A convicted murderer on the run after breaking out of prison was shot at by a homeowner who found him in his garage stealing a rifle, US authorities said.
Hundreds of state and local police along with federal agents are searching for 34-year-old Brazilian Danelo Cavalcante following his escape from Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania on 31 August.
Police say they are closing in on the “desperate” and “dangerous” fugitive, who has armed himself with the rifle with a scope and torch attached.
Overnight into Tuesday, Cavalcante grabbed the .22-calibre firearm before he fled as the property owner fired several shots at him with a pistol in Chester County.
Image: Cavalcante before his escape. Pic: Chester County District Attorney
Authorities have set up a six square mile (16 square kilometre) perimeter around the home in a wooded, hilly area where they believe Cavalcante still is.
The fugitive has disposed of a sweatshirt he was seen wearing on CCTV cameras and he is now believed to be shirtless, police say.
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Residents of South Coventry have locked themselves in their houses and at least one school district has cancelled lessons.
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Pennsylvania State Police said they were pursuing him in the Philadelphia suburb, about 20 miles north of the Chester County Prison.
Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens said: “We consider him desperate. We consider him dangerous.”
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“He is desperate enough to use that weapon.”
Cavalcante escaped by crab-walking up a wall from the recreation yard, climbing over razor wire, running across a roof and jumping to the ground.
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Killer ‘crab-walks’ out of prison
His escape went undetected for more than an hour until guards took a head count. The tower guard on duty was sacked, officials said.
Police have warned people not to approach Cavalcante, but to call 911 if they see him.
Image: Armed police stand guard as the search for Cavalcante continues. Pic: AP
On Monday, state and federal officials rejected allegations they had blown their chances of catching Cavalcante, saying the area where hundreds had been searching included deep woods, underground tunnels and drainage ditches.
They also said it took more than two hours for news to reach them that he had been spotted outside the perimeter for the first time.
Image: Pic: AP
Image: Pic: AP
Cavalcante slipped out of an eight-square-mile search area over the weekend and stole a dairy delivery van that had been left unlocked with the keys in it.
He abandoned it more than 20 miles north of the search area after unsuccessfully seeking help at the homes of two former colleagues late on Saturday, police said.
Mr Bivens declined to say how he believes the fugitive slipped through the perimeter adding that no perimeter is completely secure.
“The fact that he has reached out to people with a very distant past connection tells me he doesn’t have a great network of support,” Mr Bivens said.
“I think the longer we push him, the more resources, the more tools we bring to bear, we will ultimately capture him. He doesn’t have what he needs to last long-term.”
Cavalcante broke out of the Chester County Prison while awaiting transfer to a state prison to serve a life sentence for fatally stabbing an ex-girlfriend in 2021.
Prosecutors say he killed her to stop her from telling police that he was wanted over murders in his home country of Brazil.
In Brazil, he is accused of “double qualified homicide” in the 2017 killing of Valter Junior Moreira dos Reis in the municipality of Figueiropolis, over a debt the victim owed him for repairing a vehicle.
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian men in the West Bank after they appeared to be surrendering.
Palestinians said the killings, which were captured on video and shown on two Arab TV channels, were carried out “in cold blood”.
In the video, the men were seen exiting a building and lying on the ground in front of Israeli forces in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Both men lifted their T-shirts and held their hands in the air, apparently to show they were not carrying weapons or explosives.
The soldiers then appeared to order the men back inside the building before they were shot.
A Reuters journalist in the area saw the men leave the building, appearing to surrender, and later, after hearing shots fired, saw Israeli forces standing near what appeared to be a lifeless body.
The men were identified as al Muntasir Abdullah, 26, and Yousef Asasa, 37, by Palestinian authorities.
Image: Footage of the incident has been broadcast on Arab TV channels
What has Israel said about the incident?
A joint statement between the Israeli Defence Forces and Israeli police said: “Earlier this evening (Thursday), during an Israel Border Police and IDF operation in the area of Jenin, the forces operated to apprehend wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces.
“The wanted individuals were affiliated with a terror network in the area of Jenin.
“The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited.
“Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects.
“The incident is under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”
Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the military and police unit involved in the shooting had his “full backing”.
“The fighters acted exactly as expected of them – terrorists should die!” he wrote on X.
Image: A Reuters journalist captured images from near the scene. Pic: Reuters
‘An outright extrajudicial killing’
But Palestinians and human rights groups say Israeli investigations in such incidents yield few results, with Israeli troops rarely prosecuted.
The Palestinian prime minister’s office in Ramallah also accused Israel of executing the men “in cold blood”, calling the shooting “an outright extrajudicial killing in blatant violation of international humanitarian law”.
Yuli Novak, the executive director of B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, said: “The execution documented today is the result of an accelerated process of dehumanisation of Palestinians and the complete abandonment of their lives by the Israeli regime.
“In Israel, there is no mechanism that acts to stop the killing of Palestinians or is capable of prosecuting those responsible.”
Israel’s military has scaled up its military operations in the West Bank since the October 7 Hamas attack, which triggered the war in Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to B’Tselem, which said the perpetrators were “granted full impunity by Israel”.
Donald Trump has warned US action against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers will move to the land “very soon”.
American forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats it claims were carrying narcotics to its shores over the last few months.
The US has accused the South American country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, of being involved in the drugs trade – a claim he denies.
Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder.
Image: Mr Trump made the comments while in Florida for Thanksgiving. Pic: Reuters
‘We warned them,’ says Trump
America’s most advanced aircraft carrieris among the ships that have been deployed to the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific as part of Operation Southern Spear.
Mr Trump said on Thursday he was preparing to significantly ramp up the response.
“You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” he told military service members in a call.
“The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”
“We warned them to stop sending poison to our country,” Mr Trump added.
The US has released videos of boats being targeted, but hasn’t provided evidence – such as photos of their cargo – to support the smuggling claims.
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Three killed as US strikes another alleged drug boat
The Pentagon has sought to justify the strikes by labelling the drug gangs as foreign terrorist organisations – putting them on par with the likes of al Qaeda and Hamas.
This week it formally designated Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) as such, and said the group was headed by Mr Maduro and “other high-ranking individuals” from his regime.
Another Venezuelan drugs group, Tren de Aragua, was designated a terror organisation by the US in January.
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Mr Maduro – seen by most countries as a dictator who’s cheated elections – has accused the US of “fabricating” a war to overthrow him and install a more favourable government.
Venezuelan officials have also claimed Mr Trump’s true motivation is access to the country’s plentiful oil reserves and other natural resources such as gold and diamonds.
Experts say Mr Maduro, 63, could use oil as a bargaining chip in any future negotiations.
Mr Trump has said previously he would be open to talks – but that prospect seems unlikely, with the Venezuelan leader wielding a sword this week as he vowed to “defend every inch of this blessed land from imperialist threat”.
Police said a passer-by who made a tourniquet to stem the man’s bleeding had probably saved his life.
Switzerland’s foreign affairs office didn’t name the victims – who are both believed to be in their 20s – but confirmed they were Swiss citizens.
The pair are said to have arrived the night before, camping nearby before going for a swim with dolphins at dawn – a time when sharks are more active.
The man suffered major wounds to his thigh after trying to fight off the shark and dragging his partner more than 50m back to shore, reported Sky News Australia.
The woman died on the sand but call handlers instructed the passer-by how to fashion a tourniquet from a swimsuit in order to treat the man.
Image: Early assessments indicate a bull shark may be responsible. File pic: iStock
New South Wales Ambulance superintendent Josh Smyth said the backpacker’s quick thinking was “heroic” and created valuable time for them to reach the remote, unpatrolled beach.
Sky News Australia said initial indications are a large, mature bull shark may be responsible.
The beach has been closed while drones scour the area and drumlines have been laid in the hope of capturing the shark.