Police in Australia said on Wednesday they have charged a man with 59 crimes, including a terrorism charge, after allegedly opening fire at a Jewish event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

Naved Akram, 25, is one of two men suspected of carrying out Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in three decades. He was shot by police during the Bondi Beach massacre and remains in a Sydney hospital under heavy police guard.

The alleged father-son perpetrators opened fire at the Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach on December 14, an attack that shocked the country and raised fears of rising anti-Semitism and violent extremism.

According to interviews, officials and media reports, the 15 victims included everyone, from a rabbi and a father of five to a Holocaust survivor and a 10-year-old girl named Matilda Britvan.

The New South Wales Police reported that two police officers were still in a serious but stable condition at the hospital.

Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, named in local media as Naved, also emerged from a coma on Wednesday after being shot by police.

The men accused of carrying out Sunday’s attack had visited the southern Philippines, a region long plagued by insurgency, weeks before the shootings, with Australian police saying they appeared to be inspired by Daesh, also known as IS.

Significantly, after several days of uncertain reports regarding the identity of the alleged gunman, who is now dead, Indian government officials on Tuesday confirmed that Sajid was a resident of Hyderabad, India.

Indian officials shared Sajid’s details after conducting background verification.

According to details, Sajid was a resident of Tolichowki, Hyderabad, who had moved to Australia on a student visa in 1998 and had returned to India only “two-three times” since relocating. He last visited India in 2022.

Meanwhile, the second attacker, his son Naved, was born in Australia in 2001 and holds Australian citizenship.

Man who underwent surgery hailed as a hero

Albanese said 43-year-old Ahmed al-Ahmad, the man who fought one of the shooters to disable his rifle and was wounded by the bullet, was scheduled to undergo surgery on Wednesday.

Mohammed al-Ahmad, al-Ahmad’s uncle in Syria, said his nephew left his hometown in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib to seek work in Australia about 20 years ago.

“We found out through social media. I called his father and he told me it was Ahmed. Ahmed is a hero; we are proud of him. Syria in general is proud of him,” the uncle told Reuters.

The family of Jack Hibbert, the 22-year-old police officer who was shot twice on Sunday and had been on the force for only four months, said in a statement Wednesday that he has lost the vision in one eye and faces a “long and challenging recovery”.

The family said, “Faced with a violent and tragic event, he responded with courage, common sense and selflessness, continuing to protect and help others even when injured, until he was physically no longer able to.”

Health officials said 22 people were still in several Sydney hospitals.

Holocaust survivors among victims

According to interviews, officials and media reports, other shooting victims included a Holocaust survivor, a husband and wife who approached the gunmen before they began firing, and a 10-year-old girl named Matilda.

Matilda’s father told the Bondi vigil on Tuesday night that he doesn’t want his daughter’s legacy to be forgotten.

Local media reported her as saying, “We came here from Ukraine… and I thought Matilda was the most Australian name ever. So just remember the name, remember that.”

In Bondi on Wednesday, swimmers gathered at Sydney’s most popular beach and observed a minute of silence.

“This week has obviously been very intense, and this morning, I definitely felt a sense of the community coming together, with everyone sitting together.”

“24-year-old Bondi man Archie Kalaf told Reuters. “Everyone is grieving; everyone is figuring it out and processing it in their own way.”

Despite the catastrophic state of the Palestinian economy, Faraj al-Atrash, operator of a quarry in the occupied West Bank, proudly points to an armada of machines busy eating away at sheer walls of dusty white rock that stretch into the distance.

“This here is considered the main source of revenue for the entire region,” Atrash said at the site near the town of Beit Fajjar, close to the city of Hebron.

The quarry is a source of Jerusalem stone, the famed pale rock used throughout the Holy Land and beyond for millennia and which gives much of the region its distinctive architectural look.

But Atrash, in his fifties, said, “Our livelihood is constantly under threat.”

“Lately, I feel like the occupation (Israel) has begun to fight us on the economic front,” he said.

Atrash fears the confiscation of the quarry’s industrial equipment, the expansion of Israeli settlements; and the Palestinian financial crisis.

The war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, dealt a severe blow to a Palestinian economy that was already in poor shape.

The Palestinian territories are “currently going through the most severe economic crisis ever recorded,” according to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development presented in late November.

Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967, has recently set up hundreds of new checkpoints across the territory, paralysing commercial transport.

Beyond restrictions on freedom of movement, a halt in permits for West Bank Palestinians seeking work inside Israel has also had a severe impact.

Soaring costs

“There are problems with exports and market access because we used to export most of the stone to Israel, and after October 7, we ran into difficulties.”

explained Ibrahim Jaradat, whose family has owned a quarry for more than 40 years near Sair, also near Hebron.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises partial civilian control over some of the West Bank, is on the brink of bankruptcy.

Public services are functioning worse than ever, Atrash said, adding that fixed costs such as water and electricity had soared.

Quarries account for 4.5% of Palestinian GDP and employ nearly 20,000 workers, according to the Hebron Chamber of Commerce.

Israeli municipalities mandate the use of Jerusalem stone, accounting for around 65% of exports.

“The people who buy the stones from us to resell them to construction sites are mostly Israelis,” said Abu Walid Riyad Gaith, a 65-year-old quarry operator.

He lamented what he said was a lack of solidarity from Arab countries, which he said do not buy enough of the rock.

‘Afraid to build’

Other threats hang over the industry.

Most of the roughly 300 quarries in the West Bank are located in Area C, the land that falls under full Israeli authority and covers the vast majority of its settlements.

“Many (Israeli) settlers pass through here, and if Israel annexes Palestine, it will start with these areas,” said one operator, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Some members of Israel’s government openly discuss plans to annex parts or all of the West Bank, making it one of the most right-wing in the country’s history.

Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.

They are expanding at the fastest rate since at least 2017, when the United Nations began tracking such data, according to a recent report by the UN chief.

The physical demands of working in a quarry are intense, but for many Palestinians there are few other options as the West Bank’s economy wilts.

“We are exhausting ourselves,” Atrash stated, gesturing to his ten labourers as they moved back and forth in the massive pits, covered in a white film of dust clouds.

In the neighbouring quarry, blinking and coughing as he struggled with the intense work, was a former geography teacher.

With the Palestinian Authority’s budget crisis meaning he was no longer receiving his salary, he had sought employment in the only local place still hiring.

All the labourers AFP spoke to said they suffered from back, eye and throat problems.

“We call it white gold,” said Laith Derriyeh, employed by a stonemason, “because it normally brings in substantial amounts of money.”

“But today everything is complicated; it’s very difficult to think about the future.”

“People have no money, and those who do are afraid to build,” he added.

Michelle Obama says she and husband Barack Obama were due to see director Rob Reiner and his photographer wife Michele Reiner the night they were killed.

The former US first lady has paid tribute to the couple, who were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on Sunday night.

The Reiners’ son, Nick, 32, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and was held in custody.

Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ms Obama said of the Hollywood couple, “We’ve known them for many, many years, and we were supposed to be seeing them that night.”

Rob Reiner was active in politics, supporting liberal causes.

Ms Obama’s comments came after Donald Trump suggested the 78-year-old died because of his anti-Trump views.

He referred to the director as “tortured and struggling” and said he and his 68-year-old wife had died “reportedly due to the anger he caused” by opposing the Republican president.

Reiners were ‘not deranged’

Ms Obama said, “Let me just say this: unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you’ll ever want to know.

“They are not deranged or crazed. What they have always been are passionate people in a time when there’s not a lot of courage going on.”

The former first lady highlighted how caring the couple were; stating they cared about their family, country and fairness and equality.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump suggested the Reiners died “reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as Trump derangement syndrome”.

“He was known to have driven people crazy by his raging obsession with President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before.”

Rob Reiner was known for directing some of the most-loved films of the 1980s and 1990s, including the rom-com When Harry Met Sally and the legal thriller A Few Good Men.

Tributes pour in

Former US presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as former US speaker Nancy Pelosi, also paid tribute to the director.

Mr Obama added, “Beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people – and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action.”

Among the other high-profile figures paying tribute was actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who played Reiner’s ex-wife in the hit comedy series New Girl. She said, “I will always remember them as they lived. Passionate. Political. Surrounded by family and friends.”

US actor Kevin Bacon, who starred in A Few Good Men, appeared emotional in a video he shared on Instagram, praising the director for giving him the role.

Bacon said, “The making of that movie was one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had on a set.

“It was a magical time. So, I’m just sending love to everybody who knew him, because I know that everyone’s hurting today.”

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Reiner’s other films included The Princess Bride (1987), Ghosts Of Mississippi (1996), The Story Of Us (1999), The Magic Of Belle Isle (2012) and LBJ (2016).

Actress and activist Jane Fonda said she was “reeling with grief” in a post on Instagram, while Stephen King, whose books were adapted into Reiner’s 1986 Stand By Me and 1990’s Misery, said he was “horrified and saddened” by the death of the Reiners.

FIFA has announced “more affordable” tickets for all 104 matches at next year’s World Cup after an outcry over pricing.

The cheapest tickets will now be on offer from $60 (£45) as part of a new “Supporter Entry Tier” which will be available specifically to supporters of qualified teams.

However, only 10% of participating member associations’ allocated tickets will fall under this most affordable category.

As a result, the number of $60 tickets for each game is likely to be in the hundreds, rather than thousands.

Supporter value tier prices will apply to 40% of their tickets, with the remaining 50% being split evenly between the supporter standard tier and the supporter premier tier.

Ronan Evain, the executive director of Football Supporter’s Europe (FSE), a group that represents the interests of supporters in European football,

They said the group was “looking at the FIFA announcement as nothing more than an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash.”

He added, “This shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and was done without proper consultation – including with FIFA’s own member associations.”

While he welcomed FIFA’s “seeming recognition of the damage its original plans were to cause”, he insisted “the revisions do not go far enough to reconcile” the harm done.

In a statement, FIFA said: “With demand in the current sales phase reaching 20 million ticket requests,

FIFA has confirmed that fans of the national teams that have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will benefit from a dedicated ticket pricing tier, which has been designed to make following their teams on football’s greatest stage more affordable.

“The newly introduced Supporter Entry Tier will be available at the fixed price of USD 60 per ticket for each of the 104 matches, including the final.”

Where will England and Scotland play their World Cup games?

FIFA had been urged to halt World Cup ticket sales after it emerged countries’ most loyal fans faced paying “extortionate” prices for tickets, with the cheapest for the final coming in at over £3,000.

The cheaper tickets, which will be made available for every game at the tournament in North America, will be given to the national federations whose teams are playing.

It will then be up to those federations to decide how to distribute them to loyal fans who have likely attended previous games at home and on the road.

The news shows how the organisation is continuing its weeks-long move to back away from using dynamic pricing for all 2026 World Cup tickets.

FIFA did not specify exactly why it so dramatically changed strategy but said the lower prices are “designed to further support travelling fans following their national teams across the tournament”.

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Prices for England’s fixtures at the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico were revealed last week, with the cheapest ticket for the final – should England, one of the home nations, reach that stage – costing between $4,185 (£3,120) and $8,680 (£6,471) for members of the England Supporters’ Travel Club.

Outrage over such high prices was made worse due to co-hosts having pledged eight years ago to have hundreds of thousands of $21 (£15.64) tickets.

In another climbdown, FIFA has also announced that fans applying through the participating member association’s tickets allocation whose teams do not advance to the knockout phase will have the administrative fee waived when refunds are processed for unsuccessful applications.

Fan anger had intensified when it became clear that fans who wanted to reserve a ticket for all of their team’s potential games – through the final – would not get refunded if their teams didn’t make it to the final until after the tournament.

The World Cup in North America will be the first edition that features 48 teams – up from 32 – and is expected to earn FIFA at least $10bn (£7.4bn) in revenue.

Warren Buffett’s lessons don’t just extend to markets and investment – they are often regarded as pearls of wisdom for dealing with life’s ups and downs. (AP file photo)

 

Warren Buffett is known for many things – he is one of the richest persons in the world, a master of investment, the ‘Oracle of Omaha’, a Zen master and more.

When it comes to business acumen and mastering the stock markets, Buffett’s mantras are cited as near-gospel by investors. As the 95-year-old approaches his retirement as Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO later this year, his remarkable investment acumen has garnered widespread recognition.

His achievements have established him amongst history’s most accomplished investors, accumulating wealth estimated at $150 billion.

But Buffett’s lessons don’t just extend to markets and investment – they are often regarded as pearls of wisdom for dealing with life’s ups and downs. According to a CNN report,

Buffett’s teachings incorporate diverse philosophical traditions, drawing on Zen Buddhism, Confucian thought, Stoic philosophy and New Testament teachings.

These principles provide guidance for navigating both financial markets and personal difficulties.

Warren Buffett’s Zen-like principles

Although not religious himself, Buffett’s career reflects substantial engagement with spiritual principles.

Religious scholars and practitioners studying Buffett’s approach recognise him not only as a business leader but also as someone who embodies Zen-like wisdom in his methods and teachings, says CNN. Warren Buffett’s spiritual influence has extended globally over the years.

His followers attend Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meetings to see the individual whom a financial expert described as “the God of investing”. Buffett himself serves as the primary source of his spiritual wisdom, having developed his own philosophical perspective.

Both investors and non-investors study his sayings and teachings, including statements like “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

He adds that wealth “lets you be in more interesting environments, but it can’t change how many people love you or how healthy you are.” ” “Such philosophical observations from Buffett have led Leo Babauta, who practices Zen Buddhism, to recognise Buffet’s alignment with Zen principles.”

He’s one of the richest men in the world, and yet I really don’t feel like he has made that a central part of who he is.” Babauta, author of “The Power of Less:

Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life,” tells CNN. “He’s surrounded by people who are focused on making money, and he sees how people are deluded (by that).

That’s one of the central ideas of Zen: we’re all living these illusions of what’s going to make us happy.” In Buffett’s perspective, excellence in investing and personal integrity are inseparable.

He suggests that one can always be in a bull market by adhering to three spiritual guidelines, which he articulates in his own words:

‘Envy and greed go hand in hand.’ The Ten Commandments forbid coveting, and envy is listed as one of the seven deadly sins. According to Buffe, among the seven deadly sins, envy stands alone as the only one devoid of pleasure.

He has said, “Being envious of someone is quite stupid.” Wishing them bad, or wishing you did as well as they did, only serves to ruin your day.

Doesn’t hurt them at all, and there’s zero upside to it. If you’re going to pick a sin, go with something like lust or gluttony.

That way at least you’ll have something to remember the weekend for.” This mindset has implications for investment strategies.

Babauta’s analysis of Buffett’s investment approach reveals a conservative methodology rooted in Zen principles.

Buffett acknowledges his boundaries, particularly regarding technology investments, due to his limited understanding of the sector.

“You would never find him chasing after cryptocurrency or the latest AI thing,” Babauta says, according to CNN.

“He seeks things that are fundamentally sound, and that kind of discipline can only happen if he doesn’t need to chase after them.” That contentment, in his case, led to a lot of discipline.”

‘More blessed to give than to receive’ In June 2006, Buffett made a major philanthropic commitment via a series of letters, pledging most of his wealth to foundations and charitable organisations.

This philanthropic spirit continued in his recent shareholder letter, where he discussed plans to accelerate his charitable giving, allocating approximately a billion dollars to four family foundations.

According to the CNN report, Buffett exemplifies the New Testament principle of giving over receiving, setting him apart among America’s wealthy.

This characteristic inspired Robert L. Bloch, whose father founded H&R Block, to compile “The Warren Buffett Book of Investing Wisdom: 350 Quotes from the World’s Most Successful Investors.”

Speaking to CNN, Bloch identifies Buffett’s gratitude and generosity as essential spiritual values. Buffett demonstrates genuine concern for underprivileged and ordinary citizens, expressing a desire to contribute to society’s welfare, as Bloch notes.

“That’s very spiritual. Not many billionaires are like that.” His charitable nature aligns with ancient Greco-Roman Stoic principles.

Philosophers like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius advocated that virtuous living was essential for happiness, while viewing material attachments as obstacles to self-control.

As documented by Ryan Holiday, author of popular books on Stoicism, Aurelius, whilst serving as Roman emperor, liquidated palace possessions to reduce empire debt and support Roman citizens. According to Bloomberg Opinion columnist Beth Kowitt, Buffett credits his success to luck.

“He is very clear that a lot of his success comes from being born a white American male in the year 1930. I think he believes that his wealth is a product of the system.

not all. He doesn’t buy into his hype. And I think that is really different from what we see from a new cohort of Silicon Valley CEOs who seem to feel that they’ve contributed so much more to society than they’ll get back,” she tells Bloomberg.

“This is a little bit of the secret of his success. It’s helped him avoid hubris and the mistakes that come with it. And I think you cannot recreate Warren Buffett’s luck, but you can certainly try to recreate this mentality,” she says.

Keeping the faith

People in the US have faced significant challenges recently. A Politico survey reveals nearly 50% of citizens struggle with essential expenses like food and healthcare.

Various polls indicate that over half of Americans believe the country’s peak has passed. Nevertheless, Buffett maintains optimism in America. This optimistic outlook mirrors the Christian virtue of faith, despite his non-religious stance.

According to Christianity’s central figure, faith possesses transformative power. Another New Testament author defines it as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see.” Warren Buffett stands as America’s foremost optimist.

During challenging economic periods and political turmoil, he has maintained his positive outlook with statements like, “For 240 years, it’s been a terrible mistake to bet against America, and now is no time to start.” And: “We always live in an uncertain world.

What is certain is that the United States will go forward over time.” This unwavering confidence motivated Bloch to explore Buffett’s statements in detail.

You’ve got to have faith that it’s going to get better and we will come out of this,” Bloch explains to CNN, referring to the current political and economic climate in the US.

“Look at 1776, 1820, and the Great Depression. America just got bigger and better throughout history.”

This steadfast belief appears to be the source of Buffett’s consistent positive attitude. His wholesome Midwestern outlook is captured in his retirement letter: “Kindness is costless but also priceless.”

Buffett, unlike many billionaires with domineering attitudes, maintains courtesy even towards critical voices at shareholder meetings and avoids associations with questionable individuals. As he stated, “You can’t make a good deal with a bad person.”

He frequently discusses an unexpected topic in the competitive investment world: love. His perspective on love is clear: “

The only way to get love is to be lovable, as money cannot purchase genuine affection. He believes in the reciprocal nature of love, stating,

“The more you give love away, the more you get.” This approach, rather than his successful investments in Coca-Cola,

Wells Fargo and Kraft Heinz might be considered his most significant contribution. He has earned widespread respect in America not solely for his financial success but for his consistent consideration of others.

His investment in human relationships may be his most valuable achievement.

Elio Della Ferrera, Arch. PaleoStelvio

Illustration by Fabio Manucci, Arch. PaleoStelvio

Artist’s rendition of a herd of prosauropods walking across a muddy plain during low tide. Smaller footprints suggest the herd also included young specimens

Elio Della Ferrera, Arch. PaleoStelvio

The dashcam footage from Paul Doyle’s Ford Galaxy, as he ploughs his way through the crowd at the Liverpool parade, is chilling.

Bodies are thrown left and right; people disappear under the front of the car. For a few seconds some appear to be clinging to the bonnet, terror on their faces.

The sound is equally graphic. The screaming and the shouting from outside of the car. And the thumps: as people bang on the car to get Doyle to stop, and as people are hit by it.

Men, women and children hit. A bike, a baby’s pram.

Throughout those couple of minutes, Doyle lays on the car’s horn, the parking sensors beep constantly, and he shouts.”

Those words, prosecutors say, reveal the truth – that Doyle knew he was driving at people.

He was jailed for 21 years and six months – with Judge Andrew Menary KC telling Doyle he acted in an “inexplicable and undiluted fury” when he drove into the crowds.

The judge told him his “disregard for human life defies ordinary understanding”.

“Your actions caused horror and devastation on a scale not previously encountered by this court,” he said.

“The footage is truly shocking… it shows you, quite deliberately, accelerating into groups of fans time and time again.

“You struck people head-on, knocked others onto the bonnet, drove over limbs, crushed prams and forced those nearby to scatter in terror.”

Follow latest as Paul Doyle is sentenced: the Liverpool parade attack explained

“In my 20 years of policing, this is the most graphic and distressing footage I have ever encountered,” said Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald, the senior investigating officer for Merseyside Police.

“Doyle’s total disregard for the safety of others – particularly the many young children present on Dale Street and Water Street that day – is beyond comprehension. It is sheer luck that no lives were lost.”

In the end, that dashcam footage was never shown to a jury, as Doyle pleaded guilty on the day his trial was due to begin. The footage will not be released to the public due to its graphic nature.

What motivated his rampage?

“I think Doyle was just determined to get to where he wanted to get to, and there was no stopping him no matter who was in his way,” said DCI Fitzgerald.

“He clearly got angrier and angrier as the dashcam footage rolled on. He was yelling profanities at the people in his way.

“He just clearly got red mist.

“I do not believe that Doyle deliberately set out on his journey to injure people on that day, but his actions were deliberate.”

Ex-soldier helped stop attack

Doyle was only stopped by the bravery of former soldier Dan Barr. He managed to climb into the back seat of the car when Doyle briefly paused.

“It was desperation to get him stopped and determination to stop him by whatever means; I think that’s what was going through my head,” Mr Barr said.

“He accelerated off, the door slammed shut and I’d gone from the total chaos of panic and screaming to the relative silence as he accelerated off and you could just hear the people being hit and run over.

“It was horrendous, and I could see people’s faces. I could see the looks of them trying to plead but wasting their time; that’s all they could do because there was nowhere to go to get out of the way.

“I do remember seeing he had an automatic and therefore ‘P’ for ‘park’ was right at the end so I thought, ‘I’ll just jam that forward as far as I can; that should stop him,’ and it did.”

Without Mr Barr’s actions, police say, Doyle would have carried on. They have described him as a hero.

“I don’t think I am,” Mr Barr said. “I think it is standard.

“Who wouldn’t have, if they could have, done what I did? I can’t think of anyone, especially on that street.”

It has come at a cost.

“I don’t think I have processed it, to be honest with you,” Mr Barr said.

“I’m not the same since that day. I’m not doing great but I’m getting there.”

By the time it was all over, 134 people had been injured, including two babies and six other children.

Read more:
Liverpool parade victim tells of ‘carnage’

 

Liverpool parade attack victim recalls ‘carnage’

Tens of thousands of Liverpool fans had been on the streets of the city on that spring bank holiday Monday to celebrate the club’s Premier League triumph.

Doyle had driven to the parade to collect a friend he had earlier dropped off there. On his way into the city, his dashcam had recorded him driving erratically, overtaking other cars and running a red light.

But police say there had been no sign earlier that day of what could have triggered his rage.

Doyle had a violent past.

It can now be revealed that Doyle has previous convictions for assault.

In the early 1990s, while serving in the Royal Marines, he was convicted of biting off part of someone’s ear during a fight in a pub. He was discharged from the military at that time.

Police say they believe Doyle is a fan of Liverpool’s city rivals Everton, but that this was not a factor in what happened on 26 May.

In police interviews, Doyle claimed he acted in fear and panic because someone in the crowd with a knife had opened his car door. Investigators say they spoke to 1,500 witnesses and no one else mentioned seeing a knife.

He also claimed he stopped when he hit the first person. In fact, he had hit more than 100 before stopping. His claims, prosecutors say, were lies.

As the incident unfolded, many of those who were there shared their first thoughts.

Debbie Blair said, “People were just screaming, ‘It’s a terrorist, it’s a terrorist, he might have a gun, he might have a knife.'”

“The next minute people were all screaming, ‘Kill him, kill him,'” she said.

Her son Mike was with her. Images of car attacks on Christmas markets in Europe, he said, flashed through his mind. His greatest concern was the number of children there.

“It was carnage, total carnage,” he said.

He was treated in hospital for injuries that still affect him.

“It shouldn’t have happened. But for someone to intentionally do that, it’s quite sick, really.”

Police say Doyle has never shown any remorse for his actions. He told officers, “I’ve ruined my family’s lives.”

What he did on 26 May, prosecutors say, devastated lots of people’s lives.