Terrorism

An Albanian man has been arrested for allegedly using social media to call for terror attacks against "important state institutions". Police said on Tuesday that the 56-year old man -- identified only as I.S. (L.)-- used fake online profiles to post “inciting photos and writings, public calls and propaganda to commit terror attacks". The suspect also posted support for the so-called Islamic State (IS) group and the war in Syria. The man was charged with terrorism offences and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Police say the suspect held "religious extremist inclinations". Dozens of Albanian nationals have previously joined extremist and radical groups in Syria and Iraq, but authorities say no citizens have become members in the last six to seven years. … [Read more...] about Albanian man arrested for inciting terrorism on social media

The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) has announced it is leaving its membership with the National School Boards Association (NSBA) following a letter the group sent to the Department of Justice asking it to crack down on “threats of violence and acts of intimidation” at local school board meetings which “could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes.” TASB Executive Director Dan Troxell shared the announcement in a press release on Monday following an independent investigation into the letter commissioned by the NSBA. “We have been intently waiting for the release of this independent investigation for nearly two months,” TASB Executive Director Dan Troxell said in the statement . “With this report now available, it’s clear that NSBA’s internal processes and controls do not meet the good governance practices that TASB expects and requires in a member organization,” he added. Troxell added that the NSBA’s new leadership had made some … [Read more...] about Texas School Board Group Leaves National School Boards Association After Report On ‘Domestic Terrorism’ Letter | The Daily Wire

The main intermediary between Islam and the government in France has announced it is working on a “common training programme for imams” and a “plan of struggle” against radicalism, a week after a teacher was beheaded in the country. French president Emmanuel Macron has promised a further crackdown on extremism after the gruesome murder of Samuel Paty, a teacher who had shown pupils cartoons of the prophet Mohammad as part of a class on freedom of expression. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) said on Saturday it is “aware of its responsibilities” and “intends to participate in the re-foundation of the Muslim faith by taking into account its cultural and social implications". Mohamed Moussaoui, CFCM president, said in a statement the group will develop a plan to fight against radicalism and extremism “to immunise the French youth against the propaganda of preachers of hatred and division”. Authorities in France have been grappling with Islamist extremism … [Read more...] about French Muslim council working on training plan to fight radicalism

Better Call Saul's final season has been gearing up to this moment, answering whether Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), and Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) would succeed in their plot against Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian). The couple set out to ruin the lawyer's reputation to settle the Sandpiper case as quickly as possible, and they have gone to great lengths all season to trick him and convince others of his nefarious ways. Well, it turns out that Jimmy and Kim should have been careful about what they wished for, because they got more than just Howard's downfall in the show's mid-season finale. Here is everything you need to know. WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for 'Better Call Saul' Season 6 Episode 7. 'Better Call Saul' Season 6 Part 1 Ending Explained It all came down to this, one last-ditch effort by Jimmy and Kim to take down Howard and resolve the Sandpiper case, which has been ongoing for several seasons now. The case, for anyone who … [Read more...] about “Better Call Saul” Season 6 Part 1 ending explained: Did Jimmy and Kim win?

By John Sudworth Published 3 March 2014 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing There are many shocking things about the attack at Kunming station. The number of dead, 29, in just 12 short minutes of carnage. And the choice of weapons - swords and cleavers. The attack appears to have been chillingly calculated in its brutality. The sense of national outrage and grief, being expressed in the outpouring on China's internet, is profound. On the station concourse, a small memorial has been set up where people are laying flowers and lighting candles. Xiang Feng You, who has come to the station to see his wife safely onto her train, breaks down when I ask him what he thinks about what has happened here. "It's terrible," he says. And then choking back the tears: "I can't speak, I'm sorry." There is anger too. "I feel so shocked," Tan Zhuzhu tells me after placing her candle on the … [Read more...] about Shock and anger after Kunming brutality

The FBI suggested that Omar Mateen was “leaning toward radical Islamist extremism” although no formal links to any extremist groups have been confirmed yet. Omar Mateen could have been inspired by Islamic State propaganda or by his father’s support for the Afghan Taliban. Islam has traditionally recognised different forms of sexuality and relationships. Most notably, the Muslim Golden Age has seen a high degree of tolerance toward sexual orientation and many key Muslim artists and poets were open to different interpretations of sexuality and beauty. The Ottoman caliphate was even among the first states to decriminalise gay sex in 1858. In fact, the word homosexuality does not even occur anywhere in the Quran and the chapter of al-Nur (Quran 24:31) specifically refers to “men who are not in need of women” without condemning them. The Prophet himself recognised the so-called “Mukhannath” around him, who were described as men “acting like women", without enforcing the Hudud … [Read more...] about Radical Islamists convinced Omar Mateen that being gay is never compatible with being a Muslim – but that’s not necessarily true

In 2014, 33,599 people died from gunshot wounds in the US. From 2001 to 2010, 119,246 Americans were murdered with guns; that is 18 times all American combat deaths in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These shocking figures were pointed out by General Stanley McChrystal, the former head of the US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, as he stressed “some of our politicians and the people who back them seem to promote a culture of gun ownership that does not conform to what I learned in the military.” These politicians in the US Senate have just rejected, yet again, plans to tighten gun control. Among the measures they blocked were expanding background checks to cover private sales: banning suspects on terrorism watch lists from buying guns: alerting the FBI to terrorism suspects who have bought a gun, (without actually stopping the sale) and allowing the US attorney general to delay a gun purchase to a suspected terrorist (while having to prove the terrorist link to a judge … [Read more...] about Jo Cox’s tragic death grants US leaders new arms in the fight for gun control

Grief is a highly personal thing – that’s not news. The extent to which we feel personally affected by tragedy and loss can’t, and shouldn’t, be homogenised. It does seem, however, that all too often there is a general “hierarchy of sympathy” that places the untimely deaths of one group of people above those of another. Some tragedies, it appears, are just more tragic than others. What we need is for straight people to be outraged enough by what happened to articulate that anger, both online and off. The occasional headache of “allyship” or the odd vigil aside, LGBT people need to see – and, more importantly, feel – that their lives are cherished and valued by society at large. Frankly, a simple “like” on social media is just lazy. Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan’s presence at the Soho vigil last night did nothing to erase the fact that she openly opposed gay marriage a mere three years ago, and announced this year that sex education would not be made compulsory for … [Read more...] about Julia Hartley-Brewer, it’s not OK to say Owen Jones is like Isis with a ‘hate mob’ when 50 just died in a real hate crime

“There were bodies everywhere,” Christopher Hansen told reporters following the mass shooting at Pulse, a gay club in downtown Orlando, in the early hours of the morning. “In the parking lot, they were tagging them – red, yellow – so they knew who to help first (…) Pants down, shirts cut off, they had to find the bullets. Just blood everywhere.” The first shots sounded at 02:00, swiftly followed by panicked messages on social media by those trapped inside as the horror unfolded. The Pulse Facebook page sent out a warning: “Everyone get out of pulse and keep running.” Not everyone succeeded, and the massacre lasted for three hours until a Swat team killed the assailant and freed 30 hostages still inside. This is the deadliest mass shooting in recent US history, killing 50 and hospitalising a further 53. The killer has been identified as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man from Fort Pierce in Florida. Links to radical jihadi ideology have been suggested, though remain … [Read more...] about One kiss and 50 bodies: The Orlando shooting is a reminder that gay people are still hated

An alleged ISIS operative in the U.S. was reported to have been plotting to kill former President George W. Bush , according to an FBI search warrant application discovered by Forbes. Included in Forbes ' Tuesday story were details of a plan to smuggle accomplices over the Mexican border, which has led to renewed calls for tightening border security. The alleged operative of the Islamic State reportedly traveled to Dallas last November to scout Bush's home. While there, he allegedly sought to recruit help from what Forbes called "a team of compatriots" he wanted to bring across the southern border. Forbes reported the information from an FBI search warrant application that was filed on March 23 in Ohio, where the alleged operative was based. The FBI reportedly uncovered the plot through two informants and by surveilling the individual's WhatsApp messages. The FBI documents showed the alleged would-be assassin had been in the U.S. since 2020 with a pending asylum … [Read more...] about George W. Bush assassination plot puts spotlight on border fight