Public Safety and Policing

New York and Los Angeles police bolstered security at Hanukkah events after a Bondi Beach attack in Sydney that killed 15 and was described by Australian authorities as an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community. Police identified the suspected attackers as a father and his adult son — the father was killed at the scene and the son was shot by police and is hospitalized in critical condition — and local Jewish leader Dionne Taylor said the community had warned authorities about escalating antisemitic incidents.

DHS identified the Omaha gas‑station shooter as Salvadoran national Juan Ayala‑Ramos (previously reported as Juan Melgar‑Ayala), saying he entered the United States as an unaccompanied minor in June 2007 and that an immigration judge administratively closed his removal case that year. Officials said Ayala‑Ramos had a prior criminal history — including a 2019 assault‑by‑strangulation charge and 2021 arrests for burglary and possession of a stolen firearm — and that he allegedly wounded a 61‑year‑old civilian and injured four Omaha officers before being fatally shot by police; investigators are probing how he obtained the handgun and family members reported mental‑health issues.