Midday Roundup: First American charged with aiding ISIS

Terror at home. Federal prosecutors in New York have indicted a man who operated a convenience store in Rochester for trying to aid ISIS terrorists. Mufid Elfgeeh, who was born in Yemen, tried to recruit fighters for the terror group that has attempted to set up an Islamic caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq. He also wanted to kill American troops returning home and any Shiite Muslims he could find near his home, which is why the FBI arrested him in May. Elfgeeh was caught in a sting operation in which he attempted to buy guns and silencers from an undercover agent. Elfgeeh, a naturalized citizen, is the first American to be charged with recruiting for ISIS.

A different kind of terror. The South African government says 67 of its citizens have been killed in a building collapse at the compound of a popular televangelist in Nigeria. The building collapsed almost a week ago, but Nigerian officials are still combing through the rubble and trying to figure out how many people might have been inside when it came crashing down. The multi-story building housed a shopping mall and guest quarters on the campus of T.B. Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations in the outskirts of Lagos. At least 131 people survived the collapse. Joshua, who claims to be a prophet with the power to heal, suggested a plane circling the building brought it down in an attempt on his life. Nigerian officials say the building likely came down because of shoddy construction.

Manhunt. Police in Pennsylvania are conducting a massive manhunt for the man they believe attacked a remote state trooper barracks, killing one officer and seriously wounding another. Eric Matthew Frein, 31, is an anti-government survivalist who made statements previously about wanting to kill police and commit mass murder, officials say. They do not have a more specific motive for the attack or how he developed his radical beliefs. Police had no clues to the attacker’s identity until a man walking his dog discovered a partially submerged Jeep Cherokee in a swampy area. Inside, investigators found Frein’s driver’s license and bullet casings that matched those found at the scene of the attack.

Genius? A Boston attorney credited with leading the movement for same-sex marriage across the country was selected as one of 21 recipients of this year’s MacArthur Foundation “genius” grants. Mary Bonauto was named a MacArthur fellow for her work “breaking down legal barriers based on sexual orientation,” according to the foundation’s website. Bonauto led the fight for same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, the first state where the unions were legalized, in 2003. The MacArthur Foundation gives no-strings-attached grants of $625,000 to a group of fellows each year to “encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations.”

Camp in. Trail Life USA, the organization formed late last year as a Christian alternative to the Boy Scouts of America, now has its own camp. Trail Life’s leaders announced today it has been chosen as the new owner of a 127-acre camp outside Greenville, S.C. The property is a boost for the organization, which is growing rapidly thanks to families frustrated by the Boy Scouts’ decision last year to accept openly gay members. But Trail Life is fighting an uphill battle against the Boy Scouts’ well-known system of accomplishments and established organization.

WORLD has published a list of aid agencies assisting displaced Christians in Iraq.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.