456.73. The warrants vest three years after the grant date, and all warrants expire at the seventh anniversary of the grant date. The new warrants have been granted on the terms and conditions set out in the warrant program adopted by the Board of Directors on February 23, 2021. Information concerning Genmab's warrant schemes can be found on www.genmab.com under Investors > Governance > Compensation > Warrants. About Genmab Genmab is an international biotechnology company with a core purpose of guiding its unstoppable team to strive toward improving the lives of patients with innovative and differentiated antibody therapeutics. For 25 years, its passionate, innovative and collaborative team has invented next-generation antibody technology platforms and leveraged translational, quantitative and data sciences, resulting in a proprietary pipeline including bispecific T-cell engagers, antibody-drug conjugates, next-generation immune checkpoint modulators and effector function-enhanced antibodies. By 2030, Genmab's vision is to transform the lives of people with cancer and other serious diseases with knock-your-socks-off (KYSO ® ) antibody medicines. Established in 1999, Genmab is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with international presence across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit Genmab.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X . Contact: Marisol Peron, Senior Vice President, Global Communications & Corporate Affairs T: +1 609 524 0065; E: [email protected] Andrew Carlsen, Vice President, Head of Investor Relations T: +45 3377 9558; E: [email protected] This Company Announcement contains forward looking statements. The words "believe,” "expect,” "anticipate,” "intend” and "plan” and similar expressions identify forward looking statements. Actual results or performance may differ materially from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such statements. The important factors that could cause our actual results or performance to differ materially include, among others, risks associated with preclinical and clinical development of products, uncertainties related to the outcome and conduct of clinical trials including unforeseen safety issues, uncertainties related to product manufacturing, the lack of market acceptance of our products, our inability to manage growth, the competitive environment in relation to our business area and markets, our inability to attract and retain suitably qualified personnel, the unenforceability or lack of protection of our patents and proprietary rights, our relationships with affiliated entities, changes and developments in technology which may render our products or technologies obsolete, and other factors. For a further discussion of these risks, please refer to the risk management sections in Genmab's most recent financial reports, which are available on www.genmab.com and the risk factors included in Genmab's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available at www.sec.gov . Genmab does not undertake any obligation to update or revise forward looking statements in this Company Announcement nor to confirm such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made or in relation to actual results, unless required by law. Genmab A/S and/or its subsidiaries own the following trademarks: Genmab ® ; the Y-shaped Genmab logo ® ; Genmab in combination with the Y-shaped Genmab logo ® ; HuMax ® ; DuoBody ® ; HexaBody ® ; DuoHexaBody ® , HexElect ® and KYSO ® . Company Announcement no. 61 CVR no. 2102 3884 LEI Code 529900MTJPDPE4MHJ122 Genmab A/S Carl Jacobsens Vej 30 2500 Valby Denmark Attachment 211124_CA61_Warrant and RSU grant

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No. 2 UConn falls again in Maui, losing 73-72 to Colorado on Jakimovski's off-balance layupLAHAINA, Hawaii -- Andrej Jakimovski converted an off-balance layup with eight seconds left, and Colorado handed No. 2 UConn its second loss in two days at the Maui Invitational, beating the two-time defending national champion 73-72 on Tuesday. A day after a 99-97 overtime loss to Memphis that left Huskies coach Dan Hurley livid about the officiating, UConn (4-2) couldn't shake the unranked Buffaloes (5-1), who shot 62.5% in the second half. UConn is the fifth ranked team in AP Poll history to lose by two points or fewer on consecutive days and the first since Michigan dropped one-point games to UTEP and Texas Tech in December 1983, according to ESPN Research. Editor's Picks Hurley says late call 'a joke' after UConn falls 18h With Colorado trailing 72-71 in the closing seconds, Jakimovski drove to his right and absorbed contact from UConn's Liam McNeeley . He tossed the ball toward the glass and the shot was good as he fell to the floor. Hassan Diarra missed a 3-pointer just ahead of the buzzer for UConn. Elijah Malone and Julian Hammond III scored 16 points each for Colorado, and Jakimovski had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Huskies led 40-32 at halftime and by nine points early in the second half, but Colorado quickly closed that gap. McNeeley led UConn with 20 points. Takeaways UConn: Hurley's squad is facing its first adversity in quite a while. The Huskies arrived on Maui with a 17-game winning streak that dated to February. Colorado: The Buffaloes were held to season lows in points (56) and field goal percentage (37%) in a 16-point loss to Michigan State on Monday but shot 51.1% overall and 56.3% (9 of 16) from 3-point range against the Huskies. Key moment Hurley called timeout to set up the Huskies' final possession, but the Buffs forced them to take a contested 3. Key stat Colorado had a 28-26 rebounding advantage after being outrebounded 42-29 by Michigan State. Up next Colorado will play the Iowa-Dayton winner in the fifth-place game Wednesday. UConn will play the loser of that matchup in the seventh-place game. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Less than a month after winning the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are spending big again to add one of baseball's best pitchers to their star-studded roster. Blake Snell and the Dodgers have agreed to a $182 million, five-year contract, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the deal is subject to a successful physical. The two-time Cy Young Award winner broke the news personally by posting a photo of himself on social media in a Dodgers uniform — No. 7. Snell would join two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and fellow Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto atop Los Angeles' rotation, giving the Dodgers the first mega deal of this offseason following Ohtani's $700 million, 10-year contract and Yamamoto's $325 million, 12-year deal last winter. Ohtani didn't pitch this year while recovering from right elbow surgery but is expected back on the mound in 2025. He won his third MVP award — first in the National League — following a huge season at the plate exclusively as a designated hitter. Yamamoto went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts as a rookie, then won twice in four October outings. Down to three healthy starting pitchers during the postseason, Los Angeles overcame a string of injuries to its projected rotation in winning the franchise's second World Series title in five years. San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sept. 17, 2024, in Baltimore. Credit: AP/Stephanie Scarbrough Right-handers Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler then became free agents this fall, creating more voids on the staff. But the addition of Snell would fill a big one at the top with a legitimate ace. Snell's $36.4 million average salary would rank as the fifth-highest among active deals next year behind Ohtani ($70 million), Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler ($42 million), New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge ($40 million) and Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom ($37 million). Among expired contracts, it also was exceeded by pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander (both $43.33 million) under deals they agreed to with the New York Mets. ESPN first reported the details of Snell's contract. Earlier this month, Snell opted out of his deal with San Francisco to become a free agent for the second consecutive offseason after he was slowed by injuries during his lone year with the Giants. San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sept. 22, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. Credit: AP/Charlie Riedel The left-hander agreed in March to a $62 million, two-year contract that included a $17 million signing bonus payable on Jan. 15, 2026, a $15 million salary for 2024 and a $30 million salary for 2025, of which $15 million would have been deferred and payable on July 1, 2027. Snell, who turns 32 next week, went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 20 starts this year, throwing a no-hitter at Cincinnati on Aug. 2 for one of only 16 individual shutouts in the major leagues this season. He struck out 145 and walked 44 in 104 innings. He was sidelined between April 19 and May 22 by a strained left adductor and between June 2 and July 9 by a strained left groin. Snell won Cy Young Awards in 2018 with Tampa Bay and 2023 with San Diego. He is 76-58 with a 3.19 ERA in nine seasons with the Rays (2016-20), Padres (2021-23) and Giants. Because he turned down a qualifying offer from San Diego last November, the Giants were not eligible to give Snell another one and won’t receive draft-pick compensation. Los Angeles expects All-Star right-hander Tyler Glasnow and three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw back in the rotation next year. Other starting candidates if healthy include right-handers Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin. Ohtani is coming off right elbow surgery in September 2023 and left shoulder surgery on Nov. 5. Glasnow didn’t pitch after Aug. 11 because of right elbow tendinitis. Kershaw, who turns 37 in March, had foot and knee surgeries on Nov. 7. May is coming back from Tommy John surgery in July 2023 and for an operation this past July to repair a tear in his esophagus. Gonsolin spent 2024 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Yamamoto was sidelined by right triceps tightness between June 15 and Sept. 10, then returned and went 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in four postseason starts to cap the first season of his $325 million contract. ___ AP Baseball Writers Janie McCauley and Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (AP) — A jury convicted two men of charges related to human smuggling for their roles in an international operation that led to the deaths of a family of Indian migrants who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, an Indian national who prosecutors say went by the alias “Dirty Harry,” and Steve Shand, 50, an American from Florida, were part of a sophisticated illegal operation that has brought increasing numbers of Indians into the U.S., prosecutors said. They were each convicted on four counts related to human smuggling, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally. “This trial exposed the unthinkable cruelty of human smuggling and of those criminal organizations that value profit and greed over humanity,” Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said. “To earn a few thousand dollars, these traffickers put men, women and children in extraordinary peril leading to the horrific and tragic deaths of an entire family. Because of this unimaginable greed, a father, a mother and two children froze to death in sub-zero temperatures on the Minnesota-Canadian border,” Luger added. The most serious counts carry maximum sentences of up to 20 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office told The Associated Press before the trial. But federal sentencing guidelines rely on complicated formulas. Luger said Friday that various factors will be considered in determining what sentences prosecutors will recommend. Federal prosecutors said 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik, froze to death Jan. 19, 2022, while trying to cross the border into Minnesota in a scheme Patel and Shand organized. Patel is a common Indian surname, and the victims were not related to Harshkumar Patel. The couple were schoolteachers, local news reports said. The family was fairly well off by local standards, living in a well-kept, two-story house with a front patio and a wide veranda. Experts say illegal immigration from India is driven by everything from political repression to a dysfunctional American immigration system that can take years, if not decades, to navigate legally. Much is rooted in economics and how even low-wage jobs in the West can ignite hopes for a better life. Before the jury’s conviction on Friday, the federal trial in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, saw testimony from an in the smuggling ring, a of the treacherous journey across the northern border, border patrol agents and forensic experts. Defense attorneys were pitted against each other, with Shand’s team arguing that he was unwittingly roped into the scheme by Patel. Patel’s lawyers, The Canadian Press , said their client had been misidentified. They said “Dirty Hary,” the alleged nickname for Patel found in Shand’s phone, is a different person. Bank records and witness testimony from those who encountered Shand near the border didn’t tie him to the crime, they added. Prosecutors said Patel coordinated the operation while Shand was a driver. Shand was to pick up 11 Indian migrants on the Minnesota side of the border, prosecutors said. Only seven survived the foot crossing. Canadian authorities found two parents and their young children later that morning, dead from the cold. The trial included an inside account of how the international smuggling ring allegedly works and who it targets. Rajinder Singh, 51, testified that he made over $400,000 smuggling over 500 people through the same network that included Patel and Shand. Singh said most of the people he smuggled came from Gujarat state. He said the migrants would often pay smugglers about $100,000 to get them from India to the U.S., where they would work to pay off their debts at low-wage jobs in cities around the country. Singh said the smugglers would run their finances through “hawala,” an informal money transfer system that relies on trust. The pipeline of illegal immigration from India has long existed but has increased sharply along the U.S.-Canada border. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested more than 14,000 Indians on the Canadian border in the year ending Sept. 30, which amounted to 60% of all arrests along that border and more than 10 times the number two years ago. By 2022, the Pew Research Center estimates more than 725,000 Indians were living illegally in the U.S., behind only Mexicans and El Salvadorans. Jamie Holt, a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said the case is a stark reminder of the realities victims of human smuggling face. “Human smuggling is a vile crime that preys on the most vulnerable, exploiting their desperation and dreams for a better life,” Holt said. “The suffering endured by this family is unimaginable and it is our duty to ensure that such atrocities are met with the full force of the law.” One juror Kevin Paul, of Clearwater, Minnesota, told reporters afterward that it was hard for the jurors to see the pictures of the family’s bodies. He said he grew up in North Dakota and is familiar with the kind of conditions that led to their deaths. “It’s pretty brutal,” Paul said. “I couldn’t imagine having to do what they had to do out there in the middle of nowhere.”House rejects Democratic efforts to force release of Matt Gaetz ethics report