A Connecticut resident was among those injured after two bombs went off at a Belgian airport on Tuesday, congressman Jim Himes confirmed. 

Congressman Himes of the 4th district said one of his constituents were among those injured in the attacks that killed dozens of people.

"We can confirm that one of Congressman Himes' constituents received non-life threatening injuries in the attack. In consideration of the families privacy concerns, that's all we can release at this point," Patrick Malone, the communications director for the office of Congressman Jim Himes said. 

The person was reportedly injured in the attack but no additional information was provided. 

Belgian authorites are looking for three men suspected of carrying out the deadly bombings that killed at least 31 people. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks and the terrorist group's flag was found during raids. 

Three Quinnipiac Univerity students were also at the airport when the bombs went off. They all managed to escape the chaos. 

This story is developing. Check back for updates.
 

Omer Ipek woke up Tuesday morning to the news of his homeland under attack.

“I was first worried about my family and my friends first of all, and thank god they are all OK,” Ipek told NBC Connecticut.

Ipek grew up in Brussels before moving to the United States in 2002.

He now owns three Belgian-influenced restaurants in New Haven: Rudy’s, Atelian Florian and Masion Mathis.

“I just want to thank all my American friends,” he said, “they’ve been really supportive since this morning.”

Throughout the day, Ipek has been tracking the latest developments on his phone about the deadly bombings at the Brussels subway station and airport.

“Many, many times (I’ve been) at the airport and I’m really shocked that they’d be able to do it there,” Ipek said.

Since the terror attacks in Paris, Ipek said the thought of his country being targeted next has been in the back of his mind, especially with the soft border between France and Belgium.

“It’s hard to really figure out because like I said they will assimilate and it’s very hard to find the difference between the good and the bad guys,” Ipek said.

Ipek last visited Brussels about a year ago. After this morning’s attacks, he said he may plan a trip there next Christmas.

“We’ll overcome, that’s for sure, I believe that, but we have to be more careful now, that’s for sure,” Ipek said. “America, French, Belgian and all the western Europe, we have the same common goal and live peacefully.”

The day care chain in the news because of an alleged abuse case at its Glastonbury location has a half dozen locations in Connecticut.

This is all on the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, which has violation histories online going back three years.

Five of the six Stork Club day care centers had violations. Most originated from complaints. Some were self reported.

Stork Club locations in Glastonbury, Rocky Hill, Orange, Meriden, and Southington all had violations according to the state. There were two cases of neglect, which includes the most recent one in Glastonbury, plus violations for items including staff to child ratios, and how the children were disciplined.

Just two of these cases resulted in DCF involvement. The Cheshire Stork Club location had no violations the past three years.

Other daycare chains that we looked at on the state website had the same level of violations, not many for neglect though. We reached out to the owners of the Stork Club and they did not get back with us.

Police have arrested six local lottery merchants, accusing them of cheating the 5 Card Cash game.

The Department of Consumer Protection launched an investigation late last year amid suspicion that some retailers intentionally manipulated the reporting mechanism on the lottery terminals for their own personal gain.

In an affidavit, the DCP accuses Vikas Patel of rigging the lottery terminal at Hartford Liquor in Windsor. The affidavit said he, “Created a higher percentage of winning versus non-winning 5 Card Cash tickets.”

Officials estimate Hartford Liquor got, “$36,487 more than it would have based on the same sales and no manipulation.”

That led investigators to arrest Pranav Patel of Bloomfield under similar allegations. Patel owns Canton’s Center Spirit Shoppe.

Vikas Patel initially denied knowing Pranav as a friend or a relative, but investigators later found the two listed on a database as brothers. Vikas still denies any relation, but later corrected himself, saying they go to the same temple.

Vikas also denies cheating the lottery terminal.

Police have also arrested Prakunj Patel of Wallingford, Sedat Kurutan of Naugatuck, Rahul Gandhi of Wallingford and Moinuddin Saiyed of Norwalk.

All six face larceny and computer crime and rigging charges. They each posted bond and are due back in court within the next month.

Neither CT Lottery nor the DCP wanted to comment until they complete the investigation.

NBC Connecticut also reached out to several of the suspects’ attorneys. The attorney represending both Prakunj Paten and Gandhi say his clients are both presumed innocent as they wait for their court assignment.

Passengers at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks went along business as usual as they made their way to their gates Tuesday.

Some passengers had some worries after the terror attacks in Brussels, but chose not to alter their travel arrangements.

“Everybody has some kind of concerns but when I heard about the Brussels this morning," said Sandy Gabbidon from Springfield, Massachusetts. She was at the airport dropping off her daughter and granddaughter.

"I wanted to make sure my family got out of here on time, so we just, got things together but I’m pretty sure we’re going to be alright.”

A spokesperson for Bradley Airport said airport staff are always monitoring security situations but said they don't comment on what specific steps are being taken.

Governor Dan Malloy said something to a similar effect, adding that he's been in touch with federal authorities.

Jean Mallory is a travel agent in New Britain with White Travel Service.

She said she received some calls from clients early in the morning with worries about their travel plans to Europe later this year.

“Some people are saying, ‘I don’t think I want to go.’ And people have to do what’s right for them. If they don’t feel safe I can’t tell they will be safe. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Mallory, who's been a travel agent for nearly 40 years, said she has perspective on what risks are out there.

“Am I scared? No. I am concerned? Yes, but you can get run over by a car down the street.”

She said she hopes her clients take her own advice. Mallory is going on a cruise later in the Spring that includes a stop in Paris, the site of an ISIS terror attack last Fall.

“It’s a phenomenal city. The history! I am so excited about going back and you can’t not go! I mean, just because there’s crazy people out there? They’re all over."

Saying terrorist groups continue to plan attacks in Europe, the United States State Department issued a travel alert to citizens Tuesday, warning of the risks posed by traveling in Europe. 

The alert mentions the series of explosions claimed by Islamic State terrorists Tuesday, which killed 31 people.

"Terrorist groups continue to plan near-term attacks throughout Europe, targeting sporting events, tourist sites, restaurants, and transportation," the State Department said in its advisory, which urged vigilance in public places. The advisory expires June 20.

American, United and Delta airlines had canceled or diverted their flights to and from Brussels Airport in the wake of the attack at the Belgian capital early Tuesday morning.

The State Department Tuesday urged U.S. citizens to keep updated from local media sources on travel plans, update family on their travel plans and enroll in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

"European governments continue to guard against terrorist attacks and conduct raids to disrupt plots. We work closely with our allies and will continue to share information with our European partners that will help identify and counter terrorist threats," the department said.

All three airlines affected by the airport's closure said they were making accommodations for travelers affected by the cancellations. Each also extended condolences to those impacted by the attacks.

American Airlines had canceled all flights to and from Brussels for Wednesday and Thursday. Delta diverted a flight from New York to Amsterdam in the wake of the attack, and said two flights scheduled to depart the U.S. Tuesday night were canceled.

United canceled its two flights scheduled to depart for Brussels Tuesday evening, which would have left from Washington Dulles International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, and canceled flights that would have returned to those airports tomorrow, according to a statement.

All American employees and crew members are accounted for, the airline said, and no injuries were reported. Its check-in is located at Row 8 of Brussels airport's departure hall, and that the morning's explosions -- which occurred about 8 a.m. Brussels time -- did not happen at Row 8. 

Police departments across Connecticut are putting out a warning about a new skimming device that can steal your information while you fill up.

Instead of going over the card reader, the skimmer is hidden behind the pump so the public is not aware of what is happening.

The gas station scheme has popped up across the country and roughly a dozen towns in Connecticut have been hit. A Mobil station on Ella Grasso Turnpike in Windsor Locks discovered a skimmer on one of their pumps Monday morning.

“They discovered it was actually a skimming device and it looked like it was being operated through Bluetooth technology,” Officer Jeff Lampson said. “It’s just another example of how technology has outpaced law enforcement.”

The Department of Consumer Protection has spent weeks cracking down on the skimmers.

Inspectors have been combing through gas stations across the state looking for the devices. There are roughly 1900 gas stations in Connecticut.

“We’re trying to stay ahead of the curve,” Daryl Owens said, an inspector with the Department of Consumer Protection.

Officials say the keys to the pumps are universal and easy to produce so one solution is a sticker. They say it is vital to have gas station attendants routinely check the stickers to see if the pump has been opened.

“There’s a code on each seal specifically for that pump so then they’re going out and making sure that they haven’t been tampered with,” Owens said.

A broken seal is what helped a maintenance worker at the gas station in Windsor Locks find and remove the skimmer. The gas station does not know how it got there, but as police search for suspects, those filling up say they’re not letting their guard down.

“I’m definitely calling the back and I will be paying with cash from now on,” customer Lisa Daniels said.

Diners got an unexpected reptilian surprise at a Studio City sushi restaurant Sunday night when a man dropped a 13-foot python on the dining room floor.

Hiroshi Motohashi, 46, brought two small snakes to Iroha Sushi of Tokyo and began to show them off, LAPD Lt. Jim Gavin told the Los Angeles Times. When customers complained, employees asked him to take the reptiles outside. Motohashi left the restaurant and returned with an even bigger snake, authorities said.

Motohashi allegedly said, "[Expletive], you guys," before he dropped the python in the middle of the restaurant floor and walked out, Gavin said, according to The Times.

When Motohashi refused to take the reptile outside, employees called police. 

A customer capture cellphone  video of responding officers attempting to wrangle the python from behind a computer where it had gotten stuck. By 7:20 p.m., police had arrested Motohashi on suspicion of making criminal threats, a felony.

Motohashi's bail is set at $50,000, and an arraignment date has not been scheduled, officials said.

It was not immediately clear if Motohashi had a lawyer.

Animal control officials took the python away.

WATCH: Diner's video of officers trying to wrangle the snake.

It was later revealed Motohashi, originally from San Diego, was once sentenced to 15 months in jail for unlawfully selling endangered and protected species that were transported from LA to Las Vegas, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

He pleaded guilty to the felony charges in 2004 and was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.

In September of 1997, Motohashi sold "gila monsters," or Mexican venomous lizards, as well as San Esteban Island chuckwallas, and yellow-headed sideneck turtles, to an undercover agent, the department said.

Motohashi's case was a part of a large investigation that spanned years in Reno, Nevada.

An arrest warrant reveals new details into the investigation of an internationally known pianist's wife charged with the murder of the couple's children, including that she sought mental treatment and was given a prescription for an antipsychotic before her kids were found dead in North Texas.

Vadym Kholodenko, a Ukrainian-born, Cliburn competition winner who plays with the Fort Worth Symphony, arrived at the home of his estranged wife, Sofya Tsygankova, Thursday morning to find her in distress and his children dead, authorities have said.

The arrest warrant added details to the grisly finding: Kholodenko feeling dazed at the sight of his wife "going crazy" and her night gown covered in blood. His children, the document said, were "in bed, and not moving."

After Benbrook EMS took Tsygankova to John Peter Smith Hospital for treatment, officers asked Kholodenko to recall what had taken place that morning.

He said he talked with his daughter Nika and Tsygankova the night before and arranged to take the girls to school. When he arrived at the home the next morning, no one answered the door. He entered using his key and found his wife bleeding and in distress in the master bedroom closet. He then found his children dead and called 911.

In the arrest warrant officers described in detail how and where they found the children, that they could find no pulse and that there were signs of rigor mortis.

Officers later discovered linens soiled with blood in a vehicle parked in the garage -- the linens are believed to have come from the master bedroom where Tsygankova was found. Officers described a large amount of blood around the vehicle. A red suitcase was stuffed under the rear bumper, used as a brace to keep a rag stuffed into the vehicle's tailpipe. It is not clear whether the engine had been running.

Police said a brown pillow matching the linens from the master bedroom was found in Nika's room, with a small spot of what appeared to be biological fluid on the pillowcase. Police also said there was a brown pillow, with a small spot of what appeared to be biological fluid, partially resting on Michela's head.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's initial autopsies were "inconclusive" and additional testing to determine how the girls died could take several weeks.

An empty prescription bottle for Quetiapine, filled March 16 for Tsygankova, was found on the kitchen counter. Quetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia or treat episodes of mania or depression in patients with bipolar disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health.

A large butcher knife was found on the patio with blood on the blade and handle. A cleaver was found on the tub in the master bath — with a large amount of blood on the floor.

Police said three other prescription bottles with Tsygankova's name on them were found next to the knife — the type of drug and how much remained was not disclosed.

Tsygankova was booked Tuesday into the Tarrant County jail.

Her attorney, Joetta Keene, entered a not guilty plea on behalf of her client at an arraignment hearing Wednesday morning. Keene declined to comment on the specific allegations of the warrant.

"This is, no doubt, a very heartbreaking case for everyone involved," she said.

Sofya Tsygankova Interviewed at JPS Hospital

At John Peter Smith Hospital, Tsygankova spoke with police and said she thought she committed suicide and that she remembered taking a lot of pills, according to the warrant. At some point during the interview with police she stated that "she didn't want to live."

Police said Tsygankova was then read her Miranda rights, which she allegedly waived. She told police she arrived home at about 8:50 p.m. Wednesday and took custody of the children from her babysitter. The sitter had already put Michela to bed; Nika went to bed at about 9:20 p.m. after speaking with her father.

Tsygankova told police both children were fine when the sitter left and that she was the only person home with them overnight, according to the arrest warrant.

Tsygankova recalled that at some point she went outside with the knife because she "didn't see any future for me and kids."

When the police asked Tsygankova if she knew where her children were, she said she hoped they were with their father. At one point she asked, "Did I do anything bad to my kids?" police said.

She recalled that she thought she put the kids in the car before she hurt herself, but that she was unable to remember any of the details. She "made several mentions of having a bad dream that night, but was unable to elaborate fully," according to the arrest warrant.

She then remembered her husband arriving at the home and asking, "What have you done?"

Anna Grevtseva, a friend of Tsygankova's sister Anna, who lives in Amsterdam, said Sofya Tsygankova had been having a hard time dealing with the divorce had visited the Fort Worth MHMR facility on March 16 and had a history with MHMR.

Benbrook police announced Monday that Tsygankova was to be held on two $1 million bonds for capital murder of a person under the age of 10, a first-degree felony, in the deaths of her daughters.

Tsygankova was discharged from the hospital Tuesday afternoon and immediately booked into the Tarrant County Correction Center. Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Tsygankova is undergoing a thorough medical and psychological screening and for now will be housed in a medical unit due to her injuries.

Both Nika and Michela were laid to rest in a private ceremony Monday. A public memorial for the girls was held Tuesday at Arlington Heights United Methodist Church in Fort Worth.

Sofya Tsygankova's Arrest Warrant

Sofya Tsygankova's Search Warrant

The Supreme Court's ability to function as a body without Justice Antonin Scalia will get another big test when the court convenes Wednesday in the battle pitting religious freedom and birth control, NBC News reported.

The current eight-judge panel is set to hear its fourth Obamacare-related case, this time involving religiously affiliated nonprofits that are challenging a government provision requiring employers to include contraceptive coverage in their health care plans.

But with a court that's generally evenly divided along ideological lines, without Scalia, a 4-4 tie is entirely possible.That would leave the various lower court rulings in effect — an outcome the high court would rather avoid.

A tie would be especially problematic now because federal appeals courts that previously heard such cases were not in agreement on the issue. Three of the courts ruled for the government, but one ruled in favor of the religiously affiliated groups. 

The Bankers Hill, San Diego man whose life was threatened and car chopped by a machete-wielding attacker spoke exclusively to NBC 7 San Diego, describing the sheer terror he experienced that night. 

After 11 years in the Navy, Avery Marble has some war stories to tell — but this violent attack is particularly difficult for him to explain.

He says he stopped at a friend's house on Brant Street Sunday night when a stranger walked out of a house holding a machete, and approached him while making threats using racial slurs.

“The N-word has no power anymore," Marble said. "People use it everyday, everywhere, for every person, place or thing, but when he said it, I guess he was trying to offend me.”

But Marble was more concerned with dodging the machete than with the insults hurled his way.

“He really was trying to get me. He swung. I heard the wind go by,” Marble said.

Marble said he ducked in the car with his pit bull, Shimsee, and called for help. The call scared off the attacker, he said.

The man flattened the car's left rear tire and smashed the rear window, leaving an impression of a large blade in the shattered glass. 

Responding San Diego Police Officers searched the house, but did not find the suspect.

Marble said he had no warning, no way to defend himself and no idea why or who was trying to kill him with a 2-foot long machete.

“If I had a reason, I would feel better," Marble said. "Maybe if I cussed at him one day I would feel better, but there's absolutely no reason whatsoever."

Marble said he has seen the man in the neighborhood before, but not knowing why he was attacked weighs much heavier on him then his fear of seeing the suspect again. SDPD investigators say they know the suspect's name, but he has not yet been arrested.

“A person like that should not be on the street, they shouldn't be walking around,” Marble said.

Marble is on a disabled veteran’s pension. Though the attacker may still be on the loose, Marble says he knows life must still go on. Replacing his split tire is just the beginning. 

An American husband and wife remained missing more than 24 hours after deadly blasts rocked Brussels, family members told NBC News.

Justin and Stephanie Shults had just dropped off her mother at the Belgian capital's airport when two blasts killed at least 11 people in the check-in lounge.

"Her mom is fine but no one has been able to contact Justin or Stephanie," Justin Shults' brother, Levi Sutton, told NBC News late Tuesday. He added that the State Department told him Tuesday afternoon that the pair were not on any casualty list and both their phones were going straight to voicemail.

Justin, 30, is originally from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, while 29-year-old Stephanie is from Lexington, Kentucky, but moved to the Belgian capital in 2014, Sutton said.

Thousands of people in Belgium and beyond observed a minute of silence on Wednesday, the first of three official days of mourning for the victims of the airport and subway terror attacks.

Huge crowds gathered in the Place de la Bourse in Brussels to honor the 31 victims of the explosions. Signs of mourning are apparent throughout Brussels, from the flags flown at half-staff to electronic billboards scrolling through tweets of solidarity using the hashtag #JeSuisBruxelles.

The memorial outside the Bourse was Belgian in every way — from the flags propped in Trappist beer bottles to the young people quietly eating the city's famous "frites" — or fries — on the stairs of the Bourse under a banner reading "United Against Hatred."

The attacks show "we're not safe anywhere, " Kevin Ferelol said. "In France, the U.S., here... We never would have believed it."

Police have identified a suspect in the death of a 28-year-old Bridgeport man in February and they are searching for him.

Bernard Brandon, 32, is suspected of killing 28-year-old Javoni Patton, of Bridgeport, on Feb. 11, according to Bridgeport police.

Police said they found Patton suffering from several gunshot wounds when they responded to Stratford and Connecticut avenues just after 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 11 and he died at Bridgeport Hospital soon after arriving.

Patton had been shot several times and investigators found his car a short distance away, with the driver’s door open and personal items strewn about.

The Bridgeport Police Homicide Squad has an active warrant for the arrest of Brandon, whose last known address of 405 Hollister Avenue, 2nd Floor, Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Police said he will be charged with murder, criminal possession of a pistol or revolver, carrying pistol without a permit and a weapon in a motor vehicle and bond will be set at $1 million.

Police ask anyone with information to call 203-581-5224 or 911.

Police in Milford are investigating a suspicious incident after a man called out for a child and even opened his door for them.

On Mar. 21, a juvenile was approached on Baxter Lane near Ludlow Drive at around 5:00 p.m., police said. 

A man driving a newer silver Mazda sedan with a spoiler on the trunk and Connecticut license plates starting with the number 8 approached a child, Milford Police said. 

A family member of the child saw the driver open the rear passenger door of the car and ran out towards him to get the child, according to police. 

The man was described as approximately 5'6", thin build, wearing a gray hoodie, blue jeans and sneakers. 

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Milford Police at (203) 878-6551, Detective William Haas at (203) 783-4771 or (203) 877-
1465, email whaas@ci.milford.ct.us or visit the department's website at www.milfordpd.org and click "Crime Tips".

Mark Ojakian, president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, warned of tuition increases coming to schools in the system.

In a letter to students, Ojakian said he is recommending tuition increases at all the institutions for next year, including a 5 percent increase to tuition for universities. This would boost the current tuition of $9,609 by $480 to $10,089.

He is recommending a 3.5 percent increase for community colleges, which would increase the tuition by $141, from $4,032 to $4,173. He is also recommending a 4 percent increase at Charter Oak State College, from $8,666 to $9,013.

"I am fully aware that this is not the news you wanted to receive. Nor is it the news I wanted to be delivering. We spent a lot of time reviewing our budget options for next year. I believe this increase is fair given our current environment, and keeps our schools affordable so you are not burdened with crippling debt when you graduate," he said in a statement.

Ojakian said he expects $26 million in cuts during the next fiscal year and the proposed increase does not close the deficit, but it would allow the schools to "remain accessible and not burden students with crippling debt upon graduation.” 

The tuition hike would affect more than 88,000 students.

The following colleges and universities are part of the system:

• Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield
• Capital Community College in Hartford
• Central Connecticut State University in New Britain
• Charter Oak State College in New Britain
• Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic
• Gateway Community College in New Haven
• Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport
• Manchester Community College in Manchester
• Middlesex Community College in Middletown
• Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury
• Northwestern CT Community College in Winsted
• Norwalk Community College in Norwalk
• Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson
• Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven
• Three Rivers Community College in Norwich
• Tunxis Community College in Farmington
• Western Connecticut State University in Danbury 

This comes the day after he announced a temporary hiring freeze across all 17 campuses and the system office for at least the rest of this fiscal year.

Unsettled, but mainly dry, weather will grip the state through Friday, before splendid weather arrives for the weekend.

High temperatures will be in the 60s this afternoon with an abundance of clouds and a few showers. The potential for temperatures closer to 70 degrees exists, though the clouds will likely prohibit that from happening.

It remains mostly cloudy tomorrow with a stubborn stationary front nearby. This means that any slight deviation in its position will result in big temperature changes.

The front should be south of Connecticut tomorrow, thus, temperatures will be stuck in the lower and middle 50s.

Come Friday, the front lifts back north of the state, pulling the warmer air north. Some morning rain is possible though partial clearing will set in with highs in the 60s.

Easter Weekend looks amazing.

Saturday should be completely sunny with highs in the 50s.

Easter Sunday will be mostly sunny with highs near 60.

It looks like the dry, mild weather is pegged exactly on the weekend. Clouds and the threat for showers return on Monday, with highs near 60.

The early call for Tuesday is dry with a mix of sun and clouds.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders begins the day in San Diego Wednesday, where he thanked voters in Idaho and Utah for recent wins in those state caucuses.

Sanders currently trails former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the delegate count. However he said ithe Sanders campaign has narrowed the gap.

“We have closed the delegate gap by some 25 delegates in the last week,” Sanders said.

Sanders' first appearance in San Diego attracted thousands of people to the San Diego Convention Center Tuesday. In just two months, California voters will take part in the state's winner-take-all primary.

“It’s absolutely essential that we contest every state,” Sanders said Wednesday.

“You don’t write off California,” he said.

He said his campaign listened to the concerns of youths, military veterans and the elderly. 

Police are investigating an attempted robbery at an Ansonia gas station on Tuesday night.

Police were responding to the Shell Gas Station at 696 Main St. at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday after a panic alarm went off when dispatchers said it was possible that an attempted robbery had just occurred.

Once officers arrived at the gas station, they verified that’s what happened.

A man tried to rob the store, got into an altercation with the clerk and fled, police said.

The clerk then chased the man west on Division Street, toward Webster Bank, but lost sight of him.

The man who tried to rob the store was wearing gray sweatpants, a mask, and a black and white sweatshirt, police said.

Police said the clerk sustained a slight injury to his back.

Police ask anyone who recognizes the man to call the Ansonia Police Department Detective Division at 203-735-1885.

Sen. Ted Cruz borrowed from the movie "The American President" to defend his wife from Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump Wednesday morning.

Trump tweeted a threat Tuesday night to "spill the beans" about Cruz's wife, Heidi, apparently in response to an anti-Trump ad featuring a naked Melania Trump. The ad released earlier Tuesday by Make America Awesome, an outside group opposing Trump's candidacy, included a picture of his wife from a GQ shoot from more than a decade ago and the text, "Meet Melania Trump. Your next first lady. Or, you could support Ted Cruz on Tuesday."

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Cruz denied any connection with the ad or Make America Awesome.

"If Donald wants to get in a character fight, he's better off sticking with me, because Heidi is way out of his league," Cruz said on CNN, stumbling a bit while referring to Trump as "her" in paraphrasing "The American President." 

In the 1995 film's climactic scene, Michael Douglas' President Andrew Shepherd defends his lobbyist girlfriend Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Benning) against a rival for the Oval Office.

Free Beacon tweeted this video putting the quotes together for comparison:

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Trump tweeted this response to Cruz Wednesday morning: "Lyin' Ted Cruz denied that he had anything to do with the G.Q. model photo post of Melania. That's why we call him Lyin' Ted!"

"Most of the things Trump says have no basis in reality, so we are not worried," Heidi Cruz said Wednesday.

Heidi Cruz is an investment manager with Goldman Sachs. She is on leave of absence for her husband's campaign.

Earlier in the campaign he cracked up voters with a pretty good impersonation of Billy Crystal's Miracle Max from "The Princess Bride" for WMUR-TV's "Candidate Cafe" series.