Politics
Fresh protests after man shot dead in Minneapolis operation
- Governor Walz calls shooting ‘horrific’, demands state-led probe.
- Says federal govt can’t be trusted to investigate incident.
- Trump accuses Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey of ‘inciting insurrection.’
MINNEAPOLIS: Federal immigration agents shot dead a man in Minneapolis on Saturday, in the second fatal shooting of a civilian during the Trump administration’s controversial operation in the city, sparking fresh protests and outrage from state officials.
The death came less than three weeks after US citizen Renee Good was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer involved in sweeps to round up undocumented migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) insisted the man killed on Saturday was armed with a pistol and its officers acted in self-defence.
But Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the shooting “horrific” and demanded that state authorities lead the investigation.
“The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation. The state will handle it, period,” Walz told a press conference.
US President Donald Trump ratcheted up his war of words with Democratic Minnesota Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing them of “inciting insurrection” over their response to the killing.
Trump has previously threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and send troops into Minnesota.
The victim was a 37-year-old white male US citizen from Minnesota who held a gun licence, Minneapolis police said, while withholding his name.
Video circulating on social media – and later confirmed by authorities – shows several agents, including at least one wearing a vest marked “POLICE”, surrounding a person on the ground and striking him multiple times. Several gunshots are heard.
Frey pulled no punches, urging Trump to end the federal immigration operation, which has sparked sometimes violent demonstrations.
“This is a moment to act like a leader. Put Minneapolis, put America first in this moment – let’s achieve peace. Let’s end this operation.”
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said an “incredibly volatile scene” had erupted after the shooting and urged residents to avoid the area.
Officers who declared the protest an unlawful assembly deployed clouds of tear gas as the crowd grew and used dumpsters to make blockades on the road in the busy south Minneapolis neighbourhood known for its restaurants.
Local resident Maria, 56, told AFP the situation in the city was “escalating.”
“They’re attacking and terrorising our communities right now,” she said, describing the situation as “white terror.”
DHS wrote on X that “an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and that its officers tried to disarm the man who they say “violently resisted.”
“Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene,” DHS said.
O’Hara said police believed the victim was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
Minnesota allows the open carrying of firearms with a permit.
Horrific shooting
Earlier, Walz said he had discussed “another horrific shooting by federal agents” with the White House.
“Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” he said on X.
“The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, called the shooting “an execution” and accused Trump of transforming Minneapolis into a “war zone.”
Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed to the Democratic-led city, as Trump presses a sweeping campaign to deport undocumented migrants.
Minneapolis has been rocked by increasingly tense protests since federal agents shot and killed Good, a US citizen, on January 7.
An autopsy concluded that the killing was a homicide, a classification that does not automatically mean a crime was committed.
The officer who fired the shots that killed Good, Jonathan Ross, has neither been suspended nor charged.
Public outrage was rekindled this week by the detention of a five-year-old boy as agents sought to arrest his father.
“Donald Trump and all your lieutenants who ordered this ICE surge: watch the horrific video of the killing today. The world is watching,” Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said on X.
US President Donald Trump has said India will buy Venezuelan oil, as opposed to purchasing oil from Iran.
“We’ve already made that deal, the concept of the deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he travelled to his vacation home in Florida from Washington.
Reuters reported on Friday that the United States has told Delhi it could soon resume purchases of Venezuelan oil to help replace imports of Russian oil, citing three people familiar with the matter.
India has not been importing significant amounts of Iranian oil due to US sanctions, but became a major buyer of Russian oil after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered Western sanctions that drove down its price.
Trump in August doubled duties on imports from India to 50% to pressure New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil, and earlier this month said the rate could rise again if it did not curb its purchases.
However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled in January that the additional 25% tariff on Indian goods could be removed, given what he called a sharp reduction in Indian imports of Russian oil.
Trump in March 2025 also imposed a 25% tariff on countries buying Venezuelan oil, including India. The US government this week lifted some sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry to make it easier for US companies to sell its crude oil.
Trump’s comments on Saturday appeared to reflect continued improvement in US-India relations, which have been tense throughout the past year.
Trump also said China could make a deal with the US to buy Venezuelan oil.
“China is welcome to come in and would make a great deal on oil,” Trump said, without providing any details.
- Congress leadership condemns Modi for ties, demands answers.
- Cites Modi’s meetings with Trump, Israel trip to allege connection.
- Govt denies any advisory role or meaningful contact with Epstein.
Freshly released files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have sparked attention after an email mentioning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi surfaced in the latest batch published by the US Department of Justice, drawing a sharp response from New Delhi.
The Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday that one of the emails, attributed to Epstein, refers to Modi’s 2017 state visit to Israel — the first ever by an Indian prime minister.
The message claims Modi acted on Epstein’s advice during the trip, a suggestion Indian authorities have firmly rejected.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the only verifiable fact in the email is Modi’s official visit to Israel, calling the rest of the claims unfounded and misleading.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the remarks as the musings of a convicted criminal, saying there was no evidence of any meaningful contact or advisory role involving Modi and Epstein.
Despite the denial, opposition parties have cited the reference to press the government for an explanation.
Meanwhile, local media reported that the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, strongly criticised Prime Minister Modi, calling any alleged link with Epstein a matter of deep national shame.
Congress, in a recent statement, said Epstein wrote in an email that Modi took his advice before visiting Israel, claiming Modi “danced and sang” there for the benefit of the US president.
The party said Modi visited Israel from July 4 to 6, 2017, and that Epstein’s email was written three days after the trip.
It added that Modi had met then US President Donald Trump in June 2017, before the Israel visit, claiming this showed a long-standing and deep connection between Modi and Epstein.
The opposition party said the issue concerns national dignity and international credibility and that Modi must answer questions about what advice he took from Epstein and the meaning of the claims made in the email.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He was jailed in 2008 for soliciting paid sex from a minor.
A fresh cache of files released on Friday related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein contains documents that refer to numerous high-profile figures.
President Donald Trump, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and British billionaire Richard Branson are among some of the people named in the documents.
- Congress leadership condemns Modi for ties, demands answers.
- Cites Modi’s meetings with Trump, Israel trip to allege connection.
- Govt denies any advisory role or meaningful contact with Epstein.
Freshly released files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have sparked attention after an email mentioning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi surfaced in the latest batch published by the US Department of Justice, drawing a sharp response from New Delhi.
The Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday that one of the emails, attributed to Epstein, refers to Modi’s 2017 state visit to Israel — the first ever by an Indian prime minister.
The message claims Modi acted on Epstein’s advice during the trip, a suggestion Indian authorities have firmly rejected.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the only verifiable fact in the email is Modi’s official visit to Israel, calling the rest of the claims unfounded and misleading.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the remarks as the musings of a convicted criminal, saying there was no evidence of any meaningful contact or advisory role involving Modi and Epstein.
Despite the denial, opposition parties have cited the reference to press the government for an explanation.
Meanwhile, local media reported that the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, strongly criticised Prime Minister Modi, calling any alleged link with Epstein a matter of deep national shame.
Congress, in a recent statement, said Epstein wrote in an email that Modi took his advice before visiting Israel, claiming Modi “danced and sang” there for the benefit of the US president.
The party said Modi visited Israel from July 4 to 6, 2017, and that Epstein’s email was written three days after the trip.
It added that Modi had met then US President Donald Trump in June 2017, before the Israel visit, claiming this showed a long-standing and deep connection between Modi and Epstein.
The opposition party said the issue concerns national dignity and international credibility and that Modi must answer questions about what advice he took from Epstein and the meaning of the claims made in the email.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He was jailed in 2008 for soliciting paid sex from a minor.
A fresh cache of files released on Friday related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein contains documents that refer to numerous high-profile figures.
President Donald Trump, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and British billionaire Richard Branson are among some of the people named in the documents.
Budget 2026 Live Updates: TCS On Overseas Tour Packages Slashed To 2%; TDS On Education LRS Eased
Trump says India will buy oil from Venezuela, not Iran
Budget 2026: Cabinet gives green signal to Union Budget 2026–27
-
Business1 week agoSuccess Story: This IITian Failed 17 Times Before Building A ₹40,000 Crore Giant
-
Fashion1 week agoSouth Korea tilts sourcing towards China as apparel imports shift
-
Sports1 week agoTransfer rumors, news: Saudi league eyes Salah, Vinícius Jr. plus 50 more
-
Sports5 days agoPSL 11: Local players’ category renewals unveiled ahead of auction
-
Entertainment1 week agoThree dead after suicide blast targets peace committee leader’s home in DI Khan
-
Sports1 week agoWanted Olympian-turned-fugitive Ryan Wedding in custody, sources say
-
Tech1 week agoStrap One of Our Favorite Action Cameras to Your Helmet or a Floaty
-
Tech1 week agoThis Mega Snowstorm Will Be a Test for the US Supply Chain