Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner attend the AOL Build Speaker Series in New York City, May 4, 2016. (Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic via Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of renowned director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer, is accused of killing his parents, and the case against him will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration on Tuesday, according to police.
The Reiners’ daughter found her parents stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on Sunday, sources told ABC News.
Nick Reiner had been living on his parents’ property, according to a former family security guard.
Nick Reiner was not at home when his parents were found, law enforcement sources told ABC News, and he was taken into custody near the University of Southern California on Sunday night. He’s been booked for murder and is being held without bail, police said.
Nick Reiner had been open about battling drug addiction since he was a teenager. In 2016, Nick Reiner worked with his dad on the movie “Being Charlie,” which was based largely on his struggle with drug addiction.
On Saturday night, Rob and Nick Reiner got into an argument at a holiday party, and at the party Nick was seen acting strangely, sources told ABC News.
Rob Reiner, a famed director, producer and actor, is known for massive Hollywood hits, including “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” “Stand By Me,” “This is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men” and many more.
A neighbor told ABC News that actors Billy Crystal and Larry David were seen at the house after police arrived on Sunday.
“Billy looked like he was about to cry,” the neighbor said.
Rob Reiner and Singer, who met while Rob Reiner was directing “When Harry Met Sally …,” married in 1989 and share three children: Jake, Nick and Romy.
Rob Reiner is also survived by daughter Tracy Reiner with his first wife, Penny Marshall, who died in 2018.
Rob Reiner, the son of comedian Carl Reiner and actress and singer Estelle Lebost, first became famous on the Norman Lear TV sitcom “All in the Family.”
He played the role of Archie Bunker’s son-in-law, Michael Stivic, known as Meathead, from 1971 to 1978, winning two Emmys for the role.
“The Lear Family is devastated by the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner,” the family said in a statement on Sunday night. “Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world.”
“Lyn Lear had remained very close with them and said, ‘The world is unmistakably darker tonight, and we are left bereft,'” the statement added.
Rob Reiner was also known for his advocacy work.
“This is a devastating loss for our city and our country,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns visits Ahmed al Ahmed, who was identified as the bystander who seized a rifle from one of the gunmen during the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach on Sunday, at a hospital in Sydney, Dec. 15, 2025. (@ChrisMinnsMP/X)
(SYDNEY) — A Sydney man is being praised as a hero for disarming one of the alleged shooters in the Hanukkah attack that left 15 dead and 42 injured at Australia’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, as seen in video obtained by ABC News
The video shows a man, identified as Ahmed al-Ahmed, 43, running towards one of the alleged shooters. He’s then seen disarming the alleged gunman before pointing his weapon back at him, prompting him to walk away.
The fruit seller was having lunch in the area with a friend when the shooting unfolded and he intervened, according to his brother, Huthaifa.
“I’m really proud about my brother,” he told ABC News.
“He’s a good man. He’s brave,” he said.
The father of two was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for bullet wounds. His brother said he is recovering in the hospital, but is not 100% yet.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called him a “real-life hero.”
“Last night, his incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives when he disarmed a terrorist at enormous personal risk,” Minns posted on Instagram while sharing a photo with al-Ahmed in the hospital.
“It was an honour to spend time with him just now and to pass on the thanks of people across NSW. There is no doubt that more lives would have been lost if not for Ahmed’s selfless courage,” he added.
At Sunday night’s National Menorah Lighting in Washington, D.C., Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the director of advocacy group American Friends of Lubavitch, praised al-Ahmed’s heroism and asked for prayers for his recovery.
“I ask all those across the community and beyond — here, and around the world — to please pray for the recovery of Ahmed al-Ahmed, someone who is not a member of the Jewish community, but gave up his safety and wellbeing to stop one of the gunmen and thus prevent even further loss of life. May he recover speedy and fully,” Shemtov said.
A GoFundMe page for al-Ahmed has raised almost $1.5 million with thousands of donations.
“We’re seeing an outpouring of love for Ahmed al Ahmed following his heroic actions at Bondi Beach,” the site posted on X.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman also shared the fundraiser on his X account Sunday, donating $99,999.
Mohamed Fateh al-Ahmed told reporters that his son is “a hero.”
“He served in the police, he has the passion to defend people,” he said.
The victims of Sunday’s mass shooting ranged in ages 10 to 87, and the alleged gunmen are father and son, aged 50 and 24, officials said. Their names have not been released, but authorities said the father is dead and the son was hospitalized.
Six firearms were collected from the scene alongside two improvised explosives, according to officials.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the attack “an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism” and “an act of terrorism,” in a video shared on his Instagram account.
The U.S. military said on Monday it struck three more alleged drug boats in the Eastern Pacific, leaving eight dead. (U.S. Southern Command)
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. military said on Monday it struck three more alleged drug boats in the Eastern Pacific, leaving eight dead.
In a post on X, the military’s Southern Command said the strikes were made at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Task Force Southern Spear.
“Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking,” the post said.
Officials said a total of eight “male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions,” three in the first alleged drug boat, two in the second and three in the third.
Southern Command shared a video that appeared to show the strikes on the vessels.
The military action on Monday marks the latest in a string of deadly strikes in the Pacific, with the Trump administration having killed at least 95 people in 25 strikes.
Actor Matthew Perry of the television show ‘The Kennedys – After Camelot’ speaks onstage during the REELZChannel portion of the 2017 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour at the Langham Hotel on January 13, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — The second of two doctors who were convicted in connection with Matthew Perry’s ketamine death is set to be sentenced on Tuesday.
Mark Chavez is one of five people charged and convicted in connection with the “Friends” actor’s 2023 overdose death. He pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, admitting to selling fraudulently obtained ketamine to another doctor, Salvador Plasencia, that was then sold to Perry in the weeks before the actor died from an overdose.
The two doctors did not provide the ketamine that ultimately killed Perry, who was discovered unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home in October 2023 at the age of 54. Though federal prosecutors said they knew that the actor had a history of substance abuse and that the drug would be administered without medical supervision.
Chavez faces up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.
The government asked for a sentence of six months home confinement that includes a two-year term of supervised release as well as at least 300 hours of community service. Prosecutors said Chavez, a former operator of a ketamine clinic, provided Plasencia with vials of liquid ketamine and ketamine lozenges that had been obtained by submitting a fraudulent prescription in the name of a patient without that patient’s knowledge or consent.
“As the Drug Enforcement Administration and Medical Board investigators closed in on defendant’s illegal ketamine sales, defendant initially lied and tried to evade responsibility,” the government said in a filing ahead of sentencing. “To defendant’s credit, however, his story continued, and became one of accountability.”
The government said that once confronted with his criminal acts, Chavez “expediently accepted responsibility and agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation.”
Chavez’s defense attorneys asked for three years of supervised release, arguing in a filing ahead of sentencing that his conduct was “limited and peripheral” and “far removed from the tragic events of October 28, 2023.”
They noted that Chavez had never met Perry, entered his home or administered medication to him, and that he did not supply the ketamine that caused his death. They also said he “accepted responsibility early in this case and signed a plea agreement prior to any indictment, agreed to cooperate, and voluntarily surrendered his medical license even before his detention hearing.”
“The consequences Mr. Chavez has already faced are significant,” his attorneys, Matthew Binninger and Zach Brooks, wrote. “Once a practicing emergency room physician, he lost his profession, suffered public disgrace, and now earns a living as an Uber driver. He has remained compliant with all terms of pretrial supervision and continues to demonstrate sincere regret for his actions.”
Both Chavez and Plasencia gave up their medical licenses after pleading guilty.
According to Plasencia’s plea agreement, one of his patients introduced him to Perry on Sept. 30, 2023, with the unidentified patient referring to the actor as a “‘high profile person’ who was seeking ketamine and was willing to pay ‘cash and lots of thousands’ for ketamine treatment,'” according to Plasencia’s plea agreement.
Plasencia contacted his mentor, Chavez, to discuss Perry’s request for ketamine and purchased vials of liquid ketamine and ketamine lozenges from him, according to the agreement.
In discussing how much to charge Perry, Plasencia said in text messages to Chavez, “I wonder how much this moron will pay” and “Lets [sic] find out,” prosecutors said.
Plasencia admitted to distributing 20 vials of ketamine, ketamine lozenges and syringes to Perry and the actor’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, between Sept. 30, 2023, and Oct. 12, 2023.
Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at the actor’s home on several occasions and left vials and lozenges with Iwamasa to administer, according to the plea agreement.
Plasencia was sentenced to 30 months in prison earlier this month.
Iwamasa admitted in court documents to administering the ketamine on the day that Perry died, pleading guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14, 2026, and faces up to 15 years in prison.
Two other defendants in the case — Erik Fleming and Jasveen Sangha — admitted to distributing the ketamine that killed Perry.
Prosecutors said Sangha worked with Fleming to distribute ketamine to Perry, and that in October 2023, they sold the actor 51 vials of ketamine, which were provided to Iwamasa.
Fleming pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7, 2026, and faces up to 25 years in prison.
Sangha, allegedly known as “The Ketamine Queen,” pleaded guilty in September to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 25, 2026, and faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrive to speak to the media at the Chancellery on December 15, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that no consensus had been reached on key territorial questions as part of a possible peace settlement with Russia, following two days of talks between Ukrainian, American and European negotiators in Berlin, Germany.
“In other issues, there is progress forward,” Zelenskyy said in comments in a group chat with Ukrainian reporters after the talks ended.
U.S. administration officials signaled on Monday that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine may be closer than ever, telling reporters on the condition of anonymity that “literally 90%” of the issues between the two warring countries had been solved.
Ukraine’s demand for U.S.-backed security guarantees and the fates of four partially-occupied Ukrainian regions have dominated the most recent American push for a peace settlement to end Russia’s full-scale invasion, which it launched in February 2022.
Russia occupies Crimea — which was occupied in 2014 — and partially occupies Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, in the south and east of Ukraine. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk — which together form the region known as the Donbas — in exchange for an end to the fighting.
Zelenskyy on Monday reiterated Ukraine’s position that it does not want to cede the Donbas region to Russia. The president also said that a demilitarized area or “free economic zone” covering the region cannot be under Russian leadership.
“These are important features for me in any format for Donbas,” Zelenskyy said. “Neither de jure nor de facto will we recognize Donbas as Russian — the part that is temporarily occupied. But nevertheless, we are discussing the issue regarding the territories, and you know that it is one of the key ones.”
Zelenskyy hinted at progress on the issue of Western security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression, without which Kyiv says it cannot agree to a peace deal.
German Chancellor Freidrich Merz said after Monday’s talks, “The legal and material guarantees that the U.S. has put on the table here in Berlin are truly remarkable. This is a very important step forward, which I very much welcome.”
Merz also suggested that Ukraine and Russia agree to a Chrismtas truce, a proposal Zelenskyy said he supports.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told ABC News during an exclusive interview on Monday that he believes the warring parties are “on the verge” of a diplomatic solution to end Moscow’s war.
“We are prepared to have a deal,” Ryabkov said. The deputy foreign minister added that he hoped an agreement would be reached “sooner rather than later.”
More meetings are expected in the coming days, Zelenskyy said, including between American and Russian negotiators. Ukrainian representatives are expecting to travel to the U.S. for further talks “in the near future,” Zelenskyy said, possibly as soon as this weekend.
Ukraine and Russia continued to exchange long-range strikes on Monday and overnight into Tuesday, with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) also on Monday claiming an underwater drone attack on a Russian submarine docked at the port of Novorossiysk.
Ukraine’s air force said on Tuesday that Russia launched 69 drones into the country overnight, of which 57 were shot down or suppressed. Ten strike drones impacted across seven locations, the air force said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed 111 Ukrainian drones overnight into Tuesday morning, including four over the Moscow region.
On Tuesday morning, Zelenskyy addressed the Dutch parliament, telling lawmakers, “We are now in the midst of the most intense and focussed negotiations for peace since the beginning of this war … For true lasting peace. We are not talking about a pause or a temporary, uncertain solution.”
Zelenskyy again urged accountability for Moscow. “Someone else is always expected to make concessions so that Russia will stop spreading bloodshed,” he said. “In Russia’s war against our people, our country, this logic has reached its largest and most dangerous scale.”
Image of the person described as an unknown suspect in the Brown University Shooting. (FBI)
(NEW YORK) — The FBI issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the alleged gunman in Saturday’s fatal mass shooting at Brown University, as members of the bureau’s Boston Division aided the Providence Police Department in their search for the assailant.
The FBI released a poster with three images of a person whom they’re seeking, calling them an “unknown suspect” and including a short description: “The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’8″ with a stocky build.”
“We sent additional resources and personnel earlier today to help track down leads, canvass neighborhoods, and develop intelligence,” FBI Director Kash Patel said late Monday on social media. “Our Evidence Response Team remains on campus processing the scene, and our Lab at Quantico is assisting as well.”
The reward for information came as newly released security video showed what local and federal law enforcement said was a person of interest wanted for questioning in connection with the deadly mass shooting.
Police in Providence said two students were killed and nine other people were injured in the shooting in a classroom setting on College Hill, the area on Providence’s East Side where historic homes intermingle with redbrick and modern campus buildings.
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson on Sunday said the shooting amounted to “devastating gun violence.”
The university on Monday evening said the Providence police were seeking interviews with everyone who had been in the Barus & Holley building — the physics and engineering center where the shooting took place — on either Friday or Saturday.
“Even an incidental detail may be helpful in investigating,” the school said in an update.
State officials shared overnight the FBI’s poster seeking information.
Gov. Dan McKee said he had directed the Rhode Island State Police, which is assisting in the investigation, to “continue to provide all necessary investigative and patrol support to the city and the campus.”
“Like so many of us who have been impacted by the tragedy at Brown University this weekend, I am anxious to have the shooter identified, apprehended, and brought to justice,” McKee said in a statement announcing the reward early Tuesday.
A bouquet is left outside of the engineering and physics building at Brown University, the site of a mass shooting yesterday that left at least two people dead and nine others injured, on December 14, 2025, in Providence, Rhode Island. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — New security video released on Monday by the Rhode Island police showed a person of interest wanted for questioning in the deadly mass shooting that erupted over the weekend on the campus of Brown University.
The video was taken shortly after Saturday’s shooting and shows a figure dressed in black walking along Waterman Street, which appears to be about three blocks north of the Brown campus, according to the Providence Police Department.
“We are sharing a video of a person of interest and plan to release additional video as part of the ongoing investigation,” the police department said in a statement, asking anyone who recognizes the individual in the video to contact investigators immediately.
The new video was made public after authorities announced that a person of interest detained early Sunday morning for questioning had been released.
In an interview on ABC News’ “GMA3” on Monday, Rhode Island State Attorney General Peter Neronha said the person initially detained in connection with the mass shooting has been “effectively cleared.”
“The evidence that we have, the scientific evidence that we have available to us, after it was analyzed, made clear that this was not someone who should be detained in connection with this case,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said on ABC News’ “GMA3.” “So we released him and then moved on, looking at other evidence and pursuing other leads pointing at additional potential individuals.”
Investigators are now bringing additional teams to canvass for video, analyze images, and sweep the crime scene for fingerprints as they work to build a more detailed timeline and, potentially, identify a suspect.
ABC News observed members of the FBI evidence response unit using a K-9 on Monday to canvas the area around the crime scene at Brown University. FBI agents were also viewed on campus searching bushes and raking the snow-covered ground for evidence.
“We understand that there’s a high degree of anxiety and after this individual was released last night, I understand that anxiety level has risen in our community,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told ABC News on Monday. “But it’s no different than a day ago, which is that we’ve received — continue to receive zero credible threats to our community, Brown or the broader community.”
Smiley’s comments came as federal and local law enforcement officials were continuing their investigation early on Monday, two days after the mass shooting in an academic building in Providence on Saturday.
A person of interest in the case, who had been taken into custody early on Sunday, was released later in the day, after authorities said that there was no basis to continue detaining them.
“Tonight, we announced that the person of interest is being released. The investigation has been ongoing and remains fully active between all agencies,” the Providence Police Department said in a statement early on Monday. “Since the first call to 911, we have not received any specific threats to our community.”
Smiley wouldn’t on Monday definitely say whether the person of interest who was released was cleared of all connection to the case. He also declined to say whether the investigation was pointing toward a student or someone from off-campus.
“We cannot comment on that and we’re exploring all possible leads,” he said.
Two people were killed and nine were injured in the shooting, according to officials. The injured victims were transported to local hospitals amid a day of “devastating gun violence,” Christina H. Paxson, the university’s president, said in a statement posted early on Sunday.
“Every year, emergency responders and students drill for the unthinkable — a shooting at our schools,” Gov. Dan McKee said in his own statement. “Yesterday, that action became all too real when a gunman opened fire on a classroom of innocent Brown University students.”
The FBI and other law enforcement officials shared a short video clip of someone whom they described as a person of interest. The individual in the clip is seen dressed in dark clothing, including what appeared to be a hood, as they walk along Hope Street and take a corner heading north.
The person’s right hand appeared to be in their jacket pocket as they walked northward along Waterman Street before exiting from the frame.
Officials said they still believe the person seen in that video is a person of interest in the shooting.
The person of interest who was detained and released on Sunday was initially caught at about 3:45 a.m. at a hotel in Coventry, about 28 miles south of Providence, according to law enforcement sources and Coventry police.
Law enforcement sources described the detained person of interest as a man in his mid-20s from Wisconsin. At the time the person was detained, the individual was allegedly in possession of two guns, according to sources.
There was “no basis” to keep the person detained, Attorney General of Rhode Island Peter Neronha said.
“Sometimes you head in one direction and have to regroup and go in another,” Neronha said. “That’s exactly what’s happened over the last 24 hours or so.”
Police said anyone with information about the case can contact investigators through an online Tip Center at www.fbi.gov/brownuniversityshooting or by calling (401) 272-3121.
ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik, Luke Barr and Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.
(LOS ANGELES) — Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday that the FBI disrupted a “massive and horrific terror plot” by an anti-government extremist group allegedly planning a series of bombings against multiple targets in Orange County and Los Angeles, California, beginning on New Years Eve.
Bondi said the plot by the so-called “Turtle Island Liberation Front,” which she described in the announcement as a “far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government and anti-capitalist group,” also “planned to target ICE agents and vehicles.”
At a Los Angeles press conference Monday morning, Bill Essayli, assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, and Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said that four people — identified as Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30, Zachary Aaron Page, 32, Dante Gaffield, 24, and Tina Lai, 41 — were arrested and each charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
The FBI on Friday “intercepted a scheme by members of a violent extremist group we believe determined to detonate explosives at multiple businesses on New Year’s Eve,” according to Davis.
The four people arrested, whom Davis said were “members of a radical faction of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, a violent homegrown anti-government group,” allegedly planned to plant backpacks containing improvised explosive devices “to be detonated at multiple locations in Southern California targeting U.S. companies.”
The IEDs were coordinated to detonate at midnight on New Year’s Eve, Davis said, adding that the suspects were arrested Friday by the FBI while they were allegedly assembling the devices in the desert.
All four will appear in federal court Monday afternoon, according to officials.
Though he declined to name the companies that were allegedly targeted, Essayli described them as “logistics centers.” He added that there were “at least five” locations that the suspects allegedly planned to target in Orange and Los Angeles counties.
FBI Director Kash Patel also posted Monday that a fifth person “believed to be linked” to the Turtle Island Liberation Front had been arrested by the FBI in New Orleans for “allegedly planning a separate violent attack.”
(LONDON) — At least nine of the 15 people who were killed in the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, have been identified.
They include a young soccer player originally from France, a rugby team manager, a great-grandfather known for his “love of life” who died while shielding others and a Holocaust survivor.
Two gunmen — believed to be a father and son — opened fire on Sunday at an event marking the first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, according to authorities.
Here’s what we know about the victims:
Dan Elkayam, 27
Dan Elkayam, 27, a French citizen, was among those killed in the Bondi Beach shooting.
French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X, writing, “I learn with deep sadness of the death our compatriot, Dan Elkayam, during the antisemitic terrorist attack in Sydney,” according to an English translation. “I am thinking of his family and loved ones and express to them the full solidarity of the Nation.”
Elkayam was a player with the Rockdale Ilinden Football Club, a semi-professional football club in the Sydney suburb of Rockdale. Dennis Loether, president of the club, released a statement in response to Elkayam’s passing.
“To say we are shocked would be an understatement. We are [devastated] to learn that our PL1 Association Player — Dan Elkayam — was tragically and senselessly killed in the Bondi Beach massacre,” the statement read.
The statement described Elkayam as an “extremely talented midfield player,” who lived with his girlfriend in in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.
“Those who were closest to him described him as a down to earth, happy go lucky individual who was warmly embraced by those he me,” the statement continued. “His smiling face and respectful nature will be sorely missed by his [teammates] and everyone that knew him. We pray for him and for his family.”
Alexander Kleytman, 87
Alexander Kleytman, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, was among those killed during the Bondi Beach attack, his wife, Larisa Kleytman, told reporters outside St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.
“I think he was shot because he raised himself up to protect me,” Larisa Kleytman told the newspaper The Australian.
Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff
Rabbi Leibel Laaroff’s death was confirmed on X by his father, Yoosi Lazaroff.
“Please say Psalms 20 & 21 for my son, Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff … who was shot in a terrorist attack at a Chanukah event he was running for Chabad of Bondi in Sydney, Australia,” the post read. “The Chabad Rabbi he was working with Rabbi Eli Schlangerwas killed. Praying for all the victims and their families.”
Yaakov Levitan
Yaakov Levitan, secretary of the Jewish institution, the Sydney Beth Din, was killed in the attack. His death was confirmed to Guardian Australia by Sydney Beth Din senior member, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman.
”Yaakov Levitan was a profoundly beloved and active member of the Sydney Jewish community,” according to a post on the crowdfunding site Charidy being overseen by the non-profit organization Jewish House.
“He served as general manager of Chabad of Bondi, a dedicated secretary at the Sydney Beth Din, and was a key figure in educational initiatives at the BINA Centre in Sydney. He was a man of quiet devotion, known for his kindness and tireless work in assisting others, including his commitment to distributing tefillin as a sacred act of service,” the post read.
Peter Meagher
Peter Meagher, also known as “Marzo,” was a longtime volunteer at Randwick Rugby Club, which confirmed his death in a statement on Monday.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that Randwick DRUFC can confirm the tragic passing of our much loved First Grade Manager and loyal club volunteer Peter Meagher yesterday,” the statement from general manager, Mark Harrison, said.
“Peter was working as a freelance photographer at the ill-fated Hanukkah event and for him it was simply a catastrophic case of being in the wrong place and at the wrong time,” the statement read.
The statement said Meagher served for almost four decades a police officer in the New South Wales police force and retired as a detective sergeant.
“Our deepest condolences go to his wife Virginia, his brothers Greg, David, Andrew and Paul, their extended families and mountain of friends across Randwick Rugby, NSW Police, Sydney Rugby Referees and our local community,” the statement continued.
Reuven Morrison, 67
Reuven Morrison’s death was confirmed in a post on X by Chabad.org, the flagship website of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement.
Morrison, 67, emigrated from the former Soviet Union to Australia in the 1970s, according to the post.
Chabad.org reported he divided his time between Sydney and Melbourne and was a “successful businessman whose main goal was to give away his earnings to charities dear to his heart.”
Morrison leaves behind a wife and a daughter, Shaina, according to the post.
Marika Pogany
Marika Pogany’s death was confirmed in a post on X from Peter Pellegrini, president of the Slovak Republic.
“Already yesterday, I unequivocally condemned the brutal, deadly attack on innocent people during the Hanukkah celebrations at Australia’s Bondi Beach and expressed my deep solidarity with a nation plunged into grief and shock,” the statement read. “Today, that grief has reached Slovakia as well — among the victims of this senseless, violent rampage was a Slovak woman, Marika.”
“I extend my heartfelt and sincere condolences to Marika’s family and loved ones.”
Rabbi Eli Schlanger
Rabbi Eli Schlanger’s death was confirmed by his cousin, Zalman N Shterna Lewis, in a post on Instagram.
Schlanger was a 41-year-old father-of-five, according to the Instagram post.
“My dear cousin, Rabbi Eli Schlanger was murdered in today’s terrorist attack in Sydney. He leaves behind his wife & young children, as well as my uncle & aunt & siblings,” Lewis wrote on Sunday. “With confidence knowing that ‘joy breaks all boundaries,’ the positive light of Chanukah will triumph against the darkness for once and for all. I knew Eli well enough to know he’d concur.”
Tibor Weitzen, 78
Tibor Weitzen, a 78-year-old great-grandfather, was one of those killed in the attack, his granddaughter, Leor Amzalak, confirmed to Guardian Australia.
His grandson, Mendy Amzalak, told the Australian that Weitzen was a “man full of life, joy, smiles and laughter”, who died shielding others from the bullets.
COLlive.com, an Orthodox Jewish news outlet reporting on Chabad-Lubavitch communities around the world, wrote in a post on Instagram that Weitzen was known “for his warmth, kindness, and love of life. Tibor brought joy to everyone he met, especially the children at Shul, where he was famous for greeting them with lollipops and a smile.”
A bouquet is left outside of the engineering and physics building at Brown University, the site of a mass shooting yesterday that left at least two people dead and nine others injured, on December 14, 2025, in Providence, Rhode Island. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The anxiety level among Rhode Islanders “has risen” since a person of interest was released from custody amid a manhunt for an assailant who fatally shot two Brown University students on Saturday, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said.
As the investigation to identify a suspect stretched into its third day, the person initially detained in connection with the Brown University mass shooting has been “effectively cleared,” the Rhode Island state attorney general told ABC News on Monday.
“The evidence that we have, the scientific evidence that we have available to us, after it was analyzed, made clear that this was not someone who should be detained in connection with this case,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said on ABC News’ “GMA3.” “So we released him and then moved on, looking at other evidence and pursuing other leads pointing at additional potential individuals.”
Investigators are now bringing additional teams to canvass for video, analyze images, and sweep the crime scene for fingerprints as they work to build a more detailed timeline and, potentially, identify a suspect.
ABC News observed members of the FBI evidence response unit using a K-9 on Monday to canvas the area around the crime scene at Brown University.
“We understand that there’s a high degree of anxiety and after this individual was released last night, I understand that anxiety level has risen in our community,” Smiley told ABC News on Monday. “But it’s no different than a day ago, which is that we’ve received — continue to receive zero credible threats to our community, Brown or the broader community.”
Smiley’s comments came as federal and local law enforcement officials were continuing their investigation early on Monday, two days after the mass shooting in an academic building in Providence on Saturday.
A person of interest in the case, who had been taken into custody early on Sunday, was released later in the day, after authorities said that there was no basis to continue detaining them.
“Tonight, we announced that the person of interest is being released. The investigation has been ongoing and remains fully active between all agencies,” the Providence Police Department said in a statement early on Monday. “Since the first call to 911, we have not received any specific threats to our community.”
Smiley wouldn’t on Monday definitely say whether the person of interest who was released was cleared of all connection to the case. He also declined to say whether the investigation was pointing toward a student or someone from off-campus.
“We cannot comment on that and we’re exploring all possible leads,” he said.
Two people were killed and nine were injured in the shooting, according to officials. The injured victims were transported to local hospitals amid a day of “devastating gun violence,” Christina H. Paxson, the university’s president, said in a statement posted early on Sunday.
“Every year, emergency responders and students drill for the unthinkable — a shooting at our schools,” Gov. Dan McKee said in his own statement. “Yesterday, that action became all too real when a gunman opened fire on a classroom of innocent Brown University students.”
The FBI and other law enforcement officials shared a short video clip of someone whom they described as a person of interest. The individual in the clip is seen dressed in dark clothing, including what appeared to be a hood, as they walk along Hope Street and take a corner heading north.
The person’s right hand appeared to be in their jacket pocket as they walked northward along Waterman Street before exiting from the frame.
Officials said they still believe the person seen in that video is a person of interest in the shooting.
The person of interest who was detained and released on Sunday was initially caught at about 3:45 a.m. at a hotel in Coventry, about 28 miles south of Providence, according to law enforcement sources and Coventry police.
Law enforcement sources described the detained person of interest as a man in his mid-20s from Wisconsin. At the time the person was detained, the individual was allegedly in possession of two guns, according to sources.
There was “no basis” to keep the person detained, Attorney General of Rhode Island Peter Neronha said.
“Sometimes you head in one direction and have to regroup and go in another,” Neronha said. “That’s exactly what’s happened over the last 24 hours or so.”
ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik, Aaron Katersky, Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas and Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.
