(WASHINGTON) — D.C. police officer Wayne David died on Wednesday evening after he suffered an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound while trying to recover a weapon from a storm drain, police have announced.
Officers were responding to reports of a suspicious vehicle when a man jumped out of a car, ran onto the I-295 highway and placed the gun inside a storm drain, ABC News has learned. The suspect then fled the scene on the back of a motorcycle.
When police then tried to retrieve the weapon, it went off, striking David — a 25-year veteran of the police force — in the upper torso. Other officers rendered aid and David was transferred to a local hospital.
Executive Assistant Chief of D.C. Police Jeffery Caroll told reporters earlier in the day that David — a crime scene search officer — was “trained to recover evidence and firearms,” and had recovered “hundreds of guns” in his career.
Pamela A. Smith, the D.C. chief of police, said in a statement: “Our hearts are heavy tonight after the tragic loss of one of our own.”
“Investigator Wayne David, a veteran MPD officer, lost his life while serving in the line of duty. There are few words to express the hurt and pain that Officer David’s family and the entire MPD is feeling right now,” Smith said.
“Investigator David was the epitome of a great officer. He was a dedicated and highly respected member of the department, and this is a tremendous loss for all of us,” she continued.
“For more than 25 years, Investigator David dedicated his life to protecting and safeguarding the District of Columbia. He served with passion and honor and had the utmost respect of his peers,” Smith added.
“I will be forever grateful for Investigator David’s service to the Metropolitan Police Department and his life will never be forgotten,” the statement read.
Police are still searching for the suspect who ditched the gun, and said there is no indication that the man knew the motorcyclist whose vehicle he escaped on. The department has released an image of the suspect.
(ST. LOUIS) — A county prosecutor in St. Louis, Missouri, presented DNA evidence Wednesday alleging that a death row inmate convicted of first-degree murder is innocent in a case that has drawn opposition from the state attorney general.
Marcellus Williams, 55, who has maintained his innocence, is scheduled to be executed on Sept. 24 for the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, according to court documents. He was charged in 1999 and found guilty in 2001.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, headed by Wesley Bell, told ABC News in a statement Wednesday that the lead prosecutor and investigator who initially tried the case two decades ago handled the knife used to kill Gayle without gloves and their DNA was found on the evidence.
“DNA from two members of the trial team were found on the murder weapon in testing we did for this hearing,” Bell’s office told ABC News in a statement Wednesday. “In open court today, a DNA expert testified that their improper handling of the weapon could have eliminated other DNA evidence. Williams’ DNA was never recovered from the knife.”
Bell’s office did not address whether they are asking the judge to invalidate the knife as evidence because of improper handling.
Williams was set to enter an Alford plea after a circuit court judge, and Bell agreed to it last week. An Alford plea would allow him to accept the consequences of a guilty plea but would not require him to admit specific wrongdoing to get his sentence reduced to life in prison without parole, according to the county prosecutor’s office.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey argued that the move to vacate Williams’ death sentence should not have been allowed, saying in a statement that the “defense created a false narrative of innocence in order to get a convicted murderer off of death row and fulfill their political ends.”
Wednesday’s hearing came after the Missouri State Supreme Court ruled last Thursday in favor of a request from Bailey for the circuit court to first hold an evidentiary proceeding before considering vacating the death sentence.
“It is in the interest of every Missourian that the rule of law is fought for and upheld – every time, without fail,” according to a statement from Bailey last Thursday. “I am glad the Missouri Supreme Court recognized that. We look forward to putting on evidence in a hearing like we were prepared to do yesterday [when the circuit judge agreed to vacate Williams’ death sentence].”
The State Attorney General’s Office did not respond to ABC News’ request for further comments after the evidentiary hearing.
The county prosecutor’s office submitted the 63-page motion on Jan. 26 to vacate Williams’ conviction.
“Despite the fact that no reliable evidence has ever connected Mr. Williams to the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle,” The Innocence Project, who is representing Williams, told ABC News in a statement Wednesday. “Attorney General Andrew Bailey has vigorously fought to prevent the court from vacating Mr. Williams’ conviction and to execute him on September 24.”
In the summer of 2024, Bailey has litigated against three wrongful-conviction claims opposing local prosecutors and judges, according to The New York Times, including the Christopher Dunn case, in which the state attorney general did not accept the recanting of testimonies of two witnesses who previously tied Dunn to the murder of a teenager in 1990. Dunn was released from prison after Bailey appealed the ruling of a circuit court judge who vacated Dunn’s conviction.
Williams was convicted on June 15, 2001, of first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, armed criminal action and robbery connected to events at Gayle’s home in suburban St. Louis, according to court documents.
Gayle was found murdered with more than 43 stab wounds in her home on Aug. 11, 1998, according to the county prosecutor’s motion. The kitchen knife used in the killing was left lodged in Gayle’s body, according to court documents. Blood, hair, fingerprints and shoe prints believed to belong to the perpetrator were found around the home. Gayle’s purse and her husband’s laptop were declared missing after the attack, according to county prosecutor’s motion.
“None of this physical evidence tied Mr. Williams to Ms. Gayle’s murder,” according to the motion filed by Bell’s office. “Mr. Williams was excluded as the source of the footprints, Mr. Williams was excluded by microscopy as the source of the hairs found near Ms. Gayle’s body … and Mr. Williams was not found to be the source of the fingerprints.”
About a year after Gayle’s death, Henry Cole, a man who had been recently released from jail, told authorities that he had been Williams’ cellmate and heard him admit to the murder, according to court documents.
In November 1999, Laura Asaro, Williams’ girlfriend at the time, told police that Williams confessed to her that he killed Gayle, according to Bell’s motion. The prosecution’s case was largely dependent on these two witness accounts, the motion said.
In court documents, Bell’s office claimed there were significant issues with the credibility of Cole and Asaro’s accounts, which they said were inconsistent over time and contained testimony that didn’t line up with physical evidence. Bell’s office also alleged that both witnesses had incentives to testify, including a possible cash reward to find Gayle’s killer and, in Asaro’s case, an offer of help from police with her outstanding warrants.
Williams pawned the laptop stolen from Gayle’s home, but the motion alleges the buyer of the computer told investigators that Williams explained to him that Asaro had given him the laptop to sell for her. The jury who convicted Williams was not allowed to hear testimony that Williams said he received the laptop from Asaro because the testimony would have been hearsay. Williams was convicted in June 2001 and sentenced to death.
In 2017, when Williams was hours away from execution, then-Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens granted him a reprieve so a panel could evaluate his conviction.
Last year, Gov. Mike Parson disbanded the panel, according to court documents. A day after the governor dissolved the panel, Bailey asked the State Supreme Court to schedule an execution date. Parson said that he is open to discussing clemency for Williams, according to a statement on Monday obtained by ABC News.
“One of the defense’s own experts previously testified he could not rule out the possibility that Williams’ DNA was also on the knife. He could only testify to the fact that enough actors had handled the knife throughout the legal process that others’ DNA was present,” read a statement from Bailey last week.
The county prosecuting attorney’s office said the state’s claim that one of their expert witnesses could not rule out Williams’s DNA on the weapon was insignificant.
“The AG (attorney general) is arguing about a motion that was not taken up by the court today and has no bearing on the matter,” read the statement from Bell’s office.
The circuit court has until Sept. 13 to make a ruling on Williams’ case after the evidentiary hearing, according to court documents.
(NEW YORK) — A United Airlines flight en route to Chicago was diverted to Tennessee after experiencing “severe turbulence” Wednesday, the airline said.
Seven people were injured, including one who was transported to a local hospital, authorities said.
Flight UA1196 encountered “a brief period of severe turbulence” Wednesday afternoon, United Airlines said in a statement. The seatbelt sign was on at the time, the airline said.
The crew reported the severe turbulence over Louisiana before landing safely at Memphis International Airport around 2:40 p.m. CT, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Paramedics met the aircraft at the gate and transported one passenger to the hospital, United said. The person suffered non-critical injuries, according to the Memphis Fire Department.
Six others declined treatment and transport and the extent of their injuries is unknown, the fire department said.
“We’re grateful to our crew for their efforts to ensure the safety of our employees and customers,” United said.
The Boeing 737-900 was traveling from Cancun International Airport to Chicago O’Hare International Airport at the time, the airline said. There were 172 passengers and seven crew members on board, according to United.
The plane was back in the air on its way to Chicago as of Wednesday evening.
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war continues, cease-fire discussions are occurring in the Middle East, with officials hoping to bring an end to the conflict.
The United States and its allies continue to plead for a cease-fire deal, with discussions set for this week.
Here’s how the news is developing:
At least 11 dead, 20 injured in West Bank raids: Palestinian Ministry of Health
At least 11 people are dead and another 20 injured since the Israel Defense Forces launched operations in the West Bank overnight Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Hamas says Israel’s temporary pause for polio vaccinations is not enough
Amid rising calls for a pause in fighting to administer polio vaccinations to children in Gaza, Hamas is saying Israel’s temporary pause is not enough.
“This suspicious method that Netanyahu and his government are trying to impose will thwart the United Nations’ move and deprive hundreds of children of vaccination against polio,” Hamas said in a statement Wednesday.
It is still unclear if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan is different from the United Nation’s requests for a temporary pause in fighting.
Hamas is calling for a comprehensive truce throughout Gaza to allow for a polio vaccination campaign.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
World Food Programme pauses staff movement in Gaza after vehicle targeted
The World Food Programme announced it is pausing the movement of its employees in Gaza until further notice after its team came under fire on Tuesday, near an Israeli checkpoint.
The WFP team — traveling in two armored vehicles — was returning from a mission to Kerem Shalom after escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo routed to central Gaza.
“Despite being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach, the vehicle was directly struck by gunfire as it was moving towards an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) checkpoint. It sustained at least ten bullets: five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three on other parts of the vehicle. None of the employees onboard were physically harmed,” the WFP said in a statement.
WFP called for protection of humanitarian workers providing essential aid to civilians in Gaza.
“The incident is a stark reminder of the rapidly and ever shrinking humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip, where increasing violence compromises our ability to deliver life-saving assistance. The already critical situation is exacerbated by restricted access and heightened risks, leading to decreased food supplies reaching those in desperate need,” WFP said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Netanyahu approves ‘limited pauses’ in fighting to facilitate polio vaccination in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved “limited pauses” in fighting to allow for polio vaccinations for children in Gaza amid calls from international aid organizations, according to an Israeli official familiar with deliberations.
The pauses will only be in designated areas, according to the official.
A 10-month-old baby was paralyzed and became the first confirmed case of polio earlier this month.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
10 killed in West Bank as IDF says operation ‘won’t end tomorrow’
Ten people have been killed since the start of the Israel Defense Forces’ operation in the West Bank overnight, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said Wednesday.
The operation is targeting Jenin, Tulkarm and Nablus in the West Bank, IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani said during a Zoom briefing with reporters Wednesday.
Shoshani implied the operation could go on for a few days, saying it “won’t end tomorrow,” during the IDF briefing.
The IDF did not say how many troops are involved in the operation, but Shoshani called it a “large” operation. Israeli security forces called it a “counterterrorism operation,” in a release Wednesday.
The IDF is surrounding the Ibn Sinai hospital in Jenin “to prevent terrorists from taking shelter there,” Shoshani said, but said the IDF has no plans to “enter, capture or seize” the hospital.
There are no plans to evacuate civilians from the areas where the IDF is operating, Shoshani said.
One of the targets of the operation is the cell that planned a failed suicide bombing attempt in Tel Aviv earlier this month, but the attack did not prompt the large operation, Shoshani added.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller, Nasser Atta and Guy Davies
US announces new sanctions targeting West Bank extremism
The U.S. State Department announced new sanctions targeting an Israeli nongovernmental organization and an individual, Yitzhak Levi Filant, as part of its ongoing efforts to “address the extreme levels of instability and violence against civilians in the West Bank.”
The organization, Hashomer Yosh, is providing support to an outpost in the West Bank and individuals — who are already designated by the U.S. government — and allegedly prevented Palestinian residents that were forced to leave their homes from returning, according to the State Department.
Filant, identified as the civilian security coordinator of a settlement in the West Bank, is accused of engaging “in malign activities outside the scope of his authority,” including an incident in February where he purportedly “led a group of armed settlers to set up roadblocks and conduct patrols to pursue and attack Palestinians in their lands and forcefully expel them from their lands,” the State Department said in a statement.
“Extremist settler violence in the West Bank causes intense human suffering, harms Israel’s security, and undermines the prospect for peace and stability in the region. It is critical that the Government of Israel hold accountable any individuals and entities responsible for violence against civilians in the West Bank,” the State Department said.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
Foreign minister urges Gaza-style approach to West Bank ‘terrorist front’
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has framed the unfolding West Bank operation as another front in the country’s showdown with Iran, suggesting Israel should “deal with the threat just as we deal with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza.”
“Iran is working to establish an eastern terrorist front against Israel in the West Bank, according to the Gaza and Lebanon model, by financing and arming terrorists and smuggling advanced weapons from Jordan,” Katz wrote in a post on X.
Katz said Israel should take “whatever steps are required,” including “the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents.”
“This is a war for everything and we must win it,” he added.
Israel launches largest raids in West Bank in years
The IDF overnight widened a major military operation in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, attacking from the air and from the ground using tanks and bulldozers, ABC News has learned.
The targets of the raid are Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas. The IDF has described the ongoing operation as an “extensive operation to counter terrorism” and to “thwart Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructures.”
Reports indicate that nine Palestinians have so far been killed, though that number could rise. The IDF has reportedly ordered Palestinians to evacuate from the three targets locations, with troops also entering a hospital in the area.
The raid is believed to be the first operation by the IDF targeting several cities at once since the Second Intifada, which ran from 2000 to 2005.
IDF launches large raids in the West Bank
Israel Defense Forces said it launched an “operation to counter terrorism” in the northern West Bank overnight Tuesday.
“The security forces have now begun an operation to counter terrorism in Jenin and Tulkarm in the Menashe division,” the IDF said in a statement.
Hostage in good condition, will remain in hospital for more tests
Qaid Farhan Alkadi, the hostage rescued from a tunnel in Gaza, is in “good condition,” but will remain in the hospital for “another day or two of medical tests to make sure he is still OK,” Shlomi Codish, the CEO of Soroka Medical Center, said during a press conference Tuesday.
Alkadi is being treated at the Soroka Medical Center after being rescued by Israeli forces.
Israeli delegation heads to Doha to continue cease-fire talks
A delegation from Israel — including Israeli Security Agency, Mossad and IDF officials — is heading to Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday to continue hostage release and cease-fire talks, an Israeli official told ABC News Tuesday.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Hostage was alone when found by Israeli forces
Qaid Farhan Alkadi was alone when he was located by Israeli forces in a tunnel in Gaza, Israel Defense Forces officials told ABC News.
In the last few days, IDF and Israeli security agency forces had been operating in the area where Alkadi was found and rescued, according to IDF officials. The forces operated underground, in a complex environment where there was suspicion of the presence of hostages, terrorists and explosives, the officials said.
Farhan was located by Israeli forces when he was alone, without his captors, and was rescued from the tunnel, the officials added.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir
Hostage families renew calls for cease-fire after hostage rescue
Hostage families are calling for an immediate cease-fire, calling the rescue of Kaid Farhan Al-Qadi — a Bedouin father of 11 from south of Rahat — from a tunnel in Gaza, “nothing short of miraculous,” in a statement.
“However, we must remember: military operations alone cannot free the remaining 108 hostages, who have suffered 326 days of abuse and terror. A negotiated deal is the only way forward,” the hostage families said in a press release.
Al-Qadi was kidnapped from his security job at Kibbutz Magen’s packing factory on Oct. 7. He is the eighth hostage that Israeli forces have rescued alive since Oct. 7, according to an IDF official.
“Every single day in captivity is one too many. The remaining hostages cannot afford to wait for another such miracle,” hostage families said.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir
Israel to use ‘all means’ to return remaining hostages
IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told a press conference on Tuesday of the “complex rescue mission” that freed Qaid Farhan Alkadi from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.
“He is back home in Israel,” Hagari said of Alkadi. He is only the eighth hostage rescued alive from Gaza by the IDF, and the first rescued alive from a tunnel under the strip. Alkadi was among scores of people seized in southern Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.
“We cannot go into many details of this special operation but I can share that Israeli commandos rescued Qaid Farhan Alkadi from an underground tunnel, following accurate intelligence,” Hagari said.
“His medical condition is stable and he will undergo examinations in hospital. His family had been waiting 326 days to receive the news they did today.”
“But there are still 108 hostages, whose families are still waiting to hear news that their loved ones are home. And they should know that we will not rest until we fulfill our mission to bring all our hostages back home.”
“We will pursue the return of our hostages through all means possible. I repeat, through all means possible.”
-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor
Israeli forces rescue hostage from Gaza
The Israeli military announced Tuesday that it had rescued an Arab citizen of Israel who was among scores of people abducted in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack.
Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, from the Bedouin town of Rahat in southern Israel, was rescued “in a complex operation in the southern Gaza Strip,” according to Israeli authorities.
An Israeli source told ABC News that the rescued hostage is currently at Soroka Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.
Top US general ends Israel visit
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. has completed a visit to Israel amid intensifying fighting across the Lebanese border and continued uncertainty about a potential Iranian attack on Israel.
Brown met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in Tel Aviv on Monday. The officials discussed Hezbollah’s weekend rocket and drone attack and the “need to de-escalate tensions to avoid a broader conflict,” per a Pentagon readout.
Hezbollah launched its attack in retaliation for Israel’s killing of Fouad Shukr in Beirut last month.
Cease-fire talks moving forward after strikes: Kirby
Cease-fire talks are now moving forward at a working group level in Cairo over the next few days to hammer out specifics, according to National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby.
This weekend’s strikes by Israel and Hezbollah have “not affected the actual work on the ground by the teams trying to get this cease-fire deal in place,” Kirby told reporters Monday.
Kirby also rejected any suggestion that talks broke down this weekend, instead saying they were “constructive” enough to work on “finer details” at lower levels.
“There was no breakdown,” he said. “They made enough progress that they were willing to, or needed to transition to a working group level so you didn’t need the mediators all there and the leadership there.”
Brett McGurk, a top senior adviser on the Middle East at the White House, stayed in Cairo an extra day to kick off the meetings and is still there, Kirby said, adding that all parties are being represented in these discussions.
“One issue that will be for the working groups to flesh out is the exchange of hostages and prisoners that Israel’s holding — what that exchange looks like, how many, some of the details of exactly who will be released on either side and at what pace, those kinds of things,” Kirby said.
Al-Aqsa Hospital still operating despite evacuations
Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah is still operating, despite new temporary evacuation orders from Israeli forces to leave the surrounding area near the hospital.
Out of the 650 patients in Al-Aqsa Hospital, only 100 remain in the hospital that are being treated, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said.
The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged they have been “operating in recent days in the Deir al Balah area,” but they said the evacuation orders did not include “the hospitals and medical facilities in the area,” in response to an inquiry from ABC News.
Three out of 18 water wells are still functioning in Deir al Balah due to “ongoing military operations,” the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees said in a post Monday.
World Food Programme operations ‘severely hampered’ in Gaza
The World Food Programme, the U.N.’s worldwide food assistance program, is being “severely hampered” by the “intensifying conflict” in Gaza.
The agency said border crossings have been limited and roads in Gaza have become so unusable that urgent repairs are needed in order to transport basic needs, like food and medicine.
“Transporting food, water, medicine and hygiene equipment is critical for the survival of communities in Gaza today and will be needed for months to come,” Antoine Renard, the country director for Gaza, said in a statement. “Roads are part of this lifeline.”
6:26 PM EDT Hospital in central Gaza under evacuation order after nearby explosion
Israeli forces issued an evacuation order in the vicinity of the Al Aqsa Hospital, Deir Al Balah, in central Gaza, urging people to flee, according to a statement from Doctors Without Borders Sunday.
“An explosion approximately 250 meters away triggered panic with many choosing to leave the hospital,” the organization said.
Of the approximately 650 patients in the hospital prior to the explosion, only 100 remain, with seven in the intensive care unit, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Doctors Without Borders is considering suspending wound care for the time being, while trying to maintain lifesaving treatment, according to the statement.
“This situation is unacceptable,” the organization said. “Al Aqsa has been operating well beyond capacity for weeks due to the lack of alternatives for patients. All warring parties must respect the hospital, as well as patients’ access to medical care.”
Aug 26, 2024, 4:56 PM EDT Sirens sound in Tel Aviv as Hamas fires rocket from Gaza
Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv Sunday night for the first time since January as Hamas launched a single rocket toward central Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces said the Hamas rocket fell into an “open area” in Rishon LeTsiyon, south of Tel Aviv.
Israeli emergency services officials said no one was injured by the rocket, but a 26-year-old woman was hurt going to a shelter.
Hamas confirmed it fired an “M90” rocket at Tel Aviv.
-ABC News Victoria Beaule
4:37 PM EDT Hezbollah leader says missile barrage on Israeli base ‘has ended’
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said missile and drone strikes targeting a “base for military intelligence” near Tel Aviv, Israel, “has ended” for now.
Nasrallah said the strikes carried out Sunday constituted the first and second phases of Hezbollah’s response to Israeli missile strikes in Lebanon. He said Hezbollah reserves the right to “respond” if it learns its strikes on Israel are not “sufficient.”
Nasrallah said Hezbollah’s missile and drone strikes targeted the Glilot military base near Tel Aviv, alleging it is a “base for military intelligence.”
“It contains a large number of officers and soldiers and it manages many of the assassination operations that take place in the region, as well as the sedition and deception operations,” Nasrallah alleged.
Hezbollah believes “a number of drones” reached their target. Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said most of the Hezbollah missiles and drones were intercepted and denied that the Glilot military base was hit.
Hagari also confirmed that the soldier who was killed in the Hezbollah missile strike was hit by a fragment of an Iron Dome interceptor.
Nasrallah said a total of 340 missiles were fired at the Glilot military base.
A “preemptive strike” by Israel failed to cause any significant damage, according to Nasrallah.
“What happened was aggression, not a preemptive action,” Nasrallah said.
-ABC News Victoria Beaule
3:33 PM EDT Hamas rejects latest cease-fire deal
Hamas leader Osama Hamdan has released a statement indicating Hamas does not accept the latest iteration of the cease-fire proposal as written.
Hamas insists that changes added by Israel since July 2 are non-starters for them, specifically, Israel Defense Forces positions in the Philadelphi corridor, an eight-and-a-half-mile long demilitarized buffer zone running along the border between Egypt and Gaza. Hamas also objected to a proposal for non-Palestinian control of the Rafah border crossing.
Hamdan said Hamas will not return to the cease-fire talks as long as the new conditions stay in the proposal.
“The occupation set new conditions for accepting the agreement and backed away from what it had previously agreed to,” Hamdan said in a statement. “The delegation informed the mediators today of our opinion.”
-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule
1:16 PM EDT Soldier killed, 2 others injured in ‘combat’ in Northern Israel, says IDF
An Israeli soldier was killed and two others were injured Sunday “in combat in northern Israel,” the Israel Defense Forces announced.
The circumstances of what led to the death and injuries of the soldiers were not immediately disclosed by the IDF.
The soldier who was killed was identified by the IDF as Petty Officer 1st Class David Moshe Ben Shitrit, 21, of Geva Binyamin, Israel. The soldier was a member of the Israeli Navy’s 914th Fleet, according to the IDF.
The two soldiers who suffered light to moderate injuries are also members of the 914th Fleet, according to the IDF. Their names were not immediately released.
-ABC News’ Anna Burd and Jordana Miller
US not involved in Israel’s pre-emptive strike on Lebanon, official says
A U.S. official reaffirmed Sunday that the United States was not involved in Israel’s pre-emptive strike Saturday night on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon but had provided Israel some intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information believed to have been used in the mission.
The U.S. had provided some “ISR support in terms of tracking incoming Lebanese Hezbollah attacks but did not conduct any kinetic operations as they were not required,” the official said.
“We continue to closely monitor the situation and remain well-postured and ready to support the defense of Israel from attacks by Iran and any of its proxies, to include Lebanese Hezbollah,” the official said.
At least three people were killed overnight in the Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said Sunday. The casualties included two people who were killed in the village of At Tiri and one in the town of Khiam, the ministry said, adding that two additional people were injured and required hospitalization.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
IDF issues new evacuation order in central Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces announced a new evacuation order Sunday for a small strip of land in a humanitarian area of central Gaza.
The new evacuation order for an area of Deir al-Balah came just days after the IDF ordered the evacuation of two refugee camps in the same area as the Israeli military prepared for a new ground offensive in the humanitarian zone.
The IDF suspects that Hamas terrorists are hiding in the area and using Palestinian refugees as human shields.
Sunday’s evacuation order affected those living in a relatively small area of Deir al-Balah that includes five schools sheltering displaced people and tent camps around them. The area is near the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, one of the largest remaining functional hospitals in Gaza, servicing all of central Gaza.
-ABC News’ Bictoria Beaule
Hezbollah planned to strike Israeli intelligence, sources tell ABC News
Israel believes the Hezbollah targets in central Israel were meant to be a complex of intelligence bases and the headquarters of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, just north of Tel Aviv, two Israeli security sources told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir and Bruno Nota
3 killed, 2 injured in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, officials say
At least three people were killed overnight in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said Sunday.
Two were killed in the village of At Tiri and one in the town of Khiam, the ministry said, adding that two additional people were injured and required hospitalization.
The United Nations agency in charge of peacekeeping in southern Lebanon called on Sunday for a cease-fire and for all sides to “refrain from further escalatory action.”
“In light of worrying developments across the Blue Line since the early morning, UNSCOL and UNIFIL call on all to cease fire and refrain from further escalatory action,” the agency said in a statement, referring to a demarcation line separating Israel from Lebanon.
There have been no reports of injuries on the Israeli side, according to emergency services in Israel.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz, Jordana Miller and Victoria Beaule
Israel continues strikes in southern Lebanon, IDF says
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday said the military was targeting Hezbollah with additional strikes in southern Lebanon.
“In the last hour, the IDF struck Hezbollah launchers in several areas in southern Lebanon to remove threats,” the IDF said in a statement. “In addition, the IDF identified a terrorist cell operating in the area of Khiam in southern Lebanon. The IAF swiftly struck the terrorists.”
-ABC News’ Anna Burd and Victoria Beaule
‘Whoever harms us — we will harm them,’ Netanyahu says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday described his country’s preemptive strikes within Lebanon as a “strong action to foil the threats” raised by a potential attack by Hezbollah.
“It has eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel,” Netanyahu said as he convened his Security Cabinet for a meeting at 7 a.m. local time. “It is thwarting many other threats and is taking very strong action — both defensively and offensively.”
Netanyahu had earlier in the morning been managing the situation with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant from the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, his office said. The prime minister’s office released photos of the pair meeting with military officials.
“We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us — we will harm them,” Netanyahu said.
-ABC News’ Kevin Shalvey
‘Thousands’ of Hezbollah rocket launchers destroyed, IDF says
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday said it had destroyed “thousands” of Hezbollah rocket launchers.
“Approximately 100 IAF fighter jets, directed by IDF intelligence, struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels that were located and embedded in southern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement.
The statement added, “Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel. More than 40 launches areas in Lebanon were struck during the strikes.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Kevin Shalvey
Israel warns Lebanese citizens of danger as it strikes Hezbollah
The Israeli Air Force launched “dozens” of planes to attack locations throughout southern Lebanon, saying it was continuing “to remove threats, to vigorously attack the terrorist organization Hezbollah.”
“Israel’s air defense systems, navy ships and Air Force planes are on a defense mission above the country’s skies, identifying, intercepting threats and attacking wherever in Lebanon it is required in order to remove threats and harm Hezbollah,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.
The aerial strikes within Lebanon were coming as Israeli defenses were dealing with “different types of threats,” including scores of rockets and drones launched into Israeli airspace, he said.
“We have already intercepted a number of rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles that approached the territory of the State of Israel,” Hagari said.He added, “We warn the Lebanese citizens in South Lebanon. We recognize that Hezbollah is firing in a large area near your homes. You are in danger. We attack and remove Hezbollah threats.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Kevin Shalvey
Hezbollah claims hundreds of rockets launched at Israel
Hezbollah claimed early on Sunday to have launched more than 320 rockets toward 11 military locations within Israel and Golan Heights.
The “enemy sites” that had been targeted were detailed in a statement. They included military bases in Meron, Ein Zeytim and Al-Sahl.
Barracks in Naveh Ziv, Ramot Naftali and Zaoura were also among the sites targeted, Hezbollah said.
The group described those launches as a “first stage,” saying they were “targeting Israeli barracks and sites to facilitate the passage of offensive drones towards their desired target deep inside” Israel.
K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Pool/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(LAS VEGAS) — A former Nevada politician was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on Wednesday of killing journalist Jeff German in September 2022.
As the jury’s foreperson read out the guilty verdict, former Clark County public administrator Robert Telles looked down and shook his head.
Telles was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after a minimum of 20 years served.
In a press conference after the verdict was announced, Clark County District Attorney Steven Wolfson thanked the jury for their work on the case.
“Today’s verdict should send a message, and that message is a clear message that any attempts to silence the media, or to silence or intimidate a journalist, will not be tolerated,” Wolfson said.
Prosecutors said former Clark County public administrator Robert Telles, 47, stabbed the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter to death after German exposed corruption in his office, destroying both his political career and his marriage. German’s story detailed an allegedly hostile work environment in Telles’ office — including bullying, retaliation and an “inappropriate relationship” between Telles and a staffer — all of which Telles denied.
Telles was arrested days after German was found dead outside his Las Vegas home. Police said DNA evidence found in Telles’ home tied him to the crime scene, and a straw hat and sneakers — which the suspect was seen wearing in surveillance footage — were found cut up in his home. His DNA was also found on German’s hands and fingernails, police said.
He had pleaded not guilty to murder.
In her opening statement, Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly walked through the timeline of the murder and how Telles came to be pinpointed as the suspect.
“In the end, this case isn’t about politics,” Weckerly said. “It’s not about alleged inappropriate relationships. It’s not about who’s a good boss or who’s a good supervisor or favoritism at work — it’s just about murder.”
Telles took the stand in his own trial on Aug. 21, “unequivocally” maintaining his innocence and insisting he was “framed” in a sweeping conspiracy by a real estate company that he said he was investigating for alleged bribery.
“Somebody framed me for this, and I believe that it is Compass Realty, and I believe it’s for the work that I’ve done against them,” Telles told the court.
In a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal in January, Compass Realty owner Takumba Britt denied Telles’ conspiracy claims, calling him a “desperate man who has been charged with violently murdering a beloved local journalist” who would “do and say anything to escape answering for this charge.”
Wolfson also hit back against Telles’ conspiracy claims after the jury announced its verdict.
“There was no conspiracy,” Wolfson said. “The only conspiracy was between him and his evil mind.”
When police took Telles into custody, he had what they said were non-life-threatening, self-inflicted stab wounds. His defense attorney, Robert Draskovich, said the suicide attempt was not out of guilt, but because Telles’ “life was coming apart.”
Draskovich echoed Telles’ claims of a conspiracy against him, saying in his opening statement the “old guard” in the public administrator’s office had been upset by Telles’ efforts to root out internal corruption. He also claimed that, because of German’s track record of investigating corrupt figures, there were other people who may have wanted him dead.
“There were others that had far more motive to make it look like [Telles] was the killer, and to conduct this killing because Jeff German was a good reporter — he would ultimately get to what the truth was,” Draskovich said.
Ahead of sentencing on Wednesday, German’s three siblings addressed the court, speaking about what their oldest brother meant to them.
“Jeff was our leader — he was the older brother we all leaned on,” his brother, Jay German, said.
The siblings remembered him as a “wonderful” uncle, a “fearless” journalist and a lover of football and sitcoms.
His sister, Jill Zwerg, who said German was “like a second father,” recalled how he bought a whole round of champagne for the bar when she told me she’d gotten engaged.
“He’s so deeply missed every day,” Zwerg said through tears.
Telles’ wife and ex-wife also spoke, tearfully asking the jury not to sentence him to life in prison without parole.
“I would love at some point to give my children the chance to have their father back,” his wife, Mary Ann Ismael, said.
Telles wept as his mother, Rosalinda Anaya, took the stand.
“I accept the verdict, but if you could — please — give my son the chance of parole,” Anaya said. “His family is still very young and I would like for him to someday be back with them again.”
Before sending the jury off to deliberate on sentencing, Draskovich urged jurors not to hand down a life sentence.
“Give him the opportunity — give his children the opportunity — decades from now, to have their father back,” Draskovich said.
But prosecutors argued a life sentence — either with or without parole — was necessary in such a case. Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Hamner said Telles “decided to be judge, jury, and literally executioner” of German “because he simply wasn’t happy about what was being written about him.”
“When you think about the situation he was in, the world wasn’t going to end. He simply lost an election,” Hamner said. “The way Robert Telles chose to handle this was devastating, and it was his choice and his choice alone.”
German was the only journalist killed in the United States in 2022, with a total of at least 67 journalists killed worldwide that year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo previously described the case against Telles as “unusual,” and said that “the killing of a journalist is particularly troublesome.”
“It is troublesome because it is a journalist. And we expect journalism to be open and transparent and the watchdog for government,” Lombardo said. “And when people take it upon themselves to create harm associated with that profession, I think it’s very important we put all eyes on and address the case appropriately such as we did in this case.”
In a statement published by the paper, Las Vegas Review-Journal executive editor Glenn Cook praised the verdict “as a measure of justice” for German, as well as for “slain journalists all over the world.”
“Jeff was killed for doing the kind of work in which he took great pride: His reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and empowered voters to choose someone else for the job,” Cook wrote. “Robert Telles could have joined the long line of publicly shamed Nevada politicians who’ve gone on with their lives, out of the spotlight or back in it. Instead, he carried out a premeditated revenge killing with terrifying savagery.”
“Let’s also remember that this community has lost much more than a trusted journalist,” Cook added. “Jeff was a good man who left behind a family who loved him and friends who cherished him. His murder remains an outrage. He is missed.”
Kamala Harris,Douglas Emhoff, Tim Walz and Gwen Walz pose on on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 22, 2024 in Chicago. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Coming off of a brief respite from the campaign trail after a star-studded week in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Gov. Tim Walz are heading to Georgia for a two-day bus tour that ends with Harris holding a solo rally in Savannah on Thursday.
The tour marks the first time the two campaigns will be in the crucial swing state together, with a planned stop for their first sit-down interview since Harris ascended to the top of the ticket with CNN’s chief political correspondent and anchor Dana Bash on Thursday.
The tour’s first stop was at Liberty County High School, where Harris, Walz U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams and state Rep. Al Williams were greeted by the school’s principal and superintendent, before listening in on the school marching band’s practice. In remarks to the band and football players, Harris told them that they were leaders that the country is counting on.
“We wanted to come up just to let you know that our country is counting on you. We’re so proud of you,” she said. “You are showing what hard work can achieve.”
Walz, a former teacher and football coach, told the students that education is a path to the middle class.
“Education is the key to the middle class,” he said. “The pathway to the middle class shouldn’t be burdened with debt given the opportunity to get there. This is truly about building towards the future, and you’re that future.”
The pair later stopped at Sandfly BBQ in Savannah, where Walz chatted with a group of teachers, telling them their job is “noble work.”
Although there is no notable post-convention polling that has been released to date, the campaign saw a bump in donations of $82 million during the week of the DNC, bringing the total haul since launching her candidacy last month to $540 million, her campaign said.
Hoping to build on that momentum, Harris and Walz are scheduled to travel through Georgia’s southeast where they will meet with supporters, small business owners and Georgia voters, according to the campaign. It will be their second bus tour after they previously went on a bus tour through western Pennsylvania before the DNC.
The Harris campaign is looking to sway voters in battleground Georgia — a state President Joe Biden only narrowly won in 2020, beating former President Donald Trump by about 12,000 votes.
Currently, Harris is neck-and-neck with Trump in the polls in the state, according to 538’s average. Trump barely leads in Georgia with 46.6% compared to Harris’ 46%, 538’s polling average shows.
“Campaigning in southern Georgia is critical as it represents a diverse coalition of voters, including rural, suburban, and urban Georgians — with a large proportion of Black voters and working class families,” said Harris-Walz Georgia state director Porsha White in a memo.
This is all in addition to their 35,000 new volunteers, as well as more than 190 Democratic campaign staffers in 24 coordinated offices across the state, officials said.
Through extensive “Get Out the Vote” organizing efforts, Black voters were a huge contributing factor to Biden’s win in a state that former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had all but skipped during their presidential runs.
Harris’ tour is a testament that the campaign still feels like Georgia’s 16 electoral votes are in play.
“We turned Georgia blue for the first time in three decades in 2020, and we’re seizing on the energy and putting in the work to win again in 2024,” White said in the memo.
A Harris spokeswoman told ABC News said that the vice president will make two stops at local small businesses in South Georgia on Thursday, then thank volunteers in Chatham County, before rallying in Savannah late in the afternoon.
Walz, meanwhile, will travel to North Carolina for a “local political event” and a campaign reception.
Following CNN’s interview, Walz will head to Massachusetts for a solo rally on Thursday. Voters will see Harris, Walz and their spouses — second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz, respectively — on the trail again for a Labor Day blitz across several battleground states prior to ABC News’ debate on Sept. 10.
The water buffalo is seen in this still from a Ring camera video in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, on Aug. 26, 2024. (Courtesy Jessica Eshelman)
(NEW YORK) — Police in Iowa said they have captured a “dangerous,” injured water buffalo that had been on the loose since Saturday.
The Pleasant Hill Police Department said the animal was transported Wednesday morning to the Iowa State University Veterinary Hospital after being located in Des Moines the previous evening.
The capture followed a dayslong search that at one point saw an officer shoot the animal, nicknamed “Phill” by some in the community, and sightings of the water buffalo in yards and on a home Ring camera.
Officers said they initially responded to a call Saturday about an “animal in the road” in Pleasant Hill, located about six miles east of Des Moines.
The owner “shared that it was an aggressive animal they were preparing to butcher for its meat and asked the Pleasant Hill Police Department to ‘put it down,'” the Pleasant Hill Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.
The responding officer said the department does not “put animals down” unless they pose a threat to the public, according to the police department.
An officer did shoot the animal, injuring it, later Saturday morning after the water buffalo showed “aggressiveness” toward responding officers, the police department said. The water buffalo was near a busy intersection “creating a dangerous situation,” police said.
The injured animal was then able to escape.
Pleasant Hill police said they employed ATVs to search bicycle trails and a creek for the loose animal. They said they also partnered with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to use their drone technology and with “local individuals who have expertise in containing this type of animal,” they said.
Amid the search, the water buffalo was seen on Ring footage on Monday near the front door of a home in Pleasant Hill. A Pleasant Hill resident also filmed the animal in his backyard on Monday.
The water buffalo was located around 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday in water in a sand pit in Des Moines, though first responders decided to wait to corral the animal until daylight, police said.
The animal was coaxed out of the water and a tranquilizer dart was administered around 9:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday, police said. A second tranquilizer dart was administered about 30 minutes later, police said.
The immobilized water buffalo was then loaded into a trailer and treated with reversal drugs, antibiotics and vitamins, police said.
“The water buffalo was awake and prognosis is guarded,” police said.
The animal was transported to the veterinary hospital to be monitored and receive any necessary medical care, police said.
The Polk County Conservation, Blank Park Zoo, Animal Rescue League of Iowa and other law enforcement agencies were involved in the capture, police said.
“An investigation into the escape of the animal is being conducted,” the Pleasant Hill Police Department said. “Based on the results of the investigation charges may be filed.”
The owner has since surrendered the animal to the Des Moines Police Department, police said. The animal is now a resident of the Iowa Farm Sanctuary and won’t be sent to slaughter, the organization said while commending the humane capture of “Phill.”
“The local community absolutely rallied for Phill and didn’t rest until he was given a fair chance at safety and freedom,” the Iowa Farm Sanctuary said in a statement on Facebook. “The outpouring of love for Phill, a farmed animal, in the epicenter of animal agriculture, is so incredibly heartwarming.”
(PARIS) — Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire CEO of the social media messaging app Telegram, was indicted in France for allegedly allowing criminal activity on the platform, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Durov was placed under judicial supervision and is banned from leaving the country, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.
He avoided jail by paying a 5 million euro bail, prosecutors said. He must report to a police station twice a week for check-ins.
The indictment comes the same day the CEO was released from police custody after being arrested in connection with an “ongoing judicial investigation,” prosecutors told ABC News.
Durov, 39, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet late on Aug. 24. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his arrest two days later.
Durov is accused of allegedly being passive with regard to cyber and financial crimes being committed on the Telegram platform and was indicted on 12 charges, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.
The charges are related to child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform, prosecutors announced Monday.
In his statement, Macron maintained that Durov’s arrest was “not political,” saying, “France is more than anything attached to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and to the spirit of enterprise. It will remain so.”
What is Telegram?
Telegram is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with approximately 800 million active users and a large user base in Russia and Ukraine.
Launched in 2013, Telegram was designed to address growing concerns about digital privacy and censorship. Unlike many messaging apps of the time, Telegram was built with a focus on security, offering end-to-end encryption and features that prioritized user privacy.
The rise of the app’s popularity was meteoric, making Durov among the wealthiest people in the world. He is estimated to have a net worth of approximately $15.5 billion, according to Forbes.
The app distinguished itself from competitors such as Facebook Messenger, WeChat and WhatsApp with its commitment to free speech and resistance to government censorship.
The app has positioned itself as a refuge for activists and journalists. Its features include self-destructing messages, secret chats and robust channel functionalities.
Additionally, Telegram offers a platform for larger messaging groups, allowing 200,000 users to be added to a chat.
Because of the large group sizes, Telegram has been criticized for hosting far-right and extremist groups. Most recently, the U.K. government denounced Telegram for its role in extremist groups organizing riots across the country in July.
Who is Pavel Durov?
Born in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1984, Durov began his foray into technology entrepreneurship in 2006, founding the Russian social network VKontakte (VK).
Likened to Facebook, VK quickly gained traction among Russian-speaking users, offering a platform for social interaction, content sharing and networking.
However, the platform’s success attracted scrutiny from the Russian government, and Durov faced increasing pressure to comply with government requests for user data.
In 2014, Durov was forced to leave VK after refusing to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on the platform.
He reportedly refused to block late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s page on the platform.
After leaving his position at VK, Durov left Russia and moved to Dubai, where he runs Telegram, which was founded a year prior in 2013.
Frequently traveling to Europe from the United Arab Emirates, Durov was granted citizenship in France in 2021.
Response to Durov’s arrest
In the wake of Durov’s arrest over the weekend, Elon Musk posted #FreePavel on X, sharing a clip of the Telegram founder’s previous interview with Tucker Carlson.
U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden called Durov’s arrest “an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association” in a post on X.
“I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world,” Snowden wrote.
ABC News’ Hugo Leenhardt and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The hottest weather of the season is spreading across the eastern half of the U.S. — with cities in the Northeast in the bull’s-eye on Wednesday — after baking the Midwest with extreme temperatures early in the week.
Chicago’s actual temperature hit 99 degrees on Tuesday, breaking the city’s daily record of 97 degrees. The heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity — soared to a scorching 115 degrees in Chicago on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, heat advisories are in effect from St. Louis, Missouri, to New York City. An excessive heat warning was issued in Philadelphia, where the heat index could hit 105 degrees.
The heat index is forecast to rise Wednesday to 106 degrees in Baltimore, Maryland; 103 in Washington, D.C.; and 97 in New York City.
The final tennis major of the year, the U.S. Open, which is underway in New York City, is operating under an “extreme weather policy,” with stadium roofs partially closed and extended breaks for players.
More than a dozen cities could shatter their record high temperatures, including Washington, D.C., if it reaches 100 degrees.
The extreme temperatures will end in the Northeast on Thursday, but will linger in the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley through Friday.
On Thursday, the heat index is forecast to climb to 104 degrees in Nashville, Tennessee, and Columbia, South Carolina; 102 degrees in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Louisville, Kentucky; and 105 degrees in Greenville, Mississippi.
Record highs are possible Thursday in cities including Nashville and Louisville.
There are hundreds of deaths each year in the U.S. due to excessive heat, according to CDC WONDER, an online database, and scientists caution that the actual number of heat-related deaths is likely higher.
Last year marked the most heat-related deaths in the U.S. on record, according to JAMA, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association.
(PARIS) — Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire CEO of the social media messaging app Telegram, was released from custody in France on Wednesday after being arrested in connection with an “ongoing judicial investigation,” the Paris Prosecutor’s Office told ABC News.
Durov will be brought to court for “questioning at first appearance, with a possible indictment,” the Paris Prosecutor’s Office said.
The office did not say when Durov would be brought to court.
Durov, 39, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet late on Aug. 24. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his arrest two days later.
Durov is accused of allegedly being passive with regard to cyber and financial crimes being committed on the Telegram platform and is facing 12 charges, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.
The charges are related to child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform, prosecutors announced Monday.
In his statement, Macron maintained that Durov’s arrest was “not political,” saying, “France is more than anything attached to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and to the spirit of enterprise. It will remain so.”
What is Telegram?
Telegram is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with approximately 800 million active users and a large user base in Russia and Ukraine.
Launched in 2013, Telegram was designed to address growing concerns about digital privacy and censorship. Unlike many messaging apps of the time, Telegram was built with a focus on security, offering end-to-end encryption and features that prioritized user privacy.
The rise of the app’s popularity was meteoric, making Durov among the wealthiest people in the world. He is estimated to have a net worth of approximately $15.5 billion, according to Forbes.
The app distinguished itself from competitors such as Facebook Messenger, WeChat and WhatsApp with its commitment to free speech and resistance to government censorship.
The app has positioned itself as a refuge for activists and journalists. Its features include self-destructing messages, secret chats and robust channel functionalities.
Additionally, Telegram offers a platform for larger messaging groups, allowing 200,000 users to be added to a chat.
Because of the large group sizes, Telegram has been criticized for hosting far-right and extremist groups. Most recently, the U.K. government denounced Telegram for its role in extremist groups organizing riots across the country in July.
Who is Pavel Durov?
Born in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1984, Durov began his foray into technology entrepreneurship in 2006, founding the Russian social network VKontakte (VK).
Likened to Facebook, VK quickly gained traction among Russian-speaking users, offering a platform for social interaction, content sharing and networking.
However, the platform’s success attracted scrutiny from the Russian government, and Durov faced increasing pressure to comply with government requests for user data.
In 2014, Durov was forced to leave VK after refusing to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on the platform.
He reportedly refused to block late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s page on the platform.
After leaving his position at VK, Durov left Russia and moved to Dubai, where he runs Telegram, which was founded a year prior in 2013.
Frequently traveling to Europe from the United Arab Emirates, Durov was granted citizenship in France in 2021.
Response to Durov’s arrest
In the wake of Durov’s arrest over the weekend, Elon Musk posted #FreePavel on X, sharing a clip of the Telegram founder’s previous interview with Tucker Carlson.
U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden called Durov’s arrest “an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association” in a post on X.
“I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world,” Snowden wrote.
ABC News’ Hugo Leenhardt and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
