bearingarms--2019-01-02--Victoria Station Terrorist Attack And UK Gun Laws

The New Year’s Eve attack in Manchester’s Victoria Station may have only been a knife attack. In fact, gun control activists will probably herald this as some kind of win for their way of thinking.  Yet it was still a terrorist attack that took place, regardless of the strict regulations of any and all weapons in the UK. And yes, it was a terrorist attack. Even the Brits are saying so now.  The stabbing of three people – including a police officer – in Manchester is being treated as a terrorist investigation, police say. A man, aged 25, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the attack on New Year’s Eve at the city’s Victoria railway station. Two knives were recovered at the scene and a property is being searched in the Cheetham Hill area. The BBC understands the security services are assisting police. The three victims were taken to a nearby hospital with “serious” but not life-threatening injuries. A woman, aged in her 50s, suffered injuries to her face and stomach, while a man – also in his 50s – has injuries to his stomach.  I’ve said repeatedly that if you give a law-abiding citizen the most lethal weapon in the world, they won’t try to hurt a soul with it, yet criminals will use a rock if that’s all that they can get.  Now, we’re talking about a terrorist attack that took place in a British railway station and while the bad guy didn’t have a gun, it didn’t actually stop him from committing an attack. And, let’s face it, the UK has sucked at stopping the flow of illegal guns into the country. With that in mind, how long until their home-grown terrorists start figuring out how to get their hands on guns?  Assuming, of course, they don’t already.  Meanwhile, the problem is that absolutely none of the many people in the area where such an attack will take place even can be armed. Yes, I can include a number of police officers in that category as well, for some insane reason.  These aren’t citizens. They’re not even subjects.  When we had terrorists try to attack an art show in Texas, they never even made it out of the parking lot. Meanwhile, some dork with a pocket knife is able to launch a terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve in the UK.  Gun control activists can feel secure with that kind of nonsense if they want. Personally? I’d much rather have good Americans with guns standing by in the event someone screams “Allah Ackbar!” and starts trying to kill people.  I’m completely in favor of sending these jackwagons to their 72 virgins quick, fast, and in a hurry. Say, the “hundreds of feet per second or more” kind of in a hurry.  Frankly, I don’t care if they want to go to Allah. What we need, though, are more people willing to arrange that meeting before they can hurt a living soul.  In the UK, though, that’s not a factor and likely won’t be.


birminghammail--2019-03-15--Facebook REMOVES New Zealand mosque shooting video after widespread outrage at terror attack

Facebook has removed a video showing the harrowing New Zealand mosque shootings after widespread outrage.  New Zealand spokeswoman Mia Garlick said the video of the attack was “quickly removed”.  She added any “praise or support” for it was being taken down.  In a statement, she said: “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by this horrendous act. “  New Zealand Police alerted us to a video on Facebook shortly after the livestream commenced and we quickly removed both the shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video.  “We’re also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we’re aware.  “We will continue working directly with New Zealand Police as their response and investigation continues.”  Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson had earlier revealed his anger as a live-stream of the harrowing New Zealand mosque shooting continues to be shared online.  The MP for West Bromwich East tweeted his outrage on Friday morning as 49 people were confirmed dead after the tragedy.  The Labour politician said: "The extremists behind the devastating attack in New Zealand livestreamed the massacre on social media.  "Yet hours later, these videos are still viewable with 'inappropriate' content warnings.  "If broadcasting mass murder is not a violation of YouTube's terms of service, then what is?"  Prime Minister Theresa May has led the UK condemnation of the Christchurch mosque shootings that killed 49 people.  In a tweet she sent "deepest condolences to the people of New Zealand after the horrifying terrorist attack in Christchurch".  She added: "My thoughts are with all of those affected by this sickening act of violence."  Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Our hearts go out to the people of New Zealand following the news of this terrible act in Christchurch.  " NZ is one of the most peaceful, peace-loving and generous nations in the world.  "Your friends in the UK stand with you today in deepest sympathy."  Home Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted he was "absolutely heartbroken to hear about this attack on peaceful worshippers".  Mr Javid added: "We stand with New Zealand and Muslims across the world against all forms of racism and anti-Muslim hatred. We will not let extremists divide us #ChristchurchAttack.  "A horrific terror attack. We will never let the terrorists win and divide our communities. My thoughts and prayers with the victims and families of all those affected."  Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Twitter: "My heart goes out to the victims of the horrific terror attack in New Zealand. We stand in solidarity with the Muslim community in Christchurch and around the world.  "We must defeat the bigotry which fuels such hatred and violence."


birminghammail--2019-03-17--Police declare Stanwell stabbing a terrorist incident inspired by the far right

Police declare Stanwell stabbing a terrorist incident 'inspired by the far right'

A non-fatal stabbing on Saturday night has now been declared a terrorist incident by police.  Counter Terrorism Policing South East say the incident on March 16 - in which a man rampaged with a baseball bat and knife while hurling racist abuse - has "the hallmarks of a terror event."  A 50-year-old man from Stanwell in Surrey was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and racially aggravated public order.  The 19-year-old victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and remains in hospital.  Surrey Police were called to Viola Avenue, Stanwell, just before 10.30pm on Saturday to reports of a man acting aggressively and shouting racist comments whilst carrying a baseball bat and a knife.  Several nearby vehicles were also damaged.  A further call was received by Surrey Police at 10.30pm reporting that a man had been stabbed.  It is believed that the suspect is the same man who was reported as acting aggressively, Counter Terrorism Policing South East said in a statement.  Assistant Commissioner, Neil Basu, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said "Whilst this investigation is still in its infancy, it has hallmarks of a terror event, inspired by the far right, and therefore it has been declared a terrorism incident.  "This allows us to use all of the specialist capabilities available to establish the full circumstances of this attack.  "Police are committed to tackling all forms of toxic extremist ideology, which has the potential to threaten public safety and security."  "The investigation is being led by an investigation team based in the Counter Terrorism Policing, South East region, who are working closely with our colleagues in Surrey Police in order to build a better picture of what has occurred."     Officers will be out on patrol in the area and visiting places of worship and businesses, he said, and urged any witnesses or anyone who sees anything suspicious to report it to police.  Detective Superintendent Karen Mizzi, of Surrey Police, said it was a "shocking and worrying incident".  Abhishek Agrawal, 40, and his wife Tanu, 36, who run catering company Indian Homemade based in the street, said they were shocked and scared by news of the attack.  Mr Agrawal said: "Last night I saw a helicopter so we knew something was happening. We could hear it flying above the area for a long time.  "We didn't know what happened until today. We have lived here for nearly a decade and have never heard of anything like this happening. It's very scary to hear this has happened."  Mrs Agrawal said: "It's very scary and sad. It's a very quiet area. We have never heard of anything like this."


birminghammail--2019-03-20--Neo-Nazi terror suspect entered Miss Hitler contest to entice new National Action members

Neo-Nazi terror suspect 'entered Miss Hitler contest to entice new National Action members'

A neo-Nazi terror suspect entered a "Miss Hitler" beauty contest in a bid to attract new members to a far-right extremist group, a court has heard.  Alice Cutter is alleged to have won the competition organised by National Action after taking on the nickname Buchenwald Princess in reference to the Nazi death camp.  The 22-year-old is standing trial at Birmingham Crown Court alongside her partner Mark Jones, who is accused of posing for a photograph while giving a Nazi salute in Buchenwald's execution room.  Jones, 24, and Cutter, both of Mulhalls Mill, Sowerby Bridge, near Halifax, deny being members of National Action between December 2016 and September 2017.  The Crown also alleges that Garry Jack, 23, from Heathland Avenue, Shard End, and 18-year-old Connor Scothern, of Bagnall Avenue, Nottingham, are guilty of belonging to the banned organisation between the same dates.  Opening the case against the four defendants, prosecutor Barnaby Jameson QC said Jones flew to Germany in 2016 to visit Buchenwald.  After showing the jury a picture featuring two men standing in the camp's execution room holding a National Action flag, Mr Jameson told the jury: "Buchenwald was a Nazi concentration camp that stood out, even by the standards of Nazi concentration camps, for its depravity.  "Like Auschwitz, Buchenwald is a permanent museum to honour the victims and reminds the world of the horrors perpetrated in the name of Nazism."  He said Cutter entered the National Action-organised beauty contest in June 2016 - days after the murder of MP Jo Cox.  The prosecutor told the jury of seven men and five women: "On 24 June 2016 National Action staged, if you can believe this, a beauty contest titled Miss Hitler 2016.  "This was, no doubt, a publicity stunt to raise the group's profile and attract more members.  "One of those who entered and, I think, in fact, won the competition, was Alice Cutter.  "She entered the competition as Buchenwald Princess and she set out her mission statement in a detailed interview.  "The beauty contest was anything but funny. The name Buchenwald Princess was, perhaps, you may think, no coincidence given that Jones had visited the execution room at Buchenwald the previous month."  Mr Jameson told the jury the defendants were seeking to spread terror from "an ideology so warped, so extreme and so twisted, its continued existence will be shocking to many of you, if not all".  He added: "It is the terror of pathological racial prejudice.  "This case is about a fellowship of hate. A hate so fanatical and a fellowship so defiant that the accused would sooner break the law than break their bonds of hate."  The jury was shown a picture alleged to show Cutter wearing a National Action mask, which was posted online.  In an "interview" accompanying the photo, the competition entrant said: "It is important to me that there's a balance of feminine to masculine in the movement - without feminine involvement, what would a movement be? A sad sausage fest with no appeal?  "Women are the most important figures when it comes to teaching and raising the next generation to be strong and proud.  "We need to step up, be the lionesses we ought to be and rip apart the hyenas laughing at us as we get raped, beaten, brainwashed and de-feminised en masse.  "Hyenas have no part in our pride and never will."


birminghammail--2019-04-23--Sri Lanka terror blasts were retaliation for New Zealand mosque attack

Sri Lanka terror blasts 'were retaliation for New Zealand mosque attack'

Sri Lanka's minister of defence has said the Easter Sunday bombings were "carried out in retaliation" for attacks on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15.  Ruwan Wijewardene made the comment to politicians in Parliament on Tuesday, without providing evidence or explaining where the information came from.  He said the toll from coordinated bombings at churches, luxury hotels and other sites now stands at 321 people dead and 500 injured.  The government has blamed a local Islamist militant group for the attacks.  Last month's attacks in New Zealand saw 50 people killed in two mosques by a gunman who streamed his actions on social media.  Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted: "Last night I told Sri Lankan FM Tilak Marapana the whole world is feeling Sri Lanka's grief & offered UK help for investigation.  He added: "Today Whitehall flags lowered in solidarity w/ day of mourning & specialist Met Police now in Colombo to support Brits & help bring loved ones home."  It emerged on Monday morning that Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen lost three of his four children in the attacks.  Mr Holch Povlsen is the largest stakeholder in online fashion retailer Asos and is believed to be the largest private landowner in Scotland after buying a string of estates.  Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq said she had lost a relative in the attacks, while Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK would offer Sri Lanka support in the days to come.  He said the terrorist attacks were "absolutely devastating and despicable" and "for this to happen on Easter Sunday is something that will shake people around the world, of all faiths and none, to the core".  Union flags on Downing Street and the Foreign Office building are due to be flown at half mast on Tuesday in mourning for the victims of the attack, the FCO said on Monday evening.  One line of the Sri Lankan inquiry will be what intelligence services knew about the attack, with telecommunications minister Harin Fernando tweeting: "Some intelligence officers were aware of this incidence.  "Therefore there was a delay in action. What my father heard was also from an intelligence officer. Serious action need to be taken as to why this warning was ignored."  A curfew was imposed on Sunday night and social media use was also restricted by authorities, which claimed the move was to prevent the spread of false information.  Sri Lanka's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe condemned "the cowardly attacks on our people".  Britons in Sri Lanka who need help were urged to call the High Commission in Colombo on +94 11 5390639, while people in the UK worried about friends or family should call the Foreign Office on 020 7008 1500.


birminghammail--2019-04-29--Thousands pledge hate will not divide us at Birmingham Grand Mawlid after terror attacks

Thousands pledge 'hate will not divide us' at Birmingham Grand Mawlid after terror attacks

Thousands of people pledged 'hate will not divide us' when they attended an annual festival in Birmingham.  The Grand Mawlid marked the birthday of Prophet Muhammad and also saw speeches delivered on challenging hate and building bridges, in the wake of recent terror attacks including New Zealand and Sri Lanka.  Muslims flocked to the streets of Aston for a procession heading to Aston Park, under the leadership of Pir Noor ul Arifeen Siddiqui, chairperson of Aston-based Islamic broadcaster Noor TV.  The event - on the nearest weekend to the western calendar equivalent of prophet Muhammad's birthday -  has been held since 2010 and attracts around 10,000 people.  The event began with a colourful procession from the Noor TV studios in Victoria Road at 11am, moving to Aston Park in Trinity Road where, from midday, there was food, stalls, a play area for children and a large stage where community leaders delivered speeches on key issues at an international conference.  The conference was attended by Lord Bourne, Minister For Faith, along with CEO of the West Midlands Police Crime Commissioners Office Jonathan Jardine and the Aston & Nechells vicar Rev Philip Nott.  The Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street sent a recorded video message for the event.  Lord Bourne set out what the Government is doing to work with communities to promote integration, keep Muslim communities safer during the month of Ramadan , and the important role Muslims play in the UK.  He later sent a message on Twitter saying: "Today I spoke at the fantastic national Mawlid event in Birmingham - proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Muslim communities’.  "Great privilege to be at Grand Mawlid and to speak with Pir Noor Siddiqui in Aston Park."  The Minister had a private briefing with Mr Siddiqui in which they discussed the role of Noor TV in promoting integration, Muslim concerns of safety during Ramadan and the steps the Government is taking to promote integration of pilot projects in neighbouring towns and cities.  The Rev Philip Nott emphasised how important the community is in developing understanding between different sections of society.  Jonathan Jardine thanked people for supporting policing in the West Midlands and said how important the community was in tackling crime and the fear of crime, in partnership with the police.  The audience heard a special message from the High Commissioner of New Zealand saying "everyone has a part to play" in tackling hate crime and terrorism.  A spokesman for the Mawlid said: "This year’s annual gathering was very important as it focused on building bridges and challenging hate in light of the attacks on mosques in New Zealand, attacks on churches in Sri Lanka and on synagogues.  "Scholars from Europe, Canada, Pakistan and the UK showed solidarity towards the victims and delivered sermons on challenging hate and encouraged Muslims to play a positive role in mainstream British society."  He added: "The conference started at 11am and finished with a final address by Pir Noor Arifeen Siddiqui whose key points were:  1. Muslims should always remain peaceful in thinking and actions;  2. The rich diversity of the UK and how Muslims have made a contribution in Britain;  3. No matter what happens we cannot give in to the promoters and preachers of HATE  - and they cannot divide us. We along all others will remain united against hate crime;  4. Muslim youths must develop leadership skills allowing them to prepare for the future and lead other generations to follow;  5. We must lead prayers of international peace and harmony and understanding."


birminghammail--2019-11-26--'Lone-wolf' knifeman admits New Year's Eve terror attack on commuters and police

A lone-wolf terrorist who launched a frenzied knife attack on commuters and police at Manchester Victoria railway station last New Year's Eve has pleaded guilty to attempted murder.  Mahdi Mohamud, 26, raised the fillet knife and walked up behind unsuspecting James Knox, screaming "Allahu Akbar!" and "Long live the Caliphate!" as he stabbed his victim repeatedly in the back, shoulders and head.  He then turned the knife on Mr Knox's companion, Anna Charlton, slashing her across the face after the couple, in their 50s, randomly crossed his path heading for a tram platform shortly before 9pm last December 31.  British Transport Police (BTP) officers heard a blood-curdling scream and dashed to the scene.  Pcs Ashleigh Williams, 27, and her colleague Marsha Selby, 28, along with two tram staff confronted Mohamud, who "like an animal" was "fixated" on stabbing and slashing, witnesses said.  The suspect was pepper sprayed before seconds later Pc Tom Wright, 27, arrived along with Sergeant Lee Valentine, 31, who shot Mohamud with his Taser.  But the barbs of the 50,000 volt shock gun got stuck in the knifeman's thick coat and failed to paralyse him.  Before he could reload the knifeman ran along the blood-spattered platform charging at the officers with the weapon.  Sgt Valentine was stabbed in the shoulder before the suspect was wrestled to the ground and arrested.  A second kitchen knife was found in his waistband.  Mr Knox suffered 13 injuries including a skull fracture while Ms Charlton's right lung was punctured and she suffered a slash to her forehead that cut down to the bone.  The defendant, a Dutch national from a Somali family, had arrived in the UK aged nine and became radicalised online, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.  Detained under the Mental Health Act the day after the attack he was later found fit to stand trial.  Mohamud pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday to three counts of attempted murder.  He also admitted one count of the possession of a document or record likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, a manual titled, "the seven most lethal ways to strike with a knife".  He will be sentenced later.

newsdesk@birminghamlive.co.uk (Pat Hurst, PA, Brett Gibbons)


birminghammail--2019-11-30--Birmingham's Green Lane mosque speaks out over London Bridge terror attack

Officials at the Green Lane mosque in Birmingham have condemned the London Bridge terror attack that took place on November 29.  Describing it as "an atrocious attack upon innocent people in London", Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre (GLMCC) in the Small Heath area of the city said it was saddened to hear of the deaths of two victims.  Usman Khan, 28, stabbed to death a man and a woman in the knife rampage on Friday afternoon, leaving three other people injured.  In a statement, GLMCC said: "Our thoughts and condolences are with their families, the injured and all those affected.  "While details are still emerging, we encourage people to remain calm and await the full facts of the investigation."  Mohammed Saeed, Chair of Trustees at GLMCC, added: "We must not allow the perpetrators of such awful attacks to meet their aims of causing division and fear amongst our communities. We hold firmly on our belief.  "As we have seen in previous incidents, there are perverse and distorted minds that seek to create disunity in our society."  He continued: "GLMCC strongly condemns such crimes. We encourage everyone to show solidarity and counter the narrative of those behind all forms of malicious hatred."  He concluded by quoting from Qu'ran 5:32: "Whoever kills an innocent soul, it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely."  Usman Khan was on licence and wearing an electronic monitoring tag when he attended a conference on prisoner rehabilitation hosted by Learning Together at Fishmongers' Hall and reportedly "threatened to blow up" the building.  Armed with two knives and wearing a fake suicide vest, Khan was tackled by members of the public, including ex-offenders, before he was shot dead by police on London Bridge next to the Hall.  Footage posted online shows Khan being taken to the ground as one man sprays him with a fire extinguisher and another, reportedly a Polish man who worked at the Hall, lunges towards him with a 5ft narwhal tusk believed to have been taken from the wall inside the building.  In February 2012, Khan, who had been based in Stoke-on-Trent, was handed an open-ended indeterminate sentence for public protection, with a minimum term of eight years.  He was part of an al Qaida-inspired terror group - linked to radical preacher Anjem Choudary - that plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange and build a terrorist training camp on land in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir owned by his family.  A list of other potential targets included the names and addresses of the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London, then London mayor Mr Johnson, two rabbis, and the American Embassy in London.  But the sentence for Khan, along with two co-conspirators, was quashed at the Court of Appeal in April 2013 and he was given a determinate 16-year jail term, then freed on licence in December last year and made to wear the tag.  The Parole Board said it had no involvement in his release and that Khan "appears to have been released automatically on licence" halfway through his sentence.  Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick confirmed police are not actively seeking anyone else over the attack.  Officers have been searching a three-storey block of flats in Wolverhampton Road, Stafford, where Khan is believed to have lived.  Meanwhile, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have sent a message of sympathy to those killed and affected by the "terrible violence", and praised the "brave individuals who put their own lives at risk to selflessly help and protect others".  The attack came weeks after the UK's terrorism threat level was downgraded to "substantial" from "severe", meaning attacks were thought to be "likely" rather than "highly likely".      London Bridge was the scene of a terror attack in 2017 - also during a general election campaign - when eight victims were killed along with the three terrorists, who were also wearing fake suicide vests and armed with knives.


birminghammail--2019-11-30--London Bridge terror suspect Usman Khan 'was released half-way through 16-year prison sentence'

The London Bridge attacker was a convicted terrorist released half-way through a 16-year prison sentence for a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange.  Usman Khan killed a man and a woman in the knife rampage on Friday afternoon and injured three other people, who are being treated in hospital.  The 28-year-old, who was on licence and wearing an electronic monitoring tag, was attending a conference on prisoner rehabilitation organised by University of Cambridge-associated Learning Together at Fishmongers' Hall and reportedly "threatened to blow up" the building.  Armed with two knives and wearing a fake suicide vest, Khan was tackled by members of the public before he was shot dead by police on London Bridge next to the Hall.  Video footage posted online shows Khan being taken to the ground as one man sprays him with a fire extinguisher and another, reportedly a Polish chef, lunges towards him with a narwhal tusk believed to have been taken from the wall inside the Hall.  It is understood that Khan started "lashing out" in a downstairs room of the Hall but was grabbed by the conference-goers and bundled out of the front door as he tried to go upstairs.  The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh sent a message of sympathy to those killed and affected by the "terrible violence" and praised the "brave individuals who put their own lives at risk to selflessly help and protect others".  And Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the scene on Saturday with Home Secretary Priti Patel and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick.  Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said Khan had been living in the Staffordshire area and that police were "not actively seeking anyone else" over the attack.  Police have been searching a three-storey block of flats in Wolverhampton Road, in Stafford, where Khan is believed to have lived.  In February 2012, Khan, who had been based in Stoke-on-Trent, was handed an open-ended indeterminate sentence for public protection over his part in an al Qaida-inspired terror group that plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange and build a terrorist training camp on land in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir owned by his family.  A list of other potential targets included the names and addresses of the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London, then London mayor Mr Johnson, two rabbis, and the American Embassy in London.  But the sentence for Khan, along with two co-conspirators, was quashed at the Court of Appeal in April 2013 and he was given a determinate 16-year jail term and freed on licence in December last year and made to wear the tag.  The Parole Board said it had no involvement in his release and that Khan "appears to have been released automatically on licence (as required by law), without ever being referred to the board".  Speaking before chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency committee Cobra on Friday night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had "long argued" that it is a "mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early and it is very important that we get out of that habit and that we enforce the appropriate sentences for dangerous criminals, especially for terrorists, that I think the public will want to see".  Khan had previously participated in the Learning Together programme but had shown "no cause for concern", a source with knowledge of the programme told the PA news agency.  The attack came weeks after the UK's terrorism threat level was downgraded to "substantial" from "severe", meaning attacks were thought to be "likely" rather than "highly likely".  Home Secretary Priti Patel made the announcement on November 4 - days after Parliament voted to hold an early election.  London Bridge was the scene of a terror attack in 2017 - also during a general election campaign - when eight victims were killed along with the three terrorists, who were also wearing fake suicide vests and armed with knives.


breitbart--2019-11-29--London Bridge Terror: Police Shoot Knifeman, Two Killed

One man was shot by police Friday afternoon in the aftermath of a ‘terror’ incident on London Bridge, just yards from the 2017 terror attack where nine were killed and dozens injured in an Islamist attack.  Images and video uploaded to social media from London bridge Friday show dozens of police vehicles and armed response officers in the area amid the apparent knife attack. Police shot one man dead at the scene and several are reported injured.  The site of the incident is directly adjacent to London Bridge Station, one of the busiest rail interchanges in London. An internal railway security alert memo seen by Breitbart London states that during an “incident” on the bridge, a “male has been shot”. The Metropolitan Police have said “We are in the early stages of dealing with an incident at London Bridge.”  The British government will be left with awkward questions to answer after it transpired Friday night that the man believed to be responsible for today’s fatal attack at London Bridge was a known terrorist recently released from prison. Read more at Breitbart London.  UPDATE 1900 — Two members of the public dead  A Whitehall source has confirmed to the BBC that two members of the public have been killed in the suspsected terror attack.  London’s Metropolitan Police have confirmed the suspect in the stabbing attack at London Bridge was shot, and died of those wounds, at the scene.  The suspect, police say, was wearing a fake suicide vest. This development further develops the similarities to the last terrorist attack against London Bridge perpetrated in 2017, where the attackers wore fake bomb vests, likely to ensure their martyrdom at the hands of firearms officers.  Neil Basu, the senior London police officer responsible for UK counter-terrorism policing summarised the situation in a statement Friday evening, when he said:  I can confirm that at approximately two pm today, Friday 29 November, police were called to a stabbing at a premises near to London Bridge. Emergency services attended including officers from the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police. A male suspect was shot by specialist armed officers from the City of London Police, and I can confirm that this suspect died at the scene. A number of other people received injuries during this incident. As soon as we can provide further updates on their condition we will, and our heartfelt sympathies go out to everybody who has been involved in this, and is anxiously waiting for information on their loved ones. As you would expect due to the nature of the incident, we responded as though this was terrorist-related. I am now in a position to confirm that it has been declared a terrorist incident. We are working jointly with the City of London Police as we continue to respond. Officers from the Met counter-terrorism command are leading this investigation, but I must stress that we retain an open mind as to any motive.  London’s Metropolitan Police have said that while they do not yet understand the motive of the knife attack on London Bridge today, they are treating it as a terror incident until they know otherwise. The force has also acknowledged the shooting of a man by officers, although they have not explicitly said the shooting was fatal.  Footage acquired by The Sun newspaper shows members of the public helping detain the knifeman as police arrive at the scene. A man in formal business attire is seen carrying a large kitchen-type knife away from the attacker, while another pins him down. As police pull the member of the public off the alleged terrorist, offers fire twice.  In separate footage, officers can then be seen backing off and keeping their weapons trained on the man from a distance. Images from the Associated Press show a separate individual being detained near the scene.  The exact chain of events on London Bridge this afternoon remains broadly unclear, but one person is now reported to have been one fatality. It is not clear whether this was the man shot by police, or a victim of the knifeman.  In the clearest footage to emerge from London Bridge yet, two men can be seen struggling on the ground. Police officers pull one of the men off the other, and immediately appear to shoot the man lying on the ground at close range. There is no indication of who the man, who can be seen dressed in casual sports clothes, pulled off with force by an officer is or how he became involved in the altercation.  Earlier reports had claimed a bomb scare at the adjacent Borough Market, which has since been dismissed by the emergency services.  The incident has drawn inevitable comparisons to the London Bridge attack, which saw a group of Islamist terrorists drive a van at high speeds into pedestrians before disembarking, and attacking members of the public with knives. The attack took place on the same London Bridge and at the Borough Market, and saw nine victims killed and dozens injured.  No motive is yet known for today’s incident, or whether the jack-knifed white truck across the bridge was involved in the incident, got stuck trying to escape the chaos, or was even placed there by police as a roadblock.  Metropolitan Police have confirmed one man has been detained and that several are injured following an incident on London Bridge. Sky News claims police sources reporting five injured, but this number has not been officially confirmed. London Ambulance Service are attending the scene.  Social media video of London Bridge uploaded by bystanders shows armed officers moving up to the bridge while members of the public are ushered away. In another video, several officers can be seen with their rifles trained at a man on the ground.  London Bridge station itself has now been closed, while police hold pedestrians and vehicles behind barriers well away from the scene.


breitbart--2019-12-03--Some Mexican Cartels’ Terrorist Ideology Is Power Itself

Mexico is dealing with a level of cartel violence that directly threatens its national sovereignty and the domestic tranquility of its neighbors. Cartels are known for using tactics equal to some of the worst terrorist organizations in the world–making them far more advanced than traditional organized crime. A primary identifier of a terrorist organization under U.S. law is a discernible ideology. Some experts do not believe the Mexican organizations of interest meet the criteria like seen elsewhere in the world.  One of the pressing issues involving international terrorism is the definition. Many U.S. agencies’ definitions do not coincide. The Department of Defense, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security (DHS), and CIA all have their versions. The State Department, however, is the only agency with the authority to certify the “terrorist” designation under U.S. law.  The regional cartel plazas transitioned from conventional organized crime into an insurgency in 2006. From there, some particular entities morphed into terrorist groups reaching the State Department’s standards as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) per se by their actions committed against innocent civilians and political targets. Tactics include mass kidnapping, murder, official assassination, military-grade weapons use, surface-to-air missiles, and car bombs. The car bombs in particular provide a direct link to the longstanding FTO Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)—whose veteran members are now embedded with organizations like the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG).  Proponents of the FTO designation usually agree the level of violence perpetrated meets the “terrorist” mark. However, some argue that cartels are typically missing an ideology meant to be enforced as a result of the bloodshed. Instead, they argue that FTO candidates are more focused on territories held by rival groups in effectively lawless lands. At one time, this was true. Things have clearly changed.  Some cartels are damaging the various levels of Mexican governments’ abilities to perform police powers. The combination of high-visibility violence and propaganda left at crime scenes is a well-documented formula to instill fear. Such episodes often trigger official reactions which range from downplaying to righteous indignation. No matter the tone or content of the official response in question—political leaders are always in a reactionary posture.  In the place of a traditional ideology like found in a manifesto or radical interpretation of a religion, cartel messaging is consistent at their scenes of violence: “this is our turf — these [dehumanizing labels for the victims] were in our way — if you don’t want to die too soon like them, you can join us or leave town.” Cartels do not discriminate between fellow criminals, cops, journalists, or politicians. You are either with them or against them. They will, however, sometimes draw a distinction for common civilians—whom they typically do not consider to be threats to their interests. Some cartels will even argue publicly that bloodshed can be in the public interest.  The world observed the Sinaloa Cartel’s level of influence after Ovidio Guzman, an “El Chapo” heir, was arrested in Culiacan several weeks ago. Violence immediately erupted throughout the city, which included blocked roads and burning vehicles. Mexican soldiers and their families were taken hostage and threatened with death if the “Chapito” was not sprung. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) released Ovidio Guzman to reduce the risk of losing additional innocent lives, he explained. Here, paramilitary violence reversed a federal arrest operation in a span of hours.  Bottom line, withholding an FTO designation from cartels unless they push an ideology like ISIS or other Middle Eastern groups is fundamentally flawed. Some cartels share distinct similarities at the tactical and operational level with the FARC. Some employ FARC members for training and actual operations. The withholding position begs the question: will particular Mexican cartels deserve the “terrorist” label when they openly prop candidates for political office?  Jaeson Jones is a retired Captain from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division and a Breitbart Texas contributor. While on duty, he managed daily operations for the Texas Rangers Border Security Operations Center.


breitbart--2019-12-15--Designate Mexican Cartels as Terrorists, Says Family of Massacred Mormons

Family members of the Mormon family massacred in Mexico called for Mexican cartels to be designated as terrorists. The renewed call for the designation comes just a month after nine women in children — all U.S. citizens — were murdered in Mexico by members of a Mexican cartel.  Members of the LeBaron family want the U.S. government to proceed with plans to designate drug cartels in Mexico as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, NPR reported on Friday. Members of the family are in the nation’s capital this week to lobby members of Congress to support such proposals.  “It’s hard for the Mexican government to compete with that kind of finance, that kind of firepower,” Bryan LeBaron, a cousin of the victims told NPR. “This is going to take an international response or we have no hope.”  A group of cartel gunmen ambushed and murdered three women and six children on a road in northern Mexico near the New Mexico border, Breitbart Texas reported. Three women, members of the LeBaron family, a group of U.S. citizen Mormons living in Mexico, were driving 14 children from the town of Bavispe, Sonora, to La Mora. Rhonita Miller LeBaron reportedly drove one of the vehicles.  After having a flat tire, members of a Mexican cartel attacked the family and ultimately killed three women and six children. At least six other children sustained injuries in the brutal attack.  “Facedown, crunched up in fetal position because she was so afraid,” Shalom LeBaron, father of Rhonita LeBaron, tearfully told the NPR reporter “That’s how her bones were found.”  On November 24, other members of the LeBaron family expressed support for the designation, USA Today reported. Julian LeBaron, a family spokesperson told the newspaper their family filed an online White House petition asking the president to designate Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.  Two days later, President Donald Trump told Bill O’Reilly that he would designate some Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The president’s comments came during an exclusive interview with O’Reilly on November 26, Breitbart Texas reported.  “The Mexican drug cartels kill more than 100,000 Americans every year by the importation of dangerous narcotics,” O’Reilly said to President Trump during the interview aired on O’Reilly.com. “Are you going to designate those cartels in Mexico as terror groups?”  “They will be designated … I have offered him (the Mexican president) to let us go in and clean it out,” President Trump responded. “He, so far, has rejected the offer. But at some point, something has to be done.”  “I’ve been working on that for the last 90 days,” Trump stated. “You know, designation is not that easy, you have to go through a process, and we are well into that process.”  The President told Breitbart News earlier this year that he was thinking about the designation. “We’re thinking about doing it very seriously. In fact, we’ve been thinking about it for a long time,” he said during an Oval Office interview.  Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) told reporters that he would not accept a move to designate cartels as FTOs, Breitbart Texas reported. “We will never accept that, we are not ‘vendepatrias’ (nation sellers),” the Mexican president stated.  On December 6, President Trump reversed course and said he would “temporarily hold off this designation,” Breitbart News reported. “All necessary work has been completed to declare Mexican Cartels terrorist organizations. Statutorily we are ready to do so.”  Now, the LeBaron family will address members of Congress and lobby for their support of legislation to designate some Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.  In March, U.S. Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced legislation to direct the U.S. State Department to designate certain factions of Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, Breitbart Texas reported at the time.  “Cartels are the problem and it is time we started acting like it,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said in a written statement. “My colleague Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) and I are asking Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to conduct a review in order to designate these specific Mexican drug cartels Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).”  The bill from the Republican representatives calls for the designation of the following cartel factions as FTOs: • The Reynosa/Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel  The LeBaron family told NPR they saw the escalating violence carried out by the Mexican cartels but could not have been prepared for what eventually happened to them.  “There was this idea that our innocence would protect us. That somehow, because we were so completely uninvolved in any of it, that we were safe,” Rhonita’s sister Adriana Jones told NPR. “Yes stuff was going on around us. But no, we never could have imagined the brutality of what happened to my sister and her four children. Never in a thousand years.”


breitbart--2019-12-29--Update: 'Act of Domestic Terror'

Update: 'Act of Domestic Terror' -- Suspect Held After Five Stabbed at Hanukkah Celebration in New York Suburb

A Hanukkah celebration in a New York suburb turned into horror late Saturday night after a man entered and began stabbing people, witnesses say. Five victims were taken to nearby hospitals, according to police.  The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council for the Hudson Valley Region said in a tweet victims inside the Monsey residence were Hasidic Jews. Two people are in critical condition, co-founder of the council, Yossi Gestetner, told CNN.  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has since called the stabbing attack at the rabbi’s home an “act of domestic terrorism.”  “Let’s call it what it is: these people are domestic terrorists.” Watch:  Earlier, local police said the perpetrator fled the scene in a vehicle but that they were able to track him down.  “Horrific,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the stabbing. “So many Jewish families in our city have close ties to Monsey. We cannot overstate the fear people are feeling right now. I’ve spoken to longtime friends who, for the first time in their lives, are fearful to show outward signs of their Jewish faith.”  Letitia James, the New York Attorney General, said she was “deeply disturbed” by the situation.  “There is zero tolerance for acts of hate of any kind and we will continue to monitor this horrific situation,” she said in a Twitter post.  The New York Police counter-terrorism unit said it was “closely monitoring” the reports.  In Israel, President Reuven Rivlin expressed his “shock and outrage” at the attack.  “The rise of anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem, and certainly not just the State of Israel’s problem,” he said in a statement. “We must work together to confront this evil, which is raising its head again and is a genuine threat around the world.”  The attack came a day after New York city police said officers were stepping up patrols in heavily Jewish districts following a spate of anti-Semitic threats and attacks.  The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah marks the victory of Judah Maccabee over the Syrian Greeks in the Second Century BC and the recapture of Jerusalem.  UPDATE: The New York Post reports the knife-wielding assailant who allegedly carried out the Monsey attack is now in custody. He was arrested by the NYPD at 144th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem at midnight, a source told the newspaper.  The accused attacker, whose name was not released, was transferred back to Rockland County around 4 a.m. from the 32nd Precinct by State Troopers, the lead agency on the case.


cnbc--2019-04-29--Los Angeles terror suspect planned to bomb freeways and the Santa Monica Pier FBI says

Los Angeles terror suspect planned to bomb freeways and the Santa Monica Pier, FBI says

LOS ANGELES — Authorities have arrested a Los Angeles man described as a U.S. military veteran on terror-related charges that include threats against a local landmark and freeways.  The suspect was identified as Mark Steven Domingo, 26, of Reseda, California, according to a press release issued Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice. It said Domingo "was arrested Friday night after he received what he thought was a live bomb, but in fact was an inert explosive device that was delivered by an undercover law enforcement officer as part of an investigation by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force."  "Domingo, a former U.S. Army Infantryman, wanted to use improvised explosive devices against innocent civilians and he selected components that would make the bombs even more deadly to the victims he targeted," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers. "His arrest today mitigates the threat he posed to others in the Los Angeles community."  The government said Domingo faces federal charges in a terrorist plot in which he planned to detonate an improvised explosive device for the purpose of causing mass casualties.  According to the federal prosecutors, Domingo in online posts and conversations with an FBI source "expressed support for violent jihad, a desire to seek retribution for attacks against Muslims, and a willingness to become a martyr." During an April 3 meeting, the suspect allegedly expressed support for ISIS and said "if ISIS 'came here,' he would swear allegiance to ISIS," according to the complaint.  Domingo, who recently converted to Islam and has combat experience in Afghanistan, also discussed wanting to use explosives at the Santa Monica Pier and plotted to set off explosives on L.A. freeways, authorities said. He also made threatening comments about wanting to harm LAPD officers.  "After considering various attacks — including targeting Jews, churches, and police officers — Domingo decided to detonate an IED at a rally scheduled to take place in Long Beach this past weekend," the DOJ said. "As part of the plot, Domingo asked his confederate — who actually was cooperating with the FBI as part of the investigation — to find a bomb-maker, and Domingo last week purchased several hundred nails to be used as shrapnel inside the IED."  The suspect "specifically bought three-inch nails because they would be long enough to penetrate the human body and puncture internal organs," according to the 30-page affidavit.  "I'm extremely glad to be announcing that we interdicted a potential terrorist attack, rather than outlining the FBI's response to yet another tragedy," said Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office. "At no time was the public in danger and there is currently no known threat to public safety."  Online rants from the suspect tipped off investigators about Domingo, who expressed anger at the killings of Muslims last month in New Zealand mosque attacks. The suspect had been put under surveillance since he posted threatening comments a few weeks ago.  Domingo had several guns, including a modified AK-47-style rifle, when he was arrested in the sting operation.  The suspect is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in federal court in Los Angeles.  "We know that there are others out in our communities that will find some rationale, in some twisted manner, to go out and act in a manner similar to this man," said LAPD Chief Michel Moore. "And what is really needed is a continued vigilance of each of our communities, of each of our houses of faith, of each American, to know that this is not television."  The threat against LA follows Saturday's deadly shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California, located in San Diego County. A 19-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the synagogue shooting, which killed one person and injured four others.  In the wake of the synagogue shooting and hate attacks across the country, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his May budget revision will include $15 million in additional funds to help religious and community-based nonprofits strengthen security.  "We all must call out hate – against any and all communities – and act to defend those targeted for their religious beliefs, who they love or how they identify," said Newsom.


clashdaily--2019-12-01--London Bridge Terrorist Was ISIS-Connected And Started His Rampage At… A Criminal Rehab Workshop?

Terrorists in England don’t seem to be responding very well to the hug-a-thug treatment they are being given.  ISIS has gone from ‘champs’ to ‘chump’s on the world stage in a very short period of time.  They’ve been robbed of major income. They’ve been robbed of all physical territorial control, and now their leader died like a dog — while being hunted down by an animal they consider ‘unclean’.  They have a chip on their shoulder and some scores to settle. Cowards that they are, they are unable to face anyone that would be a real threat to them. So they look for soft targets to hit in response.  Trending: Honest Question: Does The Church Really Still Care About Sin?  Like swinging a knife in a crowd of civilians… killing two and wounding several others. Which is exactly like the previously-convicted terrorist Usman Khan, age 28 did on Friday.  The really crazy part is what everyone was at that particular location for in the first place.  The attacker, who was jailed in 2012 for his role in an al Qaeda-inspired terror group that plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange, had first been tackled and disarmed by a group of brave bystanders on the bridge. Jack Merritt, 25, from Cottenham, was today named by his father as one of two victims killed by Khan at a prisoner rehabilitation conference at Fishmongers’ Hall, where the attack began yesterday afternoon. Mr Merritt was the course co-ordinator for Learning Together, an education scheme run by the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology that killer Khan had attended on Friday. The group had been hosting a conference at the Grade II-listed building when the attack began, with Khan one of the former criminals attending the rehabilitation seminar for prisoners. Mr Merritt’s father David said in a tweet that his son ‘would not wish his death to be used as the pretext for more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily’.   Source: DailyMail  And seeing how the UK’s justice system handles their captured terrorists, that’s probably for the best. Otherwise, he’d eventually be out and most likely doing the same thing all over again.


cnsnews--2019-04-22--Sri Lanka Easter Bombings Aimed at Christians Terrorists Described as Religious Extremists

Sri Lanka Easter Bombings Aimed at Christians: Terrorists Described as Religious Extremists

(CNSNews.com) – Sri Lanka police declared an overnight curfew after Easter Sunday’s deadly bombing spree targeting churches and five-star hotels. The country’s prime minister confirmed that authorities had received prior warning about the possibility of a terrorist attack.  Police say at least 290 people were killed in the coordinated blasts, some of which were carried out by suicide bombers. Most victims were Sri Lankans but several dozen foreigners also died.  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that “several U.S. citizens” are among the dead. Other nations whose nationals were killed, according to their governments, include Britain, Portugal, Turkey, the Netherlands, and China.  “These vile attacks are a stark reminder of why the United States remains resolved in our fight to defeat terrorism,” Pompeo said in a statement.  “We stand with the Sri Lankan government and people as they confront violent extremism and have offered our assistance as they work to bring the perpetrators to justice.”  More than 500 people were injured in the eight explosions, most of which occurred in Colombo, the capital and largest city of the Indian Ocean island nation.  A possible ninth blast was averted when a pipe bomb hidden in a bag near the main international airport was found and destroyed by air force personnel.  According to South Asia terrorism monitors, this was the first terrorist attack in Sri Lanka since the country emerged from a long and deadly civil war in 2009 between the majority ethnic Sinhalese Buddhist majority and the predominantly Hindu Tamil ethnic minority.  State minister of defense Ruwan Wijewardene described the perpetrators as religious extremists – without identifying the religion – and said most of the explosions were caused by suicide bombers.  “We shall not give any chance for these extremist groups to operate,” he told reporters. “We will go after them, whatever religious extremism that they are following,” he added, saying the perpetrators had been identified and would be apprehended shortly. By early Monday the number of suspects in custody had reached 24, police confirmed.  Christians and tourists were the intended victims of the terrorists, who struck on the most significant day of the Christian calendar.  The first bombs exploded in three churches, two Roman Catholic and one Protestant, during Easter morning services. They are the St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, a prominent Catholic town north of the capital, and Zion Church, an evangelical denomination in Batticaloa on Sri Lanka’s east coast.  The two Catholic churches accounted for the greatest loss of life of all of the buildings hit.  Also targeted were four hotels in Colombo – the Cinnamon Grand, the Shangri-La, the Kingsbury, and the Tropical Inn. Hours after the initial blasts there was another explosion at a housing complex in a Colombo neighborhood, which was reportedly detonated by a suicide bomber as police closed in on suspects. Seven suspects were arrested at that property.  Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in a later statement confirmed that “three brave police officers … sacrificed their lives in the process of apprehending some of the suspects.”  Wickremesinghe said authorities had received prior information on the possibility of an attack but that neither he nor the cabinet had been “adequately informed.”  “A serious issue is that though information been received earlier not enough attention had been paid,” the national business news service Economy Next quoted him as saying. “We have to look deeper into this.”  Sri Lanka has a population of 22.5 million and is a little larger in size than West Virginia.  According to U.S. government data, only around seven percent of the population is Christian, mostly Catholic. Buddhists account for the majority of Sri Lankans (about 70 percent), while 12 percent are Hindus, and just under ten percent are Muslims, mostly Sunnis.  Until the conflict ended in 2009, well over 60,000 people were killed in a 26-year civil war between the majority government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization fighting for a separate state in the north and east of the island.  The LTTE became infamous for suicide bombings – including the use of suicide belts and ramming attacks using explosive-laden small boats – well before the tactic became more widely known as a result of the actions of al-Qaeda and other radical Sunni Islamic groups.  Last January, Sri Lankan police investigating the vandalizing of Buddhist statues arrested four men attached to a “newly-formed radical Muslim group,” Economy Next reported at the time. The arrests led to the discovery of 220 pounds of high explosive and a large number of detonators hidden in the country’s north-west.  Whoever the perpetrators turn out to be, ISIS sympathizers on social media celebrated news of the carnage, characterizing the bombings as vengeance for attacks on Muslims.  In his televised statement, Wickremesinghe pledged to “ensure that terrorism does not lift its head in Sri Lanka. We cannot allow that and we are prepared to take all measures necessary to ensure that terrorism is contained and wiped out in this country.”  He described the suspects as Sri Lankan, but also said the authorities would need the help of other governments in the region to examine the possible “overseas links of this terrorist group.”  Wickremesinghe also urged people to support the security services and “ensure there is no miscommunication which leads to other incidents” and diverts the security forces’ attention away from the investigation.  Sri Lanka has a poor record of religious tolerance. The State Department’s most recent report on international religious freedom, covering 2017, cites 97 documented attacks or incidents of intimidation targeting Christians in 2017, and reports of dozens of attacks on mosques and Muslim prayer rooms.


cnsnews--2019-09-04--San Francisco Declares NRA a Domestic Terrorist Organization

San Francisco Declares NRA a 'Domestic Terrorist Organization'

(CNSNews.com) - San Francisco, the "sanctuary city" for illegal aliens -- now crowded with homeless people camping and defecating on sidewalks -- has just declared the National Rifle Association a "domestic terrorist organization."  The resolution, which the Board of Supervisors passed unanimously Tuesday, urges the rest of the country to "do the same."  The resolution accuses the NRA of mustering "its considerable wealth and organizational strength to promote gun ownership and incite gun owners to acts of violence."  It accuses the NRA of spreading "propaganda" aimed at deceiving the public about the "dangers of gun violence"; it says NRA leaders promote "extremist positions, in defiance of the views of a majority of its membership and the public, and undermine the general welfare"; and it says NRA "advocacy" has armed terrorists.  "All countries have violent and hateful people, but only in America do we give them ready access to assault weapons and large-capacity magazines thanks, in large part, to the National Rifle Association’s influence," the resolution says.  The National Rifle Association's lobbying arm says it is "committed to preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."  The NRA promotes training, safety and education for law-abiding gun owners, and far from inciting acts of violence, it strongly condemns such acts.  Nevertheless, San Francisco Supervisor Catherine Stefani, the resolution's author, told KTVU-television, "The NRA has it coming to them." She said the NRA "exists to spread disinformation and knowingly puts weapons in the hands of those who would harm and terrorize us."  KTVU quoted the NRA as saying, in response: "This ludicrous stunt by the Board of Supervisors is an effort to distract from the real problems facing San Francisco, such as rampant homelessness, drug abuse, and skyrocketing petty crime, to name a few. The NRA will continue working to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans."  The resolution is printed in its entirety below:  Resolution declaring that the National Rifle Association is a domestic terrorist organization and urging other cities, states, and the federal government to do the same. WHEREAS, The United States is plagued by an epidemic of gun violence, including over 36,000 deaths, and 100,000 injuries each year, and WHEREAS, Every day approximately 100 Americans are killed with guns, and WHEREAS, There has been more than one mass shooting per day in the United States in 2019, and WHEREAS, The gun homicide rate in the United States is 25 times higher than any other high-income country in the world, and WHEREAS, On July 28, 2019, Gilroy, California became the 243rd community in the United States to be the victim of a mass shooting, and WHEREAS, Stephen Romero, age 6, Keyla Salazar, age 13, and Trevor Irby, age 25, were murdered in the senseless act of gun violence that day, and WHEREAS, There have been at least three mass shootings since the events in Gilroy, and the number continues to grow, and WHEREAS, Reported hate crimes have increased by double digits since 2015, and WHEREAS, There are over 393,000,000 guns in the United States, which exceeds the country’s current total population, and WHEREAS, Our elected representatives, including the President, have taken an oath swearing to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” WHEREAS, The United States Declaration of Independence declared that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights, and WHEREAS, The United States Constitution specifically delineates that the country was founded to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and promote the general welfare, and WHEREAS, The United States Department of Justice defines terrorist activity, in part, as, “The use of any...explosive, firearm, or other weapon or dangerous device, with intent to endanger, directly or indirectly, the safety of one or more individuals or to cause substantial damage to property;” and WHEREAS, The United States Department of Justice further includes any individual or member of an organization commits an act that the actor knows, or reasonably should know, affords material support, including communications, funds, weapons, or training to any individual has committed or plans to commit a terrorist act, and WHEREAS, The National Rifle Association musters its considerable wealth and organizational strength to promote gun ownership and incite gun owners to acts of violence, and WHEREAS, The National Rifle Association spreads propaganda that misinforms and aims to deceive the public about the dangers of gun violence, and WHEREAS, The leadership of National Rifle Association promotes extremist positions, in defiance of the views of a majority of its membership and the public, and undermine the general welfare, and WHEREAS, The National Rifle Association through its advocacy has armed those individuals who would and have committed acts of terrorism; and WHEREAS, All countries have violent and hateful people, but only in America do we give them ready access to assault weapons and large-capacity magazines thanks, in large part, to the National Rifle Association’s influence; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco intends to declare the National Rifle Association a domestic terrorist organization; and, be it FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco should take every reasonable step to assess the financial and contractual relationships our vendors and contractors have with this domestic terrorist organization; and, be it FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco should take every reasonable step to limit those entities who do business with the City and County of San Francisco from doing business with this domestic terrorist organization; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco should encourage all other jurisdictions, including other cities, states, and the federal government, to adopt similar positions.


conservativehome--2019-11-30--Terror attacks and the election

Terror attacks and the election

As we write, the motivation of the London Bridge terrorist isn’t confirmed. But location, method, and the mock suicide vest suggest that the man responsible may have been motivated by radical Islamism. So does timing. It is unlikely to be a coincidence that a terror attack took place in the vicinity during an election campaign two years ago. Cressida Dick seems to agree: it is noticeable that her post-attack statement swipes at “the empty ideology of terror”.  The most plausible explanation is that an appeal has gone out from an extremist group, and that a deranged individual has responded, as such people may always do. That his instrument was a knife rather than a bomb may demonstrate how the options of Islamist terrorists have dimimished in recent years: a reminder of the work that the police and security services do on our behalf.  None the less, two victims are dead and more injured, and there can be no certainty that the assault will be the last of the campaign, if Dick’s hint and our assumption are correct. The groups and individuals who plan and mount such attacks don’t usually attempt to swing the contest one way or the other. Rather, they seek to assert their presence, grab publicity, recruit members and, as it were, “be there on the night”.  Boris Johnson has suspended Conservative campaigning for the evening; Jeremy Corbyn has come out to do the same for Labour. There is a case for a longer pause after more facts become known but, on balance, the presumption must be that the campaign should carry on. The more terrorists seek to throw democracy off balance, the more it must strive to stay on its feet, and carry on as usual.  Corbyn to date has followed his 2017 campaign playbook, doubling down if anything on its essentials. There are more pledges, even bigger headline spending, and relentless attacks on the Conservatives, especially over the NHS. Labour’s strategists will be remembering their success, last time round, in turning the Tories’ status as the party of law and order against them, as the Labour leader tore into the Conservative record on police funding.  He will be tempted to follow that playbook again after today’s incident, and it is possible that the gambit will work for him if it is taken, enabling Labour to carry on rising in the polls, as we noted this morning that it is doing. But it is just as likely that, if Corbyn takes this route, it will lead to a cul-de-sac. For while he is following his own example in 2017, Boris Johnson is not following Theresa May’s.  Her campaign thought big; had no economic message – and no counter-attacking zip either, especially on police budgets, on which she was vulnerable as a former Home Secretary. Johnson is taking no risks; knows the scene in London, and has deliberately adopted a harder Government profile on law and order, spearheaded by Priti “I want criminals to literally feel terror” Patel.  It may be that his well-established pledge of 20,000 more police officers cuts no ice with voters. But it is unlikely that Downing Street will simply sit back, if Labour seeks to link terror to a “austerity”, and soak up the punishment. Corbyn is a known factor now as he was not in 2017, and Team Johnson will counter-attack if necessary, arguing that if one cannot run the economy properly one can’t support the police effectively. And that terror attacks shouldn’t be politicised. But what will Number Ten do if, God forbid, more attacks come soon?


drudgereport--2019-03-16--MOSQUE TERROR NEW ZEALAND

MOSQUE TERROR NEW ZEALAND...

Ambulance staff take a man from outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019, following a mass shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)  CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — A white supremacist suspected in shootings at two mosques that killed 49 people during midday Friday prayers posted an anti-immigrant manifesto online and apparently used a helmet-mounted camera to broadcast live video of the slaughter on Facebook.  Brenton Harrison Tarrant appeared in court Saturday morning amid strict security and showed no emotion when the judge read him one murder charge. The judge said “it was reasonable to assume” more such charges would follow.  Two other armed suspects were taken into custody while police tried to determine what role, if any, they played in the cold-blooded attack that stunned New Zealand, a country so peaceful that police officers rarely carry guns.  It was by far the deadliest shooting in modern New Zealand history.  “It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, noting that many of the victims could be migrants or refugees.  She pronounced it “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.”  Tarrant, who police say carried out at least one of the shootings, posted a jumbled, 74-page manifesto on social media in which he identified himself as a 28-year-old Australian and white supremacist who was out to avenge attacks in Europe perpetrated by Muslims.  The gunman also livestreamed in graphic detail 17 minutes of his rampage at Al Noor Mosque, where, armed with at least two assault rifles and a shotgun, he sprayed worshippers with bullets over and over, killing at least 41 people. Several more people were killed in an attack on a second mosque in the city a short time later.  At least 48 people were wounded, some critically. Police also defused explosive devices in a car.  Police did not say whether the same person was responsible for both shootings. They gave no details about those taken into custody except to say that none had been on any watch list. During the Saturday morning hearing, a man who was not in court was charged with using writings to incite hatred against a race or ethnicity, but it was not clear if his case was related to the mosque attacks.  Tarrant’s relatives in the Australian town of Grafton, in New South Wales, contacted police after learning of the shooting and were helping with the investigation, local authorities said. Tarrant has spent little time in Australia in the past four years and only had minor traffic infractions on his record.  On Saturday, outside one of the two mosques, 32-year-old Ash Mohammed pushed through police barricades in hopes of finding out what happened to his father and two brothers, whose cellphones rang unanswered. An officer stopped him.  “We just want to know if they are dead or alive,” Mohammed told the officer.  In the aftermath, the country’s threat level was raised from low to high, police warned Muslims against going to a mosque anywhere in New Zealand, and the national airline canceled several flights in and out of Christchurch, a city of nearly 400,000.  World leaders condemned the violence and offered condolences, with President Donald Trump tweeting, “We stand in solidarity with New Zealand.” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and other Islamic leaders pointed to the bloodbath and other such attacks as evidence of rising hostility toward Muslims since 9/11.  New Zealand, with a population of 5 million, has relatively loose gun laws and an estimated 1.5 million firearms, or roughly one for every three people. But it has one of the lowest gun homicide rates in the world. In 2015, it had just eight gun homicides.  Before Friday’s attack, New Zealand’s deadliest shooting in modern history took place in 1990 in the small town of Aramoana, where a gunman killed 13 people following a dispute with a neighbor.  On Saturday, the prime minister said the “primary perpetrator” in the shootings was a licensed gun owner and legally acquired the five guns used. Ardern said the country’s gun laws will change as a result of the carnage, but she did not specify how.  New Zealand is also generally considered to be welcoming to migrants and refugees. On Saturday, people across the country were reaching out to Muslims in their communities on social media to volunteer acts of kindness — offering rides to the grocery store or volunteering to walk with them if they felt unsafe. In other forums, people discussed Muslim food restrictions as they prepared to drop off meals for those affected.  The prime minister said the attack reflected “extremist views that have absolutely no place in New Zealand.”  Immigrants “have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home,” Ardern said. “They are us.”  At the White House, Trump called the bloodshed “a terrible thing” but rejected any suggestion the white nationalist movement is a rising threat around the world, saying it is “a small group of people that have very, very serious problems.”  Tarrant, in his rambling manifesto, deemed Trump “a symbol of renewed white identity.”  At the Al Noor mosque, witness Len Peneha said he saw a man dressed in black and wearing a helmet with some kind of device on top enter the house of worship and then heard dozens of shots, followed by people running out in terror.  Peneha, who lives next door, said the gunman ran out of the mosque, dropped what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon in his driveway and fled. Peneha then went into the mosque to help the victims.  “I saw dead people everywhere. There were three in the hallway, at the door leading into the mosque, and people inside the mosque,” he said. “I don’t understand how anyone could do this to these people, to anyone. It’s ridiculous.”  Facebook, Twitter and Google scrambled to take down the gunman’s video, which was widely available on social media for hours after the bloodbath.  In the video, the killer spends more than two minutes inside the mosque spraying terrified worshippers with gunfire. He then walks outside, where he shoots at people on the sidewalk. Children’s screams can be heard in the distance as he returns to his car to get another rifle. He walks back into the mosque, where there are at least two dozen people lying on the ground.  After going back outside and shooting a woman there, he gets back in his car, where a song can be heard blasting. The singer bellows, “I am the god of hellfire!” and the gunman drives off before police even arrive.  The second attack took place at the Linwood mosque about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away. Mark Nichols told the New Zealand Herald that he heard about five gunshots and that a worshipper returned fire with a rifle or shotgun.  The footage showed the killer was carrying a shotgun and two fully automatic military assault rifles, with an extra magazine taped to one of the weapons so that he could reload quickly. He also had more assault weapons in the trunk of his car, along with what appeared to be explosives.  His manifesto was a welter of often politically contradictory views, touching on many of the most combustible issues of the day, among them the Second Amendment right to own guns, Muslim immigration, terrorist attacks and the wealthiest 1 percent.  He portrayed himself as a racist and a fascist and raged against non-Westerners, but said China is the nation that most aligns with his political and social values.  The gunman said he was not a member of any organization, acted alone and chose New Zealand to show that even the most remote parts of the world are not free of “mass immigration.”  Last year, New Zealand’s prime minister announced that the country would boost its annual refugee quota from 1,000 to 1,500 in 2020. Ardern, whose party campaigned on a promise to take in more refugees, called it “the right thing to do.”  Christchurch, sometimes called the Garden City, has been rebuilding since an earthquake in 2011 killed 185 people and destroyed many downtown buildings.  This story has been amended to delete incorrect reference to Tarrant identifying himself by name in his manifesto.  Perry reported from Wellington. Associated Press writers Juliet Williams in Christchurch; Kristen Gelineau in Sydney; Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia; and Chris Blake in Bangkok contributed to this report.


drudgereport--2019-04-23--ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka terror

ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka terror...

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Devastating Easter bombings in Sri Lanka were retaliation for attacks on mosques in New Zealand, a Sri Lankan official said on Tuesday, as Islamic State claimed responsibility for the coordinated blasts that killed 321 people.  Islamic State’s claim, issued on its AMAQ news agency, came shortly after Sri Lanka said two domestic Islamist groups, with suspected links to foreign militants, were believed to have been behind the attacks at three churches and four hotels, which wounded about 500 people.  Islamic State gave no evidence for its claim. The government has said at least seven suicide bombers were involved.  “The initial investigation has revealed that this was in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque attack,” junior minister for defense Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament.  He did not elaborate on why authorities believed there was a link to the killing of 50 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch during Friday prayers on March 15. A lone gunman carried out those attacks.  Wijewardene said two Sri Lankan Islamist groups - the National Thawheed Jama’ut and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim - were responsible for the blasts early on Sunday during Easter services and as high-end hotels served breakfast.  U.S. intelligence sources said earlier the attacks carried some of the hallmarks of Islamic State, even though it had not made an immediate claim of responsibility, as it usually does.  Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament investigators were looking into foreign links.  Earlier on Tuesday, Sri Lankan government and military sources said a Syrian had been detained among 40 people being questioned over the bombs.  “He was arrested after the interrogation of local suspects,” one of the sources said, referring to the unidentified Syrian.  Tuesday was declared a national day of mourning and the funerals of some of the victims were held, as pressure mounted on the government over why effective action had not been taken in response to a warning this month about a possible attack on churches by the little-known National Thawheed Jama’ut group.  The first six attacks - on three churches and three luxury hotels - came within 20 minutes on Sunday morning.  Two more explosions - at a downmarket hotel and a house in a suburb of the capital, Colombo - came in the early afternoon.  Most of the dead and wounded were Sri Lankans, although government officials said 38 foreigners were killed. That included British, U.S., Australian, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch and Portuguese nationals.  The U.N. Children’s Fund said 45 children were among the dead.  Footage on CNN showed what it said was one of the bombers wearing a heavy backpack. The man patted a child on the head before entering the Gothic-style St. Sebastian church in Katuwapitiya, north of Colombo. Dozens were killed there.  The bombs brought a shattering end to a relative calm that had existed in the Buddhist-majority Indian Ocean island since a bitter civil war against mostly Hindu, ethnic Tamil separatists ended 10 years ago, and raised fears of a return to sectarian violence.  Sri Lanka’s 22 million people include minority Christians, Muslims and Hindus. Until now, Christians had largely managed to avoid the worst of the island’s conflict and communal tensions.  The government imposed emergency rule at midnight on Monday, giving police extensive powers to detain and interrogate suspects without court orders.  An overnight curfew has also been imposed since Sunday.  U.S. President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Wickremesinghe on Monday to pledge U.S. support in bringing the perpetrators to justice.  The Washington Post quoted an unidentified law enforcement official as saying Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents were being sent to Sri Lanka to help with the investigation.  The FBI had offered expertise to test evidence and analysts were scouring databases for information, the Post said. Counter-terrorism officials from Britain were also due on Tuesday, a Western diplomat in Colombo said.  The attacks have also underlined concern over fractures in Sri Lanka’s government, and whether the discord prevented action that might have stopped them.  The government received a tip-off from India this month about a possible attack on churches by the National Thawheed Jama’ut.  It was not immediately clear what action, if any, was taken in response. A government minister said on Monday that Wickremesinghe had not been informed about the warning and had been shut out of top security meetings because of a feud with President Maithripala Sirisena.  Sirisena fired Wickremesinghe last year only to be forced to reinstate him under pressure from the Supreme Court. Their relationship is reported to be fraught.  The U.S. State Department said in a travel advisory “terrorist groups” were possibly plotting more attacks in Sri Lanka.  China’s embassy warned its nationals against traveling to Sri Lanka in the near term because of “huge security risks”.  China is a major investor in Sri Lanka. The embassy said one Chinese national was killed, five wounded and five were missing.


drudgereport--2019-10-09--YOM KIPPUR TERROR: Gunmen kill two outside German synagogue, wound others...

A gunman at a German synagogue ranted about feminism, immigration and the Holocaust before he shot two people dead in a live-streamed rampage on Judaism's holiest day today.  The shooter killed a man and woman, threw a grenade into a Jewish cemetery and left explosives near the synagogue in Halle after failing to force his way inside while worshippers prayed on Yom Kippur.  The suspect, named by Bild as 27-year-old Stephan Balliet, was later arrested after trying to flee in a taxi, according to German media.  This evening Germany's interior minister said it appeared to be an anti-Semitic attack, possibly motivated by right-wing extremism, while Chancellor Angela Merkel offered her 'deep sympathy'.  Wearing military fatigues and a helmet camera, the gunman shot a woman dead in the street after she confronted him outside the synagogue, where around 80 people were praying.  Another man was then shot dead after the gunman drove to a kebab shop close to the synagogue before opening fire a second time.  Video taken outside the shop shows him firing what appears to be a shotgun into the street and his face is then revealed as he walks back up the road.  In the 35-minute video he bemoaned his failure to get inside the synagogue and talked about the Holocaust, women's rights and immigration, blaming 'the Jews' as the root of various problems.  Witnesses said the attacker also used a submachine gun during the attack and threw a grenade into the Jewish cemetery after shooting at the door of the synagogue to no effect.  Improvised explosive devices were also left outside the front of the synagogue as the terrified congregation barricaded themselves inside.  Halle residents were initially urged to stay inside while police hunted for a possible second attacker, but authorities now believe there was only one gunman.  At least two other people were injured in the rampage and were having surgery on their gunshot wounds on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.  Residents in Halle, a city of 240,000 people in eastern Germany, had initially been urged to stay at home and the city's train station was closed during a manhunt for possible further attackers.  However, that lockdown was lifted this evening because 'the endangerment level for the population is no longer seen as acute,' authorities said.  'According to what we now know we have to assume that it was at least an anti-Semitic attack,' interior minister Horst Seehofer said in a statement tonight.  'According to the federal prosecutor there are sufficient indications for a possible right-wing extremist motive,' the politician said.  Footage of the attack appeared on live-streaming site Twitch, although it is not yet clear whether the gunman posted it there himself.  The company said it 'worked with urgency to remove this content' and said any account found to be posting or reposting 'content of this abhorrent act' would be permanently suspended.  In the 35-minute video, the gunman is seen attempting to force his way inside a synagogue after finding a door locked.  He gets an explosive out of his car and tries to blow up a gate at the side of the building, but the blast makes minimal impact.  When a woman confronts him, asking if his behaviour was 'really necessary', he shoots her dead.  The gunman then tries to shoot the door of the synagogue open, but without success, and is heard bemoaning his failure to get inside.  He then drives on to a kebab shop, where he fires more gunshots while people cower behind drinks machines and plead for mercy. One of them, a man, is shot dead.  It is not clear if either victim was Jewish.  After firing further gunshots in the road and returning briefly to the kebab shop, he drives around calling himself a 'loser' before abandoning the vehicle.  According to German media, he commandeered a taxi by shooting the driver and made it around 40 miles away to Werschen before a collision with a lorry held him up and he was arrested.  The suspect himself was also being treated for injuries, police said. Halle police have now handed over the case to federal authorities.  Tonight Angela Merkel attended an evening vigil at a historic synagogue in central Berlin in honour of the victims of the attack.  Mrs Merkel condemned the deadly shooting, her spokesman said, offering 'solidarity for all Jews on the holy day of Yom Kippur'.  The German leader offered 'deep sympathy' for the victims' families, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said, adding her 'thanks to all the security forces who are still on the scene'.  The former East Germany, where today's attack took place, has been particularly susceptible to far-right violence since reunification in 1990.  Just last month, a neo-Nazi 'terrorist' cell based in the eastern town of Chemnitz was put on trial accused of plotting a violent political uprising in Germany.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned today's attack, saying it was 'a new expression of anti-Semitism on the rise in Europe'.  Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said it was a 'deep shock for all Jews in Germany'.  'This act in Halle on the highest Jewish holiday Yom Kippur has deeply troubled and scared our community,' Schuster, Mr Schuster said in a statement.  'The brutality of the attack surpasses everything we have seen in recent years and is a deep shock for all Jews in Germany. The fact a synagogue was not protected by police on a holiday like Yom Kippur is a scandal.'  World Jewish Congress chief Ronald Lauder said Germany needs to deliver with 'action rather than words' and provide Jewish institutions the protection they need.  Max Privorotzki, who heads the Jewish community in Halle, said the gunmen had attempted to enter the synagogue, but that security measures were able to 'withstand the attack'.  'We saw through the camera of our synagogue that a heavily armed perpetrator wearing a steel helmet and rifle was trying to shoot open our door,' he told German media.  'We barricaded our doors from inside and waited for the police,' he said, adding that 'in between, we carried on with our service.'  U.S. ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell says 10 Americans were inside the synagogue at the time but were all 'safe and unharmed'.  Footage taken near the kebab shop showed the man climbing out of his car before sheltering behind the door as he levels a long-barrelled gun and fires up the street.  Each shot ejects a plume of grey smoke as the gunman stops to reload before firing again and spent casings can be seen dropping to the ground behind him.  Konrad Rösler, a 28-year-old railway worker interviewed on German TV, said that he was in the kebab shop in Halle when he saw a man with a helmet and military jacket launch the attack.  Rösler said the attacker threw a grenade at the shop, which bounced off the door frame, before he fired shots into the shop. He said he locked himself in the toilet and heard several more loud bangs before police arrived.  'All the customers next to me ran, of course I did too. I think there were five or six of us in there,' Mr Roessler said. 'The man behind me probably died.'  'I hid in the toilet,' he said. 'The others looked for the back entrance. I didn't know if there was one. I locked myself quietly in this toilet, and wrote to my family that I love them, and waited for something to happen.'  The shooting triggered a huge influx of police to the city, among them units of the SEK, the elite of the German anti terrorism police.  Armed police were also deployed around synagogues in Leipzig - where an emergency alert was briefly issued before being revoked - and in Dresden, around 90 miles away.  Security was also increased at Jewish sites in Berlin, though no specific threat had been identified.  German anti-terror prosecutors said they were taking the lead in investigating the shooting, after Jewish leaders said their synagogue was targeted.  The investigation will be a murder probe.  A spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office said the step had been taken given 'the particular importance of the case' which he said involved 'violent acts that affect the domestic security of the Federal Republic of Germany'.  Wednesday's shootings came three months after the shocking assassination-style murder of local pro-migrant politician Walter Luebcke in the western city of Kassel, allegedly by a known neo-Nazi.  Luebcke's killing has deeply shaken Germany, raising questions about whether it has failed to take seriously a rising threat from right-wing extremists.  Investigators have been probing the extent of suspect Stephan Ernst's neo-Nazi ties and whether he had links to the far-right militant cell National Socialist Underground (NSU).  Interior Minister Horst Seehofer last month warned of the rising danger of the militant far right, calling it 'as big a threat as radical Islamism'.  Seehofer said that police had uncovered 1,091 weapons including firearms and explosives during probes of crimes linked to the far right last year, far more than in 2017 when 676 were found.  At the same time, Germany has also been on high alert following several jihadist attacks in recent years claimed by the Islamic State group.


drudgereport--2019-12-02--LONDON ALERT OVER TERROR COPYCATS...

LONDON ALERT OVER TERROR COPYCATS...

Saskia Jones, 23, who studied victim protection, was named as the second victim alongside Jack Merritt, 25 GETTY IMAGES  An associate of the London Bridge killer was arrested as security agencies scrambled to stamp out the threat of copycat attacks.  Nazam Hussain, 34, was held in a police raid on his home in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Last night he was recalled to prison for a suspected breach of licence conditions.  Boris Johnson will pause campaigning this morning to attend to matters relating to the attack.  In 2012 Hussain was jailed for terrorism offences alongside Usman Khan, 28, the knifeman who fatally stabbed two people in the capital on Friday afternoon before being shot dead by the police. Six of the nine men who were jailed at that trial had been released and were back on the streets.


'DOMESTIC TERRORISM'

Authorities say an Orange County man stabbed five people at a rabbi's home late Saturday night in Monsey, New York — the latest and most violent in a string of anti-Semitic attacks in the greater New York City area in the last few days.  Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said the suspected attacker, identified as Grafton Thomas, 37, of Greenwood Lake, entered the residence around 10 p.m. armed with a knife. Saturday was the seventh night of Hanukkah and was being widely observed in Monsey, a hamlet that is home to thousands of Orthodox Jews. There were as many as 70 people in the rabbi's home at the time of the attack.  The Hasidic organization Chabad, citing sources in the community and witnesses at the scene, said someone in the home threw a table at the attacker, chasing him off. He then allegedly tried to gain access to the synagogue next door, but the occupants barricaded themselves inside. Thomas then allegedly fled the scene in a silver sedan, according to witnesses.  By midnight, Thomas was located in Harlem and taken into custody by the NYPD. A senior law enforcement official told NBC 4 New York he was caught in his vehicle. License plate readers on the George Washington Bridge and in Harlem helped police zero in on the car's location, according to the official.  Thomas, who had blood on his clothing and smelled of bleach when police found him, pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary at his arraignment on Sunday. His bail was set at $5 million.  His defense said Thomas lives with his mother and claimed he had no criminal history, but an assistant district attorney at his arraignment said he had been arrested for menacing and reckless endangerment in Greenwood Lake this past summer, without elaborating.  The judge at the arraignment issued orders of protection in favor of the five stabbing victims that bar Thomas from going to the house where he allegedly stabbed them.  The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council said the five victims, all Hasidic, were transported to local hospitals with stab wounds. As of Sunday afternoon, one of the victims was still in critical condition with a skull fracture, according to the assistant district attorney.  The attack took place in the house of Hasidic Rabbi Chaim L. Rottenberg during a Hanukkah celebration, Michael Specht, supervisor of the town of Ramapo that also services Monsey, told NBC News.  Rottenberg runs the synagogue next door to his home. Video obtained by NBC News shows Rottenberg holding a gathering at his home after the attack, addressing a group of Hasidic men and leading them in song.  At a news conference outside Rabbi Rottenberg's home Sunday morning, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the rabbi's son was one of the stabbing victims, noting that he was "recovering."  "It's important for me to express to the rabbi and to all the people of the state of New York that this is intolerance, meets, ignorance, meets illegality," he said. "This is violence spurred by hate, it is mass violence, and I consider this an act of domestic terrorism."  "These people are domestic terrorists, and the law should reflect that, and they should be punished as if it was an act of terrorism," Cuomo added, noting that he would include a proposal along those lines in his "State of State" address at the beginning of next year.  The NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau said was "closely monitoring" the situation. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea on Sunday said the department had increased patrols at "key locations to ensure that everyone is safe during this holiday season, and into the new year."  A senior law enforcement official told NBC New York the FBI was sending criminal and counter-terror investigators to Rockland County to assist local authorities.  The attack comes on the heels of half-a-dozen hate crimes across New York City in recent weeks that targeted the Jewish community.  In just the last week alone, including those stabbed in Ramapo, at least 10 Jews have been injured in the spate of violence in New York City and surrounding towns. That follows the attack on a Kosher supermarket in Jersey City earlier this month that left a cop and three civilians dead.  Mayor de Blasio said Friday that police presence would increase in Crown Heights and two other Brooklyn neighborhoods with large Jewish populations.  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statement shortly after midnight that read in part, "This was a despicable and cowardly act, and I am directing the State Police hate crimes task force to immediately investigate and to use every tool available to hold the attacker accountable to the fullest extent of the law. State Police are currently on the scene assisting local law enforcement."  Israeli President Reuven Rivlin also took to Twitter to say that he was "shocked and outraged" by the incident and that he was praying for the injured.  “#Antisemitism is not just a #Jewish problem, and certainly not just the State of #Israel's problem," Rivlin wrote. “We must work together to confront this rising evil, which is a real global threat."