Eye on Extremism
February 10, 2020
The
Guardian: Preacher Who Inspired Streatham Terror Attack Peddling Jihad
From Behind Bars
“Hundreds of sermons preached by the Islamist cleric who inspired
the men who carried out the terrorist attacks in Streatham and on
London Bridge in November are available on a website that allows his
followers to communicate in private chatrooms, the Observer has
established. Abdullah al-Faisal, who was born into an evangelical
Christian family in Jamaica and spent many years in Britain, has
become one of the most successful propagandists for al-Qaida and
Islamic State. Sudesh Amman, 20, who was shot dead by police last week
after coming out of prison for terrorism offences, had copies of
Faisal’s speeches, the Times reported. The newspaper also said that
Usman Khan, 28, who fatally stabbed two Cambridge graduates near
London Bridge last November, had the cleric’s number in his mobile
phone when he was arrested over his links to a plot to bomb the London
Stock Exchange in December 2010. Others influenced by Faisal include
the shoe bomber Richard Reid; at least two of the 7/7 bombers –
Mohammad Sidique Khan and Germaine Lindsay; Dhiren Barot, who was
jailed for trying to blow up the New York Stock Exchange; the
University College London student Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried
to blow up an aircraft on Christmas Day 2009; and Mohammed Chowdhury,
who was part of a cell that sought to assassinate Boris Johnson and
two rabbis.”
The
New York Times: Two American Soldiers Killed In Shootout With Afghan
Forces
“A shootout between Afghan and American soldiers during joint
operations in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday resulted in deaths on
both sides, with two Americans killed, officials said. A spokesman for
the United States military in Afghanistan, Col. Sonny Leggett, said
current reports indicated that “an individual in an Afghan uniform
opened fire on the combined U.S. and Afghan force with a machine gun.”
Six other American service members were wounded, Colonel Leggett said
in a statement early Sunday. He said an investigation was underway and
that the motive for the attack was unclear. The two soldiers killed,
part of the Seventh Special Forces Group, were Staff Sgt. Javier J.
Gutierrez, 28, of San Antonio and Staff Sgt. Antonio R. Rodriguez, 28,
of Las Cruces, N.M., according to a Pentagon statement released
Sunday. Other details of the incident in Nangarhar Province, where
American Special Forces were helping Afghan commandos and the Afghan
Army clear an area threatened by the Taliban, were scarce. It was not
clear whether the firefight was the work of Taliban infiltrators, a
major concern in the past.”
The
Jerusalem Post: Hezbollah’s Popularity Seen Waning As Lebanese
Protests Continue
“Anti-government protestors continued to take to the streets of
Beirut over the weekend, declaring their lack of confidence in the
country’s new prime minister, Hassan Diab, and his cabinet. As the new
government’s biggest backer, the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement is
seeing its popularity wane and possibly losing its legitimacy as a
resistance movement. “The government failed before it even started,”
Ali Amin, a Lebanese analyst and journalist who writes for the
London-based Al-Arab newspaper, told The Media Line, explaining that
people were revolting against an entire political system but were
given a new government with the same platform and same political
powers. “Hezbollah is a key party in forming this new government and
is perhaps its primary backer, as [the government] could never have
been formed without Hezbollah's support for its leader and members,”
he said. “The ongoing battle here is between the new government and
the street, which rejects it and is expressing this through protests.”
The protests have been taking place since mid-October, when people
rose up against a new tax on the use of internet-based communications
programs like Whatsapp. The protests widened to express a deep
dissatisfaction with economic mismanagement, corruption and
sectarianism.”
United States
Al
Jazeera: El Paso Walmart Shooting Suspect Charged With Federal Hate
Crimes
“The man accused of killing 22 people and wounding two dozen more
in a shooting that targeted Mexicans in the United States border city
of El Paso, Texas, has been charged with federal hate crimes. Patrick
Crusius, 21, has been charged with 90 counts under federal hate crime
and firearms laws for his role in the August 3 shooting, according to
an indictment unsealed Thursday. Federal prosecutors announced the
charges against Crusius, of Allen, Texas, at a Thursday news
conference in El Paso. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) will consult
with the defence and victims' families before deciding if they will
pursue a death penalty. Ultimately, the decision is up to Attorney
General William Barr. The DOJ will prosecute on a parallel track with
state officials. Crusius faces the death penalty on a state capital
murder charge to which he pleaded not guilty last year. Hate crime
charges show members of targeted communities that "they are valued,
that their protection matters, and then we will protect them and their
rights," said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the DOJ
Civil Rights Division.”
Syria
Voice
Of America: Support Crumbling For Plan To Try IS Foreign Fighters In
Syria
“Syrian Kurdish officials determined to bring captured Islamic
State foreign fighters to justice may have to do so without assistance
from the international community. Support for a special tribunal, to
the extent it existed, appeared to crumble this week as a growing
number of nations are declining to back the latest proposal to put
about 2,000 IS fighters who flocked to Syria on trial in the country’s
Kurdish-led region. The biggest blow came from Finnish officials, who
said reports that they had offered assistance to the autonomous
administration in northeast Syria had been exaggerated, following a
meeting last week in Helsinki. “Finnish representatives took note of
the administration’s plans,” the Finnish Foreign Ministry said in a
statement to VOA, regarding the meeting between Abdulkarim Omar, the
administration’s foreign relations representative, and Finnish Foreign
Minister Pekka Haavisto. “At the same time, we highlighted many of
questions that remain open, including the jurisdiction and legislation
applied, and the applicability of international conventions,” the
statement added. The initial plan to hold a tribunal for the IS
foreign fighters called for trials to begin within three months.”
Deutsche
Welle: Over 60 Germans Among Islamists In
Idlib
“Over 60 Germans are fighting in Islamist groups in Idlib, the last
stronghold of Islamist fighters in northwest Syria, according to
reports German broadcaster SWR shared Sunday. SWR reviewed transcripts
of instant messages sent by the fighters and determined that the
individuals are largely members of “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,” a group
with ties to al-Qaida. At least one person is working with the group
“Junud al-Sham.” Using messenger apps like Telegram, the fighters
solicited financial aid from supporters back in Germany by way of
text, video and voice messages.”My brothers,” said one masked man in a
video message, “if you could help, that would be very good. Even if
you're in Germany, [by donating,] it's as if you've completed jihad.”
A woman sits with her children at a soil field in cold weather at
Harbanush village, Idlib. Muhammed Said / Anadolu Agency Supporters
are instructed to send donations to an individual in Turkey via
Western Union bank transfer or to use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
German security agencies are aware of the practice and said they have
been monitoring the use of cryptocurrency to finance terrorism for
some time. Idlib is the final holdout of Islamist rebels in Syria, who
are backed by Turkish support.”
Iran
Radio
Farda: Remember, Iran’s Terror Network Is Global
“They are warriors who have no borders… They are warriors who show
their presence wherever needed.” That’s how Iran’s Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the Qods Force, the special
operations unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during
a Friday Prayer sermon in Tehran in January. Despite its name meaning
Jerusalem in Arabic, the “Qods” (Quds) Force (and Iran’s security
services more broadly), have not limited the scope of their networks
and operations to the Arab world or the Middle East. As Washington
thinks through escalation scenarios between the U.S. and Iran for the
rest of 2020, Khamenei’s reference to the borderless nature of the
Qods Force cannot be ignored. It’s rare for Khamenei to address
Iranians from the Friday Prayer pulpit; his previous sermon having
taken place eight years ago in February 2012. Following a string of
assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and escalating Western
sanctions, Khamenei then claimed that Iran would respond to such
threats with “our own threats… that when needed, God willing, will be
applied.” Days later came attempted bombings of Israeli diplomats in
Georgia, India, which Israel blamed on Iran and in Thailand, as well
as attacks in Bulgaria by Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah that killed
six people.”
Iraq
Kurdistan
24: Iraqi Military Arrests 3 ISIS Terrorists In
Mosul
“The Iraqi Directorate of Military Intelligence on Sunday announced
that they had apprehended three terrorists in the Hamam Alil area,
located south of Mosul. The directorate said in a statement that the
detachment division in coordination with the military infantry
division arrested three terrorists in the Al-Arej village, which is
located in Hamam Alil on the eastern bank of Mosul. The statement also
mentioned that the detained terrorists were “militants tasked with
providing intel to ISIS against the Iraqi Security Forces before the
liberation of Mosul, and tasked with promoting the terrorist group’s
ideology.” “The arrests were carried out based on a legal warrant
according to Article 4 of the terrorism law,” it added. Earlier, on
Sunday, Iraq’s ministry of interior said Iraqi security had arrested
five terrorists south of Mosul on the Mosul-Baghdad road. The
statement mentioned that two of the terrorists were working as the
so-called Islamic State’s police (Al-Hasba), charged with implementing
the extremist group’s laws in Mosul when it controlled the city. The
three others were fighters working in the Islamic State’s recruitment
office.”
Xinhua:
1 Soldier, 2 IS Militants Killed In Clash In Central
Iraq
“An Iraqi soldier and two Islamic State (IS) militants were killed
on Saturday in a clash in the central province of Salahudin, a
provincial police source said. The deadly clash erupted in the morning
when IS militants attacked an army outpost in Mteibijah, a rugged area
in the eastern part of the province, Mohammed al-Bazi told Xinhua. A
reinforcement force was dispatched to the area for security as the
extremist militants withdrew to their hideouts in Mteibijah, al-Bazi
said. Iraqi security forces have repeatedly tried to retake control of
Mteibijah, but the vast rugged land and mountains have made it
difficult for them to dislodge the extremist militants from the
region. The security situation in Iraq has improved since Iraqi
security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the
country late in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted in urban
areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent
guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.”
Afghanistan
The
Washington Post: Afghanistan Claims The Islamic State Was
‘Obliterated.’ But Fighters Who Got Away Could Stage A
Resurgence.
“For nearly four years, U.S. and Afghan forces unleashed hundreds
of punishing airstrikes in this remote corner of mountainous eastern
Afghanistan. The strikes transformed clusters of sparse farming
villages, cratering dirt roads and, in some areas, leaving every third
mud house demolished. The target: the Islamic State, whose offshoot in
Afghanistan was the group’s most deadly branch outside Iraq and Syria.
By November, the offensive appeared to be a success. The group’s
deadly attacks in the Afghan capital have largely subsided, and
hundreds of civilians who fled villages here have returned. Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani triumphantly declared the Islamic State had
been “obliterated.” But it has now become clear that military
operations also scattered many fighters they aimed to defeat: The
group’s senior leadership fled further into the Spin Ghar mountains,
crossing into Pakistan or pushing north into Konar province’s more
rugged terrain. Others simply went into hiding. Afghan officials
estimate that hundreds of Islamic State fighters continue to operate
across the country, raising the dangerous potential for a
resurgence.”
The
New York Times: They Fight Suicide Bombers. But Can Afghan Police
Fight Crime?
“Here is a meme that briefly made the rounds on Afghan social
media: “Breaking news,” it reads. “A suicide bomber has been robbed by
thieves in Kabul. The thieves took from him his suicide vest, the
detonators, and 2,000 afghanis.” (About $25.) It’s kind of a joke, but
mostly not. For years, the bombing and infiltration attacks that
racked Kabul have dominated headlines and reshaped the city. But that
kind of violence in the capital has been at a relative lull for months
as the Taliban and United States conduct peace negotiations that
officials hope could lead to some sort of lasting cease-fire. Now, the
headlines are coming to grips with the rampant crime that has become a
steady drumbeat in the city: kidnappings, robbery at gunpoint,
extortion, murder. Even without the bombings, Kabul is proving a
dangerous place to be. Social media platforms are filled with daily
reports of muggings and knife attacks, often just to steal a
cellphone. In one of the most brutal recent cases, a family of four
were axed to death in their home in the daytime. Afghan security
officials say the brief window of calm from terrorist attacks has
provided a wake-up call.”
New
York Post: UK Considers ‘Terror-Offenders’ List For Released
Jihadis
“Britain looks to be moving toward a sex offenders-style registry
for terrorist. The registry could be tucked into a measure being
pushed through Parliament after a jihadi went on a stabbing spree in
London last Sunday, injuring three, The Sun reported. A terror
offenders list would be similar to the UK’s register for sex
offenders, restricting who released prisoners could meet and where
they could travel. They also would have to show police their phones,
laptops and internet and social media use, according to the Sun. ISIS
claimed responsibility for the stabbing attack carried out by Sudesh
Amman, who was shot dead by police at the scene. Amman was jailed for
possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018 and
was released from prison after serving half of his 40-month sentence.
Amman wore a fake explosive device strapped to his body, just like
Usman Khan, another released jihadi, who was considered a success
story for a prisoner rehabilitation program before he killed two
people and injured three in a stabbing attack near the London Bridge
on Nov. 29.”
Xinhua:
10 Militants Killed In Airstrike In E. Afghanistan
“At least 10 Taliban militants were killed in an overnight
airstrike in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, the Defense
Ministry said on Sunday. “The strike conducted in Chawkay district,
Kunar province, targeted an enemy position, killing 10 Taliban
members,” the ministry wrote on Twitter. The ministry did not provide
details on whether the strike was conducted by Afghan Air Force or
NATO-led coalition forces. The province has been the scene of clashes
between Taliban and security forces. Afghan security forces have
recently beefed up security operations against the Taliban militants
who have been attempting to take territory and consolidate their
positions in the countryside during the winter. The militant group has
not made comment on the report so far.”
Pakistan
The
New York Times: Roadside Bomb In SW Pakistan Kills 1 Soldier, Wounds
5
“A roadside bomb exploded near a Pakistani paramilitary vehicle in
the restive southwestern Baluchistan province, killing one soldier and
wounding five others, a local government official said Sunday. The
paramilitary troops were attacked while on patrol near the Sharag coal
mines, according to Azeem Jan Damar, a deputy commissioner in Harnai
district. He said the wounded were taken to a nearby medical facility.
Baluchistan province has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by
separatists demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the
region’s natural resources, such as gas and oil. The province shares a
long border with Afghanistan and Iran. No one immediately claimed
responsibility for the blast, but such attacks on security forces in
the past have been claimed by Baluch separatist groups. Islamic
militants also operate in the region. Last month, a roadside bomb hit
a paramilitary force vehicle in the provincial capital, Quetta. The
blast killed two soldiers and wounded 12 others. Hizbul Ahrar, an
offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the
attack.”
France
24: Key Member Of Pakistani Taliban Killed In Afghanistan:
Insurgents
“The Pakistani Taliban has confirmed that one of its key leaders
and another member of the group were killed in a clash with security
forces in Afghanistan. In a statement published by the SITE monitoring
group Friday, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said Sheikh Khalid
Haqqani, who served on the group's consultative council and had been a
deputy leader, had been killed January 31. “Haqqani embraced martyrdom
while fighting with slaves of the United States”, the TTP said.
Haqqani's close confidant Qari Saifullah Peshawari was also killed in
the clash that took place inside Afghanistan during a “mission”, a
senior Pakistani Taliban leader told AFP. Afghan security forces
declined to comment, and it was not immediately clear what type of
mission Haqqani may have been on. Haqqani was not thought to be
related to the Haqqani network, which is also affiliated to the Afghan
Taliban. Both Islamabad and Kabul have long accused each other of
allowing militants to shelter in the border regions and launch bloody
attacks that threaten regional stability. “Haqqani, also a writer of
several books on different topics, was known for giving a befitting
reply to so-called torch-bearers of democracy,” the TTP said in its
statement.”
India
Bloomberg:
India, Sri Lanka Discuss Ways To Fight Terrorism, Boost
Trade
“India and Sri Lanka agreed on Saturday to strengthen cooperation
to combat terrorism and boost trade and investment. “India has been a
trusted partner in Sri Lanka’s development,” Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said a joint briefing after meeting Sri Lankan Prime Minister
Mahinda Rajapaksa in New Delhi. New lines of credits announced in
November will deepen development and cooperation, Modi said, adding
that Sri Lanka’s stability, security and prosperity was a matter of
interest not only for India, but for the entire Indian Ocean region.
Rajapaksa said the talks centered on security co-operation. “India has
always assisted Sri Lanka to enhance our capabilities in intelligence
and counter-terrorism,” he said in a statement. The tiny island nation
had heavily weighed on China for its infrastructure development during
Rajapaksa’s previous 10-year rule as Sri Lanka’s president that ended
in 2015, creating tensions with New Delhi. Mahinda’s brother Gotabaya
won Sri Lanka’s presidential election in November and since then has
committed to neutral foreign relations. Both brothers chose India as
the site of their first official state visit.”
Yemen
The
New York Times: Killing Of Terrorist Leader In Yemen Is Latest Blow To
Qaeda Affiliate
“For more than a decade, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen has been one
of the most dangerous terrorist organizations on the planet. The group
spent years inventing explosives that are difficult to detect,
including trying to disguise bombs in devices like cellphones. It has
tried at least three times to blow up American airliners, without
success. But the White House’s announcement last week that the United
States had killed the group’s leader, Qassim al-Rimi — confirming what
The New York Times first reported several days earlier — was the
latest in a string of setbacks over the past few years that have
damaged the group’s ability to orchestrate or carry out operations
against the West, American and European counterterrorism specialists
say. A flurry of American drone strikes in Yemen in recent years has
now killed two successive leaders of the group as well as Ibrahim
Hassan al-Asiri, the affiliate’s notorious bomb maker. Clashes with
rival Islamic State and Houthi rebel fighters in Yemen have also
weakened the group, whose full name is Al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula. And its once formidable jihadi news media presence has been
far surpassed by the Islamic State’s.”
Middle East
The
Washington Post: Israeli Court Sentences Radical Islamic Cleric To 28
Months
“An Israeli court on Monday sentenced a radical Islamic cleric to
28 months in prison for “inciting to terror” in a series of speeches
he made after a deadly attack in 2017 on Israeli police at a contested
Jerusalem holy site. Raed Salah, head of the outlawed northern branch
of the Islamic Movement in Israel, was convicted in November on
incitement charges for exhorting others to follow the example of the
gunmen who killed the two Israeli policemen in that attack. The
attack, carried out by two Arab citizens of Israel at the Jerusalem
shrine known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the
Temple Mount, triggered a flareup of deadly violence between Israeli
forces and Palestinians. The cleric has denounced the charges against
him as false and said following his sentencing that all the
proceedings in the case were “far from the truth.” Salah has had
repeated run-ins with Israeli authorities. He completed a nine-month
prison sentence earlier in 2017 for “incitement to violence” and
“incitement to racism.” Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan
tweeted that Salah’s sentencing “illustrates that terror supporters
and inciters belong in prison for a long time and not in the Knesset,”
Israel’s parliament.”
Egypt
The
Times Of Israel: Seven Egyptian Soldiers, Ten Militants Killed In
Sinai Attack, Army Says
“Seven Egyptian soldiers were killed in a militant attack on
security facilities in restive North Sinai on Sunday, Egypt’s military
said. The army said it “foiled” the attack, “killing 10 terrorists and
destroying a four-wheel drive used by the terrorist elements.” The
slain soldiers were of various ranks, according to the brief statement
posted to the military’s Facebook page on Sunday. Egypt has struggled
to contain an insurgency in North Sinai that escalated after the
military’s 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi following
mass protests. In February 2018, Egyptian security forces launched a
nationwide, large-scale operation against militants, mainly focused on
North Sinai. Earlier this month, the Islamic State group claimed it
blew up a gas pipeline in Sinai connecting Egypt to Israel. Security
sources said the pipeline hit was a domestic one. More than 840
suspected militants have been killed in the region since February
2018, according to army figures. Some 67 security personnel have also
been killed.”
Nigeria
Sahara
Reporters: Boko Haram Terrorists Kill 11 Persons In Fresh
Attacks
“No less than 11 civilians have been killed after Boko Haram
terrorists launched two separate attacks in Niger. An official told
the AFP on Saturday that in one attack on Friday, members of the group
killed six civilians in Bosso district in the South-East region of
Diffa bordering Chad and Nigeria. Four members of the same family were
among those killed, said the official. Officials in Bosso district
confirmed the attack, but said five people had been killed. In a
separate attack in the South-Western region of Tillaberi, which
borders Mali, four armed men on two motorbikes opened fire on workers
in the village of Molia, killing four people on Thursday, a regional
official told AFP. The attacks were just the latest in a surge in
violence in the West African country. Niger’s Diffa and Tillaberi
regions are vulnerable to increasingly deadly incursions by the
jihadists based in Northern Nigeria. According to an official toll,
three attacks in December and January all claimed by Islamic State,
have killed 174 soldiers. In January, officials in Tillaberi were
forced to suspend voter registration in several towns because of the
growing violence.”
Africa
The
Defense Post: French Operations In Mali Put 30 Militants ‘Out Of
Action,’ As Barkhane Builds Sahel Coalition
Coordination
“French commando operations and airstrikes against groups linked to
Islamic State and al-Qaeda in Mali put 30 militants “out of action,”
the Armed Forces Ministry said. The operations come as the France-led
Operation Barkhane builds command coordination with local partner
forces in sub-Saharan Africa’s Sahel region, setting up dedicated
coordination mechanisms for the new Sahel Coalition in Niger’s capital
Niamey and Chad’s capital N’Djamena. Between February 6 and 7, forces
deployed to Operation Barkhane conducted an “operation of
opportunity” which “resulted in the neutralization of some 20
terrorists and the destruction of several vehicles,” the ministry
said, in a Friday, February 7 release. A Reaper drone, a Mirage 2000
fighter jet patrol, a Tigre attack helicopter and a Cougar transport
helicopter “took part in two targeted strikes in an area where
terrorist fighters had been spotted,” it said. The action was carried
out “in the west of the Gourma” region, in an area where the “katiba
is rampant,” the release said. The ministry did not give further
detail, but the likely target was Katiba Macina, one of the
constituent groups of JNIM, which has pledged allegiance to
al-Qaeda.”
Al
Jazeera: UN Chief Calls For Sudan Removal From US 'Terrorism'
List
“UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for Sudan to be
removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, as Khartoum
slowly returns to the international fold. “It is time to remove Sudan
from the list of state supporters of terrorism, and to mobilise
massive international support to enable Sudan to overcome its
challenges,” the UN chief said on Sunday during an address at the
annual African Union summit in Addis Ababa. The US government added
Sudan to its list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1993 over
allegations that then-President Omar al-Bashir's government was
supporting “terrorist” groups. The designation makes Sudan technically
ineligible for debt relief and financing from the IMF and World Bank.
Washington began a formal process to de-list Sudan in January 2017,
but this was put on hold when Sudan's mass protests erupted a year
ago. The uprising toppled al-Bashir and eventually forced the military
into a power-sharing agreement with civilians. Sudan's Prime Minister
Abdalla Hamdok has repeatedly urged the West to end his country's
international pariah status. He says it is the only way to save the
nation's fragile democratic transition from a plunging economy.”
United Kingdom
Foreign
Policy: Tougher Sentencing Won’t Stop
Terrorism
“In the wake of Britain’s third terrorist incident in two months—a
stabbing carried out by a recently released terrorist offender in the
South London neighborhood of Streatham—the U.K. government is reaching
for the most obvious legislation at hand to prevent such attacks and
seeking to extend the detention of convicted terrorist offenders.
Drafting policy in the wake of a terrorist attack is always fraught
with danger. With emotions high, people will grasp at whatever flaw in
the system seems obvious at that moment—police surveillance, parole
leniency, sentencing laws—and use that as the basis for new policies.
Yet the consequences of such knee-jerk reactions can be far-reaching,
and undoing the damage later can be complicated. Most worryingly,
quick fixes tend to overlook the real reasons behind the problem.
While some of the government’s proposed responses—such as increasing
investment in probation—deserve to be applauded, the push to simply
extend detention won’t address the issue at hand. It is helpful to
start by looking at the three recent cases in detail.”
The
Independent: Ministers Refuse To Reveal How Many Extremists They Have
Stripped Of British Citizenship
“The government has refused to reveal how many people have been
deprived of their British citizenship in the past two years after
dramatically increasing its use of controversial powers to prevent the
return of Isis members. The number of people subjected to the measure
rose by more than 600 per cent in 2017, despite an official review
warning that it might be an “ineffective and counter-productive weapon
against terrorism”. An official “transparency” report containing
statistics on citizenship deprivations was due for release last summer
but has not yet been published, and the Home Office refused to give
The Independent updated figures. Officials would not give a reason for
the delay, meaning that no new information has been released for 18
months. The situation is no clearer in Syrian prisons holding Isis
members, where British inmates interviewed recently by The Independent
said they had not been told whether they were still UK citizens. Some
asked journalists to request information from the government on their
behalf, while others found out through media reports that they had
been stripped of British nationality. Campaigners said the
government’s silence suggested that it has “something to hide”, amid
legal challenges and allegations that it has broken international law
by making people stateless.”
Sky
News: Streatham Terror Attack: Police To Return To Scene To Step Up
Appeal For Information
“Police will return to Streatham a week after two people were
stabbed by a convicted terrorist who was under surveillance. Sudesh
Amman was shot dead by officers in Streatham High Road, south London,
last Sunday after the 20-year-old grabbed a knife from a shop and used
it to attack two bystanders. It came 10 days after he was freed
automatically halfway through a jail sentence, handed down in December
2018 for possessing and distributing terrorist documents. Scotland
Yard said officers will be back at the scene of the attack on Sunday
to hand out leaflets appealing for information about what happened, as
detectives continue their investigation. More than 100 witnesses have
been identified and more than 250 exhibits have been seized, with
officers having also reviewed hours of CCTV footage and searched an
address in Streatham and Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire.
Commander Richard Smith, head of the Met's counter terrorism command,
said: “We continue to carry out extensive inquiries and our focus
remains on ensuring there is no wider threat connected with this
incident.”
The
Guardian: PM’s Plan For Terrorists Could Be ‘Counter-Productive’, Says
Father Of London Bridge Attack Victim
“David Merritt felt heavy with grief when news of the Streatham
terrorist attack broke, but he wasn’t shocked. The father of Jack
Merritt, a 25-year old prison rehabilitation worker who was killed in
the London Bridge terror attack in November, has warned that “the
government is failing to do its job to keep the public safe” and that
the prime minister’s plans to force through emergency terrorist
sentencing is “a hasty measure” that “could be counter-productive.”
Last week, the government announced plans to rush through emergency
legislation that would prevent the release of terrorist offenders
without parole board-risk assessments. Alex Carlile, the UK’s former
reviewer of terror legislation, cast doubt on whether changes could be
made retrospectively to the sentences of up to 224 terrorist offenders
currently in prison. Ministers expect a legal challenge. Speaking to
the Observer, Merritt was wearied but unsurprised by the government’s
“panicky response” and described it as “the austerity chickens coming
home to roost”. Just as his son had “devoted his energy to the purpose
of prisoner rehabilitation”, Merritt called for urgent and proper
funding into prison services to prevent further attacks.”
The
Telegraph: Prosecutors Allow Dozens Of Charges Brought Against
Terrorists To ‘Lie On File’
“Prosecutors are allowing dozens of charges brought against
terrorists to ‘lie on file’ amid claims jihadists are ‘going
unpunished’ for serious offences. An analysis by a think tank suggests
more than 40 convicted terrorists were sentenced for fewer offences
than they were originally charged with. Critics accused the Crown
Prosecution Service (CPS) of striking a series of plea-bargaining
deals that could have led to terrorists serving shorter sentences. The
CPS denied the claims and insisted allowing charges to lie on file was
common practice. The controversial deals include a terror suspect who
admitted being a member of Al Qaeda but had charges of encouraging
other Muslims to kill Gordon Brown and Tony Blair laid on file,
meaning he was not convicted of that offence....”
Europe
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Brussels Calls For Overturning Judicial Ruling To Repatriate
10 ISIS Kids
“The Belgian government will submit a request to the judiciary to
overturn a decision binding it to provide the necessary aid to
repatriate 10 ISIS children from Syria, announced Belgian Foreign
Minister Philippe Goffin. Speaking before the parliament, Goffin who
returned from a visit to the Middle East, including Iraq, explained
that the required documents are available at the Belgian Consulate in
Erbil, but there are three obstacles to bringing the children back. He
explained that Kurdish officials refuse to hand over the children
without the guardians and some of the ISIS widows refuse to hand over
their children. He also indicated that Syria remains a conflict zone,
making it difficult to send an official to bring the children back.
The government earlier lodged an appeal against the decision requiring
it to bring 10 children back. The children’s defense also appealed the
decision because it states that they can only return without their
mothers. The defense team of the families of the 10 children began
sending judicial custody staff to the Ministries of Justice and
Foreign Affairs last Wednesday demanding compensation of half a
million euros for the delay in returning these children, according to
a decision issued last December by the Brussels Court.”
Southeast Asia
New
York Daily News: 3 Arrested For Stabbing Chinese And Australian
Tourists In The Maldives
“Three people were arrested in the Maldives after allegedly
stabbing two Chinese tourists and an Australian tourist. The victims
were attacked on Tuesday on Hulhumale, an island four miles north of
the capital Male. They were reported to be in stable condition. The
police were investigating whether the stabbings were connected to
Islamic extremists after a video surfaced online of a masked man
claiming responsibility. The main claimed to be affiliated with the
Islasmic State in the video. At a conference in October, former
Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed warned about the rise of radical
Islamic groups in the region. The Maldives, a string of islands, in
the India Ocean, about 1,000 miles southwest of India and Sri Lanka.
The archipelago is known for its luxury tourist
resorts.”
Technology
Brisbane
Times: Swiping Right Into The Alt-Right Online Dating
World
“Finally! The dating site for those wishing to preserve their
heritage.” I stare at the announcement of what appears to be the
world’s first white supremacist dating site, WASP Love. On this
obscure site, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) can find fellow
“white people of diverse religions, nationalities, political ideology
and backgrounds, united in one cause for the benefit of our race and
children”. I can’t help but wonder: what kind of people do you find on
WASP Love? How do they present themselves and how do conversations
differ from normal dating apps? To access WASP Love, you need to
create an account. WASP profile descriptions are much longer than on
the more mainstream dating platforms such as Tinder, Bumble or Happn.
To create a profile, you have to complete a lengthy questionnaire and
provide details about your political and religious views. The
ice-breakers and pick-up lines are not dissimilar from more mainstream
dating apps. “Conservative and patriotic” is the standard answer but
some are a little more forthright: “The 14 words are my goal. Trying
to build a nuclear family with a loving and loyal-as-she-is-humble
stay-at-home wife. Wanting many kids to bring honour to my family name
and legacy” or “The Church and Lord are essential to keeping society
from becoming the degenerate shell it is today.”
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