working to keep you safe on metro. >> he's an awesome dog. his nose is top-notch. >> bane is one of five dogs who today officially joined the metro transit police explosive detection unit. abc7 cameras were the only ones to see the k9's graduate from training academy. with less than a month in one of the biggest events in washington with security on the rails the timing is perfect. >> we pushed the class. we had the inauguration coming up. no one knows what to expect. counterprotests and all kind of things going on. >> the police officer has been training with his partner bane for ten weeks. >> we will take bags and suitcases to the metro. the majority of the time that is what we are checking with the dogs. >> we put them immediately to the test. placing this sheet explosive in the office in the trash can. the can now will they detect it? >> 17-month-old ben circle the

identifying the potential explosive. the chief says the pups will join a key piece of the layered security metro uses every day. >> you have to rely on the dog. people's lives can be at stake. rider osar the fellow employees. it's something we take very serious. >> each one of the new handlers with the k9 unit have been previously part of k9 team with the metro transit police. the second largest in the region. reporting live, brianne carter, abc7 news. jonathan: thanks. breaking news of a foiled bomb plot. we are just getting this in. it's coming from australia. that is where authorities say they arrested seven peak who were planning a -- seven people who were planning series of bombings in melbourne on christmas day. it's being tied to isis. targets were train station, st. paul's cathedral in melbourne. a series of raids in the last few hours neutralized the threat. maureen: turning to the war on terror. virginia man is facing charges he tri

isis. federal agents arrested 26-year-old lionel williams of suffolk yesterday. according to court documents williams sent money to someone he thought was trying to arm isis fighter. williams has accused of proclaiming support for the terror group on social media. two drastically different pictures tonight in the aftermath of the terror attack in berlin. a massive memorial is growing at the christmas market where 12 people were killed on monday. the market reopened to the public today. meanwhile, a national manhunt grows in the search for the suspect anis amri. german police say they found his finger prints in the cab of the truck used to carry out the attack. before the attack, amri's name was on terror watch list across europe. jonathan: in the coming days more than 135,000 people from the area will walk through the metal detectors at the local airports to start the vacation. we

get-away. doug hill has the travel forecast. start off with richard. i understand the airport is the scene of reunions tonight and smooth sailing as well. richard: it is so awesome to see the families get together for the holidays. check it out. take a look. you can see folks arriving at the airport. you have to ask a question, what would make these people come all this way? maybe it's the power of love. for 19-year-old leanna hayes and her fiancée terry perry -- >> i'm excited. my heart is beating. i can't wait. richard: this is what the holidays are all about. >> i haven't seen her in so long. it's a real treat. >> minutes before we found her at the baggage claim. eyes searching, clutching a bouquet of roses. she hadn't seen terry based in fort bliss, texas, since

i get to see him but not physically. i don't get to hug him and kiss him and say hi all the time. >> all the traffic hassle, the crowded airport, the stress. all of that went away in an instant. >> he is busy, i'm busy. to see him now for christmas is araising. >> just outside we found christina, her backpack filled with gifts. vision of family in her head. >> all the memories, baking cookies or decorating a tree. everything is the same. >> this is what happens when two sisters see each other for first time in a year. >> it's hectic because it's the holidays. at the end of the day christmas morning you get together and a moment of tranquility. richard: tidings of comfort and joy and love. making the journey all worth it. >> terry has two weeks leave to hang around here. leanna told us she went to three different stores to find

now that's love. reporting live, richard reeve, abc7 news. maureen: thank you. that is a look at people arriving in the area. but those who had leave the area had a very pleasant day to pack up the car. what is waiting at the destination? stormwatch7's chief meteorologist doug hill has a look at the travel forecast. doug? doug: hi, maureen. it's all quiet here. if you are traveling locally. but a good question. what is happening around the rest of the country. let's tell you about this evening. what we have is what we will keep. clear skies, temperatures in the 40's. turning corner in the morning -- turning colder in the morning. it will be beautiful. sunshine in new england. temperature in the 40's. in the midwest, 30 was the area of the rain and snow mix. but the temperatures are above sneezing. so most of the country is above freezing and above average. florida wins the prize here. sunshine for the peninsula. temperatures are 80 degrees. quiet through the southeast. central plains are quiet. an area to keep an eye

the west coast. it will develop tomorrow and more so in the day on saturday. rain moving on shore. maybe touch of rain and the snow in the pacific northwest, salt lake city. 44 in the sunshine. rapid city a week ago below zero. sunshine and 36. if you are staying home, we will take care of the weatherf you for the next ten days in nine minutes. maureen: thank you, doug. stay connected with the storm watch 7 weather team wherever you go. the latest forecast and whether alerts are available online at wjla.com. on the facebook and the twitter pages or by downloading the free stormwatch7 weather app. jonathan: still ahead for us at 6:00, the search for missing lynxes. where thieves made off with two of the wildcats and what they left behind. >> they are lining up as far as the eye can see. i'm stephen tschida. in a moment i will tell you what they are trying to see. i will give you a hint. it has to do with

arrest that has temporarily shut down a local police drug lab. next at "abc7 news at 6:00".

maureen: the exodus and the fighting is over in the syria war-torn city of aleppo. the government of bashar assad says it is now in control of the city for the first time in

the rebel fighters evacuated this afternoon. while the milestone does not end syria six-year civil war it is a major victory for if assad regime. jonathan: prince george's police say a man shot by an officer had a history of problems with the law. they noticed two men sleeping in a car. one of them, 19-year-old terrance thomas jr. woke up and grabbed a gun and pointed it at the officer tabbing on his window. that -- tapping on the window. that is when the officer's partner shot him and killed him. they recovered two guns. one was a.r. style rifle and the other was a pistol. he was out on bonds after weapons and drugs were seized from his home a year ago. anne arundel county police drug lab now going dark tonight after the civilian supervisor was arrested. the charge? drug possession. police say they found a pile of pill

box's car in a traffic stop. they believe she was stealing the drugs from the drop boxes where citizens dispose of unwanted drugs. box has been suspended as have all operations in the drug lab. yeah next at 6:00, people lining up for a miracle. what is drawing them to one d.c., one of d.c.'s hottest new bars and why it won't be around for long. jonathan: stormwatch7, chief meteorologist doug hill will check back in. he has the complete travel forecast. and what time to expect rain over the holiday weekend. we know holiday memories are often made at the dinner table. 7 salutes wants to set a place at the table for those who sacrificedded so much for all of us. you have a chance to win a dining room set for a veteran. go to wjla.com/7salutes. nominate a deserving veteran that you know. nominations are accepted through d

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jonathan: the case of the missing lynx. literally. lynxes. someone stole two siberian lynxes out of the kennel. the cats are ten months old and they cost $4,000

the thief or thieves left behind the third lynx in the kennel. that is her photo. the stolen cats look just like her. if you recognize them the police want to hear from you. maureen: days before christmas several residents reunited with gifts they ordered but hadn't received because they were stolen by porch pirates. >> am son told me it had been delivered. i checked on monday. it still wasn't there. i thought it was a mistake. maureen: they presented them to the rightful owners. they recovered the loot after arresting two teenagers who say they followed delivery trucks and the swipe packages off of the doorsteps. jonathan: maryland's governor receive a joyous welcome today as he brought good tidings or glad tidings to hagerstown. >> ♪ oh what fun is it to ride in a one horse open sleigh ♪ >> the welcome was the governor's announcen

which means $35 million in five years to improve the downtown area. also it means expanding the county's performing arts school. also road improvements for the region. a lot of good stuff. >> a beautiful town. it has so much going for it. they have issues. >> i think it needs love. it needs love down hear. it needs people shopping and eating and walking and just community. jonathan: the bulk of the fund willing go toward a public-private partnership. the goals include everything from bringing in the new businesses to expanding farmer's markets. maureen: you won't find kris kringle or a macies department store but you will find a miracle in district. specifically on 7th street. a stretch of bars that joined forces to create a giant christmas bar as they call it. one of the hottest locations in town. stephen tschida joins us now for

stephen: a hot location on a cold night maureen. this is it. the more can on 7th street be -- miracle on 7th street behind me. these bars. these are the people lining up to get in to the miracle on 7th street. this line goes on and on. some of the people have been waiting for more than an hour. is it a real attraction. it is a real holiday event. they would stand the cold and the long lines for a holiday experience. >> because it's christmas. it's fun. festive. stephen: boy, is it festive. three bars banded together to create a holiday extravaganza. ceilings lit up. decorations decking almost every inch of wall space. drinks in honor of old st. nick. >> it's a ton of fun inside. >> i can see why people want to come. >> and come they do. ever since the miracle on 7th street is open, the place is packed. >> i expect to be this busy.

>> it's a long line. stephen: it's a bar and this is an adult crowd but some of the people who come here indulge the inner christmas kid. >> this is her dream come true. >> for teresa, the miracle on 7th street is more than a fun night out. >> i seem excited about this. this is my christmas present coming from him, coming here with me, sacrificing for me. >> i'm here with a raiddy having an egg not -- lady having an egg eggnog shot. that is festive. thank you so much. it's crazy here. as you can see, extremely festive. this is about my last hit for a night and i might have christmas cheer. reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. maureen: look what can he say about christmas cheer? jonathan: he is going to have some. [laughter] maureen: i think he planned being at that location at this time of the day. doug: good timing. >> good story. doug: ar

decent forecast? we are still looking at saturday. christmas eve in the day of having rain. before and after then things look up. let's get busy. tell you the weather story. looking weather and southwest from washington to winter green. the weather bug camera at the resort is 32. temperatures will get in the lower to the mid-20's at the resort tonight. snow guns will be working all night long. good skiing conditions. even with temperatures above average. nighttime temperatures are at or below freezing. all the mid-atlantic ski resorts will be in great shape to make snow to get our own. temperatures and the sky conditions, we are turning clear. 45 in washington. 39 in winchester. 43 in lawyer lure. 47 in -- 43 in luray. with the clearing sky and push of colder air behind the cold front we drop in 20 to the lower 30's overnight. the only precipitation we see in the each is a patch of know in the frontal zone through the state. off the

that is heading east over the canadian maritimes and that will be that. quiet weather for most of the country tomorrow for traveling. locally with four, five, six-hour drive in the washington area, no weather issues at all. through the evening hours with the clear skies. we will drop to the 30's. by morning, 25 to 33 degrees. the range of the wakeup temperatures. through the day tomorrow, plenty of sunshine. you will notice in the afternoon the clouds will start to increase. high of 53, 54. they thicken because of the advancing system. the winds are out of the south. the warmer air overspreads tomorrow night.

the timing is encouraging because we think there is a good chance the rain is out of area by 1:00 in the afternoon. whether we get sun or not, i don't know but it is in the outlook for sunday christmas day. the story. a good chance of rain saturday and sunday. monday for the first day of kwanzaa. partly cloudy skies. 60 on tuesday. colder on wednesday. the temperatures will start to cool down and then new year's eve will be sunny and cold. stay with us. "abc7 news at wait, does this mean you're going to have to get a jobnow. where you like, tuck in your shirt? and carpool to work with people who are all like, "good morning"? and go to meetings where you pitch brilliant ideas and win the respect of your peers? and have to try to fix that annoying copy machine? dude! did you check your credit score? yeah, i signed up for credit karma. see. but i was thinking... if we both work on our credit, we could by our own record shop.

so down. credit karma. give yourself some credit.

scott: the washington redskins need help. but right now they can't worry about things they can't control. what they can control is getting a win saturday in chicago to keep the playoff hopes alive. redskins hitting the practice field today gearing up for a christmas eve showdown in the windy city. washington has to win. plain and simple. to do that, they need kirk cousins to bounce back from one of his worst games of the season. the quarterback turned the ball over twice mohammad night. but he is ready to turn the page and focus on the bears. >> it's not my first time coming away from a tough loss. i have learned throughout my years of playing football to keep going. not ride the roller

come ready to go with an intense focus and go play. scott: the redskins game in chicago on saturday. it's not easy going up to syracuse and getting a win at the carrier dome. i would know. i used to be one of the crazy students making a lot of noise in basketball games. a big win last weekend for georgetown beating the rivals cuse on the road. a win that could be a turning point in their season. tonight the hoyas return to the verizon center to host unc greensboro in the final tune up before big east play begins. winners to five straight georgetown is playing with confidence on the court. >> i think with the if start we had. it could have been easy for everything to go south. the guys have rally around each other. we have made steps. we are getting better. scott: matinee at george mason. patery yots are facing prayer -- patriots

prairie view a&m. patriots win. the george washington men's basketball team in action tonight. colonials on the road battling miami. guys, d.w. looking for the fourth straight win of the year here. jonathan: goodness. all right. thanks. >> great. we are looking forward to your forecast. doug: it's written up there. that is why you said that. we got ourselves a clear skies. >> you got me. doug: next three days. 47 with sunshine and increasing clouds tomorrow. rain christmas eve morning. should end in the afternoon. sunshine for christmas day. steve rudin is busy in the weather center keeping his eye on the changing model guidance. we will update the holiday outlook and the timing on the rain on saturday. jonathan: it does not say that. she really cares. maureen: "world news tonight" with david muir up next. jonathan: see you at 11:00. maureen: have a good night.

as we come on the air tonight, the holiday travel mess. delays and cancellations now building coast to coast as we now track two storms set to hit before christmas. the treacherous driving conditions. also break iing news comingn now of a new christmas terror plot just this warted. multiple arrests. and we have new video of that truck plowing into the christmas market. the your jet international manhunt. tonight, ivanka trump and her family harassed on a flight. meantime, the president-elect tweeting about building up america's nuclear arsenal. the consumer warning, just before christmas. the furniture tumbling over, killing children. and tonight, news of a multimillion dollar settlement. and the battery fears. this device blowing up on this bus. and