Events have been canceled as the man hunt continues for the mass murder who killed it least 18 people and left more than a dozen injured in maines second largest city, lewiston. Authorities say 40yearold suspect robert card is still at large and is considered armed and dangerous. Hes a Firearm Instructor and army reservist, with a history of mental illness. Tonight, more than 80 fbi agents are searching land and water to find him. According to police, the suspect fatally shot his first seven victims and a Bowling Alley where a, childrens lead was holding its weekly practice. The boston globe reports, sarah welch, her husband, and a year old daughter were taking part in that practice when she heard what sounded like the pop of a balloon. We saw someone fall, and we heard another pop when we ran now. We just kept running, wells said, and well said she grabbed her daughter and another child and ran to shelter in a nearby restaurant. She said that the leagues coach, who she declined to name, died in the shooting. The person that coached her daughter since she was in kindergarten. Police say the suspected shooter drove to a bar ten minutes away, where he shot and killed another eight people. Nbcs lester holt spoke to a City Counselor who learned he was the father of one of the victims. Joey walker was shot to death. Shot to death, then he went in to tell her that he died as a hero, because he picked up a Butcher Knife from somewheres. He has all that stuff near the bar anyways. And he tried to go at the gunman, to stop him from shooting anybody. The gunman shot him twice through the stomach. Does it change your pain at all . Knowing that . It made it worse. Yeah. It made it worse. According to senior Law Enforcement officials, the Assault Rifle or used in Wednesday Nights Massacre was purchased legally. Democratic congressman jared golden, who represents maines conservative second congressional district, which includes lewiston, said his prior votes to protect Assault Weapons, was a mistake. Out of fear of this dangerous world we live in, and my determination to protect my own daughter and wife in our home in our community, because of a false confidence that our community was above this and that we could be in full control among many other misjudgements, i have imposed efforts to ban Deadly Weapons of war against Assault Rifle used to carry of this crime. The time is now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why i now call on the United States congress to ban Assault Rifles, like the one used by the sikh perpetrator of this mass killing. Joining us, now retired fbi Special Agent kathryn the creator of the fbis active Shooter Program and the author of how to talk about guns with anyone. And rob damico, founder of 01 consulting uniform remember of fbis hostage rescue team. Thank you both very much for being here. Catherine, this Ground Search Operation is nearly 24 hours. At this stage out as Law Enforcement conduct this land man hunt, given his access to weapons . Pretty meticulously and pretty slowly, because you dont get a Second Chance to do it right. So i think thats the biggest challenge right now. You have a very rural area thats very were wooded area and hes obviously very familiar with it as he is from there and allow the property. You have to work from one area and work your way out from where he was and where he lived and meticulously work their way through and try to see what he had contact with and where he could be going. So part of that also the important part about that is that every tip that Law Enforcement gets, and of course as much as the fbi searching who has a lot of people there, but the state and locals, this is their case. And so the fbi is there in support. They are working to work every tip, and if somebody says they think they saw where they think they heard, line force but will be there. All right. Break in here, because we do have a bit of Breaking News. Joining us by phone right now is nbc news chief White House CorrespondentPeter Alexander. Peter, tell us whats happening. Jonathan, we just learned information from the white house. In fact this is coming from the defense department, from lloyd austin, the defense secretary. Now reporting that act of President Bidens direction u. S. Military forces conducted a series of what the pentagon described as selfdefense strikes on a pair of facilities in Eastern Syria used by irans Islamic Revolutionary guard corps, commonly referred to as the irgc, and unaffiliated groups. They say that the selfdefense strikes were response to a series of ongoing, and is the pentagon describes, mostly unsuccessful attack against u. S. Personnel in iraq and syria by iranianbacked militia groups that began just about a week and a half ago, on october 17th. The white house, we should say the pentagon, in recent days, is nbc news was first to report, shared an american citizen, a contractor died from a cardiac incident and sheltering in place there. And separately the 21 u. S. Troops suffered from minor injuries. But they are said to have all returned. But johnson, obviously it is significant because it is demonstrate for the first time with the u. S. Has now responded to iranianbacked attack in the region on u. S. Forces. Again, those attacks in recent days it happened both in iraq and in syria. It is significant because we did hear a warning from President Biden was there in the rose garden as he goes to the Prime Minister of australia yesterday, to iran, specifically to its ayatollah, where he spoke specifically to this issue and was asked whether the u. S. Would respond and what the response would be to the series of recent attacks. You noted the u. S. Has had troops in the region, iraq and syria, since 9 11, to go after ices, he said, and to try to prevent i. S. I. S. From reemerging. And he said that his warning to the. Ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops we will respond and he should be prepared. We have heard from the president repeatedly over the course of the last several weeks, since october 7th, when hamas, which of course is backed by iran, though there is no direct indication that iran was involved in the attack on october 7th. The u. S. And the president said that iran was complicit in. That intervenes in this new strike that we are now reporting on an nbc news from the pentagon, the u. S. Would be doing this and that it had nothing to do with the situation is real. This was simply a response to irans attack on u. S. Forces. Jonathan, thats the best information that we have at this moment. All right, peter, stay with us. Peter alexander coming to us from the white house. In just for those of you who are tuning in right now, the pentagon has announced secretary lloyd austin has announced that today the United States conducted selfdefense drags on to facilities in Eastern Syria used by irans Islamic Revolutionary guard corps. Want to bring in nbcs Pentagon Correspondent. Courtney, bring us up to speed on, we have the statement here from the defense secretary lloyd austin, the statement says today these strikes happen but do we have any specifics on timing . How recently where the strikes made . So we, are not just in the last couple of hours. So nighttime, local, time in Eastern Syria. Which is pretty common when theyre taking these kind of strikes. One thing that we need to take a bigger step back, everyones obviously focused on whats happening in israel and gaza, this is a pretty consistent behavior for the u. S. Military when we see what we have seen in iraq and syria in the region recently, and that is a pretty dramatic uptick in attacks against bases and facilities housing u. S. Troops. Now, so far those attacks, they have been mainly drawns, a couple of fire mortars and rockets. So far they have been largely unsuccessful, meaning that there have not been serious injuries. There have been roughly two dozen minor injuries. There have been some structural injury or problems. We had a hanger on one of the bases. And for the most part they have been unsuccessful. The way the u. S. Military has tended to react to these objects in the past is with these sorts of strikes. Its what the military tends to call strikes that are proportional to what they have endured. So in this case, they start facilities in Eastern Syria, they have ties to the Iranian Revolutionary guard corps, and proxy forces. Generally in that area that tends to be known as k age, thats a group that is backed, funded, and equipped, and frankly, in many cases, trained by iran, operating in that area. They tend to be the ones who, when you hear about iranian backed forces they tend to be the ones who officials are talking about. So its pretty common that when we see the sorts of attacks against facilities, they have done this year. Its also important to know in the statement we got from the pentagon tonight, we call these defensive strikes. The reason they consider this defensive is because they are taking facilities where they say the sorts of attacks like we have seen in iraq and syria over the last eight days or so is where those sorts of attacks are planned or it may be where they house or keep some of the equipment, like the drones we have seen, because thats how they can characterize people. And courtney, i can imagine that americans who are watching right now im wondering if theres any connection between those attacks on american facilities and american personnel. , if theres any connection between those attacks and what they have been watching since october 7th, in terms of how masses Terrorist Attack on israel it israels response any connection, especially with these facilities being linked to irans Islamic Revolutionary guard corps . The pentagon is saying that these are the, quote, separate an indistinct from the conflict of evil israel and whats happening with hamas. But once the, after the october 7th attack happened, that was when we saw this increase of attacks against bases Housing Americans in iraq and syria. There have been, frankly, a lot of that sense that merits of this year. We have not only been hearing about a lot of these sorts of attacks. So even the u. S. Passed so theres nothing to do with whats happening and they dont change your Policy Bill Urge both sides to seek cease their hop to it ease hostility, this is not happening in a vacuum. The world events happening in israel against hamas that have seemed to have led to this uptick in attacks against u. S. Bases is why the u. S. Took the strikes tonight. Courtney, one more question for you, because im reading fully, more fully this statement here from the secretary lloyd austin where it says these iranianbacked attacks against u. S. Forces are unacceptable. Unless stopped we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people. Is there any indication that this is the first of many defensive, im trying to find the right, well let, see the defense defense strikes, it is the first of many more selfdefense tricks we could see from the United States . I have no doubt. The whole will deter further action. More Attack Groans and attacks on basic in iraq but to the big question is, will this actually work . Will this actually deter . Theres been a real lull in these sorts of attacks since march, but that was the last time the west took series of strikes in syria against these sorts of groups. In that case, it did seem to work. Its santa message, and they stopped these sorts of attacks. If it doesnt stop, if you still see this one, two, even three a day over the next few days, i have no doubt that the u. S. Military will take further the question is, will they continue to do in the same manner, which is the proportional where. So striking facilities or will the u. S. Start to escalate . One thing that we frequently here in these sorts of situations is, the u. S. Doesnt want to engage in titfortat. They dont want to have a strike on the u. S. State in the immediately take a strike in syria. The reality is, i have no doubt that if in fact we see the same sorts of activities, because the real concern is not just the drones and these mortars that are hitting these bases. The concern is that if one of those actually killed u. S. Service member or even more than one, that will really escalate the situation. Weve already seen, just in the last week, there was one aerate siren. A number of Service Members were sheltering in place, and there is an American Contractor who saw offered cardiac and died. So the individual deaths was not a direct result of one of these attacks, but the individual sheltering in place and did die. So if we were to see one of these attacks be successful and kill americans, that would really escalate the situation. Thats what concern. Here Courtney Kube, our correspondent at the pentagon. I want you to stick around, but i wanted about to nbcs correspondent Peter Alexander for a quick followup here. Peter, do we expect a statement from the white house . We are reading from the statement from the defense secretary, lloyd austin, but any indicator, any indication that well get a statement from the president . A good question. We certainly reached out to the white house. If we get when will share with you in the near term. There is no public event that we have where we had to take the president would be will keep posted that changes as well. To the point courting was making obviously the president s given the circumstances between the war with israel and hamas, in the priority of the administration, if they communicated not to escalate the situation and try to do everything in their power to avoid the potential for a wider war. The president and lloyd austin, the defense secretary, have now sent those Carrier Strike groups, a pair of them, to the Eastern Mediterranean, not far from the coast with israel there. And its also a little part of this slow walk sort of strategy by the president , where he has made very clear before there is any ground invasion, he has made efforts privately to try to get more aid to his many palestinians as possible. He wants to get as many u. S. Citizens were trapped in gaza out right now. He needs more time to try to Fortify Americas Broad Military Presence in the middle east. Then these renewed fears that iran or irani bagged terrorist groups might attack israel Going Forward. So the white house indicates that this deterrence staffer has nothing to do with whats going on in israel, in so many ways they seem ultimately are tied together right now. The president is walking a very delicate line a year to well, its not surprising that iran has done what its done. It tries as much as possible to use proxies, but its fingerprints are on absolutely every attack on american and allied interests in the region. And so, at some juncture, they would expect that the United States would strike. We have struck before in syria and other places as a result of attacks on american interests. It depends on whether or not iran wants to take it further. The likelihood is that they will not. They will continue to use proxies, make small scale attacks, and as we heard, in the event that there is a death, an american death, as a result of an attack by iran or in iran proxy, then we can expect an escalation and we already have plans to attack a specific targets among iranian interests in order to prevent that sort of thing from happening again. Colonel, is there any way for this not to spiral out of control considering everything thats happening in the region as we speak in terms of the israelhamas war . Everybody on the other side is, of course, using this, whats happening in israel, as an opportunity to push the envelope as, it were. But at the end of the day, everything is in the hands of iran and the arab nations in the region. We keep forgetting that the nations in the region, egypt and others, are part of it should be part of the solution and not part of the problem. To the extent that they are off stage, that they do not participate in solving the problem, then things might escalate, and probably will. Colonel jack, what might the reaction be in the middle east, in the arab and muslim world to news of this limited strike in syria . Well, its not good. Of course, hamas, hezbollah, and iranian interests dont need any excuse to do things that are disadvantageous not only to our interests, but their own interests, and the interests of those in the area. And so, its also fragmented there. Nobody is under the direct command of anybody, particularly. So as a result of that, were liable to see fragmented interests taking advantage of the situation and wreaking havoc in a wide variety of places. Its extremely difficult for the United States because, unless somebodys fingerprints are on an attack, it makes it difficult for us to execute what plans we have in order to prevent other attacks. We have plans, we have targets, but at the end of the day, unless we can specifically identify the origin of the attack, its very tough for us to justify i