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Federal prosecutors announced charges Wednesday against 12 people who allegedly engaged in violence during demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

The charges, part of an effort dubbed “Operation Bridge Too Far” by federal authorities, largely centered on demonstrations that erupted on a freeway overpass near an immigration detention center in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, the first day the National Guard was deployed to the city.

What started as a small, peaceful protest on Alameda Street exploded into a series of tense clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement. After National Guard members and U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials used tear gas and smoke bombs to try and disperse a crowd outside the detention center, more protesters flooded the area.

A number of Waymo self-driving vehicles were set on fire near Olivera Street, and a group of California Highway Patrol officers on the 101 Freeway were pelted with items from protesters on the overpass above. At times, they returned fire with less-lethal rounds and tear gas. At least one protester had previously been charged in state court with throwing a flaming item at a CHP vehicle from the overpass.

Authorities announced that 10 defendants charged in connection with the incident were in federal custody this week. Another is in state custody and expected to be handed over to federal authorities, and one remains a fugitive.

Among those charged tied to the June 8 protest are Ronald Alexis Coreas, 23, of Westlake; Junior Roldan, 27, of Hollywood; Elmore Sylvester Cage, 34, of downtown Los Angeles; Balto Montion, 24, of Watsonville; Jesus Gonzalez Hernandez Jr., 22, of Las Vegas; Hector Daniel Ramos, 66, of Alhambra; Stefano Deong Green, 34, of Westmont; Yachua Mauricio Flores, 23, of Lincoln Heights; and Ismael Vega, 41, of Westlake.

Prosecutors also charged Virginia Reyes, 32, and Isai Carrillo, 31, who they say are members of “VC Defensa,” an immigrant rights group that has been documenting raids in the region.

Yovany Marcario Canil, 22, of Boyle Heights, was charged with assault on a federal officer for pepper-spraying members of an FBI S.W.A.T. team who were inside a government vehicle leaving the site of a raid in the downtown L.A. Fashion District on June 6.

A protester lobs a large rock at CHP officers stationed on the 101 Freeway below.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“Acts of violence against the brave law enforcement officers who protect us are an attack on civilized society itself,” Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said in a news release. “Anyone who engages in such disgusting conduct will face severe consequences from this Department of Justice.”

The FBI offered up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of 10 other unknown individuals accused of engaging in similar attacks from the overpass.

“A group of violent protesters threw rocks, pieces of concrete, electric scooters, and fireworks at officers and patrol cars” on the 101 Freeway, the FBI said.

Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor for the Central District of California, has aggressively pursued charges against those who clashed with law enforcement during protests against the Trump administration’s immigration raids over the last few months. On Wednesday, Essayli said that his office has charged 97 people with assaulting or impeding officers.

Of those, Essayli said, 18 have pleaded guilty and 44 are set to go to trial. His office has taken two defendants in misdemeanor assault cases to trial, but both ended in acquittals.

Earlier this year, a Times investigation found Essayli’s prosecutors have failed to convince grand juries to secure indictments in a number of protest-related cases.

Prosecutors face a much lower legal bar before a grand jury than they do in a criminal trial, and experts say it is rare for federal prosecutors to lose at that preliminary stage. Prosecutors in Chicago and Washington have faced similar struggles, court records show.

The defendants who have pleaded guilty in L.A. include a 23-year-old undocumented immigrant who hurled a molotov cocktail at L.A. County sheriff’s deputies during a June rally against immigration enforcement.

Prosecutors said the two young defendants planned a ‘sustained campaign of terrorism and sabotage’ backed by Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries.

A British judge has handed lengthy jail sentences to the two young ringleaders of a group who carried out arson attacks in the United Kingdom on behalf of the Russian state-funded private military firm, the Wagner Group.

Prosecutors said on Friday that Dylan Earl, 21, and Jake Reeves, 24, planned “a sustained campaign of terrorism and sabotage on UK soil” with the backing of Russia’s notorious Wagner mercenary group, which has been accused of war crimes in zones of conflict around the world, including murder, torture and rape.

Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb handed Earl a 17-year prison sentence, with a further six years on extended licence, for his “leading role” in planning several attacks, including one in March last year in which a London warehouse storing humanitarian aid and Starlink satellite equipment destined for Ukraine was set on fire.

During the trial, prosecutors said the 21-year-old had discussed with his Wagner handler plans to kidnap the cofounder of finance app Revolut and to torch a warehouse in the Czech Republic.

A police search of Earl’s phone uncovered videos of the east London warehouse fire being started, while he was also found to be in contact with Wagner members on the messaging app Telegram.

17 years in prison.

CCTV, phone data and forensic evidence helped convict Dylan Earl, one of five men involved in a Russian-ordered arson attack on a warehouse in Leyton.

The blaze caused around £1 million of damage, including to aid bound for Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/m96hNx6fO2

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) October 24, 2025

Fellow defendant Reeves, 24, was handed 12 years in prison, with an additional year on extended licence, for his role in recruiting other men to take part in the Wagner-backed attacks.

The pair are the first people to be convicted under the UK’s new National Security Act, introduced in 2023 to readapt anti-espionage legislation to counter modern-day threats from foreign powers.

Russian-backed ‘hostile agents’

Earl and Reeves “acted willingly as hostile agents on behalf of the Russian state”, Dominic Murphy, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said in a statement.

“This case is a clear example of an organisation linked to the Russian state using ‘proxies’ – in this case British men – to carry out very serious criminal activity in this country on their behalf,” Murphy said.

“In recent years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of counter-state-threat investigations and the use of ‘proxies’ is a new tactic favoured by hostile states such as Russia,” he added.

In July, three other British men were found guilty of aggravated arson for their role in the warehouse attack in east London, which caused one million pounds ($1.3m) in damage and put dozens of firefighters’ lives at risk.

Nii Mensah, 23, was sentenced to nine years in prison; Jakeem Rose, 23, was jailed for eight years and 10 months; while Ugnius Asmena, 21, was handed seven years.

Ashton Evans, 20, was also jailed for nine years for failing to disclose information about terrorist acts relating to another arson plot targeting two central London businesses owned by a Russian dissident.

British authorities allege that Russia is conducting an increasingly bold espionage and sabotage campaign in the UK, with the head of the MI5 security service, Ken McCallum, saying Moscow is “committed to causing havoc and destruction”.

In a separate case this week, the Metropolitan Police arrested three men from west and central London, also suspected of spying for Russia.

The details of their alleged crimes have not been made public, but they have also been charged under the 2023 National Security Act “on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service”.

A drug dealer who organised a Russian-ordered arson attack on a warehouse providing aid to Ukraine has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Dylan Earl, 21, admitted a National Security Act offence over the attack on industrial units in Leyton, east London, on 20 March 2024.

He was jailed alongside five other men for their part in the plot.

An investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command found Earl, from Leicestershire, was working under the instruction of Russian mercenary Wagner Group, who are proscribed by the UK government as a terrorist organisation. The case is the first to be brought under the National Security Act 2023.

Police in the United Kingdom are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mosque in southern England as a “hate crime” as a spate of violent crime against religious sites is reported.

Officers were called to the site of an arson attack on Phyllis Avenue in Peacehaven, East Sussex, just before 10pm (22:00 GMT) on Saturday, local police said.

The fire damaged the front entrance of the mosque and a car, they said, adding that no one was injured. Images and footage shared online show a burned-out car at the entrance of the mosque.

Sussex Police also shared images of two masked men dressed in dark clothing, and appealed for help from the public to identify them.

According to a report on CNN, which quoted a volunteer mosque manager, two people were inside the building when two people in balaclavas tried to force the mosque door open and poured petrol onto the steps, setting the building alight.

A spokesperson for the mosque said in a statement that the community was “deeply saddened” by the “shocking” attack. “While the incident has caused damage to our building and vehicles, we are profoundly grateful that no-one was injured.”

“This hateful act does not represent our community or our town. Peacehaven has always been a place of kindness, respect, and mutual support, and we will continue to embody those values,” the statement continued.

“We ask everyone to reject division and respond to hate with unity and compassion,” it added.

Detective Superintendent Karrie Bohanna said the attack had caused concerns within the Muslim community. “There is already an increased police presence at the scene, and there are also additional patrols taking place to provide reassurance at other places of worship across the county,” Bohanna said.

“Sussex Police takes a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime, and there is no place for hate across the county.”

Possible act of ‘terrorism’

Mothin Ali, deputy leader of the Green Party, said the police must establish the motives of the attack and whether it constitutes “an act of terrorism”.

“People were inside the mosque when it was firebombed and people in this community will be feeling frightened and targeted for their faith,” Ali said.

Chris Ward, the Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, said he was “appalled” by the “disgusting” attack.

“That there were no injuries is purely by chance,” he said. “This violence and hatred has no place in our peaceful, tolerant local community. We will root it out, and we stand in solidarity with all affected.”

The attack comes after a ramming and stabbing at a synagogue in northern Manchester on Thursday. It killed two people and seriously injured three.

The Muslim Council of Britain condemned Saturday’s attack, saying it was “profoundly shocked and alarmed by the Islamophobic arson attack” and urged authorities to “provide robust protection for all places of worship”.

The mosque attack “follows a disturbing pattern of violence and intimidation”, it added. “Just last week, an Imam was stabbed in Hounslow, while mosques across the country have faced bomb threats and coordinated hate campaigns,” the council added in its statement.

Separately, the East London Mosque said on X that “our communities must remain united – Muslims, Jews, Christians, people of all faiths and none – in standing together against extremism, intolerance and violence.”

The Board of Deputies of British Jews also condemned the mosque attack, saying on X that “every faith community has the right to worship free from fear. Our country is better than this.”

The attacks on religious sites come as the atmosphere in the UK remains tense after months of protests against asylum seekers and a social media campaign called #OperationRaisetheColours.

In recent weeks, those heeding the call have pinned the flag of England bearing St George’s Cross and Union Jacks to motorway bridges, lampposts, roundabouts and some shops across the UK. Red crosses have been spray-painted on the white stripes of zebra crossings.

While some supporters frame the project as patriotic, it has been tied to racist incidents including the appearance of racist graffiti.

Oct. 5 (UPI) — Officials are looking for two suspects in a possible arson at a mosque in Sussex Saturday.

No one was injured in the incident, but the entrance to the building was damaged and they are investigating the fire in Peacehaven, East Sussex as a hate crime but not an act of terror, Sussex police said.

“This was an appalling and reckless attack which we know will have left many people feeling less safe,” Sussex Detective Inspector Gavin Patch said.

Sussex police said they were called to the scene on Phyllis Ave. shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday to find parts of the building on flames. Video showed one person fleeing the building. Police said an accelerant was sprayed near the entrance to the building, which caused the fire to spread from the building to a car parked just outside.

“We are treating this as an arson with intent to endanger life and are continuing to pursue a number of lines of enquiry to identify those responsible,” he added.

Photos released by the police show one man carrying a black jacket with a Pre Londpn logo in white on the chest.

The second suspect is wearing bright red gloves.

Police have increased their presence at the church since the incident, and increased patrol at other houses of worship.

Sept. 18 (UPI) — A federal jury in Gulfport, Miss., has convicted a man charged with six counts of federal arson and civil rights offenses for vandalizing and setting fire to a house of worship, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Stefan Day Rowold set fire to the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Wiggins, Miss., on July 7, 2024.

Evidence presented at the trial suggested that Rowold targeted the church because he disagreed with its fundamental religious beliefs and principles, the Justice Department said in a release.

Rowold confessed to breaking into the building, vandalizing the interior walls and setting a fire in the middle of the church’s multi-purpose room so leaders could not hold services.

Rowold used the church’s hymnals for kindling for the fire, court records showed. He also admitted to breaking into the church two days later with the intention of creating more damage.

“The second time he broke in, Rowold set another fire using cardboard and a piece of firewood,” the Justice Department statement continued.

Rowold is scheduled to be sentenced in January. He faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison on each of the arson charges, a maximum sentence of 20 years on each of the civil rights charges and a minimum of 10 years for using fire to commit a federal felony offense.

Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral for 40-year-old Khamis Ayyad, who died from smoke inhalation after an Israeli settler arson attack in the occupied West Bank. His death follows a surge in settler violence this year.

Khamis Ayyad, 40, died of smoke inhalation after settlers set fire to vehicles in town of Silwad, Health Ministry says.

A Palestinian man has been killed after Israeli settlers set fire to vehicles and homes in a town in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health says.

The ministry said on Thursday that Khamis Ayyad, 40, died due to smoke inhalation after settlers attacked Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, around dawn. Ayyad and others had been trying to extinguish the fires, local residents said.

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the settlers also attacked the nearby villages of Khirbet Abu Falah and Rammun, setting fire to more vehicles.

A relative of Ayyad’s, and a resident of Silwad, said they woke up at 2am (23:00 GMT) to see “flames devouring vehicles across the neighbourhood”.

“The townspeople panicked and rushed to extinguish the fires engulfing the cars and buildings,” they said, explaining that Ayyad had been trying to put out a fire burning his brother’s car.

Ayyad’s death comes amid burgeoning Israeli settler and military violence across the West Bank in tandem with Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.

Settlers have been attacking Palestinians and their property with impunity, backed by the Israeli army.

Earlier this week, Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian from Masafer Yatta, the community whose resistance to Israeli settler violence was documented in the Oscar-winning film No Other Land, with which he helped, was killed by an Israeli settler.

The suspect, identified as Yinon Levi, was placed under house arrest on Tuesday after a Magistrate Court in Jerusalem declined to keep him in custody.

According to the latest data from the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA), at least 159 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank between January 1 and July 21 of this year.

Hundreds of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians have also been reported so far in 2025, including at least 27 incidents that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both, between July 15 and 21, OCHA said.

Observers have warned that the uptick in Israeli violence aims to forcibly displace Palestinians and pave the way for Israel to formally annex the territory, as tens of thousands have been forced out of their homes in recent months across the West Bank.

Earlier this month, the Israeli parliament – the Knesset – overwhelmingly voted in favour of a symbolic motion calling for Israel to annex the West Bank.

On Thursday, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that “there is a moment of opportunity that must not be missed” to exert Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, according to a Times of Israel report.

“Ministers Katz and Levin have been working for many years to implement Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” the statement said, using a term used by Israeli settlers and their supporters to refer to the occupied Palestinian territory.

Back in Silwad, Raafat Hussein Hamed, a resident whose house was torched in Thursday’s attack, said that the settlers “burned whatever they could and then ran away”.

Hamed told the AFP news agency that the attackers “come from an outpost”, referring to an Israeli settlement that, in addition to violating international law, is also illegal under Israeli law.

The Israeli military told AFP that “several suspects … set fire to property and vehicles in the Silwad area”, but forces dispatched to the scene were unable to identify them. It added that Israeli police had launched an investigation.

Attack on equipment for Ukraine was planned by Wagner mercenaries on behalf of Russian intelligence, prosecutors said.

A jury in the United Kingdom has convicted three men of arson following an attack on an east London warehouse that was storing Starlink satellite equipment destined for Ukraine.

Prosecutors had alleged that the attack on March 20, 2024, was planned by agents of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, acting on behalf of Russian military intelligence.

Jakeem Rose, 23, Ugnius Asmena, 20, and Nii Mensah, 23, were found guilty of aggravated arson on Tuesday at London’s Old Bailey court.

Jurors cleared a fourth man, Paul English, 61, who told police that while he was paid to drive the others, he knew nothing about the fire.

Dylan Earl, 21, who was accused of orchestrating the attack, and Jake Reeves, 23, had already pleaded guilty to aggravated arson and offences under the UK’s National Security Act 2023.

Prosecutors said Wagner used British intermediaries to recruit the men to target an industrial unit in Leyton, east London, where generators and Starlink satellite equipment bound for Ukraine were being stored.

Authorities cast the arson, which caused about 1 million pounds ($1.35m) of damage, as part of a campaign of disruption across Europe that Western officials blame on Moscow and its proxies.

Ukraine’s military frequently uses Starlink in its effort to fend off Russia’s invasion.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Counter Terrorism Command at London’s Metropolitan Police, said the case was a “clear example of an organisation linked to the Russian state using ‘proxies’, in this case British men, to carry out very serious criminal activity in this country”.

He said Earl and Reeves “willingly acted as hostile agents on behalf of the Russian state,” adding that it was “only by good fortune nobody was seriously injured or worse”.

Earl also admitted to plotting to set fire to a wine shop and a restaurant in the upmarket London neighbourhood of Mayfair, as well as plans to kidnap their owner, Evgeny Chichvarkin.

Chichvarkin, an exiled Russian tycoon who has been vocal in his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, told the court in a written statement that he is considered “a key enemy of the Russian state and received daily death threats”.

Two other men were on trial in connection with the arson and related plots.

Ashton Evans, 20, was found guilty of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts relating to the Mayfair plot but cleared of failing to tell authorities about the warehouse arson. After Dmitrijus Paulauskas, 23, was cleared of both, he burst into tears and nodded towards the jury.

Jurors were shown evidence from security cameras and of the arson Mensah filmed on his phone, along with a message he sent Earl later saying: “Bro lol it’s on the news.”

They were also shown hundreds of messages among the men and between Earl and a Russian recruiter.

Earl was the first person to be charged under the National Security Act, which created new measures to combat espionage, political interference and benefitting from foreign intelligence services.

Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said the convicted defendants would be sentenced in autumn.

Founded in 2014, the Wagner Group has become Russia’s largest and most notorious private military company, with operations around the world, including in Africa, the Middle East, South America and Ukraine.

In 2022, Wagner enlisted 50,000 Russian prisoners to fight on the front lines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, of which some 20,000 were killed in the months-long battle for control of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the group’s founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said at the time.

In June 2023, Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on a private jet which crashed north of Moscow shortly after he led Wagner troops who crossed from Ukraine into the Russian border city of Rostov-on-Don, saying he would fight anyone who tried to stop them.

Wildfires have broken out in several European countries loved by British holidaymakers, with Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Turkey and France all impacted as a powerful heatwaves roasts the Continent

Wildfires have broken out across Europe as the Continent battles with ferociously hot temperatures.

The mercury could reach a ferocious 47°C in Spain this weekend, while road surfaces are beginning to melt in Italy. Those in France, Portugal, Turkey and Greece are also struggling to deal with stifling, brutally hot days and nights.

As well as the heat being a danger to the health of locals and holidaymakers alike, with one tourist already having lost their life to heatstroke in Majorca, the risk of wildfires is sky high in countries across Europe, and have already broken out in several.

It’s unlikely the heat will relent anytime soon, thanks to the heat dome currently hanging over Europe. The meteorological phenomenon occurs when a high-pressure ridge traps a thick layer of warm air in one region, acting like a lid on a pot.

The impact of human-driven climate change has only made the risk of such heatwaves worse.

Have you been impacted by the heatwave? Email [email protected]

Greece

Greece has borne the brunt of the wildfires in Europe so far this summer, with serious blazes breaking out in several areas.

A fierce blaze ripped through the area south of Athens on Thursday, leading to evacuation orders and forcing officials to shut off sections of the vital coastal route from the Greek capital to Sounion — home of the historic Temple of Poseidon and a key draw for visitors.

As a dozen aircraft and helicopters swooped in to combat the blaze from above, they supported a ground operation of 130 firefighters and their volunteer counterparts near Palaia Fokaia, on the outskirts of Athens.

The coast guard announced that two patrol boats and nine private vessels were on standby in the Palaia Fokaia area, ready for a potential sea evacuation. Fire department spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis revealed that 40 individuals had been evacuated by police, while evacuation orders were issued for five areas in total.

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The wider Athens area, along with several Aegean islands, is currently on Level 4 of a 5-level scale for wildfire risk due to weather conditions, with the heatwave predicted to persist until the weekend.

Earlier this week, it took hundreds of firefighters four days to control a significant wildfire on the eastern Aegean island of Chios. Over a dozen evacuation orders were issued for Chios, where the flames consumed forests and farmland.

Wildfires are a common occurrence in Greece during its sweltering, arid summers. In 2018, a colossal fire engulfed the coastal town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping residents in their homes and on escape routes. The disaster claimed over 100 lives, including some who tragically drowned while attempting to swim away from the inferno.

Spain

So far, wildfires have been limited in Spain, but the threat is rising as the country braces for seriously high temperatures over the coming days. The mercury could reach a ferocious 47°C in Spain this weekend.

On Thursday, a forest fire broke out in the Talavera de la Reina region, creating a column of smoke visible from the city. A total of 10 vehicles — two of them aerial — and 38 personnel were called in to put it out.

The Canary Islands government has issued a warning for Gran Canaria starting this Saturday due to high temperatures across the entire island. There is a risk of forest fires at altitudes above 400 metres.

Temperatures in Gran Canaria are expected to exceed 34°C this weekend and will likely approach 37°C, with strong winds increasing the danger. The Canary Islands government is urging the public to avoid lighting fires — even in barbecues or recreational areas — and to avoid using tools or machinery that could produce sparks, such as chainsaws, brush cutters, or welders.

A pre-alert for heat has been issued for the rest of the archipelago, with temperatures expected to be around 30–34°C (86–93°F) on El Hierro, La Gomera, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura, as well as on the eastern, southern, and western slopes of Tenerife, and 26–32°C (79–90°F) on the northern coast of Gran Canaria.

Portugal

Wildfires are serious business in Portugal.

Last year, there were 6,267 individual wildfires recorded, with 16 people losing their lives as a result. In total, 137,000 hectares were destroyed — an area four times larger than the previous year. So far this year, 22 people have been arrested for arson, according to Público.

The total financial loss last year in Portugal — including materials, biomass for energy, fruits, and stored carbon — reached around 67 million euros and affected 2.36 million cubic metres of wood.

While last year was, hopefully, an outlier in terms of wildfire severity, with temperatures nudging 40°C in parts of Portugal this weekend, blazes are likely.

Italy

The boot-shaped country is also facing the risk of wildfires this weekend, with unrelenting sunshine and highs nudging 40°C in the south.

Today, two fires broke out near Rome and in Dragoncello. Flames and smoke rose up, threatening to engulf several properties.

Turkey

Wildfires broke out in eight provinces in Turkey on a single day this week. Most were in western provinces — areas where many Europeans travel on holiday.

All fires were brought under control after coordinated air and ground efforts. According to the General Directorate of Forestry, five of the fires began in rural areas and later spread to nearby forests. “Fifty percent of wildfires start in agricultural zones. Small acts of negligence can lead to major disasters,” the authority warned, urging the public not to “set our future on fire.”

One of the most dangerous blazes broke out in the Osmangazi district of the northwestern province of Bursa. Fueled by strong winds, the flames quickly spread from forested areas to nearby residential zones.

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France

France has yet to be hit by major wildfires this year, but firefighters are on high alert this weekend.

The Bouches-du-Rhône is on orange alert, and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse are on yellow alert due to the intense heat expected to persist into the weekend. Strong winds may make matters more difficult to control if a blaze does break out.

According to La Provence, the “risk of major fires is high.”

Let me know if you’d like this shortened or rewritten for publication (e.g., news website, print, or social media).

PROSECUTORS in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal case have pulled key testimony during the trial that was critical to the racketeering charge the disgraced music executive is facing.

The stunning move by federal prosecutors comes a day before closing arguments in Combs’ trial are set to begin on Thursday following six weeks of graphic testimony.

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Major power outage hits the prominent film festival on its closing day and impacts 160,000 homes in the area.

French police were investigating a possible arson attack as being the main cause for a power outage which hit the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France, including Cannes which is hosting its world-famous annual film festival.

“We are looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately,” a spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie said on Saturday, adding that no arrests had been made at this stage.

The local authority for the Alpes-Maritimes region had said earlier on Saturday that the western part of the area, which includes Cannes, was suffering from a major electricity outage and that grid operator RTE France was working on restoring power.

The outage, which affected 160,000 homes, according to RTE and regional officials, started shortly after 10am local time (08:00 GMT) on Saturday.

Police sources said the outage was caused by an overnight fire, probably an arson attack, at a high-voltage substation in the village of Tanneron.

Traffic lights were knocked out and businesses closed on the main shopping street of the Alpes-Maritimes holiday destination.

Separate power outages swept across the Iberian Peninsula and parts of southern France on Monday, disrupting critical infrastructure and airport operations. Officials denied foul play.

While Spain and Portugal suffered blackouts last month, the French Basque Country saw brief power outages with interruptions lasting only a few minutes, according to the French electricity transmission network.

The latest outage came just hours before the 78th Cannes Film Festival is due to close on Saturday evening with an award ceremony at the Palais des Festivals.

Despite the power cut, festival organisers said switching to an alternative electricity power supply enabled them to “maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony”.

After a politically charged two weeks, a jury led by French actor Juliette Binoche is expected to announce the winners among 22 films competing for the Palme d’Or for best film.

This year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the genocide in Gaza and United States President Donald Trump were the biggest talking points at the festival. More than 900 actors and filmmakers signed an open letter denouncing the genocide in Gaza, according to the organisers.

GOVERNMENT officials are investigating the possibility of Russia having links to arson attacks at properties belonging to Sir Keir Starmer, it is claimed.

Two homes and a car previously owned by the Prime Minister were torched earlier this month.

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Officials probing whether the three Ukrainian-born men charged with arson or conspiring to commit arson were recruited by the Kremlin, according to senior Whitehall figures.

This is just one of many lines of investigation being explored.

Talks are ongoing on how to respond if this proves to be the case, they told the Financial Times.

Even if there are found to be Russian links that does not mean the suspects were aware of any Kremlin involvement.

Cops have already said they suspect the trio of suspects could be part of a wider community.

However, they are keeping an open mind about motive.

The inquiry is being led by the Met’s counterterrorism command due to the connection to a high profile public figure, the force previously confirmed.

The suspects have been charged with criminal as opposed to national security offences.

Petro Pochynok, 34, is accused of conspiring to damage by fire the PM’s former Toyota Rav4, a property where he once lived and his family’s former house with intent to endanger life.

Models Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, are also charged with plotting arsons between April 17 and May 13.

The charges relate to a vehicle fire in Kentish Town on May 8, a fire at the entrance of a property in Islington on May 11 and a fire at a residential address in Kentish Town in the early hours of May 12.

The three suspects deny the charges.

On Monday, police raided a two-bed North London flat said to have been previously shared by Pochynok and Carpiuc, his dad and brother until about six months ago.

Pochynok is said to have last visited the property three weeks ago.

Six officers were seen carrying evidence bags out after spending about four hours inside.

Carpiuc was arrested last Saturday at Luton Airport as he prepared to catch a Wizz Air flight to Romania.

He studied business at Canterbury Christ Church University in Kent, and is awaiting his results.

On website StarNow.com, Carpiuc said he wanted to be the “top male model in the world”.

The suspects have not displayed any links to Russia.

One has previously posted pro Ukraine messaging on social media.

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