
Bomb squad deployed after suspicious package discovered near White House
Officers cordoned off the area and restricted pedestrian and vehicle traffic as specialists from the Metropolitan Police Department's Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit examined the object on Sunday evening.
The Secret Service confirmed that the package was located just outside a security perimeter near the executive mansion.
But after a closer investigation, the area was cleared and roads were reopened.
It remains unclear whether the package was dangerous.
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The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Jeffrey Epstein's brother claims the paedophile financier ‘had dirt on people'
's brother has claimed that the disgraced financier told him that the 2016 US election would have been cancelled had he revealed the 'dirt' he had on 'powerful people'. Appearing on BBC 's Newsnight on Monday (28 July), Mark Epstein said he believes his older sibling had information on influential individuals that 'could put them in prison'. He told presenter Matt Chorley that 'Jeffrey told me he had dirt on people'. Asked if he knew who his brother was referring to, Mark said: 'In the 2016 election... Jeffrey told me that if he said what he knew about the candidates they'd have to cancel the election.'


Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Blackstone staff barricade themselves against gunman in New York
This is the moment terrified Blackstone staff desperately scrambled to build make-shift barricades as their Manhattan offices were attacked by a vicious gunman who killed four people during his rampage. Workers in officewear stacked piles of sofas, computers and chairs on top of each other as Nevada man Shane Tamura tore through the 345 Park Avenue skyscraper on Monday night with an M4-style rifle, killing several people. The pile of furniture was stacked as high as the ceiling of the 32nd floor of the building, which is also home to the National Football League and auditor KPMG. The area hosts several five-star business hotels, as well as the United Nations' headquarters. According to local media, panicking workers even started pulling wood desks apart to add more bulk to the barrier. Tamura, the gunman, was seen carrying an M4 assault rifle killed four people, including a police officer, when he opened fire in broad daylight in the heart of New York City, before taking his own life. In terrifying security camera photos, the gunman could be seen striding into the midtown Manhattan office building wearing a sport coat and button-down shirt while openly carrying the large rifle by his side. Tamura (pictured) was a former high school football player with a history of mental health issues, the gunman had traveled across the country in the days leading up to the shooting, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. It was also revealed that the gunman had recently been fired as a security guard at a casino in Las Vegas. Tamura had a silencer on his rifle when he opened fire inside the lobby at around 6.30pm, according to CNN. The firearm also had a scope and strap. NYPD officer Didarul Islam, 36, who had been on the force for three years, was working private security at the time on his day off. He was shot and killed in the lobby of the building. The man went to the elevator bank and shot a security guard who was taking cover behind a security desk and also another man in the lobby, Tisch said. The man took the elevator to the 33rd floor to a real estate management company and one person was shot and killed on that floor. The man then walked down a hallway and shot himself, she said. Tamura, 27, was found with a letter on his body indicating he had grievances with the NFL and its handling of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after the rampage at 345 Park Avenue. In the note he railed against the NFL and pleaded for his brain to be studied. 'Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,' Tamura wrote, according to CNN. 'You can't go against the NFL, they'll squash you.' The shooter was referring to former Pittsburgh Steeler Terry Long, who committed [self-murder] by drinking antifreeze in 2006 after suffering from CTE. 'Study my brain please I'm sorry Tell Rick I'm sorry for everything,' the note read. Authorities say Tamura travelled all the way from his home in Las Vegas in his black BMW, passing through Colorado on July 26 and making his way through New Jersey to Manhattan. He was then caught on chilling surveillance footage wearing a sport coat and button-down shirt while carrying a large assault rifle into the building, which houses the headquarters for the NFL. The gunman then opened fire inside the lobby just before 6.30pm. Tamura had been a star football player in high school, obsessed with the game and once on a path that suggested a future defined by discipline and teamwork. During his senior year, he even earned six Player of the Game awards and registered 126 carries for 616 rushing yards and five touchdowns in nine appearances. But in more recent years, Tamura had a 'documented mental health history,' NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch revealed at a news conference. Yet Tamura earned a private investigator's license and was able to obtain a concealed carry permit to carry firearms, both legally granted through the Las Vegas Sheriff's Department. He had the license on him when he marched into the building and opened fire. Officer Didarul Islam (pictured), a 36-year-old father-of-two who was working private security at the time, was then shot in the back and killed and an unidentified security guard who took cover behind a desk was also targeted. From there, police say Tamura took the elevator up to the 33rd floor and the offices of Rudin Management, which operates the building, and shot and killed a third victim before taking his own life. The National Football League headquarters are on the fifth floor of the building, which law enforcement officials say Tamura did not travel to. However, an employee of the league was 'seriously injured,' according to a memo to staff written by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and obtained by CNN. He said the unidentified employee was rushed to the hospital, where other league employees are comforting his family. All of the other employees are believed to be safe and accounted for, Goodell said, as he vowed to boost security at the league's headquarters 'in the days and weeks to come.' In the meantime, police in New York City and in Nevada are continuing to comb Tamura's social media presence and are rifling through his Las Vegas home to collect evidence pointing to a motive. They have already found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition and magazines, as well as a backpack and medication prescribed to him inside his vehicle. It is now believed Tamura was the sole shooter in the broad daylight attack, as police say there is no evidence he had an accomplice. Still, officers are continuing to work to determine whether anyone may have helped plan or facilitate his movements across state lines or into the high-security office tower, which was put on lockdown as heavily-armed police officers swarmed the floors. Photos from the scene showed scores of people in business attire frantically leaving with their hands up, as others inside the building barricaded the doors with furniture to prevent Tamura from entering. The shooting also led to a chaotic scene in Midtown Manhattan, with nearby worker Anna Smith, who had just stepped out to grab dinner, describing the 'crowd panic' that wafted over the area. 'People just started running,' she said. 'We had no idea what was going on.' Another witness told The New York Post that 'it sounded like a barrage of shots …Like an automatic weapon. Like a high-capacity weapon.' Another person told the paper that a 'guy came in with an assault rifle and started shooting.' A shocking image showed the victim splayed out on the floor of the office building after he suffered the self-inflicted gunshot wound. His bloodied weapon, which was equipped with a silencer, was found nearby. Meanwhile, the city's emergency management system issued alerts about road closures, subway disruptions, and traffic delays around Grand Central Terminal and St. Patrick's Cathedral - both just blocks from the shooting scene. As night fell, many turned their attention to the loss of Officer Islam, who was working in private security for Rudin Management Company Monday night, according to The New York Post. He regularly works in the Bronx's 47th precinct 'He was doing what he does best, as all members of the police department carry out he was saving lives,' New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at an evening news conference. 'He was protecting New Yorkers. He's an immigrant from Bangladesh, and he loved this city, and everyone we spoke with stated he was a person of faith and a person that believed in God and believed in living out the life of a godly person.' NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch also said that Islam 'died as he lived: a hero.' 'He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm's way, he made the ultimate sacrifice — shot in cold blood, wearing a uniform that stood for the promise that he made to the city,' Tisch added. 'I want to extend my profound sympathies to all of the victims and their families and to the brave NYPD cops who today lost a brother,' she concluded. Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, called the loss 'devastating.' 'He was a hardworking police officer who was proud we know from hearing from his family to put on that uniform and shield of a New York City police officer, Hendry said. 'Every day, he went out and did his job, and he went out every single day to provide for his family, whether it was overtime or whatever he had to do to provide for this family.' In a statement, the New York Police Department also called Islam 'the very best of our department. 'He was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today,' the department said. 'We join in prayer during this time of incomprehensible pain. We will forever honor his legacy.' Officials have not released any further information about the others killed and injured in the massacre on Monday. But New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state mourns 'four New Yorkers, including one of New York's Finest, taken in a senseless act of violence. Our hearts are with their loved ones and everyone affected by this tragedy, and we honor the first responders who bravely ran toward danger.' Mayor Adams added that the city is reeling as 'four innocent families are mourning.' He said that in addition to Officer Islam, the 'city also mourns the three other innocent lives lost this evening and is praying for another innocent victim fighting for his life in critical condition. 'It's unthinkable these people were taken from us so randomly and senselessly. They and their loved ones are in our hearts.' Similarly, New York Attorney General Letitia James (pictured) added that she is 'praying for our law enforcement and the New Yorkers impacted in the shooting situation this evening in Manhattan.' There have been 254 mass shootings in the United States this year including Monday's incident in New York, according to the Gun Violence Archive - which defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot.


The Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Sun
Horror moment passenger topples over edge of infinity pool on Royal Caribbean cruise ship while trying to reach glasses
THIS is the horror moment a passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship toppled over the edge of an infinity pool while trying to reach for sunglasses. Footage shows a man leaning against the barrier of the pool before losing balance and plunging down to the bottom deck of the Icon of the Seas cruise ship. 5 5 5 He appeared to be trying to reach out for something, which was later revealed to be a pair of sunglasses. But as he lost his balance on the edge, he appeared to straighten his legs before tumbling down. According to the account that posted the clip on Instagram, the man did not sustain any injuries as he supposedly fell on the deck right below the pool. However, the infinity pool is on Deck 15 and directly below it is the Splashaway Bay children's play area on Deck 7, according to the Daily Mail. Social media users were left in utter disbelief when they watched the shocking clip. One user claimed he had been on the cruise and shared what he says actually happened. They wrote: "He feel into a space not open to the public. "If he had fallen over the railing, he would have fallen to deck 5 in the kids splash area. That's 10 decks below! "He was confined to his room after the incident and not let out until arriving back in Miami." The Royal Caribbean said: "A guest accidentally fell onto the pool gutter after reaching over to retrieve their sunglasses. Cruise ship crew member dies after falling overboard on Icon of the Seas vessel in Caribbean sparking rescue operation "Our crew immediately attended to the guest, and fortunately, the guest did not experience any injuries." The Icon of the Seas is the world's largest cruise ship, standing at 1,196ft long and 219ft wide. It has 20 decks and employs 2,350 international crew members. It comes just days after a crew member on the same ship stabbed his female colleague before jumping overboard to his death, police say. The body of a 35-year-old South African man was recovered from the water just minutes after he was said to have attacked a 28-year-old woman. Both crew members were working on the luxury Icon of the Seas cruise late on Thursday night when a "personal dispute" erupted onboard. The man repeatedly stabbed the woman, also from South Africa, shortly before 7:30pm, the Royal Bahamas Police Force told NBC News. He then tried to flee the ship by jumping overboard into the waters off the coast of San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. Panicked passengers, who were unaware of the initial attack, desperately tried to help save the man by throwing life rings into the water, reports say. He was found dead just 30 minutes later by onboard medical staff. 5