INTERNACIONAL
Exclusive eyewitness testimony reveals horrific details of deadly church attack in African nation
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Warning: This article contains graphic details that may be disturbing to some readers.
FIRST ON FOX – Dramatic testimony has been revealed exclusively to Fox News Digital, giving new details from the scene of the horrific massacre Sunday by Jihadists allied to the Islamic State of at least 49 Christians worshiping in a church in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Nine of those who were decapitated were children. Several other children, the number isn’t clear, were abducted. The attackers were members of the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a sanctioned rebel group with roots in Uganda.
With the assistance of Open Doors UK, Fox News Digital reached a local church partner of the organization in the DRC, who rushed to witness the scene of the attack, in the village of Komanda, just hours after it took place. Open Doors is a global Christian charity which supports and speaks up for Christians persecuted for their faith.
POPE LEO XIV CONDEMNS BRUTAL MACHETE ATTACK THAT KILLED 49 CHRISTIANS DURING PRAYER IN DR CONGO
A screenshot shows villagers inspecting the damage left by jihadi terrorists who killed 49 Christians in DR Congo on Sunday. (Open Doors)
From survivors in the village, including a shop owner who managed to be an eyewitness and remarkably escaped detection by the attackers even though his shop was burnt down, and the reported position of the bodies of those hacked to death, the church worker pieced together an account of how the attack happened.
Judith, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, told Fox News Digital it was clear something was wrong even before she reached the village. «On our way we could see people already leaving, carrying their bags, heading for more secure areas.
«In Komanda there were no activities, and people were standing in groups around the shops and the places that had been burnt. And people were sad. There was sadness everywhere.»
Fox News Digital has learned worshipers had come from surrounding villages to celebrate the church’s Silver Jubilee in prayer and to pray for «the security situation» – to pray for peace.
«Attackers came in» she said, «and they beheaded Christians in the church.» The jihadis «killed those they met in the church hall. Those who tried to flee, they caught them and killed them in the compound. And then some others who managed to run towards the road, those also were caught and killed. All of them were killed with machetes. Most of those Christians who were killed, were Catholics.»
WIDESPREAD KILLING, RAPE, DISEASE AND WAR MAKE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO HELL ON EARTH
Villagers walk toward the burial site of 49 Christians killed by jihadists in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Open Doors)
Another shopkeeper whose business was also burned down told Judith «we don’t even understand why all this is happening.»
The U.N.’s MONUSCO (the Stabilization Mission in the DRC) shipped in earth-digging «Caterpillars» to dig a huge crater in the village, a mass grave into which simple boxes which formed coffins were placed for the dead. Some of those buried that day had come to Komanda for safety after already being attacked in other areas before.
At Monday’s funeral, Judith said, «People were crying, weeping, some crying for their children who had been kidnapped. One woman cried for the man she was shortly due to marry, now lying dead. Others were also crying that this is the person that was taking care of me. Now the person is no more.
«There was sadness upon sadness everywhere. Everything they had is lost, they have nothing now.»
Villagers pray together for the 49 Christians killed last Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo by ISIS-linked extremists. (Open Doors)
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, on Monday condemned the attack on X, posting «This deadly escalation in their targeting of Christians makes the peace process, championed by @POTUS and @SecRubio even more urgent. We must focus all energies on eradicating these ISIS terrorists and forging a new regional economic path.»
«This is a crisis of biblical proportions», Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland, told Fox News Digital, adding «This is a silent slaughter happening, which nobody is discussing. It’s like the slaughter of the innocents in the Bible, really. I mean, women and children are being targeted along with men. Nobody is reporting on it. Nobody even seems to be particularly concerned about it.»
POPE, STATE DEPARTMENT CONDEMN LATEST MASSACRE OF CHRISTIANS BY ISLAMIST MILITANTS IN NIGERIA
Villagers bury their dead following the murder of 49 Christians in the Democratic Republic of Congo by ISIS-linked jihadists. (Open Doors )
Blythe said that the Islamists are attempting to create a caliphate with its strict Islamic laws in a country which is 80-95% Christian.
«Christians are not even sleeping in their houses at night. They would rather sleep in the jungle at risk of wild animals than be sitting ducks in their houses when the extremists attack. In this part of Sub-Saharan Africa, we think that more than 16 million Christians have been displaced as a result of the violence. The church is on the run. Christians are snatching up their children and running for their lives, often at night.»
«This is not an isolated event,» Jo Newhouse, a Sub-Sahara specialist for Open Doors, told Fox News Digital. The organization reports that more than 80 local villagers, largely Christians, have been killed in other attacks in just this month of July alone. «We need the U.S. to pay attention about what is happening and use your influence for the church here. Do not be blind to what is happening here. Pay attention.»
Judith heard about President Donald Trump’s brokered peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda. However, it hasn’t so far made any difference to the situation where she is, in the eastern part of the country. «We have seen many peace accords which have not given any result,» she said. «The peace accord that is needed is the one with the ADF. For now, they continue attacks on the people.»
People gather around the charred remains of a burned vehicle following a deadly attack in Komanda, Ituri province of eastern DR Congo, where 49 worshipers were killed at a church service by jihadists. (Olivier Okande/UGC via AP)
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Villagers saw the Islamist attackers withdraw to a point a few miles away. A local source says no arrests have been made. Another attack can come at any time.
«If the Trump administration can put pressure on governments like Uganda and Rwanda to withdraw their forces here,» Judith said «Congo would be fine».
christianity religion,africa,terrorism,isis
INTERNACIONAL
Space-based missile-killing Golden Dome tech aims for crucial test before Trump leaves office: Lockheed Martin
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Lockheed Martin is designing a space-based missile interceptor and aims to test the technology for potential integration into President Donald Trump’s «Golden Dome» defense shield within the next three years.
The defense contractor revealed this week that it hopes to test a satellite defensive weapon capable of destroying hypersonic missiles by 2028.
If successful, this would mark the first time in history the United States has deployed interceptors in space to destroy enemy missiles before they reach the homeland. Lockheed is still weighing different technologies, ranging from lasers to kinetic satellites that could maneuver and strike high-speed targets in flight.
«We have missile warning and tracking satellites made by Lockheed Martin in orbit today that provide timely detection and warning of missile threats,» said Amanda Pound, mission strategy and advanced capabilities director at Lockheed Martin Space, told Fox News Digital.
«We are committed to making space-based interceptors for missile defense a reality, leveraging our decades of experience, investments, and industry partnerships, to be ready for on orbit testing in 2028.»
TRUMP UNVEILS ‘GOLDEN DOME’ MISSILE SHIELD, BLINDSIDES KEY SENATORS
Lockheed Martin is designing a space-based missile interceptor and aims to test the technology for potential integration into former President Donald Trump’s «Golden Dome» defense shield within the next three years. (Lockheed Martin )
Lockheed’s space interceptor project directly supports Trump’s «Golden Dome for America» initiative, first unveiled in May 2025. The ambitious missile defense concept calls for a global constellation of satellites armed with sensors and interceptors, designed to detect, track and eliminate advanced missile threats – including hypersonic and ballistic weapons – before they can strike U.S. soil.
The idea echoes President Ronald Reagan’s 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative, often dubbed «Star Wars,» which was dismissed at the time as science fiction. But today, the technologies once seen as far-fetched are rapidly advancing, according to defense leaders.
Gen. Michael Guetlein, appointed by the Trump administration to head Golden Dome, emphasized that key components of the system already exist, expressing confidence in achieving a test-ready platform by 2028. Still, it’s no easy feat.
«Intercepting a missile in orbit is a pretty wicked hard problem physics‑wise,» said Jeff Schrader, vice president of Lockheed’s space division. «But not impossible,» he added, noting breakthroughs in maneuverability and guidance systems.
Analysts caution that to make the Golden Dome vision a reality, the U.S. may need to launch thousands of interceptors into orbit. Some have compared it to the Cold War–era «Brilliant Pebbles» program, which proposed a similar space-based missile shield but was eventually shelved due to skyrocketing costs and technical hurdles.
The Trump administration wants Golden Dome to be completed before the president leaves office. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Golden Dome is currently projected to cost $175 billion, with $25 billion already approved by Congress. But long-term estimates range anywhere from $161 billion to over $830 billion over two decades – raising questions about the program’s affordability and long-term sustainability.
TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN DOME’ WILL NEED MANHATTAN PROJECT-SCALE WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT EFFORT, SPACE FORCE GENERAL WARNS
Meanwhile, Lockheed is bolstering ground-based missile defense systems to complement the orbital layer. In March 2025, the company’s Aegis Combat System aboard the USS Pinckney successfully simulated the interception of hypersonic medium-range missiles during the FTX-40 exercise, codenamed Stellar Banshee.
The company is also advancing infrared seeker technology for interceptors, which would enhance the tracking and targeting of fast-moving missiles in their terminal phase.
Lockheed hopes to incorporate space-based missile interceptors into Golden Dome. (Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed remains a central player in the Pentagon’s broader missile defense and hypersonic weapons development effort. It is the prime contractor for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), which is targeting an initial operating capability by the end of fiscal year 2028.
Simultaneously, the company is fulfilling Navy contracts for its Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic weapons system. Sea-based deployment of CPS is expected to begin between 2027 and 2028.
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President Trump has publicly stated he wants Golden Dome operational by the end of his term. But industry officials warn that supply chain limitations and the Pentagon’s slow-moving procurement system make full deployment by 2029 unlikely.
conflicts defense,air and space,military tech,technology,spaceflight
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A search is underway for an American journalist who went missing on a Norwegian glacier at Folgefonna National Park while on a solo backpacking trip, according to his family.
Alec Luhn, 38, was reported missing on Monday to the Norwegian authorities when he did not show up for his flight home to England after leaving for a hike on July 31 in Odda, in southwestern Norway, according to his wife, Veronika Silchenko, who posted on social media urging anyone who may have seen him to get in touch.
Luhn, an award-winning American climate journalist, was on vacation with his family before he left for the hike and shared his location, according to CBS News.
NEW JERSEY MAN MISSING IN GRAND CANYON ‘MEGA-FIRE’ AS SEARCH EFFORTS CONTINUE WEEK LATER
Alec Luhn, 38, was reported missing on Monday to the Norwegian authorities. (Getty Images)
His family was not worried since he is an experienced outdoorsman, according to the outlet. His family expected he might not have cell service, but when he did not show up for his flight back home on Monday night, they called the police.
Silchenko, an Emmy-winning TV journalist, said her husband sent a picture from his last known location in Odda on Thursday, saying «that was the last time I heard from him.»
Alex Luhn was headed to Odda, Norway on a solo backpacking trip. (Facebook via Veronika Silchenko)
«Alec is basically obsessed with the Arctic,» Silchenko told CBS News. «He loves glaciers and snow, and he loves explorers, and he’s a climate journalist, so for him it is always that story that now because of the climate change they’re all shrinking, and he’s trying his best to go to the coldest countries.»
Alec Luhn was on vacation with his family before he left for the hike. (Getty Images)
Luhn lives with his wife in London, but he is from Wisconsin.
He has reported for various outlets, including The Guardian, The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Scientific American, TIME, CBS News Radio and VICE News TV.
Bad weather had forced a search operation with a helicopter to be suspended on Monday night, police said.
WISCONSIN STUDENT ELIOTTE HEINZ’S AUTOPSY SHOWS NO FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED IN DEATH: POLICE
Alec Luhn lives with his wife in London, but he is from Wisconsin. (Getty Images)
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«The weather started to get really bad around midnight. At that time, it was not reasonable to continue the search up in the mountains,» Tatjana Knappen of the Western Police District told Norway’s public broadcaster NRK.
A volunteer search and rescue team, police, sniffer dogs and drones renewed the search on Tuesday before it was again suspended due to weather conditions.
The Norwegian Red Cross said search operations had been ongoing throughout Tuesday. It said the search teams were local and familiar with the terrain, but called it particularly challenging due to difficult conditions and demanding weather.
world,camping hiking,travel,missing persons,fox news media
INTERNACIONAL
La historia detrás del “Monstruo de Los Andes”, el asesino serial que mató a más de 300 nenas y desapareció sin dejar rastro
A Pedro Alonso López se lo considera uno de los asesinos seriales más letales de América Latina. Se trata de un hombre que confesó haber masacrado a más de 300 nenas con un modus operandi escalofriante en Colombia, Ecuador y Perú.
“El Monstruo de Los Andes”, como lo apodó la prensa posteriormente, fue condenado por sus crímenes en 1983, pero lo liberaron 15 años después por buena conducta.
Leé también: Casi 100 muertes y un modus operandi aterrador: la historia detrás del asesino serial más letal de EE.UU.
El 22 de septiembre de 1999, López fue visto en público en la ciudad de Bogotá. En ese momento, tenía 51 años y había ido al Registro Nacional para realizar el trámite de renovación de documento. Esa fue la última vez se supo de él, por lo que el misterio de su paradero aún inquieta a la sociedad colombiana.
Una mente criminal
Pedro Alonso López nació el 8 de octubre de 1948 en la localidad colombiana de Venadillo, en Tolima. Fue el séptimo hijo de trece hermanos y creció en un contexto violento: su madre, Benilda López, era agresiva y los torturaba cada vez que tenía un episodio.
Sin embargo, años después de que se descubrieran los crímenes de su hijo, la mujer dio su versión de los hechos y aseguró que Pedro intentó abusar de una de sus hermanas menores, motivo por el cual lo echó de su casa. “Él es un hijo malo y yo no tengo la culpa de que haya salido así”, mencionó en diálogo con El Tiempo.
La primera vez que López estuvo en la cárcel fue cuando tenía 21 por una causa de robo de autos. En 1969, fue condenado a 7 años de prisión y, durante su estadía en el penal, fue abusado sexualmente en reiteradas ocasiones por tres presos. Posteriormente, Pedro asesinó a estos hombres, lo cual provocó que su pena aumentara a dos años más. Pedro Alonso López fue a la cárcel por primera vez cuando tenía 21 años. (Foto: El Tiempo)
En 1978, Pedro salió de la cárcel y comenzó a vivir una vida nómade en las montañas de la Cordillera de los Andes hasta llegar a Perú. Sin embargo, lejos de optar por una vida tranquila y alejada de la violencia, fue el momento en el que comenzó a desarrollar un modus operandi macabro.
En esa época, empezó a ganarse la confianza de nenas de entre 8 y 12 años que pertenecían a tribus indígenas de la región de Ayacucho, en el sur de Perú. Según detalla la investigación, López las llevaba a un lugar solitario con la excusa de que les iba a dar un regalo y, en su lugar, las golpeaba y las violaba. Luego de ello, las estrangulaba.
Durante años, el homicida llevó a cabo cientos de crímenes similares en la región, hasta que fue descubierto cuando intentaba secuestrar a una menor de 9 años. En ese momento, las autoridades lo deportaron a Ecuador, lugar en donde quedó libre y siguió cometiendo los asesinatos.
Una confesión escalofriante
La segunda vez que Pedro Alonso fue a la cárcel tenía 32 años. La policía lo detuvo luego de que lo descubrieran -nuevamente- en medio de un intento de secuestro.
En esta ocasión, el hombre decidió confesar todo a los investigadores: había asesinado a más de 300 nenas en su recorrido entre los tres países. “El momento de la muerte es apasionante y excitante. Algún día, cuando esté en libertad, sentiré ese momento de nuevo. Estaré encantado de volver a matar. Es mi misión”, admitió en ese entonces. López confesó más de 300 crímenes cuando fue detenido en Ecuador mientras intentaba secuestrar a una nena. (Foto: El Tiempo)
Durante sus confesiones, el criminal indicó a la policía la fosa en donde había enterrado los cadáveres de 57 de sus víctimas. Además, dijo que en Ecuador había masacrado a al menos 110 menores de edad. En cuanto a Colombia y Perú, los homicidios subieron a 200.
En 1983, Pedro Alonso López fue condenado a la máxima condena de Ecuador: 16 años. En 1994, fue extraditado a Colombia, donde fue considerado “inimputable” debido a que una pericia psicológica puso en evidencia sus trastornos mentales. Cuatro años más tarde, fue liberado del centro psiquiátrico en el cual estuvo sometido bajo tratamiento.
Leé también: Once muertos, una libreta y un oscuro secreto: el misterio de la familia Chundawat que estremeció a la India
En octubre de 2002, Colombia emitió a la Interpol un pedido de captura internacional porque se sospechaba que el múltiple homicida estaba detrás del crimen de una menor. Sin embargo, su paradero hasta el día de hoy es un misterio.
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