Articles by "TERRORISM"
Twitter Facebook

The Brussels attacks are a stark reminder that European countries need to step up their efforts against the Islamic State group, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said.

US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter. (AFP Photo/Saul Loeb)
WASHINGTON: The Brussels attacks are a stark reminder that European countries need to step up their efforts against the Islamic State group, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said.
The United States has been pressing its European and Arab allies to contribute more to the US-led campaign against the group in Iraq and Syria.
The IS group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's suicide bombings on the Belgian capital's airport and metro that killed 31 people and wounded another 300.
"The thing that I think the Brussels event is going to further signify to Europeans is that they - as we have been accelerating our campaign to defeat ISIL in Syria, in Iraq and elsewhere - they need to accelerate their efforts and join us," Carter told CNN on Wednesday.
"But (for) anyone doubting in Europe, it's a reminder that we have to accelerate our effort."
Washington has boosted its own special forces presence in Iraq and Syria, and is now letting its military advisers move closer to the frontlines.
A US Marine manning a newly established US artillery position in northern Iraq was killed over the weekend in a rocket attack, underscoring the risks.
Carter said he expected Mosul, a major IS bastion in northern Iraq, would be retaken by Iraqi troops within a year.
"If the Iraqi government continues to support their own armed forces and we continue to support them, there is no reason we have to wait a year for the collapse of Mosul," Carter said.
"But I'm not prepared to give you a timetable either. This is a war. I think we need to do and are doing everything we can to accelerate that schedule," he added, predicting that: "We'll be doing more."
The Iraqi forces, as they advance on Mosul will need air support, as well as training and equipment, Carter said. "They need things like bridges to cross the Tigris River. They need lots of things," he added.
Iraq, meanwhile, announced on Thursday it had launched the first phase of operations to retake Mosul. It's in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, that IS declared its Islamic "caliphate" in 2014.
- AFP/de
March 24, 2016
Twitter Facebook

Belgian police arrested six people in their probe of Tuesday's Islamic State suicide bombings in Brussels, while authorities in France said they thwarted a militant plot there "that was at an advanced stage."

A man looks at candles during a vigil for the victims of the Brussels bomb attacks, at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall
This CCTV image from the Brussels Airport surveillance cameras made available by Belgian Police, shows what officials believe may be suspects in the Brussels airport attack on March 22, 2016. REUTERS/CCTV/Handout via Reuters
A man, whom Interpol said is named Khalid El Bakraoui, is seen in this undated photo issued by Interpol on their website and obtained March 23, 2016, after he was suspected of involvement in the Brussels airport and metro attack. REUTERS/Interpol/Handout via Reuters
A tribute is seen during a vigil for the victims of the Brussels bomb attacks, at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall
Spanish Interior Minister Diaz, German counterpart de Maiziere, Dutch counterpart Plasterk, Belgian counterpart Jambon and EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Avramopoulos attend an extraordinary meeting in Brussels
A man holds an umbrella as he looks at a giant flag in the national colours of Belgium during a vigil for the victims of the Brussels bomb attacks, at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall
People place candles during a vigil for the victims of the Brussels bomb attacks, at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall
prev
next
BRUSSELS: Belgian police arrested six people in their probe of Tuesday's Islamic State suicide bombings in Brussels, while authorities in France said they thwarted a militant plot there "that was at an advanced stage."
The federal prosecutor's office in Belgium said on Thursday that the arrests came during police searches in the Brussels neighbourhoods of Schaerbeek in the north and Jette in the west, as well as in the centre of the Belgian capital.
The arrests came days after suicide bombers hit the Brussels airport and a metro train, killing at least 31 people and wounding some 270 in the worst such attack in Belgian history.
The attack in Brussels, which is home to the European Union and NATO, has heightened security concerns around the world and raised questions about European countries' response to the threat from Islamist extremists.
The Islamic State militant group, which claimed responsibility for the Brussels bombings, also took credit for coordinated attacks in Paris in November that killed 130 people at cafes, a sports stadium and concert hall.
In Paris on Thursday, authorities arrested a French national suspected of belonging to a militant network planning an attack in France.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a televised address that the arrest helped "foil a plot in France that was at an advanced stage."
Cazeneuve added that the man arrested "is suspected of high-level involvement in this plan. He was part of a terrorist network that planned to strike France."
After the arrest by the French counter terrorism service, DGSI, the agency raided an apartment building on Thursday night in the northern Paris suburb of Argenteuil. French TV station ITele reported that explosives had been found in the man's house.
"At this stage, there is no tangible evidence that links this plot to the attacks in Paris and Brussels," added Cazeneuve, who was in the Belgian capital earlier on Thursday.
RESIGNATION OFFERS
Earlier on Thursday, Belgium's interior and justice ministers offered to resign over a failure to track an Islamic State militant expelled by Turkey as a suspected fighter and who blew himself up at Brussels Airport.
Brahim El Bakraoui was one of three identified suspected suicide bombers who hit the airport and metro train. At least one other man seen with them on airport security cameras is on the run and a fifth suspected bomber filmed in the metro attack may be dead or alive.
Bakraoui's brother Khalid, 26, killed about 20 people at Maelbeek metro station in the city centre. De Morgen newspaper said he had violated the terms of his parole in May by maintaining contacts with past criminal associates, but a Belgian magistrate had released him.
Interior Minister Jan Jambon and Justice Minister Koen Geens tendered their resignations to Prime Minister Charles Michel, who asked them to stay on. "In time of war, you cannot leave the field," said Jambon, a right-wing Flemish nationalist.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Bakraoui, 29, had been expelled in July after being arrested near the Syrian border and two officials said he had been deported a second time. Belgian and Dutch authorities had been notified of Turkish suspicions that he was a foreign fighter trying to reach Syria.
At the time, Belgian authorities replied that Bakraoui, who had skipped parole after serving less than half of a nine-year sentence for armed robbery, was a criminal but not a militant.
"You can ask how it came about that someone was let out so early and that we missed the chance to seize him when he was in Turkey. I understand the questions," Jambon said. "In the circumstances, it was right to take political responsibility and I offered my resignation to the prime minister."
Geens said systems should be reviewed but noted that other countries had been attacked, citing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States in which he noted that "there were 3,000 dead."
MILITANT NETWORK
Investigators are convinced the same militant network was involved in the November Paris attacks.
Belgian public broadcaster VRT said investigators believed that Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, arrested last Friday, probably planned a similar shooting and suicide bomb attack in Brussels.
One man was killed in a shootout with police on March 15 that led to the discovery of assault weapons and explosives and the arrest of Abdeslam, 26, and another suspect on March 18.
Belgium lowered its security alert level one notch to three from the highest level, four, but officials did not say what that would mean in terms of security measures that have included a heavy police and military presence in Brussels.
Islamic State posted a video on social media calling the Brussels blasts a victory and featuring the training of Belgian militants suspected in the Paris attacks.
The lawyer for Abdeslam said the French national wanted to "explain himself" and would no longer resist extradition to France. His lawyer, Sven Mary, said Abdeslam had not been aware of the plan for the Brussels airport and metro attack that was carried out by men who had shared hideouts with him.
Two sources familiar with the matter said the Bakraoui brothers had been on U.S. government counter terrorism watch lists before the attacks. But it was not clear how long they had been known to the authorities.
'A NICE BOY'
Security sources told Belgian media the other suicide bomber at the airport was Najim Laachraoui, a veteran Belgian Islamist fighter in Syria suspected of making explosive belts for November's Paris attacks.
Laachraoui's younger brother Mourad issued a statement condemning his actions, in the first public reaction from a family member of one of the Brussels attackers.
Laachraoui, 25, gave no warning sign of being radicalised before leaving for Syria in 2013 and breaking all contact with his family, Mourad told a news conference.
"He was a nice boy, and above all he was clever, that's what I remember of him," Mourad said of his brother, who graduated in electromechanics. He said the last time he saw him, he looked "normal."
(Additional reporting by Miriam Rivet, Geert De Clercq and John Irish in Paris, and Philip Blenkinsop, Julia Fioretti, Barbara Lewis, Bate Felix, Jan Strupczewski, Robin Emmott and Jean-Baptiste Vey in Brussels; Writing by Peter Cooney; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
- Reuters
March 24, 2016
Twitter Facebook

Six people were arrested on Thursday in a series of police operations in the Belgian capital, the federal prosecutor's office said, two days after militant attacks in Brussels left 31 dead.

Special police forces stand guard outside the Council Chamber of Brussels during investigations into the Paris and Brussels terror attacks. (AFP/Kenzo Tribouillard)
BRUSSELS: Six people were arrested on Thursday in a series of police operations in the Belgian capital, the federal prosecutor's office said, two days after militant attacks in Brussels left 31 dead.
Three of the suspects were detained "outside the door of the federal prosecutor's office," in the city centre, spokesman Eric Van der Sypt said.
Two further people were arrested elsewhere in the city and the sixth was detained in Jette, on the outskirts of the capital, the spokesman said, without giving any further details on their identity.
"It will be decided tomorrow if an arrest warrant (charges) are brought against these people," he added.
At least two men identified by police from surveillance footage at the airport and metro station where the attacks took place are still at large.
Raids have also taken place in the Brussels district of Schaerbeek where the three airport attackers left from on Tuesday morning carrying three explosive-packed suitcases. There have been no arrests in the neighbourhood.
- AFP/de
March 24, 2016
Twitter Facebook

Callum Paton
Brussels police repond to a terror attack on a Metro in the heart of Belgian
Carl Court/Getty Images
Police in Belgium are searching for two individuals with direct links to the Brussels bombings after authorities identified a second suspect involved in the attack on Maalbeek metro station where 16 people were killed.
The deadly attack on the Brussels metro was carried out by Khalid el-Bakraoui, who self-detonated as the carriage pulled out of Maalbeek station in the centre of the Belgian capital. His brother Ibrahim and Islamic State (Isis) bomb maker Najim Laachraoui killed at least 15 at Zaventem airport and were pictured with another individual in the departure hall, who is now being sought by authorities.
Police are now extending the their manhunt to include a second individual who is believed to have assisted Khalid el-Bakraoui at the Metro station. The Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported that surveillance footage from Maalbeek has shown one man accompanying el-Bakraoui carrying a large bag. It is unclear whether he was killed in the attack or is now on the run.
Combination photo showing three men who police have issued a wanted notice on suspicion of involvement in the Brussels airport attack
Reuters
Belgian authorities have said a total of at least 31 were killed in Tuesday's (22 March) attacks. Clear links have emerged between the Islamic State attackers and the suicide bombers who killed 130 in Paris on 13 November 2015. Laachraoui in particular is believed to have made the suicide vests used in the assaults on the French capital.
A will and a recorded diary recovered from the computer of Ibrahim el-Bakraoui refers to a "brother in prison" who is believed to be Salah Abdeslam. The Paris attacker was arrested in Brussels on 18 March. The will also mentioned an individual called Mohammed Bakkali, who was also arrested in Belgium in December for his involvement in the Paris attacks.
In raids across the Belgian capital in the 24 hours following the attacks, one individual was detained and is being held for questioning. Another was arrested but later released after what Belgian prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw referred to as a thorough hearing.
March 24, 2016
Twitter Facebook

William Watkinson
Brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui (L and C) died in the attacks at Brussels airport on 22 March 2016 when they detonated suicide vests. The third man has not been caught.
CCTV
Ministers in Belgium have offered to resign after failing to keep tabs on Islamic State (Isis) militant Brahim El Bakraoui, who was released by Turkey then blew himself up at Brussels airport. The news comes as it has emerged that three of the suspected bombers were on US counter-terror watch lists.
El Bakraoui was said to have blown himself up at Brussels' Zaventem Airport, killing at least 11 people, after Turkish officials warned Belgium that he was a "foreign fighter" but their warnings were "ignored". He had already been deported to the Netherlands at his own request, but Dutch authorities said he was not on any wanted lists so they had no reason to detain him.
His brother, Khalid, is believed to have blown himself up at Maelbeek metro station, where an additional 20 people are thought to have died, making the attack the deadliest in Belgian history. One other suspect who was seen with them on security cameras, is now on the run, with a fifth suspected bomber filmed in the metro attack who may be dead or alive.
On Thursday 24 March Interior Minister Jan Jambon and Justice Minister Koen Geens tendered their resignations to Prime Minister Charles Michel. The Belgian PM rejected their offers and Jambon said afterwards according to Reuters: "In time of war, you cannot leave the field," Jambon, a right-wing Flemish nationalist, declared.
Today it emerged that both Bakraouis were both on US government counter-terrorism watch lists even before the arrest of Salah Abdeslam on Friday 18 March. Another suspected bomber, who was wearing a white jacket and a black hat, was also said to have been on the US terror watch list – and is thought to be still on the run.
The suicide attacks claimed by Daesh (Isis) wounded at least 300. The Belgian health ministry said 121 of the injured were still in hospital, 63 of them in a serious condition.
Now, three days after the attacks, Belgium has lowered its alert to the second-highest level with Metro stations reopening, but with heavy security still present.
Jambon added that he had "missed the chance to seize him (Bakraoui) when he was in Turkey".
He said: "In the circumstances it was right to take political responsibility and I offered my resignation to the prime minister.
The prime minister and the inner cabinet requested clearly this morning that I stay on, given the current situation, that in a war situation you cannot leave the field."
March 24, 2016
Twitter Facebook

Priya Joshi
The british jihadis filmed themselves warning of attacks in London
Memri TV
Two Islamic State (Isis) supporters have claimed that Downing Street, Gatwick and Heathrow "are next" after the Brussels terror attacks. In a chilling video, the men wearing black masks and speaking with strong London accents, are seen celebrating the Brussels bombings and mocking the plight of the people of Belgium, before posting their message on Instagram.
One of the men says: "Belgium, Brussels airport big boom went off...innit. Heathrow..." The second jihadi adds: "Gatwick, Downing Street... you get me bruv..??'
Security experts believe the men are both ISIS fighters based in Syria where they used an internet cafe to film their threats. It is feared they were trained by Birmingham cyber-hacker Junaid Hussain, who was believed to have helped recruit and train many British-born jihadis. Hussaino was killed in a U.S. drone strike in August last year.
British security agencies estimate there are at least 400 British extremists based in Syria and around the same number have returned to the UK from the fighting. Earlier this month leaked Isis membership files exposed a number of British jihadists, recruiters and fighters in Syria and Iraq, who were previously unknown to the UK public. The newly revealed jihadists include fighters from Arsenal and Finsbury Park in north London.
Yesterday it was reported that Daesh (Isis)supporters have been celebrating the horrific terror attacks in Brussels by distributing sweets to residents in Syria and launching a poll asking for suggestions for the next city to target.
In a forum page, mocking the Paris tribute to the 31 people killed in the barbaric attacks on Brussels, one user set up the question poll asking: "What will be the color of the Eiffel Tower in the next attacks?" The United Kingdom came out top on the poll for ISIS's next target with half of the supporters on the forum backing it as the prime target for a terror attack.
Heathrow airport has been marked as a potential target by Isis militants in a chilling video
Getty
IS supporters posted threats on Twitter, tweeting: "The Islamic State will attack London, Washington, Rome and all the infidels' capitals." Another wrote: "The Crusaders are blundered and confused. Yesterday Paris, today Brussels, and they don't know where will be the next attack."
The latest threats come as security has been "stepped up" at checkpoints staffed by British officials on borders. However the increase in security will last for only two weeks.
Lucy Moreton, general secretary of ISU, said: "We've stepped up controls at the border, and at all borders, but it is maintaining that at a high level for a long period of time and whether there is the political will, or potentially even the necessity to do so. Experience from past would suggest that it isn't. The increased checks at the border last about two weeks, or that's how long they lasted after the Paris attacks."
Home Secretary Theresa May revealed yesterday in the House of Commons that intelligence services had foiled seven terror plots on British soil in the last 18 months.
The video, which emerged as police reported a significant arrest in terror raids in Paris, has been picked up by the Washington based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) which monitors extremist propaganda.
March 24, 2016
Twitter Facebook

  • Alleged Islamic State group militants stand near an Islamic State group flag atop a hill in the Syrian town of Ain al-Arab, Oct. 6, 2014.
    Photo: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
  • An armed motorcade of Derna's Islamic Youth Council drives along a road in Derna, eastern Libya, flying the Islamic State group flag, Oct. 3, 2014.
    Photo: Reuters
Previous
Next
The Islamic State group has trained at least 400 fighters to target Europe in a wave of attacks, the Associated Press reported, citing security officials. The plan is to deploy interlocking terror cells, like the ones that struck Paris and Brussels, with orders to choose the time, place and method for maximum carnage.
It has been estimated that between 400 and 600 fighters for the group, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL, have been trained specifically for attacks outside the ISIS-held territories in Iraq and Syria, according to officials. Roughly 5,000 Europeans have gone to war-torn Syria, home to ISIS' de facto capital, Raqqa, to join the movement.
There is increasing evidence that the majority of the militants’ training is taking place in Syria, as well as in Libya and other places in North Africa, several security officials have said. French speakers connected to North Africa, France and Belgium are reportedly leading shadowy cells of fighters responsible for developing attack strategies in Europe, like the ones carried out in Brussels this week and Paris in November.

Iraqi security forces arrest suspected Islamic State group members on March 10, 2016, following an operation to retake the town of Zankura, northwest of Ramadi, in Anbar province.
Photo: Getty Images
"The difference is that in 2014, some of these IS fighters were only being given a couple weeks of training," said a European security official, the AP reported. "Now the strategy has changed. Special units have been set up. The training is longer. And the objective appears to no longer be killing as many people as possible but rather to have as many terror operations as possible, so the enemy is forced to spend more money or more in manpower. It's more about the rhythm of terror operations now."
The people from the cell that carried out the grisly Paris attacks on Nov. 13 are scattered across Germany, Britain, Italy, Denmark and Sweden, and recently, a new group crossed in from Turkey, a senior Iraqi intelligence official said. Before being killed in a raid, the ringleader of the attacks claimed that he had crossed into Europe  in a multinational group of 90 fighters who scattered "more or less everywhere."
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the suicide blasts in Brussels on Tuesday that claimed the lives of 31 people and wounded scores more.
March 23, 2016
Twitter Facebook

The six year old son of infamous jihadi Muslim convert Ibrahim Anderson is seen in a disturbing photo posing with ISIS flag in his family’s home in Luton, Bedfordshire.
In the photo, Ibrahim Anderson’s six-year-old son also mimics the Islamic State’s salute in the living room of his family’s Luton home
With a beaming smile, the six-year-old stands against the wall brandishing a sword and mimicking the Islamic State’s salute as his proud father watches on.
ISIS boy
He is also standing in front of an enormous version of the black flag of Islam, appropriated by the terror group.
And his father is ginger-bearded Ibrahim Anderson – a well-known jihadi Muslim convert who is facing jail for trying to drum up support for ISIS outside Topshop in London’s Oxford Street.
The small boy, who lives in a terraced house in Luton, Bedfordshire, is being groomed to support ISIS alongside his eight-year-old brother and toddler sister, the Mail on Sunday reports.
ibrahim
He is thought to have been holding the sword in a his left hand in a shocking ‘tribute’ to the notorious executioner, Jihadi John, who filmed himself beheading numerous captives with a hunting knife.
The killer, who held the knife in the same hand, died in a drone strike in November last year.
The boy’s two siblings were also pictured smiling in front of the black flag, it is reported.
In the older brother’s case, he, too, was wielding a sword, while donning a Kermit the Frog T-shirt.
Meanwhile, the sister – believed to be under the age of three – was resting on a sofa in a pink hijab.
The shots were reportedly taken on Anderson’s mobile phone in October 2014 and shown to a jury at the father’s recent trial.
Philip Hollobone, the Conservative MP for Kettering, told the Mail on Sunday: “Not only is this child grooming, this is child abuse. We can’t have children being brought up in this country to become potential suicide bombers, groomed by their own parents. These children should be taken into care, if appropriate.”
The disturbing photos have emerged just two days after the trio’s father – who also has two other children with his convert wife, from Nottingham – was found guilty of inviting support for ISIS by the London-based jurors in a landmark verdict.
Anderson, 38, along with Shah Jahan Kahn, 63, were among a group which set up a stall near the flagship fashion store on the afternoon of August 9 2014, the Old Bailey was told.
The pair denied inviting support for a proscribed organisation and Anderson also denied possessing information likely to be useful to a terrorist on December 16 2014.
The jury deliberated for eight hours before finding them guilty.
Mark Seymour, prosecuting, had told jurors the defendants spent two and a half hours speaking to passers-by and distributing a leaflet on the “‘o-called Caliphate’ which had been re-established earlier that summer.
He said: “These defendants, who both played their part as members of the group which invited support for IS in Oxford Street on August 9 2014, would have been well aware that this is what they were doing.”
Anderson’s home was later searched and a mini notebook computer was seized which contained three images that ‘formed part of a set of instructions for travel to Syria to support jihad’, the prosecutor said.
The father-of-five, who represented himself in court, appealed to jurors to see past the news and ‘see who I really am – a devoted father to my family’.
He said he only wanted to practise his religion and exercise his freedom of speech, adding: “I have been brave enough to come and fight my corner because I know I am innocent and have done nothing wrong.”
He had denied knowing the other people who had gone to Oxford Street that day for dawah (call to Islam) – and said he only ‘glanced’ at a leaflet he was given.
The motor mechanic only decided to go on the spur of the moment, he said.
“I know there is a group of Muslims who go there quite regularly and I was supposed to go to work but I got a cancellation and, as my wife had gone to see her mum for the day, I decided to jump on a train.”
However the jury rejected his explanation and unanimously found the defendants guilty.
Anderson was found guilty by a majority on the second charge.
The two men made no reaction and sat in the dock as the verdict was delivered.
They were remanded in custody to be sentenced on Friday, January 29.
  by ⋅ in Editor's Pick, News 
January 25, 2016
Twitter Facebook



Five people were killed and two critically injured in a school shooting in a remote part of Saskatchewan on Friday and a suspect is in custody, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

Trudeau did not give a motivation for the shooting in La Loche, about 600 km (375 miles) north of the city of Saskatoon. But La Loche acting Mayor Kevin Janvier told the Canadian Press the incident may have started at the suspect's home.

“I’m not 100 percent sure what’s actually happened but it started at home and ended at the school," Janvier said.

Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada, which has stricter gun laws than the United States. With five dead, La Loche would be the country's worst school shooting since 14 college students were killed at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique in 1989.

"Obviously this is every parent's worst nightmare," said Trudeau, who was in Davos, Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum.

The shooting occurred in building that houses middle school and high school students, according to the Facebook page of the district, which has about 900 students.

Extra doctors and nurses have been sent to treat patients in Keewatin Yatthe Regional Health Authority's 16-bed hospital, said spokesman Dale West.

Teddy Clark, chief of the Clearwater River Dene Nation, said that his daughter told him about the shooting, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

"We're just trying to pull together here and make sense of all this," Clark told CBC television. "It's not a very pretty scene right now."

La Loche student Noel Desjarlais told the CBC that he heard multiple shots fired at the school.

"I ran outside the school," Desjarlais said. "There was lots of screaming, there was about six, seven shots before I got outside. I believe there was more shots by the time I did get out."

A cellphone video taken by one resident and broadcast by the CBC showed students walking away from the school through the snow-covered ground and emergency personnel moving in.

In 2014, a teacher expressed concern about violence at the La Loche school, citing an incident where a student who had tried to stab her was put back in her classroom after serving his sentence, and another attacked her at her home.

"That student got 10 months," Janice Wilson told the CBC of the student who tried to stab her in class. "And when he was released he was returned to the school and was put in my classroom."

(Additional reporting by Susan Taylor and Jeffrey Hodgson in Toronto and Martinne Geller in Davos, Switzerland; Writing by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Grant McCool)   
Source: Reuters.com
January 23, 2016
Twitter Facebook


At least 20 people died when Al-Shabab suicide bombers and gunmen have attacked a popular seafront restaurant and cafe in the Somali capital, Mogadishu on Thursday, Somali police said

Mohamed Moalimuu( in bandages) a former BBC Correspondent was wounded. Freelance journalist Hussein Mohamed lost three of his classmates (pictured) Mohamed Dek Shurie (on bloodied shirt) survived. A mother and her baby were among the dead. Three members of a family(pictured together) Abdikani Kheyre 24, his sisters Fardosa, 22 and Naimo, 15 died in the attack.


According to reports, a car laden with explosives rammed into the Beach View Hotel on Lido beach after which several al-Shabab fighters opened fire at the hotel.
"After the blast, I saw at least four armed men run into the hotel, shooting everyone inside and around the hotel," Mustafa Elmi, a Lido beach visitor, told DPA news agency.
"I managed to escape with minor wounds, but there were people who were shot dead on the spot," he added
A second explosion hit the nearby Lido Seafood restaurant, where several gunmen were reportedly holed up.
"The lights at Liido Seafood have just been switched off. Heavy gunfire is now ongoing," Abdirizak Mohamud, a freelance journalist at the scene, told Al Jazeera.
The terrorists engaged in a gun battle with government security forces trying to force flush them out. Captain Mohamed Hussein who spoke from the scene of the attack said that the security forces finally took control of the restaurant just befor dawn.
"The operation ended at 3 am last night and at least 19 civilians were killed," police officer Osman Nur said
Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack in a broadcast on its radio late on Thursday.

photos of the victims...

 
 
 
 
January 22, 2016
Twitter Facebook


The Borno Elders Forum has alleged that all those that have been accused of misappropriating $2.1 billion arms fund are the real sponsors of Boko Haram. The group made the allegation in a statement signed by their chairman, Ambassador Gaji Galtimari and released yesterday Jan. 21st.The statement  reads in part;
“Much has been said about the sponsors of Boko Haram. With the horrifying revelations about the ‘Arms Deal’, it is no longer necessary to continue delaying the search for the real sponsors of Boko Haram.
Those who collected such huge sums of money from the national treasury and converted same for their unending greed and avarice should be regarded as part and parcel of the sponsors of Boko Haram. Get them and you will get the rest. The people who sponsored the activities of Boko Haram or those who deliberately turned away from their official responsibilities on security issues, or those who looted the funds meant for the prosecution of the war against Boko Haram, and those who spoke or continue to speak in their favour are all one and the same. They all individually and collectively aided and sponsored the Boko Haram insurgency. They colluded to ensure the death of our brave soldiers, our innocent people and the near total destruction of our society. Nigerians should stand by us and collectively assist to bring those responsible to book. Since the outbreak of the Boko Haram uprising in 2009 to date, the Borno Elders Forum had been voicing out at every critical stage of the crisis, proffering possible ways of addressing very critical security and social issues. However, until the advent of the current government under President Muhammadu Buhari, we were ignored. We are somehow relieved that not only the present government but the generality of our Nigerian compatriots are now showing great understanding and compassion on our sorry state of existence. The massive killing of our people, the wholesome destruction of our settlements, the massive humanitarian crisis faced by over two million internally displaced persons, the creation of hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans and so on, seem to be of no consequence to some Nigerians. It does not speak well of any Nigerian, for whatever reason, to fight or criticize the President of Nigeria or call our anti–corruption agencies names when they simply want to make offenders pay for the crimes most of them have confessed to have committed. We feel hurt and betrayed that some Nigerians are politicizing this despicable issue of ‘Arms Deal.’ People are rushing to our courts of law to manipulate the law, taking cover under the canopy of the constitution and misinterpreted human rights dicta to confuse the nation. Even the constitution itself has balanced interests of people against the interest of individuals. In this case, the interest of the victims should prevail when it comes to justice. Let those Nigerians know that thousands of Nigerians perished due to the misuse of funds meant for security, not only the ‘Arms Deal’ case but several other instances before it. Playing politics with those issues is to condone the loss of lives and the destruction of our livelihood,”.
January 22, 2016
Twitter Facebook


Terrorists have attacked the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, northwestern Pakistan, leaving at least 30 people dead. According to reports,four gunmen armed with suicide bomb vests attacked the university while it was shrouded in thick fog. A gun battle followed between the attackers and members of the security forces. TV footage showed soldiers entering the campus as ambulances lined up outside the main gate as anxious parents consoled each other.


Police official Tariq Khan said the assault began shortly after the university opened on Wednesday morning in the town of Charsadda, located 21 miles outside the city of Peshawar. Initial reports indicated that a chemistry teacher was among those with fatal injuries and has been confirmed dead.
The militants, using the cover of thick, wintry fog, scaled the walls of the Bacha Khan University before entering buildings and opening fire on students and teachers in classrooms and hostels, police said.
Deputy Inspector General Saeed Wazir said: "All students have been evacuated from the hostels, but militants are still hiding in different parts of the university.

No one has yet claimed responsibility.
January 20, 2016
Twitter Facebook


Jihadists allied to the Al-Qaida in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has released photos of three of its militants who carried out terrorist attack on the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso capital, Quagadougou last Friday which left twenty-two people dead and 30 others injured.


Four of the attackers were killed by security operatives. Two of them were light skinned and one was dark skinned. Eyewitnesses say the assailants were seen in a mosque behind the Splendid Hotel shortly before the attack.
January 18, 2016
Twitter Facebook

At least 4 people were killed in a suicide bomb blast that happened inside a mosque in Ngue Tchewe, a village in Far North Region in Cameroon today January 18th. The suicide bomber believed to be a teenage boy, attacked the mosque while the Muslim faithfuls were saying their early morning prayer. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but it is believed that Bok
January 18, 2016
Twitter Facebook

 


Four worshippers were killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque in northern Cameroon on Monday, a security source said, five days after a similar attack left 13 people dead.

Monday’s attack took place in the village of Nguetchewe in an area regularly targeted by Boko Haram, the AFP reported.


“The toll of this attack is four dead and two injured,” the source, who was at the scene of the attack, told AFP on condition of anonymity.

On Wednesday last week, suicide bomber killed 13 worshippers and wounded at least one in an attack on a mosque also in northern Cameroon.

Officials said last week’s attack was suspected to have been carried out by terror group, Boko Haram.

Cameroonian troops form part of an 8,700-strong regional force created to battle Boko Haram.

The United States recently disclosed plans to send military supplies and troops to the Central African country to aid the fight.

“The suicide attack took place at 5.40am (04.40 GMT) in a mosque at Kouyape. There were 13 deaths, including the man, who blew himself up and one wounded,” said a senior local official, who declined to be identified.
The suicide bomber, who struck at the mosque, was said to be praying alongside worshippers when he blew himself up, a security source told AFP.

“Twelve worshippers were killed at the scene. Another died of his wounds in the hospital,” the source added.

The bombing came after two people were killed overnight in the same area in another attack.

Another source close to the security services confirmed that the blast killed 13 persons including the bomber.

AFP
January 18, 2016
Twitter Facebook


Attackers raided a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso overnight, opening fire and seizing hostages in an hours long siege that left 23 people dead.

An al Qaeda-linked terror group claimed responsibility for the assault at Splendid Hotel — a popular meeting place for Western diplomats in the capital of Ouagadougou.

The attack started Friday night, and dragged on under the cover of darkness. Security forces circled the perimeter to assess the situation before they stormed in hours later.



“Everyone was panicked and was laying down on the floor. There was blood everywhere, they were shooting at people at point blank,” survivor Yannick Sawadogo said.

Security forces entered the besieged hotel early Saturday and freed 126 hostages, half of whom were hospitalized, said Alpha Barry, the nation’s foreign minister.

The people killed were from 18 nationalities, according to security minister Simon Compaore.

At least four attackers were killed, including two women, he said. It’s unclear whether their deaths were included in the 23.

‘We could hear them talking’
Survivors described horrific scenes as the gunmen paced and fired in the hotel Friday night.

“We could hear them talking and they were walking around and kept shooting at people that seemed alive,” Sawadogo told CNN affiliate BFMTV.

Sawadogo said he escaped through a broken window, and could barely see because of smoke.

Search for hostages, terrorists
Burkinabe forces scoured through the rooms at the hotel, looking for terrorists and any remaining hostages. Those rescued included a government minister, state media reported.

The West African nation’s forces got logistical support from American and French troops. Shortly after the forces stormed the hotel, the sounds of gunshots faded.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the attack, which mirrored another one at a Mali hotel last year. The militant group claimed responsibility for the November attack in the neighboring nation as well.

Hotel popular with diplomats
The attack in Burkina Faso appeared well planned, with a group of terrorists coming to the hotel during the day and mingling with guests, Barry said.

When darkness fell, more attackers joined the group, he said.

Before the hotel assault, the gunmen attacked the Cappuccino café across the street, which had about 100 people inside, according to the state broadcaster.

The gunmen then took off to the Splendid Hotel — a popular meeting spot for Western diplomats and business people. They fired and seized hostages.

Witnesses said the attackers wore turbans and spoke a language not native to Burkina Faso, a former French colony.

As the siege continued, the U.S. planned to fly a drone over the scene to provide surveillance, a defense official said.

The U.S. has about 75 military personnel in Burkina Faso, including 15 assigned to the embassy, according to the defense official.

An additional 60 help train and advise the French military in the nation.

Al Qaeda claims responsibility
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the assault, local media reported. CNN could not independently confirm that claim.

The al Qaeda-linked Al-Mourabitoun said it conducted the attack, which had similarities to one in neighboring Mali in November.

Al-Mourabitoun had claimed responsibility for the attack at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali, which left 22 people dead.

The group’s leader is veteran al Qaeda figure Mokhtar Belmokhtar, according to the Mauritania-based Al Akhbar news agency.

In June, Libya’s interim government reported that he died in an American airstrike.

‘Odious and cowardly attack’
The attack comes a few months after Burkina Faso marked a turning point following a historic presidential election.

The West African nation elected a new President in November after nearly three decades of autocratic rule followed by a civil uprising.

Roch Marc Christian Kabore, the nation’s former prime minister, won more than 53% of votes in that election.

Elections were postponed the month before because of a failed coup against the transitional government.

The West, particularly France, considers Burkina Faso a key ally in the fight against al Qaeda.

French President Francois Hollande said he stands with the nation against the “odious and cowardly attack.”

The U.S. Embassy also condemned the attack, describing it as a ” senseless assault on innocent people.”

(CNN)
January 16, 2016
Twitter Facebook


Attackers raided a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso overnight, opening fire and seizing hostages in an hours long siege that left 23 people dead.

An al Qaeda-linked terror group claimed responsibility for the assault at Splendid Hotel — a popular meeting place for Western diplomats in the capital of Ouagadougou.

The attack started Friday night, and dragged on under the cover of darkness. Security forces circled the perimeter to assess the situation before they stormed in hours later.



“Everyone was panicked and was laying down on the floor. There was blood everywhere, they were shooting at people at point blank,” survivor Yannick Sawadogo said.

Security forces entered the besieged hotel early Saturday and freed 126 hostages, half of whom were hospitalized, said Alpha Barry, the nation’s foreign minister.

The people killed were from 18 nationalities, according to security minister Simon Compaore.

At least four attackers were killed, including two women, he said. It’s unclear whether their deaths were included in the 23.

‘We could hear them talking’
Survivors described horrific scenes as the gunmen paced and fired in the hotel Friday night.

“We could hear them talking and they were walking around and kept shooting at people that seemed alive,” Sawadogo told CNN affiliate BFMTV.

Sawadogo said he escaped through a broken window, and could barely see because of smoke.

Search for hostages, terrorists
Burkinabe forces scoured through the rooms at the hotel, looking for terrorists and any remaining hostages. Those rescued included a government minister, state media reported.

The West African nation’s forces got logistical support from American and French troops. Shortly after the forces stormed the hotel, the sounds of gunshots faded.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the attack, which mirrored another one at a Mali hotel last year. The militant group claimed responsibility for the November attack in the neighboring nation as well.

Hotel popular with diplomats
The attack in Burkina Faso appeared well planned, with a group of terrorists coming to the hotel during the day and mingling with guests, Barry said.

When darkness fell, more attackers joined the group, he said.

Before the hotel assault, the gunmen attacked the Cappuccino café across the street, which had about 100 people inside, according to the state broadcaster.

The gunmen then took off to the Splendid Hotel — a popular meeting spot for Western diplomats and business people. They fired and seized hostages.

Witnesses said the attackers wore turbans and spoke a language not native to Burkina Faso, a former French colony.

As the siege continued, the U.S. planned to fly a drone over the scene to provide surveillance, a defense official said.

The U.S. has about 75 military personnel in Burkina Faso, including 15 assigned to the embassy, according to the defense official.

An additional 60 help train and advise the French military in the nation.

Al Qaeda claims responsibility
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the assault, local media reported. CNN could not independently confirm that claim.

The al Qaeda-linked Al-Mourabitoun said it conducted the attack, which had similarities to one in neighboring Mali in November.

Al-Mourabitoun had claimed responsibility for the attack at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali, which left 22 people dead.

The group’s leader is veteran al Qaeda figure Mokhtar Belmokhtar, according to the Mauritania-based Al Akhbar news agency.

In June, Libya’s interim government reported that he died in an American airstrike.

‘Odious and cowardly attack’
The attack comes a few months after Burkina Faso marked a turning point following a historic presidential election.

The West African nation elected a new President in November after nearly three decades of autocratic rule followed by a civil uprising.

Roch Marc Christian Kabore, the nation’s former prime minister, won more than 53% of votes in that election.

Elections were postponed the month before because of a failed coup against the transitional government.

The West, particularly France, considers Burkina Faso a key ally in the fight against al Qaeda.

French President Francois Hollande said he stands with the nation against the “odious and cowardly attack.”

The U.S. Embassy also condemned the attack, describing it as a ” senseless assault on innocent people.”

(CNN)
January 16, 2016
Twitter Facebook


A federal judge on Friday rejected Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's bid for a new trial and ordered him to pay victims of the deadly attack more than $101 million in restitution.
The restitution order, issued by Judge George O'Toole Jr., is seen as largely symbolic because Tsarnaev is in federal prison and has no ability to pay.
Tsarnaev, 22, was convicted and sentenced to death last year in the 2013 attack. Two pressure cooker bombs placed near the marathon finish line by Tsarnaev and his brother killed three people and injured more than 260 others.

Tsarnaev also was convicted of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer days later. During the sentencing hearing Tsarnaev admitted that he and his brother committed the bombings, and he apologized to the victims.

His brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died days after the bombing following a gunbattle with police.

The judge, in his order denying Dzhokhar Tsarnaev a new trial, noted that he and a federal appeals court had previously rejected arguments from Tsarnaev's lawyers that he could not receive a fair trial in Boston, where many people knew the victims or had connections to the marathon. The defense also cited intense and continuing local news coverage of the victims and the anniversary of the bombings.

But the judge said the victims, the trial and other marathon-related events also were covered widely by national and international news organizations.
"There is no reason to think — and certainly no specific evidence — that this extensive coverage would have been any different in kind or degree if the trial had been conducted elsewhere," he wrote in his order.
Liz Norden, the mother of two men who each lost a leg in the bombings, said she was pleased the judge denied Tsarnaev's request for a new trial.
"I personally think he did get a fair trial," she said. "He said he did it. He admitted to it. I don't know why they would even consider that what he got was not deserving."
Norden said even though it's obvious Tsarnaev won't be able to pay the restitution ordered by the judge, the order is meaningful.
"I don't think you could ever put a price tag on what any of the victims went through, but to know that the judge took a step and did that, it means something to me," she said.


Source: AP
January 16, 2016
Twitter Facebook


The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has said the Boko Haram terrorists now hide explosive devices in fruits and vegetables which they hawk in wheel barrows in markets and crowded places in the Northeast.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Defence Information, Brig.Gen. Rabe Abubakar, said the aim of the terrorists was to disguise as fruits and vegetable vendors to gain ample room to detonate the explosives.

The statement said, “The terrorists now hide IEDs under vegetable wares in carts and wheelbarrows and move to crowded places where they detonate them for maximum casualties. The recent terrorists attack in the Northeast is a case in point.


“Having been effectively dislodged and decimated, the Boko Haram terror group has begun some systematic isolated attacks mainly on soft targets in their desperation to remain relevant.

“The Defence Headquarters hereby advises the general public to constantly be alert to this latest terrorist tactics and to report promptly any suspicious persons or objects to the nearest security agency.

“While commending the general public and the media for their continuous support so far, all citizens are once again reminded that security is everybody’s concern therefore, they should join hands with the security agencies to eliminate the remnant of the terrorists.”
January 15, 2016

Geezwild

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Powered by Blogger.
Javascript DisablePlease Enable Javascript To See All Widget