Ukrainian ex-politician shot dead outside Madrid's American school, source says
Police received the call about the shooting at 9.15 a.m. (0715 GMT) local time, the Madrid police told Reuters, without identifying the victim.
Radio station Cadena SER said the man was taking his children to the school when he was shot.
Portnov was a senior aide to Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovich who was ousted in 2014.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
10 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Teacher Hired In Arkansas Charged In Devil's Den Park Killing Of Couple That Was Hiking With Kids
Arkansas police charged a 28-year-old school teacher in the killing of a married couple who were hiking with their children at Devils Den State Park, finding him in a nearby city after a five-day search and public pleas for trailgoers to look through their photos. State Police arrested Andrew James McGann at a barbershop in Springdale, said Col. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the department's criminal investigation division. He was charged with two counts of capital murder and was being held Thursday in the state's Washington County jail. Police announced the arrest at a Wednesday night news conference but would not discuss a motive. McGann had been hired at Springdale Public Schools as a teacher candidate for the upcoming year but had not yet come into contact with any of its families or students, the district said in a statement. A lawyer couldn't be located for McGann, and a message was left for a number listed for him. It was not immediately clear when his first court appearance was. 'If you commit a violent senseless act here in our state, our law enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice because that's what the people of Arkansas frankly deserve,' Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. Springdale is roughly 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) north of the state's remote Devils Den park where trails have remained closed since Saturday's killings. Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead on a walking trail at Devils Den. Their daughters, who are 7 and 9, were not hurt and are being cared for by family members, authorities have said. Police had released a composite sketch and photo of a person of interest they were searching for in the attack. The State Police have released few details about the investigation including how the couple was killed. Rhoads said the public's help and video footage they received was instrumental in capturing McGann. Tips came in from as far away as Washington state, she said. 'It was overwhelming,' she said. Jared Cleveland, the superintendent of Springdale Public Schools, said in a statement that McGann had not yet begun his employment and that the district could not provide more information, citing the investigation. 'Our entire team extends our deepest condolences to the Brink family. Their children are especially in our thoughts and prayers,' Cleveland said. Sierra Marcum said three years ago her son was a student in McGann's fourth grade classroom in Flower Mound, Texas, and described him as 'the most standoff teacher' she had ever met. Her son's yearbook includes a photo of McGann. 'Pretty cold. You could ask him a question and he would give you a one word response,' she said. 'Overall just pretty disinterested in his students.' Clinton and Cristen Brink had just moved from South Dakota to the small city of Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas. Their water had been connected less than two weeks ago, Mayor David Faulk said. Clinton Brink had been scheduled to start a job as a milk delivery driver Monday in the nearby Fayetteville area, according to Hiland Dairy, his employer. Cristen Brink had been licensed as a nurse in Montana and South Dakota before moving to Arkansas. The Brink family said the couple died heroes protecting their little girls. 'Our entire state is grieving for the tragic loss and senseless and horrific crime that's taken place in this area,' Sanders said. Devils Den is a 2500-acre (1000-hectare) state park near West Fork, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock, the state capital. The park is known for its hiking trails and rock formations, and it is a short drive from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and Walmart's Bentonville headquarters. It was selected as a state park site in the 1930s, and the park's trails lead to the surrounding Ozark National Forest.
Al Arabiya
12 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Nypd officer killed in Manhattan office shooting to be laid to rest
A New York City police officer who was among the four people shot and killed by a gunman during a rampage at a Manhattan office tower will be laid to rest Thursday. Officer Didarul Islam, 36, was fatally shot Monday in a midtown building housing the National Football League's headquarters. A security guard, real estate firm employee, and investment firm executive were also killed. The gunman also shot and wounded a fifth victim, an NFL employee, before killing himself. Islam's funeral will take place at Parkchester Jame Masjid Funeral Home in the Bronx. There will be separate viewings for men, women, and close friends and family, followed by a prayer service. He will then be buried at a cemetery in Totowa, New Jersey. Islam was the gunman's first victim when he strode into the lobby of the Park Avenue office tower with an AR-15-style rifle at around 6:30 p.m. and immediately opened fire. Islam had been working a department-approved private security detail in uniform at the time. An immigrant from Bangladesh, Islam had worked his way up the nation's largest police force, serving as a school safety agent before becoming a patrol officer less than four years ago. He was assigned to a precinct in the Bronx, the city borough where he lived with his wife and two young sons. The couple is also expecting the birth of their third child soon. 'He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm's way. He made the ultimate sacrifice,' Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. 'He died as he lived. A hero.' Another victim, Julia Hyman, was buried following an emotional service Wednesday at a Manhattan synagogue. The 27-year-old Cornell University graduate had worked for Rudin Management, which owns the building. Funeral arrangements for the two other victims, security guard Aland Etienne and investment firm executive Wesley LePatner, have not been made public. Police have identified the gunman as Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old former high school football player who authorities say drove from his home in Las Vegas to Manhattan because he believed he had a brain disease linked to contact sports and accused the NFL of hiding the dangers of playing football. Police have said the casino worker had a history of mental illness, but they haven't elaborated other than to say they found psychiatric medication prescribed to him at his residence in Las Vegas.
Al Arabiya
13 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Guatemalan town struggles to recover after border shootout
LA MESILLA, Guatemala (AP) – Nearly two months after Mexican police crossed the border into this Guatemalan town in pursuit of alleged criminals, La Mesilla hasn't fully recovered. Like many remote border towns, it lives from commerce—legal and illegal—but locals say things still haven't returned to normal since Mexican state police drove armored vehicles into the downtown and engaged in a daytime shootout in June. On Wednesday, more than 600 Guatemalan police and soldiers carried out nearly two dozen raids in the surrounding areas but managed to seize only two guns without making an arrest, according to the Interior Ministry. A criminal organization tied to Mexico's powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel controls the area, making locals reluctant to talk. A man who sells clothing in La Mesilla said that when he saw the shootout, he used the border much like the criminals do. 'I ran, left everything, it didn't matter, I ran to the Mexican side,' he said. 'We were afraid. When we saw that everything was alright, we returned, we grabbed everything, and left.' That's similar to what led to the shootout on La Mesilla's main drag, steps from the border. Mexican police chased suspects they had engaged with in Mexico who fled into Guatemala. 'People want to forget what happened, but there's still fear,' the young man said. The incident was similar to another border escape a year earlier when hundreds of Mexican citizens fled into Guatemala to escape the violence sparked by the competition to control border crossings between the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels. Some of those Mexicans spent months in Guatemala as refugees. The cartels want to control the crossing of drugs, migrants, and guns. Another vendor said sales still hadn't returned to normal. 'That Sunday (of the shootout) was the market day, there were a lot of people,' he said. 'Today we feel safer because there are more police, but sales haven't recovered.' The organization that authorities targeted Wednesday had been led by a father-son duo who were both killed previously in a clash with Mexican police. Guatemala's Interior Ministry said Wednesday's operation was carried out in coordination with Mexico to attempt to keep the targets from escaping across the border. It was unknown where they had gone. Lusvin López, chief of the National Civil Police antidrug unit, said Wednesday's operation was in response to the shootout in June. The United States government also provided support, according to the Interior Ministry, which didn't provide details.
