Philadelphia resident, Julie Jean, has been charged with first and third-degree murder in connection with the shooting of Rachel King on April 11th. Montgomery County District Attorney, Kevin Steele, has claimed that Jean and hitman Zakkee Steven Alhakim conspired to carry out the murder. Alhakim, who is already being held over an earlier murder, will also be charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in relation to the King case. Jean had a brief affair with King’s long-term partner, William Hayes, following which Hayes ended things and the couple reconciled. Jean allegedly began stalking and harassing Hayes as a result. She then contacted Alhakim and the two texted each other plans to carry out the killing, including a screenshot of King’s apartment and photographs of the victim. Alhakim was seen exiting Jean’s car before opening fire on King’s vehicle.
European Parliament website hit by DDoS attack
The European Parliament website suffered a significant disruption on Friday, May 21st, as a result of a denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. “We have a strong indication that it is from Killnet, the hackers with links to Russia indeed,” said Greek Member of the European Parliament and Vice President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili. DDoS attacks are often used to disrupt and cause chaos and can be used to protest political decisions in European countries. The attack came only days after the chamber voted to adopt a resolution on May 19th declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism because of Moscow’s military action in Ukraine.
Philadelphia Inquirer experiences significant cyberattack
The Philadelphia Inquirer, the largest news organization in Pennsylvania, suffered the most significant cyberattack to its operations in 27 years. The cyberattack prevented the printing of the newspaper’s Sunday print edition, although the news website was operational. The cyberattack, which was discovered on Saturday, May 22nd, has caused the largest disruption to the publication of the newspaper since a blizzard occurred in January 1996. Journalists covering the mayoral primary election, scheduled for Tuesday, May 25th, may be unable to use the newsroom. The Inquirer’s publisher, Lisa Hughes, did not provide an exact timeline for fully restoring the paper’s systems. An investigation is said to be ongoing, and the FBI in Philadelphia has been contacted.
Philadelphia woman charged in stalking case, cyberattack hits The Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia residents have been in the news for two very different reasons in the past week. On May 21st, the European Parliament website suffered a significant disruption after a denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. “We have a strong indication that it is from Killnet, the hackers with links to Russia indeed,” said Greek Member of the European Parliament and Vice President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili. DDoS attacks are often used to disrupt and cause chaos and can be used to protest political decisions in European countries. The attack came only days after the chamber voted to adopt a resolution on May 19th declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism because of Moscow’s military action in Ukraine.
Closer to home, Philadelphia resident Julie Jean has been charged with first and third-degree murder in connection with the shooting of Rachel King on April 11th. Montgomery County District Attorney, Kevin Steele, has claimed that Jean and hitman Zakkee Steven Alhakim conspired to carry out the murder. Alhakim, who is already being held over an earlier murder, will also be charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in relation to the King case. Jean had a brief affair with King’s long-term partner, William Hayes, following which Hayes ended things and the couple reconciled. Jean allegedly began stalking and harassing Hayes as a result. She then contacted Alhakim, and the two texted each other plans to carry out the killing, including a screenshot of King’s apartment and photographs of the victim. Alhakim was seen exiting Jean’s car before opening fire on King’s vehicle.
These headlines were amplified by a cyberattack on The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania’s largest news organization. According to an announcement on its website, the Inquirer experienced the most significant cyberattack to its operations in 27 years. The cyberattack prevented the printing of the newspaper’s Sunday print edition, although the news website was operational. The cyberattack, which was discovered on Saturday, May 22nd, has caused the largest disruption to the publication of the newspaper since a blizzard occurred in January 1996. Journalists covering the mayoral primary election, scheduled for Tuesday, May 25th, may be unable to use the newsroom. The Inquirer’s publisher, Lisa Hughes, did not provide an exact timeline for fully restoring the paper’s systems. An investigation is said to be ongoing, and the FBI in Philadelphia has been contacted.
As these events occurred in Philadelphia, separately, they reveal an underbelly of threats that the city and others face from hostile elements both at home and abroad. They show that thousands of miles away, European hackers may take action when political decisions in their region do not go their way. Such actions can continue to harm international relations between nations on either end of the conflict, as well as create disruption and even outrightly damage innocent parties that are caught in the middle, as seen in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s situation.
Locally, the chaos caused by Jean and Alhakim’s actions reveal the devastating effect of stalking and harassment, which may escalate to lethal levels. The tragedy is further compounded by the utilization of social media platforms to plan and execute such nefarious actions. As technology advances, it becomes easier for those bent on causing harm to find each other online, and this is increasingly becoming a source of daily news as such incidents are reported at an alarming rate.
The recent news affecting Philadelphia’s polity and infrastructure reveals the enormous tasks at hand to safeguard the city from harm, in all its forms. It highlights how closely connected the world has become and how any event in one corner of the globe can have a far-reaching impact on the other side of the world. An approach that recognises how intertwined global security threats are, coupled with targeted local actions, is vital to keeping cities and its citizens safe.
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