49ers receiver Deebo Samuel will miss a couple of weeks with a calf injury

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49ers receiver Deebo Samuel will miss a couple of weeks with a calf injury

2024-09-17 07:55 Last Updated At：08:02

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers offense was dealt another blow with star receiver Deebo Samuel getting sidelined by a strained calf.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Samuel got hurt in the closing minutes of Sunday's 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and will likely miss “a couple of weeks.”

The injury to Samuel comes days after All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve with a sore calf and Achilles tendinitis. That leaves San Francisco without two of its top three players last season in terms of touchdowns and yards from scrimmage.

“When you lose real good players, it’s always tough,” Shanahan said. "But it happens all over the league and it’s a huge part of this league and a huge part of this game. We’ve got to deal with it.”

Samuel had eight catches for 110 yards on Sunday and has been San Francisco's No. 1 option in the passing game this season as Brandon Aiyuk works his back into form after missing all of training camp in a contract dispute. Samuel leads the team with 13 catchers for 164 yards this season.

Samuel also has been the team's No. 2 option at running back with McCaffrey hurt and scored on a touchdown run in the season opener against the New York Jets.

The Niners have an open spot on the roster after placing McCaffrey on injured reserve on Saturday, but Shanahan said he was uncertain if he would use that spot to add another receiver or running back.

San Francisco has three healthy running backs on the roster with rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. backing up Jordan Mason. Guerendo has one carry for no yards this season, while Taylor has only played on special teams.

The Niners have Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and rookie Jacob Cowing at receiver.

“I don’t think anything is a true necessity,” Shanahan said. “But having that room gives us a luxury to pick wherever we need it the most and we’ll see how we feel about that here over the next few days.”

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What we know about the suspect behind the German Christmas market attack

2024-12-21 20:26 Last Updated At：20:30

MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Germany on Saturday was still in shock and struggling to understand the suspect behind the attack in the city of Magdeburg.

Identified by local media as 50-year-old Taleb A., a psychiatry and psychotherapy specialist, authorities said he has been living in Germany for two decades. He was arrested on site after plowing a black BMW into a Christmas market crowded with holiday shoppers Friday evening, killing at least five people and wounding about 200 others.

Prominent German terrorism expert Peter Neumann posted on X that he had yet to come across a suspect in an act of mass violence with that profile.

Taleb’s X account is filled with tweets and retweets focusing on anti-Islam themes and criticism of the religion while sharing congratulatory notes to Muslims who left the faith. He also described himself as a former Muslim.

He was critical of German authorities, saying they had failed to do enough to combat the “Islamism of Europe.”

He has also voiced support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Some described Taleb as an activist who helped Saudi women flee their homeland. Recently, he seemed focused on his theory that German authorities have been targeting Saudi asylum seekers.

Neumann, the terrorism expert, wrote: “After 25 years in this ‘business’ you think nothing could surprise you anymore. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance towards Islamists — that really wasn’t on my radar."

On Saturday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told reporters: “At this point, we can only say for sure that the perpetrator was evidently Islamophobic – we can confirm that. Everything else is a matter for further investigation and we have to wait.”