Three of the U.S. Army soldiers who went missing in Lithuania have been found dead in their armored vehicle that was pulled from a swampy area early Monday, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command. Another soldier is still missing.

The bodies of the three soldiers were recovered after a massive six-day effort by U.S., Polish and Lithuanian armed forces and authorities to dig the M88 Hercules vehicle out of a peat bog at the expansive General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in the town of Pabrade.

The soldiers were on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle were reported missing early Tuesday, the Army said.

The command in a statement said the identities of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division soldiers are being withheld pending family notifications.

“We stand in grief with the families and loved ones of these extraordinary ‘Dogface Soldiers’ during this unimaginable time,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division commander. “But the search isn’t finished until everyone is home. Words cannot express our gratitude to those still working around the clock during these extensive search and recovery efforts and your unwavering commitment not to rest until all are found.”

Hundreds of Lithuanian and U.S. soldiers and rescuers took part in the search through the thick forests and swampy terrain around Pabrade, just 6 miles west of the border with Belarus. The armored vehicle was discovered on Wednesday submerged in 15 feet of water.

N.Y. officers charged with burglary, abuse

Two New York City police officers have been suspended after being charged with burglary and forcibly touching a sex worker while responding to a complaint about an illegal brothel, prosecutors said Monday.

Officers Justin McMillan and Justin Colon intentionally turned off their body cameras as they broke into a residential building, stole money and forcibly touched a woman while on duty last July, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

The patrol officers, who were still on probationary status after entering the police academy in 2023, had been responding to a report of prostitution inside the building.

McMillan, 27, of Long Island, and Colon, 24, of Queens, pleaded not guilty during their arraignment hearings Monday in Queens. They were released and are due back in court April 28, according to Katz’s office.

Arson suspected at N.M. GOP office

A fire that damaged the entryway to the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque is being investigated as arson, a fire official said Monday.

No suspect has been named in the Sunday morning blaze that’s under investigation by local authorities, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Incendiary materials were found on the scene, according to an ATF spokesperson. Spray paint on the side of the building read “ICE=KKK,” said Lt. Jason Fejer with Albuquerque Fire Rescue. Fejer said federal officials were taking over the arson investigation.

Armed gangs seize Haiti prison

Heavily armed gangs struck the city of Mirebalais in central Haiti on Monday, seizing control of a local prison as hundreds of people fled the area under gunfire.

Local media reported that gang members released dozens of inmates in the large-scale attack targeting parts of Mirebalais, just 30 miles northeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

In a video posted on social media, a man is seen hoisting an automatic rifle as people around him yelled, “We broke out the prisoners!” Soon after, they began chanting, “They can’t stop us!”

At least 530 prisoners escaped, according to Arnel Remy, an attorney and general coordinator for Haiti’s Collective of Lawyers for the Defense of Human Rights.

Mirebalais officials could not be reached for comment.

Serbians protest for free speech

Thousands of Serbians marched in four cities on Monday protesting government pressure and hate speech directed at university students and professors behind months of anti-corruption protests shaking populist President Aleksandar Vucic.

The marches were organized a day after a woman attacked a faculty dean in Serbia’s south with a knife, which protesters blamed on a hate campaign that they say is fueled by top officials and pro-government media.

Serbian university students and their professors have been a key force behind the nationwide demonstrations also reflecting a wider discontent with Vucic’s rule. He has accused protesters of working against the state interests.

Serbia is formally seeking European Union entry but Vucic has maintained close ties with Russia and China while facing accusations of stifling democratic freedoms.

Drug cartel boss released in Colombia

Colombian authorities released former Medellin Cartel boss Carlos Lehder on Monday after a judge ruled that a drug trafficking sentence issued in Colombia against the 75-year-old had expired.

Lehder was arrested Friday night shortly after he landed in Bogota’s airport, with immigration officials saying he was still wanted in the South American country on drug trafficking charges and weapons smuggling.

Lehder became the first Colombian drug trafficker extradited to the United States after he was arrested during a party at his ranch.

The former drug trafficker was extradited to the U.S. in 1987, where he served more than 30 years in prison. In 2020, Lehder was released after serving two-thirds of his U.S. sentence. He was deported to Germany, where he is also a citizen.

Lehder had not returned to Colombia since his extradition to the United States. His lawyer, Sondra Macollins said he was attempting to visit relatives when he arrived Friday.

Post-mortem Hackman photos protected

A court on Monday cleared the release of investigative records from the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, as long as depictions of the deceased couple are blocked from view.

The ruling from a New Mexico judge allows the possible release of redacted police body camera video and other investigative materials, including images of the couple’s dead dog. All photos, video and documents from the investigation had been restricted from release by an earlier, temporary court order.

A representative for the Hackman family estate had urged Judge Matthew Wilson to keep the records sealed to protect the family’s right to privacy.

The partially mummified remains of Hackman and Arakawa were found in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26, when maintenance and security workers showed up and alerted police.

Authorities have said Hackman, 95, died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease about a week after his wife died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is a rare, rodent-borne disease. Hackman may have been unaware Arakawa, 65, was dead.

— From news service