A retail head says he is ‘flabbergasted’ that the head of the Metropolitan Police has criticised retailers calling on them to ‘step up and do better’ when it comes to helping police tackle shoplifting.

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association, said today that he ‘could not believe it’ when he heard Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley was calling on stores to do more and publicly lecturing them that ‘this was a team effort’.

He said the retail sector had in fact spent £1.2 billion on high tech extra security measures in the last two years but was still losing £2 billion in stock a year.

‘It is slightly off field for him to come out and say ‘we have done our bit now come out and do yours’,’ he said.

While agreeing that police nationwide had been making a concerted effort recently to improve their record on catching shoplifters, he said police had ‘effectively ignored the problem’ before they were forced into action.

‘I am really surprised he has come out with this. In fact, we have all been working hard together – retailers, police and PCCs – as part of the Police and Retail Crime Action Group which was set up two years ago by the last government to tackle shoplifting and it has been a collaborative effort to get to that point.

‘We are grateful that police forces around the country have ‘stepped up’ to use his words. Response times have improved for example and more recently there have been high profile raids on illicit shops.

Sir Mark Rowley (pictured) claimed there was evidence of security staff working with gangs to help them steal from shops

Cambridgeshire Police released CCTV footage of thieves targeting the John Lewis department store in Cambridge earlier this month, amid growing concern over retail crime

‘What disappoints me is that it has been collaboration that has got us to this point, not just him and police forces.’

Sir Mark Rowley said in an interview with the Telegraph that while the police’s record on store theft definitely needed improvement two years ago when the retail sector was right to be ‘cross’, police had now made significant progress.

He went on to call on retailers to work together with the police more, detailing occasions where stores had hampered investigations by not providing CCTV images and video.

Sir Mark said: ‘They were right to say to us, ‘please step up more’. And we have done. They need to step up more. There are some of them who are fantastic and I’m not going to name a good and bad list, that would be invidious. But I’m just putting a marker down.’

Sir Mark said police in the capital had now ‘really doubled down’ on shoplifting, throwing the gauntlet down to retailers:

‘We’re making a lot of progress, but they now need to do better.’

He even outlined one incident where private security staff had colluded with shoplifters to tell them when it was ‘clear’ and ‘helping them commit their criminality’.

As well as refusing to hand over CCTV to police, he also suggested some retailers refused to let their staff have time off to provide witness statements to the police or attend court to give evidence.

Sir Mark added: ‘So if they’re not prepared to roll up their sleeves as corporate victims, it’s going to be tough for us to make progress.’

But hitting back, Mr Goodacre said there was a ‘trust gap between those who own and run and work in retailers and the police’ because retailers believed police ‘won’t do anything in the long run about it’. 

‘Yes, they may well respond but the people perpetrating the crimes are still roaming the streets and back out. That may not be the police’s fault. It may be the blockage in the court process doing that so that’s the frustration.’

He said that he always encouraged retailers to submit evidence but they were often frustrated ‘that even after doing so or even after holding the suspected shoplifters on site, those people are back out on the street a day later’.

He added: ‘That’s the gap he has identified between retailer action and police communication but – if we are going to improve that – him coming out and being this critical of the retail sector is unhelpful.

‘He should go to the Retail Crime Action Group and ask them to go to people like me and Sainsbury’s and the Co Op and whoever to really try and make sure that the crimes are properly reported.

‘If we reported all the crimes, police forces wouldn’t be able to cope. They would be overwhelmed so be careful what you wish for!’

Sir Mark said facial recognition technology meant police were able to identify shoplifters or robbers in at least forty per cent of cases when they had obtained CCTV images.

And the Met boss said one UK chain operates a central control room in which they send pictures of suspects to the police, adding that ‘some of them are great at collecting the material’.

CCTV captures shoplifting taking place at News Plus on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow

‘This is a team game. We’re stepping up. They now need to as well.’

Sir Mark said the Met’s efforts at tackling shoplifting had allowed the force to reverse the rise in store thefts, with cases down 4.4% this year from April to December.

Earlier this week, thieves who toured John Lewis stores across three counties to steal fragrance and Apple products worth tens of thousands of pounds were jailed.

Simona Dumitru, 35, and Sara Nae, 25, both from Leicester, stole goods from shops in Reading, Oxford, Milton Keynes and High Wycombe during August and September.

Lucy Whing, Crime Policy Advisor at the British Retail Consortium, said there were some ‘early signs’ that ‘ongoing improvements in coordination between retailers and police forces’ were ‘paying off’.

‘Retailers are also investing in new CCTV systems and reporting systems to help provide as much information as possible to authorities, however it is vital that reporting systems are aligned across police forces, to ensure that retailers can implement reporting systems that work right across the UK,’ she said.

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President Donald Trump has warned of “very serious retaliation” after two US soldiers and one civilian were killed in Syria, claiming the attack was carried out by IS

20:51, 13 Dec 2025Updated 21:00, 13 Dec 2025

Three Americans were killed in an attack in Palmyra, Syria (stock)(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Donald Trump has warned of “very serious retaliation” after two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in an attack in Syria.

US Central Command said three Americans were killed and three other service members injured in what it described as an “ambush by a lone ISIS gunman”, who was then “engaged and killed”.

The US president also blamed the attack on the Islamic State (IS) militant group, writing in a post on Truth Social: “This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them. The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation.”

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said he wants to rebuild the country after 13 years of war(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

The attack took place in Palmyra, where troops were “conducting a key leader engagement”, according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. A defence official said that it happened in an “area where the Syrian president does not have control”.

Two Syrian service members were also injured, Syria’s state news reported. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and the gunman’s identity has not been released. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security force.

US Central Command said the identities of those killed were being withheld until their next of kin had been informed.

Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, said: “I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist ambush targeting a joint US–Syrian government patrol in central Syria. We remain committed to defeating terrorism with our Syrian partners.”

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “Let it be known, if you target Americans – anywhere in the world you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.”

It comes just weeks after President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Donald Trump met at the White House, a visit the Syrian leader hailed as the start of a “new era” in the two countries’ relations. Shortly afterwards, Syria announced it would join a global coalition to dismantle the remaining elements of IS.

While IS was defeated territorially in Syria in 2019, the UN estimates between 5,000 and 7,000 of its fighters remain active across Syria and Iraq, continuing to carry out deadly attacks.

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A Florida sheriff’s office has concluded that the death of a 32-year-old man while riding a high-speed roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park was accidental.

According to a report released Friday by the local medical examiner, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala suffered a deep cut on the left side of his forehead, a fracture to the bone ridge above his eye and bleeding above his skull. Additional injuries included bruises on his arms and abdomen, a broken nose and a fractured right thigh bone.

The Orlando medical examiner had already determined Zavala’s death was the result of blunt-impact trauma. Investigators from the Orange county sheriff’s office found that Epic Universe employees followed all safety procedures and were not negligent in what was deemed an accident.

Epic Universe is Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park.

Security footage captured Zavala appearing “engaged and well” when the ride at the park began – but at its conclusion, he was slumped and unresponsive, the sheriff’s report said.

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala. Photograph: Twitter/X

Witnesses described seeing Zavala bleeding from his face and leaning over in his seat once the coaster stopped. Anna Marshall, a physician waiting in line for the ride, told investigators that Zavala appeared “slouched over and surrounded by blood” as the coaster returned to the platform. She said one of his arms dangled over the side and that his thigh bone “was broken in half and resting on the back of the ride chair”.

Marshall assisted Zavala, who used a wheelchair, after the incident. His girlfriend, Javiliz Cruz-Robles, who was seated next to him, said that Zavala had metal rods in his back from a prior spinal surgery.

Family members told investigators that Zavala’s spinal cord atrophy, the condition behind his disability, had no role in his death on 17 September.

When the ride halted, Zavala sustained extensive facial injuries and remained restrained by the lap bar, which could not be released for about ten minutes, according to Universal paramedic Sebastian Torres.

Cruz-Robles told investigators that a ride operator had to push the lap bar down multiple times before it locked into place and that it seemed too tight across their laps. She said Zavala was thrown forward during the ride’s first descent, striking his head on the metal bar ahead of them. He hit his head several more times throughout the ride as she struggled unsuccessfully to hold him back.

The sheriff’s office noted that warning signs at the ride entrance cautioned guests about sudden drops and accelerations. It also advised against riding with “back, neck or similar physical conditions”, or after recent surgeries or conditions that might be worsened by the ride.

Zavala’s parents shared that he had fractured a thigh bone requiring surgery in 2020 and underwent hip surgery following a dislocation in 2010.

The roller coaster, a dual-launch design reaching speeds of up to 62mph (100 km/ph), officially opened in May to visitors of Epic Universe.

The ruling in Zavala’s death comes after a jury last December awarded $310m to the family of a 14-year-old boy who was thrown to his death from a since-dismantled free-fall ride at Orlando’s Icon Park in March 2022. The episode prompted Florida legislators to pass the Tyre Sampson Act to bolster safety requirements for amusement park attractions.

The Associated Press contributed reporting

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The film is shocking. In it, high-ranking prosecutors and judges describe how Romania’s judiciary is controlled politically.

They detail how major corruption cases disappear into drawers, conscientious prosecutors and judges are thwarted and punished by their superiors, and politicians and civil servants embezzle millions with impunity. The court system is vegetating, a high-ranking justice official says at one stage in the two-hour documentary.

Since “Captured Justice” was released on December 9 by the Romanian investigative news platform Recorder, it has garnered nearly 4 million views on YouTube. It is now the number one topic in the media across the southeastern European country, roiling both politicians and the public. Angry citizens have demonstrated every evening in the capital Bucharest and several other cities since last Wednesday.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan has expressed his support for the report on his Facebook page, calling for more consistent judicial reform. The post registered 10,000 likes, but also thousands of angry comments calling on him to back up his words with action.

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan told the media that he understood citizens’ frustration, promising that “serious problems in the system” would be corrected.

New momentum, old problem

The rigged judicial system and delays in fighting corruption in Romania have been an issue for decades, and the focus of repeated protests, state crises, and changes of government. Numerous attempts at reform have failed to have lasting impact.

Some have confronted these failures in the past but the number of high-ranking prosecutors and judges willing to speak out for the Recorder report, in addition to the level of detail they provide about the influence of politicians and senior officials, is new.

Among those featured is Liviu Lascu, a prosecutor and former head of the military department at the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), Romania’s most important authority in the fight against widespread political abuses. Lascu describes how he was prevented from pursuing meticulously documented cases of corruption within the security and military apparatus and forced out of his position.

Romania’s top court, the High Court of Cassation and Justice, in BucharestImage: llccvv/Pond5 Images/IMAGO

Former DNA chief prosecutor Crin Bologa, who served until March 2023, also appears in the film, saying that he has the impression that the DNA was purged of unwelcome prosecutors under his successor Marius Voineag. This would explain why there have been hardly any corruption convictions for a while now.

Two high-ranking judges also discuss how judges in political corruption cases were replaced when defendants faced prison sentences. The allegations are directed primarily at Lia Savonea, former head of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM), the oversight body meant to guarantee judicial independence in Romania.

The CSM administrates appointments, promotions and transfers for judges, and has the power to change the composition of court chambers and impose disciplinary penalties. Savonea and her loyal CSM members are said to have made extensive use of these powers to influence corruption proceedings in favor of defendants. The Romanian public views Savonea as a “face of the captured judiciary.”

‘We are simply being terrorized’

One prominent case covered extensively in the report is that of former Bucharest district mayor Marian Vanghelie, who stood trial for years on charges of abuse of office, bribery and money laundering. After an initial prison sentence of more than 11 years, a judicial odyssey ensued, and in March 2025 all proceedings against him were dropped because the statute of limitations had expired. Commentators speak of his case as an “exemplary failure of the judiciary system.”

Marian Vanghelie, former Bucharest district mayor convicted but never held accountable due to delays that outlasted the statute of limitationsImage: Alex Nicodim/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO

The report has swiftly unleashed political upheaval in Romania. On Thursday, the Bucharest Court of Appeal (CAB) — the court responsible for the Vanghelie case — held its first ever press conference.

Presiding judge Liana Arsenie wanted to defend herself against accusations in the report, but the press conference ended in public embarrassment when another CAB judge, Raluca Morosanu, confirmed them. Speaking on behalf of her colleagues, she said “we are simply being terrorized with disciplinary proceedings and everything else that is known to be happening to us.”

Bloated pensions amid economic strain

The release of the the report comes at a delicate moment for Romania economically. In 2024, the country had the largest budget deficit in the European Union at 9.3%. The target for this year is 7%, which would still be a record.

After a turbulent period of domestic politics, in which a right-wing extremist almost became president, the pro-European, liberal-conservative, former anti-corruption activist Nicusor Dan took office in May 2025. The following month, a four-party coalition was formed with some difficulty under Prime Minister Bolojan of the National Liberal Party.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan being sworn in as president in May 2025Image: Andrei Pungovschi/Getty Images

One of their most difficult tasks is reforming the budget, including so-called special pensions for civil servants, some of whom can retire as early as 48 and who receive up to €14,000 ($16,000) per month. By contrast, the average pension yields around €540 per month and hundreds of thousands of former agricultural workers receive an average pension of just €120 a month.

Given the fact that former judicial officials often receive special pensions, the Recorder film has increased public pressure on the government to implement reforms, planned since August but blocked several times by the judiciary.

The Constitutional Court must now decide on the law to abolish special pensions, although it remains unclear just when that might happen.

But one date has been set: On Facebook, President Dan invited prosecutors and judges to an “open-ended discussion” on December 22. The date has great symbolic value as the anniversary of the end to dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s rule in 1989.

This article was originally written in German.

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Israel announced on Saturday that it had killed Ra’ad Sa’ad, the Head of the Weapons Production Headquarters in Hamas’ military wing and one of the architects of Oct. 7.

“Sa’ad was one of the last remaining veteran senior militants in the Gaza Strip and a close associate of Marwan Issa, the deputy head of Hamas’ military wing. He held several senior positions and was a central figure within the organization’s military leadership,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on X.

The IDF added that his death “significantly degrades Hamas’ ability to reestablish its capabilities.”

Palestinian Hamas terrorists stand guard on the day of the handover of hostages held in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Feb. 22, 2025.  (Hatem Khaled/File Photo/Reuters)

ISRAEL UNMASKS IRAN-DIRECTED HAMAS CASH NETWORK IN TURKEY AS ANKARA PUSHES FOR GAZA ROLE

An IDF official told Fox News that in recent months Sa’ad had been working to reestablish the terror group’s capabilities and weapons manufacturing, in violation of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The official also stated that under the ceasefire agreement, Israel is allowed to strike targets that are actively engaging in terrorism.

Sa’ad previously served as the Gaza Brigade Commander and is regarded as one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing, the IDF official told Fox News. He was considered to be one of the highest-ranking Hamas members remaining in Gaza. The IDF official said that Sa’ad was privy to Hamas leadership matters and was a central figure in the orchestration of the Oct. 7 massacre.

Israel announced on Dec. 13 that it had killed Ra’ad Sa’ad, one of the architects of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

POWERFUL ISRAEL-BACKED CLAN LEADER WHO FOUGHT HAMAS MURDERED IN GAZA

The IDF and ISA said in a joint statement that Sa’ad was responsible for the deaths of many soldiers killed in Gaza by explosives that the Weapons Production Headquarters manufactured during the war.

Hamas terrorists stand in formation as Palestinians gather on a street to watch the handover of three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on Feb. 8, 2025.  (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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“Ra’ad Sa’ad was a leading figure in the leadership of Hamas’ military wing in recent months and was directly responsible for violations of the ceasefire agreement by the Hamas terrorist organization,” the IDF and ISA said in a joint statement.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

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President Donald Trump promised “serious retaliation” against ISIS after two U.S. Army soldiers and one civilian interpreter were killed and three other soldiers were injured in an attack in Syria on Saturday.

Hours after the Pentagon announced the three Americans had been ambushed by a “lone ISIS gunman,” the U.S. president vowed to seek retribution against the entity believed to have conducted the attack on U.S. and Syrian forces.

“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by [ISIS,] Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation.”

The attack on American forces occurred as U.S. soldiers were conducting a “key leader engagement,” as part of a counter-terrorism operation near the ancient city of Palmyra, Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, said.

The motive for the attack remains unclear at this time, but the Pentagon is currently investigating, Parnell added.

open image in gallery

Trump promised to retaliate against ISIS after a lone ISIS gunman is believed to have ambushed US and Syrian forces Saturday (REUTERS)

U.S. Central Command said the gunman was killed.

In a statement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “Let it be known, if you target Americans — anywhere in the world — you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.”

The Pentagon is withholding the names of the deceased soldiers as well as any identifying information about their units until next of kin notification, Parnell said.

Trump told reporters Saturday afternoon that the three soldiers injured “are doing well.”

The ambush comes just days after Admiral Charles Bradford “Brad” Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, expressed optimism for the future of Syria approximately one year after the fall of the al-Assad regime.

In a video message, Cooper said U.S. troops were in Syria to combat ISIS as well as support the integration of Syrian Democratic Forces with the Syrian government. The Trump administration has embraced the new Syrian leader.

As of December 2024, roughly 2,000 U.S. troops were in Syria, but the Trump administration has been reducing the number of troops over the last 10 months. In April, they said they would draw the number down to 1,400.

Despite pulling some troops from Syria, the U.S. continues to fight back against ISIS – though U.S.-backed troops initially defeated the last holdouts of the caliphate in 2019. But ISIS still maintains a presence in the region and periodically carries out deadly attacks.

open image in gallery

US forces have been assisting the new Syrian leader with the transition after the fall of the al-Assad regime last year (AFP via Getty Images)

Syria’s interior ministry spokesperson, Noureddine al-Baba, told Syria’s state media Sana that the attack took place at the entrance to a fortified Internal Security Forces headquarters after the end of a joint patrol.

The Independent understands that the suspected killer used small arms fire.

The identity of the attacker or his affiliation hasn’t been confirmed. Baba appeared to give contradictory statements by indicating the attacker may have been part of a force affiliated with Syrian security forces who had extremist ideology.

But he also said that he “held no leadership position and was not affiliated with the Internal Security Forces Command.”

Baba defended the ISF, saying that there are more than 5000 personnel affiliated with their forces in the Syrian desert and that “these personnel undergo weekly evaluations”.

He claimed that in one of these evaluations a few days ago, the perpetrator of the attack had been flagged as possibly having extremist views. A decision regarding his case was expected to be made on Sunday, but the attack happened the day before Saturday which is an administrative holiday.

Baba also said that ISF had issued prior warnings to partner forces in the international coalition “regarding preliminary intelligence indicating a possible breach or attack by ISIS. However, these warnings were disregarded.”

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NEED TO KNOW

• Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the mom of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, broke her silence on her ICE arrest in a Dec. 12 interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett
• Ferreira also shared a scathing message for the White House press secretary, who is the godmother of her son, and addressed the White House’s claim that she has a criminal record and has not lived with her child
• “Just because you went to a Catholic school doesn’t make you a good Catholic,” Ferreira said, referring to Leavitt

Bruna Caroline Ferreira, the mother of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew and godson, was detained by ICE and held for deportation in November. Now, she’s speaking out about the experience, and also sharing a pointed message for the White House press secretary.

The 33-year-old — who shares her son with Karoline’s older brother, Michael Leavitt — was arrested and detained while picking up her 11-year-old son from school in Revere, Mass., on Nov. 12.

Recalling the instance while breaking her silence to CNN’s Erin Burnett on Friday, Dec. 12, Ferreira, who appeared alongside her attorney Todd Pomerleau, also shared some choice words for the 28-year-old White House press secretary, who is her child’s godmother. (Ferreira chose Karoline for the role “over my sister,” she told CNN.)

“I think what I would have to say to Karoline is: Just because you went to a Catholic school doesn’t make you a good Catholic,” Ferreira told Burnett.

“You are a mother now,” Ferreira continued, referencing Karoline’s role as a mom to her 1-year-old son, Niko, whom she shares with husband Nicholas Riccio. “How would you feel if you were in those, in my shoes? … How would you feel if somebody did this to you?”

The White House press secretary has not publicly commented on the arrest, and a source previously told PEOPLE that she hasn’t spoken with Ferreira, brother Michael’s ex-fiancée and co-parent, “in many years.”

Ferreira arrived in the United States from Brazil in 1998, when she was 6 years old, she recalled to CNN. At the time of her arrest, she was in the process of obtaining a green card, and she had previously been protected under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.

Ferreira was released from the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center on an immigration judge’s orders days before breaking her silence on CNN, the outlet reported.

The release came after weeks of what Ferreira told CNN was a “mind-boggling” experience of being “shuffled around the entire country” as federal agents refused to tell her where she was going.

After the news of Ferreira’s detainment broke, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed her arrest to PEOPLE, claiming that her tourist visa had expired in 1999.

They also alleged that Ferreira “has a previous arrest for battery,” but her attorney has repeatedly disputed this.

On Dec. 12, Ferreira also disputed the claim to CNN, describing herself as “a law-abiding citizen.”

Asked about the Trump administration’s repeated claim that she is a “criminal,” Ferreira told Burnett, “I’m heartbroken. I’m heartbroken for my son. You know, I’m heartbroken for my mother, who has worked for a quarter of a century cleaning houses, earned an honest living, has paid her taxes. I’ve been a law-abiding citizen. I don’t even have a parking ticket. And I’m so proud of it.”

Karoline Leavitt and her nephew in August 2018.

Karoline Leavitt/Instagram

“I’m proud of my name and I carry it like a badge of honor, you know, like being on an honor roll,” she continued. “And now my child is sitting somewhere watching them broadcast this 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a child, he must be terrified: ‘Is it true? Did my mom do something? Do I not know about it?’ Gossip in school … I don’t know what’s going on in his little mind, and I just want him to know that none of those things are true, honey. And we’re to square this all away.”

Recalling her weeks in detainment at ICE facilities, Ferreira said, “You have a lot of time to think in there, you know, and you really think the worst. You think the worst. But the luck that I had is that I was surrounded by so many women, so many women that had four children. One was pregnant. … I can’t imagine. I just tried to put myself in their shoes.”

“I was in such a horrible situation, but they were praying for me and I was praying for them,” she continued, acknowledging that she had the advantage of an attorney who was able to expedite the process. “I can’t fathom a mother not knowing where her son is for a year and a half, and who’s with him, what he’s eating, if he’s going to bed on time, if he’s sick. I can’t imagine,” she added. “It’s cruel.”

Ferreira became visibly choked up as she recalled cycling through several states. “When I got to Texas, I asked the ICE agent — because it said ‘Mexico’ — and I said, ‘Can you please, please, please have a little bit of empathy for me and tell me if you’re taking me across the border?’ And he said, ‘No, we’re taking you to the final destination, your final stop before your deportation,’ which is south Louisiana. Hardly anyone ever gets out of there,” she said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in December 2025.

Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty

“So I just mustered up the courage to cry and sleep throughout that final voyage,” Ferreira added. “And when I got to south Louisiana, I was finally able to, by the grace of God, some girl let me use her minutes to make a phone call and then to tell my family where I was and the attorneys.”

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.

In the final moments of her CNN appearance, Burnett asked Ferreira about the White House’s claim that she “never lived” with her son. Ferreira expressed confusion over the allegation, stating: “Why lie? Because I have so many friends and family that have called me and said, ‘Why would anyone lie about this when it’s 2025?’ We have a digital footprint of everything.”

“Every Wednesday, typically, my son and I go to Dave and Buster’s ’cause it’s half off. We’re extreme couponers at our home,” she added with a laugh. “And I don’t, I can’t … I can’t wrap my mind around it, but it doesn’t make any sense.”

“I’m just as lost as you are,” Ferreira continued. “And I’m hoping that this interview gets me some answers.”

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President Donald Trump has vowed to retaliate after three Americans died after being ambushed by a lone ISIS gunman in Syria. 

In a post to his Truth Social just hours after a shooter attacked a US and Syrian convoy, Trump said: ‘We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. 

‘Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well. 

‘This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them. 

‘The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation.’

A Pentagon spokesman confirmed the deaths on Saturday saying two soldiers and one civilian US interpreter were gunned down in Palmyra, with three others wounded. 

The convoy was in the historic town as part of an on-going counter ISIS operation being carried out in the region. 

A statement added: ‘The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement. 

Trump, seen here departing the White House on Saturday, vowed retaliation for the attack 

U.S. military convoy drives near the town of Qamishli, north Syria, Saturday, Oct. 26. 2019

As of June, the US had around 1,500 troops left on the ground in the country following a series of withdrawals

‘Their mission was in support of on-going counter-ISIS/counter-terrorism operations in the region. 

‘The soldiers’ names, as well as identifying information about their units, are being withheld until 24 hours after the next of kin notification. This attack is currently under active investigation.’

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said: ‘The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces. 

‘Let it be known, if you target Americans – anywhere in the world – you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.’

Those that were injured were rushed by helicopters to the Tanf garrison near the border with Iraq and Jordan.

Syria’s Interior Ministry spokesman Nour al-Din al-Baba said a gunman linked to IS opened fire at the gate of a military post. 

He added that Syrian authorities are looking into whether the gunman was an IS member or only carried its extreme ideology. He denied reports that suggested that the attacker was a security member. 

The U.S. has hundreds of troops deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

IS was defeated in Syria in 2019, but the group’s sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in the country.

Hegseth posted on social media after the deaths of the three were announced vowing to hunt down and kill anyone who targets Americans

U.S. troops have maintained a presence in different parts of Syria including Al-Tanf garrison in the central province of Homs to train other forces as part of a broad campaign against IS.

As of June, the US had around 1,500 troops left on the ground in the country following a series of withdrawals. The number is expected to drop again by the end of the year. 

The shooting on Saturday comes just over a year after former President Bashar Al-Assad fled office and departed the country, he is said to be living in Moscow, Russia. 

Syrians stormed al-Assad’s presidential palace in Damascus last December as rebels declared that the country was ‘free’ from the ‘tyrant’. 

A civil war erupted in 2011 with the Assad government’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The war killed more than half a million people and displaced millions.

Tens of thousands of people are still missing, many after disappearing into the former government’s prisons, with families awaiting justice for Assad-era atrocities.

The shooting on Saturday comes just over a year after former President Bashar Al-Assad, seen here, fled office and departed the country

President Donald Trump met with the country’s new leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, earlier this year in a trip to Saudi Arabia before welcoming him to the White House last month. 

The sitdown in May was the first encounter between American and Syrian leaders in 25 years. 

Sharaa, 43, is a former al-Qaeda commander who until recently was sanctioned by Washington DC as a ‘specially designated global terrorist.’ 

The Saudi-born leader joined the terror group in Iraq just before the US invasion in 2003. He was captured by American forces and imprisoned for five years until 2011.

An opponent of longtime Syrian president Assad, Sharaa launched an 11-day attack against his regime in November 2024, triggering the collapse of the government.

Trump, left, shakes hands with Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa, at the White House in Washington on November 10 

People celebrate at Umayyad Square in Damascus on December 8, 2024, as rebel soldiers declared that they had taken the capital

Assad fled to Russia, while Sharaa assumed power and was appointed officially on January 29.

Sharaa has since traveled the world trying to depict himself as a moderate leader who wants to unify his war-ravaged nation and end its decades-long international isolation. 

He has described his wife, Latifa al-Droubi, 41, as a key support for him over the last decade.

Speaking with reporters, Trump praised Sharaa as a ‘strong leader’ and voiced confidence in him. ‘We’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful,’ he said.

But Trump also gave a nod to Sharaa’s controversial history. ‘We’ve all had rough pasts,’ he said.

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Vin Diesel has made a bold claim regarding Cristiano Ronaldo and the Fast film franchise, as the two were spotted all smiles in an Instagram picture alongside one another earlier this week

18:53, 13 Dec 2025Updated 18:54, 13 Dec 2025

Vin Diesel and Cristiano Ronaldo have been spotted together(Image: Instagram / @vindiesel)

Vin Diesel has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo has had a role written for him in the next instalment of the Fast film franchise. The Hollywood star shared a snap of himself with the Portuguese footballing idol on Instagram this week, showing them smiling as they gave a thumbs up.

And captioning the snap, Vin Diesel – real name Mark Sinclair – wrote: “Everyone asked, would he be in the Fast mythology…I gotta tell you he is a real one. We wrote a role for him…@cristiano.”

And it didn’t take long for social media to go into a meltdown as a result of the photograph, with many users taking to the comments section to share their excitement of seeing Ronaldo swap the pitch for the silver screen. One joked: “We got Cristiano in Fast x before GTA 6 TOO, this is wild,” while a second added: “When legends meet expect greatness.”

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The next instalment of the Fast series comes in the form of Fast & Furious 11, which is expected to be billed as ‘Fast Forever’. It is also expected to be the final movie of the saga, which initially launched back in 2001 and starred Vin Diesel, alongside Michelle Rodriguez and the late Paul Walker.

The street racing series is set to launch the next instalment in 2026, despite recent delays, and movie lovers could see Ronaldo play a part, if Vin Diesel’s claims are true. It comes as Ronaldo has already announced that he will be dipping into the world of cinematography earlier this year.

Back in April, the 40-year-old revealed that he had launched his very own film studio alongside British film producer and director, Matthew Vaughn. A statement on his X account at the time read: “Cristiano Ronaldo loves movies; Matthew Vaughn loves sport – and they both love a good story.

“Both have been disruptive champions at their game and will now combine the world of sport and storytelling through the launch of UR MARV, an independent joint venture film studio embracing innovative technology, with a nod to tradition.

READ MORE: Four Man Utd players given ‘special treatment’ when club’s infamous hierarchy was leakedREAD MORE: Gary Neville compares Mo Salah to Cristiano Ronaldo amid Liverpool row – ‘best in the world’

“Through UR MARV, Ronaldo and Vaughn have financed and produced two action films together and are about to start a third in the same series. They look forward to announcing the first release soon.”

It comes as Ronaldo is seemingly winding down an illustrious footballing career which has cemented him as one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game, enjoying legendary stints with Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Al-Nassr.

Currently under contract with the latter until 2027, football fans expect next summer’s World Cup in North America to be his final major tournament with the Portuguese national team. However, the forward’s participation at the event was cast into speculation last month when he received a straight red card for an elbow on Dara O’Shea during a qualifier against Northern Ireland.

Cristiano Ronaldo could make his way onto the silver screen(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)

While violent conduct usually carries a three-match ban, Ronaldo has had his second and third match bans suspended for a year. After sitting out Portugal’s final qualifier with Armenia, it means that he will not miss any of his nation’s group stage games at next summer’s competition unless he commits a similar offence.

A statement from FIFA read: “If Cristiano Ronaldo commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension set out in the disciplinary decision shall be deemed automatically revoked and the remaining two matches must be served immediately.”

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A senior Hamas commander who was one of the architects of the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel has been killed in a strike on Gaza City, according to the country’s military.

Raed Saed was targeted in response to an attack by Hamas in which an explosive device injured two soldiers on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.

It is the highest-profile killing of a senior Hamas figure since the Gaza ceasefire came into effect in October.

Gaza health authorities said the attack on a car in Gaza City killed five people and wounded at least 25 others, but there has been no confirmation from Hamas or medics that Saed was among the dead.

Image:
Raed Saed

Hamas condemned the attack in a statement as a violation of the ceasefire agreement but stopped short of threatening retaliation.

An Israeli military official described Saed as a high-ranked Hamas member who helped establish and advance the group’s weapons production network.

“In recent months, he operated to re-establish Hamas’ capabilities and weapons manufacturing, a blatant violation of the ceasefire,” the official said.

The 10 October ceasefire has enabled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza City’s ruins after a war that began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 70,700 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health officials in Gaza.

Israel has pulled troops back from city positions, and aid flows have increased, but violence has not completely stopped.

Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed at least 386 people in strikes in Gaza since the truce, while Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed.

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