demonstrator

A young protester gripped at the collar of his shirt, a desperate attempt to keep his airway clear as a Department of Homeland Security agent dragged him into a federal building in Santa Ana Friday, according to a statement he released to a social justice organization.

The protester, a 21-year-old who asked to only be identified as K, had been hit by a nonlethal round fired by an agent only feet away. He saw his blood pooling beneath him – “dark and thick,” and wider than his head.

K pleaded with agents to call an ambulance, he said in the statement. Instead, the agents taunted him, “laughing at the fact that I would never get to see out of my left eye again,” he said.

Rue El Amar, a friend of K’s, read the statement on his behalf during a press conference Tuesday, held by Dare to Struggle, a social justice organization that K is involved with, in front of the Santa Ana city jail.

Demonstrators had gathered in front of federal offices in Santa Ana Friday to protest the fatal shooting in Minnesota of Renee Good. K was injured and another protester, Skye Jones, was taken into custody.

Video footage of the incident shows three agents approaching the group before one agent tries to take a young person into custody, prompting at least three demonstrators to try to intervene.

The video then shows at least one agent firing nonlethal rounds at the crowd, before aiming and shooting a protester in the face. K drops to the ground after being shot, holding his face as the crowd retreats.

K remained in the hospital as of Tuesday afternoon, as they await a police report that can identify what type of metal was in the rounds used. His doctors are concerned about neurotoxins from the bullet, he said.

Rue El Amar holds a sign during a press conference about a young protester who was left blind in one eye after a Department of Homeland Security agent fired a less-lethal round at demonstrators.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

“I pleaded with him, call an ambulance,” El Amar read. “I thought I was going to bleed out on the floor of the federal building with the DHS officer holding my head down to the ground like a trophy.”

K is now completely blind in his left eye, his tear duct was destroyed and the “flaps of my eye are barely holding on,” he said. Doctors found pieces of plastic and glass in his skull as well as metal in his stomach lining, and “pulled a piece of plastic the size of a nickel from my eye,” he said.

A piece of metal is lodged only millimeters from his carotid artery, which could have killed him. Doctors were unable to remove some of the shrapnel from his skull and he “will have to live with metal pieces there for the rest of my life,” he said.

“I focused on the voices of the people, the voices of my friends and comrades, I believe that’s what kept me alive, hearing them continue the fight despite how aggressive our oppressors were,” K said.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary with the Department of Homeland Security, previously told The Times that a “mob of 60 rioters threw rocks, bottles and fireworks at law enforcement officers outside of the federal building.”

A spokesperson for the Santa Ana Police Department said the only violence they were aware of that night were demonstrators tossing orange cones at the agents.

Connor Atwood, a member of Dare to Struggle who was present during the incident, said he didn’t witness bottles or rocks being thrown toward agents. Some firecrackers were set off near the sidewalk but away from the building entrance, he said.

Jones, who also spoke during the press conference, was arrested during the incident and held for nearly three days until being released yesterday, they said during the press conference. Jones said they weren’t told the charges against them until the morning of their release.

Jones said they hope Friday’s incident makes people “open their eyes” to the violence committed by immigration against against “innocent civilians who are just trying to protect their neighbors and friends,” they said.

“When confronting those who enforce ICE terror, they will snatch us out of a crowd. They will shoot us point blank with pepper ball bullets, and they will throw us to the ground,” Jones said. “Repression is inevitable when demanding justice, so we must not cower at it.”

Staff Writer Ruben Vives contributed to this report.

The U.S. Army has released the first images showing parts of the design of a very early prototype of the next-generation iteration of the Abrams tank, or M1E3. The service had earlier confirmed to TWZ that it had received the tank last month, meeting its previously stated end-of-year delivery goal.

The M1E3 images were first shared today through Army social media accounts. Defense Daily had first reported that the tank had been delivered as planned back in December.

“We’re proud to announce the completion of the first M1E3 early prototype — a cutting-edge technology demonstrator designed to revolutionize the battlefield,” a post on Instagram accompanying the images reads. “Produced by Roush and powered by lessons learned from earlier risk reduction activities, this prototype showcases the Army’s commitment to speed, agility, and Soldier-centric solutions.”

“Key highlights” are said to include “advanced software integration,” “enhanced mobility,” and “unmatched lethality.”

“This milestone proves the Army’s ability to rapidly apply lessons learned and deliver enabling technologies to Soldiers faster than ever before,” the Instagram post continues. “Testing kicks off in early 2026, and we can’t wait to see the results!”

An Army spokesperson also provided an extremely similar statement directly to TWZ back in December.

“The Army has completed the first M1E3 early prototype as a technology demonstrator. The Army-led design was produced by Roush and incorporates lessons learned from earlier risk reduction activities,” they told us. “This activity is about moving with speed – showing that the Army can apply lessons learned and getting key enabling technologies (software, mobility and lethality) into the hands of Soldiers quickly. Testing will begin in early 2026.”

The two M1E3 images available currently, seen earlier in this story and in parts below, only offer limited views of the prototype. One of them is a partial view of the tank from the front. The other looks to offer another view of the front end, but from a forward-facing perspective along the side. It is also possible that both images may show the rear end of the tank with the turret facing backward. Without having a full view, it is not immediately clear.

From what can be seen of the turret, it looks similar in some respects to the ones found on existing M1 tank variants, but may also have at least a slightly lower overall profile. It also has a prominent sensor window to the left of the mantlet that is not found on other Abrams tanks.

The main gun looks to be similar, if not identical, at least externally, to the 120mm M256 that arms current-generation M1s. The possibility had been raised in the past that the newest iteration of the Abrams might come with a larger caliber or otherwise more advanced main gun, and this could still be a potential addition to the M1E3 as development progresses. The Army has confirmed its intent to add an autoloader, something the U.S. military and many other armed forces in the West have historically eschewed in tank designs. The M1E3’s complete armament package might otherwise expand, including with the ability to launch loitering munitions.

When it comes to the hull, what is seen of it looks to be substantially different from existing versions of the Abrams, regardless of whether it is being viewed from the front or the rear, with two prominent hatches. There is also what looks to be a camera that could be associated with a distributed vision system, as well as new LED lights. All M1 variants have a single hatch at the front for the driver, with the rest of the other three members of the crew situated in the turret. The rear end of the tanks is entirely defined by their gas turbine powerpacks.

Altogether, the images show a design that is also notably different from the AbramsX next-generation demonstrator that General Dynamics Land Systems, the current prime contractor for the M1, first unveiled in 2022.

AbramsX Technology Demonstrator on the Move

A lower-profile turret and a significant reorganization of crew positions are among the features that have long been expected to appear on the M1E3 prototype. The addition of an autolader would also allow the total number of crew members to be reduced from four to three. These are all changes that would help truncate the design overall, which, in turn, would help shave off valuable pounds, if not tons. Weight creep has been a major issue for the Abrams family since the original version entered service in the 1980s, with the latest M1A2 System Enhanced Package Version 3 (SEPv3) variant tipping the scales at some 78 tons. The Army has said previously that it is hoping to get that down to 60 tons on the M1E3.

The Army has also confirmed in the past that the M1E3 will have a new hybrid propulsion system and drive train, offering substantially better fuel economy than the gas turbine powerplant used on current Abrams tanks.

“It’ll be hybrid. It will not be fully electric,” Dr. Alex Miller, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Advisor for Science and Technology to the Chief of Staff of the Army, had told TWZ‘s Howard Altman on the sidelines of the Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) main annual conference last October. “We don’t want fully electric, because there’s no place to charge. You need the liquid fuel to actually generate power. But what we’re seeing, and I have not put this to the test, so this is just sort of the math behind it, is the way that they’re going to deliver it, it’ll be about 40 percent more fuel efficient.”

A more integrated active protection system (APS) is also set to be an important feature of the M1E3. A portion of the Army’s Abrams tanks have already received the Israeli-designed and combat-proven Trophy APS, but in an add-on form that has contributed to the aforementioned weight growth. An APS that is more streamlined and otherwise better optimized for the M1E3 could be lighter, as well as offer other benefits, including when it comes to the tank’s physical structure and power generation requirements. An APS with added functionality, especially one that can also be used to provide an extra layer of defense against the growing threat posed by drones, would also be desirable. A new version of Trophy specifically designed to be better capable of engaging uncrewed aerial systems was unveiled in 2024, but there are also other potential options in the growing APS market space.

Trophy® APS – The land maneuver enabler

As TWZ has previously written:

“The M1E3 is expected to feature a host of other advancements, including in terms of targeting capabilities and other onboard sensors, as well as networked communications systems. The Army’s current push to accelerate work on the next-generation tank puts heavy emphasis on modularity and open architectures to make it easier to integrate and refine capabilities during the development process, as well as incorporate improvements down the road.”

Feedback from experimentation with the early prototype the Army now has in hand will help the service refine and evolve those requirements. The service has also said it hopes to eventually acquire a full platoon’s worth of prototypes to further help in this regard.

“The reason we want to get the platoon out earlier is because we want the armor brigades to be able to tell us what works and what doesn’t,” Miller, the Army’s chief technologist, also told TWZ back in October. “And then, rather than wait three or four more years, do [sic] some feedback then, allow GD [General Dynamics] to make those changes, and then get the next iteration out the next year.”

“What we didn’t want to do is the first time that a tanker sees the new tank is [when] it’s done, you can’t change anything, and it’s six years from now,” he continued. We want to “get feedback for the seats. Get feedback for the gunnery. Get feedback for the autoloader.”

It is worth noting here that work on the M1E3 comes at a time when the general utility of tanks and other heavy armored vehicles in future conflicts is being heavily debated, including by the Army itself. The service announced last year that it was cancelling its plans to acquire 500 examples of the M10 Booker, a tracked light tank-like armored fire support vehicle with a 105mm main gun developed by GDLS and intended to support dismounted infantry units.

The Army’s New M10 Booker: Deploy Fast and Carry a Big Gun

More details about the current design and the Army’s future plans are likely to emerge as the service starts experimenting now with its first M1E3 early prototype.

Howard Altman contributed to this story.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Trump and top Iranian officials exchanged dueling threats Friday as widening protests swept across parts of the Islamic Republic, further escalating tensions between the countries after America bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June.

At least seven people have been killed so far in violence surrounding the demonstrations, which were sparked in part by the collapse of Iran’s rial currency but have increasingly seen crowds chanting anti-government slogans.

The protests, now in their sixth day, have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities.

Trump post sparks quick Iranian response

Trump initially wrote on his Truth Social platform, warning Iran that if it “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.”

“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump wrote, without elaborating.

Shortly after, Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, alleged on the social platform X that Israel and the U.S. were stoking the demonstrations. He offered no evidence to support the allegation, which Iranian officials have repeatedly made during years of protests sweeping the country.

“Trump should know that intervention by the U.S. in the domestic problem corresponds to chaos in the entire region and the destruction of the U.S. interests,” Larijani wrote on X, which the Iranian government blocks. “The people of the U.S. should know that Trump began the adventurism. They should take care of their own soldiers.”

Larijani’s remarks likely referenced America’s wide military footprint in the region. Iran in June attacked Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after the U.S. strikes on three nuclear sites during Israel’s 12-day war on the Islamic Republic. No one was injured though a missile did hit a radome there.

Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who previously was the council’s secretary for years, separately warned that “any interventionist hand that gets too close to the security of Iran will be cut.”

“The people of Iran properly know the experience of ‘being rescued’ by Americans: from Iraq and Afghanistan to Gaza,” he added on X.

Iran’s hard-liner parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf also threatened that all American bases and forces would be “legitimate targets.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also responded, citing a list of Tehran’s longtime grievances against the U.S., including a CIA-backed coup in 1953, the downing of a passenger jet in 1988 and taking part in the June war.

The Iranian response came as the protests shake what has been a common refrain from officials in the theocracy — that the country broadly backed its government after the war.

Trump’s online message marked a direct sign of support for the demonstrators, something that other American presidents have avoided out of concern that activists would be accused of working with the West. During Iran’s 2009 Green Movement demonstrations, President Barack Obama held back from publicly backing the protests — something he said in 2022 “was a mistake.”

But such White House support still carries a risk.

“Though the grievances that fuel these and past protests are due to the Iranian government’s own policies, they are likely to use President Trump’s statement as proof that the unrest is driven by external actors,” said Naysan Rafati, an analyst at the International Crisis Group.

“But using that as a justification to crack down more violently risks inviting the very U.S. involvement Trump has hinted at,” he added.

Protests continue Friday

Demonstrators took to the streets Friday in Zahedan in Iran’s restive Sistan and Baluchestan province on the border with Pakistan. The burials of several demonstrators killed in the protests also took place, sparking marches.

Online video purported to show mourners chasing off security force members who attended the funeral of 21-year-old Amirhessam Khodayari. He was killed Wednesday in Kouhdasht, over 250 miles southwest of Tehran in Iran’s Lorestan province.

Video also showed Khodayari’s father denying his son served in the all-volunteer Basij force of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, as authorities claimed. The semiofficial Fars news agency later reported that there were now questions about the government’s claims that he served.

Iran’s civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has been trying to signal it wants to negotiate with protesters. However, Pezeshkian has acknowledged there is not much he can do as Iran’s rial has rapidly depreciated, with $1 now costing some 1.4 million rials. That sparked the initial protests.

The protests, taking root in economic issues, have heard demonstrators chant against Iran’s theocracy as well. Tehran has had little luck in propping up its economy in the months since the June war.

Iran recently said it was no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program to ease sanctions. However, those talks have yet to happen as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have warned Tehran against reconstituting its atomic program.

Gambrell writes for the Associated Press.