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Terrorism Tag

Posted by Amy Miller on February 06, 2015 5 Comments
The CIA is investigating claims that American hostage Kayla Jean Mueller was killed during Jordanian airstrikes in Syria. Mueller, an American aid worker, was taken by ISIS a year and a half ago, and is believed to be the last American held hostage by the group. Via the New York Times:
An Islamic State message published by the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist activity, said the American woman was killed when the building where she was being held in the Raqqa area collapsed in an airstrike. “The failed Jordanian aircraft killed an American female hostage,” said the message. “No mujahid was injured in the bombardment, and all praise is due to Allah.” Mujahid means fighter. The group said the woman was killed by “fire of the shells dropped on the site.” There was no immediate way to verify the claim by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. But it identified the hostage by name, Kayla Jean Mueller, for the first time, and gave her Arizona address, apparently to add credibility to its message.
As was stated by the Times, this report is not confirmed. Department of Defense officials told NBC News that "U.S. military and military intelligence have no information to confirm ISIS' claim, and the State Department said it could not confirm reports of the death 'in any way'":

Posted by Leslie Eastman on February 04, 2015 5 Comments
The Great Sphinx is safe from destruction and Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is calling for a "Islamic Reformation", so now should be a good time to visit the enchanting "Land of the Nile," right? Not so fast. A new group with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood has just declared holy war on foreigners:
An Islamist organization sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood is warning all foreigners and diplomats to flee Egypt by the end of February or face becoming “a target by the Revolutionary Punishment Movement,” according to a recent warning posted online by a Brotherhood-affiliated site and read live on television by one of its broadcast organs. The statement issues a threat to “all foreign nationals,” “all foreign companies,” and all “embassy foreigners, diplomats, and ambassadors,” ordering them to leave Egypt by the end of the month or face violent attacks, according to an independent translation of the Arabic statement. Foreign travelers also are warned to “cancel their trips” and told “they are not welcome to Egypt during these difficult days.”
The Al Jazeera Center for Studies has some background on these "insurgents," who organized shortly before the 4th anniversary of the "Arab Spring" protests in Tahrir Square.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 03, 2015 7 Comments
David previously covered the mysterious death of Alberto Nisman the day before he was to testify before the Argentine Congress regarding an alleged government cover-up of Iran's involvement in the bombing of a Jewish Center in Buenos Aires. There has been speculation that it was not a suicide, that Nisman was murdered by agents of the Argentine government. Now comes a bombshell from the NY Times, Draft of Arrest Warrant for Argentine President Found at Dead Prosecutor’s Home:
Alberto Nisman, the prosecutor whose mysterious death has gripped Argentina, had drafted a warrant for the arrest of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, accusing her of trying to shield Iranian officials from responsibility in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center here, the lead investigator into his death said on Tuesday.

Posted by Amy Miller on February 01, 2015 8 Comments
ISIS militants have reportedly released a video showing the beheading of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. Goto is the second hostage to be executed this month after negotiations broke down between ISIS and the Japanese government. From the Associated Press:
"I feel indignation over this immoral and heinous act of terrorism," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters after convening an emergency Cabinet meeting. "When I think of the grief of his family, I am left speechless," he said. "The government has been doing its utmost in responding to win his release, and we are filled with deep regret." He vowed that Japan will not give in to terrorism and will continue to provide humanitarian aid to countries fighting the Islamic State extremists. The White House released a statement in which President Barack Obama also condemned "the heinous murder" and praised Goto's reporting, saying he "courageously sought to convey the plight of the Syrian people to the outside world." Obama applauded Japan's "steadfast commitment to advancing peace and prosperity in the Middle East and globally, including its generous assistance for innocent people affected by the conflicts in the region."
According to Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Japan will increase its humanitarian aid to the region, but will not offer its Self-Defense forces in the fight against ISIS, or join air raids.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 31, 2015 2 Comments
The FBI is seeking a man named Ghazi Nasr Al-Din for connections to Hezbollah. He is believed to be in Florida. WPTV News reported:
The FBI is looking for Ghazi Nasr Al-Din and believes he could be in South Florida He was just added to the bureau’s seeking information terrorism list. The agency wants to talk to him about his fundraising efforts with Hezbollah contributors. Hezbollah is an Islamic militant group. Nasr Al-Din is 5 foot 7 and weighs about 175 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and an olive complexion. He speaks Arabic and Spanish and he has dual citizenship in Lebanon and Venezuela. If you see him call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800- 225-5324) or contact your local FBI office.
Here is the the official FBI wanted poster:

Posted by Amy Miller on January 30, 2015 6 Comments
Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) appeared on Fox News this week to take the White House to task over its weak stance regarding evidence that one of the five former Gitmo detainees released in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been in contact with Taliban operatives.
But Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., in an interview with Fox News, raised concerns that the five freed fighters might indeed be planning to return to the battlefield in the coming months, particularly after strict monitoring in Qatar is over. "What happens then?" Ayotte asked. "Never mind that they're already attempting to re-engage and obviously making communications to do so." She said: "I think this was a bad deal." The senator pushed anew for legislation she has crafted that would suspend transfers of detainees assessed to be high- or medium-risk.
Watch:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 29, 2015 10 Comments
ISIS sure has been busy recently, between the prisoner swapping and executions. However, it looks like some of their members had some time for sightseeing. Sadly, they took some high explosives with them.
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A Kurdish official revealed on Tuesday evening that the ISIS organization had bombed large parts and tracts of the ancient Nineveh wall, indicating that such an act violates the right of human culture and heritage. The media official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Mosul, Saed Mimousine said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, “ISIS militants blew up today large parts and expanses of the archaeological wall of Nineveh in al-Tahrir neighborhood,” explaining that, “The terrorist group used explosives in the process of destroying the archaeological fence.” Mimousine added, “The Wall of Nineveh is one of the most distinctive archaeological monuments in Iraq and the Middle East,” adding that, “The fence dates back to the Assyrian civilization.” Mimousine stressed that, “Bombing the archaeological monuments by ISIS is a flagrant violation of the right of human culture, civilization and heritage,” calling the international community to “take a stand to curb the destruction of historic monuments.”
Frankly, for ISIS, the violation of human rights is more of a feature instead of a bug in its operating system. For example, the group also destroyed the Tomb of Jonah. And Nineveh, one of the oldest and greatest cities in antiquity, is an Iraqi treasure. But, I digress. I recently noted that Egypt's cultural treasures were now safe from the country's Islamic extremists. However, its citizens are a target for ISIS.

Posted by Amy Miller on January 28, 2015 4 Comments
The situation for two hostages held by ISIS is rapidly spiraling. Officials in Jordan have agreed to the Islamic State's demands for a hostage swap, but added their own conditions to the mix, which could complicate things for hostages Muath al-Kaseasbeh and Kenji Goto. Via Fox News:
In the case of the ISIS prisoner, Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani said in a statement the nation was prepared to free Sajida al-Rishawi, who was convicted of taking part in a 2005 deadly hotel bombing that killed 60 people, if the Jordanian pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, is released unharmed. His comments were carried by Jordan's official Petra news agency. Although he made no mention of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, a hostage audio message released by Islamic State a day earlier tied Goto's fate to that of Al-Rishawi, as well. Jordan is reportedly in indirect talks with the militants through religious and tribal leaders in Iraq to secure the hostages' release. The chairman of the foreign affairs committee of Jordan's parliament, Bassam Al-Manasseer, has been quoted as saying that Jordan and Japan would not negotiate directly with the Islamic State group and would not free al-Rishawi for the Japanese hostage only.
According to officials in Jordan, the negotiators have requested but not yet received proof that Muath is alive. Goto's status is also unknown.

Posted by Amy Miller on January 27, 2015 7 Comments
A video discovered by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) contains a direct threat against the life of President Barack Obama, as well as promises to kill more hostages if Jordan does not release extremist and prisoner Sajida al-Rishawi. Fox News has the details:
In a new online video discovered by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) on Tuesday, three Islamic State fighters stand behind a kneeling Kurdish fighter as one of the extremists launches into a diatribe against the U.S. and other Western nations. “Know, oh Obama, that will reach America,” says one of the fighters, clad in black and wearing a balaclava, in a translation from Arabic provided by MEMRI. “Know also that we will cut off your head in the White House, and transform America into a Muslim Province.” The extremist also issued warnings to European nations. “And this is my message to France and to its sister, Belgium,” he said. “We advise you that we will come to you with car bombs and explosive charges, and will cut off your heads.” The video fades to black as one Islamic State fighter brings a knife up to the unidentified Kurdish fighter’s throat.
Like another message released this weekend, this video did not bear the Islamic State's media logo; but officials have not released any statements offering a credible denial of the video's authenticity. The White House has not commented on the threats to President Obama's life.

Posted by Amy Miller on January 25, 2015 2 Comments
Today, Islamic extremist group Boko Haram launched a three-front assault on northeast Nigeria's largest city, Maidguri, and also raided villages in Adamawa state, burning homes and abducting women and children. Via Fox News:
In Maiduguri, troops blocked roads into the city, which also prevented civilians from escaping. "Coordinated air and land operations are being conducted now," Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade posted on Twitter. He said the 12-hour curfew in place in Maiduguri for more than a year is extended to 24 hours. "We believe hundreds of thousands of civilians are now at grave risk," Amnesty International said. More than 200 combatants have been killed, mainly insurgents, according to soldiers and civilian self-defense fighters who counted bodies. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to speak to reporters.
Although forces in Maiduguri were able to fight back the wave of insurgents, the army at Monguno, just north of Maiduguri, was overwhelmed and Boko Haram was able to seize control of the city.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 25, 2015 11 Comments
A man named Ahmad Rashidi was interviewed on Meet the Press today and provided an alarming look into the goals of ISIS. He claims they want to be "better" than al-Qaeda and orchestrate an attack "more brutal" than the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Andrew Johnson of National Review has more:
Man Who Escaped ISIS: They Want to Plan an Attack ‘More Brutal’ than 9/11 The Islamic State is “happy” about the air strikes by the United States because it validates their efforts in emerging as a global threat, says a man who escaped after a month with the group. Ahmad Rashidi was captured by the Islamic State when he went to Syria from London to retrieve the two daughters of a family friend; the teenage girls had fled England to marry Islamic State fighters. When Rashidi found one of the girls, her husband accused him of being a spy and he was taken prisoner and tortured. He later won the favor of his capturers by telling them he was a doctor; Rashidi is, in fact, a first-year medical student. While embedded with the Islamic State for a month, Rashidi gained access to their computers and communications. He told NBC News’s Richard Engel that the group communicates with its contacts “every day” and is not worried about the West’s response to its attacks. In fact, the Islamic State was “happy” about the American military’s response of air strikes because it proved to the group’s leaders that they were considered as important a threat as al-Qaeda. “They want to be more . . . better than al-Qaeda,” he told Engel. “This is why they need to do something more brutal than the World Trade Center.”
Here's the video: Speaking of Syria, there are new developments in American policy.

Posted by Amy Miller on January 25, 2015 11 Comments
Yesterday, the Islamic State released a video they claim contains an image of the decapitated body of Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa. A second hostage, journalist Kenji Goto, appears in the video holding a photo of what ISIS claims is the remains of Yukawa, and in accompanying audio relays a proposed hostage trade. Via the New York Times:
In the three-minute audio recording released Saturday, the voice of a man who claimed to be Mr. Goto said Mr. Yukawa had been “slaughtered” and blamed Mr. Abe’s failure to pay the ransom. (In the audio, the voice says he is Kenji Goto Jogo; it remained unclear late Saturday why that was different from the name given by the Japanese government and his own website.) The audio is addressed to Mr. Goto’s wife, telling her that the Islamic State was now demanding the release of the woman imprisoned in Jordan, Sajida Mubarak al-Rishawi. “They no longer want money,” the voice says in accented English. “You bring them their sister from the Jordanian regime, and I will be released immediately. Me for her. Don’t let these be my last words you ever hear. Don’t let Abe also kill me.”
Although officials are hesitant to deny the authenticity of the video, it did significantly differ from previous messages from the Islamic State. Fox explains:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 25, 2015 1 Comment
Four years ago, many of us were glued to the TV and social media streams following the dawn of "Arab Spring". One of the most dramatic moments of that era was the start of massive pro-democracy demonstrations in Egypt's Tahrir Square. After ousting the reviled Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptians used their vote to elect a Muslim Brotherhood "community organizer"; and the ensuing meltdown led to his ouster and the nation declaring the group illegal. In April 2014, I noted the country had sentenced over 600 alleged supporters of the country’s ousted Islamist president to death, including the Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader -- the aptly named Mohammed Badie. Those sentences have now been revoked.
Egypt’s top appeals court Saturday revoked death and life sentences against more than 500 backers of deposed Islamist president Mohammad Mursi and ordered a retrial for them in a case that has raised international concerns over the operation of the justice system in the country. The Court of Cassation delivered the ruling at a hearing in which prosecution and defence lawyers alike demanded the cancellation of the verdicts delivered by a lower court last year, citing legal flaws. ...On Saturday, lawyer Mohammad Toson argued in a brief hearing that the Criminal Court issued the rulings without listening defense lawyers and witnesses. No date has been set yet for the start of the retrial.
The ruling also included Badie's sentence.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 24, 2015 12 Comments
A three-day long controversy broke out recently over the use of the term "No-Go Zones" with regard to certain European cities in light of the Charlie Hebdo and HyperCasher supermarket attacks by Islamic radicals. Steve Emerson of The Investigative Project, a longtime expert on terrorism and its connection to Islamist radicals, made a misstep when he overstated the case while appearing on Fox News.  That created a near-perfect storm of groups just waiting to jump all over him: Fox News haters like the NY Times (even though it previously used the term) and the liberal entertainment media; British and European politicians who prefer not to deal with the sources and implications of domestic terror; and groups that have made professions of tarring people with the Islamophobia epithet. Emerson handed it all to them on a silver platter, as Theodore Dalrymple at City Journal explains:
Steven Emerson, the expert on terrorism, has caused a sigh of relief among the bien pensants of the Western world. By making inaccurate and false claims on Fox News, he has enabled them to pour righteous scorn on him and thereby avoid thinking about uncomfortable social realities.
A defense of Emerson's basic point, if not his specific description, is provided by the Gatestone Institute, European 'No-Go' Zones: Fact or Fiction? Part 1, France. (added) See also, Jonathan Tobin, ‘No-Go Zones’ Are Not a Conservative Meme. Regardless of whether "No-Go Zone" is a proper term in a general way, there is no doubt that there are cities and sections of many cities in Europe which are no-go zones for those publicly identifying as Jewish by dress (e.g., wearing a kippah/yarmulke) or symbols (e.g. wearing a Star of David) or appearance (e.g., long beard in combination with dress and symbols). We have explored the problem of Walking While Jewish repeatedly over the years, including recently regarding "Kippah Walks" in placed like Copenhagen to protest harassment of Jews on the street, frequently by groups of Muslim young men. Though it's not only men, as this woman in Copenhagen demonstrated with her Heil Hitler shout when she spotted Jews at a restaurant:

Posted by Amy Miller on January 22, 2015 0 Comments
Earlier today, Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and his government resigned under pressure from Houthi rebels who gained control over the Presidential palace and residence this week. According to Presidential adviser Sultan al-Atawani, contrary to what previous sources touted as the beginnings of a compromise, Houthi rebels refused to withdraw from key parts of the city---including the presidential palace, and the presidential and prime minister's palaces---and refused to release government officials taken hostage during the attack. Via the AP:
"We reached a deadlock," Hadi said, according to a copy of his letter of resignation obtained by The Associated Press. "We found out that we are unable to achieve the goal, for which we bear a lot of pain and disappointment," he said. ... Military officials close to the president said Hadi resigned after the Houthis pressured him to give a televised speech to calm the streets. They said the Houthis also requested appointments in his own office, the Defense Ministry and provincial capitals, demands Hadi rejected.
The fallout from this could go in one of two directions---although in this region, unrest and faction splits don't generally lead to either peace, or collaboration against growing terror operations. On one hand, some analysts believe that the resignations will lead to backlash and popular uprising, further isolating the Houthi (and diminishing Iranian influence.)

Posted by Amy Miller on January 21, 2015 2 Comments
Yesterday, State Department officials in Yemen were preparing for the possibility of evacuation. Houthi rebels had laid siege to the presidential palace, and later held President Hadi captive in his own home. The United States Embassy was fired upon, and the Navy was on alert. Earlier today, however, the Houthi reached a compromise with the U.S.-backed leadership that would give the rebel group more of a say in government, bringing an end to the immediate violence. (It is unclear whether or not Hadi remains a prisoner in his own home.) Via the AP:
SABA [news agency] said the agreement included a clause that would answer the rebels' demands to amend the constitution and expand their representation in the parliament and in state institutions. It also included promises to ensure better representation for Yemen's southerners as well, the deal said. The agreement also calls on Hadi to shake up a commission tasked with writing a draft constitution to ensure bigger representation for the Houthis. The draft constitution has proposed a federation of six regions, something the Houthis reject. The agreement reached Wednesday night also ensures that Yemen would be a federal state, but doesn't mention the six region proposal, saying controversial issues will be further discussed. The agreement, while addressing the immediate Houthi takeover and security concerns in the capital, leaves the contentious political issues unresolved.
The Houthi reign of terror began last year, when the Iran-backed rebels took partial control of the capital city of Sana'a, and attempted to block the the President from taking power.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 21, 2015 8 Comments
We are seeing a growing volume of knife attacks on Jews in Israel as the new Palestinian terror tactic. The murder of four Jews praying in a synagogue in Jerusalem with knives and machetes received a lot of attention, but there are almost daily knife attacks on Jews, primarily but not exclusively in Jerusalem. That terror tactic is necessitated, in part, by Israel's security barrier, checkpoints and raids which make it much more difficult to infiltrate weapons and explosives into Israel for use in terror attacks. But knives are more readily available, and knife attacks seem to be promoted as a tactic. Hamas-affliated Palestinian students at Al Quds University produced a video celebrating the murder of the four Jews in Synagogue: Hamas even produced a video on how to stab a Jew:
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