World News
Police begin prosecution of woman for kidnapping five-month-old twins in mother’s car
Kason Thomass, the five-month-old baby who was kidnapped with his twin while inside a car that was stolen Monday, was found safe and alive in Indianapolis Thursday, just hours after the suspect was taken into custody, according to a statement from the Columbus Division of Police.
“The 5-month-old boy is in good health and being transported to a hospital to be checked out,” police said in a tweet. “We are grateful to the public for their help throughout this investigation, and for the tireless work of our officers and our many partner agencies.”
CNN, reports that On Monday night, twins Kason and Kyair were inside a black 2010 Honda Accord that was left running outside a pizzeria on High Street in Columbus while their mother, Wilhelmina Thomass, was picking up a restaurant order while working as a DoorDash driver.
“When she came out, the car was gone. Kyair was later found abandoned near the Dayton International Airport around 4:15 a.m. Tuesday, but Kason remained missing,” the report said, adding that Suspect Nalah Jackson was arrested at approximately 2 p.m. Thursday by officers with the Indianapolis Metro Police Department (IMPD) after officials received several tips that she was in the area, said Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant during a news conference.
At the time of Jackson’s arrest, Kason was not found with her, Bryant said, adding that he was found later Thursday, in the stolen Honda Accord and was wearing the same clothes he was described to be wearing on Monday, police said.
Jackson, 24, was charged with two felony counts of kidnapping, the report, said, adding that since she crossed state lines, she would be facing federal charges, with Bryant saying: “It will absolutely be a federal investigation.”
A warrant for Jackson’s arrest was filed through the Franklin County Court, according to an online docket.
An Amber Alert went out for the twins at 1:37 a.m. Tuesday, officials said. Restaurant employees told police that a homeless woman exited the restaurant after the twins’ mother entered the restaurant. The individual was later caught on camera at a gas station where she asked an employee for money.
Officials do not believe there’s a connection between the twins’ family and the suspect.
Witnesses spotted suspect
Columbus Police Deputy Chief Smith Weir said during the Thursday news conference that officers have received “over three dozen tips” since Wednesday from throughout the state.
Late Thursday morning, the department’s hotline received several calls from people in Indiana who believed they spotted Jackson in Indianapolis and officers “implored” the witnesses to call 911. IMPD informed Columbus police around 2 p.m. that they had stopped an individual who they believed to be Jackson and both departments worked together to identify her before taking her into custody, Weir said.
“If you have any information regarding this crime or the whereabouts of this baby, please contact us as soon as possible,” Weir said, adding that three detectives from the Columbus Division of Police are traveling to Indianapolis to coordinate with IMPD and the FBI to further the investigation.
The FBI had offered a $10,000 award for the safe return of Kason, according to Bryant.
‘Just bring my baby home’
On Wednesday, family members and community leaders gathered to pray for the safe return of the child.
During the vigil, the twins’ grandmother, LaFonda Thomass, begged for the return of Kason.
“If you look at him and you see anything, see a precious child who’s longing for his mother,” she said. “We beg you, please, please, please do the right thing and just bring my baby home.”
First Assistant Chief of Police LaShanna Potts said during the vigil, “We are committed to finding baby Kason. We want Nalah to do the right thing. … We know she’s capable of doing it because she did release one baby.”
Barnett and other family members searched for Kason throughout the Dayton area on Tuesday, including at the gas station, she told CNN affiliate WSYX.
“I just miss my babies. I miss them being together and their smile,” she told WSYX.
She said she’s worried about her son’s safety and if he’s being fed.
“Kason, he loves eating and that’s why I’m so so worried. I know he’s flipping out. He eats so fast. He eats in 3-5 minutes,” Barnett said.
Journalists and other guests, were forced to dock under their tables, fended by security operatives after sounds of gunshots were heard within the precinct of the venue where Donald Trump, President of the United States was hosting media personalities to a dinner on Saturday.
The POTUS and his wife Melania, were declared unhurt after the incident, in which one person was arrested and taken away and is said to be currently in custordy, as a result.
The incident took place at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night, with the United States Secret Service confirming that a suspect was been taken into custody, adding that investigations were ongoing in collaboration with local law enforcement.
The shooting occurred near the main security screening area at the event venue, the Washington Hilton, where hundreds of journalists, politicians, and guests had gathered, reports say, quoting the statement as saying: “The President and first lady are safe along with all protectees.”
The report maintained that the condition of those involved in the incident was still being assessed, while witnesses said they heard what sounded like gunshots shortly after 8:30 p.m., triggering panic as attendees fled the ballroom.
Security operatives were seen swiftly evacuating top officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance and members of the cabinet with a video footage from the scene showing Secret Service agents clearing the stage and ushering the President and other dignitaries to safety, while voices were heard urging people to “stay down.”
Trump, who spoke shortly after the incident, praised security agencies for their swift response, saying via a post on social media: “Secret Service and law enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended.”
He added that while he initially suggested the event continue, final decisions would be made by security authorities, noting that the evening’s programme had been significantly disrupted.
Organisers later confirmed that the president would address the press, with plans to possibly reschedule the event within 30 days.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is an annual gathering that brings together journalists, political leaders, and public figures, and is often seen as a key moment celebrating press freedom in the United States.
With the announcement of a $10million bounty on the head of Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, The United States, appears to be showing no let in its campaign in the Middle East country, where it had already killed scores of its previous leaders.
“These individuals command and direct various elements of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which plans, organizes and executes terrorism around the world,” the State Department said, to indicate Washington’s preparedness to pay $10 million reward for information about the whereabouts of Khamenei, whose father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed at the start of the campaign a fortnight ago.
The department’s Rewards for Justice Programme (RFJP) placed a bounty on 10 of Iran’s most senior remaining leaders, including Khamenei and Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the country’s top security official, said to lead the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, accused of planning, organising and executing terrorism around the world.
The RFJP has previously offered bounties for terrorists like former al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, as well as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was the subject of a $10 million reward under the programme until he was removed in 2024.
Five of the people designated on Friday are listed by their titles with no name or photograph, including “secretary of the defense council” and “the IRGC commander.”
The United States and Israel have killed many of Iran’s top leaders, including former IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader and Mojtaba’s father.
Ali Larijani, the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, who had also appeared in a live interview with Iranian media during the march, had posted a video of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian walking in Tehran on Friday for the country’s annual Quds Day demonstrations against Israel.
Taunting U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s claim that Iranian leaders were hiding undergroundm, he wrote: “Mr. Hegseth, our leaders have been, and still are, among the people. But your leaders? On Epstein’s island!”
Earlier Donald Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News in an interview that aired Friday morning to underscore his belief that Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since he was elevated to supreme leader, was wounded, said: “I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form,”
“Rest assured that my determination to serve you is matched to the severity of the challenges before us. Together there are no challenges we cannot overcome. The best is still to come,” were the words with which Paul Biya, President of Cameroun, gave an indication to extend his reign in the country, for a record, eight time.
This would take the 92-year old leader, who came into power in November 1982, replacing Ahmaduo Ahidjo, his predecessor to 51 years and a year short of 100 years in age by the time his seven-year term would end, should he succeed in the current bid.
Though the oldest President in the world by age, Biya, who is the second longest President in the only to Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, who has been in power since he came in through a coup in 1979, confirmed that he would be on the ballot on Sunday, saying he had accepted his party’s nomination.
In the announcement made on his official X handle, and Facebook account in French and English, he wrote: “I’m running for the presidential election on October 12, 2025.”
As the nonagenarian battles with both age and ill-health, giving rise to frequent speculations, one of which came with his disappearance from public view for 42 days, last year, was replaced by another speculation of a coup, last month, which turned out to be a ruse.
Members of the governing Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) and other supporters have since last year publicly called for Biya to seek another term.
But opposition parties and some civil society groups argue his long rule has stifled economic and democratic development, with two former allies quiting the governing coalition and announcing plans to separately run in the election.
“President Biya’s announcement to run again is a clear sign of Cameroon’s stalled political transition. After over 40 years in power, what the country needs is renewal – not repetition. Cameroonians deserve democratic change and accountable leadership,” Nkongho Felix Agbor, a human rights advocate and lawyer, told The Associated Press news agency.
Sunday’s announcement is sure to revive debate over Biya’s fitness for office. He seldom makes public appearances, often delegating responsibilities to the powerful chief of staff of the president’s office.
To underscore the situation in the Central African country, the government during his disappearance last year, had banned any comments on his whereabouts and state of health, which they claimed was a security matter and arrested those who flouted the order.
His long reign continued after he scrapped term limits in 2008, clearing the way for him to run indefinitely, winning his latest election in 2018 with 71.28 percent of the vote, though opposition parties alleged widespread irregularities.
The cocoa- and oil-producing Central African nation, which has had just two presidents since independence from France and the United Kingdom in the early 1960s, is likely to face a messy succession crisis if Biya were to become too ill to remain in office or die.
Besides Biya, several opposition figures have also declared their intention to run, including 2018 runner-up Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Joshua Osih of the Social Democratic Front, lawyer Akere Muna and Cabral Libii of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation.
Under Biya, Cameroon has faced economic challenges and insecurity on several fronts, including a drawn-out separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions and ongoing incursions from the Boko Haram armed group in the north.
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