Forensic teams work at the scene at Huntington railway station where a London bound train stopped after several people were stabbed in Huntington, Britain, on Sunday, November 2, 2025. Photo by Tayfun Salci/EPA
Nov. 3 (UPI) — One of two suspects arrested at the scene of the weekend’s mass stabbing on a British train has been released, according to British authorities who continue to investigate.
Eleven people were injured in the Saturday evening attack on a train in Cambridgeshire, located about 37 miles north of London.
Two people — a 32-year-old man and a 35-year-old man — were apprehended at the scene.
In a statement Sunday night, British Transport Police said the 35-year-old man has been released, with no further action required.
“It was reported in good faith to officers responding to the incident that he was involved in the attack, and following enquiries we can confirm that he was not involved,” authorities said.
The 32-year-old, who’s been described as a Black British national, remains in police custody on suspicion of attempted murder.
Police on Sunday night identified him as a Peterborough resident.
Authorities were notified of the stabbing at 7:42 p.m. local time Saturday on the train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross. The 32-year-old suspect is believed to have entered the train at the Peterborough station.
A knife was recovered from the scene.
Ten people were transferred by ambulance to the hospital while an 11th victim arrived later on their own.
Five of the victims have since been discharged, according to authorities that said of the six remaining hospitalized, one is in life-threatening condition.
Authorities identified the most severely injured victim as a member of the London North Eastern Railway.
Following a review of surveillance footage, authorities believe that if it were not for his actions, more people would have died.
“The actions of the member of rail staff were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved people’s lives,” Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said, though it was not clear what actions the employee took that saved lives.
David Horne, managing director of LNER, said the attack was “deeply upsetting” and that over the coming days they will continue to cooperate with authorities on their investigation.
In a statement on X, LNER said it expects to run a normal service on Monday.
The incident occurred just days after the British government announced it had seized a record number of knives — nearly 60,000 — from England and Wales through its new knife surrender scheme.
Knife homicides in Britain have fallen by nearly 20% while knife crime overall has dropped for the first time in four years, according to government statistics.
ANOTHER TikTok trend has taken off, this time featuring a combo of iconic tracks from different genres and eras.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Beez in the Trap trend, which is clocking up tens of millions of views and spawning hundreds of thousands of videos.
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One of the songs is a 2012 banger by Nicki MinajCredit: GettyThe other is a 4 Non Blondes hit from over two decades agoCredit: Getty
The original songs fuelling this trend come from different genres and eras – Nicki Minaj’s 2012 hip hop single Beez in the Trap and 4 Non Blondes’ 1993 alternative rock hit What’s Up.
Beez in the Trap, featuring rapper 2 Chainz, was released on May 29, 2012 as a single from her second studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.
Minaj said the phrase “I beez in the trap” means she’s always making money, as she explained on the Graham Norton Show when the song came out.
During the interview, Minaj clarified that “beez” is slang for “I am always” and “the trap” refers to any place where money is made.
The other single, 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up, was released on June 11, 1993 and went on to become one of the decade’s definitive rock anthems.
Written and sung by Linda Perry, the song’s rallying chorus of “what’s going on?” became ingrained in pop culture.
The mashup has brought both songs new attention on social media.
The clips usually begin with someone lip-syncing the opening line from What’s Up over the beat of Minaj’s track.
The focus then swaps to another participant, who delivers Minaj’s razor-sharp hook.
As of November 28, 2025, the trend has seen over 600,000 TikTok videos created.
It has been embraced by both of the original artists, with 4 Non Blondes’ Linda Perry telling Rolling Stone it is “ridiculous in all the best ways”.
Other major celebs taking part in the trend include rapper Ice Spice with PinkPanthress and Quen Blackwell, while Jennifer Lopez and former 4 Non Blondes singer Linda Perry – who sang the vocal on the original – have joined in on the fun.
Video appears to show mistakenly released hotel asylum seeker in Chelmsford
Police are continuing a manhunt for an asylum seeker who was mistakenly released from prison on Friday, weeks after being jailed for sexually assaulting a schoolgirl in Essex.
Ethiopian national Hadush Kebatu was meant to be sent to an immigration detention centre from HMP Chelmsford ahead of a planned deportation on Friday but Justice Secretary David Lammy said the 41-year-old is now “at large” in London.
Lammy said officers from the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police (BTP) and Essex Police were working together to trace Kebatu, who was jailed for 12 months in September.
Sir Keir Starmer described the release as “totally unacceptable”.
The prime minister said Kebatu “must be caught and deported for his crimes”, adding that police are “working urgently to track him down”.
Neil Hudson, the MP for Epping Forest, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that people in his constituency were “deeply distressed” by the release.
He continued: “This sounds like an operational error, but the buck has to stop somewhere, and it has to stop at the top, at the justice secretary, the home secretary and the prime minister.”
John Podmore – a former governor of HMP Brixton, Belmarsh and Swaleside, and a former prison inspector – said the process of moving prisoners is “fairly complicated” and he hoped a “lower down official is not thrown under the bus”.
“This is not one person making one decision, there should be checks by a range of people up and down the hierarchy,” Mr Podmore told Today.
“It should be seen in the context of wider failure. I am afraid this is what happens in a broken system and the prison system is broken. This is a symptom of a wider failure of the prison and the probation service”
Essex Police
Hadush Kebatu posed a “significant risk of reoffending”, the judge said during sentencing
The Prison Service has removed an officer from discharging duties while an investigation takes place.
Essex Police said Kebatu boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford station at 12:41 on Friday.
The force said it was informed by the prison services about “an error” at 12:57 on Friday.
A statement continued: “We understand the concern the public would have regarding this situation and can assure you we have officers working to urgently locate and detain him.”
Lammy said he was “appalled” and “livid on behalf of the public”.
He continued: “Let’s be clear Kebatu committed a nasty sexual assault involving a young child and a woman. And for those reasons this of course is very serious.”
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We are urgently working with police to return an offender to custody following a release in error at HMP Chelmsford.
“Public protection is our top priority, and we have launched an investigation into this incident.”
It is not clear where Kebatu was being deported to but under the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order must be made where a foreign national has been convicted of an offence and has received a custodial sentence of at least 12 months.
Kebatu’s arrest in July sparked protests outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, where he had been living after arriving in the UK on a small boat.
In September, Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard Kebatu tried to kiss a teenage girl on a bench and made numerous sexually explicit comments.
The following day, he encountered the same girl and tried to kiss her before sexually assaulting her. He also sexually assaulted a woman who had offered to help him draft a CV to find work.
During the trial, Kebatu gave his date of birth as December 1986, making him 38, but court records suggested he was 41.
He was found guilty of five offences and sentenced to 12 months. He was also given a five-year sexual harm prevention order, which banned him from approaching or contacting any female, and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
The court heard it was his “firm wish” to be deported.
In his sentencing remarks on 23 September, District Judge Christopher Williams said the time Kebatu had already spent in custody during his trial would count towards his sentence.
The judge added: “You will also be subject to an early release regime. The earliest date of your release will be calculated and you will be notified of this.”
Kebatu was arrested on 8 July and was released in error 108 days later and upon his release would have been eligible for a £76 discharge payment.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the release was a “level of incompetence that beggars belief”.
“Conservatives voted against Labour’s prisoner release program because it was putting predators back on our streets,” she said on X.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “He is now walking the streets of Essex. Britain is broken.”
A report from His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service said 262 prisoners in England and Wales were released in error between April 2024 and March 2025, up from 115 in the previous 12 months.
Video appears to show mistakenly released hotel asylum seeker in Chelmsford
Police have launched a manhunt after a former asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl was mistakenly released from prison.
Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was jailed for 12 months over the attack in Epping, Essex, last month.
Prison sources said Kebatu was meant to be sent to an immigration detention centre ahead of a planned deportation. An investigation has been launched by the Prison Service, and an officer has been removed from discharging duties while it takes place.
Essex Police said “fast-paced enquiries have shown that the man boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford Railway Station at 12:41 BST”.
Justice Secretary David Lammy said he was “appalled at the release in error at HMP Chelmsford”.
Speaking to the media, Lammy said Essex Police, the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police were working together on the case and conducting a joint manhunt.
“All hands are on deck… to use all intelligence to get him out of this country,” he said.
Lammy said he was “livid on behalf of the public” about the accidental release of the sex offender and former asylum seeker Hadush Kebatu”.
He confirmed Kebatu had boarded a train at about lunchtime and was “at large in London”. He also said a prison officer had been suspended.
A “full and immediate investigation” into the circumstances surrounding the release has been launched. He said the situation was “very serious”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Kebatu “must be caught and deported for his crimes”.
Essex Police
Kebatu’s arrest had sparked protests outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, where he had been living.
The following day, he encountered the same girl and tried to kiss her before sexually assaulting her. He also sexually assaulted a woman who had offered to help him create a CV to find work.
In September, after being found guilty of five offences, he was sentenced to 12 months and given a five-year sexual harm prevention order, which banned him from approaching or contacting any female.
During the trial, Kebatu gave his date of birth as December 1986, making him 38, but court records suggested he was 41.
He was also made to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
Stuart Woodward/BBC
Essex Police said the man had boarded a train heading into London about midday
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We are urgently working with police to return an offender to custody following a release in error at HMP Chelmsford.
“Public protection is our top priority, and we have launched an investigation into this incident.”
A spokesperson for Essex Police said it was informed by the prison services about “an error” to do with “the release of an individual” at 12:57.
“As a result of that, we have launched a search operation to locate them and are working closely with partner agencies,” they added.
“These fast-paced enquiries have shown that the man boarded a London-bound train at Chelmsford Railway Station at 12:41.
“We understand the concern the public would have regarding this situation and can assure you we have officers working to urgently locate and detain him.”
Writing in a post on X, Lammy said: “We are urgently working with the police to track him down, and I’ve ordered an urgent investigation.
“Kebatu must be deported for his crimes, not on our streets.”
Sir Keir said the mistaken release was “totally unacceptable”.
Writing on X, he added: “I am appalled that it has happened, and it’s being investigated.
“The police are working urgently to track him down, and my government is supporting them. This man must be caught and deported for his crimes.”
Israeli officials have confirmed that all 20 living captives have been released in Gaza. Under the terms of Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, this should trigger the release of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The US president told reporters that the bodies of Israelis who died in captivity in Gaza are ‘being unearthed’.
Published On 11 Oct 202511 Oct 2025
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Israelis held in Gaza by Hamas and other armed groups are slated to “come back” on Monday, United States President Donald Trump said, with 20 living captives and the bodies of 28 others who died in captivity due to be handed over as part of the US-backed ceasefire deal.
Speaking to reporters at the White House late on Friday, Trump said Monday will be “big” as Hamas exchanges all 48 Israeli captives, both living and deceased, for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
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“Some of those bodies are being unearthed right now, as we speak. They’re working on it right now,” Trump said.
“It’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy,” he said.
Of the living captives still held in Gaza, the US president added, “they’re in some pretty rough places, where only some people know where they are”.
Trump said he plans to travel to Cairo this weekend and separately speak at the Israeli Knesset before returning to the US.
Under the terms of the US-brokered peace deal for Gaza, Hamas agreed to release all captives within 72 hours following the start of a ceasefire.
Israel’s government ratified the ceasefire in the early hours of Friday, and it came into force later in the day. Israeli troops then began to withdraw from areas in Gaza to designated locations, and the countdown began on the 72 hours for Hamas to release captives.
Reports surfaced earlier this week that Hamas may struggle to locate and gather the remains of all the deceased captives, potentially complicating the planned exchange on Monday.
As Palestinians began to return to their war-torn homes on Friday amid the Israeli pullback, key questions about Gaza’s future remain uncertain – including plans for a future Palestinian state.
Trump, however, maintained an optimistic tone about both the first and later phases of his unfolding ceasefire plan.
Both Hamas and Israel, he said, are “all tired of fighting”.
“There is consensus on most of it and some of the details, like anything else, will be worked out,” Trump said.
“Because, you’ll find out that when you’re sitting in a beautiful room in Egypt, you know, it’s easy to work something out,” he said.
“But then sometimes it doesn’t work from a practical standpoint. But for the most part, there’s consensus,” he added.
The US president also appeared to be pleased with support for the deal from the European Union, Iran and Russia, saying that the peace plan will extend “beyond Gaza”.
“This is peace in the Middle East, and it’s a beautiful thing,” he said.
US President Donald Trump says the Hamas-held captives in Gaza will be released “Monday or Tuesday” as part of his ceasefire plan creating “peace in the Middle East”. He added it is time for the war to end after Israel’s “big retribution” to Hamas’s October 7th attack.
I KNEW The Life Of A Showgirl was going to be a massive album.
But Taylor Swift has exceeded all expectations by scoring the fastest-selling album of the year — before it’s even been released.
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Taylor Swift has exceeded all expectations by scoring the fastest-selling album of the year — before The Last Showgirl has even been releasedCredit: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
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Taylor’s 12th album will finally come out tomorrowCredit: AP
Music insiders tell me she has so many pre-orders for physical copies of her 12th album, which will finally come out tomorrow, that it is a dead cert for No1 next Friday.
And along with pre-save data from streaming services Spotify and Apple Music, it will instantly surpass Sam Fender’s record of the biggest single-week sales in 2025, which he set with 107,000 copies for February’s People Watching.
An industry source told me: “The reception from fans has been very impressive because the pre-orders for this album have been absolutely massive. She hasn’t even released a song from the album yet so it’s remarkable.
“No one can compete with her in terms of sales.”
READ MORE ON TAYLOR SWIFT
Spotify has said The Life Of A Showgirl is the most pre-saved album in the streaming service’s history, with more than 5.5million saving it to instantly appear on their accounts tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, Apple Music has said it is her most pre-added album ever, and she is the most “favourited” artist on the service.
In 2022, Taylor shifted 204,500 UK copies of her album Midnights in its first week.
But last year, she blew those sales out of the water when The Tortured Poets Department achieved 270,000 chart units in its first week.
That made it the biggest seven days of sales for an album in the UK for seven years, since her pal Ed Sheeran sold an eye-watering 670,000 copies of Divide in 2017.
There are other records she is breaking, too.
NFL fans threaten to boycott Super Bowl 2026 over halftime show announcement as Taylor Swift is snubbe
She has become the first solo female artist in American history to have certified album sales in the US of more than 100million, as determined by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Their figures also show her album 1989 is now her biggest-selling album, as it has gone 14-times platinum.
I don’t envy the other artists who have albums out tomorrow. I doubt they’ll get a look in.
Hailey marks another rear
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Hailey Bieber missed her wedding anniversary for Paris Fashion WeekCredit: Instagram/haileybieber
HAILEY BIEBER put on a flirty display in this yellow negligee – as she missed her wedding anniversary for Paris Fashion Week.
The model posted a string of snaps on Instagram, alongside the caption “bisou”, which means “kiss” in French.
While her husband Justin remained at home in the US, she stayed in Paris on Tuesday, six years since their South Carolina wedding.
The event on in 2019 was attended by friends and family, but they had secretly tied the knot , on September 13 2018.
Perhaps they had already celebrated this year, or maybe the pics were his anniversary gift.
Zara’s stripped off for the main pose
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Zara Larsson has been hard at work on brand Main Rose, which she unveiled with this sultry snap in a pink leotardCredit: Main Rose/Brianna Capozzi
ZARA LARSSON is on track to score her fourth Top 20 album tomorrow with the release of brilliant new record Midnight Sun.
But the Swedish singer has also been hard at work on clothing and lifestyle brand Main Rose, which she unveiled with this revealing snap of her in a long-sleeved pink leotard.
The Swedish singer, who started the project a year ago, wrote on Instagram: “Building Main Rose is genuinely a lust for me to creatively expand myself.
“To elevate one’s first layer, literally and figuratively, feels like a fun and natural first chapter for me to explore. Afterall, my dream outfit is really just a pair of panties.”
Amal’s looking lawsome
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Amal Clooney looked sensational in this designer minidress at the New York launch of comedy drama Jay KellyCredit: Getty
She looked sensational in this designer minidress at the New York launch of comedy drama Jay Kelly.
It remains to be seen whether their twins Alexander and Ella will follow his career path, become a human rights lawyer like Amal, or do something else.
Asked if they had inherited the acting bug, he told E! News: “I don’t know, it’s so hard to tell at eight.
“They’re very funny kids, and they love to get up and sing. But you know, I hope they do exactly what they want to do in life, and that’s all you can hope for.”
On whether they know he’s a big star, George added: “They have some idea. My kid came up to me the other day and said, ‘Papa what’s “famous?” Somebody in my class said you’re famous’. I said, ‘Tell that kid I’m very famous’.”
“They saw Fantastic Mr. Fox. I won’t let them see Batman & Robin, I want them to have respect for me.”
The Becks Factor reaches £73m
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David Beckham enjoyed another year of record-breaking profits
GOLDENBALLS has done it again – enjoying another year of record-breaking profits.
David Beckham’s company racked up revenue of £73.4million, as he goes from “face to founder” with more behind-the-scenes deals than ever.
The latest figures for DRJB Holdings, the umbrella company for his business ventures, show consolidated profits up 24 per cent to £35.1million.
A source said: “David is still an incredibly sought-after face for campaigns, but he has matured into an incredibly impressive and canny businessman, too.
“He really enjoys the boardroom machinations and while he looks as incredible as ever, probably won’t want to be on billboards in his pants for ever.
“Six years after setting up his own brand management operation, he is more hands-on than ever. Right now he’s at a really exciting next stage of evolution, and loves getting involved with new projects.”
This is partly thanks to successful deals with Boss menswear, and a license agreement with Safilo eyewear.
David also branched out into the wellness industry for the first time, with his IM8 supplements.
Other strategic partnerships include deals with speaker makers Bowers & Wilkins, Stella Artois beer and tech firm Shark Ninja.
Meanwhile, the former England captain’s profile has never been higher internationally following his four-part documentary from 2023.
News of his latest commercial success comes ahead of wife Victoria’s own Netflix docu-series, which comes out next week.
I can’t wait to see plenty more Becks on my box.
Stel-Hel Fashion week secret
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Stella McCartney enlisted Helen Mirren, above, to open her showCredit: Getty
He told the I’m ADHD! No You’re Not podcast: “I’ve just realised I have Tourette’s, but they don’t come out. They are intrusive thoughts. I was just walking down the road the other day, and I realised these intrusive thoughts are inside Tourette’s. It just doesn’t come out.
“Not only that, you would think that a stadium full of people professing their love to you would work as (a distraction), but whatever it is, inside me cannot hear it. I cannot take it in.”
Robbie also said he recently took a test to see if he is autistic.
He added: “It turns out I’m not, but I’ve got autistic traits. And it’s around social stuff, it’s about interaction.”
Dua’s in Bruise control
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Dua Lipa injured her shoulder while on tour in AmericaCredit: Getty
DUA LIPA has had a lucky escape after accidentally injuring her shoulder while on tour in America.
The New Rules singer was spotted with a deep bruise, leading fans to fear she could have seriously hurt herself.
But I’m told while the mark does look bad, Dua hasn’t been hugely harmed.
More importantly, while she is due to undergo physio to make sure of a full recovery, it also means her US tour can carry on without a hitch.
A source said: “The injury happened while Dua was enjoying some down time from her show.
“It’s been painful but after being checked over by a radiologist, she’s been given the all clear.
“The tour will still be going ahead as planned. It’s just one of those things.”
While it’s no secret Dua loves a holiday and has previously joked about her life being one big vacation, she is also one of the hardest working women in music.
I just hope she is looking after herself too.
BEAT IT
ELECTRONICS giant Beats has added another pair of headphones to its ever- expanding collection.
The tiny Powerbeats Fit are billed as perfect for gym sessions and come in four bold colours, including bright orange and pink.
At least they will be hard to lose.
It’s a Slim volume
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FatBoy Slim is releasing a bookCredit: Getty
FATBOY SLIM is releasing his first book, with the brilliant title It Ain’t Over . . . ’Til the Fatboy Sings.
It documents his 40 years in showbiz through photos, flyers and stories and is out on October 16.
But fans can also see him at the Theatre Royal in Brighton on October 14 for a Q&A about it.
The DJ, whose real name is Norman Cook, said: “This year I’ll have been in showbiz for 40 years, and to celebrate that we thought we’d create a big book full of stuff which I’ve kept over the years. I’m really excited to appear in one of my favourite venues for something a little different this time.
“It’ll be nice to get up close and personal with the audience in a beautiful setting and to share some of my stories.”
Sept. 29 (UPI) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the release of a U.S. citizen who was considered wrongly detained in Afghanistan.
The United States’ top diplomat announced the return home of Amir Amiry in a statement on Sunday.
“We express our sincere gratitude to Qatar, whose strong partnership and tireless diplomatic efforts were vital to securing his release,” he said.
The Taliban on Sunday also confirmed the release of Amiry from prison.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry posted photos of U.S. special envoy Adam Boehler with its minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, on X, calling Amiry’s release “a positive step” in diplomacy.
The conditions for Amiry’s release were not stated.
Qatar’s foreign ministry earlier confirmed Amiry’s release from Afghan detention, stating he was en route to Doha and would be leaving for the United States at a later time.
“Qatar remains committed to advancing mediation efforts aimed at achieving peaceful solutions to conflicts and complex international issues — an approach rooted in the state’s foreign policy, which prioritizes dialogue as a strategic choice for promoting regional and global peace and stability,” it said in a statement.
Amiry was reportedly detained in December 2024.
The release comes after two U.S. citizens held by the Taliban were released in a prison swap with the United States in January. In March, an American citizen detained in Afghanistan since 2022 was also released.
A German man suspected of being behind one of the 21st century’s biggest missing persons mysteries walked free from a prison near Hanover on Wednesday after completing a lengthy sentence for rape. Briton Madeleine McCann has not been seen since she disappeared from the Portuguese holiday apartment where she was staying with her family on May 3, 2007. File Photo UPI
Sept. 17 (UPI) — The main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the British child missing since 2007, was freed Wednesday from a prison outside of Hanover in northwestern Germany after completing a sentence for an unrelated rape conviction.
Police confirmed that Christian Bruckner, 48, left Sehnde Prison, accompanied by his lawyer, after authorities, who had been desperately trying to find a way to keep him incarcerated, conceded there were no legal grounds for his continued detention.
It was unclear if he would be required to wear an electronic tracker on his ankle as demanded by prosecutors who believe he is responsible for three-year-old Madeleine’s disappearance 18 years ago from a resort in southwestern Portugal, which they are treating as a homicide.
German prosecutors also want Bruckner, a convicted pedophile and drifter who spent much of the early 2000s traveling between different European countries, to have to report to authorities on a regular basis and surrender his passport, citing him as a flight risk as they pursue an 8-year-long investigation.
State prosecutors say they have circumstantial evidence connecting him to the crime, including that his mobile phone logged in the area where Madeleine vanished from a holiday apartment where she was staying with her family, as well as confessions Bruckner allegedly made to three separate witnesses.
However, the evidence so far has been insufficient for an indictment and Bruckner has never been charged with any offense related to Madeleine’s disappearance.
Bruckner was convicted and sentenced to a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence for raping an elderly American woman in 2005 in Praia de Luz, from where Madeleine disappeared 18 months later.
In October, he was found not guilty of rape and child sex abuse charges in a trial in Braunschweig, east of Hanover, after the court ruled there was insufficient evidence and that the prosecution’s witnesses were “unreliable.”
The acquittal had knock-on effects on the McCann investigation and prosecutors’ effort to keep Bruckner in preventative custody beyond the end of his sentence because their case relies on some of the same witnesses.
Forensic searches directed by German police investigators, including the use of divers, were carried out at a remote reservoir Bruckner was known to frequent, 30 miles away from Praia de Luz, two years apart in May 2023 and this summer.
The search in June also focused on a 120-acre area between the Ocean Club resort where the McCann family were staying and a house Bruckner lived in at the time.
Bruckner this week declined to be interviewed by Scotland Yard detectives from Britain’s Met Police, which has also been investigating the case for the past 18 years — although as a missing persons case due to differences in the German and British legal systems.
The Met’s Detective Chief Insp. Mark Cranwell confirmed Monday the force’s request had been rejected, but that Bruckner remained a suspect.
“We have requested an interview with this German suspect but, for legal reasons, this can only be done via an International Letter of Request, which has been submitted. It was subsequently refused by the suspect. In the absence of an interview, we will nevertheless continue to pursue any viable lines of inquiry,” said Cranwell.
Thomas Skinner took issue with a reporter recording an interview, a common practice, during the big Strictly Come Dancing press day ahead of the 2025 series launch show
23:55, 09 Sep 2025Updated 01:04, 10 Sep 2025
Thomas Skinner’s Strictly Come Dancing interview tantrum in full as audio released(Image: X/@iamtomskinner)
The audio from Thomas Skinner’s interview at Elstree Studios was released after it was revealed that he took issue with a reporter recording the chat ahead of his Strictly Come Dancing stint. The Apprentice star took part in chats with reporters to discuss the series but, in a shock moment, he grabbed a reporter’s phone as they asked him to stop.
The divisive figure took issue with a reporter recording an interview, a common practice, during the big Strictly Come Dancing press day. He had arrived at the table alongside fellow contestant, former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was left having to do interviews on his own.
In the recording shared online, a reporter asked: “What made you say yes to this amazing opportunity?”
Thomas stormed out of a recent Strictly interview(Image: Getty Images)
He was heard saying: “What’s that? Are you taping it?” in the audio shared with The Sun. The reporter answered: “We have to record it,” before she was heard asking: “What are you doing?”
A voice was heard going: “Just answer the question, we’ve got three minutes,” before the reporter said: “No, no, no, don’t.”
Thomas went: “That’s about me,” before the reporter answered: “No, it’s not.” When one person asked ‘what made them run the question’, the reporter said they were ‘just recording it’.
An insider said his reaction ‘came out of nowhere’(Image: Instagram/iamtomskinner)
After a few moments of inaudible audio, someone else said: “Oh my God, he’s gone.”
Speaking about the moment that unfolded, an insider previously told the Mirror: “He walked to the table with his head down, he sat down, grabbed one of the reporters phones, who told him to stop. It was a shock. His reaction came out of nowhere.”
Another source told us: “It was totally out of the blue. He was absolutely fine during the first interview. In good spirits and delighted and surprised to be there. Like a competition winner.”
His actions are said to have left organisers furious and BBC bosses in talks over whether he should remain on the show.
Thomas has been a controversial signing for this year’s series of the BBC series. The dad-of-three has drawn strong criticism for Twitter (X) posts saying it is “not far-right” to be “flying your flag and loving your country”, and complaining “it ain’t safe out there any more” in London, saying the city is “hostile” and “tense”.
Meanwhile, fans have voiced their thoughts on the situation. Taking to X, one said: “This is what the BBC deserve because I for one am not surprised at all. Now drop the axe IMMEDIATELY. #Strictly.”
“Get rid of him man child #strictly,” another fumed. “Well I can’t say I’m surprised should never had been part of the show to begin with hope he’s axed,” someone else complained.
For Abubakar Aminu, it was just a phone call. And with that, an invisible thread of suspicion wound itself around him.
In 2014, Abubakar, then in his early twenties, met a regular customer who bought charcoal from him in Kano, North West Nigeria. He knew the man as a tinsmith who was friendly and generous. Within a short time, the business turned into a friendship, and they occasionally shared jokes.
One night, while Abubakar was out of town, the tinsmith called. They cracked jokes as usual until the man teased that he wanted to sleep over at Abubakar’s house. Playing along, he replied, “My house is always yours. Whenever you feel like coming, the doors are open.” They both laughed together and ended the call.
What Abubakar did not know was that the tinsmith was a wanted member of Boko Haram, his phone already under surveillance. That innocuous call, the harmless laughter, was enough for Nigeria’s secret police, the DSS, to tie invisible strings around his fate.
The next morning, unaware, he set out for Lagos in the country’s South West to restock charcoal. Somewhere in Ogun State, officers closed in on him. They accused him of being a Boko Haram member. He laughed, not in mockery but in disbelief, the laugh of a man confronted with the absurd. But the laughter meant nothing. His wrists were bound, and he was taken to Lagos.
A handcuffed Abubakar. Illustration: Akila Jibrin/HumAngle
“I was taken to the DSS office for interrogation,” he told HumAngle, his voice heavy with weariness of the memory. From that sterile room, he was allowed to call home to inform his mother of the arrest. Panic travelled faster than the words he managed to utter. His family rushed, pleaded, pulled every string they could find. Nothing worked.
The interrogations continued. They asked, “Who was the man on the phone? How long had they known each other? Where is he now?” Abubakar insisted he was only a customer, nothing more, and that he knew nothing of the tinsmith’s ties to Boko Haram. But disbelief hung in the room like smoke. They were certain he was withholding something.
And so, instead of a court, Abubakar was sent to what he later described as “an unknown detention facility in Abuja”.
“They downloaded, transcribed, and printed every conversation I ever had with him,” Abubakar recounted. “Page after page, they searched for guilt, but there was nothing.”
Detention incommunicado
Behind bars. Illustration: Akila Jibrin/HumAngle
For Abubakar, there is no greater cruelty than being punished for a crime one has not even conceived of committing. For ten years, he lived among men who had carried weapons into villages, men who torched houses and watched towns burn, radicals who slaughtered men, women, and children—the actual Boko Haram members.
When the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria began over a decade ago, arrests were often based on the flimsiest of suspicions. HumAngle has reported extensively on this. For some, their only “crime” was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For others, it was a phone call, a shared name, or a chance encounter with someone later discovered to be an insurgent. Families watched in silence as their loved ones vanished into detention facilities, branded with a stigma that clung even after their release.
A 2020 report by Amnesty International exposed the terrible conditions in Nigerian military detention centres, estimating that at least 10,000 deaths in custody occurred since 2011. Many of these deaths occurred at Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, Borno State, the epicentre of the insurgency. The report noted a devastating toll, particularly among older men, who, though only 4 per cent of the population, accounted for up to a quarter of the dead. In April 2017 alone, 166 corpses were transferred from Giwa to a mortuary.
At the Abuja facility, Abubakar lived in an overcrowded room, reeking of sweat, disease, and death. “There was a period when over 300 people died in a month,” he said.
There he spent months. He struggled to recall how long. Abubakar said he was chained with Boko Haram suspects without seeing sunlight. “We would be begging and crying before we could be allowed to just sit for some hours under the sunlight,” he said.
There are two prisons in life: the one of iron bars, and the one built of perception. Abubakar was trapped in both. Even now, he feels watched and is careful with his words. Still, he described the situation in the detention facility as simply “inhuman.” He remembered that when he first arrived, he spent “many days with no food.”
Testimonies from detainees read like horror fiction. Dignity stripped bare, lives suffocated by heat, hunger, and disease. Men collapsed in heaps, reduced to shadows. Survivors speak of floors that served as both bed and latrine, of stench and despair indistinguishable from each other.
Though not a psychologist, Abubakar believes the system was designed to break their minds. “The condition made prisoners fight a lot over a minor issue because everyone would be angry with one another, especially those chained together,” he said.
Months turned to years, and Abubakar felt he didn’t belong there.
He was one of thousands detained without trial. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, had long accused the government of such practices. By 2014, Amnesty estimated between 5,000 and 10,000 detainees languished without charge.
For victims like Abubakar, proving innocence seemed like chasing a mirage. Yet he clung to hope, praying for the day he would see his mother again.
The mother’s ordeal
While Abubakar was trapped within prison walls, another story was unfolding outside: one of his mother’s sacrifice, despair, and an unbroken faith.
At first, she believed his arrest was a mistake that would be quickly corrected. She held onto the thought that once the truth was known, her son would return home. But days became weeks, weeks folded into months and years, and hope began to wear thin.
She fought, prayed, and cried until her tears drowned her voice. She sold all her belongings, but justice remained out of reach. Instead, she encountered fraudsters who promised to use their “influence” to secure her son’s release.
“They took her money and vanished, leaving her poorer and more desperate,” Abubakar told HumAngle.
As a new widow– her husband had died just a year before Abubakar’s arrest– she fought alone. She continued chasing shadows until everyone believed that Abubakar must have been killed and there was no way he could come back home.
Then, after ten years of a futile search, her dream came true. She received a call from Mallam Sidi, a Nigerian military-run deradicalisation centre in Gombe State. It was Abubakar. His voice had changed, but she recognised it. When she told relatives, they refused to believe her.
“Because all her money went to the scammers who promised her that I would be free, family members believed this, too, must be another scammer,” Abubakar recalled.
Paths of return
Before that call, Abubakar had spent years praying for a trial, even if it meant being charged with something. “The experience of not knowing your fate while in detention is worse than the detention itself,” he said.
One day, in 2023, his prayers were answered. He was arraigned with other detainees. “Many were charged and sentenced according to their crimes. And when it came to our turn, I was not found guilty,” he said.
Just like that. There was no evidence. There was no link. His phone call was not a rope but a line that led nowhere. The judge moved her hand, and a decade was set down on the table like a coin that cannot be returned to your pocket. He was discharged.
But he could not go home. The government required that discharged detainees like him must first pass through a deradicalisation programme at Mallam Sidi, designed for former terrorists. The six-month programme, launched in 2016, combines religious re-education, psychosocial support, and vocational training. The idea: a man who once held a gun should leave with skills to earn a living.
This is the vision in public documents.
Abubakar, though never a terrorist, entered Mallam Sidi and participated in the routine: prayers, counselling sessions, vocational lessons. Instructors explained that religion should be a lamp, not a knife. Abubakar learned welding and metalwork.
At the end of the programme, there were promises, such as vocational kits and support that would last long enough for them to plant their feet and begin to walk. But Abubakar was aware that some graduates had already reported that they received nothing or just a fraction of what they were told to expect.
The distance between policy and practice is wide enough to lose a man in.
“But because I know that I had a shop and an inheritance that I could come back to when released, I wasn’t only planning my future on what I learned but on what I left behind,” Abubakar said. But when he returned, everything had been sold. Even the property he had inherited from his father was gone.
At Mallam Sidi, he received a certificate labelling him a “repentant Boko Haram member.” The phrase jarred. He had never been one. He had entered detention as a charcoal seller and a son; he left with nothing but his mother and the ruins of his business.
The homecoming and struggle for survival
His family drove for hours from Kano to Gombe to meet him as he completed the “deradicalisation programme”. When his mother finally saw him, the years of waiting collapsed into that single moment.
“We were all speechless,” Abubakar recalled. “We couldn’t control ourselves or our emotions; we only cried and cried.”
The tears were not just for joy. They carried the weight of loss, the years stolen, the sacrifices made, the silence endured. His mother held him tightly, as if her grip alone could keep him from ever slipping away again. But even then, in the shadow of that embrace, they knew their ordeal was not yet over.
Weeks later, Abubakar and 15 other Mallam Sidi graduates were picked up by the Kano State Government and brought to the government house. Though the state governor was unavailable, officials asked them to state their requests. They asked for something simple: support to earn a living, small businesses, vocational tools, and farming inputs. They left hopeful.
But hope has a way of fading. Four months have passed since Abubakar returned, and the promised support remains absent. The family, already drained of resources, now watches him idle at home. The charcoal trade is gone, and opportunities are scarce.
“All I need is something to make me busy, something that I can rebuild my life with, something that can make me hopeful for the future,” he said.
Back in Kofar Waika, Gwale Local Government Area, Abubakar is slowly reintegrating. His friends have accepted him and are supporting him to go back to his former self.
“There was only one time when somebody accused me of being a Boko Haram member, but I didn’t care because I know I’ve never been one,” he said.
But his mother sees him every day, staring into the distance, haunted by what might have been. The reunion was sweet, but the days since have been bitter, reminding them that survival is not only about release, but about the chance to live well again.
THOUSANDS of records related to notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have been unleashed on the public by the US Government.
The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday posted a staggering 33,295 pages of material handed over by the Justice Department after a subpoena from chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).
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Jeffrey Epstein poses for a sex offender mugshot in 2017Credit: Reuters
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Epstein with disgraced socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed in 2022Credit: The Mega Agency
The files cover Epstein’s sprawling sex-trafficking network and his partner-in-crime Ghislaine Maxwell.
The trove includes old court filings, police bodycam footage of searches, and interviews with victims — their faces blurred to protect identities.
Much of it has been seen before, but the sheer scale of the release is unprecedented.
Pressure is now mounting on Congress to go further.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing a bill that would force the DOJ to release the full Epstein files — minus victims’ personal details.
Speaker Mike Johnson is under fire for trying to stall the move, even as he and other members met with survivors this week.
The Oversight Committee said it’s still digging through the files and more could follow.
“The Department of Justice has indicated it will continue producing those records while ensuring the redaction of victim identities and any child sexual abuse material,” the panel confirmed.
The explosive dump is already stoking speculation over who and what might be exposed as fresh eyes comb through Epstein’s secret world.
It comes as fresh claims are emerging from the cache.
Mystery orange figure is seen near Epstein’s cell night before his death – as police video expert gives bombshell theory
The Duke of York has long insisted he cut ties with Epstein after visiting him in New York in December 2010.
But according to messages dated December 2015, allegedly between Epstein and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, Andrew was named as the source of information about a potential business opportunity in China.
Royal watchers believe the new twist could sink any faint hopes of rehabilitation.
Author Phil Dampier said: “I believe Andrew thought he could make a comeback.
“But this is the nail in the coffin.”
The emails were in Mr Barak’s hacked inbox, put online by file sharing site Distributed Denial of Secrets.
The Sunday Times separately verified dozens of contact details such as addresses and phone numbers.
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Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell posing for the photo in 2001Credit: AFP
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Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking and other offences
Andrew, 65, has always denied any wrongdoing. He did not respond to a request for comment.
Epstein’s convicted accomplice made the remarks during a two-day interview with the Justice Department in Tallahassee, Florida, last month.
She was questioned by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The disclosures surfaced after transcripts and audio recordings of the exchange were made public today.
Blanche pressed Maxwell — who is serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking — on what she knew about allegations involving Giuffre.
Although the woman’s name was redacted in the documents, the context of the questioning, including timelines and reference to the infamous photograph, makes it highly likely that the discussion was about Giuffre.
“Real Housewives of Potomac” star Karen Huger’s time in prison is over, earlier than expected.
The reality TV star was released Tuesday from the Montgomery County Detention Center in Maryland, a spokesperson for the Montgomery Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed to The Times. Huger left six months into a yearlong prison sentence. She was sentenced in February to two years in prison with one year suspended after she was convicted in 2024 of driving under the influence in Potomac.
Representatives for Huger, 62, did not immediately respond The Times’ request for comment on Tuesday.
Huger waved to bystanders from her SUV as she exited the facility shortly after her release, according to video shared by Fox 5 DC reporter Stephanie Ramirez.
Maryland police arrested Huger in March 2024, citing her for driving under the influence after she crossed a median and hit street signs, crashing her Maserati. She was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence and other traffic violations and was later released from police custody.
Shortly after her arrest, Huger attributed the accident to grief and her mother’s 2017 death. “Grief comes and goes in waves, and with Mother’s Day approaching, it has felt more like a tsunami,” she told TMZ at the time.
A Maryland jury convicted Huger in December of driving under the influence and negligent driving charges. The jury also found the Bravo-lebrity guilty of failure to control speed to avoid a collision and failure to notify authorities of an address change. She was cleared on a reckless driving charge.
Huger’s attorney A. Scott Bolden told People in a December statement that they were “disappointed” by the jury’s verdict but “of course respect their decision and appreciate their time hearing our case.”
Amid her legal woes, Huger was absent from the “Real Housewives of Potomac” Season 9 reunion. In a prerecorded message played during the special, Huger said she entered a private recovery program to address her “taking antidepressants and drinking.”
“This is very frightening, but I accept full responsibility for everything with my car accident,” Huger tearfully told producers. “I don’t care about me right now. I care about my children; I care about my family. They’re so hurt.”
Ransoms have surged as Haiti struggles with widespread gang violence, particularly around its capital Port-au-Prince.
Published On 29 Aug 202529 Aug 2025
Eight people, including an Irish missionary and a three-year-old child, have been released following a kidnapping at an orphanage in Haiti.
The announcement on Friday ended nearly a month of captivity for the group, which included Irish missionary Gena Heraty, the director of a special needs programme for children and adults at the Saint-Helene orphanage.
“We warmly welcome the news that Gena and all of the Haitian nationals taken captive on [August 3], including a small child, have been released and are reported to be safe and well,” Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris said in a statement posted on X.
Kidnappings and ransoms have become increasingly common in Haiti, where gang violence has surged amid overlapping political, humanitarian and security crises.
The targeted orphanage was located in the southeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where the United Nations estimates gangs control nearly 90 percent of the territory.
Run by the international charity Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs, the orphanage cares for more than 240 children, according to its website.
Further details of the release were not immediately available. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the school in early August, although the area is controlled by the Viv Ansanm gang federation.
In a statement, Heraty’s family said they were “relieved beyond words”.
“We continue to hold Haiti in our hearts and hope for peace and safety for all those who are affected by the ongoing armed violence and insecurity there,” they wrote.
In April 2021, two French priests were among 10 people kidnapped by the “400 Mawozo” gang before they were released nearly three weeks later.
Friday’s release came as the UN Security Council began talks to bolster a floundering international police force deployed to Haiti starting in June 2024 to counter the rising violence.
Just under 1,000 personnel, mostly Kenyan, are currently in the country as part of the US-backed mission, a number far below the 2,500 troops originally expected.
A draft proposal, put forth by the US and Panama this week, seeks to transition the mission into a so-called “Gang Suppression Force”.
The proposal would authorise a deployment of up to 5,500 personnel and establish a UN office in Port-au-Prince to provide “full logistical support” for rations, fuel, medical services, ground transportation and surveillance from drones.
It further laid out a plan to encourage more voluntary funding and resources, but the draft did not directly address the current mission’s lagging support. Earlier this month, the UN said its effort to bring stability to Haiti was less than 10 percent funded.
UN missions remain controversial in Haiti, with past deployments resulting in a sexual abuse scandal and cholera epidemic that killed more than 9,000 people.
Still, the country’s leaders have requested external help as violence and displacement have surged.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said at least 3,141 people have been killed in Haiti in the first half of this year.
On Thursday, the head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that a “staggering” 50 percent of gang members and participants in the country were children.
It’s time to revisit the age-old question that’s been debated for years: Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?
Lionsgate will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the “Twilight” novels by bringing the entire film saga back to the big screen from Oct. 29 through Nov. 2, The Times confirmed.
The love triangle tale starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner — a human, a vampire and a werewolf, respectively — grossed more than $3.3 billion worldwide during its first run, according to Box Office Mojo.
The films, based on the four-part book series written by Stephenie Meyer, follow the story of Bella Swan (Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Pattinson). Their relationship is tested by Edward’s instinct to harm her and by Bella’s friend Jacob Black (Lautner), who belongs to a rival werewolf clan.
There are five films in the series: “Twilight” (2008); “New Moon” (2009); “Eclipse” (2010); “Breaking Dawn — Part 1” (2011); and “Breaking Dawn — Part 2” (2012). Round-table chats with Meyer, producer Wyck Godfrey, former co-president of Lionsgate Gillian Bohrer and others will accompany each film.
As part of the festivities, Meyers is scheduled to be the honored guest at this year’s Forever Twilight in Forks Festival, an annual celebration in Forks, Wash., the setting of the book series. The fest will take place Sept. 11-14.
The films have remained in pop culture through TikTok trends where fans announce their “gay awakening” using scenes of Bella. Stewart, who came out as queer and married screenwriter Dylan Meyer in April, said the films are “gay” during an interview with Variety in January.
“It’s all about oppression, about wanting what’s going to destroy you. That’s a very Gothic, gay inclination that I love,” the actor said.
Stewart starred in last year’s romantic thriller “Love Lies Bleeding” (2024) and will next appear in her wife’s directorial debut, “The Wrong Girls,” which is written by the couple.
Pattinson played the titular character in 2022’s “The Batman.” He last appeared in Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi comedy “Mickey 17” (2025) and will appear later this year in Lynne Ramsay’s psychological dramedy “Die, My Love.”
Lautner took a few acting jobs after the end of the saga, in films such as “Grown Ups 2” (2013) and “The Ridiculous 6” (2015), but his most recent credit was in Netflix’s “Home Team” (2022).
Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has told US officials she did not witness any inappropriate conduct by Donald Trump or former President Bill Clinton.
The Trump administration has faced pressure to disclose information about Epstein, who the US president was previously friendly with.
Maxwell was interviewed from prison in July and, according to the newly released transcript, told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that a much-discussed Epstein “client list” does not exist.
She also called allegations of Prince Andrew having sexual relations with an underage girl in Maxwell’s home “mind-blowingly not conceivable”.
Maxwell is seeking a pardon from Trump and has been accused of lying to federal officials.
She is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a sex-trafficking scheme, and has petitioned the US Supreme Court to overturn her conviction. Her lawyer has said they would “welcome” a pardon from the president.
The White House has been adamant that “no leniency is being given or discussed” in Maxwell’s case.
Trump has maintained that he fell out with Epstein in 2004.
The president has accused his political opponents of using the case to distract from what he sees as his administration’s victories.
But he has also faced pressure from his own Republican Party for more transparency around investigations of Epstein.
In the transcripts – which amount to 300 pages, some heavily redacted – Maxwell said that while she believed Trump and Epstein were friendly “in social settings”, she did not think they were close friends.
“I actually never saw the president in any type of massage setting,” she said – alluding to the massage services that some Epstein victims have mentioned. “The president was never inappropriate with anybody.”
“In the times I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects,” she added.
She also said she did not recall Trump sending Epstein a 50th birthday note in 2003, which drew recent headlines after the note was reported in the Wall Street Journal.
In the interview, Blanche also asked Maxwell about the alleged “client list” of high-profile personalities that has become the object of conspiracy theories in recent years.
Maxwell was asked about several well-known figures, including Bill Gates, Elon Musk, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, actor Kevin Spacey, model Naomi Campbell and Prince Andrew – whom she denied she introduced to Epstein.
The list of his high-profile associates had become a focal point for conspiracy theorists who insisted that it was being kept hidden by the “deep state” to protect prominent participants in Epstein’s crimes.
Several figures in Trump’s administration – including FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino – repeated those claims in the past, although they have since backtracked.
“There is no list,” Maxwell said.
Maxwell also spoke about Prince Andrew, whose relationship with Epstein eventually led to his stepping down from royal duties.
She called it a “flat untruth” that she’d been the one who introduced the Duke of York to Epstein.
“First of all, let’s just state, I did not introduce him to Prince Andrew,” she said.
She spoke at length of Epstein’s relationship with both Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson.
Prince Andrew has previously said that Maxwell introduced him to Epstein. But Maxwell said she believed it was the duchess who was responsible.
When approached by the BBC about Maxwell’s claim, Sarah Ferguson’s representatives declined to comment.
Maxwell also spoke about Prince Andrew’s alleged relationship with a woman whose name has been redacted in the transcript.
She said she found the allegations against the Duke of York “mind-blowingly not conceivable”, partly due to the size of her house where the events allegedly took place.
She was also asked about a “famous photo” of Prince Andrew and the unnamed woman, with Maxwell in the background. She told Blanche this photo was fake.
The prince was accused by Virginia Giuffre, who is not named in the transcript, of sexually abusing her when she was 17. He denied the allegations but reached a financial settlement with her in 2022, which contained no admission of liability or apology.
A widely circulated photo shows him alongside Giuffre with Maxwell in the background. Andrew has previously disputed its authenticity.
Giuffre took her own life earlier this year. Her family has condemned the justice department for interviewing Maxwell and said she is a “monster” whose testimony cannot be trusted.
According to Maxwell, she first befriended Epstein in 1991, and subsequently developed a sexual relationship with him.
Even after that relationship ended, she said she was still paid by Epstein – up to $250,000 (£184,782) a year by 2009 – and remained “friends with benefits”. She added that their relationship was “almost non-existent” between 2010 and his death.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
“I do not believe he died by suicide, no,” Maxwell said when asked, although she added that she did “not have any reason” to believe that he had been killed in a bid to silence him.
“It’s ludicrous,” she said of theories that he was murdered. “I also happen to think if that is what they wanted, they would’ve had plenty of opportunity when he wasn’t in jail.”
“And if they were worried about blackmail or anything from him, he would’ve been a very easy target,” she added.
Earlier this year, reports emerged that Trump had been told by US Attorney General Pam Bondi that his name appeared in the official files of the investigation into Epstein .
Trump has never been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the case – and on the campaign trail last year said he would publicise more information about the case.
But he reversed his position several months into his administration, saying the case was closed, and criticised supporters and journalists who continued to press him on it.
The United States Department of Justice has released transcripts of a recent interview between Ghislaine Maxwell, the former partner of child sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein, and one of its top officials.
Their meeting was arranged in July as the administration of President Donald Trump struggled to tamp down scrutiny over his past ties to Epstein.
In transcripts released on Friday, Maxwell praised Trump and insisted that she never saw him engage in any inappropriate behaviour.
“I actually never saw the president in any type of massage setting,” said Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking convictions.
“I never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way. The president was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the second-in-command at the Justice Department, previously said he met with Maxwell to see if she “has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims”.
But the release of the transcripts is likely to reignite questions about how the Justice Department has handled information about the Epstein case, which has become a source of speculation and conspiracy theories among Trump’s supporters.
On Friday, Blanche said that, excepting the names of the victims, “every word is included” in the released transcripts.
“Nothing removed. Nothing hidden,” he explained.
In the interview, Maxwell denied having any knowledge of a so-called “client list”, a subject of conspiracy theories on the US right.
She also complimented Trump for his behaviour and his “extraordinary achievement in becoming the president now”.
“Trump was always very cordial and very kind to me,” Maxwell said, adding, “I like him, and I’ve always liked him.”
Following her meeting with Blanche, which took place in a courthouse over two days, Maxwell was moved from a low-security federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security camp in Texas.
The government has not explained the reason for the change.
But in the aftermath of the meeting, the family of one of Epstein’s highest-profile accusers, Virginia Giuffre, called on the Trump administration not to show Maxwell any leniency.
“She must remain in prison — anything less would go down in history as being one of the highest travesties of justice,” Giuffre’s relatives wrote in a statement. Giuffre died by suicide in April.
Epstein himself was found dead in his jail cell in 2019, and his death was ruled a suicide by hanging.
Still, conspiracy theories have widely circulated in the US that his death could have been a cover-up, based on the belief that Epstein’s powerful associates may have taken part in his abuse.
Experts say the saga has become a stand-in for the suspicion that the rich and powerful face little accountability, and Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) base has long backed efforts to “drain the swamp”: a catchphrase used to advocate for the removal of corrupt forces in the government and leading industries.
Some of these suspicions have evolved into conspiracy theories about rings of paedophiles operating in the shadows of power.
In 2016, for instance, a suspect fired a gun into the Comet Ping Pong Pizzeria in Washington, DC, based on the belief it was a hub for such a ring.
In the Epstein case, there was widespread speculation that the disgraced financier kept a “client list” as blackmail against powerful figures.
Several members of the Trump administration had previously been strong promoters of that conspiracy theory, including Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel.
But he has since backtracked after joining the White House for Trump’s second term, with the FBI and Department of Justice issuing a joint memo that no such list exists. That memo also reaffirmed that Epstein died by suicide and no further suspects in his abuses have come to light.
The memo, however, failed to dampen interest in the scandal, and many pointed out that Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News in February that a client list was “on her desk” for review. Bondi has since said she misspoke and was referring to the Epstein files in general.
A Quinnipiac poll in July found that 63 percent of people in the US disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue.
Aug. 22 (UPI) — A federal magistrate judge released El Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia from custody Friday while he awaits trial for alleged human trafficking in Tennessee.
U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes ordered that Garcia would not have to remain in custody while awaiting to face federal criminal charge in June, He had bee returned from El Salvador after being deported there by mistake, the government said.
Garcia “is presently en route to his family in Maryland after being unlawfully arrested and deported and then imprisoned,” said Garcia’s attorney, Sean Hecker, as reported by The Guardian.
Hecker accused the Trump administration of engaging in a “vindictive attack on a man who had the courage to fight back against the administration’s continuing assault on the rule of law.”
Garcia, 30, was heading home to rejoin his wife and two children.
He is charged with federal crimes related to alleged human trafficking, which led to his return to the United States in June after the Justice Department pressed charges against him in Tennessee.
Federal prosecutors sought to keep Garcia in custody while awaiting his federal trial in Nashville.
U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. last month ruled the government did not show he is a danger to U.S. citizens or a flight risk.
“The government’s general statements about the crimes brought against Abrego, and the evidence it has in support of those crimes, do not prove Abrego’s dangerousness,” Crenshaw, an Obama appointee, said in a 37-page ruling.
His attorneys asked the court to keep Garcia in custody for 30 days after Trump administration officials said they would deport him again if he were released from custody. Holmes approved the request to prevent Garcia’s likely deportation.
A federal judge in Maryland has ordered Garcia to remain in the United States while awaiting trial, which might have negated his potential deportation.
Garcia was arrested and deported to El Salvador in March after prior court proceedings concluded that he likely is a member of the MS-13 gang and illegally entered the United States in 2011.
A federal immigration judge denied Garcia’s asylum claim in 2019, but ruled he could not be deported to El Salvador, where he has said he fears persecution from a rival 18th Street Gang, which is active in the United States.
The Trump administration in January designated MS-13 and the 18th Street Gang as foreign terrorist organizations that pose a threat to the United States.
The Trump administration acknowledged Garcia was to be deported, but said an administrative error placed him on the deportation flight to El Salvador.
The El Salvadoran government placed Garcia in its Terrorism Confinement Center prison, commonly called CECOT, amid a crackdown on gangs in that country.
His lawyers claim he was psychologically and physically tortured while in the CECOT prison.
A subsequent Tennessee State Police video showed a November 2022 traffic stop near Nashville in which Garcia was pulled over for speeding and did not have a valid license.
Garcia had multiple passengers who were not U.S. citizens, which raised concerns of human trafficking and related violations.
