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The man suspected of killing three people during a daylight mass shooting at the University of Nevada Las Vegas on Wednesday has been identified as a professor who failed to secure a job at the school, and claimed to have solved the mystery of the Zodiac Killer.

Anthony Polito, 67, had unsuccessfully applied to a professor position at UNLV before he unleashed his deadly rampage on the Las Vegas campus just before noon, according to ABC News, citing law enforcement sources.

Polito was armed with a handgun during his massacre and was killed following a shootout with two police detectives responding to the scene, the outlet reported.

The shooting began around 11:45 a.m. on the fourth floor of Beam Hall, UNLV’s business school, near the student union building.

Police found three people dead when they arrived at the building.

A fourth person was taken to an area hospital where they are listed as being in critical but stable condition. 9 Anthony Polito was identified as the suspect in Wednesday’s mass shooting that left three people dead at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Anthony Polito / Linkedin

Four others were hospitalized after suffering panic attacks and two officers were treated for minor injuries suffered while clearing buildings, LVMPD police said.

Politos LinkedIn account states he is a Semi-Retired University Professor based in Las Vegas and attended undergraduate at Radford University in Virginia where he graduated with a double major in Mathematics and Statistics before he earned his masters degree at Duke University and completed his Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Georgia.

He served as an associated professor for 15 and a half years at East Carolina University from Aug. 2001 to Jan. 2017. 9 Students evacuate one of the school’s buildings with their hands raised, as a police officer stands to the side with a gun drawn. via REUTERS

During that time, he also ran a personal website about his life, in which he posted a 15-page theory claiming he decoded the messages left by the Zodiac Killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s.

Just so you wont initially write off my solution as that of a total crackpot, let me first say that I have been a member of MENSA for 35 years, I hold a double undergraduate degree in Mathematics & Statistics (two skills closely associated with successful cryptographers) and I hold a masters degree and a doctoral degree from top-tier universities as well, Polito wrote in the introduction.

So I am not a dumb guy!

He further claimed to have solved the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and figured out the true meaning of Leonardo DiCaprios 2010 film Inception. 9 The campus was placed on lockdown almost immediately after the shooting was reported. Police evacuated students and staff on campus floor by floor, room by room, building by building.” via REUTERS

Elsewhere on his site, Polito wrote about his love of Las Vegas.

Hard to believe, looking back, but I have had the pleasure of making more than two dozen trips to Vegas over the last 15 years, his personal profile reads.

I dont gamble that much, but there is plenty to do there, thats for sure!!

Over the years, my steel trap mind collected more information and trivia about Vegas than probably anyone in this state east of I-95 (at least). 9 A SWAT vehicle arrives at the UNLV campus after a shooting on December 06, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images

Polito also used the site to list some of his favorite things, including sites in Vegas and his favorite music.

His website says he would generally listen to Frank Sinatra, but also enjoyed Selena, Elton John and Willie Nelson.

In his favorite movie section, Polito includes Apocalypse: Now and recommends Oliver Stones conspiracy-laden JFK and Ayn Rands conservative epic The Fountainheads. 9 The shooting began around 11:45 a.m. on the fourth floor of Beam Hall, UNLV’s business school, near the student union building. ALLISON DINNER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Polito writes that each of his favorite films argues a truth with powerful eloquence.

His site also lists people he credited as being the Great Minds of the Twentieth Century, including George Soros, Nikola Tesla and astronomer Carl Sagan.

In a section entitled Powerful Organizations Bent on World Domination, Polito includes the Rothchild family, the National Security Administration and even the Economics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The section also linked back to a website created by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. 9 People wait on the outskirts of the UNLV campus after a shooting on December 06, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images

But Polito has also received commendation for his work as a professor, writing on his LinkedIn: The greatest gifts and takeaways I possess from my many years within higher education are the many kind & positive comments students made regarding my instruction disposition toward them.

One student commented on his page, I had the chance to have Dr. Polito as my teacher for my Operations Management course that I took in fall 2013.

I was an international student from Canada at the time, and learned many new things in this course.

Dr. Polito teaches students about things that happen in the real world that we will be able to apply in our careers, the student claims. He definitely knows his course material and every new class covers interesting topics. 9 People cross Maryland Parkway as they are led off of the UNLV campus after a shooting on December 06, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images

Polito also published 109 pages of alleged positive feedback he has received from students on his site.

Polito is very organized with the prepared notes, one comment reads. He is approachable and seems very open to student concerns and ideas.

His real world experiences provide anecdotes that clarify course material. He is a definite asset to the Management Department. 9 Investigators determined the victims were not students, but instead faculty or staff at the school, which may be investigated as a potential motive into the shooting. via REUTERS

Another student reportedly wrote: Professor Polito knows what hes talking about.

He may seem to ramble on sometimes about certain things, but he keeps your attention and makes sure youre alert, which is better than having students fall asleep from boredom.

He teaches real life lessons that correlate with the book/course material, the student added. I enjoyed his class and Id recommend him to my peers.

The campus was placed on lockdown almost immediately after the shooting was reported. Police evacuated students and staff on campus floor by floor, room by room, building by building, LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a Wednesday evening press briefing. 9 View of halted traffic after a shooting at UNLV. ZUMAPRESS.com

An apartment in Henderson, Nevada, believed to be Polito’s home, was being searched, as law enforcement officials continued to investigate the shooting while gearing up to work overnight and into the morning hours, a law enforcement official told ABC News.

The suspect’s phone has already been retrieved and detectives are looking for any clues inside the device that could hint at any form of motivation for the killings.

Investigators determined the victims were not students, but instead faculty or staff at the school, which may be investigated as a potential motive into the shooting.

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Entertainment

Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner and investor of Swansea football club saying it’s ‘an underdog just like me’

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Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner and investor of Swansea football club saying it's 'an underdog just like me'

Snoop Dogg has become a co-owner and investor of Swansea, with the US rapper hailing the Welsh football club as “an underdog that bites back, just like me”.

The former Premier League club, which plays in the English second tier, confirmed the US rapper and producer plans to use his own money to invest in it, Sky Sports reports, although it didn’t disclose financial details.

“My love of football is well known, but it feels special to me that I make my move into club ownership with Swansea City,” the music icon said in the announcement.

“The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me,” he added. “This is a proud, working class city and club.

“An underdog that bites back, just like me.

“I’m proud to be part of Swansea City. I am going to do all I can to help the club.”

Swansea’s American owners, led by Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen, are trying to grow the Championship club’s global brand and increase commercial revenue.

Snoop Dogg, 53, who has 89m followers on Instagram and more than 20m on X, helped launch the team’s 2025-26 home shirt last weekend.

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The club ownership group said: “To borrow a phrase from Snoop’s back catalogue, this announcement is the next episode for Swansea City as we seek to create new opportunities to boost the club’s reach and profile.”

Luka Modric, who recently signed with AC Milan from Real Madrid, joined Swansea’s ownership group in April.

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Politics

Diane Abbott suspended from Labour Party

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Diane Abbott suspended from Labour Party

Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation.

A party spokesperson confirmed the decision to Sky News but did not give a reason why.

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It comes after the veteran MP defended previous comments about racism which sparked an antisemitism row and led to a year-long suspension.

She apologised at the time and was readmitted back into the party before the 2024 general election.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Diane Abbott has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending an investigation. We cannot comment further while this investigation is ongoing.”

Sky News understands that the suspension is not related to the four rebels who lost the whip on Wednesday for “repeated breaches” of party discipline, including voting against the government’s welfare cuts.

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The action has been taken because of an interview in which she doubled down on her claim Jewish people experience racism differently to black people, which previously sparked a huge controversy.

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Diane Abbott

In a letter to The Observer in 2023, Ms Abbott argued that people of colour experienced racism “all their lives” and said that was different to the “prejudice” experienced by Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers.

Shortly after it was published, she issued a statement in which she said she wished to “wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them”.

However in a new interview with BBC Radio 4’s Reflections programme this week, she said she did not look back on the incident with regret.

Ms Abbott said: “Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don’t know.

“But if you see a black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they’re black. They are different types of racism.”

She added: “I just think that it’s silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism.

“I don’t know why people would say that.”

Commenting on the suspension, Ms Abbott told Sky News: “It’s obvious this Labour leadership wants me out. My comments in the interview with James Naughtie were factually correct, as any fair-minded person would accept.”

The clip of the interview was re-posted by Brian Leishman, one of the MPs suspended on Wednesday, who said: “Diane Abbott has fought against racism her entire life.”

Bell Riberio-Addy, who lost her role as trade envoy in yesterday’s purge, also came to Ms Abbott’s defence, saying: “Before condemning her based on headlines, I would listen to her clip and note she discussed the different forms that racism takes and condemned all forms of racism.”

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell made similar comments, saying that in the interview his colleague “forthrightly condemns antisemitism & discusses the different forms of racism”.

But Labour MP David Taylor told Sky News he has “long thought Diane Abbott shouldn’t be a member of our party due to her appalling positions on everything from Bosnia to Syria”.

He added: “As the Jewish Labour Movement have said, antisemitism targets Jews regardless of how they look, and many in the community are visibly Jewish and suffer racism for it.”

In the interview, Ms Abbott said she “of course” condemns antisemitic behaviour in the same way she would condemn racist behaviour because of the colour of someone’s skin, adding: “I do get a bit weary of people trying to pin the antisemitic label on me because I spent a lifetime facing racism of all kinds.”

Ms Abbott made history when she was elected as Britain’s first black female MP for Labour in 1987.

She is the longest-serving female MP in the Commons, giving her the title “Mother of the House”.

As an MP on the left of the party she has often clashed with the leadership throughout her career – bar her time serving in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet.

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Many MPs rallied in support of Ms Abbott last year when it was not clear if she would be reinstated in time for the general election, or allowed to stand.

She went on to retain her seat of Hackney North and Stoke Newington with a majority of over 15,000.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner hinted action could be taken against Ms Abbott when she told The Guardian earlier on Thursday that she was “disappointed” in her colleague’s remarks.

“There’s no place for antisemitism in the Labour Party, and obviously the Labour Party has processes for that,” she said.

A source close to the decision to suspend her told Sky News there is a “very slim chance” she will be allowed back in, given she did antisemitism training and apologised last time.

It raises questions about whether Ms Abbott could join the new party being formed by Mr Corbyn and former Labour MP Zarah Sultana.

For the time being, Ms Abbott will sit in the Commons as an independent MP.

Adnan Hussain, who was elected as the independent MP for Blackburn last year, said on X: “We’d be honoured to have a giant like Diane join us, she [should] come to the side that would really appreciate her for the legend she is.”

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UK

Child who died in Minehead school coach crash was 10-year-old boy, police say

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Child who died in Minehead school coach crash was 10-year-old boy, police say

The child who died in a school coach crash in Somerset on Thursday was a 10-year-old boy, Avon and Somerset Police have said.

A specially trained officer is supporting the child’s family, the force said, adding that two children taken to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children by air ambulance remain there as of Friday.

Four children and three adults also remain in hospital in Somerset.

There were between 60 to 70 people on board when the incident happened near Minehead, just before 3pm on Thursday.

The coach was heading to Minehead Middle School when it crashed on the A396 between Wheddon Cross and Timbercombe.

Flowers outside school
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Pic: PA

Police said that 21 people were taken to hospital, including two children who were taken via air ambulance.

Gavin Ellis, chief fire officer for Devon and Somerset, said the coach “overturned onto its roof and slid approximately 20ft down an embankment”.

Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, said the road where it happened is “very difficult to manoeuvre”.

“You have a very difficult crossing at Wheddon Cross, and as you come out to dip down into Timbercombe, the road is really windy and there are very steep dips on either side,” she told Sky’s Anna Botting.

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Tearful MP reacts to coach crash

It comes after a teacher at Minehead Middle School praised the “incredibly brave” pupils for supporting each other after the coach crash.

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“You have looked after each [other] in what was a life-changing event, we will get through this together,” they wrote on Facebook.

“I feel so lucky to be your teacher. I am so grateful to my wonderful colleagues during this time who were also fighting to help as many people as we could.”

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