AP News in Brief at 6:04 a.m. EST

The audience cheered as the man was pinned down and his arms were tied behind his back. In video of the incident, someone in the crowd can be heard saying, “Oh my god, he sprayed something on her.”

Just before that Omar had called for the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment. Calls are mounting on Capitol Hill for Noem to step down after the shooting deaths in Minneapolis of two people who protested deportations. Few Republicans have risen to her defense.

“ICE cannot be reformed,” Omar said, seconds before the attack.

Minneapolis police said officers saw the man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid at Omar. They immediately arrested him and booked him at the county jail for third-degree assault, spokesperson Trevor Folke said. Forensic scientists responded to the scene.

2 federal officers fired shots during encounter that killed Alex Pretti, DHS tells Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two federal officers fired shots during the encounter that killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti over the weekend in Minneapolis, a Customs and Border Protection official told Congress in a notice sent Tuesday, while Ecuador’s minister of foreign affairs filed an objection saying immigration agents tried to enter the country's consulate in the city without permission.

Officers tried to take Pretti into custody and he resisted, leading to a struggle, according to a notification to Congress obtained by The Associated Press. During the struggle, a Border Patrol agent yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times, the official said.

A Border Patrol officer and a CBP officer each fired Glock pistols, the notice said.

Investigators from CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducted the analysis based on a review of body-worn camera footage and agency documentation, the notice said. The law requires the agency to inform relevant congressional committees about deaths in CBP custody within 72 hours.

Separately, a man was arrested after he sprayed an unknown liquid at U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar while she was speaking at a town hall meeting in Minneapolis. The Democrat had just called for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign when she was sprayed.

Man wounded after exchanging gunfire with Border Patrol agents near US-Mexico border

A man who authorities say was involved in a human smuggling operation was shot Tuesday in an exchange of gunfire with the U.S. Border Patrol and after firing at a federal helicopter near the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said.

Federal agents were attempting to apprehend the 34-year-old Arizona man during a traffic stop near Arivaca, Arizona, when he fled and shot at a Border Patrol helicopter and at agents, authorities said. Agents returned fire, striking the man and wounding him, said Heith Janke, special agent in charge of the FBI in Phoenix.

The suspect, Patrick Gary Schlegel, was transported to a hospital and was recovering from surgery Tuesday evening, authorities said. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said during a news conference that he believes the Border Patrol agent involved in the shooting “acted lawfully" based on what is known so far.

“The investigation is still ongoing. There may be other things that show up,” Nanos said.

Prior to the shooting, agents had attempted to stop the same vehicle but the occupants drove away, Nanos said. Later in the morning, a Border Patrol agent saw the vehicle in the same area and attempted to stop it, but the driver fled on foot.

Israel marks the return of the final hostage's remains after more than 2 years of war and grief

JERUSALEM (AP) — For more than two years, Israelis wore yellow ribbons to remember the hostages abducted during the deadliest day in the country’s history. On Tuesday, they finally could remove those ribbons and shut down a haunting clock in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, marking the end of a painful chapter.

The return of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer killed while fighting Hamas militants during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, fulfilled nationwide hopes to return all the hostages, living or dead.

Forensic teams combed a cemetery in northern Gaza, working to locate, exhume and identify Gvili's remains as part of a broad effort involving search crews, intelligence officers and forensic dentists.

Now, with Gvili’s remains back in Israel, attention has turned toward what comes next in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel will reopen Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt in both directions, allowing Palestinians to enter and leave the territory after nearly two years of closure.

Bitter cold grips the eastern US as winter storm deaths rise and power outages linger

Three Texas siblings who perished in an icy pond were among several dozen deaths in U.S. states gripped by frigid cold as crews scrambled Tuesday to repair hundreds of thousands of power outages in the shivering South and forecasters warned the winter weather is expected to get worse.

Brutal cold lingered in the wake of a massive storm that dumped deep snow across more than 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) from Arkansas to New England and left parts of the South coated in treacherous ice.

Freezing temperatures hovered Tuesday as far south as Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina and were forecast to plunge again overnight. Parts of northern Florida were expected to sink to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 3.9 degrees Celsius) late Tuesday into early Wednesday.

The U.S. aviation system was returning to normal after a brutal weekend that saw more than 17,000 commercial flights canceled. There were about 6,300 cancellations in the U.S. Monday and about 2,500 Tuesday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking and data company. Less than 500 were anticipated to be canceled Wednesday.

The arctic misery over the eastern half of the U.S. was expected to worsen Friday and Saturday. The National Weather Service said another winter storm could hit parts of the East Coast this weekend, and more record lows were forecast as far south as Florida.

British leader's trip to China is a balancing act between trade, national security and Trump

BEIJING (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that his country would not have to choose between relations with the U.S. and China as he started a four-day trip to China aimed at repairing ties and expanding opportunities for British companies in the world’s second-largest economy.

The British leader arrived in the capital Beijing in the late afternoon. Earlier, he told reporters while en route that he would balance engagement with China with national security concerns.

“I’m a pragmatist, a British pragmatist applying common sense,” he said.

He is the first U.K. prime minister to visit Beijing since Theresa May in 2018. The relationship deteriorated in the intervening years over growing concern about Chinese espionage, Beijing’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war and its crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, the former British colony.

Those issues remain, but both sides are emphasizing that they should “seek common ground while managing differences," as Zheng Zeguang, China's Ambassador to the U.K., wrote in a commentary for The Times of London this week.

Senior state official among 5 dead after private plane crash in western India

NEW DELHI (AP) — A private plane carrying a senior state official crashed in western India on Wednesday, killing all five people on board, aviation authorities said.

The Learjet 45 was en route from India’s financial capital of Mumbai to Ajit Pawar’s home city Baramati when it crash-landed and burst into flames in an open field near the runway, 254 kilometers (159 miles) from Mumbai. Television footage showed smoke rising from the wreckage.

Local media cited poor visibility as a possible cause of the crash, which is being investigated by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

Baramati is an uncontrolled airfield, meaning it doesn't have a dedicated air traffic control tower, according to a statement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Traffic information at the airstrip is provided by instructors from nearby flying training organizations.

The ministry said the aircraft's crew enquired about winds and visibility with a local instructor before attempting to land. The crew initially reported that the runway wasn't visible despite calm winds and visibility being around 3,000 meters.

The EU is seeking new trade partnerships. Here's why

BRUSSELS (AP) — The ambitious free trade agreement between the European Union and India underscores the EU’s efforts to ink new global partnerships at a time when the Trump administration has rattled a continent deeply tied to Washington on trade, defense and diplomacy.

The agreement announced Tuesday reflects a new priority for the 27-nation EU, the world's largest trading bloc, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs because of opposition to American control of Greenland, only to back off days later. It follows trade deals struck or pending over the past year with India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico and the five Mercosur nations of South America.

“The international order we relied upon for decades is no longer a given,” said Nikos Christodoulides, president of Cyprus, in a speech last week at the European Parliament. He was outlining Cyprus' priorities as the island nation begins its six-month term at the helm of the EU.

“This moment calls for action, decisive, credible and united action. It calls for a union that is more autonomous and open to the world," said Christodoulides, echoing widespread sentiment across the bloc.

After attending a military parade in New Delhi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed the free trade agreement to deepen economic and strategic ties with India. She called it the “mother of all deals.”

A month after Iran protests began, worry pervades Mideast over possible US strike

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian officials reached out to the wider Middle East on Wednesday over the threat of a possible U.S. military strike on the country, a month since the start of protests in Iran that soon spread nationwide and sparked a bloody crackdown.

Two nations, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have signaled they won't allow their airspace to be used for any attack. But America has moved the USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided missile destroyers into the region, which can be used to launch attacks from the sea.

It remains unclear what U.S. President Donald Trump will decide about using force, though he laid down two red lines — the killing of peaceful demonstrators and the possible mass execution of detainees. The protests saw at least 6,221 people killed as Iran launched a bloody crackdown on the demonstrations, with many others feared dead, activists said Wednesday.

Iran's state-run media, which now only refers to protesters as “terrorists,” remains the sole source of news for many as Tehran cut off access to the global internet some three weeks ago. But Iranians have become angry and anxious in the weeks since, seeing footage of protesters shot and killed while worrying about what may happen next as the country's economy sinks further.

“I feel that my generation failed to give a better lesson to younger ones," said Mohammad Heidari, a 59-year-old high school teacher in Tehran. “The result of decades of teaching by my colleagues and me led to death of thousands, and maybe more injured and prisoners.”

More 'No Kings' protests planned for March 28 as outrage spreads over Minneapolis deaths

A third round of “No Kings” protests is coming this spring, with organizers saying they are planning their largest demonstrations yet across the United States to oppose what they describe as authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.

Previous rallies have drawn millions of people, and organizers said they expect even greater numbers on March 28 in the wake of Trump's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where violent clashes have led to the death of two people.

“We expect this to be the largest protest in American history,” Ezra Levin, co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible, told The Associated Press ahead of Wednesday's announcement. He predicted that as many as 9 million people will turn out.

“No Kings” protests, which are organized by a constellation of groups around the country, have been a focal point for outrage over Trump's attempts to consolidate and expand his power.

“This is in large part a response to a combination of the heinous attacks on our democracy and communities coming from the regime, and a sense that nobody’s coming to save us," Levin said.