(SEATTLE) — Police in Seattle have arrested a 21-year-old man armed with a shotgun, pistol, and carrying multiple rounds of ammunition near the Space Needle during Seattle’s New Year’s Eve celebration, authorities said.
On New Year’s Eve at approximately 7:20 p.m., patrol officers in Seattle responded to reports of a man sitting on a bench near the Pacific Science Center holding a partially concealed shotgun, according to a statement from the Seattle Police Department.
“Witnesses saw him holding the gun by the grip, causing alarm, while facing the area where spectators were gathering for the fireworks display,” police said. “The suspect, wearing all black clothing and a red hat with “WAR” written on it, cooperated with police.”
Officers safely recovered the shotgun and the suspect, who was also armed with a handgun, had a valid concealed carry permit, police said.
Police assigned to the event center arrested the man without incident, authorities said.
Seattle Police Department’s arson bomb squad were able to locate the suspect’s vehicle and swept the car for potential weapons or explosives, though none were found and it was determined the vehicle did not pose a threat, officials confirmed.
Police subsequently booked the suspect into the King County Jail for unlawful use of weapons and detectives reviewing the case referred criminal charges to the City Attorney’s Office, authorities said.
The investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC. Trump delivered his address days after the Supreme Court struck down the administration’s tariff strategy and amid a U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf threatening Iran. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — In the wake of the “massive” strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel Saturday, members of Congress have begun weighing in — with Democrats demanding answers — and some calling for lawmakers to return to Washington to vote on resolutions that would check President Donald Trump’s power to wage war.
Republicans have so far praised President Donald Trump’s decision to undertake “massive combat operations” against Iran, with an eye towards liberating the Iranian people.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of Trump’s most ardent supporters, said in a post on X “the end of the largest state sponsor of terrorism is upon us” and celebrated “freedom” for the Iranian people.
“My mind is racing with the thought that the murderous ayatollah’s regime in Iran will soon be no more,” he said in another post. “The biggest change in the Middle East in a thousand years is upon us.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to some members of the so-called Gang of 8 to notify them of the operation in Iran before it was underway, multiple congressional offices confirmed to ABC News.
Members of the Gang of 8 include the top bipartisan House and Senate leaders and the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees.
On Tuesday of this week, hours ahead of the president’s State of the Union address, Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe virtually briefed the Gang of 8 on Capitol Hill on Iran.
Immediately following the briefing, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters: “This is serious, and the administration has to make its case to the American people.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, an Arkansas Republican briefed ahead of the strikes in Iran, issued a statement providing a sense of why the president moved forward with the operation.
“Prior to the initiation of this action, in earnest diplomatic engagements with Iran, President Trump was very clear about his red line from the start and his expectations of Iran during these negotiations. Iran absolutely cannot be allowed to maintain a nuclear weapon or capabilities,” he said in a statement posted on X. “The safety and security of Americans and our allies are on the line.”
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, said he is praying for U.S. service members but emphasizes, “everything I have heard from the Administration before and after these strikes on Iran confirms this is a war of choice with no strategic endgame.”
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia is calling on the Senate to return to Washington immediately to vote on a war powers resolution to check the president’s authority to wage war with Iran.
“Has President Trump learned nothing from decades of U.S. meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East?” Kaine said in a statement.
“These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives,” he added.
“The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran. Every single Senator needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action,” he said.
It’s very unlikely Republican leadership will heed Kaine’s call to action.
Kaine’s war powers resolution is co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Senate Minority Leader Schumer. Earlier in the week, Kaine said he would push for a vote in the Senate as soon as next week.
Congressional Democrats announced they too will compel a vote on a war powers resolution relating to Iran next week. House Democratic leadership is expected to force a vote on the bipartisan war powers resolution.
Both efforts in the House and Senate will receive some bipartisan support, but it’s unclear if they will have enough votes to actually pass both chambers.
As strikes were underway on Saturday, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said that after the “Iranian regime has slaughtered thousands of its own people in recent days,” the attack on Iran should be a warning to despotic regimes.
“Tyrants and terrorists everywhere should take note: the world is watching. History is watching,” Mace wrote on X.
Notably Sen. John Fetterman, D.-Pa., said he believed Trump was making the right move.
“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region. God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel,” Fetterman wrote in an X post.
But other Democrats demanded an explanation for the strikes, like Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., a veteran, who lamented the action.
“I lost friends in Iraq to an illegal war. Young working-class kids should not pay the ultimate price for regime change and a war that hasn’t been explained or justified to the American people,” he wrote on X.
Others called for a full briefing and a vote on a proposed war powers resolution that would limit Trump’s power.Rep. Jared Moskowitz demanded a briefing.
“This is a serious moment that demands full transparency and congressional oversight,” Moskowitz, D-Fla., wrote on X.
he US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — A person with what appeared to be a gun was arrested near the front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., according to Capitol police.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Kersten Francilus is seen in a photo released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office)
(MARTIN COUNTY, Fla.) — The suspect in the deadly, apparently random stabbing of an elderly woman who was walking her dog in Florida allegedly told authorities that he “went around” the neighborhood and “found a lady and then I killed her,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
The shocking, “extremely violent” attack occurred Thursday afternoon in Stuart, in the “quiet” community of Southwood, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said.
Several people had called 911 to report a “suspicious” man who was going door-to-door asking “where the new bank was,” Budensiek said at a press briefing Thursday, noting that there isn’t a bank in the area. The suspect — later identified as 25-year-old Kersten Francilus — reportedly appeared “out of it,” according to the affidavit.
At one house, the suspect asked for the bank and allegedly “attempted to step inside,” at which point the resident shut the door, according to the affidavit.
Shortly after those calls, people called 911 to report the stabbing, according to Budensiek. The victim was walking a small dog when she was “brutally attacked,” he said.
A good Samaritan tried to intervene but couldn’t get the assailant off the woman, the sheriff said.
A deputy who was already en route for the suspicious person arrived at the scene and saw the victim on the ground, according to Budensiek.
“Our suspect was on top of her, actually actively stabbing her,” Budensiek said.
The deputy got out of his vehicle and pulled out his gun, at which time the suspect threw the knife down, “giving up,” the sheriff said.
The deputy immediately took Francilus into custody, the sheriff said.
An off-duty deputy who had also responded rendered aid to the victim, Budensiek said. She was transported to an area hospital, where she died from “significant injuries,” the sheriff said. She had been stabbed multiple times in her upper torso, he said, calling it a “violent, violent homicide.”
The victim appeared to have 16 or 17 stab wounds, according to the affidavit, which identified her as Joyce Ellen Thompson Adams.
Francilus has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder. He refused a public defender and is being held on no bond, online court records show. ABC News’ attempts to reach members of his family for comment were unsuccessful.
After being read his Miranda Rights, Francilus allegedly admitted to the stabbing, according to the affidavit.
“He initially stated he left his residence and ‘did what I did,'” the affidavit stated. “He stated he ‘went around’ the neighborhood, and he said ‘I found a lady and then I killed her.'”
The suspect is believed to live in a nearby neighborhood with his mother, wife and child, Budensiek said. A steak knife used in the attack came from their home, according to the sheriff.
The suspect’s mother reportedly told detectives that Francilus “has not taken his medications since February,” according to the affidavit, which did not go into further detail. His mother also said she “usually stored the knives above the microwave, essentially hiding them from the suspect,” the affidavit stated.
A motive remains under investigation, according to the sheriff.
Francilus has no known criminal history or connection to the victim, Budensiek said. There was previously one call for service at his home, during which he was reported to have been “acting strange,” the sheriff said.
“We don’t know of any motive at this point. We don’t know of any nexus between the victim and the suspect,” Budensiek said. “We just simply know that we’ve had a horrendous crime that’s taken place in this neighborhood.”
