Suspect charged with murder in shootings of Minnesota lawmakers

Euronews

9 hours ago

The UK's MI6 spy agency has appointed its first female chief in its 116-year history, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced on Sunday.
Blaise Metreweli, who is currently the foreign intelligence agency's director of technology and innovation, will take over from Richard Moore to become MI6's 18th leader.
The agency's chief, referred to as "C", is the only publicly named member of the organisation and is accountable to the British foreign secretary.
Metreweli, 47, is a career intelligence officer who joined the service in 1999. The Cambridge University graduate has mainly worked in Europe and the Middle East, and has held director-level positions at both MI6 and the domestic MI5 spy agency.
'I am proud and honoured to be asked to lead my service. MI6 plays a vital role - with MI5 and GCHQ - in keeping the British people safe and promoting UK interests overseas,' Metreweli said.
'I look forward to continuing that work alongside the brave officers and agents of MI6 and our many international partners,' she added.
Starmer, who announced Metreweli's appointment after landing in Canada for the G7 summit, called her promotion 'historic', noting that it 'comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital'.
'The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale – be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services,' he said.
Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy praised Metreweli, describing her as 'the ideal candidate to lead MI6 into the future'.
'At a time of global instability and emerging security threats, where technology is power and our adversaries are working ever closer together, Blaise will ensure the UK can tackle these challenges head on to keep Britain safe and secure at home and abroad,' he said.
MI6 is the final British intelligence agency to appoint a woman as its leader.
Stella Rimington led MI5 from 1992 to 1996, and Eliza Manningham-Buller later ran it between 2002 and 2007.
In 2023, Anne Keast-Butler became the first female head of the electronic and cyber-intelligence agency GCHQ.
During his tenure, Moore, the outgoing head of MI6, vowed to make the organisation more diverse, writing on X in 2023 that he would 'help forge women's equality by working to ensure I'm the last C selected from an all-male shortlist'.
The man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses was apprehended Sunday night and has been charged with two counts of murder, Governor Tim Walz said.
Vance Boelter is suspected of killing Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark at their home early Saturday. He is also suspected of shooting and injuring Democratic Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at their residence.
'One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,' Governor Walz said at a news conference.
Boelter was arrested after an extensive manhunt on Sunday in a rural area of Sibley County, southwest of Minneapolis. He was armed and disguised in a police uniform when taken into custody, according to police.
He faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder.
Earlier on Sunday, authorities received a report of a person in the woods and launched a search using a helicopter and officers on foot. Boelter surrendered and crawled out of the woods to officers before being handcuffed and taken into custody.
Boelter allegedly first attacked the Hoffmans at their home early Saturday. Their daughter called 911 just after 2:00 am local time, reporting that a masked individual had come to the door and shot her parents.
Authorities say they arrived just in time to witness Boelter shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the Hortmans' home. Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect before he fled, sparking a manhunt.
Melissa Hortman was found dead inside the house.
Police have not provided a motive for Boelter's actions. However, two law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that a list of approximately 70 names was recovered from a fake police vehicle left at the scene. The writings included names of prominent state and federal lawmakers, community leaders, abortion rights advocates, and references to healthcare facilities, the officials said.
Boelter is a former political appointee who previously served on the same state workforce development board as Senator Hoffman, according to records. It is unclear whether the two had any personal relationship.
On Sunday evening, US Senator Amy Klobuchar shared a statement from Yvette Hoffman expressing gratitude for the public's support.
'John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods,' Yvette Hoffman said in a text shared by Klobuchar on social media.
'He took nine bullet hits. I took eight, and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive. We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark.'
Welcome to day 3 of the OTP Bank World Judo Championships here in Budapest!
In the -57 kg, World bronze and silver medallist Momo TAMAOKI was here to finally claim the elusive World title. She fought her way through the preliminaries and earned her place in the final for the second time.
There she met Georgia's Eteri LIPARTELIANI, a rising star who made it to her first World final after an outstanding day of judo. She impressed the crowd with her big techniques and fearless approach to every contest. With momentum on her side and the world title within reach, she stepped onto the tatami ready to challenge for gold.
In the final, it was LIPARTELIANI who dominated the contest, controlling the pace from the very beginning. With two big waza-ari scores she left no doubt as to who deserved the victory, earning herself the coveted red backpatch. In front of a roaring Budapest crowd, she delivered the performance of her career and etched her name into the history books as she became the first ever female World Champion for Georgia. A truly landmark moment for her and her country.
Former President of Croatia & IOC Member Mrs Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVIC awarded the medals.
In the -73 kg, Joan-Benjamin GABA was having the best run of his career, scoring ippon in every contest on his way to the final. It was no holds barred from the Frenchman, who fought with fearless commitment, determined to make this his moment. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, GABA's eyes were fixed on one goal - walking away with the world title.
In the final he would face Daniel CARGNIN who was looking to upgrade his previous bronze to gold. Could the Brazilian take the top spot?
The pressure was on in golden score and the first point would win the title. A waza-ari from GABA was enough to claim the top spot on the podium. A golden moment that crowned the performance of a lifetime. A fearless run to the top of the world.
ANOCA President & IOC Member Mr Mustapha BERRAF awarded the medals.
From beautiful Budapest, that's all for Day 3.