Four militants stormed into Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, Pakistan, killing 20 people and injuring 60 others, NBC News reported.

The gunmen, using heavy fog as cover, killed some of the victims execution-style with a shot to the head after striking classrooms and dorms, police and witnesses said.

Regional police chief Saeed Wazir told NBC News the attack appeared to be well-planned because “they knew where to go and they knew who to go for.”

All four were wearing explosive vests but only one managed to detonate his, police said. The others died in a shootout with Pakistani military. At least two appeared to be teenagers.

Bacha Khan University is named after Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a progressive politician and champion of women’s rights. Wednesday is the 28th anniversary of his death.

A little fox found itself outsmarted by a Kensington resident who wanted the animal out of his yard, San Diego County Animal Services said Wednesday.

On Monday, the man called animal services to report the fox sniffing around his backyard. But by the time animal control officers arrived, the crafty animal had made itself scarce.

The next night, it was not so smart. Watching for the tiny intruder, the homeowner left a door open to a granny flat behind his house, hoping the fox would be drawn inside.

The animal took the bait, making itself right at home on the bed.

That’s where animal control officers found it when they arrived. They even took a picture of the beautiful creature in its calm posture.

However, the fox was soon startled by the humans. It leaped off the bed, ran behind some tables and somehow jumped to the highest shelf in the closet.

One officer was able to slowly put a net over the animal and capture it.

According to animal services, the fox looked like a healthy adult, but it was a bit lethargic. Project Wildlife took in the animal for observations.

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Several members of the U.S. Navy's top brass were in San Diego Wednesday to celebrate "The Great Green Fleet", one of its first to be powered by a blend of traditional fuels and biofuels.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was on hand at NAS North Island in Coronado Wednesday, congratulating crews as they sail from San Diego.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) and thousands of friends and family members of the crews took part in the ceremony.

The USS John C. Stennis strike group will be the centerpiece of the Great Green Fleet, a year-long initiative highlighting the Navy’s efforts to transform its energy use to increase operational capability.

Commanding officer Capt. Mike Wettlaufer said his crew has trained for the last year for this mission. Wettlaufer said he couldn't be more proud of his team.

For sailor Shawn Martin, Wednesday's deployment was focused on the fact that he'll be leaving his wife with two-month-old twin boys.

“I know he would rather stay and see the kids grow but I'm very proud of him I know he's making a huge sacrifice for our country and for our family,” said Marianne Martin.

She plans to send pictures and videos of the twins to her husband every day.

Also deploying were Carrier Air Wing 9, guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay and three guided-missile destroyers from Destroyer Squadron 21, USS Stockdale, USS William P. Lawrence and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii-based USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93).

U.S. Navy officials have identified the corpsman found dead at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) last week.

The body of HN Marc Aaron Pratt, 25, was discovered Friday morning in his barracks room at the center, located at 34800 Bob Wilson Dr. His cause of death is still under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Pratt, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, was assigned to NMCSD. He joined the Navy on May 19, 2012, and underwent basic training in Great Lakes, Illinois.

From May to October 2012, he trained to become a corpsman at the San Antonio-based Medical Education and Training Campus. He also learned combat trauma training at Field Medical Training Battalion-West in Camp Pendleton until February 2013.

He began his assignment at NMCSD on Feb. 2, 2013. Since then, he has deployed with hospital ship USNS Mercy to conduct disaster relief preparedness with Pacific Partnership.

He has received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

An NMCSD Public Affairs spokesperson said the medical center is mourning the loss of Pratt and added, "[We] convey our deepest condolences to his family. More information will be provided as it becomes available."

A crack in one of the bluffs along Sunset Cliffs poses a danger to people walking above and below the popular vista in Point Loma.

The area affected is at Sunset Cliffs Park and not in an area with a lot of pedestrian access. City officials have put up yellow caution tape to warn people not to walk on the unstable rock.

Professor Emeritus of Geology, San Diego State University Pat Abbott said he had visited the area  Tuesday and in his opinion, one day later it looked as if the crack in the rock had widened.

He said gravity and the steepness of the cliffs in addition to the tides are to blame for the change in the rock formation.

El Nino rains are the straw that broke the camel's back, not the sole source of this crack, according to Abbott.

San Diego day care provider James Nemeth pleaded guilty Wednesday to several charges in the death of an infant in his care.

Eleven-month-old Lou Oliver was alert when he was dropped off at the James Nemeth Family Childcare, on May 23, 2012, according to his mother, Cristina Oliver.

Just a few hours later, Lou’s mother got an alarming text message from Nemeth telling her to "come quickly, Lou did not wake up from his afternoon nap," Cristina told NBC 7 Investigates in a previous interview. 

Lou was rushed to Rady Children's Hospital by ambulance, but at 1:30 a.m. the next day, he was declared dead.

In court Wednesday, Nemeth entered guilty pleas to a total of seven serious charges with a 29-year-prison term attached, according to the plea deal. He must serve at least 85 percent of the term before he's eligible for parole, the prosecutor said.

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Lou’s mother, Cristina, described the last four years as a nightmare and said, “it’s given us some relief that this person has finally confessed to what he’s done to our son.”

“It’s a step of somebody taking responsibility and that’s what we wanted,” Michael Oliver said. “Someone to be held responsible for the killing of our son.”

Nemeth and his attorney did not comment on the plea Wednesday.

In court, Nemeth also admitted he abused, hit and choked his own children. According to the prosecutor, hit them with a belt and punched one of his children in the stomach.

After learning these new details about Nemeth, Lou’s parents told NBC 7 Investigates they were shocked he was able to have his own day care license and they are going to work to fix a licensing system that they say is “broken.”

“We need better policies with file sharing and more information for parents so they are confident that day care providers can be trusted to take good care of children,” Michael Oliver said.

Last year, NBC 7 Investigates reported that before Lou's death, Nemeth had a lengthy history of serious violations, including allegations that he was physically rough with his own child. In November, Nemeth emailed a statement to NBC 7, saying in part: "I cared for Louis, he was an amazing child. I tried everything I could to save him and the fact I failed is something that will be with me forever."

NBC 7 Investigates also found it was very difficult for parents to review files on what happens to their children while in the care of individual day cares. After the stories aired,state lawmakers changed the way parents can access information about day cares in California, making the information available online, instead of only in person by appointment.

Click here to see the complete investigation.

Nemeth’s sentencing is scheduled for February 26.
 

A Fontana man has been formally charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend, a young San Diego mother found buried on his property, the San Bernardino District Attorney announced. 

Alejandra Carrion Gutierrez, of San Diego, was found buried on the property Friday evening after she was reported missing by her family. 

Cesar Rosales, 40, was arrested and on Wednesday was charged with her murder. Family members said the two had been dating for two years.

Gutierrez, 27, left her San Ysidro apartment at about 10 p.m. on Dec. 30 to meet her boyfriend at his house in Fontana, just west of San Bernardino, her family said Thursday.

On Jan. 10, Gutierrez’s beige Mini Cooper was found at the intersection of Foothill Blvd. and Laurel Ave. in Fontana. However, she was nowhere to be found.

Family members reported her missing on January 2, according to the Fontana Police Department.

"We don’t know where she is at,” said cousin Elvia Toris. “She's never done something like this before. She’s never left her kids and not given a phone call. That’s why we are very, very worried.”

Late Thursday, Fontana police discovered a body buried on the property of an acquaintance on Reseda Avenue in Fontana.

Officers say a cadaver dog uncovered the body body during a search of Rosales' property.

Initially, Fontana Police reported the body was that of the missing woman but they later recanted that information, saying investigators have yet to retrieve the body and do a positive identification.

When interviewed by investigators, Rosales admitted to the homicide and burying the body in his yard, police said.

Anyone with information can contact the Fontana Police Dispatch at (909) 350-7700.

Mountain bikers whose bikes were confiscated by the military met with the commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar Wednesday night to get an explanation.

Marines patrolling the 23,000-acre base took more than 45 bicycles and three motorcycles from people trespassing onto the federal land over the holiday weekend.

However, many of the riders said the trails are not clearly marked, and they did not know they had crossed into military space.

“Everybody that got caught, and I was one of them all, had the same question: what? We didn’t see any signs. We've been riding out here for years,” said Darren Lachel.

Col. Jason Woodworth, the commanding officer of MCAS Miramar, met with the concerned bike riders at the Mission Trails Visitors Center to explain the change in strategy. He told NBC 7 that in recent months, they have seen a rise in cyclists riding on their land.

So as security on base increases, officials decided to start cracking down on trespassers.

“Every time we stop firing out there costs me, as the base CO, about approximately $10,000,” said Woodworth. “So you ride through there, we see you, we’ve got to stop firing, now we have to clear that range for two to three hours.”

He said he feels there are enough signs warning about trespassing and putting a fence to demark the area would be too expensive.

As for why they jumped to confiscating bikes, Woodworth said they have simply ticketed people in the past, but many of the offenders would then refuse to pay their fine and return to the base.

They started taking the bikes away to send a stronger message.

It was received loud and clear by Steve Gillespie, who did not plead ignorance like the others.

"I've known that it's private property for a long time, and I've heard tale of Marines ticketing people, but I honestly in 17 years of riding there, I never saw a soldier,” said Gillespie.

He was not bothered at all that his bike was taken by the Marines. He summed up the lesson like this: “A law is a law, even if you don’t like it.”

A master plan is now in the works to better distinguish which trails can be used. The mountain bikers who had their bikes confiscated will now have to see a magistrate and face a possible fine.
 

A man with past DUI convictions was in court Wednesday to face charges in a fatal crash along Old Highway 395 in Bonsall five months ago.

Garrett Gelrud, 34, was behind the wheel of his Chevy Suburban on August 5 when the SUV crossed over the double yellow lines and struck a Nissan Versa.

The impact killed the Nissan’s driver Juan Corza Gonzalez, 62, of Escondido.

Witnesses testified Wednesday in a pretrial hearing that they saw Gelrud’s vehicle weaving in and out of the lanes, nearly hitting several cars and braking hard just before the collision.

Alfonso and Antonia Juarez were traveling along the road when they became part of the crash.

“The Suburban was traveling north completely in our lane,” Alfonso Juarez testified in Spanish.

Antonia was injured in the collision. “My husband got me out because my legs were hurting and I couldn't breathe,” she testified in Spanish.

Less than a half hour after the crash, CHP officials received calls from citizens reporting a man walking barefoot down the road. They arrested Gelrud and charged him with driving under the influence as well as hit and run.

California Highway Patrol Officer David Alvarado described the moment he found Gelrud on the road.

“He had some scratches,” Alvarado said. “He was pretty calm. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was walking home from Pechanga.”

More witnesses were expected to testify Wednesday afternoon. Get complete coverage on NBC 7 News at 4, 5 and 6.

Lifeguards are debating whether to accept an offer from the city of San Diego to provide coverage for short-term illnesses and injuries ahead of more El Nino storms.

However, the local lifeguard union argues the proposal does not cover the long-term health effects of swimming in contaminated water.

Wednesday evening, San Diego lifeguards discussed the latest “presumptive illness coverage” offer from the city, which was delivered after a closed session of the city council.

Right now, lifeguards are only covered for skin cancer and injuries. The current proposal would pay lifeguards for time off and treatment if they are sickened by tuberculosis, meningitis, hepatitis, pneumonia, a hernia or MRSA.

“It doesn’t protect us against heart [issues] and cancer. Cancer is something we’re all afraid of and the fact we’re constantly swimming in chemicals, other pollutants, the drainage,” said Lifeguard Sgt. Ed Harris, the union spokesman. “It’s a long-term career.”

Lifeguard Chief Rick Wurts said if the offer is accepted, it would put San Diego lifeguards above others in California in terms of benefits.

“To the best of my knowledge, there is no other lifeguard agency anywhere in the state of California that has anything like this, or anywhere else in the United States that I’m aware of,” said Wurts. “This is an incredible opportunity for lifeguards.”

According to Harris, two weeks ago, lifeguards filled a bottle with water they were swimming through while looking for a car during the El Nino floods. Harris said a lab test showed bacteria in the water was four times over the acceptable level.

He is concerned about long-term exposure to dirty water for people like himself who have been lifeguards for decades.

“You can’t keep it out of your eyes, mouths, ears or throat, doesn’t matter what we wear,” Harris told NBC 7. “We’re going into areas in the Tijuana River that no company would send employees there without a hazmat suit, and we’re going open from the neck up.”

The union said they were promised long-term illness coverage in negotiations.

The city and the labor union have been in discussions over their benefits for two years.

“There are a wide variety of issues that come into play,” said Wurts. “Negotiations simply take time.”

While lifeguards voted on the issue Wednesday night, the final count will not be determined until Thursday, when they tally up the email votes.
 

State agencies partnered with Escondido police to crack down on massage businesses that engage in prostitution.

On Wednesday, officers inspected 22 massage parlors in Escondido to make sure no illegal activity was taking place.

According to the police department, 15 of the businesses were violating Escondido municipal code sections, and 10 were violating fire and life safety-related ordinances. In total, the businesses face more than $10,000 in fines.

Officials note that while most of the massage businesses are reputable, many are little more than fronts for prostitution and human trafficking.

More massage parlor inspections will be planned for the future, according to Escondido Police Chief Craig Carter.

“Our city welcomes reputable businesses,” said Carter in a statement. “However, if a business engages in unlawful activity we will use all legal means to either gain compliance or shut the business down. The police department prefers voluntary compliance over prosecution, but we will pursue criminal charges against employees and business owners who choose to operate their business in violation of existing laws.”

Last year, police detectives discovered prostitution activities at an Escondido business called Oriental Therapy on E. Valley Parkway. The business was closed down in December due to prosecution by Escondido City Attorney.
 

The woman who allegedly mowed down dozens of people on the Las Vegas Strip could face more than 1,000 years in prison if she’s convicted, NBC News reported.

Prosecutors amended their criminal complaint against Lakeisha Nicole Holloway on Wednesday. Holloway now faces 71 charges, including one count of open murder with use of a deadly weapon, 30 counts of attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon and two counts of child abuse.

One person was killed and dozens more were injured when Holloway, 24, drove her car onto the sidewalk near the Planet Hollywood hotel-casino. Her daughter was in the backseat at the time.

Court records show Holloway, who is being held without bond, is due back in court on Feb. 4. 

 A newly released independent report examining Airbnb rental trends is slamming hosts in select major U.S. cities, including San Diego, for running "illegal hotels" and making hundreds of thousands of dollars on the side. 

The independent report by Dr. John O’Neil, professor and director of the Center for Hospitality Real Estate Strategy at Penn State University, looks at AirBnB activity in 12 major U.S. cities, including San Diego. On Wednesday, the report was released by The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA). Airbnb is a website where people can list, find and rent short-term vacation spots. 

"Airbnb suggests that its hosts are largely using the platform to make some additional money on the side. It states that 'a typical listing earns $5,110 a year, and is typically shared less than four nights per month," the report says.

However, it goes on to slam an “alarming trend with respect to two overlapping hosts” and multiple unit operators who are renting out two or more units, and full-time operators renting out their unit(s) for 360 days or more a year.

An Airbnb spokeswoman told NBC 7 San Diego the information in the report is false and that “this study shows that the hotel industry gets what it pays for, which in this case is a specious study intended to mislead and manipulate.”

Some residents in San Diego's Pacific Beach, a popular destination for vacation rentals, have become fed up with short-term vacation rentals like the ones Airbnb offers.

“The controversy basically is whether it's appropriate to have mini motels spring up in what were otherwise normal residential communities,” said Phil Rath with Preserve Our Communities. “And that's really expanding for a lot of reasons and causing a lot of problems for people who live in those neighborhoods and have lived there for a long time.”

More and more people who own homes in single-family neighborhoods rent out rooms and houses for just days at a time through sites like Airbnb, Rath said. 

“People who happen to live next door to a house that's been converted into a mini motel have to live with these damages and have no recourse whatsoever to make it stop,” Rath said.

The report found that multi-unit operators who rent out their units for more than 360 days a year make up one large part of the generated revenue from the site. Hosts who rent it out for smaller periods of time, like 180 days or more, generate the second chunk of major revenue, according to the report's findings. 

“The neighborhoods in this area, a lot of the people do not want vacation rentals in the area,” said Pacific Beach resident Shelley Doty. “As a homeowner I can see their point. As a vacationer who uses these types of rentals, I love them.”

Doty said she has used a similar vacation rental site in her travels abroad, but as a homeowner in Pacific Beach, she is hesitant.

“It is actually a little frightening because you don't know are they supposed to be there,” Dot said. “Are they going to be breaking into the house? Are they going to be partying every night or just a normal vacation?”

Rath is one of many working on a future city ordinance proposal that would put restrictions on owners of vacation rentals.

“The rules really haven't caught up with the reality of what's happening in our neighborhoods,” Rath said.

In addition to San Diego, the report also looked at New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. 

 Some Scripps Ranch residents are outraged about a potential San Diego Unified School District deal that would put a high-density apartment complex where a charter school currently operates.

The proposed development would be at the corner of Spring Canyon Road and Scripps Poway Parkway, where the Innovations Academy Charter School now operates. Approximately 365 students attend the school now, only 75 of whom could attend neighborhood schools if the charter school has to relocate.

At a community meeting at Thurgood Marshall Middle School, more than 100 came out to voice a mixture of support and concern for the proposed development. The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) school board will vote on the 66 year lease with Monarch Development, out of Laguna Niguel, to build a four story, 264 unit apartment complex on the property.

“The schools here are already at capacity, that means they would already have to build another school,” said Tim Smith, a resident. “What kind of financial nonsense is that all about?”

Residents say they need more schools in the area to accommodate the growing population, and building a high density apartment complex will only add to the congestion in the budding area.

“We worry because our schools are already at max, and the responses were getting from the school board is well, just redistrict, well just move the kids around, -- well, that’s not the vision for neighborhood schools. We want to keep our children in our neighborhood schools and be a part of the community,” said parent Emily Dresslar.

NBC 7’s Rory Devine spoke with only one resident who supported high density housing, but she did not want to comment beyond that. 

Kevin Beiser, who represents the community on the school board, said he was at the meeting to listen to what everyone has to say.

A former Oklahoma City police officer who was found guilty of raping more than a dozen women while on duty was sentenced to 263 years on Thursday, NBC News reported.

According to court records, Daniel Holtzclaw’s attorney filed a motion for a new trial — just one day before a judge would officially sentence him. Scott Adams claimed his client was denied a fair trial but the judge at Thursday’s hearing denied that motion.

During the trial, 13 women testified that the former police officer coerced them into having sex after threatening to arrest them for possessing drug paraphernalia or outstanding warrants. All of his victims were black women he stopped while on patrol.

The Oklahoma City Police Department said in a statement it was "pleased with the jury's decision."

President Vladimir Putin "probably" personally approved a plot by Russia's FSB security service to murder ex-agent Alexander Litvinenko, a British judge said Thursday, NBC News reported. 

After a six-month public inquiry, judge Robert Owen said that he is certain Litvinenko was given tea laced with a fatal dose of polonium-210 at a London hotel in November 2006. The one-time KGB agent who fled to Britain in 2000 and became a vocal critic of Putin had predicted that Russia would assassinate him and accused Putin on his deathbed of ordering his killing.

Litvinenko's body was so radioactive that the autopsy was conducted by medics in protective clothing and he was laid to rest in a lead-lined casket.

Two Russians, Andrei Lugovoi, and Dmitry Kovtun, were previously identified by British prosecutors as having carried out the killing. Both deny it, and Moscow refuses to extradite them. British Home Secretary Theresa May announced asset freezes on the two men. 

The commander-in-chief was stuck in traffic Wednesday night like the rest of drivers. 

President Barack Obama's motorcade was delayed as 1 inch of snow crippled traffic in the D.C. area -- which does not bode well for a region expecting as much as 2 feet of snow starting Friday.

White House pool reporters following Obama from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after 7 p.m. Wednesday watched as the president's motorcade slipped on the snow-covered roads. At several points, the motorcade even hit the curbs. Navigating the snow-slicked roads took the motorcade drivers more than an hour to get back to the White House at about 8:40 p.m. -- a trip that should have taken 25 minutes. White House pool reporters spotted at least three crashes along the way.

While the incident is over for Obama, who returned from Detroit, the rest of the District continued to grapple with the storm, with more action in store starting Friday.

Storm Team4 predicted about an inch of snow would fall after 6 p.m. While this usually isn't enough for a Winter Weather Advisory, the warning went out for drivers to stay off the road until midnight because of low temperatures. 

Statewide, Virginia troopers responded to more than 100 crashes, including a fatal accident in Bedford County. 

Animal rights group PETA released video Wednesday of a so-called "Hamster Mill" and they say the animals were being shipped to Petco stores.

San Diego-based Petco said the care and treatment of animals extends beyond their many stores and to their suppliers as well. On Wednesday, company spokesperson said Petco has already severed ties with this particular supplier.

Images distributed by animal rights group PETA following a three-month video investigation shows cramped and filthy living conditions alleged inside Pennsylvania-based Holmes Farm.

The US Department of Agriculture confirms they're investigating Holmes Farm which raises more than 16,000 hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, and other small animals.

PETA said in some cases the animals were frozen alive and were often left to die in their own waste, deprived of basic veterinary care.

Holmes Ranch says it's cooperating with USDA and they're confident the concerns will be resolved.

On Wednesday, Petco said, "As a result of our own recent inspections at Holmes Chinchilla Ranch, which are a regular part of our strict vendor oversight protocol, we identified that they did not meet our animal care standards, and have terminated our relationship"

However, PETA said Petco was ordering and receiving animals by the hundreds for more than a month after their December visit.

Petco did not say if any of the animals from Holmes Ranch ever reached any San Diego area stores.
 

Amir Hekmati, the U.S. Marine freed from an Iranian prison on Saturday, arrived home to applause in Michigan on Thursday, NBC News reported.

Hekmati was released as part of a prisoner exchange along with Christian minister Saeed Abedini, Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, and another American, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari.

"I'm happy to finally be home," Hekmati said after landing in Flint. "It's been a very long road. A very long journey." 

Hekmati, 32, was arrested while visiting his grandmother in Iran in 2011. He was accused of spying and sentenced to death in January 2012. The Iranian Supreme Court overturned the death sentence and Hekmati was awaiting a second trial while his family worked to get him released.

"I'm standing here healthy, tall, my head held high," he said. 

Maldives former president, who was imprisoned over a year ago after a trial condemned as "mockery," reunited Thursday with his wife and the human-rights lawyers advocating his release, NBC News reported. 

The current government of the island nation gave Mohamed Nasheed permission to travel to London for spinal surgery just days after attorney Amal Clooney, in an exclusive interview with NBC News, made the case for sanctions to win his freedom.

Clooney, who is married to activist actor-director George Clooney, and her co-counsel Jared Genser, greeted Nasheed, 48, at London's Heathrow Airport.

"I feel strange and uncertain. Just two days ago I was in solitary. And now I'm able to be free, at least right now," said Nasheed, who served three years as president after winning the Maldives' first democratic elections. He left office in what he says was a gunpoint coup and what the government claims was a voluntary resignation.