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A Wizz Air bomb threat received mid-flight on Monday 2 November sent a London Luton to Sofia service diverting to Budapest under the escort of a Hungarian fighter jet. The flight landed safely, and the airline later said an inspection had been completed and nothing was found.

What happened on the Wizz Air bomb threat flight

Wizz Air flight 4302 left Luton at 08:33 GMT and was due in the Bulgarian capital at 13:25 local time (11:25 GMT), according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. Instead it touched down at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport at around 12:09 local time (11:09 GMT).

The Daily Record, citing Hungarian media, reported that the Airbus A321neo was over Bosnia and Herzegovina when it was told to break from its route and head for Budapest. Hungarian outlet Index reported that it landed on runway two and stopped at bay B5, where emergency services were waiting. Fire crews, police and counter-terrorism personnel were reportedly on standby across the airfield.

Fighter jet scrambled within minutes

Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said on social media that the flight asked for permission to land in Budapest after the threat was received. “Within minutes,” he said, a Hungarian Defence Forces Gripen took off and escorted the passenger aircraft. The Daily Record reported he also said NATO’s air defence readiness service had issued an ALPHA alert.

The jet then returned to its base, reported as Kecskemét, and police took charge of the incident, he said. “Readiness is not a routine, but a responsibility,” he wrote, adding that Hungarian soldiers had shown they could guarantee the safety of the country’s airspace.

Checks, closures and what Wizz Air says

Wizz Air said the aircraft taxied to a designated stand, where the relevant authorities carried out security checks on the plane and passengers. The airline said it was cooperating fully with them and that the safety of passengers and crew “remains our highest priority.”

Reports differed on timing. The Evening Standard said inspections were still under way when it published. The BBC later reported that Wizz Air had confirmed the inspection was “completed and nothing was found”, and that the plane would depart again shortly. The Daily Record, citing a report in Index, said runway two was closed during the incident, with other arrivals and departures moved to the airport’s remaining runway.

What is still unknown

No injuries have been reported. None of the sources say how the threat was communicated or who was behind it, and no arrests have been reported. The Evening Standard noted that authorities had not released further details about the nature of the threat. Any investigation is now a matter for Hungarian police.

The speed of the military response suggests how seriously such alerts are treated. Within minutes of the Wizz Air bomb threat, a fighter jet was in the air, a runway was shut and emergency teams were in position. For passengers, the outcome was an unscheduled stop in Hungary and a delayed journey to Sofia, but the aircraft was cleared and expected to continue.

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A federal magistrate judge in Washington has dismissed the case against FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, two former bureau employees charged with lying to Congress about the investigation into Hunter Biden’s laptop. The ruling came on Monday, the day before the midterm elections. Judge Zia Faruqui said prosecutors had not shown probable cause and described the way the case was brought as “weaponization.”

Floris and Benavides were charged by criminal complaint with making false statements to the House judiciary committee in 2023. The Justice Department alleged they downplayed what they knew about the FBI’s work on a laptop it says belonged to Hunter Biden. Both were accused, not convicted, of anything, and the dismissal leaves that position unchanged. Prosecutors could still try to bring the matter again.

What the judge said in court

Speaking from the bench for about an hour in a packed courtroom, Faruqui said he was “deeply troubled” by what had happened. According to the Guardian, he found prosecutors had not shown that the pair knowingly made false statements. He said some of the statements at issue were not actually false, and that others could be put down to “honest mistakes of memory.” He also criticised “critical mistakes” and a rushed process.

The ruling followed a preliminary hearing held over several days last week to test whether probable cause existed. Al Jazeera reported that the judge had earlier objected to the Justice Department filing an amended complaint with an additional charge without first clearing it with the court, something he said he had never seen before.

Questions over timing

Much of Faruqui’s criticism focused on the calendar. According to NPR, the alleged false statements were made in 2023, yet charges came only about two weeks before the midterms, despite a Justice Department policy against timing actions to influence an election. The judge also noted that prosecutors used a criminal complaint, a tool usually reserved for urgent situations such as imminent danger, a looming statute of limitations or flight risk. He said none applied here.

“I will not bury my head in the sand and pretend I cannot read a calendar,” he said.

Testimony at last week’s hearing added context. An FBI agent told the court that the inquiry into the two former officials began after President Trump’s primetime address on election security in July, in which he said the FBI would examine whether intelligence agencies had suppressed information about Chinese interference in the 2020 election. The next day, FBI Director Kash Patel directed the bureau’s Kansas City field office to scrutinise Floris, who had cast doubt on an FBI intelligence report about Chinese efforts to favour Joe Biden. Floris and Benavides had served on an FBI taskforce examining foreign influence in US politics.

Justice Department response and what comes next

A Justice Department spokesperson said the department “disagrees with the Magistrate’s decision,” which it said “remarkably appears to suggest that high-ranking government officials are immune from accountability for making materially false statements to Congress.” The spokesperson said the department is “evaluating all options” and that its actions are guided by “the facts, the evidence, and the law—not politics.”

The dismissal does not necessarily end the matter. Faruqui noted that nothing prevents prosecutors from seeking an indictment from a grand jury, though NPR reported he suggested they may be reluctant, given that Washington grand juries have refused to indict in several high-profile, politically charged cases under this administration. Prosecutors could also appeal to the district’s chief judge.

Outside court, Floris, in tears, embraced former colleagues who had gathered to greet her and Benavides. Her attorney Margaret Donovan said: “This case should never have been brought. The government had no case.”

The outcome is one of several recent instances in which politically charged actions by the Justice Department have run into trouble in court. Whether prosecutors revive the case against FBI officials Floris and Benavides will be the next test.

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The FBI has formally attributed the Binance crypto heist, the largest cryptocurrency theft on record, to North Korean state-sponsored hackers. In a security alert published on Saturday, the agency said the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was responsible for the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from the exchange on or about October 29, 2026.

The FBI named the group behind the attack as TraderTraitor, which is also tracked as Lazarus Group, Jade Sleet and APT38. The attribution follows earlier findings by the blockchain intelligence firms TRM Labs and Chainalysis, which had already linked the theft to the same group, according to BleepingComputer’s reporting.

How the Binance crypto heist unfolded

Binance has said the breach began with a compromised laptop belonging to a DevOps engineer. According to the exchange’s account, that gave the attackers access to a service container, from which they submitted unauthorised withdrawal transactions. About $6.36 billion was taken across ten blockchains, with most of it moved in roughly 20 minutes.

The FBI says it has watched TraderTraitor convert the stolen assets mainly into Ethereum. The agency expects the funds to be laundered further through decentralised finance platforms and instant crypto-swap services.

A call to freeze the money trail

The FBI, the U.S. Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation are asking exchanges, blockchain operators and other virtual asset service providers to block transactions tied to addresses the hackers used. The FBI published a list of 628 addresses linked to the theft: 608 Ethereum, 19 Bitcoin and one Solana. Such lists let platforms screen incoming deposits and refuse to process funds traced back to the attack.

A familiar pattern of attacks

The FBI’s alert places the Binance crypto heist in a long run of thefts attributed to North Korean actors. BleepingComputer lists the $387.5 million Bitget theft in September 2026, the $280 million Drift hack in April 2026, the $1.5 billion Bybit heist in February 2025 and the $308 million DMM Bitcoin theft in May 2024.

Several of those cases involved targeting the people who hold access to crypto infrastructure rather than the systems themselves. One long-running Lazarus tactic, known as Operation DreamJob, involves impersonating recruiters and sending developers and crypto employees fake job offers designed to get them to install malware. In the DMM Bitcoin case, an employee at the wallet company Ginco was reportedly tricked by a supposed recruiter on LinkedIn into running malicious Python code disguised as a pre-employment test.

The Bybit theft came through a compromised developer’s computer at Safe{Wallet}, which let attackers manipulate a legitimate transaction request. The Drift attack in April involved a six-month social engineering effort, in which people posing as a trading firm’s representatives met Drift contributors in person at several industry conferences. Devices are believed to have been compromised through a malicious code repository or a TestFlight application.

Binance says users won’t foot the bill

Binance said it plans to resume the first phase of withdrawals on November 1 between 06:00 and 09:00 UTC while it restores services. It says it has now covered about 95% of the affected amount, up from 90% in its previous update. The remaining 5% is in less-liquid tokens, which it is buying through market and over-the-counter channels.

The exchange said balances in BTC, ETH, USDT, BNB, SOL, USDC, XRP, USD1, RLUSD and ZEC are fully backed, and that deposit services were not affected. “Binance will bear the financial impact of the stolen funds,” the company said. “These losses will not be passed on to users.”

The source material does not report any arrests or charges. The FBI’s statement is an attribution of responsibility to a state-linked hacking group, and the laundering of the stolen funds appears to be continuing.

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A 14-year-old boy has handed himself in to West Midlands Police after the Bradley Lowery video, which appeared to show a fan taunting Sunderland supporters with a photograph of the late boy, spread across social media following Saturday’s Premier League match between Coventry City and Sunderland.

No one has been charged. The force said an investigation has been launched and that the boy “will be spoken with in due course”. Because of his age, he cannot be identified.

What police and the clubs have said

In a statement, West Midlands Police said it was aware of a video circulating online showing an incident at the fixture. Officers acknowledged “the upset and outrage this video has caused in the community and to the victim’s family”. They added that they are keeping the family updated and are working closely with both football clubs.

Coventry said it was aware of the footage and was looking into it. The club said it “does not tolerate offensive behaviour” and would liaise with the relevant authorities to decide on the appropriate course of action.

Gemma Lowery’s response

Bradley Lowery was a devoted Sunderland fan who died in 2017, aged six, from neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer. His story captured the attention of the wider football world, and Sunderland honoured him again in May.

His mother, Gemma, responded to the Bradley Lowery video through the Bradley Lowery Foundation, which raises funds and awareness to support children with cancer, and in a post on Instagram. She said it was heartbreaking to see the image used this way, particularly because it is “one of my favourite photographs of him”.

She described a day when Bradley was “so happy, having so much fun”, and noted that such moments were rare in a short life largely spent undergoing cancer treatment. “I’m all for football banter,” she said, “but surely mocking a child who died from cancer is not banter?”

Her statement was notably free of anger towards the teenager. She said she did not want hatred directed at him and asked people not to do so. Her hope, she said, was that he would “learn from this”, and that his family would help him understand the hurt caused. She also hoped the club would take appropriate action.

What happens next

It is not yet clear what, if anything, will follow from the police interview. The sources do not say whether the boy has been arrested or what offence, if any, is being considered. Anyone involved is entitled to the presumption of innocence while enquiries continue.

For now, the Bradley Lowery video has prompted a clear public statement from police, an assurance from Coventry that it will co-operate, and a request from Bradley’s mother that the response be one of understanding rather than abuse. She thanked those who had defended her son, saying their support “means more than you know”.

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The Magic City Classic shooting left one person dead and eight others wounded near Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday night, according to police. It cast a shadow over one of the biggest events on the city’s calendar.

Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said the gunfire came after the game had finished and most spectators and families had already left the stadium property. It happened close by, in an area along Graymont Avenue where vendors had set up. Pickett said he was “very grateful that more people weren’t injured.”

What police have said about the Magic City Classic shooting

Police have given few details. Reports on the incident say the circumstances of the shooting remain unclear. Police spokesperson De’Rell Freeman said one person was detained and taken to police headquarters for questioning. He also said “multiple weapons” had been found and secured. Police have not said whether anyone has been arrested or charged, and the sources do not say what role, if any, the detained person played. The identity of the person killed and the condition of the wounded have not been released in the reports reviewed.

A huge crowd and a stretched police force

Nearly 70,000 fans attended the game, in which Alabama A&M beat Alabama State 31-28. The two historically Black universities are archrivals, and their annual meeting has been played for more than 100 years. According to The Independent, the event draws some of the largest crowds in the country for games in its college football division. Alabama State coach Eddie Robinson Jr., a former NFL linebacker and alumnus of the school, has even proposed creating a Hall of Fame for the game.

Pickett acknowledged the strain the weekend puts on the city. “Everyone knows this is the largest event we have here in the city and it’s extremely taxing on our personnel,” he said. He added that other law enforcement leaders recognised this and “quickly offered up support,” for which he said the department was grateful.

Part of a violent Halloween weekend

The Independent reported that the Birmingham shooting was one of several violent incidents across the US over the Halloween weekend. In Newark, Delaware, six people were shot shortly after 11:10 p.m. on Saturday near the University of Delaware campus, police Lt. Greg D’Elia said. All six were taken to hospital, and part of Main Street was closed for several hours. Dallas police planned a news conference on Sunday about what they described as “multiple” reports of overnight shootings in the city’s Deep Ellum neighborhood.

The investigation into the Magic City Classic shooting is at an early stage. Many basic questions remain unanswered, including what led to the gunfire and how the victims were chosen or caught up in it. Police are expected to give further updates as their inquiries continue.

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The Metropolitan Police has reported 325 Palestine Action arrests after a demonstration outside the US embassy in London on Saturday, days before the Supreme Court is due to consider the legality of the group’s ban. The force said in a post on X on Sunday that 320 of those held were detained on suspicion of expressing support for a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act. The sources do not say what the other five were arrested for. No one has been reported as charged.

What happened at the embassy protest

Hundreds of people gathered in Nine Elms, south-west London, at a protest organised by the campaign group Defend Our Juries. Many held signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. Others carried placards saying “we are protesters, not terrorists” and “heroes, not terrorists”, and some wore keffiyehs or waved Palestinian flags.

According to Press Association reporting, officers began arresting people one by one at around midday, sometimes carrying those who would not walk. Detainees were taken to police vans on Ponton Road, just off the embassy grounds, and then moved to police stations. Onlookers applauded and chanted “free, free Palestine”. One demonstrator climbed a tree holding a placard about teachers who support Palestine, prompting chants of “tree, tree Palestine” from the crowd below.

Why the timing matters for the ban

Expressing support for Palestine Action became an offence when the group was proscribed in June 2025. The protest came ahead of a Supreme Court appeal against that designation, due on 4 November. Those arrested are suspects only, and any decisions on charges rest with prosecutors.

One attendee, a 75-year-old retired lawyer from Cumbria, told the Press Association he feared for civil liberties and hoped the justices would “take a long-term view”. Police arrested him shortly before 1pm.

A Defend Our Juries spokesperson said the day’s detentions took the total arrested for defying the ban to more than 4,000 since July 2025, a figure from the group that the sources do not independently verify. The spokesperson called the ban an attack on free speech and argued it could not be sustained. The group also said a 94-year-old human rights lawyer was among those arrested. Green Party leader Zack Polanski described video of that arrest as “truly dystopian”.

Differing figures and wider protests

Early reports differed on the scale. Al Jazeera, publishing on Saturday, cited 139 arrests, most on suspicion of expressing support for a proscribed group. The Met’s later figure of 325 is the official total. The gap probably reflects arrests continuing through the day, though the sources do not explain it.

Another protest took place outside the US consulate in Edinburgh, according to Press Association images, though the sources give no detail on it. The Supreme Court’s decision on the appeal will shape what happens next for the ban and for the many people arrested under it.

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Five teenage boys were taken to hospital with serious injuries after a Halloween party stabbing in Chandler’s Ford, near Eastleigh in Hampshire, on Saturday night. Police say they are trying to identify an “unknown group” that gained entry to the property.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said officers were called to Park Road just after 10.30pm. According to the BBC, three of the injured boys are aged 16 and two are 17. Police have not said what condition any of them is now in beyond describing their injuries as serious.

What police say happened

Officers at the scene established that an “unknown group” had entered a party at a house on Park Road before the stabbings, according to the force. An investigation was launched immediately. The sources do not report any arrests, and police have not publicly described the group or given a possible reason for the attack.

Cordons stayed in place on Sunday on Park Road and neighbouring Valley Road. Det Ch Insp Elizabeth Pirie, the senior investigating officer, acknowledged the effect on people living nearby.

“I understand the response the local community may have to hearing about this incident this morning, and I do not underestimate the impact our scenes will be having on those living in the area,” she said. She added that the scenes were “vitally important” to the inquiry and thanked residents for their understanding while officers “work to establish the facts”.

Eyewitness accounts

The BBC spoke to two people who were nearby. One said ambulances and an air ambulance attended. Another said they saw someone run out of the house shouting that he had been stabbed and was being chased by two people. These are individual recollections, not confirmed by police, and the force has not said whether they match its own understanding of events.

Appeal for footage and witnesses

Police are asking anyone who was at the party to come forward, particularly if they have not yet spoken to officers. They also want any CCTV, mobile phone, dash cam or doorbell camera footage covering Park Road and the surrounding area. DCI Pirie said the force is “already hard at work” identifying partygoers who may have seen what took place or filmed it. She said “any information, however small it may seem, could help our enquiries.”

The appeal reflects how much of the investigation rests on private recordings and the accounts of young people who were there. Officers say they need help to identify the group they believe entered the property.

Community response

Liz Jarvis, the MP for Eastleigh, posted on X on Sunday that her thoughts were with the victims, their families and everyone affected, and she thanked the emergency services for their quick response. She also urged people: “It’s important not to speculate or share unverified information.”

That caution matters while police are still establishing who was involved and what happened. Anyone with information about the Halloween party stabbing can call Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary on 101 or use the force’s website, quoting reference 44260534624. They can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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A Spirit Halloween shooting in Fairfield, California, on Friday night left one person dead and six others wounded, at least three of them in critical condition, according to reports on the eve of Halloween. Police say no arrests have been made.

What police say happened in Fairfield

The Fairfield Police Department was called to the Spirit Halloween store at the Solano Town Center at about 8:30 p.m. Officers found seven people with gunshot wounds. One of them died. The other six were injured, and at least three were reported to be critically hurt.

Detectives are working to identify a suspect. Police have not released the names or ages of the victims, and they have not said what led to the gunfire. They are asking anyone with information, or anyone who witnessed the incident, to come forward. No one has been arrested or charged, so there is no named suspect and no account of a motive.

A separate case in Michigan

The Fairfield attack was not the only deadly incident at a Spirit Halloween store reported around the same time. In Madison Heights, Michigan, a 21-year-old man from Detroit was shot multiple times during an argument inside another branch of the seasonal retailer and died.

The two cases appear unconnected, and the reports do not suggest otherwise. In the Michigan case, the wife of the man suspected of the shooting has said her husband acted in self-defense against an acquaintance who confronted him. That is her account only, and it has not been tested in court. Local police have said they intend to pursue criminal charges. The reports reviewed do not say whether anyone has been charged, and any such person would be presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

What remains unknown

Much is unclear about the Spirit Halloween shooting in California. Police have not said how many shooters may have been involved or whether the victims were targeted. They have not given an update on the condition of the wounded. A Fox News headline described the Fairfield incident as killing one and injuring “at least 6”, which matches the Independent’s figures, but the text available from that outlet added no further detail.

The timing has made the incidents especially jarring. Spirit Halloween stores are temporary pop-up shops that are typically busy with families and costume shoppers in the days before October 31. Further details are expected to come from Fairfield police as the investigation continues, and anyone with information is being urged to contact investigators.

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Almost a year after she was reported missing, two people have been arrested on suspicion of the Christina Downer murder, the Los Angeles Police Department announced. Downer was the sister of “Saturday Night Live” writer Jimmy Fowlie. Neither of the two has been reported as charged, and the case is at an early stage.

Who has been arrested in the Christina Downer murder case

According to the reports, police arrested Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, and Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, on Thursday. Variety reports that Brandon was arrested in Highland Park and Markowski in Tarzana. Brandon is described as Downer’s boyfriend. Deadline reports that both were booked on suspicion of murder and are being held at Metropolitan Detention Center on $2 million bail each.

The LAPD says detectives identified the pair as the individuals they believe were responsible for the murder, for disposing of Downer’s body and for concealing their involvement. These are allegations made by police. Neither Brandon nor Markowski has been convicted of anything, and the sources include no response from either of them.

How the investigation unfolded

Police say the case began on December 18, 2025, when Downer’s ex-husband requested a welfare check because he had not heard from her for an extended period. The LAPD says Brandon told officers at the time that she had moved out several months earlier, leaving behind her belongings, her car and her dog.

Detectives from the department’s Robbery-Homicide Division took over after Downer’s cellphone was found washed ashore on Santa Monica Beach. Variety also reports that authorities searched an Airbnb property in Joshua Tree, in the high desert several hours from Los Angeles. The search involved K-9 units and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The LAPD’s statement attributes the identification of the two arrested to “various investigative techniques” but gives no further detail.

A family’s public appeal

Fowlie went public days after Downer was reported missing. On December 22, 2025, he posted photographs of his sister and asked for help finding her. Deadline reports he also searched her Koreatown neighborhood with friends and followers, saying they were worried she was not safe.

On April 29 he wrote that the LAPD had told the family Downer was “no longer alive” and that the case had become a homicide investigation. He said the family believed her phone and social media were compromised in the weeks before she disappeared. He alleged that whoever held the phone used it to hide that she was gone, to ask for money and to create a false narrative that she was going “off the grid.” He added that he was sharing her story because he believed whoever was responsible was “hoping to erase her in every way possible.”

What happens next

The LAPD says its Robbery-Homicide Division will present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration. Prosecutors will decide whether to bring charges and, if so, which ones. The police say the investigation is ongoing.

Until that decision is made, the claims about the Christina Downer murder remain police allegations. The arrests do not settle what happened to her, and any questions about guilt would be a matter for a court.

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A man has died and a second has been injured following an assault at a Tralee migrant centre in Co Kerry, and gardaí have launched a criminal investigation after arresting another man at the scene.

What gardaí say happened at the Tralee migrant centre

According to a Garda spokesman, officers responded to a report of an assault shortly after 5.20am on Saturday at a residential property in Ballymullen. The property is an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centre, which houses people seeking international protection in Ireland.

On arrival, gardaí found an adult man with serious injuries. He was pronounced dead a short time later. A second man, aged in his 40s, was taken to University Hospital Kerry. Gardaí said his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

One man arrested, no charge reported

Gardaí said another man, also in his late 40s, was arrested at the scene in connection with the investigation. He is being held at a Garda station in Co Kerry under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. None of the reports say he has been charged with any offence. Nor do they say what the circumstances of the incident were, and gardaí have not described a motive.

The sources do not identify the man who died or the man who was injured. Gardaí have not said what relationship, if any, the three men had to one another.

Investigation under way

Gardaí said the Office of the State Pathologist has been notified and the Garda Technical Bureau has been asked to attend. The scene is being preserved for forensic and technical examination, and a post-mortem examination will be arranged. A senior investigating officer has been appointed, and an incident room is being set up at Tralee Garda Station.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration said the department was responding to a “critical incident” at an IPAS accommodation centre in Tralee on Saturday morning. As the Garda criminal investigation is under way, the department said it could not comment further.

Appeal for information

Anyone with information that could help the investigation is asked to contact Tralee Garda Station on 066 7102300 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. They can also approach any Garda station.

Further details about the Tralee migrant centre incident, including the results of the post-mortem and whether any charges follow, are likely to emerge as the Garda investigation progresses.

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