Crime

ANOTHER wife of the Manchester synagogue terrorist said the attacker “raped” her and lied about being married with a child.

The woman, whose identity is being protected, told how Jihad Al-Shamie abused her mentally and sexually after they first met on Muslim dating app Muzz.

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She had converted to Islam in 2012, ten years before meeting Al-Shamie.

The woman became trapped in a volatile cycle in which he would flip between being “vile” and then “nice” to draw her back in to their on-and-off relationship.

Eventually, Al-Shamie told the woman he was married and had a son, but confessed to keeping them secret.

In text messages seen by the M.E.N, he wrote: “I didn’t tell u because I really like you and wanted u to be my 2nd wife.”

But Al-Shamie told her men can have four wives in Islamic culture and that his first wife “accepts” it.

Within a month of entering into a relationship with him, the pair married in January 2022.

The woman said their Islamic ceremony took place over a video call because of Covid restrictions.

But the marriage was soon filled with coercive and controlling behaviour.

She claimed Al-Shamie raped her, but she did not report it to police.

The attacker’s abuse is laid out in Facebook messages between the couple.

He tells her: “Good luck getting any guy to deal with your rubbish.”

And: “You’re not worth it and I can do better – don’t need someone with your baggage and mental issues.”

To try and win her back, Al-Shamie would promise grand gestures, such as buying a property close to where she lived, although these never came into fruition.

The woman told M.E.N she thought she loved him at the beginning of their partnership.

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“He was caring and understanding and didn’t judge my kids for their needs,” she said.

“He would say ‘I love you, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that’. He was controlling and abusive.

“He did rape me multiple times, but to us we just fulfil what our husband’s say.

“He was one of them where you have got to do it there and then.”

She categorized their relationship as “his way or no way” and described him as constantly being “pushy” – telling her wives had to “obey” their husbands.

The Sun previously reported how Al-Shamie was a teenage drop-out who smoked weed and was obsessed with violent video games.

A former friend told The Sun on Sunday that killer Al-Shamie would smoke around 2g of strong skunk a day when he was a teen and frequently felt the wrath of his parents.

His obsession led him to dropping out of Liverpool John Moores University a year into his English, media and cultural studies degree course in 2011.

Meanwhile neighbours said he would spend his time lifting weights in his garage or wander around in his pyjamas and flip flops.

The woman also reflected this portrayal in her tales of Al-Shamie, who she claimed was always “between jobs” and “living with his parents”.

After their relationship ended, the last time Al-Shamie contacted her was April earlier this year, but she ignored him.

The woman also recalled her horror when she discovered he had committed the Manchester synagogue terror attack.

“My first thought was just ‘why’. He would never preach anything. The only thing he would do was pray,” she said.

“He never showed me, or said anything about, terrorism, or joining anything. It was all about the mosque and praying.”

This comes as another wife of Al-Shamie also came forward with her story after meeting him on the same Muslim dating app.

Born in Syria, Al-Shamie was granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around 16, having entered the UK as a young child.

The 35-year-old was on police bail accused of rape when he carried out the car and knife terror attack in Manchester on October 2.

He claimed to be a devout father but cheated on his wife and married a second woman days after meeting her, The Telegraph reported.

The newspaper said that he met a young woman from Manchester after the Covid lockdown.

It’s believed that he moved in with the woman and her family in May 2022 and they married in an Islamic ceremony.

But he was unfaithful and used a dating app to meet several other women.

Al-Shamie’s first marriage reportedly fell apart six months ago after he married a second woman – but it is not known if this was legal.

Elizabeth Davis, 46, is said to have married the killer in secret and only told her family about him only after the synagogue attack.

A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Liz converted to Islam four years ago.

“Her conversion caused tensions with her family, they say she became a totally different person after that.

“She stopped communicating with relatives and friends.

“It was like she had been brainwashed.

“The family only found out that she had got married to Al-Shamie after the synagogue attack on Thursday.

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“The family are horrified that she has been involved with someone like that.

“It’s possible she got married to him in an Islamic law ceremony.”

Another woman said she was just 18 when she dated Al-Shamie, who she said lied to her about his age.

He told her he was in his mid-twenties and reportedly encouraged her to watch “extreme videos”.

During their four-month relationship, she said he hit her and ordered her to dress more conservatively.

She even said he referenced possibly wanting to join the Islamic State.

She said he stalked her and told her about his rape fantasises.

The Times reported that Al-Shamie used fake name on his dating app accounts but kept getting banned because of his “speech and what he was sending”.

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The Foreign Office urged UK tourists them to stay vigilant for a number of issues, including sexual assaults, harassment and groping

British holidaymakers have been issued a stark warning after a spate of sexual assaults and harassment in Vietnam. The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice, stating that women have been targeted for inappropriate touching and groping while walking alone.

In a fresh alert, officials have urged tourists to be particularly cautious about what they are consuming and take measures to prevent their drinks from being spiked. They also highlighted that many of the offences were committed by unlicensed taxi drivers.

Furthermore, they cautioned that victims would be required to demonstrate that they did not consent to the attack, especially if they had consumed alcohol. Officials stated: “British nationals have reported rape and sexual assaults in the main tourist areas and places where foreigners live, often committed by or linked to unlicensed taxi drivers. Women have also reported indecent assaults and harassment. These include inappropriate touching and groping, particularly while walking alone.”

Foreign Office advice to reduce risk:

• buy your own drinks and keep them in sight to avoid them being spiked
• be wary of accepting snacks, beverages and gum from strangers and new acquaintances. These items may contain drugs that could put you at risk
• use pre-arranged transport or official taxi-hailing apps, such as Grab or XanhSM, which supply licensed cabs. Be wary of scammers who claim to be from these companies and always book your full journey on the app
• save the location of your accommodation on a map app (such as Google Maps), so that it is easier to find at the end of the night
• set up a WhatsApp group to keep in contact with others in your group
• report anything that does not feel right to the management of local bars, restaurants, hotels or hostels

An official added: “In Vietnam there is a higher burden of proof for victims than in the UK. Victims must show they did not consent, particularly if they drank alcohol or knew the alleged attacker.”

“If you are a victim of a sexual assault, you can reach out to the British Embassy in Hanoi or Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. Consular staff can assist you in reporting an incident to local authorities, if you would like to do so. Read FCDO’s information pack relating to rape and sexual assaults in Vietnam for more advice.”

The Foreign Office has also issued a fresh warning for vapers planning to visit the country: “Vapes and related products are banned. You cannot buy vapes in Vietnam or bring them into the country.”

More information on rules and safety issues in Vietnam is available on the Foreign Office website.

Fifty years ago, I headed north for the first time. I’d dropped out of my university literature course – with the arrogance of youth, I thought I could read books anywhere. After a chance meeting in a Putney pub, I got a job as assistant cook in the Bird Observatory in Fair Isle. At that point, I didn’t even know where Fair Isle was. I came from Devon and hadn’t made it farther north than Durham. Scotland was unknown territory.

Of course, Fair Isle is part of the Shetland group and lies halfway between Shetland mainland and Orkney. That summer, I fell in love with the Northern Isles, with the romance of the isolation, the bleak beauty and the stories. Over the summer, I worked in the observatory with Alison, an Orcadian lass, who was there for her college holidays. “When you’ve finished your contract,” she said with the easy hospitality of islanders everywhere, “why don’t you come and stay? It’s kind of on your way home.”

It kind of was, and so I did. Alison lived with her parents in a solid house on the outskirts of Kirkwall. After my nine-month stay on Fair Isle – three miles long and a mile and a half wide, a scattering of crofts, 50 people and a lot of sheep and seabirds – Kirkwall felt like civilisation. There was a beautiful cathedral, a street of shops and bars, schools and a hospital. What struck me most, though, were the views. Much of Orkney mainland is low and green, and there are lochs so big that a stranger might think they were looking at the sea. So, there are long vistas from land to water and then land again. And more water. All under a huge sky.

At that time, Alison was more into partying than history, so I didn’t do a lot of sightseeing. We went to a dance at the Harray community hall, and I drank too much. There was little communication with the locals there. I’d become used to a Shetland voice, but an Orkney accent is quite different, lilting, musical, almost Welsh. I missed much of what was said to me.

Later, I got the plane to London, on my way home. If Kirkwall had seemed big, London with its towering buildings was overwhelming, and I scuttled west on the train to be on the coast again.

Over the years, I’ve come to know Orkney better. My husband and I went to Alison’s wedding in the cathedral. She was magnificent in a grand white dress, and she sailed up the aisle to Chariots of Fire. That evening there was another party, only a little more sedate than the Harray dance. Drink was passed round in the traditional Orkney way, in a wooden bowl, known as the cog, created for the purpose. I’m not sure what was in it, but it was warm, and it packed a punch.

At other times, we stayed with friends who lived in a converted chapel, looking down to the Stones of Stenness. Just as there’s always a view of water in Orkney, there’s always a reminder of its neolithic past, and I would come to explore the islands’ history more deeply when I was researching my latest novel, The Killing Stones.

Over time, we explored some of the smaller islands: Hoy with its dramatic cliffs, the tiny island of Papa Westray, home to the Knap of Howar, the oldest domestic stone dwelling in Northern Europe, and North Ronaldsay, where we stayed in the Bird Observatory’s accommodation, a reminder of the work that first took me north. North Ronaldsay is surrounded by a stone dyke, not to keep animals in, but to keep them out on the shore. The island sheep have adapted to living on seaweed, and perhaps because of that the meat is delicious.

For years though, Shetland was the focus of my trips north. One of my best friends lives there, and I was still writing the Jimmy Perez books, adapted for television as Shetland. In 2018, I decided to finish the series with the novel Wild Fire. I didn’t think I could find anything fresh to say about a community of only 23,000 people. I’d already killed too many of them.

The book ends with Perez and his partner moving south to Orkney. Perhaps I was influenced by a real police inspector, who covered both sets of islands and made the move. Certainly, I had no intention of writing about Perez again.

More recently, I felt a longing to go north again in my fiction, a kind of homesickness for the islands, for the dark winters and the bright, light summers. For the dramatic contrast between long, clear horizons and secrets hidden in small communities. I remembered that first image of Orkney, the stretches of land and water, and I realised it was time to go back. After all, to explore Perez’s new life, I’d have to stay there. It’s small details that bring a book to life, and Google research can’t help with that.

I stayed with my friend Stewart in his rather grand house on Orkney mainland. He became my driver, fixer and human research. I’d met him first when he worked for Orkney libraries. We’d had book-related adventures together – flying into North Ronaldsay in the eight-seater plane to celebrate the anniversary of a scheme that brought book boxes to islanders, and a crazy attempt to set a record by doing 24 events on 24 of the Northern Isles in 24 hours. We met the challenge, but only with the support of library staff in Orkney and Shetland, and the help of other writers.

My research visit took place in December 2023. It was clear, still and very cold. The frost didn’t melt all day. Stewart took me to the island of Westray, where he grew up and his family still farms. We stayed in the Pierowall Hotel, which features in the novel, and explored the site of the abandoned Noltland dig near Grobust Bay. I talked to his parents and to volunteers in the Heritage Centre. The book wouldn’t have been written without their help.

Back on Orkney mainland, we explored Kirkwall and Stromness and drove south across the Churchill Barriers, the causeways built between islands after a German U-boat entered Scapa Flow in 1939 and sank HMS Royal Oak. I was met everywhere with kindness and the most useful information. The pattern of the book was starting to take shape.

I ended my stay with an almost mystical experience. Maeshowe is a neolithic burial chamber. Entry is through a low, narrow tunnel positioned so that at the winter solstice, as the sun sets behind the hills of Hoy, the light floods in. There aren’t many entirely cloudless winter dusks in Orkney, but we were lucky enough to experience the magic. In the chamber, first a trickle of apparently liquid gold ran across the floor, then it grew wider and wider until it flooded the entire space with light. As the sun set, all was dark again.

I believe that setting is more than a pretty backdrop to the action. It informs character and moves the action of the plot. The Killing Stones couldn’t have been set anywhere other than Orkney, and I couldn’t have written it without spending time there with Orcadians.

The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves is published by Pan Macmillan at £22. To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

THE family of a mother found dead in a scalding hot bathtub fear their loved one had been forced to take drugs.

Ana Carolina de Silva was found dead with her partner in a motel bathtub after they had been partying until after midnight following their daughter’s fourth birthday party.

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The pair – who had been found in a tub filled with 50C water – had died from poisoning, causing severe dehydration and heatstroke, leaving their young daughter orphaned.

Both parents had traces of cocaine and very high levels of alcohol in their blood when they died.

Ana’s family said unequivocally she was “not a drug user”, in a statement released to the media.

The family said they had “concerns of possible forced ingestion or poisoning” after the 42-year-old businesswoman was found dead.

“It is with deep indignation that we, the family of Ana Carolina de Silva … repudiate the fake news that has been spread,” the statement opened.

“Although reports indicate the presence of substances in her blood, we affirm with complete certainty that Ana was not a drug user.”

“Given the inconsistencies, we raise serious concerns about possible forced ingestion or poisoning and demand a rigorous, transparent and impartial investigation,” the statement added.

The family said they want to “preserve Ana’s memory and dignity, [and to] ensure that the truth prevails over cruel and unjust speculation”.

“We will not allow her story to be tarnished by unjust assumptions,” the statement said.

“We will continue to seek answers, confident that justice will be served.”

The statement was released on October 1, when the Civil Police reached the conclusion of the case.

According to the investigation, Ana and her husband, military police officer Jeferson Luiz Sagaz, 37, “[died from] exogenous poisoning”.

Chief medical examiner Andressa Boer Fronza said the deaths were “the process of heatstroke with intense dehydration, thermal collapse, culminating in organ failure and death.”

Investigators say the couple passed out in a bathtub filled with 50C water while a space heater blasted heat into the room.

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Toxicology tests revealed very high alcohol levels and traces of cocaine, Globo G1 reported. 

As well as the room, officers examined the couple’s car and the motel’s CCTV.

Following the family’s statement, the Civil Police told Brazilian media outlet G1 “it would not be commenting on the investigation”.

Scientific police said “all forensic examinations carried out followed strict scientific protocols and were conducted by official experts and specialised technical teams”, repeating the sentiments of the finalised reports.

In a press conference where details of the investigation were revealed to the public, chief inspector Felipe Simao said the couple “had a busy social life but did not have a drug habit”.

“The big issue raised in the statements we took, talking to people involved in this, is that they did not have the habit of using cocaine,” he said.

The couple had spent the day of their deaths celebrating their daughter’s birthday at a food park, drinking before heading to a night club.

They then checked into the Dallas Motel in São José, Santa Catarina state, just after midnight on August 11.

But Jeferson and Ana Carolina never returned to collect their child the next morning at Jeferson’s sister’s home.

Worried relatives reported them missing, and police later found the pair lifeless in the bathroom.

Police said there was no history of violence.

Ana owned a nail salon and had been with Jeferson for nearly 20 years.

The couple’s daughter, just four years old, is now in the care of relatives after the tragic birthday celebration turned fatal.

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BATON ROUGE, La. — The immigration detainees sent to a notorious Louisiana prison last month are being punished for crimes for which they have already served time, the American Civil Liberties Union said Monday in a lawsuit challenging the government’s decision to hold what it calls the “worst of the worst” there.

The lawsuit accuses President Trump’s administration of selecting the former slave plantation known as Angola for its “uniquely horrifying history” and intentionally subjecting immigrant detainees to inhumane conditions — including foul water and lacking basic necessities — in violation of the Double Jeopardy clause, which protects people from being punished twice for the same crime.

The ACLU also alleges some immigrants detained at the newly opened “Louisiana Lockup” should be released because the government failed to deport them within six months of a removal order. The lawsuit cites a 2001 Supreme Court ruling raised in several recent immigration cases, including that of the Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, that says immigration detention should be “nonpunitive.”

“The anti-immigrant campaign under the guise of ‘Making America Safe Again’ does not remotely outweigh or justify indefinite detention in ‘America’s Bloodiest Prison’ without any of the rights afforded to criminal defendants,” ACLU attorneys argue in a petition reviewed by The Associated Press.

The AP sent requests for comment to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.

The lawsuit comes a month after state and federal authorities gathered at the sprawling Louisiana State Penitentiary to announce that the previously shuttered prison complex had been refurbished to house up to 400 immigrant detainees that officials said would include some of the most violent in ICE custody.

The complex had been nicknamed “the dungeon” because it previously held inmates in solitary cells for more than 23 hours a day.

ICE repurposed the facility amid an ongoing legal battle over an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” and as Trump continues his large-scale attempt to remove millions of people suspected of entering the country illegally. The federal government has been racing to to expand its deportation infrastructure and, with state allies, has announced other new facilities, including what it calls the “Speedway Slammer” in Indiana and the “Cornhusker Clink” in Nebraska. ICE is seeking to detain 100,000 people under a $45 billion expansion Trump signed into law in July.

At Angola last month, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters the “legendary” maximum security prison, the largest in the nation, had been chosen to house a new ICE facility to encourage people in the U.S. illegally to self-deport. “This facility will hold the most dangerous of criminals,” she said.

Authorities said the immigration detainees would be isolated from Angola’s thousands of civil prisoners, many of whom are serving life sentences for violent offenses.

“I know you all in the media will attempt to have a field day with this facility, and you will try to find everything wrong with our operation in an effort to make those who broke the law in some of the most violent ways victims,” Landry, a Republican, said during a news conference last month.

“If you don’t think that they belong in somewhere like this, you’ve got a problem.”

The ACLU lawsuit says detainees at “Louisiana Lockup” already were “forced to go on hunger strike” to “demand basic necessities such as medical care, toilet paper, hygiene products and clean drinking water.” Detainees have described a long-neglected facility that was not yet prepared to house them, saying they are contending with mold, dust and ”black” water coming out of showers, court records show.

Federal and state officials have said those claims are part of a “false narrative” created by the media, and that the hunger strike only occurred after inaccurate reporting.

The lawsuit was filed in Baton Rouge federal court on behalf of Oscar Hernandez Amaya, a 34-year-old Honduran man who has been in ICE custody for two years. He was transferred to “Louisiana Lockup” last month from an ICE detention center in Pennsylvania.

Amaya fled Honduras two decades ago after refusing the violent MS-13 gang’s admonition “to torture and kill another human being,” the lawsuit alleges. The gang had recruited him at age 12, court documents say.

Amaya came to the United States, where he worked “without incident” until 2016. He was arrested that year and later convicted of attempted aggravated assault and sentenced to more than four years in prison. He was released on good-time credits after about two years and then transferred to ICE custody.

An immigration judge this year awarded Amaya “Convention Against Torture” protection from being returned to Honduras, the lawsuit says, but the U.S. government has failed to deport him to another country.

“The U.S. Supreme Court has been very clear that immigration detention cannot be used for punitive purposes,” Nora Ahmed, the ACLU of Louisiana’s legal director, told AP. “You cannot serve time for a crime in immigration detention.”

Mustian and Cline write for the Associated Press. Mustian reported from New York.

A MAJOR update in the hunt for a missing British hiker has come just a week after the search kicked off.

British tourist Elaine McSorley vanished after embarking on a self-guided hike from her South African hotel last week.

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But the search for the missing 71-year-old has been called off with no trace of her, according to local media outlet The Witness,

The major update comes after Elaine was reported missing on Saturday, September 27.

After an extensive six day search undertaken by local police, search and rescue teams, K9 units, and volunteers from security companies, local communities, the Community Policing Forum (South Africa’s neighbourhood watch), and nearby game reserves, the search has come to an end.

Investigators used all means possible, with drones, helicopters and fixed-wing aircrafts in an attempt to find the missing woman.

Despite the extensive efforts, no trace of Elaine has been found.

South African police said the investigation will continue, with hopes of narrowing down to a smaller search area.

She had set out with her husband Leon, 81, to hike from the Ghost Mountain Inn and Safari Lodge in eMkhuze.

Leon had turned back earlier due to the heat, while Elaine continued walking to a lake.

Leon raised the alarm three hours later when she later failed to return.

He has since checked out of the Ghost Mountain Inn and police do not know where he is.

Police said earlier in the week that they suspect a crocodile took Elaine, or foul play — but have no evidence of either.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza said: “The British couple checked into the Ghost Mountain Inn at 1pm and went for a walk at 2pm.

“According to the husband, during the walk to the lake, he decided to turn back and returned to the hotel, but when she did not return, he raised the alarm.

“We have been searching day and night but there is no sign of her. It is like she has vanished into thin air. The dogs have picked up no traces either.

“If she had simply collapsed and died we would have found her by now. There are theories as to what happened but I am not going to speculate.”

A police forum member said: “We’re starting to look at whether she was dev­oured.

“There’s no sign of crime.”

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Elaine’s disappearance comes after a fisherman disappeared while trying to catch sardines.

Fears the man had been taken by sharks surfaced after friends of the missing 37-year-old rushed to the spot where he vanished – but retreated when the fins of two other beasts suspected to be Bronze Whalers headed for them.

The horror attack on July 6 happened on a beach popular with divers and surfers at Mfazazana, Kwa-Zulu Natal province, 60 miles south of Durban.

A National Sea Rescue Institute spokesman confirmed that a 37-year-old local man had been reported missing “following a shark incident that involved 3 local fishermen”.

They said: “We and the SA police and the Water Policing and Diving Services unit were told a man disappeared under the water after a shark surfaced where he was netting.

“It appears that at least one friend attempted to intervene but it is believed that he was confronted by at least 2 sharks in the surf and he retreated to the shoreline.

“It is believed the sharks were feeding on a school of sardines at the time. A large scale search is underway but so far no sign of the missing man has been found”.

In the last 25 years, 37 people have been killed by sharks off the coast of South Africa – with the last being restaurateur Kimon Bisogno, 39, in September 2022.

Officials accuse Trump of ‘unlawful and unconstitutional’ use of National Guard in latest effort to stop deployment.

Illinois has become the latest state to launch legal action in hopes of blocking United States President Donald Trump from deploying the National Guard.

The lawsuit filed on Monday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the city of Chicago officials came just hours after a federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked Trump from sending the National Guard to the state’s largest city, Portland.

Trump has sought to expand the use of the US military during his second term, including to aid in domestic immigration and law enforcement. That has come amid a wider effort to portray Democratic-run cities as violence-ridden and lawless.

In a post on X, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker decried Trump’s latest plan, which would involve federalising 300 of the state’s National Guard troops and deploying another 400 from Texas, as “unlawful and unconstitutional”.

Attorney General Raoul said US citizens “should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly for the reason that their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor “.

Since taking office in January, Trump has already deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in the state of California and the federal district of Washington, DC, and has floated sending troops to at least eight other major cities.

In September, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration ” wilfully ” broke federal law by deploying guard troops to Los Angeles amid protests over immigration raids.

In the Oregon case, Judge Karin Immergut temporarily blocked Trump’s plan to deploy 200 National Guard troops from neighbouring California, saying anti-immigration enforcement protests there “did not pose a danger of rebellion”.

Karin also chided the Trump administration for appearing to disregard an order she had issued just a day earlier.

“Aren’t defendants simply circumventing my order?” she said on Sunday. “Why is this appropriate?”

Under US law, the US military cannot be used for domestic law enforcement unless the president deems the situation an insurrection and invokes the insurrection act. However, the National Guard can be used in a support capacity for federal law enforcement agents in some instances.

Despite the legal setbacks, Trump has remained defiant.

Speaking to US military commanders last week, Trump referred to “civil disturbances” as the “enemy within”. He further vowed to straighten out US cities “one by one”.

In one particularly remarkable statement, Trump said: “We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military”.

Beyond the National Guard, the Trump administration has surged federal law enforcement and immigration agents to cities across the country.

In Chicago, protesters have frequently rallied near an immigration facility outside of the city, where they arrested 13 people on Friday.

On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said that federal agents shot a woman in Chicago’s southwest.

A department statement said the shooting happened after Border Patrol agents patrolling the area “were rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars”. The woman, who survived the shooting, was taken into federal custody soon afterwards .

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.

A THREE-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after a horror van crash.

The tot was walking in a car park in Bournemouth, when a blue Vauxhall Vivaro hit him on Saturday.

Dorset Police were called to the scene, in Landsdowne Road, at 12.35pm.

Paramedics rushed the three-year-old to hospital with serious injuries.

His family is being supported by specialist officers.

No arrests have been made and the van driver is assisting officers with the investigation, said the force.

Sergeant Richard Stroud, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “Our thoughts are with the young boy involved in this incident and his family.

“Our enquiries into what happened remain ongoing and I would urge anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information that might assist our investigation, to please contact us.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police online, via email at [email protected] or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55250147249.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online using its website or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.

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A DEVASTATED family ripped apart by the death of their beloved son in the Idaho murder tragedy was forced to quickly move on from unimaginable heartbreak in less than five months for the sake of their surviving children. 

Ethan Chapin, 20, was a triplet and one of Bryan Kohberger’s four victims in the sickening University of Idaho knife attack in November 2022.

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Brave mom, Stacy, opened up her heart to The U.S. Sun at Crimecon last month about the nightmare of dealing with her beloved, fun-loving son being murdered with the world at his feet. 

She stressed that even though sick Kohberger will rot behind bars for the rest of his life after eventually pleading guilty to the savage killings of Ethan, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle, her family aren’t interested in the reasons why. 

But Stacy, who has thrown herself into vitally important advocacy work in the wake of her son’s shocking death, has revealed there was no time for her and husband Jim to wallow in misery. 

With Ethan’s brother and sister, Maizie and Hunter, who were on campus on that fateful evening, recently completing their own studies, the couple made the decision to somehow come to terms with the tragedy and move on for the sake of the remaining triplets’ future.

She says a heart-heart with Jim over a cup of morning coffee helped them realize that the best way forward was to “just get up and live life.”

They will never forget their beloved son, who they joked was minoring in Bud Light Lime and Taco Bell.

But with his brother and sister needing their parents more than ever to deal with the aftermath of Ethan’s senseless killing, Stacy and Jim vowed to honor his memory by ensuring Maizie and Hunter have their unconditional attention and support. 

“We just decided that you can lose yourself in grief, “ Stacy told The U.S. Sun.

“We had to do that for Ethan’s siblings. They didn’t deserve parents who had potentially gone in the tank or lost themselves. 

“We made a decision on a day in March of 2023 that we couldn’t change the outcome, and we had to still live our life and be great parents to Maizie and Hunter, giving them the best life they deserved.”

BRAVE FACE

The Chapin’s were the only family to abstain from attending Kohberger’s sentencing hearing earlier this summer.

They didn’t want to subject themselves to any more pain. 

Once the deranged Washington State graduate admitted to his heinous crimes, that at least removed the prospect of Ethan’s brother and sister having to take the stand and retrace the moments leading up to the sickening murders in a potential retrial.

Kohberger has never revealed why he cut short the lives of the four students. 

Stacy admits she won’t waste any time wondering why. 

The agony remains and will never leave her. Seeing her children recover from the nightmare and thrive, however, fills her and husband with hope.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say there are still tough moments,” Stacy continued. 

“But even now, every day feels like we’re a little bit closer to our new normal, whatever that looks like. Our kids are doing great. 

“They’ve also persevered in a way that amazes me as a mom. They were there that day. They all went to college together; they spent every second together.

“The fact that they went back to school and graduated and are now looking at their careers. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Kohberger avoided the death penalty upon pleading guilty on July 23 and was hit with four consecutive life sentences. 

The full details of Bryan Kohberger’s sentence

On July 23, 2025, Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Bryan Kohberger to the following:

• Count 1: Burglary – 10 years fixed, zero years in determinate. $50,000 fine.
• Count 2: First-degree murder of Madison Mogen: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.
• Count 3: First-degree murder of Kaylee Goncalves: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.
• Count 4: First-degree murder of Xana Kernodle: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.
• Count 5: First-degree murder of Ethan Chapin: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.

The sentencings will run consecutively to one another.

ALWAYS REMEMBERED

While the Chapins stayed away from court, Ethan was on their mind. Stacy posted an emotional message on social media declaring her late son would “forever” be in their hearts.

His name will also shine on through Ethan’s Smile Foundation, which was established by the family to honor his memory. 

It aims to showcase “his love of life, people and new adventures” by providing scholarships for fellow students to “follow their dreams.”

“Ethan’s love for life was boundless. With a booming laugh and infectious smile, he spread joy to all who were fortunate enough to know him. Ethan was our storyteller, hard worker, and friend-maker,” Stacy and Jim declared on the foundation website.

‍“In the wake of his absence, the foundation was born—a tribute to Ethan’s unwavering passion for life. Our mission is simple yet profound: to carry forward the legacy of Ethan by providing scholarships that enable others to follow their dreams.

‍“In every corner we venture, in every heart we touch, we strive to keep the spirit of Ethan alive, reminding ourselves and others of the adventures and kindness that life has to offer.”

Stacy has also begun to foster a strong relationship with cutting-edge forensics company Othram, who helped accelerate the process of proving Kohberger’s guilt.

The Texas based specialists were able to extract DNA from the tan leather knife sheaf which was found in the room of Goncalves following the killings.

Investigators believe she was the first victim, with Kohberger leaving it behind after her friends came back to check on her wellbeing. 

“Myself and Jim are a team,” Stacy concluded. “To have closure means the world to us.”

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FORMER World Cup star Omar Bravo has been arrested on suspicion of child sex abuse.

The 66-time Mexico striker, 45, was cuffed during an operation in his homeland.

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According to the Associated Press, police arrested Bravo in the municipality of Zapopan.

And the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office declared that investigations indicate he allegedly “abused a teenage girl on several occasions in recent months.”

It’s also claimed Bravo may have “committed similar acts before.”

The former Mexico star is now expected to appear in court “soon” while the investigation continues.

Bravo is regarded as one of his nation’s best forwards in the 21st century.

He burst through the ranks at Guadalajara.

And Bravo ended up playing 382 times for them across three separate spells, scoring 132 times in the process.

He also spent time playing in the US with Sporting Kansas City, North Carolina and Phoenix Rising.

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In total, Bravo made 536 career appearances, netting 169 goals.

He also scored 15 times in 66 games for Mexico between 2003 and 2013, starring for them at the 2006 World Cup.

Bravo retired from playing in 2020.

And he later had a brief spell as a manager, taking charge of Arizona Monsoon FC in 2024.

The Associated Press adds that a lawyer for Bravo “could not be immediately reached.”

On Nov. 26, 1983, six men robbed a warehouse serving London’s Heathrow Airport. Hoping to find £1 million worth of foreign currency, they found instead 6,800 gold bars, worth £26 million in 1983 money — a record-setting robbery at the time — under the temporary supervision of Brink’s-Mat. (A union of the American security firm and a British transport outfit.) This event has been transmuted into “The Gold,” an involving British drama premiering here Sunday on PBS.

The robbery itself takes up little screen time; the question on the criminal side becomes how to turn three tons of gold into cash, and for the police, one of recovering the loot and bringing the villains to justice. The cops and the criminals overlap here and there, a point screenwriter Neil Forsyth does not want you to miss, and is a particular bee in the bonnet of upright Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Boyce (Hugh Bonneville), self-contained but always ready to speak his mind. (He is also “infuriated” by what people get wrong about jazz, which he likens to police work.)

Recruited by Boyce to a special task force are detectives Tony Brightwell (Emun Elliott), historical, and Nicki Jennings (a charismatic Charlotte Spencer), invented, who are good company for the viewer and generally for each other, though as people who spend long hours sitting together in cars waiting for something to happen, they have their moments of friction, played for humor. As a created character, Jennings — who, as a woman, has to outline the many steps and hard work it took to achieve her position — offers an opportunity for emotional elaboration, notably in scenes (affectionate, prickly) with her father, Billy (Danny Webb), “by a country mile the worst villain in England,” his criminal career sidelined by ill health.

Though one of the actual robbers, Micky McAvoy (Adam Nagaitis), gets a good deal of attention, the bulk of the series involves three criminals subsequently processing the gold and laundering the money. Kenneth Noye (Jack Lowden) is “a fence with protection,” owing to his friendship with police officers through membership in the Masons. (When Boyce brings Jennings and Brightwell onto his team, he sets the rules as “no overtime, no drinking at lunchtime, no freemasonry.”) John Palmer (Tom Cullen), a dyslexic dealer in gold and jewelry, has a handy portable smelter in his yard. And the invented Edwyn Cooper (Dominic Cooper), an up-from-the-streets solicitor with posh airs and a rich wife whose snooty parents treat him with barely disguised disdain, finds himself working for “a group of businessmen who have a lot of money that needs to be made respectable,” in the words of liaison Gordon Parry (Sean Harris, sinister).

Stretched over six episodes, it’s not a speedy telling, and, in fact, a second series covering a long tail of aftermath has already aired in the U.K. Apart from some surveillance, tailing suspects, one fatal encounter and an occasional chase, there’s little in the way of capital-A Action, mostly just a lot of talk — inquisitive, instructive, threatening, discursive, domestic or speechifying. Though the production is naturalistic — in a way that ties it to an earlier, golden era of British productions — the dialogue can sound highly composed. Characters are given little monologues, often to explain how they became the person they are, that play as the sort of thing that might occur late in the last act of a stage drama: Jennings found the sirens outside her window comforting, which led her to police work, “so that kids like me will be safe”; Boyce had a life-changing moment involving a pair of red leather shoes while fighting in the so-called Cypriot Emergency. Some dialogue might have been lifted whole from a 1930s gangster film. Critiques of British class structure and bad actors within the police department are raised high enough to be impossible to miss.

There are a lot of moving parts in “The Gold,” represented in sometimes brief alternating scenes, and it may take a while, among the crooks, at least, to get a handle on things, to sort out where you are, who’s who, who’s married to whom, and what part each plays in the caper. Though Noye is arrogant enough to root against, Forsyth wants to show, as much as each character allows, the just-folks elements of his bad guys, psychologically relatable sorts who have, from early experience, a lack of opportunity, or a certain kind of genius, decided that the path to freedom is best paved with other people’s money. (“If it wasn’t for people trying trying to break out of the lives they’ve been given,” observes Boyce of his country’s social stratification, the police would be out of a job.) This may be soft-pedaling matters somewhat — to read the historical accounts might give you a different picture — but as drama it pays dividends.

As a period piece, it doesn’t oversell the era. There are old cars, of course, and more mustaches than we are currently accustomed to. But apart from the pop songs that run over the end credits, nothing screams These Are the ’80s. (Compare, for example, the “Life on Mars” sequel, “Ashes to Ashes.”) It’s more a question of what isn’t there. The detectives have a computer, but only Brightwell has an idea of what it’s for or how to use it. No cellphones, but there are walkie-talkies. A tracking device, apparently the only one in all of British law enforcement, has to be imported from Belfast (and sneakily at that). There is a refreshing absence of guns — none of those Kevlar-clad teams going in with pistols raised. (Just truncheons.) And the remodeling of East London into a gentrified glass forest, a minor plot point, has only just begun.

It’s like a vacation from now, and who can’t use one of those?

A shocking murder rocks South Korea when a young woman, obsessed with true crime stories, kills a random stranger to satisfy her darkest curiosity. But how can fascination with real-life murder cases spiral into deadly actions?

Are true crime podcasts and shows fueling dangerous fantasies? Can constant exposure to violence blur the line between entertainment and reality? We investigate the chilling case, examine the media’s responsibility, and ask: Does true crime content do more harm than good?

In this episode:
-Dr. Alex Taek-Gwang Lee, professor of cultural studies at Kyong Hee University
-Craig Wainwright, victim of false allegations

AN EX-girlfriend of the Manchester synagogue attacker was forced to watch Isis terror videos, she has claimed.

Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, unleashed terror outside Manchester’s Heaton Park synagogue on Thursday, leaving two dead and three more in hospital.

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The seven-minute knife rampage took place on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar – Yom Kippur – with the killer then shot dead by cops.

A former partner has now claimed she was groomed by Al-Shamie and forced into a “controlling relationship”.

The pair, who met on a Muslim dating app, were in a relationship for four months before she left him over his extremist views, and moved from the UK.

She claimed Al-Shamie told her he wanted to join Isis and also pressured her to become “dedicated to the cause”.

She said: “He used to sit there and make me watch videos – like extreme videos – that I had no interest in.

“I am Muslim and of course I love to learn more. But this stuff was things that I have been raised to not agree with.

“He used to always say I was taught the wrong way and I wasn’t taught right. He was basically just trying to groom me into what he thought.”

Meanwhile, as reported by The Mail on Sunday, it has been revealed one of the women arrested by cops over the synagogue attack was an NHS Mental health peer support worker.

The 46-year-old is a white British woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, and neighbours claimed she had recently converted to Islam.

“I was doing such a course, and she told me she was a peer support worker herself,” said one local.

“She said she travelled to Manchester for her shifts at a hospital.”

Al-Shamie is also believed to have been married to a British Pakistani woman in Manchester.

It is understood they share a two-year-old child, but are no longer in a relationship.

A former friend of Al-Shamie also revealed he was teenage drop-out who smoked weed and was obsessed with violent video game Street Fighter.

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The friend told The Sun on Sunday that killer Al-Shamie would smoke around 2g of strong skunk a day when he was a teen and frequently felt the wrath of his parents.

And he said he spent hours in his bedroom playing the computer game using the name “Jiji”.

His obsession led to Al-Shamie dropping out of Liverpool John Moores University a year into his English, media and cultural studies degree course in 2011.

The former pal said: “He was a bit of a rebellious wild child. He got into a lot of trouble with his parents. He used to smoke cannabis from an early age.

“He would spend a lot of time practising Street Fighter, like obsessively practising this computer game. He was very good at it, to the point where he competed a couple of times in competitions.”

The source added: “It was probably why he dropped out of uni.

“He was spending too much time smoking weed, working out and playing video games.”

He added: “His personality type, he would latch on to one thing and get buried deep into it. The only thing I can think of is that he’s done that but with radical religion.”

Al-Shamie, whose name is said to translate as “struggle of the Syrian” became “reclusive” after dropping out of education and started to practice Islam around 2018.

Neighbours said he would spend his time lifting weights in his garage or wander around in his pyjamas and flip flops.

The pal, who lost touch with him, said: “I heard he became a bit reclusive and appeared to be very into his faith, which surprised me as he was never that kind of guy.

“There were some concerns about his mental health. I don’t know if he ever got professional help.”

He said he was worried Al-Shamie would go down a “rabbit hole”, adding: “He had an addictive personality. My suspicion is that he ended up self-radicalising.”

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Al-Shamie moved to the UK from Syria with his family when he was a young child and was granted British citizenship in 2006.

His father Faraj is a trauma doctor who later divorced his mother Formoz and moved to France.

This comes as four people arrested in connection with the synagogue terror attack will remain in custody for extra questioning.

Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed in the rampage before Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed cops.

Six people have now been arrested on terror charges following the chaos.

Cops confirmed they have been granted custody extensions to hold four people detained in connection with the attack on the Crumpsall synagogue for a longer amount of time.

Two men, aged 30 and 32, as well as a 61-year-old woman arrested in Farnworth will remain in custody for “up to a further five days”.

The force added how an 18-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man, also arrested in Farnworth, remain in custody for questioning.

Greater Manchester Police said: “We have been granted warrants of further detention for four individuals currently in custody.

“This means they can remain in custody for up to a further five days.

“Everyone in custody has been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.”

Everyone in custody has been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.

Al-Shamie first drove into worshippers at the Heaton Park synagogue at 9.30am on Thursday morning.

He also stabbed terrified members of the public while wearing a fake “bomb vest” – killing Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53.

Four others were injured in the horror.

Counter-terrorism officers have since revealed the attacker was likely influenced by “extreme Islamist ideology”.

A statement from Greater Manchester Police read: “We believe Al-Shamie may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology.

“Establishing the full circumstances of the attack is likely to take some time.  

“We have now arrested three further people, one man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s.

“This brings the number of people in custody arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism to six.”

Al-Shamie was not known counter-terrorism agencies but had previous convictions.

It is not known when the alleged rape took place but the attacker was under investigation by Greater Manchester Police at the time.

GMP confirmed to The Sun Online al-Shamie was arrested but had been released pending investigation.

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United States President Donald Trump has authorised the deployment of 300 National Guard troops to Chicago, issuing the order after weeks of threatening to do so over the objections of local leaders.

“President Trump has authorised 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said on Saturday.

“President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”

Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker announced Trump’s plan earlier Saturday after US Border Patrol personnel shot an armed woman in Chicago.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement Saturday that no law enforcement officers were seriously injured in the incident in which a group, including the shot woman, rammed cars into vehicles used by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

The woman, a US citizen who was not identified, drove herself to the hospital, according to the statement. No additional information was immediately available about the woman’s condition. ICE agents fired pepper spray and loaded rubber bullets as part of heated clashes with protesters on Saturday.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a post on X that she was sending additional “special operations” to control the scene in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighbourhood.

Pritzker said the guard received word from the Pentagon in the morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago.

“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.” ​

A spokesperson for the governor’s office said she could not provide additional details. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about Pritzker’s statement.

People in the Chicago area have staged repeated protests condemning the stepped-up federal presence. On Friday, police scuffled with hundreds of protesters outside an ICE facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview.

On multiple occasions, demonstrators sitting on the ground attempting to block ICE vehicles from carrying detainees into the facility have been repelled by heavily armed ICE agents using physical force, chemical munitions and rubber bullets, evoking combat scenes.

Protesters have decried what they call similar heavy-handed policing in other Democratic-run cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Portland.

Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to help Memphis police.

California Governor Gavin Newsom sued to stop the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed the ruling that the use of the guard was illegal, and a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated that it believes the government is likely to prevail.

Pritzker called Trump’s move in Illinois a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state’s National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs.

“For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” said the governor, who also noted that state, county and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of ICE’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago.

Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people protesting on Friday near the facility, which has been frequently targeted during the administration’s surge in immigration enforcement this fall.

Judge blocks Portland deployment

A federal judge in Oregon has temporarily blocked Trump’s administration from deploying the National Guard in Portland.

Trump said last month that he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city “war-ravaged”. But local officials have suggested that many of his claims and social media posts appear to rely on images from 2020, when demonstrations and unrest gripped the city following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

US District Judge Karin Immergut issued the order Saturday in a lawsuit brought by the state and city.

The US Department of Defense had said it was placing 200 members of Oregon’s National Guard under federal control for 60 days to protect federal property at locations where protests are occurring or likely to occur after Trump called the city “war-ravaged.”

Oregon officials said that description was ludicrous. The US ICE building in the city has recently been the site of nightly protests, which typically drew a couple dozen people in recent weeks before the deployment was announced.

COPS have launched a hate crime investigation after reports of a suspected arson attack at a mosque.

CCTV footage shows two men with face coverings pull up to the Peacehaven Community Mosque, in East Sussex, on Saturday night.

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The video appears to reveal one yob, wearing a black jacket, walking up the front steps holding a green container.

He appears to douse the entrance steps with an accelerant before they go up in flames.

Within seconds the car has also turned into a fire ball.

A man who was inside the mosque runs out in terror, seeking safety.

It is not known how many people were in the building when the inferno was sparked.

Fire crews were called out to the chaotic scene and a large police presence remains in the area.

Footage from the scene shows a burnt-out vehicle being dampened by firemen.

A member of the Mosque told The Sun Online: “There was an attack on the mosque, a few individuals came with balaclavas on and blew up a vehicle outside the mosque and set the front a light.”

“It was a targeted attack,” he claimed.

“There’s a large police presence here now.”

Sussex Police Detective Superintendent Karrie Bohanna said: “This is a fast-moving investigation, and we are urging anyone with relevant information to report it to us.

“This includes anyone with CCTV, ring doorbell, dashcam, and mobile phone footage in the area at the time.

“We understand the concerns this has caused within the community, and the impact that will be felt by the Muslim community as a result.

“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.

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

“If you have concerns for your safety or experience any hate or criminal behaviour, please speak to an officer or contact us online or by calling 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency.”

Anyone with information about the arson can report it to Sussex Police online or on 101, quoting Operation Spey.

Alternatively contact CrimeStoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.

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More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

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A SHAKESPEAREAN twist of fate brought two lovers together again, more than a decade after they first crossed paths.

A Tennessee woman who ran away as a teenager fell in love with one of the police officers tasked with finding her.

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Roshin Ali was just 13 years old when she fled her family’s home in Jackson, fearing her father would kill her.

Police had just begun their search for the missing teen when she returned home the following day.

Roshin landed a job at the same sheriff’s department 12 years later, where she met Tyler Schrupp.

Unbeknownst to the pair, Tyler had been in the unit of police searching for Roshin all those years ago.

He later said he didn’t recognise her when she started working at the sheriff’s department, but he was immediately drawn to her.

“He wouldn’t stop staring at me, but literally wouldn’t say a word at all,” Roshin said.

Tyler said he had been “kind of nervous” to talk to Roshin, because he “thought she was very beautiful”.

Eventually, Tyler mustered up the courage to say hello, and the two felt an immediate connection.

As their bond grew, Roshin started opening up about the trauma of her youth.

“We started putting the dates together and then she described the area,” Tyler said.

“That’s when I started to be like ‘Ok I was a part of that’. It’s crazy that back then I was looking for you, and now we’re sitting here talking.”

The pair are now engaged and share a five-month-old son.

Roshin shared the couple’s story to her TikTok account in July.

The story-time went viral, accumulating more than five million views.

Using a trending audio, she is shaking hands with Tyler, describing him as an “officer who went searching for me while missing”.

The video opened the floodgates to thousands of concerned comments asking if he had groomed her.

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In a follow up four-part series, Roshin, known as Roro Nicole on social media, set the record straight.

“Some of the comments were that he’s grooming me, he kidnapped me and I’ve been with him this whole time, [he] kept me in his basement,” she said.

In harrowing detail, Roshin told her story, beginning in 2010 when she was 13 years old.

Her father was a gambling addict who didn’t allow his children to leave the house.

He arrived home one day after losing all his money, threatening to kill Roshin and her siblings if he caught them outside.

“We immediately … ran into our bedroom because we were afraid that he was going to start beating on us like he normally does whenever he comes home upset,” she said in the video.

Her sister stood with her back against the closed bedroom door, with her feet jammed against the wall, keeping their father out of the room.

“He told my mom to go get a knife and then he began to try stab her through the door,” Roshin said.

Her father eventually got into the room, grabbed her sister by the hair and dragged her into their parent’s bedroom, where he began to beat her with a cable wire.

“We can literally hear her begging him not to kill her,” Roshin recounted.

“He duct taped her hands together, her legs together and then placed duct tape on her mouth so nobody could hear her screaming.

“The my mom walks into our room and she looks at us, and she goes ‘y’all are next'”.

Roshin and her brother fled the home, climbing out of their bedroom window to escape.

The pair ran to the nearest park, before their father called the police and reported them missing.

When police attended the family home, Roshin’s sister reported the savage assault.

Their parents were arrested, but only spent “a couple of days” behind bars.

Roshin and her brother, who was 12 at the time, were found the following day and placed into foster care with their two older siblings.

“I truly believe if it was not [for] me running away from the house that day and officers being involved, I don’t think that we’d still be here alive,” she said.

Tyler and Roshin – who plan to exchange vows in 2026 – said people are touched by their story.

“Somebody said he’s my hero,” Roshin said.

“And he is.”

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A MAN was brutally gunned down while smoking outside a cafe during a shocking attack at a luxury Spanish resort.

Brit holidaymakers watched on in horror as the 25-year-old was gunned down in Puerto Banus on the popular Costa del Sol yesterday.

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The victim was caught unawares and shot from close range in broad daylight as he spoke on the phone and smoked on the cafe terrace.

CCTV footage seemingly shows the gunman disguised as a tourist with a baseball cap.

The killer is believed to have got out of a car before targeting his victim.

He can be seen approaching his target before opening fire and continuing to shoot him as he lays on the ground.

The injured man was rushed to the nearby Costa del Sol Hospital, but sadly died hours later despite the efforts of medics to save his life.

Local cops confirmed last night they had made an arrest.

A spokesman for the National Police said: “We can confirm a 38-year-old man has been arrested over the fatal shooting of another man in Puerto Banus.

“The investigation is ongoing and we cannot offer any more details at this stage.”

Cops said they couldn’t comment on the nationalities of the victim and the man held.

Unconfirmed local reports are pointing to both the alleged killer and the victim being Swedish passport holders.

Although another report describes the gunman as Afghan-born.

The shooting happened just after 1.30pm yesterday, when Puerto Banus was bustling with tourists.

Police confirmed the victim died at around 8.15pm local time.

This follows earlier reports he had been shot half a dozen times but was still alive and in hospital.

Shootings in Puerto Banus and surrounding areas over the past few summers have led to high-profile police operations.

This includes a number of raids on upmarket clubs following criticism from locals the port area has become like the ‘Wild West’.

Last June, Manchester City star Erling Haaland was caught up in a dramatic police raid at a beach club called Playa Padre in Marbella.

The Norwegian was filmed putting his hands into his pocket to pull out his ID after cops in balaclavas demanded to know who he was.

The surprise raid resulted in the arrest of an Iranian fugitive.

One of the shootings last year in Puerto Banus included a March 11 attack on British-run eatery La Sala.

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It led to the arrests in April of a British man and Irish national described by police as having links to organised crime.

Contract killers from Sweden have been blamed for an bout of violence around Europe, including the Costa del Sol.

Marbella has been dubbed the ‘United Nations of Crime’ because of the number of violent gangs operating there.

Bomb blasts on the famous coast in October 2018 led to the arrests of three ‘hitmen’ in Sweden and Marbella.

In a statement, Spanish National Police revealed the blasts had been linked to a criminal organistion of contract killers.

It read: “The investigations… linked the incidents to a criminal organisation of contract killers based in Sweden.

“This organisation is believed to be behind a number of violent incidents in Sweden in which explosives have been used.

“Several members of the organisation, all aged between 20 and 30, were identified and evidence established linking them to the bomb blasts.

“Two were in the Swedish city of Malmo where they were arrested in a well-planned police operation.

“The third individual was held in Marbella.”

The so-called Mocro Maffia have also been identified as a problem on the Costa del Sol.

A 17-year-old Belgian youngster working for the feared organisation was arrested last month.

The teen was accused of flying to the resort of Fuengirola to assassinate a Dutchman next to a cannabis club in December last year.

Police have described it as the first case in Spain in which an underage hitman was the main suspect.

Kerry Katona claimed she had U-turned on a decision to move to the famous Costa del Sol resort with her family.

She changed her mind on moving with then-fiancé Ryan Mahoney because she no longer felt safe following the violent incidents there.

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UK police are urging organisers to cancel a pro-Palestine protest set to take place in London this weekend after Thursday’s deadly synagogue attack. Activists say the attack should not be conflated with protests over Israel’s genocidal war.

Despite his notoriety Ed Gein was not really a serial killer

The latest true crime series now streaming on Netflix revisits one of the most notorious real-life horror tales of all time. The horrifying story has even served as inspiration for a number of iconic horror movies.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is now available for streaming on the streaming platform. Gein is not only remembered for his confirmed crimes, as well as a number of others he is suspected of having carried out, but also the shocking discoveries made at his home.

But who were Ed Gein’s victims? What were his crimes? And what happened following his trial? Here’s all you need to know.

How many people did Ed Gein kill?

Despite his notoriety, Ed Gein cannot really be classed as a serial killer, unlike many of the characters he may have inspired, having only confessed to two murders. These included 58-year-old Plainfield hardware store owner Bernice Worden, who disappeared from her place of work in November 1957.

While the business saw just a few customers during the day, Bernice’s son, Deputy Sheriff Frank Worden, went into the store around 5pm and found the cash register open with blood stains on the floor. Gein was reported to be expected to return to the store that morning for some anti-freeze – and a sales slip for the killer was the last receipt written by Bernice on the morning she disappeared.

Gein was arrested and officers searched his farm, where they found Bernice’s body, decapitated and hung upside down like a deer in a shed. It was determined she had been shot before being mutilated.

Gein also admitted that he shot 51-year-old tavern owner Mary Hogan, who had been reported missing on December 8, 1954. Her head was found in Gein’s home, but he later claimed he could not remember details of the killing.

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What were Ed Gein’s other crimes?

Gein also admitted to stealing from at least nine graves. He told authorities he made around 40 trips to cemeteries, digging up bodies and turning parts from them into various items that were found in his home.

Some of these included bowls made out of skulls, lampshades and masks made of skin, and a belt made of nipples. He also made a suit made of skin, which many believe was supposed to resemble Gein’s mother. However, he denied ever having sex with any of the bodies.

Was Ed Gein suspected of other murders?

Ed Gein was linked with a number of other suspicious deaths. He was a suspect in seven unsolved cases.

This included two children who went missing. Georgia Jean Weckler, eight, and Evelyn Grace Hartley, 14, disappeared when babysitting. There were also neighbours who vanished, including James Walsh, 32. Gein had carried out chores for James’ wife following her husband’s disappearance.

However, Gein passed lie detector tests when confronted with these cases. Psychiatrists also claimed Gein’s violence and crimes were only directed towards women who physically resembled his mother.

What happened to Ed Gein?

While charged with first degree murder in 1957, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and declared unfit for trial. He was sent to the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

But in 1968, doctors decided he was able to stand trial, which lasted just one week and was held without a jury. A psychiatrist testified and claimed Gein told him he did not know if Bernice Worden’s death was accidental or not.

A second trial took place over Gein’s sanity. A judge ruled he was “not guilty by reason of insanity” and ordered him committed to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Ed Gein died at the Mendota Mental Health Institute due to respiratory failure, on July 26, 1984, aged of 77.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is streaming on Netflix.