What we know about the 2 Chechens & the shooting near Fort Liberty
One of the Chechen men was killed by a Special Ops Colonel, the other was released after questioning
In recent months, FBI director Christopher Wray has been warning about threats to U.S. infrastructure from "extremist" groups.
The recent news of a shooting at a residence near Fort Liberty involving two Chechen males has raised eyebrows.
Here are the key points of what is known so far:
• A shooting occurred on May 3 in Carthage, North Carolina, near Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), home to U.S. Special Operations forces.
• The shooting involved two Chechen men: Ramzan Daraev (35, from Chicago) and Dzhankutov Adsalan, who was found in a vehicle "some distance" from the property, was questioned and released.
The family has created a Change.Org petition essentially claiming Daraev was murdered “in cold blood,” while “photographing” his work. English is clearly not the first language of the author named “Diana Daraeva.” The petition has over 11,000 signatures so far.
• A U.S. Army Special Forces colonel (who has yet to be named) shot and killed Ramzan Daraev, 35, from Chicago after Daraev allegedly trespassed on the colonel's property and photographed his children. The shooting occurred at 8:15 pm. The colonel is apparently under investigation for the shooting.
• The Moore County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) is leading the investigation, with assistance from the FBI and Army Criminal Investigation Division.
MCSO issued a statement on Facebook:
Sheriff Ronnie Fields provides an update to a May 3rd shooting death at a residence on Dowd Road in Carthage, North Carolina
On the evening of May 3, 2024, at approximately 8:15 PM, Moore County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a report of trespassing at a residence along Dowd Road in Carthage, North Carolina. The caller indicated that an individual was observed taking photographs on the property and had become aggressive towards another resident outside their home.
Upon arrival, deputies discovered the body of 35-year-old Ramzan Daraev from Chicago, Illinois, who appeared to have sustained gunshot wounds. Daraev was found approximately 250 yards from the roadway, along a powerline on the residential property. Identification was not found on Daraev; however, his identity was later confirmed through family members and an international identification located in his vehicle.
Daraev was reported to have been working as a subcontractor for Utilities One, a company based in New Jersey, at the time of his death. Investigators are still working to verify his official employment status. At the time of the incident, Daraev was not in possession of any utility equipment, utility clothing, or identification. The incident has been reported to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) was contacted concerning the incident and they provided a translator to assist with interviews of other reported Utilities One employees.
The shooter has been identified as a service member with the U.S. Army who resided at the location of the shooting. All parties involved in the investigation have been cooperative.
Investigators are diligently working to gather all relevant information prior to concluding the investigation, including autopsy reports and findings from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. Once all facts have been collected and reviewed, the case will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office for a determination on whether criminal charges will be pursued.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation.
Two questions to consider, given the information known so far:
1. Why was Daraev allegedly conducting work in the area at 8 at night with no tools other than a camera?
2. Daraev is from Chicago. Why would a man from Chicago be in NC doing utility subcontracting work; Isn't it more likely Utilities One had a person closer to that location to do any work?
Also - We live in an age where everyone has a doorbell or property surveillance camera. Time will tell if the colonel involved has such implements and if there is any footage of what actually went down.
More To The Story
A May 25 report by Fox News' Jennifer Griffin says both Daraev and Adsalan are in the country illegally.
Griffin also said, "the phones collected at the scene have been taken to an Army base for analysis."
Griffin, in a video report, also notes "Utilities One [is] a foreign-registered New Jersey-based company founded in 2016 by a young CEO from Moldova, who founded the firm three years after moving to the U.S. and working as a dishwasher and selling ice in Alaska. The company was incorporated on December 20th, 2023. The company's vice president of fulfillment and infrastructure is from Russia as well."
According to Utilities One's website, the CEO is a man named Serghei Busmachiu.
In her report, Griffin mentions U.S. Fleet Forces Command Commander Admiral Daryl Caudle's assertion penetration attempts of U.S. military bases is happening multiple times a week.
In a separate interview with FOX News' Bill Hemmer, Caudle said base penetration attempts are happening a lot.
“This thing of our military bases getting penetrated by foreign nationals is happening more and more," Caudle said. "This is something we see probably two or three times a week, where we’re stopping these folks at the gate.”
Caudle specifically mentioned individuals who are Russian or Chinese. He also talks about drones being intercepted over military installations.
Just this month, there have been two attempted breaches of U.S. military bases by illegal aliens; one in Quantico by two Jordanian nationals and Laughlin Air Force Base in California.
Chinese males of military age have been flooding across the U.S. Southern border at levels not seen before. Many of the reported intrusion attempts at military bases have been Chinese males posing as tourists.
Here’s an update on Chinese nationals illegally entering the U.S. from FOX News’ Bill Melugin, who has been covering the border daily for the past three years:
Over 350 individuals on the terror watch list were caught crossing the border since Biden took office. In the past month, Customs and Border Patrol has said 75 individuals on the terror watch list were stopped by their patrols crossing the southern border just in FY 2024. What’s disturbing here is that many more likely were not caught.
Additionally, the Dept. of Homeland Security has admitted that 40% of “catch and release” illegal aliens have disappeared into the U.S. interior and the agency has no idea where the are.
Related reading from the NY Post: Border Patrol agents reveal how easily terrorists and killers get into US despite being screened
Even More To The Story
Griffin's report on the Fort Liberty area shooting highlights this kind of surveillance has been seen elsewhere in the country.
"U.S. Special Operations soldiers around the country have experienced strange interactions in recent years that they say involve suspicious surveillance of them and their families. Many believe that U.S. military bases have become an increasing target of foreign probes."
On the issue of utilities being involved, in late 2022, an electrical substation in Moore County was attacked, causing a prolonged power outage that hit most of Moore County and also affected many military families. The substation was in Carthage, the same place as the Daraev shooting.
A substation in Randolph County was also hit following the attack in Moore.
The FBI warned of threats to electric infrastructure from "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists" before the substation attack and the agency has been slow to release any information about the Moore County grid case other than asking for the public's help in locating a Honda van identified to have been in the area that night.
A local group called "Moore County Patriots" or "Moore County Citizens for Freedom" was suspected initially in the 2022 substation attacks, but no arrests were made despite multiple cash rewards being offered in the case.
The Moore Substation wasn't the first grid attack. On Nov. 11, 2022, property of the Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative (CCEC) in the Jones County town of Maysville was damaged, leaving over 12,000 CCEC customers without power.