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Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Minnesota shooting suspect went from youthful evangelizer to far-right zealot
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Friends and neighbors of the 57-year-old say they are struggling to understand what drove him to allegedly masquerade as a police officer and shoot two state legislators and their spouses in the predawn hours of Saturday - leaving state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband dead and the other couple seriously injured. Some point to his teenage conversion and the startling change that followed, one that became very public in Sleepy Eye, a burg of about 3,500 about two hours southwest of Minneapolis. Advertisement Through much of high school, Boelter was like every other teen, according to lifelong friend David Carlson. But after Boelter declared himself a born-again Christian, he began preaching in the local park - even living there in a tent, Carlson said. Advertisement 'Everything in his life - he just changed,' Carlson said Sunday. 'People were saying, 'Yeah, Vance is in the park preaching.' He was just trying to spread the word about Jesus.' Boelter grew up one of five siblings in a family that was locally famous for baseball - his father, Donald, was the high school coach and later selected for the Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. They lived in a turreted, two-story house on a corner lot in a neighborhood where American flags fly from porches and flagpoles. In his senior year, Boelter was named 'Most Courteous' and 'Most Friendly,' according to images from his high school yearbook shared by a former classmate. It listed him as captain of the basketball team and a member of the baseball team, football team and chorus. 'Vance was a normal kid who came from a middle-class background,' said Wendel Lamason, who was friends with Boelter until Lamason moved to another town for eighth grade. The family was part of mainstream Lutheran churches, some more center-right, some more center-left, and the elder Boelter was active in church leadership. Ron Freimark, who pastored a different Lutheran congregation in Sleepy Eye, remembers the boy participating in church youth groups. 'He wasn't rebellious. He was polite and all that,' Freimark said Monday afternoon. 'He was just a good kid.' According to his LinkedIn profile, Boelter went on to attend St. Cloud State University and graduated with a degree in international relations. On a now-defunct website for Revoformation, a nonprofit he founded several years later, Boelter laid out a basic biography and said he had been 'ordained' in 1993. He said he had gone to a small Catholic college near Milwaukee - Cardinal Stritch, which is now closed - as well as Christ for the Nations Institute, a Dallas school that is part of the broad, nondenominational world of charismatic Christianity. Advertisement And, the bio claimed, he had made trips overseas to seek out 'militant Islamists' to 'tell them violence wasn't the answer.' Christ for the Nations was founded in 1970 by Gordon Lindsay, a prominent preacher in independent, charismatic Christianity. The focus of the movement initially was on evangelizing, faith healing and experiential worship such as speaking in tongues. In the last quarter-century, however, a segment of it turned to politics and changing policies, especially around abortion. A Lindsay quote long posted in the school's lobby reads: 'Everyone ought to pray at least one violent prayer each day.' The exhortation, the school said Monday, described prayer that should be 'intense, fervent and passionate.' In a statement, it confirmed Boelter had graduated in 1990 with a degree in practical theology in leadership and pastoral and said it was 'aghast and horrified' at the news that the alum was a suspect in the weekend shootings. 'This is not who we are,' the statement said. 'We have been training Christian servant leaders for 55 years and they have been agents of good, not evil.' Based on his recent online presence, Boelter's views now appear to align with the political 'far right' of Christianity in the United States, said Matthew Taylor, a senior Christian scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies. The followers of this kind of charismatic Christianity believe in a need 'to fight back' against demons and satanic evil in the world, Taylor said. Its core disseminates 'very extreme' rhetoric about abortion, he added, with some leaders portraying it as a form of child sacrifice that empowers demons. Advertisement Boelter 'seems very much to embrace some of the violent rhetoric and ideas that circulate through those spaces,' Taylor said. Indeed, in another sermon posted online, Boelter said God was sending people to America for a specific purpose. 'They don't know abortion is wrong, many churches,' he said. 'When the body starts moving in the wrong direction … God will raise an apostle or prophet to correct their course.' In and around Minneapolis, Boelter spent most of his career in the food industry while, as Carlson put it, dreaming of launching a security business. A former neighbor in Sleepy Eye said Boelter, his wife and their children - four girls and a boy - moved back there around 2008 when he took a job as a production coordinator for the local Del Monte plant. The family bought a three-bedroom fixer-upper on Maple Street and spent their time at the public pool or hosting Bible studies, said the neighbor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of safety concerns. Boelter's wife, Jenny, was a stay-at-home mom who always had a smile on her face and brought apple pies over around the holidays, the neighbor said. 'They were friendly, almost too friendly,' he said. 'It was almost like there was never anything wrong.' Flags for the fallen lawmakers were at half-staff Monday in Sleepy Eye, a town named for a famous Native American Dakota chief from the 1800s. The business stretch of Main Street goes about five blocks, with several historical buildings and a repurposed movie theater marquee promoting a coffee shop and brewing company. Drive just a bit farther and the flat Midwestern landscape is dotted with farms and silver grain bins. Advertisement
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Cloud State students visa record terminated in recent incidents
The Brief There have been several cases of international students in Minnesota facing deportation in recent weeks. Multiple St. Cloud State University students have had their status records terminated. ST. CLOUD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Cloud State University (SCSU) spokesperson said several international students recently had their records terminated by the federal government. However, the reasons for the termination are not exactly clear at this time. What we know According to SCSU, two students had their records terminated by the federal government from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) - the database that provides proof of legal status and good standing. The university said it was not made aware of the terminations ahead of time. What they're saying A legal expert based in the St. Cloud area tells FOX 9 that the process was unusual. He said typically, if an international student fails to meet requirements to maintain status, the school would be involved in initiating any actions necessary. "It seems the process has been reversed where it's the State Department that decided who is fit to enter, and I understand that's their right as the issuer of their visa, but also who to kick out and the reasons are not obvious to us who have served that process," said Yasin Alsaidi, deputy director at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. When recently asked about student visa incidents on college campuses across the country, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration has been consistent on its reasons behind immigration policy. "The overwhelming majority of student visas in this country will not be revoked, because the overwhelming majority of people that are coming to this country to study are not involved and associated or aligned with organizations that seek to do damage in this country," Rubio has previously said. What's next According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), once a SEVIS record is terminated, the student loses all employment authorization, cannot re-enter the United States on the terminated SEVIS record, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents may investigate to confirm the departure of the student, and any associated F-2 or M-2 dependent records are terminated. The university said it is unable to share student details, but said it is working with those impacted. The Source St. Cloud State University, Department of Homeland Security.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Iowa student's passport seizure in Dominican Republic raises red flags for Americans traveling: What to know
The seizing of an Iowa college student's passport while under investigation in the Dominican Republic is a cautionary tale for Americans traveling abroad, who an expert said should be vigilant about protecting their travel documents. Last month, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe's passport and cellphone were confiscated as investigators tried to piece together missing spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki's final moments. Hotel surveillance footage revealed Riibe was among the last people to see Konanki alive before the University of Pittsburgh student disappeared on a Punta Cana beach after a night of drinking with friends. After Konanki's disappearance, Riibe, who authorities said was never a suspect, was holed up inside the Riu Republica Hotel under the watch of local authorities. Riibe, a student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, remained in the Dominican Republic, unable to travel back to America, for approximately two weeks before he was able to head home. American College Student Sudiksha Konanki's Disappearance In Dominican Republic: Timeline The high-profile debacle came to a head inside a Dominican courtroom, as Riibe sat alongside his father and a translator while lawyers argued over the conditions of Riibe's hotel room detainment. The issue surrounding the return of Riibe's passport was scheduled for a later date, potentially forcing Riibe to remain in the country for a second court appearance. Read On The Fox News App "Ever since my passport was taken, it's very rare I'm alone," Riibe testified before a Dominican judge. He later added, "I can't go anywhere. I really want to be home. Hug my family and friends." While Riibe's lawyers had said his passport was confiscated, prosecutors argued that he lost it. Following the initial court proceedings, Riibe was able to obtain a provisional passport from the U.S. Consulate in the Dominican Republic. Missing American In Dominican Republic: Key Witness Joshua Riibe Leaves Country On March 19, Riibe boarded a JetBlue flight from Santo Domingo to San Juan, Puerto Rico, marking the end of his nightmare abroad. However, Riibe's escape hit a brief snag when he was held in Puerto Rico over the new passport not being properly stamped, NotiCentro reported. Last week, a Dominican judge ruled to officially close Riibe's case, granting the habeas corpus motion filed on behalf of the key witness. "On March 18th, following the conclusion of the habeas corpus hearing that ordered the release of our client, Joshua Riibe, the Prosecutor's Office of La Altagracia informed him of their readiness to return his passport," Riibe's attorneys said. "While Joshua appreciated this decision, he chose, for privacy reasons, to apply for a new passport at the U.S. Consulate, which was promptly issued." Although Riibe was able to obtain a replacement passport and subsequently return home, his experience serves as a warning for Americans who may be asked to hand over their passport for a multitude of reasons while in another country. Missing American In Dominican Republic: What's Next For Witness Joshua Riibe After Court Ruling Travelers could be asked to forfeit their passport or other identifying documents by foreign law enforcement or as collateral while enjoying an excursion, according to Kate Gladdin, an expert in international travel safety. "The reality is there are some bad fruits out there that see tourists and can very quickly get [them] in a vulnerable position because they don't have their government," Gladdin told Fox News Digital. "One thing I can say, flat out, is to never hand your passport over as a form of deposit, ever," Gladdin said. "There are stories where they're like, 'Oh, you want to hire this jet ski? OK, we can take your passport just as a deposit that you'll come back.' Do not [do it]. Put it in your safe and leave it there until [the end of your trip]." The risk of forfeiting identifying documents is an issue that hits close to home for Gladdin. In 2012, Gladdin's sister, Nicole Fitzsimons, was killed in a motorbike accident while vacationing in Thailand with her boyfriend, Jamie Keith. Fitzsimons, 24, was riding on the back of the bike when a driver riding on the wrong side of the road careened into the couple's vehicle. "She [was rushed] into surgery," Gladdin told Fox News Digital. "We had all our hearts and toes and fingers crossed that she was going to be OK, but unfortunately we did lose her in that surgery." Amanda Knox's Advice For American Linked To Punta Cana Missing Persons Case But Fitzsimons' death wasn't the end of the nightmare for the grieving family. Keith's Australian passport was seized by Thai authorities, ultimately barring him from leaving as the investigation remained ongoing. "Unfortunately, the police tried to see it differently and put us in a really uncomfortable, hard and challenging situation where they took Jamie's passport," Gladdin said. "There was no justice in Nicole's death." Gladdin also suggests vacationers carry copies of their identification documents, in the event their belongings are lost or stolen. "Every country is different," Gladdin said. "You have to take your safety into your own hands, because the rules might not always be there. But without those rules, we are without protection." Americans Traveling Abroad On Spring Break Should Know 3 Crucial Things To Stay Safe: Expert The family's fight to bring Keith home, while also grappling with the death of Fitzsimons, led Gladdin down a path of teaching parents how to instill travel safety habits in their families. "Travel is one of the most eye-opening things we can do," Gladdin said. "But help them make educated choices. I'm not against travel, but I'm for educated travel." Gladdin also points parents toward federal resources aimed at keeping Americans safe while traveling abroad. The State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program provides vacationers with the opportunity to register their trips with the government, in the event something goes wrong. "[Officials] can quickly update and get in contact with you regarding any safety or security information – whether it's like an impending cyclone or a terrorist threat – that they need to get you out of a country quickly, if they know you're there," Gladdin said. Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment. Gladdin's passion for travel safety and educating parents was born from tragedy, but she insists it does not have to be that way for other families. "Lying on the floor of my sister's closet, choosing out her funeral dress rather than helping to choose her wedding dress – there are no positives in that," Gladdin told Fox News Digital. "I think finding purpose in what you're going through, [by] leaning towards problems that are surrounding you and [finding] what you can do to help solve them. My family created a purpose in Nicole's death by looking at the problem of travel safety and doing whatever we could to solve it." Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz and Greg Wehner contributed to this report. Original article source: Iowa student's passport seizure in Dominican Republic raises red flags for Americans traveling: What to know
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Fox News
Iowa student's passport seizure in Dominican Republic raises red flags for Americans traveling: What to know
The seizing of an Iowa college student's passport while under investigation in the Dominican Republic is a cautionary tale for Americans traveling abroad, who an expert said should be vigilant about protecting their travel documents. Last month, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe's passport and cellphone were confiscated as investigators tried to piece together missing spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki's final moments. Hotel surveillance footage revealed Riibe was among the last people to see Konanki alive before the University of Pittsburgh student disappeared on a Punta Cana beach after a night of drinking with friends. After Konanki's disappearance, Riibe, who authorities said was never a suspect, was holed up inside the Riu Republica Hotel under the watch of local authorities. Riibe, a student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, remained in the Dominican Republic, unable to travel back to America, for approximately two weeks before he was able to head home. The high-profile debacle came to a head inside a Dominican courtroom, as Riibe sat alongside his father and a translator while lawyers argued over the conditions of Riibe's hotel room detainment. The issue surrounding the return of Riibe's passport was scheduled for a later date, potentially forcing Riibe to remain in the country for a second court appearance. "Ever since my passport was taken, it's very rare I'm alone," Riibe testified before a Dominican judge. He later added, "I can't go anywhere. I really want to be home. Hug my family and friends." While Riibe's lawyers had said his passport was confiscated, prosecutors argued that he lost it. Following the initial court proceedings, Riibe was able to obtain a provisional passport from the U.S. Consulate in the Dominican Republic. On March 19, Riibe boarded a JetBlue flight from Santo Domingo to San Juan, Puerto Rico, marking the end of his nightmare abroad. However, Riibe's escape hit a brief snag when he was held in Puerto Rico over the new passport not being properly stamped, NotiCentro reported. Last week, a Dominican judge ruled to officially close Riibe's case, granting the habeas corpus motion filed on behalf of the key witness. "On March 18th, following the conclusion of the habeas corpus hearing that ordered the release of our client, Joshua Riibe, the Prosecutor's Office of La Altagracia informed him of their readiness to return his passport," Riibe's attorneys said. "While Joshua appreciated this decision, he chose, for privacy reasons, to apply for a new passport at the U.S. Consulate, which was promptly issued." Although Riibe was able to obtain a replacement passport and subsequently return home, his experience serves as a warning for Americans who may be asked to hand over their passport for a multitude of reasons while in another country. Travelers could be asked to forfeit their passport or other identifying documents by foreign law enforcement or as collateral while enjoying an excursion, according to Kate Gladdin, an expert in international travel safety. "The reality is there are some bad fruits out there that see tourists and can very quickly get [them] in a vulnerable position because they don't have their government," Gladdin told Fox News Digital. "One thing I can say, flat out, is to never hand your passport over as a form of deposit, ever," Gladdin said. "There are stories where they're like, 'Oh, you want to hire this jet ski? OK, we can take your passport just as a deposit that you'll come back.' Do not [do it]. Put it in your safe and leave it there until [the end of your trip]." The risk of forfeiting identifying documents is an issue that hits close to home for Gladdin. In 2012, Gladdin's sister, Nicole Fitzsimons, was killed in a motorbike accident while vacationing in Thailand with her boyfriend, Jamie Keith. Fitzsimons, 24, was riding on the back of the bike when a driver riding on the wrong side of the road careened into the couple's vehicle. "She [was rushed] into surgery," Gladdin told Fox News Digital. "We had all our hearts and toes and fingers crossed that she was going to be OK, but unfortunately we did lose her in that surgery." But Fitzsimons' death wasn't the end of the nightmare for the grieving family. Keith's Australian passport was seized by Thai authorities, ultimately barring him from leaving as the investigation remained ongoing. "Unfortunately, the police tried to see it differently and put us in a really uncomfortable, hard and challenging situation where they took Jamie's passport," Gladdin said. "There was no justice in Nicole's death." Gladdin also suggests vacationers carry copies of their identification documents, in the event their belongings are lost or stolen. "Every country is different," Gladdin said. "You have to take your safety into your own hands, because the rules might not always be there. But without those rules, we are without protection." The family's fight to bring Keith home, while also grappling with the death of Fitzsimons, led Gladdin down a path of teaching parents how to instill travel safety habits in their families. "Travel is one of the most eye-opening things we can do," Gladdin said. "But help them make educated choices. I'm not against travel, but I'm for educated travel." Gladdin also points parents toward federal resources aimed at keeping Americans safe while traveling abroad. The State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program provides vacationers with the opportunity to register their trips with the government, in the event something goes wrong. "[Officials] can quickly update and get in contact with you regarding any safety or security information – whether it's like an impending cyclone or a terrorist threat – that they need to get you out of a country quickly, if they know you're there," Gladdin said. Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment. Gladdin's passion for travel safety and educating parents was born from tragedy, but she insists it does not have to be that way for other families. "Lying on the floor of my sister's closet, choosing out her funeral dress rather than helping to choose her wedding dress – there are no positives in that," Gladdin told Fox News Digital. "I think finding purpose in what you're going through, [by] leaning towards problems that are surrounding you and [finding] what you can do to help solve them. My family created a purpose in Nicole's death by looking at the problem of travel safety and doing whatever we could to solve it."
New York Times
20-03-2025
- New York Times
Man Last Seen With Missing Student Leaves the Dominican Republic
The man last seen with Sudiksha Konanki, a college student who went missing this month while on spring break in the Dominican Republic, has left that country after he was repeatedly questioned about her disappearance, his lawyer said. Joshua Steven Riibe, 22, flew back to the United States on Wednesday night with his father, according to Guzmán Ariza, the law firm representing him. Ms. Konanki, 20, went missing on March 6 during a spring break trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. This week, her parents said they believed that she had drowned. Mr. Riibe was never considered a suspect, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Virginia, which helped investigate Ms. Konanki's disappearance. He is a senior at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn., and is from Rock Rapids, Iowa. In a court hearing in Higüey, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday, Mr. Riibe said that he had been held in the country for 10 days, El Caribe, a local newspaper, reported. Mr. Riibe said that he wanted to go home and to see his family. ABC News reported that the Dominican authorities had confiscated his passport. Guzmán Ariza said in a statement that Mr. Riibe applied for a new passport at the United States Consulate and that one was promptly issued. A State Department spokesperson said in an email that Mr. Riibe had left the Dominican Republic. Officials in the Dominican Republic said that Ms. Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student from Loudoun County, arrived in the Dominican Republic on March 3 and stayed at the Hotel Riu Republica in Punta Cana with five friends. She was seen with a man, now known to be Mr. Riibe, in the early hours of March 6 near a beach in Punta Cana, the officials said. Thomas A. Julia, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, told The New York Times on Wednesday that two Loudoun County detectives had interviewed Mr. Riibe in the Dominican Republic on March 13 and that 'we believe he was fully cooperative.' 'From what we can tell,' Mr. Julia said, 'he tried to get her out of the water.' Ms. Konanki's father told reporters on Tuesday that he and her mother believed that their daughter, a pre-med student, had drowned, NBC4 Washington reported. He said they did not believe Mr. Riibe had done anything wrong. The authorities in the Dominican Republic said that after they were alerted to Ms. Konanki's disappearance, they performed an 'exhaustive' search of the beach and the surrounding area, using drones, helicopters, divers, boats, police dogs and other resources.
