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A 1,000-strong “dark fleet” of rogue oil tankers skirting sanctions has emerged as a new target for the U.S. and Ukraine, a senior maritime intelligence analyst claims.

Michelle Wiese Bockmann warned the aging fleet poses geopolitical risks and threats of $1 billion oil spills, with the recent U.S. seizures in Venezuela and Ukrainian drone strikes in the Black Sea marking a turning point for both nations in their efforts.

“There are about 1,000 vessels worldwide that are trading sanctioned crude tankers containing sanctioned Iranian, Venezuelan and Russian oil,” Bockmann told Fox News Digital.

“These vessels are a lifeline for these regimes, because they’re used for shipping oil to fund the war in Ukraine, and also give money to the illicit Maduro regime,” she added.

IRAN BACKS MADURO TO KEEP LATIN AMERICA FOOTHOLD AS TRUMP INCREASES PRESSURE ON VENEZUELA

U.S. seized the Skipper, a Venezuelan oil tanker.  ( Planet Labs PBC/Reuters)

“This is a brand-new problem for the U.S., and now Ukraine has signaled they are going to target these vessels the same way,” she said. “There is a new strategy to deal with this dark fleet, which is the lifeline of sanctioned oil revenues, and now under attack by the U.S. and Ukraine. The strategy is all to counter what we call gray-zone aggression.”

US ESCALATION WITH MADURO HALTS DEPORTATION FLIGHTS TO VENEZUELA

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was questioned about the U.S. seizing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters )

Recent Ukrainian naval drone strikes have disabled several tankers in the Black Sea, including the Dashan, part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet that Ukraine says helps Moscow export oil in defiance of sanctions, according to Reuters.

“It is dangerous and could be interpreted as a form of gray-zone aggression in order to continue to keep oil revenue flowing,” Bockmann said.

“This is all a billion-dollar oil spill catastrophe waiting to happen,” she added, pointing to the environmental and navigational risks posed by poorly maintained, uninsured ships.

VENEZUELA MOBILIZES TROOPS, WEAPONS IN RESPONSE TO US WARSHIP BUILDUP IN CARIBBEAN

Footage of the Dashan tanker, purportedly part of the Russian shadow fleet hit by Ukraine. (Security Service Official/Handout via Reuters)

She said a subset of “about 350 to 400 vessels at any one time are not only sanctioned but falsely flying flags, which is dangerous,” because false registration leaves vessels stateless and uninsured, putting crews at risk.

“This is a huge issue for maritime safety, it’s a menace to the environment, and it entails crew welfare,” Bockmann said.

These vessels, she said, are typically “elderly” and used solely for sanctioned oil trades. Many also “manipulate AIS” to show they are in one place when they are actually elsewhere.

TRUMP SENDS WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL WARSHIP TO LATIN AMERICA — HISTORIC ECHOES OF REGIME CHANGE

Dashan, a tanker from Russia’s shadow fleet, transits the Bosphorus en route to the Black Sea in Istanbul. (Yoruk Isik/Reuters)

“They use false flagging, but also spoofing and manipulating its AIS to show it’s in one place when it’s not. These vessels have also gone to fraudulent registries that don’t exist, which means they have no insurance,” she said. “Their certificates of seaworthiness are invalid, and they have relied on international maritime conventions to have what’s called the ‘right of innocent passage’ so they can’t get intercepted.”

Bockmann said U.S. forces have used legal tools including Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows boarding of stateless vessels, to stop these ships.

“It’s my belief that they used Article 110, and they got on board that vessel, and they were absolutely entitled to remove that vessel from global trade,” she said.

VENEZUELA ACCUSES US OF ‘PIRACY’ AFTER SEIZING MASSIVE OIL TANKER

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a roundtable meeting on Antifa with President Donald Trump in the State Dining Room at the White House, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Evan Vucci/AP)

In the Caribbean, U.S. forces recently seized the tanker Skipper, sanctioned in 2022 and found to be masking its location, under a federal warrant as part of a broader campaign to disrupt illicit oil shipping.

“The recent Venezuelan tanker was carrying 1.8 million barrels of oil uninsured, so that’s a billion-dollar maritime disaster waiting to happen,” Bockmann said.

As reported by Fox News Digital, Dec. 12 saw Attorney General Pam Bondi frame the U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan crude tanker as a sanctions-enforcement action rooted in a federal court warrant.

Meanwhile, in the Black Sea, Ukraine targeted multiple alleged “shadow fleet” tankers with sea drones, according to Reuters.

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“The three tankers that have been targeted by Ukraine are all in ballast, which means that they weren’t carrying oil,” Bockmann said.

“That was carefully chosen, and they were also falsely flagged, just like in the recent case of the three tankers attacked in Ukraine. That flag was Gambia. In the U.S. case of Skipper, the flag was Guyana,” Bockmann said.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture. 

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NEED TO KNOW

• Two people, a man and a woman, were found dead at Rob Reiner’s Los Angeles mansion on Dec. 14
• The man is approximately 78 years old, and the woman is believed to be 68 years old, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) confirms to PEOPLE, but their identities have not yet been shared publicly
• TMZ confirmed that the home belongs to Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, and neighbors also confirmed homeownership to NBC Los Angeles

Two people were found dead at Rob Reiner’s Los Angeles mansion.

On Sunday, Dec. 14, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) was called to the home at around 3:30 p.m. local time to provide medical aid, and upon arrival, they found a man and a woman dead, the LAFD confirms to PEOPLE.

The man is approximately 78 years old, and the woman is believed to be 68 years old, per the LAFD, but their identities have not yet been shared publicly.

TMZ confirmed that the home belongs to Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, and neighbors also confirmed homeownership to NBC Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded shortly after the LAFD arrived, and authorities have opened an investigation into the deaths, per TMZ.

The LAPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Dec. 14, nor did a representative for Reiner.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Rob Reiner (left) and Michele Singer Reiner (right) in July 2018.

 Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

This is a developing story.

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Matilda Poltavchenko, just 10 years old, was named as the youngest of the Bondi shooting victims known to date. Heartbroken relatives described her as a “bright, joyful and spirited” child

Matilda Poltavchenko, 10, was shot while taking part in the Hanukkah gathering

A child killed in the Bondi Beach shooting yesterday has been identified and remembered by loved ones as a “bright, joyful and spirited child”.

At least 16 people, including one gunman, are dead and 40 others remain in hospital with injuries following a mass shooting on Australia’s Bondi Beach. Gunmen opened fire at a Jewish festival on the beach with a much-loved British Rabbi and a 10-year-old girl, caught up in the horrific terror attack.

Police have declared the attack a “terrorist incident” and confirmed that a 50-year-old gunman is also dead. Officers also discovered “several” explosive devices at the beach, believed to be linked to the dead gunman. A second attacker, identified by a senior law enforcement official as Naveed Akram, has been injured and is in police custody. Police said the attackers were father and son.

Matilda Poltavchenko, 10, was shot while taking part in the Hanukkah gathering

The identities of the victims tragically killed in the terror incident are starting to be shared hours after the fatal attack. One of the latest to be identified is a 10-year-old girl who was on the beach celebrating Hanukkah.

Matilda Poltavchenko, just 10 years old, was named as the youngest of the victims known to date. Heartbroken relatives described her as a “bright, joyful and spirited” child. She was shot while taking part in the Hanukkah gathering.

Her aunt Lina confirmed the devastating news on social media, writing: “Yesterday my beloved niece Matilda was killed during a terrorist attack in Bondi Beach. I don’t know how we survive such grief,” according to MailOnline.

Emergency services at the scene(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

A GoFundMe page set up to support Matilda’s mother, Valentina Poltavchenko, had raised more than $10,000 by Monday morning.

The fundraiser was organised by Matilda’s language teacher, Irina Goodhew, who said: “I knew her as a bright, joyful and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her. While celebrating Hanukkah, her young life was tragically taken. Her memory will live on in our hearts.

“Mailda’s mother, Valentina Poltavchenko, is the beneficiary of this fundraiser. All donations will be transferred directly to her to support the family during this incredibly difficult time. Donations are made in loving memory of Mailda.”

You can donate to the GoFundMe page by clicking here.

Follow our live blog for the latest Bondi Beach updates by clicking here.

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Earlier this month Jimmy Lai’s children voiced new alarm over the incarcerated tycoon’s health, describing his dramatic weight loss, teeth rotting and nails falling off.

The report quoted them saying that Lai – was is 78 and has diabetes – had been kept in solitary confinement without air conditioning in a jail where summer temperatures rise to 44C (111F).

“He has lost a very significant amount of weight, visibly, and he is a lot weaker than he was before,” said his daughter Claire Lai, who left Hong Kong after seeing her father several months ago.

His nails turn almost purple, grey and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten.

You can read that story here:

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Updated at 02.21 CET

Our correspondent Helen Davidson has posted video footage on Bluesky of scenes outside the West Kowloon law courts ahead of the verdicts being handed down on Jimmy Lai.

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Updated at 02.09 CET

Helen Davidson

As has become usual with these national security cases, there is a large police presence outside the West Kowloon district court.

It’s about two hours from the verdict hearing beginning, and there are officers in plain clothes and uniform everywhere, as well as a massive press pack. Smaller than I have seen before, however, is the queue for the general public.

The day Lai gave testimony, and big days for other cases like that of the Hong Kong 47, have drawn hundreds of people wanting to attend. But today there is perhaps fewer than 100. At least half of them were here last night, when I came by around 10pm.

Police stand guard outside the West Kowloon courts on Monday ahead of the Jimmy Lai verdict. Photograph: Leung Man Hei/AFP/Getty Images

Some passers-by alleged those people were paid by pro-Beijing groups to sit in the queue and reserve seats that might otherwise be taken by supporters of the defendants, or foreign diplomatic observers. I tried to ask them why they were here, but they all refused to speak to me, and hid behind umbrellas or blankets.

One man, Simon, said he wanted to “give some support to Jimmy Lai and his wife”.

“I believe this will be a bad result,” he said.

They want to put him in prison.

Simon didn’t stay overnight but was back again around 6am this morning. He and a friend are holding bright red apples, to represent the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper that Lai founded and which stands as his co-accused.

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Updated at 01.47 CET

It’s now 8.35am in Hong Kong and its high court is set to begin delivering its verdict on the national security charges against Jimmy Lai at 10am (2am GMT).

The three judges delivering the ruling are Esther Toh, Alex Lee and Susana D’Almada Remedios.

If Lai is found guilty, the incarcerated media tycoon will probably be sentenced at a later date and can appeal against the verdict.

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Updated at 01.46 CET

Opening

Welcome to our live coverage of the final stages of the trial of Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong media mogul and pro-democracy activist. Today, we are expecting a verdict on national security charges following a trial that has stretched for more than two years.

The 78-year-old has been in jail since late 2020, on remand and serving several protest-related sentences totalling almost 10 years. He may face a life sentence if found guilty.

Lai had been charged with one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications and two counts of conspiracy to foreign collusion, charges brought under the city’s punitive national security law, introduced in 2020, and a British colonial-era sedition law that has seen renewed use in recent years by authorities.

Lai countered that he had never tried to influence other countries’ foreign policies on Hong Kong and China through his overseas contacts.

He also distanced himself from violence and separatism, saying that Apple Daily represented Hongkongers’ core values such as “rule of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly”.

We will bring you today’s developments as they happen.

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Updated at 01.51 CET

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Far-right Republican Party candidate Jose Antonio Kast has won Chile’s presidential runoff election, results showed with most of the votes counted.

Contender Jeannette Jara, a member of the Communist Party and former labor minister, conceded defeat to her hard-right rival and said that “democracy spoke loud and clear.” She went on to say in a post on X that she had spoken to Kast to wish him well. 

Kast wins more than 58% of the vote

With more than 95% of ballots counted, Kast garnered 58% of the vote, while Jara managed 41%, a clear indication she was on course to lose.

Leading up to the vote, opinion polls showed Kast leading Jara by a wide margin, with some indicating a lead of more than 10 percentage points.

Kast’s campaign spokesman, Arturo Squella, declared victory from the party headquarters in the capital of Santiago.

“We are very proud of the work we’ve done,” he told reporters. “We feel very responsible for this tremendous challenge of taking charge of the crises that Chile is going through.”

For the first time in over a decade, voting has been made compulsory, with around 15.8 million people eligible to cast ballots. Initial results are expected in the early hours of Monday and the election winner will take office in March 2026.

Kast is a right-wing populist, while Jara represents the Communist PartyImage: Lucas Aguayo Araos/Anadolu/picture alliance

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Kast on his election win in a post on X.

“Congratulations to Chilean President-Elec @JoseAntonioKast on his victory. The United States looks forward to partnering with his administration to strengthen regional security and revitalize our trade relationship,” Rubio said. 

What are the most pressing issues for Chilean voters?

Sunday’s vote marked Kast’s third bid for the presidency, with the 59-year-old having campaigned on a tough-on-crime and anti-migrant platform.

He pledged to seek unity in what he described as a highly polarized country, saying the winner “will have to be the president of all Chileans.” 

Once viewed as one of the safest and most prosperous countries in Latin America, Chile has been disrupted in recent years by the Covid-19 pandemic, violent social protests and an increase in organized crime.

Polls show more than 60% of Chileans consider security the country’s most pressing issue, more so than concerns over the economy, healthcare or education.

Although Chile remains one of the safest countries in Latin America, there has been a rise in crime in certain areas over the past decade, with authorities laying the blame on gangs linked to Venezuela, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador.

Chile leftists advance to December’s presidential runoff

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What has Kast said about immigration? 

Migration featured equally prominently throughout campaigning, with migrants now accounting for roughly 10% of Chile’s population.

Many have arrived fleeing violence and poverty elsewhere in South America, particularly from Venezuela.

Kast has pledged to secure Chile’s borders and deport any migrants who do not hold legal status, while building new prisons.

He opposes abortion without exception and has voiced support for former military ruler Augusto Pinochet, who governed Chile from 1973 to 1990.

Some critics have said they worry Kast’s positions could signal a return to authoritarian practices.

He is seen by some voters as similar to Pinochet, who left power after losing a 1990 referendum following 17 years of dictatorship marked by killings, disappearances and widespread torture.

Jara won the first round of the presidential election [FILE: December 10, 2025]Image: Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo/picture alliance

Leftist challenger had led first round

Meanwhile, Jara had led the first round of voting held on November 16, when she won nearly 27% of the vote.

Kast finished second with 24%, but since last month’s vote has consolidated support from other right-wing candidates.

Jara’s candidacy has been tied to the unpopular government of outgoing President Gabriel Boric, whose own four-year term has struggled as many of his efforts to reform the Pinochet-era constitution proved unsuccessful.

Boric, who is constitutionally barred from re-election, cast his vote in Punta Arenas, calling democracy “the best instrument” for resolving differences among Chileans.

Edited by: Karl Sexton

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The rescue operation to extract Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and transport her to Norway in time to accept her Nobel Peace Prize involved a complex series of complications and various components in land, sea and air.   

The mission, dubbed Operation Golden Dynamite, was spearheaded by Bryan Stern, a U.S. special forces veteran and founder of the Tampa-based Grey Bull Rescue Foundation, which specializes in high-risk rescue missions and evacuations, notably from conflict and disaster zones.

Getting her out of Venezuela, where she is considered a fugitive by President Nicolás Maduro, involved disguises, deception, navigating choppy seas and arranging flight options.

“She’s perceived by the Maduro regime the way we perceived Osama bin Laden, like that,” Stern told Fox News. “That level of manhunt if you will.”

US COVERT TEAM LEADER DESCRIBES ‘DANGEROUS’ MISSION TO RESCUE VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures at a protest ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolás Maduro for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 9, 2025.  (Maxwell Briceno/Reuters)

Machado has been hiding out in Venezuela since Maduro won a highly disputed election last year and had not been seen in public in months. 

Stern emphasized that the U.S. government was not involved in the operation. 

His team had been building up a presence in the Caribbean, Venezuela and the neighboring island of Aruba in preparation for operations in the South American region.

The biggest challenge, Stern said, was getting Machado out of the country despite her being a well-known figure there. In order to move her from her house to a “beach landing site,” his team reportedly did “all kinds of things designed to create a little bit of confusion.”

“Anything that we could have possibly think of that we thought could hide her face… was employed.” Stern said. “Anything we could think of, her digital signature, her physical signature. On top of that, we did some deception operations on the ground. We made some noise in some places designed to get people to think something was happening that wasn’t.”

VENEZUELAN DISSIDENT MACHADO CREDITS TRUMP FOR ADVANCING FREEDOM MOVEMENT, DEDICATES NOBEL TO HIM

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro brandishes a sword said to have belonged to independence hero Simon Bolivar during a civic-military event at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025.  (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

The maritime operation started off rough, Stern recounted. Of the two boats deployed for the mission, the vessel that physically extracted Machado reportedly lost its GPS in the turbulent seas and suffered a mechanical hiccup that delayed the operation. The team was forced to continue into the “dead of night” in “pitch-black darkness,” navigating seas so violent that one of Stern’s seasoned operators reportedly vomited for nine hours straight.

Reaching the rendezvous point added another layer of difficulty. Stern’s boat and Machado’s vessel had to find each other in pitch-black seas while maintaining radio silence to avoid detection, ultimately locating one another by flashlight.

Stern said he had to remain cautious, fearing that the approaching boat could have been a trap set by Venezuelan forces. To confirm it was safe to proceed, his larger vessel circled Machado’s boat and shined lights on the crew. 

After Stern physically pulled Machado onto his boat, he then alerted the rest of the team that Machado was secured: “Jackpot, jackpot, jackpot.”

“Now we are on the run with Maria Corina Machado, the most wanted woman in the Western Hemisphere, on my boat,” he said.

“I have the most wanted person in the Western hemisphere that I’m trying to move around,” Stern said. “Personally, she’s a hero of mine. She’s a hero of mine. I’ve been tracking her for years.”

VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS COUNTRY AT ‘THRESHOLD OF FREEDOM’ AS NEW MANIFESTO ENVISIONS REGIME CHANGE

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado waves at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, early Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Once in international waters, the new concern was avoiding any appearance that they had kidnapped a Venezuelan, which would have given the government any justification to attack.

“They lie. They could have killed us for any reason,” Stern said. “We’re in the middle of the d— ocean and there’s no one around to see the truth… we are scared, we are nervous, we’re on the run and we floor it getting to the rendezvous.”

Stern ordered his boat captain to drive full throttle and not stop for anything, fearing pursuit by the Venezuelan regime.

“My boat guy, I told him I don’t care, I don’t care who comes,” Stern said. “You don’t stop. You do not stop. I don’t care, I don’t care who. You do not stop at all. Let them chase us if they have to. We have got to get to land.”

At some point during the escape, two F-18 fighter jets reportedly flew overhead. Stern described the moment as a potential complication, since they could not determine whether the jets were hostile or friendly, though he noted it was likely not part of a Navy coordination.

“There’s an aircraft carrier in the Caribbean throwing airplanes off every twenty minutes. I don’t know,” Stern said. “I can tell you that nobody in the Navy said, ‘Don’t worry, brother, we sent two F-18s to cover you.'”

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The maritime team successfully delivered Machado to safety. Stern said his team had also prepared for a possible air extraction, but that plan was abandoned after a last-minute change on Machado’s side. Instead, the final flight to Norway was arranged by her personal network using a friend’s private jet, culminating in her safe arrival.

While Grey Bull Rescue has conducted operations in high-threat environments such as Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti, Stern said the extraction of Machado was uniquely challenging, describing it as “overwhelmingly” the most complicated mission in the organization’s 800-mission history.

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Ultra-conservative José Antonio Kast has secured a decisive victory in Chile’s presidential runoff election, paving the way for the nation’s most right-wing government in 35 years of democratic rule. With over 95 percent of votes tallied, Kast garnered more than 58 percent, triumphing over his leftist rival.

His opponent, communist candidate Jeannette Jara, who served as President Gabriel Boric’s popular labor minister, secured just over 41 percent.

Kast’s campaign resonated with voters through pledges to tackle rising crime, deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants and revitalize the economy of one of Latin America’s most stable and prosperous countries.

Following the results, Jara conceded defeat, stating on social media: “Democracy spoke loud and clear,” and confirmed she had called Kast to congratulate him on his successful campaign.

On the surface, the two candidates in this tense presidential runoff could not have been more different, fundamentally disagreeing on weighty matters of the economy, social issues and the very purpose of government. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Kast’s supporters erupted into cheers in the street, shouting his name and honking car horns.

His campaign spokesman, Arturo Squella, declared victory from the party headquarters in Chile’s capital of Santiago.

“We are very proud of the work we’ve done,” he told reporters. “We feel very responsible for this tremendous challenge of taking charge of the crises that Chile is going through.”

Kast’s election represents the latest in a string of votes that have turfed out incumbent governments across Latin America, vaulting mainly right-wing leaders to power from Argentina to Bolivia.

On the surface, the two candidates in this tense presidential runoff could not have been more different, fundamentally disagreeing on weighty matters of the economy, social issues and the very purpose of government.

A lifelong member of Chile’s Communist Party who pioneered significant social welfare measures in Boric’s government and hails from a working-class family that protested against the 1973-1990 military dictatorship, Jara was a dramatic foil to her rival.

Kast, in contrast, is a devout Catholic and father of nine whose German-born father was a registered member of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party and whose brother served in the dictatorship. He had previously struggled to win over moderate voters in two failed presidential bids.

His moral conservatism, including fierce opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion without exception, had been rejected by many in the increasingly socially liberal country. The admiration he has expressed for the bloody military dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet also sparked widespread condemnation in his campaign against President Boric four years ago.

But in the past few years, fears about uncontrolled migration and organized crime have roiled the country. Enthusiasm for a hardline approach to crime spread, dominating the election and boosting Kast’s law-and-order platform.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Jordan Turpin recently shared a photo of herself and her “bro” James at Zootopia 2
• Jordan, 25, gained national exposure when she rescued herself and her 12 siblings from their parents’ abusive “House of Horrors” in 2018
• The aspiring model now uses her platform to try to help others who are struggling

Jordan Turpin posted a rare photo of herself and her “bro” enjoying a night out.

Jordan, 25 shared the photo on her Instagram Stories on Saturday, Dec. 13. The picture features Jordan holding a drink and smiling while standing next to a young man with dark hair and a goatee.

“At the movies with my bro to watch zootopia 2 love you @jamesriio0121,” she captioned the post.

Jordan Turpin’s Dec. 13 Instagram Stories post.

jordan turpin/Instagram

Jordan gained national recognition after saving herself and her 12 siblings from their parents’ so-called “House of Horrors” in Perris, Calif., in 2018. At the time, Jordan, then 17, crawled through a window and used a disconnected cell phone to dial 911.

Prior to their rescue, the Turpin siblings, who ranged in age from 2 to 29 at the time they were freed, had spent most of their lives hidden indoors, where they were regularly beaten and starved. At times, the children were chained to their beds or put in cages for breaking house rules.

Their parents, David and Louise Turpin, were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after they each pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts, including cruelty to an adult dependent, child cruelty, torture and false imprisonment.

After their escape, the six youngest Turpin siblings were sent to live with foster parents. However, they were subjected to further abuse within the foster system.

Jordan previously told PEOPLE she and her siblings continue to stay close and look out for one another — especially because of their shared traumatic past.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“After everything that happened, I’m so protective over each one,” she said in her 2022 PEOPLE cover story, adding, “Nothing could ever break our bond. I always try and stay strong and positive for them.”

Jordan also said that her siblings give her strength on days when she’s struggling.

“I have those friends or siblings that I can talk to and go to, and I think therapy’s really good,” she explained.

In March 2024, the aspiring model shared that she has also learned to appreciate her chosen family.

“I’m very thankful l got away from all the toxic people in my life. It wasn’t easy but only you can protect yourself. Therapy helped a lot. I feel very blessed where I am today and ready to share my story to help others,” she wrote in the March 26 Instagram post.

She accompanied the message with a video montage of herself at different moments, sometimes crying and at other times smiling widely with apparent joy.

Jordan Turpin with one of her dogs.

Jordan Turpin/Instagram

Jordan, who hopes to be a motivational speaker one day, has also said that she finds immense comfort in her pets.

“I have a lot of animals,” she told PEOPLE in 2023, adding that she had recently moved into a new home that can better accommodate them.

“I want my dogs to have that big open space. I have such a connection with them. I can just give them a look, and they know what I’m saying. They’re just so funny,” she said.

“When I got [my dog] Buddy, I got him at a time when I needed him. He’s my best friend and he’s gotten me through a lot,” Jordan added.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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About a hundred people have gathered at a vigil outside Australia House in central London to pay tribute to the victims of a terrorist attack in Sydney.

At least 16 people, including a British-born rabbi, have died and 38 were injured when two ‘terrorist’ gunmen targeted a Jewish celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday, Australian police said.

Yisroel Lew, a rabbi at Chabad of Bloomsbury and Marylebone, spoke at the gathering organised by Stop the Hate UK on Sunday night.

Wishing every attendee an ‘illuminated Hanukkah’, he said: ‘Just a small amount of light, a small good deed, can drive away a long darkness and that has always been the Jewish response, that remains our response.

‘After hearing what happened this morning, the first thought was: how can we get more light, how can we bring more light into the world, how can we have more Hanukkah events?

‘Go to Hanukkah events, don’t be afraid and celebrate Hanukkah.’

He told attendees that Eli Schlanger, a British-born rabbi who was among those killed in the attack, was a childhood friend of his.

‘He really was a picture of kindness, of warmth, of service, of helping others,’ Rabbi Lew said.

People during a vigil outside the Australian High Commission in central London, following the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia

Yisroel Lew, a rabbi at Chabad of Bloomsbury and Marylebone, spoke at the gathering organised by Stop the Hate UK on Sunday night

A vigil heled in London after two individuals armed with guns opened fire on a crowd in the Archer Park area of Bondi Beach at 6.47pm local time on Sunday

Attendees at the vigil cheered for a ‘hero’ who was filmed tackling a gunman and grabbing his gun during the attack

New South Wales Police have declared the Bondi Beach shooting a terrorist incident, but the gunmen’s motive has not been officially confirmed

He then lit a menorah to mark the first day of Hanukkah and attendees sang prayers.

Fiyaz Mughal, founder of the Muslims Against Antisemitism charity, told attendees he was ‘honoured’ to stand with the Jewish community.

‘I wanted to come and speak in solidarity with you because the threats against you continue to rise, and it’s important that people like me make it clear that Islamist extremism, the hatred against you from small but entrenched parts of my communities, need challenging.

‘The sense of intimidation you have to live through is appalling.’

New South Wales Police have declared the Bondi Beach shooting a terrorist incident, but the gunmen’s motive has not been officially confirmed.

Attendees at the vigil cheered for a ‘hero’ who was filmed tackling a gunman and grabbing his gun during the attack.

Mr Ahmed al Ahmed, a father-of-two, has been named by relatives as the man fighting the terrorist in a video shared widely on social media.

His family said Mr Ahmed, from the Sutherland area of Sydney, remains in hospital where he has undergone surgery for bullet wounds to his arm and hand.

Author and social media content creator Dov Forman, also speaking at the event, condemned a ‘pattern’ of terrorist attacks against the Jewish community coinciding with Jewish religious festivals.

‘This has become a grim pattern,’ he said.

‘First, it was Simchat Torah in Israel on October 7, 2023. Then Manchester on Yom Kippur in October. 

This is the moment police took down the alleged Bondi Beach terrorists after gunmen killed at least 16 people during a Hanukkah celebration 

Naveed Akram, 24, from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s south-west, pictured armed with a rifle at Bondi Beach 

‘And now today, at Bondi Beach in Australia on the first night of Hanukkah.’

Mr Forman accused the UK Government and media for fuelling antisemitism in the context of the war in Gaza.

‘People want to pretend that these attacks come out of nowhere, but we here tonight know that they do not.

‘They come off the back of months and years of incitement, after hate marches, after graffiti, after threats, after chants to ‘globalise the intifada’.

‘We Jews have been warning governments and authorities again and again, across the world, about the levels of incitement taking place and the dangers of the rising antisemitism and Islamic extremism across the West.

‘The mainstream media that fuelled this are to blame, the Government that refused to act are to blame, all those who marched, who chanted, who justified and excused the hatred are to blame, and unfortunately all those who stayed silent, who simply ignored this, are to blame.’

Mark Birbeck, founder of the Our Fight campaign which aims to convince non-Jews to stand against antisemitism, also attended the vigil.

He had an injury to his eye after he was reportedly attacked on Thursday when he and other campaigners organised a counter-protest to a boycott demonstration outside a restaurant in Notting Hill, whose owners reportedly provided meals to soldiers in Israel.

‘It’s so important for the Jewish community to know that they have allies,’ he told the Press Association.

‘It’s also really important to be visible, to be out, to show that these kinds of things are not going to drive people off the streets.’

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Bondi Rescue lifeguards raced to the scene to help victims of the mass shooting at Bondi Beach today when a gunmen opened fire at a Jewish festival on the beach

Bondi Rescue star Jackson Doolan races to help victims(Image: Instagram)

A number of Bondi Rescue stars have broken their silence after at least 16 people, including one gunman, are dead and 40 others remain in hospital with injuries following a mass shooting on Australia’s Bondi Beach.

Gunmen opened fire at a Jewish festival on the beach with a much-loved British Rabbi and a 10-year-old girl, caught up in the horrific terror attack. Police said 40 other people, including four children, remain in hospital with injuries.

Police have declared the attack a “terrorist incident” and confirmed that a 50-year-old gunman is also dead. Officers also discovered “several” explosive devices at the beach, believed to be linked to the dead gunman. A second attacker, identified by a senior law enforcement official as Naveed Akram, has been injured and is in police custody. Police said the attackers were father and son.

Visitors to Bondi Pavilion lay flowers at Bondi Beach (Image: Getty Images)

Bondi Rescue veteran Jackson Doolan shared an update on social media, revealing he and his fellow lifeguards rushed to the scene and worked desperately to save shooting victims. Alongside a photo of himself sprinting through the streets of Bondi in his lifeguard uniform, Doolan thanked those who responded to the unfolding horror.

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Taking to his Instagram stories Jackson wrote: “Appreciate the messages. I’m safe, all the lifeguards are safe. Speechless… Well done to everyone involved in helping out,.”

Andy Reid, fellow Bondi Rescue star, wrote on Instagram: “7 PM yesterday in Bondi – Lifeguard: Jacko @jacksondoolan running over from Tamarama with medical equipment to back up Lifeguards, Clubbies, Police, Ambos and other everyday heroes who tried to save people during yesterday’s horrific attack.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what you all had to witness and deal with, but you are all the most incredible people. I’m grateful we live in a world where you exist to show that kindness will always conquer evil. Thank you.”

Bondi Rescu star Clin also wrote: “Rescuing swimmers is NOT heroic. Driving a jet ski into heavy seas is NOT heroic. Performing a resuscitation on the sand is NOT heroic, ITS OUR JOB.

“RUNNING BAREFOOT INTO LIVE GUNFIRE WITH TRAUMA KITS AND FIRST AID EQUIPMENT IS HEROIC. My lifeguard coworkers were the absolute first on scene, doing everything they could to help in a situation that could have very easily endangered their own lives.

Police patrol Bondi Beach as they investigate the scene of the shooting(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

“I cannot begin to fathom what the families affected are going through, and I send my deepest sympathies to all of them. What I can’t look past is the incredible work the LIFEGUARD staff do at the craziest beach in the world, day in and day out, without hesitation, without ego, and without expectation.”Proud to be a lifeguard, and honoured to call these heroes my friends. The photo above is Jackson sprinting from Tamarama to assist. Let’s stay united, look after one another, live life to the fullest, and love each other.”

NSW Police confirmed two people had been taken into custody shortly before 8pm. Authorities have confirmed that Naveed Akram, 24, from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s south–west, was one of the shooters and his 50-year-old father was the other.

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