Suspected ICE sniper’s family expresses anguish over Dallas shooting
As investigators continued to search for answers following a shooting Wednesday at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas, that left one detainee dead and two others wounded, the family of 29-year-old suspect Joshua Jahn struggled to process the news.
Reached by phone at her home in a Dallas suburb, shortly after the deadly incident but before authorities had publicly identified Jahn as the suspect, his distraught mother attempted, but was unable, to put her whipsawing emotions into words.
“I’m sorry, I can’t talk to you right now,” Sharon Jahn told The Independent while sobbing openly. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. But I just can’t talk to you now.”
The first shots rang out at around 6:20 a.m., according to authorities. The shooter “fired indiscriminately” at the building, as well as at a transport van in the structure’s sallyport, where the victims were hit, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Jahn’s body was discovered on the roof of a nearby immigration attorney’s office. Police said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Jahn’s 65-year-old father, Andrew, is a retired mechanical engineer. Sharon, also 65 and retired, worked as the administrator of a massage school in Plano. Jahn has two siblings, a 26-year-old sister Kioko and a 30-year-old brother, Noah.
Noah Jahn was equally distressed over the shooting Wednesday, telling The Independent that he was not prepared to discuss the situation in any detail. However, it was clear he was just starting to come to grips with what had happened that morning.
“I’m still trying to…” Noah Jahn said haltingly. “I’m back and forth with the police, I’m just…” He then hung up.
Andrew Jahn was unable to be reached.
In an earlier interview, Noah Jahn told NBC News that his brother was not particularly political, and “didn’t have strong feelings about ICE, as far as I knew.” Jahn’s voter info shows he was not registered to any particular party.
However, law enforcement officials said unspent shell casings located near the shooter’s remains had “anti-ICE messages” on them. FBI director Kash Patel posted a photo on social media showing what appeared to be a rifle round with the words “ANTI-ICE” scrawled on it.
At the same time, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson emphasized that the situation remained fluid while police investigated.
“Let’s be patient, let’s remain calm, and let’s let our law enforcement partners… do their job,” Johnson said at a press conference. “This is an active investigation. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, and I want to encourage all of you to exercise a little bit of restraint and allow them to do their job.”
Details about the number of victims and their injuries changed numerous times Wednesday, due to conflicting information being released by federal officials.
The names of the victims in Wednesday’s attack have not been released.
Noah Jahn also told NBC that his parents owned a rifle and that his brother was a competent shooter. But, he insisted his brother was “not a marksman, that’s for sure,” expressing disbelief that he could have carried out the killings.
Joshua Jahn did not have a serious criminal history, according to a review of public records. In 2016, he was caught delivering more than a quarter-ounce but less than five pounds of marijuana, a felony to which he later entered a deferred guilty plea. Jahn received five years probation, a $500 fine, and was ordered to pay $180 restitution, court filings show.
Last month, at the same Dallas ICE facility, 36-year-old Bratton Dean Wilkinson was charged with making terroristic threats and falsely claiming to have a bomb in his backpack.
Morale among ICE agents has reportedly sunk to an all-time low amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy, which has soured public opinion as the federal crackdown has expanded nationwide.
ICE personnel on official missions are met regularly by jeering crowds of protesters; the federal government is simultaneously trying to recruit some 10,000 new agents in a colossal expansion spurred on by the Trump administration.
To attract applicants, ICE is offering recruits six-figure salaries, five-figure signing bonuses, and student loan forgiveness.
Rihanna announces birth and name of her third baby
Rihanna has given birth to her third child with her partner A$AP Rocky.
The “Umbrella” singer turned to Instagram on Wednesday to share a photo of her holding a child wrapped up in a pink blanket with a gold ring that read “Mom.”
The post’s caption read, “Rocki Irish Mayers Sept 13 2025.”
She also showed a photo of pink ballet slippers and a bow, indicating that her third child with the rapper is a girl. She and A$AP Rocky — whose real name is Rakim Mayers — share two sons together as well, RZA, born in 2022, and Riot, who arrived in 2023.
Many people were quick to turn to the post’s comments section, expressing their heartfelt congratulations to the couple.
The “Disturbia” singer first revealed her third pregnancy on the day of the Met Gala in May of this year, as she was seen holding a visible baby bump.
Rocky confirmed the news to reporters on the gala’s red carpet, saying, per NBC New York: “It feels amazing, you know.”
“It’s time that we show the people what we was cooking up. And I’m glad everybody’s happy for us ’cause we definitely happy, you know.”
Earlier this summer, fans began to speculate that the couple’s third child would be a girl as she appeared at the world premiere for her new Smurfs movie and Rocky asked, “Is that the girl you’ve been waiting for?” in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. The rapper responded: “It is, man, it is.”
However, he appeared to quickly redirect his answer as he held up a Smurfette toy (who his wife voiced in the film) and pointed to it, saying: “Right here, right here.” The journalist, Kevin Frazier, insisted, “You know what I’m asking!” and Rocky responded with laughter, dodging the question.
Earlier this year, the “Everyday” musician hinted that the couple would stick with their tradition of picking names for their children beginning with “R”, which their own names also begin with.
“Your first two kids have ‘R’ names, obviously you and Rihanna have ‘R’ names,” Seth Meyers asked on his eponymous talk show, nodding to Rocky’s real name. “Is this a lock that the third will have an ‘R’ name, do you think?”
“For sure,” he responded.
After months of romance rumors, Rihanna and Rocky were first confirmed to be dating in November 2020. After welcoming three children together, both have remained on whether or not they are married. Rocky addressed the rumors in an interview with Elle published on Thursday, where he was asked if he was looking forward to being a husband.
“How you know I’m not already a husband?” he replied while laughing. “I’m still not gonna confirm it,” he added.
Donald Trump is ‘racist, sexist and Islamophobic’, Sadiq Khan says
Sir Sadiq Khan has dubbed Donald Trump “racist, sexist, misogynistic” and “Islamophobic” in the latest in a long-running war of words between the feuding pair.
It came after Mr Trump branded Sir Sadiq a “terrible mayor” in a stinging attack over immigration and carbon-reduction policies.
Addressing the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the US president said: “I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it’s been changed, it’s been so changed.
“Now they want to go to sharia law. But you are in a different country, you can’t do that.”
Responding to Mr Trump’s remarks on Wednesday, Sir Sadiq told Sky News: “People are wondering what it is about this Muslim mayor who leads a liberal, multicultural, progressive, successful city that means I appear to be living rent-free inside Donald Trump’s head.”
Asked whether the US president’s remarks were Islamophobic, the mayor said: “Listen, when people say things, when people act in a certain way, when people behave in a certain way, you’ve got to believe them.
“I think President Trump has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic, and he’s Islamophobic.”
Responding to the US president’s accusation that he is a “terrible mayor”, Sir Sadiq added: “I’m just thankful that we have record numbers of Americans coming to London…
“There must be a reason for that. You look at a number of different criteria, we’re often the number one city in the globe when it comes to culture, when it comes to foreign investment, when it comes to sports, when it comes to the ability of people to fulfil their potential.
“I’m really proud we are the greatest city in the world, long may that continue.”
Labour MPs rallied to Sir Sadiq’s defence after Mr Trump’s attack.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said the mayor was “not trying to impose sharia law on London” but instead saying he is “a mayor who marches with Pride, who stands up for difference of background and opinion, who’s focused on improving our transport, our air, our streets, our safety, our choices and chances”.
Ealing Central and Acton MP Rupa Huq described Mr Trump’s comments as “blatant, bare-faced lies”, while Rosena Allin-Khan, Sir Sadiq’s successor as MP for Tooting, called for the US ambassador to be summoned over the remarks.
Meanwhile, work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden dismissed the president’s attack, saying that Mr Trump had had “a beef” with Sir Sadiq for years.
He told BBC Breakfast: “As regards the United Kingdom, on the comments on London, look, I just think it’s a misreading of our great capital city.
“This is a big asset to the United Kingdom. It’s known all over the world, it’s a big engine of our economy, of creativity.”
Speaking to Times Radio, he added, “I think the two of them have had a beef for some years.”
Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked Sir Sadiq since 2015, when the Labour politician condemned the then-presidential hopeful’s suggestion that Muslims should be banned from travelling to the US.
During last week’s state visit, the president said Sir Sadiq was “among the worst mayors in the world” and claimed he had asked that the mayor not attend events during the visit.
Sir Sadiq said he was “indifferent to President Trump” and had “more important things to worry about”.
First asylum seekers arrive in UK as part of new deal with France
A family of three have become the first asylum seekers to arrive in UK as part of the government’s high-stakes new ‘one in, one out’ deal with France.
It comes after four migrants were deported to Paris under Sir Keir Starmer’s flagship agreement, which ministers claim will dissuade migrants from making the deadly Channel crossings by showing they could be immediately sent back.
In return a family, which includes a small child, have become the first to arrive in UK through the new legal route.
But the prime minister is under pressure to demonstrate the scheme is working after more than 1,000 migrants arrived by small boat last Friday, after returns to France began.
A Home Office spokesperson said the move was a “clear message to people-smuggling gangs that illegal entry into the UK will not be tolerated.
“We will continue to detain and remove those who arrive by small boat. And we will work with France to operate a legal route for an equal number of eligible migrants to come to the UK subject to security checks.”
The move comes just days after Donald Trump told the prime minister to “call out the military” to stop small boats, as the number of crossings hit a record high, and warned that illegal migration can “destroy” countries.
Labour minister Peter Kyle later said that the Royal Navy could be called upon to tackle the crossings “if needed”.
But former first sea lord Admiral Lord West said that Mr Trump’s suggestion would make “no difference at all”, because the UK cannot easily return boats to France.
A pilot scheme, the one-in, one-out deal will see a small number of migrants – initially it is understood planned to be 50 per week – who have crossed the Channel in small boats sent immediately back to France.
The Home Office has refused to confirm numbers but said it expects the number to grow as the scheme progresses.
In return, Britain will take in the same number of migrants from France, selecting those with family in the UK or strong ties to the country.
Initially, the scheme will only apply to adults because children who come to the UK illegally are not detained.
The images of migrants arriving by their thousands via small boats has proved politically toxic, and the PM has said he is determined to succeed where his predecessors failed in getting the issue under control.
Many of those who arrive are then housed in hotels while their asylum claims are processed, which costs the taxpayer billions.
Ministers hope by demonstrating to those considering the dangerous crossing that they may be immediately sent back to France, fewer will be willing to risk making the perilous journey.
However, critics have attacked the agreement saying it will deal with only a small number of migrants, meaning only around one in 20 who arrive in the UK will be sent back to France.
A total of 32,188 people have arrived in Britain by small boat so far in 2025.
The pilot agreement runs initially until June next year.
This is a breaking news story, more follows…
Tories refer Starmer to standards commissioner over campaign donations
The Tories have put in a formal complaint to the parliamentary standards commissioner over allegations of irregular donations to Keir Starmer’s leadership campaign in 2020.
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake has asked for an investigation after claiming he had uncovered new evidence regarding the role of Sir Keir’s now chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, in running the leadership campaign.
He alleged that Mr McSweeney’s then thinktank Labour Together had in effect made undeclared donations to the Starmer campaign.
However, Labour sources have strongly denied the allegations, saying Mr McSweeney was only paid by the leadership campaign, not Labour Together, at the time.
It is part of an ongoing push by the Conservative Party to attack Mr McSweeney, who is seen as the most powerful ally of the prime minister’s and the most influential figure in the government.
In a threat on social media platform X, Mr Hollinrake said: “Labour say there’s nothing here to see, and that there was no involvement. But… it was confirmed in 2023 that Morgan McSweeney was ‘seconded from Labour Together to be campaign director for Starmer.’”
He went on: “Morgan McSweeney’s own LinkedIn also confirms he was working as Starmer’s campaign director at the time. But Labour Together’s Companies House declarations confirm McSweeney was serving as director of the organisation throughout this period – only leaving the role in April.”
He also noted that now-deleted articles from Labour Together’s own website “boasted of their intimate involvement with Starmer’s campaign”, including that “in 2020, Labour Together helped to tally the party membership behind Keir Starmer.”
He also alleged that Labour Together spent thousands on polling for the Starmer campaign to defeat the left-wing candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey.
Mr Hollinrake alleged it was “a cover-up” and added: “The House of Commons rules on political donations are crystal clear that donations or support in kind to MPs from members’ associations must be declared – yet ‘Nothing to See Here’ Keir completely failed to do so.”
He claimed “the public are being lied to” and announced he was making a formal complaint to the Standards Commissioner.
However, Labour has issued a denial of the allegations.
A Labour source said: “Morgan’s salary was paid for by Keir’s leadership campaign for the duration of the campaign, not Labour Together. Neither Keir nor his leadership campaign accepted monetary or in-kind donations from Labour Together during the Leadership election.”
‘They saw my fear and understood’: Nick Robinson on why Macmillan nurses are vital
Who can you talk to? Who will understand? Who will know what to say?
Your wife or husband, maybe. Your friends. Your doctor. Perhaps all of the above.
And yet when I had cancer I found there were some things I couldn’t or didn’t want to say to them. They were too painful. My emotions were too confused. I didn’t want to burden them with information which might overwhelm them and leave them unsure how to respond.
It was my Macmillan nurse who filled the gap. Knowledgeable and empathetic. Caring, but at one remove. Able to be my champion when I needed one.
The operation meant to remove the tumour in my lung was a triumphant success. The cancer was all removed. Yet, so too was my voice. The laryngeal nerve – which carries the electrical pulses which make your vocal cord vibrate and open and close – had been hit or cut or stunned during the op. The crucial nerve isn’t, I soon discovered, tucked away neatly safe from intruding surgical instruments. It hangs about awkwardly – like a bit of dodgy DIY wiring. Accidents do happen.
When mine happened – when ‘that guy off the telly’ (as I then was) had to be told his vocal cords were damaged and might take many months to recover, if they recovered – it was my Macmillan nurse who saw my fear and watched as I wiped away my tears. It was he who I felt able to tell that I was more scared of losing my voice than my cancer. He listened when I said I needed an explanation from the hospital but I didn’t want to blame anyone or hold them to account.
I knew that he understood. Just as he would have understood if I was struggling to cope with pain or was terrified of the side-effects of the chemo. Luckily I had very little hair to lose. Macmillan nurses are specialists who can offer physical and emotional support, coordinate care and offer information on how to understand your diagnosis, the treatment you face and the ways to manage your symptoms. They can help those who love you and are caring for you. They can act as a point of contact connecting patients with local support groups and services; give advice on practical issues like dealing with your employer, claiming benefits or accessing social care. Their expertise helps people navigate the hazards that can be thrown up on what’s now called your cancer journey.
Why? Well, because they’ve seen it all before. My Macmillan nurse had dealt with people far sicker and much less lucky than me. I could speak to him without worrying what impact my words would have on him or how it made me look.
So it is then, whenever a friend or a colleague tells me they’ve joined the club no one wants to be a member of, I tell them ‘Get yourself a Macmillan nurse if you possibly can’.
It is ten years now since my cancer was treated. Happily it’s not shown any sign of returning. My voice has though – slowly at first but eventually so that I barely need to think about those days when I feared I might never be able to use it to broadcast again.
I asked about my Macmillan nurse a while ago. Oh, I was told, he ended up getting cancer so he had to give up the job. I dearly hope that he had someone as good as I had to look after him.
The Independent is proud to partner with Macmillan Cancer Support for their iconic Coffee Morning fundraiser. For every person who signs up to host a Coffee Morning through this article, The Independent will donate £10, up to £20,000, helping people affected by cancer access the vital support they need.
Sign up to host a Coffee Morning for a chance to get creative, bring people together, and make a real difference for people living with cancer, no matter who they are or where they live.
Fake Labubus make up 90% of toys seized at UK border
Fake Labubu dolls make up 90 per cent of potentially “dangerous” fake toys coming into the UK, according to border force chiefs.
Agents have seized more than 259,000 counterfeit toys at the border so far this year, worth around £3.5 m, new Home Office data shows. They said around 236,000 of these were knock-off versions of the collectible Pop Mart monster dolls, which have prompted long queues and bedlam inside shops after going viral.
Authorities said that while parents may be tempted by the fake goods because of their cheaper prices, the products posed “serious risks” to children, warning that 75 per cent of the seized toys failed safety tests due to banned chemicals linked to cancer and choking hazards found.
Data from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) shows nearly half (46 per cent) of those who purchased counterfeits reported problems ranging from toys breaking almost instantly to unsafe labelling, toxic smells and even reports of illness in children.
Helen Barnham, deputy director at the IPO, said fake products “bypassed every safety check” required by the law and “put children in real danger”. The office is now launching the “Fake Toys, Real Harms” campaign aimed at highlighting the dangers identified by expert testing of the phoney goods.
Ms Barnham explained: “With counterfeit toys, what you see is rarely what you get. Behind the packaging can be hidden choking hazards, toxic chemicals and faulty parts that put children in real danger.
“These products have bypassed every safety check the law requires, which is why we’re working with our partners to keep these dangerous fakes out of UK homes. Our ‘Fake Toys, Real Harm’ campaign aims to raise awareness among parents and present buyers of the hidden harms associated with counterfeits.”
Fake Labubus – often called “Lafufus” – are sold across corner shops and local supermarkets UK and Europe as demand for the real thing soars. But authorities are warning against them due to the risks posed by choking hazards and toxic chemicals.
Such warnings were issued by Westminster City Council earlier this month after Trading Standards seized 100 “Lafufu” dolls in central London. On close examination they were found to have feet that easily detached and eyes that popped out, the council said.
Genuine Labubu dolls, which can retail for hundreds of pounds, are identified by their furry monster-like appearance. The counterfeit dolls often have twisted limbs, misshapen heads or the incorrect number of teeth – real Labubus have nine.
Ms Barnham advised buyers to stick to trusted retailers, be wary of “too good to be true” prices, and look for a UKCA or CE safety mark and a UK or EU contact address on the packaging.
“Child safety must come first, so we’re urging parents – please don’t let your child be the tester.”
Corbyn admits Your Party row hasn’t ‘covered ourselves in glory’
Jeremy Corbyn has admitted “we haven’t covered ourselves in glory” after a string of embarrassing setbacks and weeks of bitter infighting at the top of Your Party.
Relaunching its paid-up membership service, the former Labour leader apologised for “the confusion in getting to this point” as he urged backers of the new left-wing outfit to “move on” and sign up as founding members ahead of its first conference in November.
It comes after Mr Corbyn last week said he was seeking legal advice after his party’s co-leader, Zarah Sultana, sent an “unauthorised email” from Your Party’s account, inviting its supporters to become paid members, apparently without his backing.
That promoted a furious row between the pair, which saw Ms Sultana claim she had been on the receiving end of “baseless attacks” and announce she had consulted defamation lawyers.
But in a video posted on social media platform X, Mr Corbyn appeared to be trying to move on, saying: “We’ve had some drought days in the last week, as you will no doubt be very aware, and to be honest, we haven’t covered ourselves in glory.
“But what is most important is this: we all agree about the plans for the conference and the road map to get to it.”
Ms Sultana, who has clashed with Mr Corbyn over leadership roles and their visions for the party, was featured in pictures throughout the video as the supposed co-leaders seek to rebuild ties.
In it, Mr Corbyn said: “To all our supporters, I am sorry for the confusion in getting to this point. Together, all of us, let’s move on to the next stage.”
Ms Sultana later posted on X: “I’m a member of Your Party – and if you haven’t joined yet, you should too. I’ll remain a fierce advocate for the grassroots – and will continue to fight hard for maximum member democracy.
“For those who joined the previous system: data and membership will be migrated across in due course. We have a world to win. Let’s get to work!”
Relations between Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana had been rocky since she quit the Labour Party in July and announced she would co-lead a party with the veteran left-winger.
Mr Corbyn appeared to have been caught off guard by the announcement and did not respond until the next day.
She then accused him of having “capitulated” over antisemitism in a stinging critique of Mr Corbyn’s time as Labour leader. He said it was “not really necessary for her to bring all that up”.
But relations hit rock bottom when Ms Sultana threatened legal action in a spat with the other pro-Gaza independent MPs who make up Your Party’s parliamentary ranks. She described a “sexist boys’ club” attitude behind the party amid a row over the party’s membership system.
And she lashed out at “a number of false and defamatory statements” made around the party’s launch after she unilaterally invited supporters to sign up for paid memberships.
Supporters of Ms Sultana and Mr Corbyn have been seeking to rebuild ties between the pair behind the scenes, and Ms Sultana on Sunday said she would drop any legal proceedings.
“The stakes are too high for failure to be an option,” she said, promising to reconcile with Mr Corbyn.