BBC News Briefing

2 January, 2025

Tom McArthur

Hello. As more details emerge about the man behind the deadly New Orleans truck and gun attack, the FBI now says it believes US Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar acted alone but confirmed he was “100% inspired by Islamic State”. In Zimbabwe, an eight-year-old boy survived five days alone surrounded by lions and elephants. And our Australia correspondent Katy Watson explores how rangers in the Northern Territory are keeping humans safe from a rapidly growing saltwater crocodile population.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

FBI says New Orleans killer acted alone and posted IS videos before attack

The FBI said Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was an Army veteran and US citizen from Texas. Credit: FBI

The FBI says it now believes that no-one else was involved in the deadly New Orleans attack on New Year's Day, other than Shamsud-Din Jabbar. Earlier, authorities believed several people were involved in the incident, which killed 14 and left dozens wounded after a pick-up truck drove into busy crowds. Officials confirmed Jabbar - a US Army veteran - pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group in videos posted before the deadly attack. Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI's counter-terrorism division, told a press conference that the priority now is to figure out Jabbar's "path to radicalisation". The FBI also said there is currently "no definitive link" with the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas hours later.

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GET UP TO SPEED

a police officer wearning black body armour. The word POLICE is emblazoned on the back of the armour.

Drunk cop freed prisoners 'to celebrate new year'

A drunken police officer in Zambia freed 13 suspects from custody so that they could go and celebrate the new year, officials say. The detainees are still on the run.

Read more >

CCT footage showing a man taking jewellry from a case during a robbery in a London mansion.

CCTV shows thief carrying out $12.9m jewellery heist

Exclusive video obtained by BBC News shows how a "cat-like" burglar stole more than $12m worth of jewellery and designer handbags from a London mansion.

See the video >

Boy, 8, survives five days in game park with lions

Tinotenda Pudu’s spent five days "sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits" after getting lost, a Zimbabwe MP said.

What happened >

AT THE SCENE

Darwin, Northern Territory

Life in Australia's crocodile capital

a sign warning: REMEMBER! Crocodiles bite they can also move very quickly. Behind the sign a large crocodile lurks in some shallow water.

Saltwater crocodiles were almost hunted to extinction in Australia's Northern Territory. Now they're thriving. Image: BBC

Saltwater crocodiles - or salties, as they are known to locals - were nearly hunted to extinction 50 years ago. But when hunting was banned in 1971, the population started rising again - and fast. No longer threatened, but still a protected species, the recovery of the salties has been so dramatic that Australia now faces a different dilemma: managing their numbers to keep people safe.

Katy Watson, Australia correspondent

It's dawn on Darwin Harbour and government ranger Kelly Ewin - whose job is to catch and remove crocodiles - is balancing precariously on a floating trap. Heavy rain clouds from the storm that has recently passed are overhead.

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The engine of the boat has been cut so now it's mostly silent – that is, apart from the intermittent splashing coming from inside the trap.

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"You get pretty much zero chances with these guys," says Ewin as he attempts to loop a noose around the jaw of the agitated reptile.

Find out more

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Audry Hepburn wears a black dress in front of a black background. She has dark hair in an updo, dark eyes and red lips.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

From WW2 spy to actress

As a teenager, Audrey Hepburn carried messages for the Dutch resistance.

Find out more

And finally...

Just a day after returning to Instagram, Meghan Markle has shared a trailer for her new lifestyle show “With Love, Meghan.” The Netflix series premieres on 15 January and includes eight half-hour episodes that feature celebrities like actress Mindy Kaling and chef Alice Waters.

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– Tom

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