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Trump Calls Former Attorney Alina Habba’s $50M Deal ‘Outrageous’

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President Donald Trump has condemned his former attorney Alina Habba Mildon’s reported $50 million agreement to work for a billionaire Venezuelan family, saying the deal was arranged behind his back and demanding that some of the money go to a Trump-affiliated organization.

Trump criticized Habba, 42, after she accepted a lucrative position as general counsel at Concord Partners, a company founded by the daughter of Venezuelan financier Julio Herrera Velutini.

“I thought it was terrible,” Trump told Fox News on Saturday during a Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago. “I said I don’t want her paid. We had somebody speak to the people that did it, and she used her relationship to do that and it was far too much.”

“You know, it’s one thing for a person to get paid legal fees or whatever—she’s a lawyer. I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it’s not acceptable, not acceptable at all.”

“It’s unacceptable what she did,” Trump added.

The New York Times reported that Trump told at least one ally the Herrera family should not pay Habba the remaining money owed under her contract.

According to sources cited by the newspaper, Trump’s aides and allies also said he wanted Habba to contribute part of the deal’s proceeds to his future presidential library or another Trump-related entity.

Habba agreed last year to a four-year position with Concord Partners and officially began serving as the company’s general counsel on January 1.

President Donald Trump fumed over his former attorney Alina Habba, 42, signing on for a well-paid role as general counsel for a company started by the daughter of Julio Herrera Velutini

President Donald Trump criticized his former attorney Alina Habba, 42, after she accepted a lucrative general counsel position with a company founded by the daughter of Julio Herrera Velutini

Sources told the Times that Trump wanted Habba to donate part of the deal’s proceeds to his future presidential library or another Trump-affiliated organization

Habba signed on to work for the company for four years and formally started in the role on January 1

Habba agreed to a four-year position with the company last year and formally began the job on January 1

The Times reported that, around the time Habba joined the company, Velutini was facing bribery charges connected to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation. He received a pardon in January 2026, according to the newspaper.

Habba had also recently married Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon. The couple held a lavish New York City wedding in September, only months after reportedly meeting.

The wedding drew attention after reports claimed Habba was 17 years older than her new husband, who was said to be 25.

The Times spoke with former classmates of Mildon who said he was 25. The newspaper also reviewed his U.S. visa and the photo page of his Turkish passport, both of which gave his date of birth as December 2, 2000.

The source of the discrepancy remains unclear. The Daily Mail contacted Mildon’s company, Miller Holding, and Alina Habba for comment.

Mildon, the grandson of a Turkish energy magnate, has become a source of tension within Trump’s circle in recent weeks because of a planned donation to the Kennedy Center.

Habba accused former Kennedy Center chief Ric Grenell of failing to transfer $5.6 million that Mildon says he donated to the Washington, D.C., arts institution. Grenell has denied the allegation, while the White House continues to investigate the matter, the Daily Mail reported earlier this month.

It remains unclear when or where Mildon and Habba first met. They were publicly seen together for the first time in April, when an active-shooter incident brought the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to an early end.

Trump told at least one ally that the Herrera family shouldn't pay Habba the rest of her contract, according to the Times

The Times reported that Trump told at least one ally the Herrera family should not pay Habba the balance of her contract

The attorney had recently married Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon in September in a glitzy wedding in New York City just months after they met

The attorney had recently married Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon in September in a glitzy wedding in New York City just months after they met

Mildon has been seen with Habba at a number of White House events in the months since, and the pair tied the knot in September in Manhattan’s newly-reopened Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

The ceremony marked Habba’s third wedding, and at the time it was reported that it was Mildon’s second wedding. His previous marriage in 2021 into the family of a prominent Turkish magnate ended in 2024. 

However, the Times reported that several of Mildon’s former confidants said he had a legally non-binding religious marriage to María Ceballos, the daughter of Venezuelan military commander Adm. Remigio Ceballos, last year.

That relationship, before Mildon met Habba, reportedly took place at a time when Mildon was pursuing business deals in Venezuela. 

Mildon’s spokesperson told the Times that the couple only had an engagement ceremony, however, Ceballos reportedly told friends she was his wife. Religious marriages in Turkey are not legally binding, so his statement that he was only engaged to Ceballos may be accurate even if his ex claims they wed. 

Mildon has also portrayed himself as a billionaire, and he previously told Forbes Turkey that his companies’ revenues climbed over $2.6 billion in 2025. 

He has business interests in Venezuela and the Congo. 

Mildon came into President Trump’s orbit via Habba, with the ongoing wrangle over his donation to the Kennedy Center said to have caused Trump considerable stress. 

After Habba laid out her claims about what she says is the missing $5.6 million, Trump is said to have turned to White House counsel Will Scharf and said: ‘Take this seriously, figure it out, and come back to me ASAP.’ 

Grenell denied Habba’s claims in a subsequent phone call with Trump. 

He again denied the donation claim in a statement given to the Daily Mail, saying: ‘It’s absurd. I’ve never asked for one cent to be sent somewhere else pretending it was for the Kennedy Center and I’ve never received any payment from him at all,’ Grenell said in a statement to the Daily Mail.

‘Make [Mildon] give proof to what he is claiming he gave.’

Gov. Kathy Hochul Slammed for Netflix ‘Cornell 7’ Doc Cameo

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New criticism is mounting against New York Gov. Kathy Hochul over her appearance in a Netflix documentary examining the renewed investigation into seven men accused of sexually assaulting a woman at Cornell and her public comments about the allegations.

None of the seven men has been criminally charged. In October, Hochul signed an executive order naming New York Attorney General Letitia James as the special prosecutor overseeing the investigation.

In the recently released documentary, “Instadocs: Jane Doe v. Cornell,” Hochul appears roughly 13 minutes into the film, discussing her reaction to reports about the case.

During the interview, she said, “My first reaction was how disgusting, not again. You feel like, not again.”

Hochul also recalled her experience as an undergraduate at Syracuse University in the late 1970s.

“There were a series of rapes our first week on campus and there was a sense of anxiety all around,” Hochul said.

She criticized what she described as a “culture” that “has never changed.”

“The number of people involved and the repugnancy of her allegations would’ve drawn you to local police department fairly quickly,” she said.

The allegations by Jane Doe attracted national attention after she filed a civil lawsuit against seven Cornell Chi Phi fraternity brothers, the university, her own sorority and others. She alleged that she was drugged and gang raped inside a fraternity house in 2024.

The lawsuit came nearly two years after she first reported the allegations to local law enforcement. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said that “multiple prosecutors and criminal investigators reviewed Jane Doe’s statement and correctly determined the alleged facts as set forth in the statement do not constitute a crime.”

Hochul also addressed the handling of the allegations by law enforcement during her interview for the documentary.

“In a situation like this, you want to make sure that people believe in the process,” she said.

Fox News contributor Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney and host of the “Crime and Justice with Donna Rotunno” podcast, criticized Hochul’s participation in the documentary. She argued that the governor’s comments could intensify existing concerns about the fairness of the prosecution.

“The governor can say anything she wants about anything. The question is, should she?” Rotunno said.

“The problem you have here is there has already been the air of impropriety,” she added.

Rotunno called the timing of Hochul’s renewed attention to the case “suspect” and questioned why the governor intervened two years later.

“If she was so in tune as to what was happening in Ithaca or elsewhere in the state of New York, this is probably something that should have been on her radar.”

Asked by Fox News Digital why Hochul chose to appear in the documentary, a spokesperson for the governor said, “Governors routinely speak to news and media organizations about matters of significant public interest.”

Doomsday Killer Lori Vallow’s Intended Victim Gets Last Word

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In 2019, a bullet came within inches of Brandon Boudreaux’s head as a gunman opened fire outside his Arizona home.

The attempted shooting uncovered an alleged murder-for-hire scheme connected to Lori Vallow Daybell. Prosecutors said she enlisted her brother, Alex Cox, to target Boudreaux, who was involved in a bitter divorce from Vallow’s niece, Melani Pawlowski.

Years later, Boudreaux is sharing his account of the attack and the events that followed.

On Oct. 2, 2019, Cox allegedly fired from a parked Jeep Wrangler as Boudreaux drove his Tesla into the driveway of his Gilbert home. Boudreaux noticed the Jeep’s rear window was open just before the shot rang out. The bullet slammed into the driver’s-side door and shattered the window.

Brandon Boudreaux

Brandon Boudreaux was targeted in a failed murder-for-hire plot tied to Lori Vallow Daybell. (Courtesy of Brandon Boudreaux)

Authorities identified Cox as the suspected gunman soon after the shooting, but he died in December 2019 before prosecutors could charge him.

In June 2025, an Arizona jury found Vallow, widely known as the “cult mom,” guilty of conspiring to kill Boudreaux. Two months earlier, a separate jury convicted her of conspiring in the death of her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, who was shot and killed by Cox in July 2019.

Those Arizona verdicts came after Vallow’s 2023 trial in Idaho. Jurors convicted her of murdering her children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, as well as conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, the former wife of Vallow’s husband, Chad Daybell.

She was also found guilty of grand theft for collecting Social Security benefits intended for her children.

Lori Vallow

Lori Vallow looks toward the camera during a March 6, 2020, hearing in Rexburg, Idaho. Defense attorney Edwina Elcox sits beside her. (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, Pool)

Sharing his story

Boudreaux recounts the ordeal in his new book, “Unthinkable.” He first wrote the manuscript as a private record for his four children, hoping to give them a fuller understanding of what happened and the decisions he made.

“I’m sure I made some mistakes,” Boudreaux told News Media. “If they need some closure, if they need to understand better… my goal was to give them all the information.”

Boudreaux also wanted the book to explain how his faith helped sustain him, while making clear that his children would be free to follow their own spiritual beliefs.

“I want them to understand their dad and maybe in understanding their dad and why he made the choices he did, maybe they’ll understand themselves better,” he said.

Lori Vallow mugshot and profile mugshot

Lori Vallow wears a smirk in a mugshot taken after her Idaho murder conviction. (Madison County Sheriff)

The book eventually grew into a public project after Boudreaux shared the manuscript with family and friends. They encouraged him to make the story available to a wider audience.

“They all encouraged me,” he said. “They said they thought it was good enough and there was enough in there that people would be interested in.”

Even so, Boudreaux held back until the criminal cases moved forward. He deliberately avoided releasing details that might compromise the investigations or court proceedings.

JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan

Lori and Chad Daybell were convicted in the deaths of 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old J.J. Vallow in 2019. (Rexberg Police Department)

“I needed to go on the stand with a defense attorney,” he said. “I just felt more comfortable waiting and making sure that I let that process go first.”

“Now that it feels like it’s most likely done, it was something that I always kind of intended to share my perspective on.”

Divorce and shooting

During Vallow’s Idaho murder trial, Boudreaux testified that his marriage to Pawlowski collapsed in 2019 as she grew closer to Vallow.

The couple filed for divorce in July 2019. They later fought over custody of their children.

According to a 2020 custody filing in Maricopa County Superior Court, Pawlowski’s second husband, Ian, wrote that she believed a “dark entity” or demon had possessed Boudreaux, East Idaho News reported.

The filing also claimed Chad Daybell told Pawlowski something must happen to Boudreaux to advance his spirit and the Lord’s plan.

Chad Daybell in court

Chad Daybell sits at the defense table after the jury’s verdict in his murder trial was read at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Kyle Green, Pool)

Pawlowski has not been charged in the shooting.

Boudreaux, who remarried in 2020, said the shooting, his divorce and the lingering fear that someone was still after him left him struggling to trust others.

“Having been through someone shooting at me, and then having them continue, in my opinion, to keep looking for me … you’re just naturally gonna have some trust issues,” he said.

He acknowledged that public attention brought some discomfort, but said most people treat him with kindness and respect.

Lori Vallow Daybell sits in a police car, smiling

Lori Vallow Daybell smiles outside of an Idaho courthouse on Aug. 16, 2022. (Tony Blakeslee/East Idaho News via AP)

Investigation remains active

Boudreaux declined to discuss details of the shooting investigation, saying he wanted to leave that work to law enforcement.

“I encourage them to continue the investigation,” he said. “I really don’t want to talk about the investigation. I want to leave that up to them.”

The Gilbert Police Department confirmed to NBC News that the investigation into the 2019 shooting remains active.

‘Everybody has value’

Boudreaux said he hopes readers take away a broader message from “Unthinkable” about finding value and overcoming adversity.

“I hope that everybody has value and everybody can help someone else,” he said, adding that difficult experiences do not have to dictate a person’s choices.

“Just because something hard happens in your life doesn’t mean that you have to respond a certain way.”

Gen Z Protesters Loot Shops and Throw Fireworks During Demonstrations in Germany

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Europe was left shaken after Halloween protests erupted into violence across several cities.

In Germany, rioters looted shops and allegedly took guns, while French authorities opened an attempted-murder investigation after a police officer was hit by a Molotov cocktail. Hundreds of people were arrested amid the unrest.

Violence also spread to Portugal, where protesters clashed with police in Lisbon during the early hours.

In Frankfurt, a substantial part of the city’s shopping district was closed after what authorities described as violent riots. Police said numerous arrests were made overnight after specialist units were deployed.

Officers used water cannon to break up demonstrators who had thrown stones, bottles and fireworks at emergency workers.

Roman Poseck, the interior minister of Hesse, said “around 100 clearly identified left-wing extremists” had disrupted peaceful cost-of-living protests earlier in the day.

Several shopfronts in Frankfurt’s financial district were smashed, including those of a gun store and a trainer retailer. Police later arrested a suspect and seized two weapons.

In Berlin, police said they were dealing with “the unpleasant side effects of Halloween” as clashes left bins and e-scooters ablaze across the capital.

A person dressed in a Batman costume stands in front of a burning trash dumpster in downtown Frankfurt

A person wearing a Batman costume stands before a burning rubbish bin in central Frankfurt

Police detain a demonstrator dressed as Batman during a nationwide protest by campaign group Gen Z regelt

Police detain a demonstrator dressed as Batman during a nationwide protest organised by campaign group Gen Z regelt

People try to break a window of a store selling weapons, during a nationwide protest by campaign group Gen Z regelt in Frankfurt

People attempt to smash the window of a weapons store during a nationwide Gen Z regelt protest in Frankfurt

Demonstrators pose with Halloween masks as they attend a protest under the slogan "Gen Z Takes Care of It" in Frankfurt

Demonstrators wearing Halloween masks pose at a Frankfurt protest held under the slogan “Gen Z Takes Care of It”

A bus was struck by a pyrotechnic device and a police van was covered in graffiti during the disorder. In total, 60 people were arrested as protesters occupied tram lines, blocked roads and continued marching into the evening.

A separate demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate had passed “almost without incident” earlier in the day. But a later gathering at Rosenthaler Platz turned confrontational, leaving 27 officers “slightly injured”, police said.

In Cologne, police officers were attacked near the main railway station, where protesters threw a bicycle and bottles at them.

German broadcaster RTL reported that groups dressed in dark clothing had been kicking walls, shouting and setting off pyrotechnics.

In Bremen, police said a march that started peacefully descended into disorder after some participants set off fireworks and abused officers. Demonstrations also took place in Munich, while an officer in Bonn sustained minor injuries.

Youth protest movement Gen-Z Regelt!—a name meaning “Gen-Z has got this”—had organised demonstrations in 34 German cities on Saturday. Around 120,000 people took part across the country.

The group has publicly condemned the violence in Germany, stating online: “Extremist groups, anti-constitutional symbols, racism and hate speech have no place with us—no matter from which side.”

However, separate marches continued to cause disruption, with police saying they intervened “very decisively and also forcefully” to prevent further damage.

A man dressed in a Batman costume stands in front of police amid riots in the city center of Frankfurt

A man dressed in a Batman costume stands in front of police amid riots in the city center of Frankfurt

People loot a weapon through a broken store window, in Frankfurt following a nationwide protest

People loot a weapon through a broken store window, in Frankfurt following a nationwide protest

A person wearing a clown mask uses a traffic sign to smash a store window in Frankfurt

A person wearing a clown mask uses a traffic sign to smash a store window in Frankfurt

Police run past a trash dumpster set on fire by protesters in downtown Frankfurt

Police run past a trash dumpster set on fire by protesters in downtown Frankfurt

It was ‘deeply saddening that young people who wanted to peacefully demonstrate for their future were infiltrated today by extremists who had nothing but violence in mind’, Cologne’s police chief Johannes Hermanns said.

‘The rioters and looters will be identified and held accountable,’ Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt was quoted as telling the Bild tabloid on Sunday. ‘This breach of the peace must be followed by tough penalties.’

He accused ‘violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from the migrant community’ of hijacking the otherwise peaceful protests, without elaborating.

Frankfurt police put more than 30 individuals under temporary arrest, local broadcaster HR said, without giving details of those detained.

The minister said the police strategy of maintaining a large presence while deploying officers across multiple locations had worked.

‘Excesses of violence like those in Paris were prevented thanks to our highly committed police forces,’ Mr Dobrindt, a member of the conservative CSU, said.

France launched an ‘attempted murder’ probe this weekend after an officer was engulfed in flames when being struck by a Molotov cocktail in a clash last night.

With more than 770 people arrested yesterday, it was considered one of the more peaceful weekends of protests after extensive riots and looting on October 17 left a trail of damage to shops, public buildings and businesses.

Flames rise on riot policemen after a Molotov cocktail was thrown in Paris

Flames rise on riot policemen after a Molotov cocktail was thrown in Paris

A French Gendarme who is partly burning runs in a street as facing protesters at the end of a protest march during nationwide demonstrations over the rising cost of living and inequality organised by Yellow Vest movement

A French Gendarme who is partly burning runs in a street as facing protesters at the end of a protest march during nationwide demonstrations over the rising cost of living and inequality organised by Yellow Vest movement

Riot police advance on protesters during a rally for the right to housing in Lisbon

Riot police advance on protesters during a rally for the right to housing in Lisbon

Three weeks after they began in Porto, the protests for the right to housing continue, calling on the government to scrap the new rent law and adopt measures such as ending demolitions and evictions without providing alternative housing

Three weeks after they began in Porto, the protests for the right to housing continue, calling on the government to scrap the new rent law and adopt measures such as ending demolitions and evictions without providing alternative housing

Police officers take cover behind a vehicle with a Molotov cocktail fire during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana on October 31, 2026

Police officers take cover behind a vehicle with a Molotov cocktail fire during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana on October 31, 2026

Protesters stand next to waste bins on fire during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana, Albania

Protesters stand next to waste bins on fire during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana, Albania

France’s interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, described the Molotov cocktail attack on the Paris officer as an ‘attempted murder’, and there are reports of the officer suffering second degree burns.

The Paris police prefecture said that several hundred rioters had attacked security forces with projectiles, with the prosecutor’s office confirming on Sunday ‘explosive devices were thrown at around fifteen gendarmes as well as police officers’.

No suspects ‘have been arrested at this stage in connection with the incident’, the prosecutor’s office said, adding that investigators were working to identify those responsible. 

Meanwhile, in Lisbon, police clashed with demonstrators who had set up a camp of more than 50 tents in Rossio square at 4.30am as they detained some of the protesters in an attempt to clear the area.

Thousands had earlier marched through the city demanding Portugal’s centre-right government withdraw a controversial rental bill – which critics say would further deteriorate the country’s housing crisis.

Police commander Iuri Rodrigues had warned the protesters several times who had established a camp that if the illegally erected tents were not removed, they could face disobedience charges.

The disorder follows weeks of student demonstrations across Europe. More than 320,000 protesters are said to have joined marches across France as demonstrations over education funding have widened into a broader movement.

In Albania, student anger over high living costs and education underfunding has merged with demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. Demos have become increasingly violent with protesters hurling paving stones, flares and petrol bombs at police.

Protests over insufficient education funding have become part of a wider movement demanding Mr Rama’s resignation, with demonstrations repeatedly descending into violence. 

Meanwhile, French police arrested five people accused of attempting to loot a Foot Locker store in Marseille.

Police in the Bouches-du-Rhone prefecture said the suspects were caught trying to break into the shop’s storerooms.

The French unrest began with demonstrations by high school students demanding the equivalent of around £9billion for the education system, before expanding to draw in groups ranging from trade unions to Black Bloc anarchists.

Demonstrations have also spread to countries including Italy, Portugal and Poland.

Shopping Mall Shooting Kills Pregnant Woman, Injures Six Others

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A night of last-minute Halloween shopping turned tragic at a Spirit Halloween store this weekend when gunfire left a pregnant woman dead and six people injured. Frightening video from inside the store captured shoppers scrambling for cover as the shooting unfolded.

Shots were fired at approximately 8:30pm on Friday at the seasonal store in Fairfield, a city outside San Francisco. The gunman remained unidentified, and no arrests had been made, according to the Fairfield Police Department.

Police announced Saturday afternoon that the only person killed was 31-year-old Constance Hages. Her family told authorities that she was pregnant.

Three male victims, aged 16, 19 and 32, were hospitalized in critical condition. Their identities have not been released.

A 23-year-old man was also hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Two other victims, a 19-year-old man and a 43-year-old man, were treated for gunshot wounds and later released, police said.

Video recorded by a witness showed terrified shoppers dropping to the ground and hiding as gunshots echoed through the Spirit Halloween store.

Jocelyn Lopez Tabares, 15, told the New York Post that she began recording the scene as evidence before calling her mother.

When the shooting began, she initially thought a balloon had burst. Her older sister then pulled her to the ground.

Gunshots rang out inside a Spirit Halloween store on Friday night in Fairfield, California, with six injured and one dead

Gunshots rang out inside a Spirit Halloween store on Friday night in Fairfield, California, leaving one person dead and six injured

Constance Hages, 31, was identified as the fatality in the shooting. Family members told police that she was pregnant. Picture source: Tonya Marzett/Facebook

Constance Hages, 31, was identified as the fatality in the shooting. Family members told police that she was pregnant. Picture source: Tonya Marzett/Facebook

‘I was in shock, and everyone just went down. My sister pulled me down because I couldn’t move. I was so scared,’ Lopez Tabares recalled.

‘All I could hear was people screaming and running from the back to the front,’ she added.

Lopez Tabares said she believed she might die, telling the newspaper: ‘I didn’t want to die that way.’

She described customers rushing toward the exits while she and her sister stayed hidden inside the store, fearing for their lives.

The shaken teenager also recalled hearing a mother cry out for her baby after the gunfire began.

Miena Davis, another witness, gave a similar account to local NBC affiliate KCRA. She said she heard a mother calling for her child and described the store as descending into ‘immediate panic.’

Javier Espinoza told the outlet that he and his girlfriend moved toward the front of the store during the shooting. He and another witness lifted the security gate, allowing shoppers to flee.

Janet Jacobo, who had been shopping with her three sons, told the New York Times that she ran from the store with her youngest child in her arms after hearing the gunshots.

Jacobo said her children were terrified. In an effort to reassure them after the traumatic experience, she told them it had been a ‘scary show at the Halloween store.’

Authorities said three men, aged 16, 19 and 32, have been hospitalized in critical condition. A 23-year-old man has been hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Two additional victims, including a 19-year-old man and a 43-year-old man

Authorities said three men, aged 16, 19 and 32, were hospitalized in critical condition. A 23-year-old man was hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Two additional victims, including a 19-year-old man and a 43-year-old man, were later released.

No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting and an investigation is ongoing. The incident prompted a large police presence

No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting and an investigation is ongoing. The incident prompted a large police presence 

The investigation into the shooting is still active and ongoing. The Fairfield Police Department said on Saturday morning that it is believed to have ‘stemmed from a targeted incident involving one suspect inside the Spirit Halloween store.’ 

‘We encourage everyone to remain vigilant, look out for one another, and report any suspicious activity,’ the department added in a statement.

‘The safety of our community remains our priority, and our department remains committed to working alongside our community to ensure everyone can enjoy a safe Halloween.’

Separately, another community was rocked on Friday night when a second shooting unfolded while revelers were shopping for last-minute costumes at a Spirit Halloween in Michigan. 

Shots rang out at the store following an altercation between a 21-year-old man from Detroit and a 21-year-old male from Oak Park, according to the Madison Heights Police Department. 

The Detroit man sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to a local hospital, where he later died. A 9mm handgun was recovered at the scene. 

The Oak Park man sustained non-life-threatening injuries after he was assaulted by bystanders before officers took him into custody. The department said investigators anticipate forthcoming criminal charges. 

Another shooting also unfolded at a Spirit Halloween store in Michigan on Friday. The suspect¿s wife, Alanna, claimed her husband shot in self-defense

Another shooting also unfolded at a Spirit Halloween store in Michigan on Friday. The suspect’s wife, Alanna, claimed her husband shot in self-defense

The suspect’s wife, named only as Alanna, told Click on Detroit that her husband shot in self-defense. 

She said they were leaving the store with their three children when an acquaintance confronted them. Alanna claimed her husband fired a shot fearing the man was armed.

‘If he didn’t have that gun, and we walked out here and all those people would’ve jumped on him, would I be at the hospital right now praying over my husband? He defended me, himself, and his kids,’ she said. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Fairfield Police Department and the Madison Heights Police Department for updates on the investigations into both shootings. 

Indiana University Mass Shooting Hurts at Least 7 at Homecoming

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At least seven people were wounded early Sunday in a shooting near Indiana University Bloomington as students and visitors gathered for homecoming weekend.

Bloomington police officers responding to reports of “multiple gunshots” encountered a large crowd and later spotted a man fleeing with a firearm at about 1:30 a.m., Deputy Chief Ryan Pedigo said.

A fight reportedly broke out in the crowd shortly before the gunfire, according to WTHR.

At least seven people are injured following a shooting near the Indiana University Bloomington campus. WTHR

The conditions of those injured were not immediately available. Pedigo said no fatalities had been reported.

Investigators are also trying to determine whether additional victims may have been hurt but have not yet come forward.

Police detained one person and recovered a firearm nearby, though authorities have not determined whether that individual was the shooter, Pedigo said.

Police investigate a nighttime shooting scene on a street near the Indiana University Bloomington campus, with debris scattered across the pavement.

A man with a gun was seen running from the scene at around 1:30 a.m. local time, according to Bloomington police. WTHR

Officers found shell casings from several calibers on the sidewalk near the shooting scene, a discovery that suggests more than one gun may have been used, the Bloomingtonian reported.

The gunfire erupted on Kirkwood Avenue near Grant Street, a busy nightlife area popular with students and located just three blocks from the IU campus.

The shooting followed a high-energy homecoming night for Indiana University, whose Hoosiers defeated Minnesota in a dramatic overtime victory earlier Saturday evening.

Convicted Killer Jacob Morley Escapes From Tennessee Prison

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A convicted murderer has escaped from a Tennessee prison, prompting an urgent law enforcement search.

Jacob Allen Morley, 28, is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder. He escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Oct. 25, the Tennessee Department of Correction said.

Staff realized Morley was missing at approximately 11:30 p.m. An emergency count and facility-wide search followed, but officials could not locate him. Security video later showed him climbing through a perimeter fence while wearing his prison uniform before running from the property.

Within two hours, authorities say Morley stole a pickup truck on Keystone Drive in Lake County, roughly two miles from the prison. Surveillance footage released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows him walking around a gravel lot filled with farm equipment before entering a white Ford F-350 and driving away.

Morley has been added to Tennessee’s Most Wanted list. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information that results in his arrest. He is described as approximately 6 feet tall and weighing 240 pounds.

“Residents in the area are asked to check home security and doorbell cameras, trail and hunting cameras, and other surveillance systems for possible sightings or activity,” TDOC said in a press release. “Anyone who sees Morley or has information about his whereabouts should not approach him.”

Anyone who spots Morley should call 911 or contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

A Tennessee Department of Correction spokesperson directed Oxygen to the Bureau of Investigation for additional information.

Morley’s attorneys and representatives of the Tennessee District Attorney General’s Office did not immediately reply to Oxygen’s requests for comment.

What Crimes Did Jacob Allen Morley Commit? 

Morley was convicted in the killing of his friend and coworker, Cody Birchfield.

Birchfield was reported missing in Elizabethton on Feb. 23, 2022, two days after he was last seen with Morley. Investigators searching Birchfield’s home found signs of a violent crime and secured warrants for searches of Morley’s property.

When deputies attempted to pull Morley over, he sped away, leading to a high-speed chase that crossed state lines. The pursuit ended after he crashed and fled into a wooded area, where officers arrested him.

According to NBC News, Birchfield’s remains were eventually discovered inside a box buried beneath Morley’s home. He had been shot in the back of the head.

During the trial, Morley’s lawyers said he had mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, the outlet reported.

Morley was found guilty of first-degree murder in February 2025. He also received additional sentences for abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

Ex-Pentagon UFO Chief Says FBI Black Triangle Reports Lack Evidence

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Sean Kirkpatrick, the former chief of the Pentagon’s UFO investigation office, is urging caution over a reported sighting of a mysterious black triangle by FBI personnel. Speaking to News Media, he said the newly released account does not contain enough evidence to establish what the witnesses actually observed.

The former director of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) said recently declassified UAP records should be evaluated on verifiable evidence—not treated as confirmation of extraterrestrial activity.

Among the documents is a report of a 2026 encounter involving FBI personnel. The witnesses described a dark, nonreflective triangular object with no apparent engines, exhaust or conventional means of propulsion. According to the account, it rose above a mountain ridge before vanishing rapidly into a canyon.

A separate AARO summary said the matte-black triangle rose roughly 200 to 300 feet above the ridgeline, remained suspended for about 20 seconds and then seemed to accelerate nearly instantaneously.

Black triangular shape appears above a mountain ridge in an image included with a federal report documenting a 2026 unidentified aerial object sighting.

An image released with a 2026 FBI report shows what appears to be a black triangular object above a mountainous landscape. Federal agents said a silent triangle hovered over a ridgeline before speeding into a canyon, but officials have not clarified whether the image is an original photograph or an artistic reconstruction. (Department of War)

Kirkpatrick, a veteran of almost three decades in the Defense Department and intelligence community, said the witnesses’ FBI credentials do not, by themselves, prove the accuracy of their interpretation.

“There’s a lot of people that like to point to folks as being credible witnesses and therefore their testimony must be taken at face value,” Kirkpatrick told News Media. “And that is a classic case of authority bias.”

Without photographs, sensor records or other corroborating material, Kirkpatrick said investigators have little basis for determining what the witnesses encountered—or whether the object was unusual at all.

“Some of this is just, ‘hey, I saw something, I don’t know what it is,’” Kirkpatrick said. “People sometimes have a tendency to fill that gap with very extreme beliefs that have time and again proven to be inaccurate and fallible.”

dr sean kirkpatrick

Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, then director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, testified before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities on April 19, 2023. (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services)

One potential explanation for some triangular UFO reports, he said, is classified aerospace technology. Kirkpatrick compared them with sightings of the F-117 stealth aircraft before the public became aware of its existence.

According to Kirkpatrick, AARO grouped UAP cases into three principal possibilities: sophisticated technology operated by a foreign adversary, familiar objects or sensor-related effects that were misidentified, and an extraterrestrial origin.

“You’ve got 3 very distinct buckets,” Kirkpatrick said.

Investigators can then look for particular indicators associated with each category and compare them with the information gathered during an encounter, he explained.

“When you get data from an observation, actual data, not just a story, you compare that data to those signatures,” Kirkpatrick said.

Two bright orbs hovering in tandem above a dark tree line in the night sky.

A screenshot from video of an alleged unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) sighting in the northeastern United States in July 2025 appears in files released by the DOW and originally obtained by the FBI. (DOW/FBI)

“None of the data that we saw and reviewed and analyzed matches an alien hypothesis theory,” he added.

Kirkpatrick said the majority of cases reviewed by his office ultimately involved conventional objects or natural events that existing sensors were not built to identify clearly. A limited number raised the possibility of foreign adversary activity and were passed to national security officials for additional review.

He also cautioned against reading too much into the term “unresolved,” which frequently appears in official UAP files. The label does not automatically indicate that investigators discovered something beyond explanation.

“When we say a case is unresolved, it generally means there is no data or there is insufficient data to actually analyze it,” Kirkpatrick said. “And so you can’t conclude one way or the other.”

Investigators may have an idea of what an object likely was based on similar cases, he said, but without sufficient raw data, they cannot reach a definitive conclusion.

Kirkpatrick said some cases released publicly as unresolved had previously been resolved by AARO.

“Many of these cases, we did resolve, and I even briefed several of them to Congress with the answers and what they were and what they were likely to be,” Kirkpatrick said.

He said Pentagon leadership directed AARO to remove language explaining what investigators had determined before some cases were released publicly as unresolved.

Declassified 1952 Air Force report detailing a UFO sighting reported by three Boy Scouts attending summer camp on Catalina Island.

An Air Force intelligence report dated Aug. 28, 1952, documents claims by three Boy Scouts who reported seeing a silent, silver object moving faster than a conventional jet near California’s Santa Catalina Island. (Department of War)

“Pentagon leadership had told AARO to remove all of the resolution language and put these cases out as unresolved,” Kirkpatrick said. “Letting, and I quote, ‘the people make up their own mind,’ which is the absolute worst thing that you could do because all you’ve done is continue to just feed the flames of conspiracy with a whole bunch of nonsense.”

Kirkpatrick did not specify when the directive was issued or which Pentagon leaders were involved.

The War Department separately told News Media that it is not providing assessments of the newly released files, allowing the public to reach its own conclusions.

“We are not providing any comment or assessment on the files overall or on any specific file, so that the American people can make up their own minds regarding the files,” a War Department official said on background.

The department also confirmed that images accompanying the FBI triangular-object report were illustrations rather than photographs of the object itself.

Kirkpatrick said “unidentified” carries a different meaning than “unresolved,” though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.

“Unidentified generally means we can see and characterize an object and we have data to support that characterization, but we don’t know what it is,” he said.

He pointed to objects shot down over North America following the discovery of a Chinese surveillance balloon in 2023 as examples of objects that were initially unidentified before investigators determined they were balloons.

Other records released by the government stretch back decades, including reports of strange objects near California’s Santa Catalina Island in the 1950s.

Kirkpatrick said historical sightings must also be considered alongside the technology that existed at the time, pointing to early high-altitude balloon programs as a possible explanation for some reports of bright objects in the sky.

“There are thousands of these reports,” Kirkpatrick said. “And so even if there were alien visitations to Earth, there are not thousands of them.”

The possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe should not be confused with evidence that extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth, Kirkpatrick said.

“It’s statistically invalid to believe that’s not going to be the case, but the probability of them being here is just as statistically unrealistic,” he said.

Looking broadly at the latest records, Kirkpatrick said he saw little that changed his assessment.

“I mean, there’s nothing new,” Kirkpatrick said.

News Media reached out to the FBI for comment.

Putin Would Answer a Call From Zelensky, Kremlin Aide Says

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Russian President Vladimir Putin would take a call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a Kremlin aide said, as the two countries continue exchanging missile strikes.

“I think he would answer, of course. Putin has never refused talks,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Ushakov added that Zelensky would be welcome to travel to Moscow if he wanted to meet Putin face to face.

The comments followed efforts by Finland’s president to act as an intermediary this week, passing on Zelensky’s stated willingness to begin negotiations.

Ushakov also suggested that the next stage of peace discussions should involve Russia, Ukraine and the United States in a three-way format.

Asked whether European nations should take part, the Kremlin aide pointed to Moscow’s existing contacts with Washington. “We have working contacts with the Americans. Therefore, it is logical, of course, that at least the first rounds of negotiations should be held in a trilateral format,” he said.

The latest diplomatic signals came after Russia and Ukraine agreed last week to a ceasefire in the Ukrainian town of Oleshky, an arrangement brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.

During his Sunday prayer, Pope Leo said he hoped the agreement would help open the door to wider peace initiatives.

Vladimir Putin would answer a call from Volodymyr Zelensky if it came, a Kremlin aide has said

Kremlin aide says Vladimir Putin would answer a call from Volodymyr Zelensky

President Zelensky also said Ukrainian strikes had succesfully hita Russian oil facility

President Zelensky also said Ukrainian strikes had successfully hit a Russian oil facility

Pope Leo said: “A humanitarian operation has been carried out to help the civilian population in the city of Oleshky.

I hope that the cooperation between the parties, which made this necessary humanitarian gesture possible, will strengthen their willingness to engage in dialogue and lead to fresh, concrete initiatives for peace.”

Pope Leo spoke with both Putin and Zelensky on October 16.

According to the Kremlin, Putin told the pope that he backed a Vatican initiative to deliver supplies to civilians in Oleshky and was prepared to cooperate with the effort.

On Tuesday, the Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, said that despite Leo’s recent conversations with Putin and Zelensky, he did not believe the Vatican had directly helped arrange the six-day ceasefire.

Meanwhile, one of Russia’s largest oil refineries was still burning on Wednesday morning after an overnight Ukrainian drone strike.

Fires were reported at the sprawling Kstovo facility in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region.

Russia said on Sunday that a drone had struck an “industrial enterprise” east of Moscow during the night.

Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin described the incident as a “massive drone attack”, saying an “industrial enterprise in the Kstovo district sustained significant damage”.

“More than 100 drones were destroyed,” Nikitin said, adding that “according to preliminary information, there are no casualties”. He did not identify the facility’s operations.

Russian investigators are investigating on suspicion of terrorism charges following the strikes. 

Ukrainian media reported an attack on the Kstovo oil refinery, calling it ‘one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, producing fuel and lubricants’.

President Zelensky also said Ukrainian strikes had successfully hit the Kamesky plant in Russia’s Rostov region. 

Moscow said Friday that Ukraine had resumed its strikes on Russian oil refineries after a ‘pause’ of several days.

Senior Russian official Alexander Novak told a reporter from state TV that Ukraine had resumed attacks on Russian plants, hitting three oil refineries and one gas-chemical complex.

Kyiv has repeatedly struck Russian oil and gas sites in retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since Moscow began its offensive there in February 2022.

US President Donald Trump had been pressuring Kyiv for weeks to stop such attacks, blaming them for the rising cost of diesel.    

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of households in Ukraine were left without power on Sunday after Russia targeted infrastructure in four regions overnight, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.

‘The intensity of the strikes is very high, and the Russians are seeking to maximally exploit the deficit of ballistic missile interceptors,’ Zelensky said.

On Saturday, Ukraine hit Russia with kamikaze drones launched from weather balloons in a bid to erupt Moscow’s airports into chaos.

Kremlin war channels revealed how Zelensky used the unconventional tactic to close airspace around the Russian capital. 

‘This is the type of device the enemy is using to target the Russian capital, in an attempt to disrupt the operations of the Moscow aviation hub,’ reported New Military Columnist. 

The balloons are reportedly used to fly the drones to the target area at high altitude before they are launched to cause maximum damage.

The Kstovo oil refinery, owned by Russian giant Lukoil, is on fire after Ukrainian drone strike on Nizhny Novgorod region

The Kstovo oil refinery, owned by Russian giant Lukoil, is on fire after Ukrainian drone strike on Nizhny Novgorod region

The huge oil refinery remained burning this morning following overnight strikes

The huge oil refinery remained burning this morning following overnight strikes

Across Russia today there were reports of almost 1,000 delayed or cancelled flights amid growing frustration at Ukraine’s escalating bid to disrupt Putin’s airspace.

Most are regular drones launched from Ukraine.

By early afternoon there were reports of 84 flights delayed and 45 cancelled.

Smoke was seen close to Sheremetyevo amid suspicions an unmanned plane had crashed in the vicinity.

Some reports said the smoke was close to a Rosneft oil depot.

Vnukovo Airport – used by Russian officials and VIP guests – suffered 119 delays and ten cancellations.

Some passengers have been waiting days for their flights as planes are held at other airports, unable to fly to Moscow.

Novosibirsk – the largest airport in Siberia – suffered around 100 disrupted aircraft.

St Petersburg’s Pulkovo reported 138 delays or cancellations.

Brit Says £110,000 ‘Never-Ending’ Cruise Was Worth Every Penny

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A British mother stranded in Cambodia after travelling aboard the so-called “never-ending” cruise has said she believed the voyage was doomed almost from the moment it began.

Passengers on Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey were given just seven frantic hours on Wednesday before being left at the ship’s scheduled stop in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Villa Vie said it had “suspended operations” as oil prices climbed amid conflict in the Middle East, leaving some passengers stranded after selling everything they owned to fund their new life at sea.

However, claims have since surfaced suggesting that serious weaknesses in the company’s business model had appeared much earlier. The problems reportedly led the operator to seek additional money from its own passengers before the voyage ultimately collapsed.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Hertfordshire-born Julia Witt said she had foreseen the Odyssey’s troubled future.

Even though her prediction eventually came true, the 70-year-old insists the experience was worth every penny of the £110,000 she withdrew from her retirement savings.

Ms Witt said the company appeared to be charging too little while spending more than it brought in, making the long-term operation “unsustainable” from the outset.

“It was scuppered. It was always scuppered,” she said. “We all knew it was going to happen and saw it coming. There was no way the ship could sustain itself for the 15 years it was set to. Anybody with a modicum of business intelligence could have recognised that.”

Julia Witt set sail on Villa Vie Residences' ship Odyssey with partner Keith Gallocker (Supplied: Julia Witt)

Julia Witt set sail on Villa Vie Residences’ ship Odyssey with partner Keith Gallocker (Supplied: Julia Witt)

A drone view of the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship docking at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, Cambodia

A drone view of the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship docking at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, Cambodia

Mr Gallocker is pictured alongside other guests in front of the Odyssey (Supplied: Julia Witt)

Mr Gallocker is pictured alongside other guests in front of the Odyssey (Supplied: Julia Witt)

Alongside the $440,000 price of a premium cabin, some couples living permanently aboard the vessel paid as much as $9,000 (£6,700) a month in maintenance charges, including food.

Passengers were also required to cover monthly fuel costs for their cabins, averaging $1,800 (£1,354). In parts of Asia, those bills reportedly rose to between $6,000 (£4,516) and $8,000 (£6,021) as oil prices surged during the Iran war.

Ms Witt, who travelled with her partner Keith Gallocker from Hampshire, said she joined the venture fully aware that its promises were unrealistic.

“I signed up knowing this was an unrealistic promise,” she said. “It is cheaper than living in Gibraltar and certainly cheaper than living in the UK. It was undersold. We have been able to explore so many destinations we could only dream to go to.

“It has been worth every penny for what you effectively pay for. It covers your food, entertainment and services like cleaning. It also includes all your travel while onshore. It is absolute peanuts.”

Her view was markedly different from that of other residents who had committed their retirement savings to spending their later years aboard the Odyssey.

“Very sadly a lot of people spent silly money and didn’t understand it was unsustainable,” said Ms Witt, a Gibraltar resident.

“People are now really struggling. It hasn’t been easy for those who perhaps thought they would be able to live for $2,500 (£1,866) a month for 15 years with no annual increases.”

Mr Gallocker is pictured dining with other residents in a restaurant on the Odyssey(Supplied: Julia Witt)

Mr Gallocker is pictured dining with other residents in a restaurant on the Odyssey(Supplied: Julia Witt)

Residents of the Odyssey are pictured  celebrating Diwali on the ship as part of the cruise's entertainment (Supplied: Julia Witt)

Residents of the Odyssey are pictured  celebrating Diwali on the ship as part of the cruise’s entertainment (Supplied: Julia Witt)

‘That was the company. They were trying to sell the dream, and they were trying to get people on board as quickly as possible, with no experience in this field, and nobody has experience in this field.’

The British mother-of-four attributes Villa Vie’s failure to it ‘getting the figures wrong’ and ‘making a mistake’.

‘The mistake is they didn’t charge enough,’ Ms Witt said. ‘They undersold their product from day one to get the bums on seats and to get the cabins sold.

‘The company had to get good income and can’t go selling the cheaper cabins for a couple of thousand dollars. It will cost you around £200 ($268) just to fill up a basket of little things in a UK supermarket.

‘The ship’s leadership team wanted to make the trip affordable and didn’t get the figures right. We all make mistakes.’ 

But Ms Witt remains hopeful for its future, she adds, describing the potentiality of ‘utopia’ should a sustainable business model be created. 

‘Whoever gets this right as a business model will be delivering the most fantastic way of life and the most fantastic community,’ Ms Witt said. 

It is a failure founder Mikael Petterson has since spoken out and apologised for, blaming US President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran in February.

Ms Witt said it was obvious from the outset that the ship's operators were charging too little and spending more money than they were taking in, making the venture 'unsustainable' (Supplied: Julia Witt)

Ms Witt said it was obvious from the outset that the ship’s operators were charging too little and spending more money than they were taking in, making the venture ‘unsustainable’ (Supplied: Julia Witt)

The 200m (656ft) Odyssey (pictured) left Northern Ireland in October 2024 and was set to sail for 15 years (Supplied: Julia Witt)

The 200m (656ft) Odyssey (pictured) left Northern Ireland in October 2024 and was set to sail for 15 years (Supplied: Julia Witt)

‘I feel awful,’ he said on Wednesday. ‘I’m the villain in the story, but I’m doing everything I can to support the residents on a solution.’ 

Mr Petterson claimed he was in talks with a potential investor and had been waiting for a cash injection before the plans folded, which left the company with no viable option for its survival. 

The reality led to three months of stalled payments to crew members, as well as the rapid deterioration of conditions aboard the ship – and ‘strategically’ timed requests for money. 

Odyssey residents Paul Montoya, 68, and his 64-year-old wife Lynn described how the company continuously asked for funds from its residents since the Middle East conflict sparked.

This included a collective loan of $2.2million (£1.6million) in April – which they have not received a cent back from – and further calls for funds a few months later.   

‘Residents started donating to keep us on our journey,’ Mrs Montoya told the Daily Mail. ‘In September, the company asked for $1.5million (£1.2million) and then $360,000 this past week while we’ve been stranded in Cambodia.’

The retired couple from Wyoming, US, believe the requests for money were strategic and came when the ship was docked at different ports.

This then left the residents feeling vulnerable and ‘coerced’ into giving up their money.

‘We felt manipulated and when that happened time after time, it began to wear us down and frustrate us,’ Mrs Montoya, who sold the couple’s house to fund the trip, said.

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Villa Vie asked 22 residents for a collective loan of $2.2million (£1.6million), Mrs Montoya said

Villa Vie asked 22 residents for a collective loan of $2.2million (£1.6million), Mrs Montoya said

‘We’d arrive at the port and six hours before we were meant to leave they would say, “Oh, we can’t leave. We haven’t got the money”.

‘Everybody then felt pressured to come up with these funds. We joked that we felt we were being held captive.’

Questions began to arise as conditions on the ship began to get progressively worse, despite donations having been made specifically to pay for fuel.

‘The company cannot simply pass increases of that scale on to residents, and the resulting shortfall has placed its current operating model under unsustainable financial pressure,’ Villa Vie said in a statement this week. 

‘It started becoming apparent that the company is in significant debt – and we started losing a lot of our services,’ Mrs Montoya described.

She added: ‘Our internet was interrupted several times so we weren’t able to check our bank accounts or pay bills, or call home.

‘Our TV service then went down and so more questions started being asked. But despite this the company asked us again for money for fuel.’

Meanwhile, food quality deteriorated and crew members started disclosing with residents that their payments had been stalled.

This prompted residents to again shell out, although this time voluntarily, to financially support crew members.

The turmoil peaked this week when the hundreds of travellers were given just hours to pack their bags and disembark.

According to Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province in Cambodia, 203 guests and 156 crew had arrived at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville, where they were left behind by the cruise.

This came after the company asked for more money and received a further $360,000 (£270,049), Ms Witt said. 

‘We were given literally two days to conjure up $360,000 or we would be off the ship,’ she added. 

‘We effectively had enough of the company requesting money so very few people were prepared to put money upfront. 

‘We were given an ultimatum and we weren’t prepared to put our hands in our pockets anymore. We just saw the end was coming.’ 

The request for money was followed by an official notice at 8am on Tuesday telling the travellers to disembark, which they must do by 2pm.

The group of stranded residents were then shuttled off in groups and dumped in the centre of town.

Villa Vie said it was ‘working with residents to co-ordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements’.

‘Villa Vie Residences recognises that this is a difficult and disruptive period for residents, crew members, and employees, and is working to support those affected as plans develop,’ the firm said.

However, residents have disputed this and revealed they have received no help whatsoever.

Yet, despite Ms Witt’s current reality, she is to wait patiently in Cambodia for a month until her life on the sea is ‘resurrected’ – and attaches no regret to her decision. 

‘From my point of view, I don’t see what I have lost. I rather see what I have gained,’ she explained. 

‘It’s been the most remarkable journey. It’s been very special, particularly meeting different people around the world.’ 

Ms Witt will then ‘buy into’ the next ‘chapter’ of the Odyssey’s journey. 

The ship, built in 1993, contains several bars and restaurants, a pool deck and a pickleball court, according to its website. It has sailed for several different cruise lines, including Cunard (as Crown Dynasty) and, most recently, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines as Braemar.

The 200m (656ft) Odyssey left Northern Ireland in October 2024 and was set to sail for 15 years.

Villa Vie has been contacted for comment.

READ MORE: Inside the ‘never-ending cruise’ that dumped its passengers in Cambodia: ‘It got worse and worse. Crew begged us for money. We gave them $450k after they pressured us’

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