WMWV – 93.5

Four men have been arrested in a case involving a naked man, kidnapping, firearms and drugs. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s office say they’ve arrested four men after a 39-year-old male victim was taken from his Naples residence at gunpoint. He was then allegedly put into the trunk of a car, driven to another location, and told to strip. Fearing for his life, the victim alleges he ran through the woods as the suspects shot at him. Police say they arrested the four suspects in Windham, Maine on charges of trafficking in scheduled drugs. Additional charges are possible. The victim was taken to CMMC in Lewiston for gunshot wounds where he remains in a stable condition.

The Attack and Reaction

18 years ago a coordinated attack by al Qaeda took the lives of 2,977 people and changed the American landscape forever. A week later, then-President George W. Bush signed into law a joint resolution authorizing military force against unspecified nations, organizations, or persons involved in the attack. The result was the War in Afghanistan after the Taliban refused to surrender Osama Bin Laden and other leaders of al Qaeda involved in the terrorist attack.

Motivations behind the attack remain debated. Bin Laden had been responsible for a number of attacks against the United States with, according to al Qaeda, a specific goal of coaxing America into war with the Middle East. Separate reports cite Bin Laden’s goal as wanting to make the United States less supportive of its allies in the Middle East. Whether we believe that Bin Laden wanted to weaken American resolve and get the nation to withdraw support, or we believe that the purpose of the attack was to create a common “crusader” enemy to unite the Middle East’s Islamic population against, al Qaeda failed. The United States became more involved in the region and terrorist factions of the middle east continue to have infighting including the creation of the infamous Islamic State group. Lesser known affiliates of al Qaeda, such as al Nusra, also continue to splinter off despite fighting common enemies.

Local Events

A Commemorative Service was conducted in Schouler Park at 8:46am, the moment the first hijacked plane crashed in the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

The “America Supports You – Freedom Walk” will be at 5pm starting at the Jackson Covered Bridge off Rt. 16.

“Putting 9/11 into Perspective,” will be a talk presented by American Legion Post 95 Commander Jim Lefebvre at the Lobster Trap Restaurant off West Side Road at 5:30pm.

US Representative from New Hampshire Chris Pappas is in Conway today. The Representative is holding a Coffee with Chris event at 11:00 this morning at the Gibson Senior Center in N. Conway. At 11:40 he’ll be at a “Reading with your Rep” event at the N. Conway Library during which, staffers say he’ll be donating books from the Library of Congress Surplus Book Program. At 1:20 Representative Pappas will be swinging by Albany to meet with the Armed Forces Conservation Corps; and finally at 3:00, Pappas will be meeting supporters at the Hemlock Lane Trailhead for a Ride-a-Long event along the rail trail.

New Hampshire State Police’s Marine Patrol recently arrived at the scene of a boat that was completely out of the water. Authorities were notified of the accident this past Saturday shortly after 7 in the morning. The 1976 23′ Chris Craft powerboat was stuck on a rock breakwater near Lockes Island on Lake Winnipesaukee in the town of Gilford. Authorities say 58-year-old Robert Koning of Massachusetts was attempting to return to a residence on the island when he struck a moored boat and continued up onto the breakwater. There are no reported injuries and the incident remains under investigation at this time.

Fryeburg Police say a Jeep rolled over off West Fryeburg Road shortly after noon on Tuesday (8/20/19). Officials say a 16-year-old girl from Lovell, Maine had been driving her 2008 Jeep SUV south on West Fryeburg Road when she became temporarily distracted, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway. Her Jeep struck a culvert and rolled over, closing West Fryeburg road for over an hour while emergency crews responded. The girl was transported to Memorial Hospital in North Conway, NH with non-life-threatening injuries. Fryeburg Police Chief Joshua Potvin says it was fortunate that the accident wasn’t worse and reminded the public that distracted driving can involve more than just texting on your cell phone. He says drivers shouldn’t be involved in any activity that isn’t necessary to the safe operation of their vehicle.