Showdown between Dallas and Pittsburgh starts after nearly 90-minute weather delay

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Sunday night showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys has started following a lengthy weather delay.

The original scheduled start time of 8:20 p.m. was pushed back nearly 90 minutes when a line of thunderstorms made their way through downtown Pittsburgh shortly before the opening kickoff.

The Steelers were just about to be introduced when the delay was called.

With plenty of lightning around Acrisure Stadium, fans retreated to the concourse during the hour-long downpour.

The teams returned to the field around 9:25 p.m. to go through a brief warm-up period and the game began with Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell's kickoff at 9:45 p.m..

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Snoop Dogg poses for photos prior to an NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, left, talks to defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) prior to an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott works out prior to an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields works out prior to an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott works out prior to an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

A message is seen on a large screen during a weather delay prior to an NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A spectator stands under driving range during a weather delay prior to an NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

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.”

A German-based organization called Athiest Refugee Relief said the alleged attacker was not a part of the group and claimed that he made “numerous accusations and claims” against it and former board members, which it said were false.

“We distance ourselves from him in the strongest terms," the group said in a statement on its website, adding that members of Atheist Refugee Relief filed a criminal complaint against him in 2019 following “the most foul slander and verbal attacks."

An image taken from a video shows police officers arresting a suspect after car drove into a crowd at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (TNN/DPA via AP)

A person stands by flowers and candles placed outside St. John's Church near a Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)