Gun Violence, Crimes & Homicides Worldwide

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Men who stole $6 million golden toilet from English mansion sentenced to prison terms

Two burglars who plotted the heist of a $6.4 million golden toilet, a fully-functional 18-karat piece of contemporary art that was ripped from the plumbing of an English mansion, were sentenced Friday to more than two years in a British prison. Read More.

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Australian mushroom cook is convicted of triple murder after serving a fatal beef Wellington lunch

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian woman Erin Patterson was found guilty Monday of murdering three of her estranged husband’s relatives by deliberately serving them poisonous mushrooms for lunch.

https://apnews.com/article/erin-patterson-australia-poisonous-mushrooms-trial-bb2454928db178f77a332f39cb7897ba?

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3 women in Gambia are charged in the death of one-month-old in female genital mutilation case

SERREKUNDA, Gambia (AP) — Three women were charged in Gambia over the death of a one-month-old girl who had undergone female genital mutilation, the police said, in the first such case since the country stopped short of reversing a ban on the practice last year.

https://apnews.com/article/fgm-gambia-female-genital-cutting-womens-rights-508705a5d10e0e872edd8e74ef010b58?

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Father and son gunmen kill at least 15 people in attack on Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach

SYDNEY (AP) — Two gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi beach, killing 15 people, including a child, officials said Monday, in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an act of antisemitic terrorism that struck at the heart of the nation. The shooters were father and son, authorities said.

https://apnews.com/article/australia-shooting-sydney-bondi-beach-31f711f09f677d0f88091ece25f651c1?

Former Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai convicted in landmark national security trial

HONG KONG (AP) — Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing, was convicted Monday in a landmark national security trial, which could send him to prison for the rest of his life.

https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-jimmy-lai-verdict-collusion-beijing-c2cd16f4c289a52d514591efe4aed389?

Bondi Beach Attack

Two gunmen—a father and his son—attacked a Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia, yesterday, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens more. One gunman is dead, while the other is in custody. Authorities called the shooting a terrorist attack on Australia's Jewish community. The attack took place shortly before 6:45 pm local time at Bondi Beach, Australia's most popular beach, where hundreds gathered to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah (see explainer). Witnesses say the two attackers emerged from behind a small silver hatchback parked by a footbridge and opened fire on the crowd. A bystander was recorded tackling one of the gunmen and wresting the rifle from his hand. Improvised explosive devices were later found in one of the suspects' cars. Shootings are rare in Australia, which has among the lowest gun-related death rates in the developed world. However, antisemitic incidents have been on the rise following Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks and the Israel-Gaza war. The country has the world's largest per-capita Holocaust survivor population after Israel.

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Bondi Beach Updates

Australian authorities yesterday said Sunday’s mass shooting at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah event, which killed at least 15 people, was a terrorist attack motivated by Islamic State ideology.  Police recovered two homemade Islamic State flags from the car of the suspects, a 50-year-old Indian man and his 24-year-old Australian-born son. The son, Naveed Akram, was hospitalized with critical injuries, while his father, Sajid Akram, was fatally shot at the scene. Authorities had interviewed both men in 2019 regarding the son’s potential extremist associations but found no immediate threat. Last month, the pair traveled to the Philippines, where Islamic State militants are known to operate. The father was also a licensed firearm holder, prompting lawmakers to revisit gun control measures. An online campaign has raised over $2.3M for Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Syrian-born fruit shop owner who disarmed one gunman before being shot by the other. Meanwhile, Australian blood banks reported nearly 50,000 appointments Monday—nearly double the previous daily record.   Accused gunman in Bondi Beach shooting charged with 15 counts of murder SYDNEY (AP) — An accused gunman in Sydney’s Bondi Beach massacre was charged with 59 offenses including 15 charges of murder on Wednesday, as hundreds of mourners gathered in Sydney to begin funerals for the victims. https://apnews.com/article/bondi-shooting-hanukkah-jewish-funerals-sydney-australia-9625940bc9b2a746c7811bacdae9a0a2?

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Élysée Palace silver steward arrested for stealing thousands of euros’ worth of silverware

PARIS (AP) — Three men will stand trial next year after a silver steward employed at the official residence of the French president was arrested this week for the theft of items of silverware and table service worth thousands of euros, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.

https://apnews.com/article/france-elysee-palace-theft-silverware-3f392d46ddf057e9e409c18d28277a21?

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Death toll in South Africa’s latest pub shooting rises to 10

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The death toll in South Africa ’s latest mass shooting at a pub rose to 10 on Tuesday, while police said they had identified two potential suspects.

https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-mass-shooting-pub-death-toll-60ab3f05a9193b19c3b6dd2e609b5964?

Suspected militants ambush police vehicle in northwest Pakistan and kill 5 officers

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Suspected militants opened fire on a police vehicle in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing five officers before fleeing, officials said, part of a surge in violence in the region bordering Afghanistan.

https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-suspected-militants-attacked-police-northwest-5e82b2c6e7a658efc91511f54daf5090?

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Malaysia Corruption Verdict

Malaysia's High Court yesterday sentenced jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak to 15 years in prison and ordered roughly $3.3B in fines and asset seizures over the misuse of a multibillion-dollar government fund.  The court found Najib, 72, guilty of abuse of power and money laundering from 1MDB, a sovereign wealth fund he established after taking office in 2009. Authorities allege Najib and his associates siphoned over $4.5B from 1MDB between 2009 and 2014, routing funds through countries including the US, Singapore, and Switzerland. Some money was allegedly used to help finance Hollywood films, including the Oscar-nominated "The Wolf of Wall Street," and Goldman Sachs faced billions in fines for its involvement with 1MDB. Najib, who led Malaysia until 2018, has been imprisoned since 2022 on related charges. The new 15-year sentence is set to begin after his current one ends in 2028. Najib claims he was misled by Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, who remains at large.

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Gunman at large in Australia after leaving 3 dead and 1 wounded

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A gunman was at large after a shooting in a town in Australia’s New South Wales state on Thursday left three people dead and another wounded, police said.

https://apnews.com/article/australia-shooting-lake-cargelligo-7644bf4eac20bc1c47d24417e8f315da?

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Nepal travel executives arrested for scamming millions with fake mountain rescues

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Authorities in Nepal have arrested six travel and mountain rescue executives accused of conducting fake rescues on the Himalayan nation’s high mountains to scam millions of dollars from international insurance companies, officials said Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/nepal-mountaineering-fake-rescue-scam-ca64426bfe3373d7840fdb1d95f93a0a?

Pakistani forces kill 177 Baloch militants in 48 hours, the highest toll in decades

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces killed about two dozen militants overnight in multiple raids in the insurgency-hit southwest bordering Afghanistan, raising the militant death toll to 177 in the past 48 hours, officials said Monday. The announcement follows a wave of coordinated insurgent attacks that killed 50 people, mostly civilians, including women and children.

https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-militant-attacks-baloch-insurgents-killed-balochistan-11cebdabaa7cfe8b4c7687b9236ae4a3?

X offices raided in France as prosecutors investigate child abuse images and deepfakes

PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors raided the offices of social media platform X on Tuesday as part of a preliminary investigation into allegations that include spreading child sexual abuse images and deepfakes. They have also summoned billionaire owner Elon Musk for questioning.

https://apnews.com/article/france-x-investigation-seach-elon-musk-1116be84d84201011219086ecfd4e0bc?

Son of Norway’s crown princess denies rape charges as trial begins

OSLO, Norway (AP) — The son of Norway’s crown princess pleaded not guilty to rape charges as he went on trial Tuesday for multiple alleged offenses, opening weeks of proceedings in a case that has cast a shadow on the royal family’s image.

https://apnews.com/article/norway-royals-hoiby-rape-trial-fd0b2d641e84e1ec7577a82f7e857b65?

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Jimmy Lai Sentenced

A Hong Kong court sentenced 78-year-old media mogul Jimmy Lai yesterday to 20 years in prison. The sentence is the longest to date under Hong Kong’s five-year-old national security law that critics say effectively criminalizes political dissent. Lai founded Apple Daily, a since-shuttered prodemocracy newspaper that reached more than 3.8 million registered web users, about half of Hong Kong’s population. At its height, Lai had a reported net worth of $1.2B. In 2020, however, local authorities arrested him under a then-new national security law following antigovernment protests the year before. Lai was accused of conspiring with foreign governments and printing and distributing seditious articles. He has spent more than five years in jail, including stretches in solitary confinement.  President Donald Trump yesterday said he would speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping to encourage leniency for Lai, who has multiple chronic conditions; Trump is planning to meet with Xi in April, when they will also discuss trade issues, the war in Ukraine, and Taiwan.

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Shootings at school and home in Canada leave 10 dead including suspect A shooting at a school in British Columbia left seven people dead, while two more were found dead at a nearby home, Canadian authorities said Tuesday. A woman who police believe to be the shooter also was killed. Read more.

What to know: School shootings are rare in Canada. The shooting on Tuesday was Canada's deadliest rampage since 2020, when a gunman in Nova Scotia killed 13 people and set fires that left another nine dead.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Students seen exiting after deadly shootings   WATCH: Local leaders share details about killings

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Spring break tragedy

James Gracey, a 20-year-old American college student who was reported missing in Spain earlier this week, has been found dead, Barcelona police told CNN. A junior at the University of Alabama, Gracey had arrived in the city on Monday to visit friends for spring break. He was reported missing after he went to a nightclub and failed to return to his short-term rental, his family said. His body was later found in shallow waters at Somorrostro Beach, near the Shoko club, where police had been searching. Gracey, the eldest of five, was an avid hockey player and a responsible young man, according to his uncle, David Gracey, who is a CNN senior producer in Washington, DC. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing, with officers reviewing surveillance footage.

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Gunman shoots several tourists at historic pyramids in Mexico, killing a Canadian

MEXICO CITY (AP) — An armed man standing atop one of the historic Teotihuacan pyramids opened fire on tourists Monday, killing one Canadian and leaving at least 13 people injured at the archaeological site north of Mexico’s capital, authorities said.

https://apnews.com/article/shooting-teotihuacuan-pyramid-canadian-killed-cfb0ee81bf45ab5df335a17363631296?

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Man pleads guilty to plotting attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna

WIENER NEUSTADT, Austria (AP) — A man accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group and plotting to attack one of superstar singer Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna nearly two years ago pleaded guilty as his trial began on Tuesday, his lawyer said.

https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-concerts-terrorism-vienna-islamic-state-plot-trial-5f80e2ac26d27292bb5732919446729e?

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• 🚔 A 45-year-old man was charged today with attempted murder in the stabbings of two Jewish men in London. It's the latest in a string of attacks that have sparked fear and anger in Britain's Jewish community. Get the latest.

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A suicide bombing near a railway track in southwest Pakistan kills at least 23 people

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track as a passenger train passed through the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Sunday, killing at least 23 people and wounding over 70 others, officials said.

https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-train-bombing-quetta-6e89b99c169abf9e34d018e8bc0a627a?

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Montreal shooting

A gunman opened fire in Montreal on Monday, killing at least two people in what appears to be a targeted attack on police. The brazen daylight shooting happened in the city's most populous borough, Côte-des-Neiges, and ended after a shootout with the suspect, who was also killed. Police are examining a so-called manifesto that runs over 100 pages, which they believe may have been written by the gunman. Read more.