2 dead, more than a dozen injured in Austin bar mass shooting, police say

2 dead, more than a dozen injured in Austin bar mass shooting, police say
2 dead, more than a dozen injured in Austin bar mass shooting, police say
Two people are dead and 14 others hospitalized following a mass shooting early Sunday morning. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — The FBI said it is investigating a possible terrorism motive in a mass shooting early Sunday outside a bar in Austin, Texas, that left two people dead and more than a dozen others injured.

The suspected gunman was killed in a confrontation with police officers, who were already staged in the city’s entertainment district when the shooting broke out, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference on Sunday.

The suspect has been identified as Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Senegal, sources with knowledge of the matter told ABC News.

Davis said the suspect was living in Pflugerville, Texas.

The suspect was wearing clothing that referenced Allah and a T-shirt that referenced Iran, with an Iranian flag underneath the word, according to multiple law enforcement officials.

Diagne entered the U.S. in March 2000, on a B-2 tourist visa. In 2006, he adjusted to lawful permanent resident (IR-6) based on marriage to a U.S. citizen, according to multiple law enforcement officials.

He naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2013. 

In 2022, he was arrested in Texas for a collision with a vehicle damage, a source told ABC News.

Alex Doran, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio field office, said a motive for the shooting remains under investigation, but terrorism is a possible motive.

“There were indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism,” Doran said Sunday. “Again, it’s still too early to make a determination on that.”

In a social media post on Sunday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump had been briefed regarding the shooting in Austin.

Davis said 911 callers began reporting a shooting on West Sixth Street in downtown Austin just before 2 p.m. She said the 911 callers stated that someone was shooting around Buford’s Bar.

“We know that a large SUV drove several times around the block in that area,” Davis said. “At one point, [the suspect] put his flashers on, rolled down his window and began using a pistol, shooting out of his car windows, striking patrons of the bar that were on the patio and that were in front of the bar.”

Davis said the suspect then parked his vehicle, got out and opened fire on people gathered on the sidewalk.

She said the Austin police department had a contingent of officers assigned to patrol the area in the busy West Sixth Street entertainment district. She said the officers were about 55 to 56 seconds away from where the suspect was shooting, and rushed toward the gunfire.

Davis said the suspect was walking in the direction of the police when officers confronted him and killed him.

Bystander video verified by ABC News captured the suspected shooter walking on the sidewalk toward police officers as he fired a barrage of shots. The video shows officers returning fire, striking the suspect before he falls to the ground as someone screams in the background, “Oh, my God!”

The sources told ABC News that the suspect initially fired five to seven shots from a handgun into a crowd of people before police said he exited his vehicle and was confronted by Austin Police officers.

“There is no question in my mind that the quick response of the police officers and of our EMS personnel and those professionals made a difference and saved lives,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said at the news conference.

Three Austin Police Department officers encountered a suspect armed with a gun on the street near Buford’s Bar, police said at an earlier news conference. The officers returned fire, fatally shooting the man, police said.

The FBI’s Joint terrorism Task Force is joining the investigation into the shooting, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Law enforcement is also probing whether there were any mental health issues related to the suspected shooter, sources said, adding that as of now the shooting is considered an isolated incident, rather than part of a larger plot.

ABC News spoke via telephone with a woman in Texas, who confirmed that she is Diagne’s ex-wife. She said they divorced in 2022 and that she has not spoken to her ex-husband in four or five years. The woman said she knew nothing about the Austin shooting and said she was shocked when she heard about it.

Asked if her ex-husband was religious, she said, “He was religious, yeah.” She did not elaborate.

She said they previously lived in New York together and then, in 2017, moved to Texas because Diagne wanted more space for their family, including their two children. She said that before moving to Texas, her ex-husband went there for a week to check it out as a possible place to move, and then he came back to New York and told her, “Oh, I think you’re gonna love it, it’s quiet.”

She said they initially moved to San Antonio.

The Austin Police Department had earlier released a statement urging people to avoid the area near the 600 block of Rio Grande Street, the Downtown Austin block where the bar is located.

Photos and videos from the scene showed a major emergency response. Paramedics and officers arrived on the scene less than a minute after the first call came in, Chief Robert Luckritz, of the Austin-Travis County EMS, said on Sunday.

Three people, including a suspect, were pronounced dead at the scene, Luckritz said, adding that another 14 were transported to local hospitals for treatment for injuries.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement on Sunday that he has directed the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) to increase patrols in the West Sixth Street area during the weekends.

Abbott said that before the shooting, he directed the DPS and the Texas National Guard to intensify patrols and surveillance across the state in a precautionary measure in response to the joint U.S.-Israel military operation in Iran.

“This act of violence will not define us, nor will it shake the resolve of Texans,” Abbott said of the mass shooting. “To anyone who thinks about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure, understand this clearly: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our state.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Department of Homeland Security warns of potential attacks amid Iran operation

Department of Homeland Security warns of potential attacks amid Iran operation
Department of Homeland Security warns of potential attacks amid Iran operation
A Department of Homeland Security seal on a podium at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, Mar. 13, 2024. (Luke Barr/ABC News)

(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Homeland Security has warned of potential lone-wolf and cyberattacks amid the ongoing strikes in Iran, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by ABC News.

“Although a large-scale physical attack is unlikely, Iran and its proxies probably pose a persistent threat of targeted attacks in the Homeland, and will almost certainly escalate retaliatory actions—or calls to action—if reports of the Ayatollah’s death are confirmed,” according to the bulletin.

“In the short-term, we are most concerned that Iran-aligned hacktivists will conduct low-level cyber attacks against US networks, such as website defacements and distributed denial-of-service attacks,” officials said in the bulletin.

The alert was issued on Saturday, a day before a gunman opened fire in Austin, Texas, and authorities are investigating whether or not the suspect was inspired by the situation overseas.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News the suspect was wearing a sweatshirt with “Property of Allah” on it and underneath, a shirt with “Iran” and the Iranian flag on it.

Officials are also investigating whether the suspect had mental health issues.

The bulletin said physical attacks are rare for those inspired by Iran.

“Lone offenders in the Homeland have not historically been motivated by issues related to Iran, the IRGC, or Shia violent extremism; however, the existential threat to the Iranian regime and increased US or Israeli actions could prompt some US-based violent extremists or hate crime perpetrators to attack targets perceived to be Jewish, pro-Israel, or linked to the US government or military,” officials said in the bulletin.

Derek Mayer, the former assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service’s Chicago field office, said law enforcement is always on alert for a lone offender.

“I think law enforcement authorities are concerned about attacks happening every day. And obviously, yesterday with the bombings taking place in Iran, the attacks could come even at a higher rate, but it’s your schools, it’s your churches, it’s at your airports,” Mayer, now the chief security officer and vice president of executive protection at P4, said. “The current threat environment in the United States and across the world is, it’s very dangerous right now, but it’s also to say the last quarter of a century, since the September 11th attacks of 2001, the landscape across the United States and also across the world has been very dangerous.”

Police departments across the country have stepped up patrols in high-traffic and high-target areas.

“At times like this, they will be up in patrols and officers, more posts at government facilities, but there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that the public doesn’t see, whether that be, you know, counter surveillance, whether it be extra intelligence monitoring,” he said. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Terrorism motive probed in mass shooting at Austin bar: FBI

2 dead, more than a dozen injured in Austin bar mass shooting, police say
2 dead, more than a dozen injured in Austin bar mass shooting, police say
Three people are dead and 14 others hospitalized following a mass shooting early Sunday morning. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — The FBI said it is investigating a possible terrorism motive in a mass shooting early Sunday outside a bar in Austin, Texas, that left two people dead and more than a dozen others injured.

The suspected gunman was killed in a confrontation with police officers, who were already staged in the city’s entertainment district when the shooting broke out, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference on Sunday.

The suspect’s name was not immediately released. But sources with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News that he is a 53-year-old man from Pflugerville, Texas, who was born in Senegal and was a naturalized U.S citizen.

Alex Doran, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio field office, said a motive for the shooting remains under investigation, but terrorism is a possible motive.

“There were indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism,” Doran said Sunday. “Again, it’s still too early to make a determination on that.”

Davis said 911 callers began reporting a shooting on Sixth Street in downtown Austin just before 2 p.m. She said the 911 callers stated that someone was shooting around Buford’s Bar.

“We know that a large SUV drove several times around the block in that area,” Davis said. “At one point, [the suspect] put his flashers on, rolled down his window and began using a pistol, shooting out of his car windows, striking patrons of the bar that were on the patio and that were in front of the bar.”

Davis said the suspect then parked his vehicle, got out and opened fire on people gathered on the sidewalk.

She said the Austin police department had a contingent of officers assigned to patrol the area in the busy Sixth Street entertainment district. She said the officers were about 55 to 56 seconds away from where the suspect was shooting, and rushed toward the gunfire.

Davis said the suspect was walking in the direction of the police when officers confronted him and killed him.

“There is no question in my mind that the quick response of the police officers and of our EMS personnel and those professionals made a difference and saved lives,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said at the news conference.

Three Austin Police Department officers encountered a suspect armed with a gun on the street near Buford’s Bar, police said at an earlier news conference. The officers returned fire, fatally shooting the man, police said.

The FBI’s Joint terrorism Task Force is joining the investigation into the shooting, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The Austin Police Department had earlier released a statement urging people to avoid the area near the 600 block of Rio Grande Street, the Downtown Austin block where the bar is located.

Photos and videos from the scene showed a major emergency response. Paramedics and officers arrived on the scene less than a minute after the first call came in, Chief Robert Luckritz, of the Austin-Travis County EMS, said on Sunday.

Three people, including a suspect, were pronounced dead at the scene, Luckritz said, adding that another 14 were transported to local hospitals for treatment for injuries.

As the response began, the Austin Fire Department had said that emergency personnel were responding to an “Active Attack” call.

“AFD is working an Active Attack call on West 6th St. unified command with @Austin_Police and @ATCEMS This is an active scene we will release information as becomes available,” the department said on social media. “Avoid the area.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Terrorism motive probed in mass shooting at Austin bar: FBI

2 dead, more than a dozen injured in Austin bar mass shooting, police say
2 dead, more than a dozen injured in Austin bar mass shooting, police say
Three people are dead and 14 others hospitalized following a mass shooting early Sunday morning. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — The FBI said it is investigating a possible terrorism motive in a mass shooting early Sunday outside a bar in Austin, Texas, that left two people dead and more than a dozen others injured.

The suspected gunman was killed in a confrontation with police officers, who were already staged in the city’s entertainment district when the shooting broke out, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference on Sunday.

The suspect’s name was not immediately released. But sources with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News that he is a 53-year-old man from Pflugerville, Texas, who was born in Senegal and was a naturalized U.S citizen.

Alex Doran, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio field office, said a motive for the shooting remains under investigation, but terrorism is a possible motive.

“There were indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism,” Doran said Sunday. “Again, it’s still too early to make a determination on that.”

Davis said 911 callers began reporting a shooting on Sixth Street in downtown Austin just before 2 p.m. She said the 911 callers stated that someone was shooting around Buford’s Bar.

“We know that a large SUV drove several times around the block in that area,” Davis said. “At one point, [the suspect] put his flashers on, rolled down his window and began using a pistol, shooting out of his car windows, striking patrons of the bar that were on the patio and that were in front of the bar.”

Davis said the suspect then parked his vehicle, got out and opened fire on people gathered on the sidewalk.

She said the Austin police department had a contingent of officers assigned to patrol the area in the busy Sixth Street entertainment district. She said the officers were about 55 to 56 seconds away from where the suspect was shooting, and rushed toward the gunfire.

Davis said the suspect was walking in the direction of the police when officers confronted him and killed him.

“There is no question in my mind that the quick response of the police officers and of our EMS personnel and those professionals made a difference and saved lives,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said at the news conference.

Three Austin Police Department officers encountered a suspect armed with a gun on the street near Buford’s Bar, police said at an earlier news conference. The officers returned fire, fatally shooting the man, police said.

The FBI’s Joint terrorism Task Force is joining the investigation into the shooting, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The Austin Police Department had earlier released a statement urging people to avoid the area near the 600 block of Rio Grande Street, the Downtown Austin block where the bar is located.

Photos and videos from the scene showed a major emergency response. Paramedics and officers arrived on the scene less than a minute after the first call came in, Chief Robert Luckritz, of the Austin-Travis County EMS, said on Sunday.

Three people, including a suspect, were pronounced dead at the scene, Luckritz said, adding that another 14 were transported to local hospitals for treatment for injuries.

As the response began, the Austin Fire Department had said that emergency personnel were responding to an “Active Attack” call.

“AFD is working an Active Attack call on West 6th St. unified command with @Austin_Police and @ATCEMS This is an active scene we will release information as becomes available,” the department said on social media. “Avoid the area.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

How we got here: Months after Operation Midnight Hammer, the US strikes Iran again

How we got here: Months after Operation Midnight Hammer, the US strikes Iran again
How we got here: Months after Operation Midnight Hammer, the US strikes Iran again
Smoke rises over the city center after an Israeli army launches 2nd wave of airstrikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Last summer, the United States struck several nuclear weapons facilities in Iran.

In the wake of the strikes, carried out by the highly advanced American B-2 bombers, President Donald Trump declared that the Iranian regime’s nuclear capabilities had been “obliterated.”

However, questions arose in the wake of the strikes about what was actually destroyed.

In the intervening months, the U.S. has tried to negotiate with the Iranian regime to reach a nuclear deal and Trump has repeatedly threatened the regime.

Recently, the administration began to float a potential strike, while maintaining that the nuclear program had been “obliterated,” leaving the justification for doing so unclear. In his address after Saturday’s strikes, Trump mentioned “imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” missile and nuclear capabilities as well as regime change.

Iran has stated numerous times that it doesn’t want nuclear weapons but believes it has the right to use nuclear power for civilian purpose.

A recent Defense Intelligence Agency memo suggested Iran was looking to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile by 2035, but Trump suggested missiles could be capable of reaching the U.S. “soon.”

Here’s how the events have unfolded.

June 12, 2025: Israel launches a series of preemptive strikes against Iran, hitting military targets including the nuclear program. A dayslong conflict erupts.

June 22, 2025: U.S. launches Operation Midnight Hammer, with more than 100 planes, including seven B-2 stealth bombers, targeting three nuclear sites in Iran. In the wake of the strike, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the country’s nuclear ambitions were “obliterated.”

Hegseth said at the time that the scope of the operation was “intentionally limited” to give the Iranians a chance to negotiate and the attack was not about “regime change.” At the same time, Israel said that it struck “dozens of military sites” in Iran.

Trump floated the idea of regime change at the time writing on Truth Social – “It’s not politically correct to use the term, “Regime Change,” but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???”

December 2025-January 2026: Protests break out in Iran that become widespread. The protests turn deadly, with the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) saying that thousands were killed. Trump threated to hit the regime “hard” if protesters were killed.

Jan. 26, 2026: Trump tells Axios that Iran “wants to make a deal.” “They were going to hang 837 people, and I told them, if you do it, you’re going to pay a price like nobody’s ever paid before. They pulled back. I appreciated that, but a lot of people have been killed. So, we’ll see what happens. I can say this. They do want to make a deal,” he said.

Jan. 28, 2026: Trump says on Truth Social that a “massive armada is heading to Iran” and “Hopefully Iran will quickly “Come to the Table” and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.” He further warned that “he next attack will be far worse” than Midnight Hammer.

Jan. 30: Trump says Iran wants to make a deal.

Feb. 3: A U.S. official confirms talks are tentatively scheduled to take place in Turkey.

Feb. 4: Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. is ready for Iran talks but “they will have to include certain things, and that includes the range of their ballistic missiles, that includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, that includes a nuclear program, and that includes the treatment of their own people.”

Feb. 6: U.S. and Iran engage in indirect talks in Oman. After the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called them a “good start” according to state media.

Feb. 11: Vice President JD Vance says he wants a deal with Iran, but “if we can’t cut that deal, then there’s another option on the table.” He said regime change was “up to the Iranian people.”

Feb. 13: Trump says regime change is the “best thing that could happen.” He urged Iran to make a deal. “I will say they wanted to talk, but so far, they do a lot of talking, and no action,” he said.

Feb. 19: Trump gives Iran 15 days “maximum” to make a deal. “We’re either going to get a deal or it’s going to be unfortunate for them,” he said.

Feb. 24: During the State of the Union speech, Trump issued a stark warning to the Iranian regime. “They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America,” Trump said. Trump insisted that Iran would not agree to not pursue a nuclear weapon. He said “no nation should ever doubt America’s resolve.”

Feb. 26: The U.S. and Iran hold high stakes talks in Geneva. The administration said that it wanted a full stop to Iranian uranium enrichment. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the regime posed a “threat” and “you can see them always trying to rebuild elements of” the nuclear program. Vance says there is “no chance” of a drawn out war.

Feb. 27: Trump says he is “not happy” with negotiations with Iran. “I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have.” But he said a final decision had not been made as to whether to strike. Earlier in the day, it was announced that Rubio would travel to Israel on Monday and Tuesday.

Feb. 28: The U.S. launches Operation Epic Fury, which Trump called “major combat operations” alongside Israel. Trump justified the attacks to “defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.” He also called on the Iranian people to rise up and depose the regime. Trump has not provided evidence of the threats posed by Iran and did not seek the approval of Congress.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘Serious moment’: Reactions pour in from Congress after Trump strikes Iran

‘Serious moment’: Reactions pour in from Congress after Trump strikes Iran
‘Serious moment’: Reactions pour in from Congress after Trump strikes Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC. Trump delivered his address days after the Supreme Court struck down the administration’s tariff strategy and amid a U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf threatening Iran. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — In the wake of the “massive” strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel Saturday, members of Congress have begun weighing in — with Democrats demanding answers — and some calling for lawmakers to return to Washington to vote on resolutions that would check President Donald Trump’s power to wage war.

Republicans have so far praised President Donald Trump’s decision to undertake “massive combat operations” against Iran, with an eye towards liberating the Iranian people.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of Trump’s most ardent supporters, said in a post on X “the end of the largest state sponsor of terrorism is upon us” and celebrated “freedom” for the Iranian people.

“My mind is racing with the thought that the murderous ayatollah’s regime in Iran will soon be no more,” he said in another post. “The biggest change in the Middle East in a thousand years is upon us.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to some members of the so-called Gang of 8 to notify them of the operation in Iran before it was underway, multiple congressional offices confirmed to ABC News.

Members of the Gang of 8 include the top bipartisan House and Senate leaders and the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees.

On Tuesday of this week, hours ahead of the president’s State of the Union address, Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe virtually briefed the Gang of 8 on Capitol Hill on Iran.

Immediately following the briefing, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters: “This is serious, and the administration has to make its case to the American people.”

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, an Arkansas Republican briefed ahead of the strikes in Iran, issued a statement providing a sense of why the president moved forward with the operation.

“Prior to the initiation of this action, in earnest diplomatic engagements with Iran, President Trump was very clear about his red line from the start and his expectations of Iran during these negotiations. Iran absolutely cannot be allowed to maintain a nuclear weapon or capabilities,” he said in a statement posted on X. “The safety and security of Americans and our allies are on the line.”

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, said he is praying for U.S. service members but emphasizes, “everything I have heard from the Administration before and after these strikes on Iran confirms this is a war of choice with no strategic endgame.”

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia is calling on the Senate to return to Washington immediately to vote on a war powers resolution to check the president’s authority to wage war with Iran.

“Has President Trump learned nothing from decades of U.S. meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East?” Kaine said in a statement.

“These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives,” he added.

“The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran. Every single Senator needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action,” he said.

It’s very unlikely Republican leadership will heed Kaine’s call to action.

Kaine’s war powers resolution is co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Senate Minority Leader Schumer. Earlier in the week, Kaine said he would push for a vote in the Senate as soon as next week.

Congressional Democrats announced they too will compel a vote on a war powers resolution relating to Iran next week. House Democratic leadership is expected to force a vote on the bipartisan war powers resolution.

Both efforts in the House and Senate will receive some bipartisan support, but it’s unclear if they will have enough votes to actually pass both chambers.

As strikes were underway on Saturday, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said that after the “Iranian regime has slaughtered thousands of its own people in recent days,” the attack on Iran should be a warning to despotic regimes.

“Tyrants and terrorists everywhere should take note: the world is watching. History is watching,” Mace wrote on X.

Notably Sen. John Fetterman, D.-Pa., said he believed Trump was making the right move.

“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region. God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel,” Fetterman wrote in an X post.

But other Democrats demanded an explanation for the strikes, like Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., a veteran, who lamented the action.

“I lost friends in Iraq to an illegal war. Young working-class kids should not pay the ultimate price for regime change and a war that hasn’t been explained or justified to the American people,” he wrote on X.

Others called for a full briefing and a vote on a proposed war powers resolution that would limit Trump’s power.Rep. Jared Moskowitz demanded a briefing.

“This is a serious moment that demands full transparency and congressional oversight,” Moskowitz, D-Fla., wrote on X.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

30 more people charged in connection Minnesota church incident: DOJ

30 more people charged in connection Minnesota church incident: DOJ
30 more people charged in connection Minnesota church incident: DOJ
In this Jan. 30, 2026, file photo, Cities Church is shown in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images, FILE)

(NEW YORK) — Thirty more people have been charged in connection with an incident last month in which anti-ICE protesters disrupted a service at a Minnesota church, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday.

“At my direction, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, with more to come throughout the day,” Bondi said in a post on X after a superseding indictment in the case was unsealed. “YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you.”

The Justice Department had previously charged nine others, including former CNN journalist Don Lemon, for their alleged roles in the incident. Lemon and several others pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges earlier this month.

The incident unfolded on Jan. 18, when protesters entered Cities Church in St. Paul. The protesters said one of the pastors is the acting field director of the St. Paul ICE field office. Protesters were heard chanting “Justice for Renee Good” inside the church, referencing the woman fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis in early January.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

DOJ reposts purported photo of Howard Lutnick on Epstein’s island

DOJ reposts purported photo of Howard Lutnick on Epstein’s island
DOJ reposts purported photo of Howard Lutnick on Epstein’s island
Howard Lutnick, US commerce secretary during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice overnight restored a photo purportedly showing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick visiting the private island of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to its trove of publicly released documents. 

On Thursday, a Department of Justice official acknowledged the photo was taken down as part of a “batch of files that were flagged for nudity” following the recent release of Epstein files.

The image itself did not contain nudity, and the restored version of the photo did not contain any new redactions. 

“The batch of thousands of images was pulled for review and is being uploaded with necessary redactions on a rolling basis. No files are being deleted,” the official said. 

Some photos on the Department of Justice’s website are batched together into a single document, and the DOJ has said they are pulling documents on a rolling basis to make necessary redactions, such as for nudity or personally identifiable information.

The previously removed photo appears to show Epstein, Lutnick — dressed in a blue shirt and white shorts — and three other individuals near the southwest corner of Little Saint James, the private island owned by Epstein in the United States Virgin Islands. 

The Commerce Department and White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The Department of Justice appears to have withdrawn the image from its public archive of Epstein documents sometime earlier this month, according to a saved version on the nonprofit site Wayback Machine. The removal prompted criticism from lawmakers including Representatives Ted Lieu, Thomas Massie, and Jimmy Gomez. 

“Dear @AGPamBondi: Why are you covering up this picture of Epstein’s friend Lutnick?” Lieu wrote on X. “And are you really so stupid you think deleting a picture after you’ve posted it on the internet will make it go away?”

Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee earlier this month. Lutnick acknowledged that he visited Epstein’s island with his family during a vacation, though he initially claimed he distanced himself from Epstein in 2005.

Emails released by the Department of Justice earlier this month showed Lutnick’s wife coordinating with Epstein’s assistant to visit the island for lunch in December 2012.

“I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies,” Lutnick told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee. 

Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, who broke from his party to push for the release of the Epstein files, called on the Department of Justice on Thursday to explain why the image was removed. 

“I’m sure there’s a good reason for this. DOJ needs to tell Congress who pulled this file down so we can ask them,” Massie wrote on X. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Over 2 dozen 3D printed ghost guns seized from teen’s bedroom: DA

Over 2 dozen 3D printed ghost guns seized from teen’s bedroom: DA
Over 2 dozen 3D printed ghost guns seized from teen’s bedroom: DA
A San Jose teen is facing criminal charges for allegedly manufacturing ghost guns in his bedroom. (Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office)

(SAN JOSE, Calif.) — An 18-year-old is facing charges for allegedly using a 3D printer to manufacture ghost guns in his bedroom, according to the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office. 

Jacob Reyes allegedly had two working 3D weapon printers and 27 finished or almost finished guns in his room in San Jose, California. Some of the guns were modified to act as machine guns, and ammunition was found in the home, according to the DA’s office.

All of the weapons seized from Reyes’ bedroom, except one, were manufactured using the printers, the DA’s office said. 

Reyes was arraigned on Thursday on charges related to unlicensed manufacturing of firearms using a 3D printer and felony charges of possession of a machine gun, the DA’s office said. 

If convicted, he faces prison time, according to the DA’s office. 

“There is a black market of weapons thriving right under our noses,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Once again, the DA’s investigators and their law enforcement partners have taken off the streets an arsenal of untraceable, illegal, and deadly weapons.”

 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Nancy Guthrie latest: Sheriff investigating ring camera from 2.5 miles away

Nancy Guthrie latest: Sheriff investigating ring camera from 2.5 miles away
Nancy Guthrie latest: Sheriff investigating ring camera from 2.5 miles away
Pima County Sheriffs deputies prepare for a shift change outside of Nancy Guthrie’s residence, February 15, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

(TUCSON, Ariz.) — The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said video obtained by Fox News is part of the investigation into the abduction of Nancy Guthrie, though it is unclear whether it has any relevance to the case.

A ring camera 2.5 miles from Guthrie’s house captured a car going by around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1, about the time police believe the 84-year-old was abducted from her Tucson, Arizona, home by an unknown suspect.

The FBI said it is aware of the footage.

The sheriff’s department has asked homeowners across Pima County to submit their home security footage. Investigators have canvassed an area within 2 miles of Guthrie’s home.

Investigators have had glimpses of vehicles from various cameras but, as yet, have not associated a particular vehicle to Guthrie’s kidnapping, sources familiar with the case told ABC News.

After a nearly month-long investigation, the FBI is preparing to turn over the house to the Guthrie family, the sources said. 

That signals the home is no longer considered a crime scene of evidentiary value, but the sheriff’s department will stick close.

The sheriff’s department said it “plans to maintain a patrol presence in the Guthrie neighborhood.”

Guthrie’s daughter, “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, announced on Tuesday a new $1 million reward for the recovery of her mom. The combined reward between the family and law enforcement now stands at $1.2 million.

Anyone with information is urged to call 911, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.