'Wolf Pack' found guilty of rape by Spain's Supreme Court - CNN International

The men were convicted of sexual abuse, the court said, but cleared of gang rape charges in December 2018 for their attack on a teenage girl, which happened at the 2016 running of the bulls in Pamplona.

Prosecutors had called on the Supreme Court to upgrade their conviction, in a case that shocked the nation.

Defendants Jose Angel Prenda Martinez, Angel Boza Florido, Jesus Escudero Dominguez, Antonio Manuel Guerrero Escudero and Alfonso Jesus Cabezuelo Entrena -- known as the Wolf Pack after the name of a WhatsApp group they spoke on -- recorded cellphone video of their encounter in July 2016 with the woman, then 18.

Antonio Manuel Guerrero Escudero received an extra two years, as he was also found guilty of robbery.

The men were originally cleared of rape on the grounds that Spanish law requires evidence of physical violence or intimidation to prove the charge, a stipulation that has since been brought into question.

According to court documents, WhatsApp messages circulated to the group by one of the defendants included "us five are ****ing one girl," "there is more than what I'm telling you," "a ****ing amazing trip" and "there is video."

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets and called for a change in the law over the course of the case.

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2019-06-21 13:49:00Z
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Trump's Iran strikes U-turn underscores war and peace dilemma - CNN

The White House's abrupt decision to pull back on retaliatory strikes on Iran that had already been orderedunderscores how Tehran's downing of a US drone leaves Trump with no risk-free options. Each conceivable military or diplomatic response is likely to provoke a further Iranian escalation that would deepen the increasingly grave standoff.

The President is caught between Republicans demanding a hawkish response, Democrats warning he could "bumble" into war and Iranian policy hardliners on his own national security staff who welcome the confrontation. There is no obvious outcome that gives him the clear political win that is a frequent motivating force behind his foreign policy ventures.

Asked which way he would turn on Thursday, Trump told reporters, "You'll find out" -- without giving any sign he had settled in his mind on US retaliation.

Attacks on a handful of targets, including Iranian missile batteries but the operation, were set but the operation was called off as it was about to begin, a US official with direct knowledge of the situation told CNN. It was not immediately clear whether Trump approved the operation before changing his mind or if he stopped short of giving final presidential approval and decided against proceeding further with the strikes, which were first reported by the New York Times, or whether some other significant event took place in the region that is not yet publicly known about shifted his calculation.

It's often been remarked in Washington that Trump has been lucky not to face a sudden, serious national security emergency so far in his presidency. Well, his luck has now run out -- though he will get little sympathy from critics who long predicted his hard line Iran policy would precipitate exactly this scenario.

The worsening crisis will subject his chaos-riddled administration to an unprecedented test of cohesion. Trump may need to call on allies he has spent months insulting. His trashing of truth and an amateurish public relations effort to build a case against Iran may undermine his chances of selling potentially dangerous action to the American people.

Which way will Trump turn?

Usually, a good guide to Trump's future action on foreign policy is to identify the course that will most swiftly benefit him politically.

But the current crisis appears to draw two aspects of the President's personal interests into conflict.

Avoiding foreign entanglements is a core principle of Trumpism. The President doesn't even want US in peacetime deployments in allied nations, let alone at war in the Gulf.

But even a "proportional" US military response, like shooting down an Iranian drone or attacking the base that fired the missile that brought down the US aircraft, would likely force the Islamic Republic to up the stakes considerably again. Trump would inevitably be drawn deeper into the quicksand of the Middle East.

The President also has his own image and credibility to consider.

Failing to respond to Iran's escalation would add to a growing impression that Trump's "fire and fury" rhetoric and strongman persona rarely translates into action. He knows that foreign powers such as China, North Korea and Russia are watching carefully. He'd hate to to look weak heading into meetings at the upcoming G20 summit in Japan with Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

This is a much sharper quandary than when Trump fired cruise missiles into Syria in 2018 after a chemical weapons attack to enforce a red line that former President Barack Obama let slide.

Then, Trump savored a quick political payoff after one-upping Obama, looked tough and knew there was little risk of retaliation that could endanger Americans or deepen the crisis.

None of those easy wins are on offer with Iran.

"He has got a very difficult decision to make," said Jeh Johnson, a former Obama secretary of Homeland Security who was also a top Pentagon lawyer, on "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer."

"His instincts are no foreign engagements yet someone took an action against our forces there and the President has an obligation to protect forces deployed in the Gulf, in the Strait."

"He is wrestling with a tough decision. It is much easier to start one of these fights than to end one," said Johnson.

A classic Presidential conundrum

For perhaps the first time, Trump is being forced to agonize over a classic presidential problem -- one that has no good outcomes and ends up on the President's desk because everyone else has failed to solve it.

Trump often has a deeply idiosyncratic concept of the US national interest -- when he takes it into consideration at all on a thorny foreign policy question.

But this is different. American lives may well rest on his response. The nation could be sliding towards a major war with a power that is far more capable than Iraq -- which managed to bog down US troops for a decade. A prolonged conflict with Iran could unleash geopolitical and domestic forces that could destroy his presidency if it goes wrong.

Trump leads from the gut, disdains detail and often appears to handle crises by saying or doing whatever it takes to get to the end of the day. This building crisis requires study, strategic thinking three, four or five steps ahead and an evaluation of the cascade of consequences that could unfold from any course of action.

National security emergencies often stretch an administration to its limits and require a unity of purpose and inter-agency cohesion that Trump has gone out of his way to undermine.

So far, in the hours since an Iranian missile brought down the $110 million surveillance drone over the Gulf of Oman, Trump has been -- perhaps surprisingly -- slow to pull the trigger.

He has controlled his impulsive instincts in an out-of-character show of restraint from a man who Hillary Clinton said should be kept from the nuclear codes as he could be baited by a tweet.

Trump, as other Presidents would have done, sought to buy himself time and political space ahead of Situation Room meetings with military and political advisers. He prudently brought congressional leaders into the loop.

He suggested the incident could have been the work of a "loose" rogue general, dismissing the Washington consensus that Iran was deliberating ratcheting up its leverage to test him.

"I find it hard to believe it was intentional," Trump said.

It was unclear if the President was speaking after seeing intelligence that suggested divides in the Iranian chain of command or was positing a scenario that could offer him a way out of escalating the confrontation with Iran.

One clear problem for Trump is that while he may wish to de-escalate tensions with Iran, there may be little incentive for Tehran to cooperate.

That's because US sanctions under Trump's maximum pressure campaign have strangled the Iranian economy and caused serious deprivation amid the population.

Recent incidents, including the downing of the drone, attacks on shipping in the Gulf of Oman, and the Islamic Republic's warning that it will break international limits on uranium enrichment, appear to be an attempt to impose consequent costs on the US.

So without an alleviation of sanctions -- that Washington is in no mood to offer or a significant offer from Trump to bring Iran to the table -- it may be locked into its current course.

Even then, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said that Trump's decision to pull out of Obama's nuclear deal means Washington can never be trusted in a dialogue again.

Trump could 'bumble into war'

Unusually, Trump's mood on the day after the drone attack appeared to be more in tune with that of Democrats than the Republican senators who rarely break from the President.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi emerged from an administration briefing of top congressional leaders looking grave. She said she didn't think Trump wanted war but added: "The high-tension wires are up in the region. We must de-escalate."

Pelosi later went to the White House to meet Trump along with the top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer and other congressional leaders from both parties.

"The President may not intend to go to war here but we're worried that he and the administration may bumble into a war," Schumer told reporters after the meeting.

But the President is already under pressure for a robust military response from Republicans.

"I would encourage forceful action to stop this behavior before it leads to wider conflict," said South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump's closest friends on Capitol Hill.

"Doing nothing has its own consequence. If you do nothing, the Iranians see us as weak," Graham said, calling for strikes against Iranian naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida tweeted that while the administration did not want war with Iran, "it has also made clear that it will respond forcefully to an attack."

Washington buzzed with speculation on Thursday about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump's national security adviser John Bolton who are seen as drivers of the tough US Iran policy.

Critics charge the pair, who replaced officials who opposed Trump's decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, with creating the crisis through their advice to Trump.

But Brian Hook, the US special envoy for Iran, this week insisted that despite Iranian provocations, the administration's policy was working and had weakened Iran.

He fueled an impression that parts of the administration welcome the showdown, after disputing the notion that the Iran deal had at least frozen the question of an Iranian bomb for a decade.

"Rather than wait for all of these things to come to pass in 10 years when Iran is stronger, we have pulled that forward," Hook told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Wednesday.

"I truly believe that everything we are seeing today is inevitable," he said.

This is one problem that will not be solved with a tweet and is asking questions of the President that he has never faced before.

This story has been updated.

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2019-06-21 12:49:00Z
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Iran-US tensions escalate after drone downed: Live updates - CNN

British Airways is diverting its flights away from the Strait of Hormuz following an escalation of tension in the region, the airline said Friday.

“Our flights continue to operate, using alternative routes,” it said in a statement, adding that the decision was in line with guidance issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The move follows announcements by other airlines including KLM and Qantas, to do the same, all citing safety concerns.

British Airways has joined other airlines in diverting flights from the region. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

“Our safety and security team are constantly liaising with authorities around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment into every route we operate,” BA added.

The FAA on Thursday night issued a notice to US airlines prohibiting flight paths over the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf until further notice. 

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2019-06-21 11:56:00Z
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Iran-US tensions escalate after drone downed: Live updates - CNN

British Airways is diverting its flights away from the Strait of Hormuz following an escalation of tension in the region, the airline said Friday.

“Our flights continue to operate, using alternative routes,” it said in a statement, adding that the decision was in line with guidance issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The move follows announcements by other airlines including KLM and Qantas, to do the same, all citing safety concerns.

British Airways has joined other airlines in diverting flights from the region. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

“Our safety and security team are constantly liaising with authorities around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment into every route we operate,” BA added.

The FAA on Thursday night issued a notice to US airlines prohibiting flight paths over the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf until further notice. 

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2019-06-21 11:43:00Z
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Iran releases first images of downed US drone: Live updates - CNN

British Airways is diverting its flights away from the Strait of Hormuz following an escalation of tension in the region, the airline said Friday.

“Our flights continue to operate, using alternative routes,” it said in a statement, adding that the decision was in line with guidance issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The move follows announcements by other airlines including KLM and Qantas, to do the same, all citing safety concerns.

British Airways has joined other airlines in diverting flights from the region. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

“Our safety and security team are constantly liaising with authorities around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment into every route we operate,” BA added.

The FAA on Thursday night issued a notice to US airlines prohibiting flight paths over the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf until further notice. 

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2019-06-21 11:15:00Z
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Iran releases first images of downed US drone: Live updates - CNN

British Airways is diverting its flights away from the Strait of Hormuz following an escalation of tension in the region, the airline said Friday.

“Our flights continue to operate, using alternative routes,” it said in a statement, adding that the decision was in line with guidance issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The move follows announcements by other airlines including KLM and Qantas, to do the same, all citing safety concerns.

British Airways has joined other airlines in diverting flights from the region. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

“Our safety and security team are constantly liaising with authorities around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment into every route we operate,” BA added.

The FAA on Thursday night issued a notice to US airlines prohibiting flight paths over the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf until further notice. 

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2019-06-21 10:53:00Z
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Situation Room briefing on Iran crisis concludes, as McConnell says 'measured' response is coming - Fox News

Top administration officials and lawmakers have left the White House after a classified briefing lasting over an hour, about Iran's sudden downing of an American surveillance drone in the Middle East -- and a "measured" U.S. response, they suggested, is likely coming soon.

Amid mounting tension between the U.S. and Iran, the White House earlier Thursday invited House and Senate leaders and Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees to meet with President Trump in the White House's secure Situation Room.

Others who arrived for the meeting included CIA Director Gina Haspel, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Army Secretary Mark Esper, whom Trump has said he'll nominate as defense secretary.

Shanahan was spotted outside the White House carrying a folder stamped "SECRET/NOFORN," an intelligence classification category prohibiting distribution to anyone outside the government.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Fox News that "we had a good briefing" and that the Trump administration would engage in "measured responses."

Outgoing Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan carrying a document labeled secret as he arrived for a meeting with President Trump about Iran at the White House on Thursday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

McConnell confirmed the U.S.'s firm position that the drone was operating in international airspace, even as Iran has tried to make the case that the drone had "violated" Iranian airspace.

In a statement, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and Ranking Members Michael McCaul of Texas (House Foreign Affairs), Devin Nunes of California (House Intelligence), and Mac Thornberry of Texas (House Armed Services) all condemned Iran's "direct attack," and demanded "measured" retaliation.

"Iran directly attacked a United States asset over international waters," the Republicans wrote. "This provocation comes a week after they attacked and destroyed two commercial tankers in international waters. There must be a measured response to these actions. President Trump and his national security team remain clear-eyed on the situation and what must be done in response to increased Iranian aggression. In Congress, we stand ready to support our men and women in uniform, our country, and our allies in the region.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., issued a separate statement after the briefing calling for calm.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S US DRONE SHOOT-DOWN MAY HAVE BEEN ‘MISTAKE,’ BUT ‘COUNTRY WILL NOT STAND FOR IT’

“In light of the targeting of an unmanned U.S. drone by Iran, it is essential that we remain fully engaged with our allies, recognize that we are not dealing with a responsible adversary and do everything in our power to de-escalate.

“This is a dangerous, high-tension situation that requires a strong, smart and strategic, not reckless, approach," Pelosi said.

Speaking to reporters, Pelosi said she also was convinced that U.S. intelligence was correct in its assessment that the drone was in international airspace when it was shot down. But, Pelosi added, the Trump administration legally would need to obtain Congress' approval before taking military action.

"We make it very clear that to get involved in any military activities, we must have a new Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)," Pelosi cautioned.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he told the president during the briefing that there should be a "robust, open debate," and that Congress should "have a real say."

He said he was worried the administration "may bumble into a war."

"We have an amendment supported by every Democrat to the NDAA in the Senate, led by Senator Udall, which would require Congressional approval of any funding for a conflict in Iran," Schumer said in a statement. "It's supported by all Democrats in the Senate. We are asking leader McConnell to do the right thing and give us a vote next week on the NDAA on that amendment."

Footage on social media also showed Schumer appearing to celebrate after the briefing, but Schumer later clarified that he was happy his mother had been released from the hospital.

Hours earlier, the Pentagon released video showing the smoke trail of a Navy drone that was shot out of the sky over the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, in what military officials described as an "unprovoked attack."

Trump told reporters that Iran made a "very big mistake" but also said he had the feeling that it might have been the result of someone being "loose" or doing something "stupid," rather than a deliberate provocation by Iran.

The U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk, an unmanned aircraft with a wingspan larger than that of a Boeing 737, was downed by an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps surface-to-air missile that was fired from near Goruk on Wednesday night, according to Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command.

The location where the U.S. drone was down down by a surface-to-air missile fired by Iran. (Department of Defense)

"This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset that had not violated Iranian airspace at any time during its mission," Guastella said. "This attack is an attempt to disrupt our ability to monitor the area following recent threats to international shipping and free flow of commerce."

Guastella said at the time it was struck by the missile, the drone was operating at a "high altitude" over 20 miles from the nearest point of land on the Iranian coast.

Some Democrats, for their part, blamed Trump for the episode. Presidential candidate Joe Biden said Trump has made military conflict with Iran more likely, and that "another war in the Middle East is the last thing we need."

"Iran directly attacked a United States asset over international waters."

— House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Ranking GOP Members

Biden said Trump's strategy in Iran has been "a self-inflicted disaster" since the president withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear agreement negotiated when Biden served under then-President Barack Obama as vice president.

The Trump administration called that deal a reckless giveaway to a dangerous regime that only emboldened and empowered its imperialistic and terroristic ambitions. By reimposing sanctions that had been lifted under the Obama-era deal, Trump administration policies largely have crippled Iran's economy, sending inflation above 30 percent and devastating oil revenues.

Biden asserted there's no question Iran "continues to be a bad actor that abuses human rights and supports terrorist activities." But, he added that the U.S. needed presidential leadership.

US NAVY DRONE SHOT DOWN BY IRANIAN MISSILE OVER STRAIT OF HORMUZ IN 'UNPROVOKED ATTACK,' CENTRAL COMMAND SAYS

In a video released Thursday afternoon, the smoke trail of the drone could be seen in a black-and-white video as the craft plummeted.

The Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk drone that was shot down by Iran. (Fox News)

Guastella said the drone landed in "international waters" about 20 miles from Iran. U.S. officials told Fox News that investigators were racing to find the wreckage ahead of Iranian forces.

The U.S. Navy’s RQ-4A Global Hawk drone provides real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions  "over vast ocean and coastal regions," according to the military. The drone was deployed to the Middle East in the past few days as part of reinforcements approved by Trump last month.

The high-altitude drone can fly up to 60,000 feet or 11 miles in altitude and stay aloft for 30 hours at a time. It's used to spy on Iranian military communications and track shipping in the busy waterways. Each drone costs up to $180 million.

Also Thursday afternoon, presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., demanded that Trump abstain from sending American troops into a conflict with Iran without congressional approval.

Members of the 7th Reconnaissance Squadron preparing to launch an RQ-4 Global Hawk at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, in October 2018. (Staff Sgt. Ramon A. Adelan/U.S. Air Force via AP, File)

In recent weeks, the U.S. has sped an aircraft carrier to the Mideast and approved sending 1,000 additional troops "to address air, naval, and ground-based threats" in the region. Mysterious attacks have targeted oil tankers as Iranian-allied Houthi rebels launched bomb-laden drones into Saudi Arabia.

The New York senator outlined her position in a sharply worded letter to the White House on Thursday.

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Gillibrand wrote she was "deeply concerned that your administration's stepped up military presence in the Middle East, in conjunction with your dangerous and confusing rhetoric, may lead the United States into a protracted, costly, and unnecessary war with Iran. Such a war is not authorized, would unnecessarily risk the lives of Americans and our allies, cause enormous human suffering, and destabilize the economy."

Fox News' Travis Fedschun, Hillary Vaughn and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-06-21 09:25:34Z
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