Category: National

(NEW YORK) — The third week of testimony in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial resumed on Tuesday with emotional testimony from the rap mogul’s former personal assistant, who testified about the violence and threats she said she witnessed on the job.

Crying at points on the witness stand, Capricorn Clark told jurors that she was told she would be “thrown into the East River” if she failed a lie detector test about the theft of Combs’ jewelry, that she was forced to accompany Combs to confront rival musician Kid Cudi, and how she witnessed Combs beat his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.

The intense testimony was complicated by an emotional cross-examination, as defense attorneys questioned Clark about her desire to reconcile with Combs and continue working with him.

“You want to work with him again?” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo pressed after showing messages where Clark sought to reconcile with Combs.

“I wanted to work in the music industry,” Clark replied.

Combs faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted on sex-trafficking and racketeering charges. Prosecutors allege he used his music empire — including his vast wealth and control over his employees — to run a criminal enterprise that used violence and threats to coerce women into sex and then enforce their silence. The trial has already seen the onetime cultural tastemaker and music industry titan reduced to a drug-addled abuser who led a sex life replete with voyeurism, orgies and prostitutes.

Combs has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have argued that Combs’ actions, while outside the mainstream, were a private matter and not criminal in nature.

“If you don’t convince him, I’m going to kill all you m————-.”

Last week, rapper and actor Kid Cudi — whose legal name is Scott Mescudi — told jurors that he believed Combs broke into his home in a spasm of jealousy after he learned Mescudi had been dating Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Ventura.

Mescudi offered few details about the alleged break-in, telling jurors he rushed over to his home after being tipped off by Clark. Once there, he testified he only found traces of Combs’ alleged actions, including finding Christmas gifts tampered with and his dog locked in his bathroom.

Taking the stand on Tuesday, Clark testified about that episode, which she said began in the early morning hours of Dec. 22, 2011, when a furious Combs arrived at her apartment with a handgun.

“He said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ I said, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He said, ‘Who is Scott?’ I said, ‘I don’t know Scott.’ He said, ‘Kid Cudi,'” Clark recalled.

When she protested, Clark testified Combs, gun allegedly in hand, told her, “I don’t give a f— what you want to do, go get dressed.”

Clark said she was forced to join Combs and a bodyguard named Ruben to drive to Mescudi’s home. While Combs and Ruben allegedly entered the house, Clark said she called Ventura to tell her about the break-in, warning Mescudi that he might “get himself killed” if he tried to intervene.

Later that day, Clark testified that Combs ordered her and the bodyguard to pick up Cassie and convince Mescudi not to tell police Combs was involved in the break-in at the house.

“If you don’t convince him, I’m going to kill all you m————-” Clark recalled Combs telling her. When she returned with Ventura, Clark said Combs, standing in his robe and underwear, began kicking Ventura.

She testified that Combs kicked Ventura repeatedly, “and each kick she would crouch into more and more a fetal position” until she was all the way to the street.

Asked why she did not intervene, Clark responded that Combs told her, “If I jump in, he was going to f— me up too.”

Breaking down on the witness stand, Clark told jurors she later called Ventura’s mother and urged her to report Combs to the police. “He’s beating the s— out of your daughter. Please help her. I can’t call the police, but you can,” she recounted to the jury.

Ventura’s mother testified last week that after she learned about Combs’ threat to release two sex tapes of her daughter, she took out a home equity loan to pay Combs $20,000, which was eventually returned to her.

Cross-examining Clark, Combs’ attorneys tried to cast doubt on the former assistant’s recollection of the events and suggested she accompanied Combs and Ruben willingly.

“You went because you were afraid he was going to do something stupid?” Agnifilo asked. “I went because he told me he didn’t care that I didn’t want to go,” Clark responded. “I did not want to go and it was not my choice, sir.”

“They’re going to throw you in the East River.”

Clark told jurors that working for Combs was fast-paced, intense and required loyalty. Within her first year working for Combs, she said she was forced to take a series of lie detector tests to prove she was not involved with the disappearance of three pieces of high-end jewelry Combs had given her.

After she reported the jewelry missing, Clark testified that she was locked inside the unfinished corporate headquarters of Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment by a bodyguard nicknamed “Uncle Paulie.” Taken to the sixth floor of the building, Clark said she found “a heavy-set gentleman who was chain-smoking cigarettes and drinking black coffee.” She said the man told her, “I had been brought to the building to take a lie detector test to figure out what happened to this jewelry.”

If she flunked the test, she testified that the man told her, “They’re going to throw you in the East River.”

“I was petrified,” Clark said.

Clark said “Uncle Paulie” took her five days in a row to the same deserted location inside 1710 Broadway in Manhattan, near New York’s famous Carnegie Hall, for lie-detector tests.

“I wanted to prove my innocence. I didn’t like the threats,” Clark testified.

When she was allowed to return to work, Clark told the jury that Combs never mentioned the lie detector tests or inquired where she had been.

During a cross-examination that hopscotched from time period to time period, Capricorn Clark testified she did not know the connection between Sean Combs and the large man she remembered repeatedly administering the lie-detector test. She testified that Combs suspected her of stealing the jewelry, which had been loaned to Combs for his famous annual July 4 white party in the Hamptons.

“You don’t know what relationship he has to Mr. Combs?” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo asked. Clark responded that she did not know.

“I felt that I was somewhat of a protector for Puff.”

While prosecutors sought to use Clark’s testimony to highlight how Combs used his wealth, power, and employees to lead a criminal enterprise, defense attorneys attempted to undercut that narrative by highlighting messages that suggested Clark was eager to work for a man who held a singular position atop the worlds of music and culture.

Clark again broke down in tears and sobs when confronted by several emails she had sent to Combs. One, in 2014, said, “Hopefully you’ll forgive me soon. It’s been long enough. I feel like you’ve forgiven everyone else but me.”

A second one, in early 2015, said, “Sending you blessings and love for a new year.”

More tears flowed when Agnifilo showed Clark an email she sent to Combs on his birthday, Nov. 4, 2015. “My hope for this year is that you make good on your promise to get over things and actually be my friend again.”

Defense attorney Agnifilo kept asking why she wanted to work with Combs again.

“I wanted my life back, sir,” Clark explained.

“You want to work with him again?” Agnifilo asked.

“I wanted to work in the music industry,” Clark replied.

Federal prosecutors, resuming their questioning after the cross-examination, suggested Clark returned to work for Combs because he stymied her attempts to work elsewhere in the music industry.

“He held all the power as it related to me,” Clark testified through sobs.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump will pardon reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, according to a video posted by Trump’s communications adviser Margo Martin on X. The couple was sentenced to prison for tax evasion and bank fraud.

According to the video, Trump called Savannah Chrisley, the couple’s 27-year-old daughter, to share the news that her parents were getting pardoned and would be released from prison soon.

Savannah Chrisley appealed to the Trump administration for pardons for her parents and spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

The couple, who became famous for their show “Chrisley Knows Best,” were sentenced in November 2022 to a combined 19 years in prison on charges including fraud and tax evasion. Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison and 16 months of probation while Julie Chrisley was ordered to serve seven years in prison and 16 months of probation.

The couple was also ordered to pay $17.8 million in restitution.

Asked by ABC News if the White House could provide any background information regarding the pardons, principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields did not provide any details behind the pardons and echoed Trump’s comments in the video that the couple were treated unfairly.

“The President is always pleased to give well-deserving Americans a second chance, especially those who have been unfairly targeted and overly prosecuted by an unjust justice system,” Fields said in a statement to ABC News. “President Trump called Savannah and her brother from the Oval Office to personally inform them that he would be pardoning their parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, whose sentences were far too harsh.”

“Chrisley Knows Best” premiered in 2014 and followed the lavish lifestyle of wealthy real estate developer Todd Chrisley and his family.

The charges against the Chrisleys stem from activity that occurred at least as early as 2007, when the couple allegedly provided false information to banks and fabricated bank statements when applying for and receiving million of dollars in loans, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In 2014, two years after the alleged bank fraud scheme ended, the couple is accused of fabricating bank statements and a credit report that had “been physically cut and taped or glued together when applying for and obtaining a lease for a home in California.”

In their sentencing memo, prosecutors said the Chrisleys had engaged in a “fifteen-year fraud spree.”

“After they defrauded community banks out of tens of millions of dollars, they hid millions of dollars from the IRS, all while going on television to boast about how much they spend on designer clothes,” the memo read. “And when they learned that they were under investigation for those crimes, they involved their own family members and friends to obstruct justice.”

In a phone interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Savannah Chrisley told ABC News the call from Trump came ‘totally out of the blue.”

“I kind of had gotten to a place where I had lost hope, and just felt like nothing was going in my favor,” she said. “And then I got the call.”

Savannah Chrisley said she is planning to pick her parents up as early as Tuesday night or “first thing” on Wednesday.

She also recounted informing her mother by phone of the pardon.

“Just sobbing, hysterically,” Savannah Chrisley said of her mother’s reaction to hearing the news.

Chrisley said she was “eternally grateful to [Trump’s “pardon czar”] Alice Johnson and the president and his entire team.”

“It was just a shock, and the president was so kind and loving. He’s the reason my family is coming back together,” Chrisley said. “I have always stood by him and his administration, and I will continue to stand by them and fight for them.”

-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin contributed to this report.

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(WATERBURY, CT) — Five people were shot at a Connecticut shopping center on Tuesday, police said.

Officers responded to the Brass Mill Center in Waterbury at approximately 4:40 p.m. following reports of a “disturbance,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said during a press briefing. They found several victims suffering from gunshot wounds, he said.

The victims were transported to local hospitals for medical treatment. There are no fatalities at this time, according to Spagnolo.

A person of interest was identified by detectives and taken into police custody Tuesday evening, Waterbury Police said in a statement.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the person of interest was one of the five injured.

The shooting was not a random act of violence, Spagnolo said, adding, “We believe this started as a conflict and it escalated.”

Police believe the suspect and victims knew each other. A semi-automatic pistol was used in the shooting, the chief said.

State police and federal agencies are assisting in the investigation, including clearing the mall and collecting digital evidence, the chief said.

“There’s a tremendous amount of law enforcement here right now,” Spagnolo said. “We’re following some very strong leads.”

Spagnolo said he does not believe there’s any threat in the immediate area.

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(LAS ANGELES) — A violent break-in occurred at the California home of Beanie Babies mogul Ty Warner that left a woman in a coma, officials said.

A Nevada man now faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, in connection with the home invasion and assault, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.

The incident unfolded on May 21 at the Montecito home of Warner, according to court filings obtained by ABC News.

The suspect — 42-year-old Russell Maxwell Phay of Henderson, Nevada — was taken into custody “after violently attacking a stranger inside a private residence and barricading himself from deputies,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies responding to the residence found the victim with “severe injuries” outside and, following a search of the residence, the suspect barricaded in an upstairs bathroom, the sheriff’s office said.

“The suspect attempted to flee by climbing out of a second-story bathroom window,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release. ” He jumped to the ground where he was apprehended by deputies and a Sheriff’s K9.”

The victim — identified in the criminal complaint as L. Malek-Aslanian — was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. The attack left her “comatose due to brain injury,” the complaint stated.

The complaint alleges that Phay entered the home with the intent to burglarize it, then held Malek-Aslanian against her will and assaulted her, causing great bodily injury. The victim was “particularly vulnerable,” the complaint stated.

Investigators do not have any indication that the victim or suspect knew each other, authorities said.

The homeowner was identified in the complaint as T. Warner. The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that to be Ty Warner.

Phay was charged Friday with first-degree attempted murder with premeditation and deliberation, residential burglary, kidnapping, assault and resisting a peace officer, the district attorney’s office said. He is additionally charged with special allegations for personally inflicting great bodily injury resulting in a coma.

Phay has pleaded not guilty to his charges. His bail has been set at $1 million.

He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on June 2. Attorney information was not immediately available.

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(WASHINGTON) — After hearing the news that President Donald Trump will pardon reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who served time for tax evasion and bank fraud, their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, in a video on Instagram posted on Tuesday, celebrated the news.

“The president called me personally as I was walking into Sam’s Club and notified me that he was signing paper pardon paperwork for both of my parents,” Chrisley said in the Instagram video. “So both my parents are coming home tonight [Tuesday] or tomorrow [Wednesday], and I still don’t believe it’s real. I’m freaking out — the fact that the president called me.”

“I will forever be grateful for President Trump, his administration and everyone along the way, all of my lawyers, the people who put in countless hours and effort and love for my family to make sure that my parents got home,” the 27-year-old continued.

Chrisley emphasized that her parents now get a “fresh start” thanks to the pardon.

“My parents get to start their lives over… President Trump didn’t just commute their sentences, he gave them a full unconditional pardon. So for that, I am forever grateful,” Chrisley said.

Savannah Chrisley had previously appealed to the Trump administration for pardons for her parents and spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

The couple, who became famous for their show “Chrisley Knows Best,” were sentenced in November 2022 to a combined 19 years in prison on charges including fraud and tax evasion.

Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in prison and 16 months of probation while Julie Chrisley was ordered to serve seven years in prison and 16 months of probation. The couple was also ordered to pay $17.8 million in restitution.

“Chrisley Knows Best” premiered in 2014 and followed the lavish lifestyle of wealthy real estate developer Todd Chrisley and his family.

The charges against the Chrisleys stem from activity that occurred at least as early as 2007, when the couple allegedly provided false information to banks and fabricated bank statements when applying for and receiving millions of dollars in loans, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In 2014, two years after the alleged bank fraud scheme ended, the couple is accused of fabricating bank statements and a credit report that had “been physically cut and taped or glued together when applying for and obtaining a lease for a home in California.”

In a phone interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Savannah Chrisley told ABC News the call from Trump came “totally out of the blue.”

“I kind of had gotten to a place where I had lost hope, and just felt like nothing was going in my favor. And then I got the call … It was just a shock, and the president was so kind and loving. He’s the reason my family is coming back together,” Chrisley said. “I have always stood by him and his administration, and I will continue to stand by them and fight for them.”

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(NEW YORK) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to force New York City to end its congestion pricing program.

Judge Lewis Liman granted a temporary restraining order on Tuesday barring the Trump administration from withholding “federal funds, approvals, or authorizations from New York State or local agencies to enforce compliance” with its demands to terminate the tolling program. The order is in effect until June 9.

The development comes after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the toll program, sought a preliminary injunction to prevent the federal government from withholding approvals or funds for continuing to collect tolls after the U.S. Department of Transportation reversed course and pulled federal approval of the congestion pricing program earlier year.

In his order, Liman said the Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration are “temporarily restrained from taking any action” to implement or enforce compliance after rescinding federal approval of the toll program.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul lauded the judge’s order as a “win” for New York in the battle over congestion pricing, saying it blocks the Trump administration from “retaliating against New York” for continuing the program, which is the first of its kind in the nation.

“Judge Liman’s temporary restraining order is a massive victory for New York commuters, vindicating our right as a State to make decisions regarding what’s best for our streets,” Hochul said in a statement Tuesday. “New Yorkers deserve to control our own traffic patterns, keep gridlock off our streets and protect our clean air. We need to make the massive investments necessary to support our transit system and prevent it from falling into disarray and disrepair. Congestion pricing is the right solution to get us there.”

“Congestion pricing is legal, it’s working and we’re keeping the cameras on,” she added.

The Department of Transportation pulled federal approval of the congestion pricing program on Feb. 19, weeks after it went into effect, following a review requested by President Donald Trump. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at the time that the “scope of this pilot project as approved exceeds the authority authorized by Congress” under the Federal Highway Administration’s Value Pricing Pilot Program while calling it “backwards and unfair.”

The MTA immediately challenged the Trump administration’s reversal in federal court, seeking a declaratory judgment that the DOT’s move is not proper. Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber have said they will not turn off the tolls without a court order.

Duffy extended a deadline for New York to end the collection of the toll multiple times, most recently warning last month that the Federal Highway Administration would take actions to “remedy New York’s noncompliance,” such as withholding approvals or funds for other transportation projects,” starting on May 28 if it didn’t cease congestion pricing.

Duffy has not publicly commented on the judge’s order Tuesday.

In a response to the MTA’s motion seeking a preliminary injunction, Duffy’s counsel argued the request should be denied because New York cannot show irreparable harm “because of the premature nature of this entire dispute” over the proposed compliance measures. “Critically, FHWA has not decided to impose any of these ‘proposed’ or ‘potential’ compliance measures yet,” they wrote.

The congestion pricing plan, which launched on Jan. 5, charges passenger vehicles $9 to access Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours as part of an effort to ease congestion and raise funds for the city’s public transit system. During peak hours, small trucks and charter buses are charged $14.40 and large trucks and tour buses pay $21.60.

The toll generated nearly $50 million in revenue in its first month and is on track to generate $500 million in net revenue by the end of this year, as initially projected, the MTA said.

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(TEXAS) — Texas lawmakers have passed a bill that would make it easier for parents to opt out of vaccinating their children, despite the current measles outbreak in West Texas.

The bill — HB 1586 — would allow parents to download and fill out a form available on the Texas Department of State of Health Services website to exempt their children from all vaccinations required to attend public school.

Under current state law, a person claiming an exemption from required immunizations must submit a written request to the department requesting an affidavit form. They would then complete an affidavit on a form and disclose the reason for the exemption, according to Texas law.

Republicans have argued it simplifies the process, and saves money, while Democrats have argued it could lessen immunity — especially during an ongoing measles outbreak.

“This will save taxpayer dollars in printing and mailing, increase government efficiency, and ensure kids are enrolled in school on time, guaranteeing children their fundamental right to an education,” Republican state Rep. Lacey Hull, who introduced the bill, said on social media after it passed the House.

Democratic state Rep. John Bryant said on social media, “This session, over a dozen bills have been filed to weaken vaccine mandates, promote immunization exemptions, and eliminate reporting requirements. Just last month, a second unvaccinated child died from the measles outbreak in Texas. … The spread of misinformation has led to preventable deaths and hurts our public health. I urge everyone to elect people who put science and the well being of others over political ideology.”

In addition to measles, Bryant also cited the past benefits of vaccination against polio and, more recently, COVID-19.

As of Tuesday, there have been 729 confirmed cases of measles in Texas — primarily in West Texas — according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

There have been two deaths in Texas among school-aged children, according to the department.

The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a vaccine against measles, with two doses of the MMR vaccine preventing more than 97% of measles infections, according to the department.

Parents or individuals requesting an exemption must sign a document saying they understand the “benefits and risks of immunizations and the benefits and risks of not being immunized,” the bill states.

To become law, the bill — which passed in the Senate on Sunday, 11 days after the House — needs to be signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. It would go into effect beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, according to the bill.

ABC News has reached out for comment on whether the governor plans to sign the bill.

Current law requires the department to maintain a record of the total number of affidavit forms sent out each year and provide that information to the legislature.

The proposed bill would allow the department to maintain a record of the total number of times the form was accessed or requested online, but it would no longer be required.

Measles infections in the U.S. have surpassed 1,000 cases, according to most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This year’s total number of cases is the second-highest case count in 25 years, according to data from the CDC.

About 96% of measles cases are among those who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, according to CDC data.

At least three deaths have been confirmed this year — two children and one adult — all of whom were unvaccinated.

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(GRAPEVINE, Texas) — Police arrested a suspect in the death of an 18-year-old who was killed in a jet ski hit-and-run while kayaking on Grapevine Lake in Texas over the weekend.

Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez Gonzalez was arrested in the death of Ava Moore, according to the Grapevine Police Department.

The incident happened on Sunday evening when the jet ski with two female occupants struck and killed Moore, according to Grapevine Police.

The passenger remained on the scene to be interviewed by first responders while the operator fled with an adult male, according to police.

Police had released a photo of the suspect, asking the public to identify her. Investigators are also searching for the driver of the vehicle that the suspect allegedly left the scene in.

Grapevine Lake is a reservoir in north Texas.

“Our thoughts are with Ava’s family and friends during this difficult time. Texas Game Wardens remain committed to keeping our public waters safe,” Grapevine Police said in a statement.

 

 

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(OKLAHOMA CITY) —  The search has ended for an inmate at an Oklahoma correctional facility who “unlawfully” walked away from prison, according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

At approximately 8:25 p.m. on Monday, William D. Brainard, 44, was “determined to have unlawfully walked away” from the Clara Waters Correctional Center in Oklahoma City, the department of corrections said in a statement on Monday.

Brainard was apprehended by officials at 12:51 p.m. on Tuesday, the department of corrections told ABC News.

Brainard is serving a five-year sentence for burglary of the third degree and larceny of an auto, aircraft or other motor vehicle, according to the department of corrections website.

He was described as being 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighing 215 pounds and has several tattoos — including one on his abdomen that reads “smile now cry later” and one on his arm that reads “love mom, corn fed, devil,” according to the wanted poster released by officials.

Brainard could also be found under the aliases of Dewayne W. Brainard, William Brainard or Corn F. Hillbilly, officials said.

The escaped inmate has also previously been sentenced for second-degree robbery, assault or battery with a dangerous weapon and distribution or possession with intent of a controlled dangerous substance, according to the corrections’ department website.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Homeland Security and FBI are warning that large-scale events are prime targets for violence, highlighting the potential for violence at events this summer.

However, the DHS and FBI did not indicate there are any known threats in a joint intelligence bulletin sent to law enforcement on May 23.

“Violent extremist messaging continues to highlight major sporting and cultural events and venues as potential targets, and threat actors — including domestic violent extremists (DVEs), homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) inspired by Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), and other mass casualty attackers not motivated by an ideology — previously have targeted public events with little to no warning,” according to the bulletin.

Some attacks, such as the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans, could serve as inspiration for future attacks, the bulletin said, noting that calls for violence typically increase in the days leading up to holidays or big events.

Domestic and homegrown extremists “not primarily motivated by an ideology, likely will see public events as potential attack targets, given the number of high-profile events this summer that are expected to draw large crowds and recent attacks and plots in the West targeting mass gatherings, which could serve as inspiration,” the bulletin said.

“We advise government officials and private sector security partners to remain vigilant of potential threats to upcoming public celebrations and large gatherings,” it added, highlighting World Pride 2025, Independence Day and the 250th Army anniversary parade as possible targets.

The bulletin also said some attackers could use a variety of means to carry out an attack.

“Attackers in the United States historically have used a variety of tactics to target public events, including vehicles, firearms, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs),” it said. “The use of vehicle-ramming alone or in conjunction with other tactics, such as edged weapons, firearms, or IEDs used after the vehicle has stopped, is a recurring tactic that a variety of threat actors in the West have employed when targeting crowded pedestrian areas.”

Last week’s shooting that targeted Israeli Embassy staffers and killed two in Washington, D.C., could inspire other attacks in the United States, the DHS said in a separate bulletin obtained by ABC News.

“The 21 May attack that killed two Israeli embassy staff members at an event in Washington, DC, underscores how the Israel-HAMAS conflict continues to inspire violence and could spur radicalization or mobilization to violence against targets perceived as supporting Israel,” according to the bulletin, which was also dated May 23.

The department noted that it has seen online users sharing the suspect’s alleged writings and “praising the shooter and generally calling for more violence.”

“If calls for violence continue, particularly if other violent extremists in the Homeland or abroad reference the Capital Jewish Museum shooter, our concern for additional violence in the Homeland would increase,” the bulletin said.

The suspect in the fatal shooting last Wednesday outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., is a 31-year-old Chicago man who police say shouted “free, free Palestine” following the attack.

The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, was promptly taken into custody at the scene of the shooting and was questioned by police, according to Pamela Smith, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.

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