newsbusters--2019-05-28--Once a Terrorist Always a Terrorist

Once a Terrorist Always a Terrorist

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the release of self-admitted “American Taliban” member John Walker Lindh “unexplainable and unconscionable.”  Lindh, who was paroled last Thursday from a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, served 17 years of a 20-year sentence for illegally aiding Taliban forces. Lindh had joined the terrorist organization before September 11, 2001. He was in Afghanistan at the time and was also there when a group of Taliban prisoners murdered CIA officer Johnny Micheal Spann.  Spann's daughter, who was 9 when her father died, called Lindh's early release “a slap in the face” to everyone who died on 9-11. After his capture and return to the U.S., Lindh struck a plea bargain, admitting to illegally providing help to the Taliban, but denying any role in Spann's death.  Lindh is barred from traveling and using a cellphone or the internet. He could still borrow a phone and possibly use someone else's computer and sign-in information, so it is difficult to see how those limitations will be enforced.  Lindh stated he would not have joined the Taliban if he had known what it was about, but that doesn't stand up given his statements after he was sent to prison.  Foreignpolicy.com, a site that focuses on global affairs, current events and domestic and international policy, obtained a report from the National Counterterrorism Center that stated in early 2017 that Lindh “continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.”  The document cites Federal Bureau of Prisons “intelligence summaries,” which claim that in March 2016, Lindh “told a television news producer that he would continue to spread violent extremist Islam upon his release.”  The document does not identify the news reporter and Foreign Policy says there is no “public record” of Lindh participating in media interviews. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, but if the interview exists, now would be a good time to see it.  Homegrown violent extremists have long been considered the most difficult to detect and monitor. Lindh’s release is likely to give aid and comfort to potential terrorists already in the country and others seeking to enter the U.S.  There is no indication Lindh has repented of his actions, much less changed his ideology, or brand of Islamic extremism.  “Treason” is a word that should be used only in cases where an American citizen betrays his country and goes over to the enemy's side. Lindh fits that description.  In past American wars, some of those found guilty of treason have been executed. Lindh is a traitor and should have received the death penalty, but because of the plea deal he is now free and is likely to return to his old ways. He will be able to associate with people of his persuasion and encourage their radical beliefs and extreme behavior.  Government officials say he will be “closely monitored” by parole officers and others during the three years remaining of his sentence. What happens after that? Suppose he engages in actions that directly or indirectly result in the deaths of more Americans? Sure, he can be returned to prison and possibly even executed, but the blood of future victims will be on the heads of those who let him out.  An ideology driven by extreme religious views is difficult to combat, much less reverse. Given the ancient history of Islam and the radical behavior of those claiming to conduct terrorist activities in its name, it is not a stretch to say once one has become a terrorist, it is likely he will remain one.


newspunch--2019-06-26--UN Western Countries Must Take Back Captured ISIS Terrorists

UN: Western Countries Must Take Back Captured ISIS Terrorists

The United Nations wants western countries to take back captured ISIS terrorists currently imprisoned in Syria and Iraq.  According to U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, the 55,000 ISIS fighters and their family members “should face fair prosecution or be freed.”  States “must assume responsibility for their nationals” even if they have engaged the slaughter of innocent civilians in the name of jihad.  Summit.news reports: A debate about whether to allow so-called ‘ISIS bride’ Shamima Begum to re-enter the UK raged earlier this year.  While the media largely helped Begum spin the narrative that she made a harmless mistake and was a victim herself, her true activities and beliefs were appalling.  It was revealed that Begum literally stitched bombs into suicide vests to ensure they exploded when taken off during her time alongside ISIS jihadists in Syria.  Begum was also a member of the “hisba” enforcement group, which handed out brutal punishments to those found flouting ISIS laws on how to dress and behave. She also pointed an automatic weapon at women in Syria for “wearing brightly colored shoes”.  Begum also said during interviews that seeing decapitated heads in trash cans didn’t faze her because the victims were “enemies of Islam”.  Should such individuals really be allowed to return to the west? Yes, according to the UN.


newyorker--2019-03-22--Jacinda Ardern Has Rewritten the Script for How a Nation Grieves After a Terrorist Attack

Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, has staged a revolution. In the wake of a shooting that killed fifty people, in two mosques, in the city of Christchurch last Friday, Ardern has quietly upended every expectation about the way Western states and their leaders respond to terrorist attacks.  Ardern has resisted war rhetoric. Since the modern era of terrorism began, on September 11, 2001, world leaders have responded to terror by promising vengeance and waged war, rhetorically and militarily. George W. Bush set the tone, with a statement on the morning of the World Trade Center attacks: “Make no mistake. The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts.” He elaborated in a televised address later that day. “Today, our fellow-citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack,” he said. He named the emotions evoked by the chaos in lower Manhattan: “disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger.” He pledged war. “A great people has been moved to defend a great nation,” he said. “Our military is powerful, and it’s prepared. . . . America and our friends and allies . . . stand together to win the war against terrorism. . . . America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time.”  In the years since then, many other leaders have given speeches that shared key elements of Bush’s rhetoric: interpreting acts of terrorism as a declaration of war on an entire country; calling the attackers cowardly and asserting the country’s own courage; and promising to hunt down the terrorists. “Today, France was attacked at its very heart, in Paris, at the offices of a newspaper,” the French President Francois Hollande said, on January 7, 2015, the day twelve people were killed at the headquarters of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. “We will not be intimidated,” the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, said, in a statement following a massacre carried out by the white supremacist Anders Breivik, in July, 2011. Stoltenberg called Breivik’s attack an “act of cowardice.” And, while Barack Obama avoided war rhetoric in his responses to terror, in his first statement on the Boston Marathon bombing, in 2013, he promised to “get to the bottom of this.” In 2015, responding to a shooting at Emanuel A.M.E. Church, in Charleston, South Carolina, he twice called the attacker a coward.  Ardern, on the other hand, immediately showed that she had no time for the perpetrator of the mosque shootings.“Many of those who will have been directly affected by this shooting may be migrants to New Zealand; they may even be refugees here,” she said. “They have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home. They are us. The person who has perpetuated this violence against us is not. They have no place in New Zealand. There is no place in New Zealand for such acts of extreme and unprecedented violence.”  These phrases are remarkable for what they do not contain: a promise to find the perpetrator and bring him to justice; any attempt to degrade him; any recognition of his desire to be seen, recognized, and fought. The opposite of terror is not courage, victory, or even justice, and it is certainly not “war on terror.” The opposite of terror is disregard for the terrorist.  In a later statement, Ardern made her policy of disregard explicit. Speaking to Parliament four days after the attacks, she said, “He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety. And that is why you will never hear me mention his name. He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless. And, to others, I implore you: speak the names of those who were lost, rather than the name of the man who took them. He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing. Not even his name.”  In not speaking about the attacker, Ardern has also managed to avoid creating a “them,” even as she has continued to speak about “us.” Addressing the families of the victims, she said, “We cannot know your grief, but we can walk with you at every stage. We can and we will surround you with aroha, manaakitanga, and all that makes us us.” She used Maori words that mean kindness, compassion, generosity. Again, it was the absence that was notable in Ardern’s speech: the absence of a rhetorical pivot from “us” to “them,” the enemy.  Even more remarkably, Ardern has succeeded in othering the terrorist, but not by treating him as an emissary from a hostile outside world; indeed, she had succeeded in describing the tragedy in both national and global terms. In a nuanced response to a BBC interviewer, who asked if she was concerned about a rise in white nationalism in New Zealand, she said, “My call would be a global one. I’m very clear here to make the distinction that yes, this was an Australian citizen, but that is not to say that we do not have ideology in New Zealand that would be an affront to the majority of New Zealanders, that would be utterly rejected by the majority, the vast majority of New Zealanders. But we still have a responsibility to weed it out where it exists and make sure that we never create an environment where it can flourish. But I would make that a global call.”  Ardern’s insistence on disregarding the killer, while recognizing the enormity of the loss he has caused, reflects a deeper understanding: some people kill people. Ideology of any sort is secondary to the violent impulse. (It is no coincidence that most terrorists have a history of violent behavior, particularly in the home.) In the face of this fact, a society, and its leaders, can do only two things: grieve and work to reduce the opportunity to kill. These are precisely the tasks Ardern has taken on. “One of the roles I never anticipated having, and hoped never to have, is to voice the grief of a nation,” she told Parliament. “At this time, it has been second only to securing the care of those affected and the safety of everyone.” She has become New Zealand’s mourner-in-chief.  The most effective way to fight violence is to make the violence less efficient. Less than a week after the attacks, Ardern’s government announced a ban on military-style weapons. Even before the terms of the ban were worked out, Ardern encouraged people to begin surrendering weapons to the police, and at least several dozen people did. The gun ban thus became, at least to a degree, a matter of political agreement, rather than an emergency measure or a restriction imposed by the government.  This is what political leaders do in the face of a senseless tragedy: they grieve with their people, they think with their people, and they act together with their people. None of those tasks requires a declaration of war.


npr--2019-01-17--In Bad Taste Disrespectful Photo Of Terrorist Attack In Kenya Sparks Controversy

'In Bad Taste, Disrespectful': Photo Of Terrorist Attack In Kenya Sparks Controversy  The photograph shows the aftermath of a terrorist attack at a luxury hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. Laptops and plates are still on the table, and four people are hunched over, bloodied and lifeless.  Almost immediately after The New York Times published the graphic image on its website, there was outrage in Kenya. Many people in a country coming to terms with Tuesday's horrific attack felt disrespected, and publication of the photo has sparked discussion about journalism ethics, media freedom and racism during coverage of such events.  "Absolutely distasteful, disgusting and deplorable. An utter disgrace," a user named Fadhili Kanini said on Twitter.  The attack began Tuesday afternoon when five men used grenades to breach the DusitD2 hotel in the Kenyan capital. One of them blew himself up at the restaurant where the photo was taken, and the four others moved through the hotel firing weapons. The standoff lasted until Wednesday morning, when the military moved in and killed the rest of the gunmen. In the end, the Islamist group al-Shabab took responsibility and 21 victims were killed.  But as Kenyans grieved, controversy over the photo taken by Khalil Senosi from The Associated Press continued to boil. A petition on Change.org calling on the Times to pull down the image had garnered nearly 18,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.  The New York Times for its part issued a statement saying that in these tough situations, its journalists "try to be very sensitive."  "We want to be respectful to the victims and to others affected by the attack," the statement read. "But we also believe it is important to give our readers a clear picture of the horror of an attack like this. This includes showing pictures that are not sensationalized but that give a real sense of the situation."  These are standards, the Times said, that are applied across the world.  But the discussion in Kenya asked a pointed question: Would the Times have published such a graphic photograph if this had happened in the U.S. and the victims had been white?  Stephen Maingi, a software engineer and data analyst in Nairobi who created the Change.org petition, worked his way through the Times' coverage of the mass shootings in Parkland, Fla.; Thousand Oaks, Calif.; the Brussels attack; and the bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. He said he saw no published photos of dead bodies, though it's not clear whether such photos were available for use.  One thing that is clear is that access to crime scenes in places such as Nairobi is less tightly controlled than in the United States.  Maingi also pointed out that the Times published the Kenya photo before families of the victims were notified.  "The New York Times did not honor the victims' rights to privacy and human dignity and to be treated in a manner that is not cruel, inhumane or degrading," Maingi said. Those are all things the Kenyan Constitution guarantees all its citizens.  Ken Opalo, a professor of political science at Georgetown University, wrote a blog post arguing that the Times' response showed a "significant amount of empathy gap." While the pictures did not show faces, he said, the people in them could be identified by clothing.  "Second, and more importantly, Kenyans' demands for respect for victims and their families are valid in their own right," he wrote. "They do not need further validation by what the Times does elsewhere."  Kainaz Amaria, a visuals editor at Vox.com who writes often about minority representation in visual journalism, tweeted that the Times seemed to be dealing with this criticism in a vacuum, as if it was an isolated incident.  "In fact it stands alongside decades of visual coverage exploiting the pain and suffering of black and brown folks," she tweeted.  The Foreign Correspondents' Association of East Africa, of which this reporter is a member, issued a statement backing The New York Times. The group pointed out that different media outlets have different guidelines and that Kenyans have every right to object to the Times' use of that photograph. The FCA-EA, however, objected to the personal attacks against the Times correspondent who wrote the associated story.  By Thursday afternoon, the controversy had moved from the Twitterverse to the real world. The Media Council of Kenya, which issues accreditation to all journalists in the country, gave The New York Times a 24-hour ultimatum: Either remove the picture and issue an apology or lose your accreditation.  "The MCK's position is that your publication was in bad taste, disrespectful to the victims and families of the affected victims in addition to being unprofessional," the council's chief, David Omwoyo, wrote.  In a letter responding to the Media Council, the Times stood its ground. Phil Corbett, associate managing editor for standards, explained that the Times has indeed made tough choices and published "similar painful photos" from around the world.  "Again, we are very sympathetic to the pain of those affected in Nairobi, and we understand that many reasonable people disagree with our decision to publish these photos," Corbett wrote. "But I hope to assure you that we take this responsibility seriously, and are guided by our mission to help readers see and understand the world."


npr--2019-03-15--49 Dead In Terrorist Attack At 2 Mosques In Christchurch New Zealand

49 Dead In 'Terrorist Attack' At 2 Mosques In Christchurch, New Zealand  Updated at 4:37 a.m. ET  Forty-nine people are dead and at least 20 are seriously injured in what New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says "can now only be described as a terrorist attack."  Two mosques in Christchurch were attacked Friday around the time of afternoon prayers. A male in his late 20s has been charged with murder, New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush said. Three other people were apprehended, though one of those people might not have been involved in the shootings. Bush said it would be "improper" to confirm the identity of the person charged at this point.  Bush said police have recovered "a number of firearms" from both crime scenes. There were also "possibly" two improvised explosive devices on one vehicle, Bush said. Police have disabled one and are in the process of disabling the other, he said.  Bush said 41 people were killed at the Al Noor Mosque near Hagley Park in the city's center; seven were killed at a mosque in Linwood, a few miles away. One person taken to a hospital died from injuries sustained during the attack.  Ardern said the attack by people with "extremist views" was "unprecedented — unlike any that we have experienced before."  None of those in custody were on any active security watch lists, either in New Zealand or Australia, Bush said.  New Zealanders must continue to feel secure in their country, Ardern said. "We represent diversity, kindness, compassion, a home for those who share our values, refuge for those who need it. And those values, I can assure you, will not and cannot be shaken by this attack."  One of the individuals in custody is Australian, according to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.  Christchurch Hospital said it was treating 48 patients for gunshot wounds, CNN reported.  Bush said earlier that police haven't been able to identify the victims yet because the mosques are still on lockdown.  New Zealand Police say they have asked all mosques across the country to "shut their doors."  "It is clear this is one of New Zealand's darkest days," Ardern said earlier Friday. "What has happened is an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence."  "Many of those affected may be migrants, maybe refugees ... They are us. ... The perpetrator is not. ... There is no place in New Zealand for such acts of extreme and unprecedented violence," Ardern said.  Bush urged anyone who had intended to visit a mosque in New Zealand not to go, to "close your doors until you hear from us again." The public was being urged to stay indoors.  Bush said he was aware of reports that the shooter had live-streamed an attack online. "We are doing everything we can to remove it," he said.  This is a developing story. Some facts reported by the media may later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.


npr--2019-08-06--FBI Opens Domestic Terrorism Investigation Into Gilroy Festival Shooting

The FBI has opened a domestic terrorism investigation into last month's mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California, after discovering that the shooter had a list that may have indicated potential targets of violence.  The investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the attack. At this point, "we have uncovered evidence throughout the course of our investigation that the shooter was exploring violent ideologies," John Bennett, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Francisco Field Office, said at a news conference Tuesday.  The gunman, 19-year-old Santino William Legan, killed three people, including two children, when he opened fire on July 28. The shooter also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police have said.  Legan appeared interested in multiple violent ideologies, Bennett said. Investigators are trying to determine "what if any ideology he had actually settled on" and "who, if anyone, he may have been in contact with regarding these ideologies," Bennett said.  They are also trying to determine whether anyone else knew about the attack beforehand, Bennett said, and "why he committed this specific act of violence."  A list of organizations found on the shooter's digital media, which Bennett says may have been potential targets, includes "religious institutions, federal buildings, courthouses, political organizations from both major political parties, and the Gilroy Garlic Festival."  Bennett said that for the FBI to open a domestic terrorism investigation, there must be a potential federal violation, the threat or unlawful use of force or violence, and "most importantly, the existence of ideological motivation."  At the same news conference, Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said that police have concluded the shooter fired 39 rounds.  Three police officers engaged the gunman less than a minute after he started firing — and Smithee told reporters that those officers fired 18 rounds. Some of them hit the gunman, though authorities have said that he was ultimately killed by his own hand.  He was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, Smithee said, and carrying multiple magazines. In his backpack, police officers found a rifle scope and a flashlight.  Smithee also said that investigators have determined that none of the victims who were killed were hit by police fire — they were all killed by the gunman.


npr--2019-11-29--2 Dead, 3 Injured In Terrorist Incident Near London Bridge

Police said two people were killed in a stabbing near London Bridge on Friday afternoon that authorities are describing as a terrorist incident. Three others were also injured and remained in the hospital as of early Saturday.  A male suspect was shot and killed at the scene.  Hours after the incident, a similar stabbing attack took place in The Hague, Netherlands, where several were injured. It was not immediately clear if the two attacks were related.  London Metropolitan Police Chief Cressida Dick told journalists that police fatally shot a suspect, who had been wearing a hoax bomb. Authorities were working at "full tilt" to determine if anyone else was involved in the attack, she said.  "Fighting terrorism takes effort and determination from all of us," Dick said. "We must emerge stronger still from the tragedy."  Neil Basu, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, identified the suspect who was shot and killed as Usman Khan, 28.  "This individual was known to authorities, having been convicted in 2012 for terrorism offences. He was released from prison in December 2018," Basu said in a statement.  Police have not yet publicly identified the victims, other than to say the two who were killed were a man and a woman and that the three who were injured are a man and two women.  The Metropolitan Police said they were called to London Bridge at 1:58 p.m. local time on Friday. The area was placed on a lockdown, and London Ambulance Services declared it a "major incident," saying several crews had been dispatched to the scene.  London Bridge has been the target of terrorism before. On June 3, 2017, seven people were killed and nearly 50 wounded at the site in an attack that began when a van plowed into pedestrians on London Bridge. At least one knife-wielding assailant also reportedly stabbed one of the victims. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.  Prime Minister Boris Johnson went to No. 10 Downing St. after being informed of Friday's attack.  "Clearly, the Metropolitan Police are continuing their investigations and I can assure you, assure everyone, that anybody involved in this crime and these attacks will be hunted down and will be brought to justice," Johnson said, speaking to reporters.  "[This] country will never be cowed or divided or intimidated by this sort of attack. And our values, British values, will prevail," he said.  London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, spoke to reporters, lauding without elaboration the "breathtaking heroism" in the public's response to the attack.  In a statement, he also wrote: "We must — and we will — stay resolute in our determination to stand strong and united in the face of terror."  White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement that President Trump had been briefed on the attack and was monitoring developments. "The United States strongly condemns all horrific acts of violence on innocent people, and we pledge our full support to our Ally, the United Kingdom," he wrote.  Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, police in the Hague reported that there was a stabbing incident at Grote Markt, a busy shopping area. According to police, three people were injured. A spokeswoman for Dutch police said it is not yet clear if terrorism was the motive for the attack, according to the AP.  This is a developing story. Some facts reported by the media may later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.


npr--2019-12-29--Gov. Cuomo Calls New York Hanukkah Attack 'Act Of Domestic Terrorism'

A man accused of stabbing and wounding five people at a rabbi's home in an Orthodox Jewish community in Rockland County, New York, just as they were lighting candles for Hanukkah, pleaded not guilty on Sunday to five counts of attempted murder.  Police have identified the alleged attacker as Grafton E. Thomas, 37, of Greenwood Lake, N.Y. He is currently in custody on attempted murder charges and one count of burglary.  It is unclear whether the rabbi's house was targeted, or what may have precipitated the attack. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now probing Thomas' background to try to determine a possible motivation.  On Saturday, around 10 p.m., members of Etya Gluck's family and others gathered at the rabbi's house to observe the seventh night of Hanukkah.  A knock on the door revealed a man they did not recognize.  "His shawl came up to his nose and his hoodie came down to his forehead," Gluck, 31, of Monsey, N.Y., told NPR.  She said the man was holding something large, but people in the house mistook the object for something else.  "They thought it was an umbrella. It was in the holder, like the storybooks," said Gluck, noting that before long those gathered at the rabbi's house realized the assailant was wielding a "giant" knife.  Gluck said her two children were on their way to the rabbi's house but had not arrived before the attack.  Her husband, Josef Gluck, the building manager at the synagogue, Congregation Netzach Yisroel, which is close to the rabbi's home, was inside the home when the man stormed in carrying the knife.  Gluck said as some were fleeing the violent scene to seek shelter, her husband fought back.  "My husband threw the table at him so he shouldn't injure this old sick man who was already injured," Gluck said. "Then he dragged himself to the synagogue and tried to get in. The door was locked. So he dragged himself to the car."  But before the assailant drove away, a witness was able to take a photograph of the license plate, allowing police to track the vehicle and eventually make an arrest in New York City's Harlem neighborhood, police said.  "It was critical to the case," Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel told reporters on Sunday.  Authorities said two of the five victims are still hospitalized.  While officials would not attribute a motive, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the attack is part of "hatred exploding" across the country.  "It is an American cancer that is spreading in the body politic," Cuomo said.  The rabbi's home where the attack took place is located about 30 miles north of New York City in an area that has a large population of ultra-Orthodox Jews.  President Trump called the stabbings "horrific," saying on Twitter, "We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism."  Standing in front of the rabbi's home on Sunday, Cuomo characterized the violent episode "an act of domestic terrorism."  "These are people who intend to create mass harm, mass violence, generate fear, based on race, color, creed. That is the definition of terrorism," Cuomo said.  On Sunday, Thomas was arraigned and pleaded not guilty. A judge set his bail at $5 million. Thomas is now being held at the Rockland County Jail.  Aron Kohn, who was in the rabbi's house during the attack, said a Hanukkah candle had just been lit before the intruder stormed in around 10 p.m.  "He started running into the big room, which was on the left side. And I threw tables and chairs, that he should get out of here," Kohn told reporters Sunday night. "I ran into the other room because I wanted to save my life."  Earlier, Cuomo tweeted that he was "horrified" by the stabbings.  "We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism in NY and we will hold the attacker accountable to the fullest extent of the law. NY stands with the Jewish community," said Cuomo, noting that the episode was the 13th anti-Semitic attack in New York since Dec. 8.  The attack comes amid reports of a spate of anti-Semitic violence in New York City and the surrounding area. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that police would increase their presence in neighborhoods with large Jewish populations.  In the past week, there have been reports of people being punched, slapped, hit in the face with a bag, and anti-Semitic slurs being shouted.  And earlier this month, a pair of shooters attacked a kosher market in Jersey City, N.J., killing three civilians, after killing a police officer at a nearby cemetery. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said the evidence pointed toward "acts of hate" in the attacks, with the attackers motivated by both "anti-Semitism and anti-law enforcement beliefs."  Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said the recent attacks mean law enforcement needs to step up protection of the Jewish community.  "Whether worshiping in synagogue, shopping in the supermarket or celebrating at home, Jews should be safe from violence," he wrote. "We need authorities to provide increased protection NOW and ensure that the full force of the law is brought down on those who perpetrate such horrific crimes."


osce--2019-12-18--Presentation of guidelines for journalists on reporting on violent extremism and terrorism in Bosnia

Presentation of guidelines for journalists on reporting on violent extremism and terrorism in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Press Council in BiH presented the guidelines for journalists “Reporting on Violent Extremism and Terrorism” on 18 December 2019 in Sarajevo.  The Guidelines aim to assist journalists when reporting on violent extremism and terrorism in order to avoid sensationalism and unintentional spread of panic and fear. They represent a new set of standards for professional reporting on these issues to prevent erroneous reporting and to ensure socially responsible journalism.  The Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Kathleen Kavalec, emphasized that the Press Council has made a big leap forward by recognizing the need for these guidelines and adopting them as part of a wider set of professional standards. “Reporting on these sensitive topics and issues remains a significant challenge for media not just in BiH, but around the world. Lack of due care when informing the public, for example by using sensationalist reporting, can and often does end up inadvertently disseminating terrorist propaganda, spreading fear and intolerance - which can even lead to violence,” said Kavalec.  Ljiljana Zurovac, Programme Director at the Press Council in BiH, stressed that the reporting on terrorism and violent extremism is, unfortunately, an increasingly common task for journalists in BiH. “Journalists are obliged to report on these topics in the public interest but they also need to be cautious in choosing the right information and how to release it, from which sources and in which moment, in order not to create additional panic and fear among citizens, as well as to report on victims and children involved in events caused by acts of terrorism and violent extremism carefully and in line with the Professional Code of Ethics. It is very important that media editors have been actively involved in the adoption of these Guidelines which were based on the reporting dilemmas they have encountered in their media so far,” stated Zurovac.  The Guidelines were developed in line with the conclusions of the OSCE’s conference “Media and Terrorism” held in Sarajevo in September 2018, which gathered journalists, editors and media professionals from BiH and abroad.


pamelagellerreport--2019-01-01--Justice Denied to Victims of ISIS Terror Attack in Garland Texas

Justice Denied to Victims of ISIS Terror Attack in Garland, Texas

The public will not learn details about the United States’ first ISIS terror attack in Garland, Texas, on May 3, 2015. In a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, dismissal was granted by a federal Judge on December 21, 2018.  The lawsuit, , has been chronicled by the Geller Report: The case’s essential questions, facts, and FBI’s motion to dismiss: Geller Report; the FBI’s motion for relief from discovery: Geller Report; the Judge’s order prevented discovery: Geller Report; and the case on hold: Geller Report. The case’s pleadings are linked at the end of this story.  “On January, 2015, terrorists killed 12 people at the office of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine, in retaliation for the magazine’s cartoon depictions of the prophet Muhammad. On January 17, 2015, an Islamic group held a conference titled “Stand with the Prophet in Honor and Respect,” at which opposition to cartoon depictions of Muhammad was a central focus. The conference was held at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland. Pamela Geller, a free speech activist, organized a protest outside the conference. Then, Geller announced that she would host a ‘Draw the Prophet’ competition” at the same location. Order p. 2  “On April 24, 2015, UCE-1 and Simpson were chatting over social media. Simpson shared a link about Geller’s upcoming event, and the conversation proceeded as follows. Order p. 3  Simpson:         Bro, u don’t have to say that… U know what happened in Paris… I think…  Simpson:         So that goes without saying… No need to be direct.”  “Plaintiff Bruce Joiner brought this lawsuit after being shot in the leg while working as a security guard at the ‘First Annual Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest,’ an event that took place at the Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, on May 3, 2015.” Order p. 1  “For the above actions, Plaintiff brought suit against the United States pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act. He hinges his theories of the United States’ liability on the doctrines of respondeat superior, vicarious liability, civil conspiracy, and aiding and abetting. Plaintiff brought causes of action for assault, international terrorism, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The latter two claims are in the alternative. The United States moved to dismiss the action for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction or, in the alternative, for a failure to state a claim.” Order p. 5  But-For the FBI’s undercover agent, UCE-1, having “volunteered” to facilitate a “protest,” a code for murder, and enlisted Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, would there have been an attack of bullets, resulting in the security officer, Bruce Joiner, having been shot in his leg, and his incurring Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Should Plaintiff, Bruce Joiner, get $8 million in compensatory damages? Complaint p. 38  “The United States is immune from suit absent its consent, and the terms of that consent define a court’s jurisdiction over claims brought against the United States.” The Federal Tort Claims Act “contains a waiver of sovereign immunity … The FTCA’s waiver is subject to several exceptions … One such exception is the discretionary function exception … whether or not the discretion involved be abused.” Order pp. 6-7  As the FBI’s “Declaration notes, ‘FBI policies allow investigative personnel wide discretion to determine operational details of how to conduct an investigation.’ Plaintiff contends, however, that UCE-1 exceeded his discretionary authority by participating in Simpson’s and Soofi’s violent acts, including inciting Simpson by sending the ‘tear up Texas’ message, reassuring Hendricks that he was armed at the event, accompanying Soofi and Simpson to the event, and conducting reconnaissance at the event.” Order pp. 8-9  The “Court finds that the policies identified by Plaintiff, along with the National Security Undercover Operations Policy Guide, contain elements of discretion and that the FBI acted within the scope of that discretionary authority.” Order p. 11  The “Court grants Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss without prejudice for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.” Order p. 19  Obama’s administration embraced the Muslim Brotherhood, and HAMAS-CAIR. Some of these Muslims’ advocates have been issued top secret security clearances. They have been privy to, and helped to write, policy and training for many federal agencies. You should read See Something, Say Nothing by Philip Haney, a Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Government’s Submission to Jihad.  This case is another example of the Obama administration’s refusal to identify jihadists, but instead label the events being caused by “violent extremists;” or simply, generic criminals. As reported by Liberty One News: In Bruce Joiner’s “personal opinion, that involves factual evidence … only one person is to blame for this…, former president Obama.”  Dismissal was granted; the case ended on December 21, 2018; and the public likely will never learn details. However, Plaintiff could appeal the decision. Or, because the dismissal was “without prejudice,” Plaintiff could re-file the lawsuit.  The USA / FBI owes explanations to many victims of the first ISIS-credited terrorist attack in the United States. Victims include: (a) Bruce Joiner, the security guard, shot; (b) Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, sponsors of the event; (c) Bosch Fawstin, winner of the contest, well as hundreds of artists, including this author; (d) hundreds of attendees at the event; and (e) We, the taxpayers, who have a right to know details of our government’s submission to jihad via political correctness.  Gerald Lostutter is a Florida licensed attorney, college professor, journalist, and patriot life member (endowment level) of the National Rifle Association. This article does not create an attorney-client relationship. You should consult a licensed attorney for advice.  The Truth Must be Told Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Please contribute to our ground-breaking work here.    Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.


pamelagellerreport--2019-01-19--Norway Terror Muslim terrorist who wanted to kill several people captured after stabbing woman bu

Norway Terror: Muslim terrorist ‘who wanted to kill several people’ captured after stabbing woman buying groceries

These now daily acts of horror are followed by a different sort of horror, news stories and analysis that:  By Reuters and Sara Malm For Mailonline, 18 January 2019:  A 20-year-old Russian man has been arrested in Norway for stabbing a woman in a supermarket in ‘an act of terrorism’.  The woman was knifed while paying for her groceries in a supermarket in the capital Oslo on Thursday, and remains in critical condition in hospital.  The man was arrested shortly after the attack, upon which he told police it had been an act of terror and that he ‘wanted to kill several people’.  The incident is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, the head of the Norwegian police’s security service (PST) said on Friday.  ‘The man said under questioning that he wanted to kill several people and that this was an act of terror,’ PST head Marie Benedicte Bjørnland told a news conference.  The suspect had arrived in Oslo on Thursday, travelling from Russia via neighbouring Sweden, she said. There were no other suspects.  Police were investigating possible links to Islamist extremism, Bjørnland said, adding that the victim was critically ill in hospital.    Marie Benedicte Bjørnland, head of the Norwegian Police Security Service PST, said they are investigating possible links to Islamist extremism  Russia’s foreign ministry and FSB state security service did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment about the stabbing incident and the background of the suspect.  The most recent fatal terrorism attack in Norway was in 2011 when far-right militant Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in a bombing in central Oslo and a shooting spree on a nearby island.  In 2017, a 17-year-old Russian who prosecutors said had frequented Islamist websites was sentenced to nine months in jail for making a small bomb and bringing it to the centre of Oslo on a busy Saturday night. The device failed to go off.


pamelagellerreport--2019-03-18--Islamic terror caused 84000 deaths worldwide in 2017 report says

Islamic terror caused 84,000 deaths worldwide in 2017, report says

It’s “global and growing.” Stalin said (paraphrasing) ‘A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic’ and when its jihad it’s barely that.  Islamist extremism caused 84,000 deaths worldwide in 2017, new report says  A new report tracking the roots, spread and effects of violent Islamist extremism found that 121 groups that share elements from a common ideology are now operating worldwide. Their activities resulted in the deaths of 84,000 people – nearly 22,000 of them civilians – in 66 countries in 2017, the report found.  In remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Thursday that Islamist extremism is “global and growing.”  “It didn’t begin with al Qaeda; nor will it end with the defeat of ISIS,” Blair said.  The “Global Extremist Monitor,” which was produced by Blair’s eponymous non-profit, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, drew on hundreds of English-language news sources that reported on incidents of violent extremism in 2017. There were a total of 7,841 attacks – an average of 21 per day –in 48 countries, it said, with war-torn Syria topping the list of countries most affected by violent extremism. Overall, Muslims were the most frequent victims of deadly attacks.  Twenty-nine violent Islamist groups were actively engaged in conflict in Syria in 2017, the report said, with ISIS responsible for 44 percent of all attacks. Half of all civilian fatalities recorded globally were documented in Syria.  A separate, recent UN report said there are between 20,000 and 30,000 ISIS fighters still operating across Iraq and Syria, though its self-proclaimed physical caliphate has been all but eliminated.  Blair, who was Britain’s prime minister at the time of the September 11 attacks, and under whose leadership the country engaged alongside the U.S. in the Iraq war, called on the international community to rely less on security measures and more on soft power and development initiatives to combat violent extremism.  “Security measures obviously have in many ways been effective and must remain in place,” he said. “But the reality is, security alone will only slow the violence.”  In a panel discussion following Blair’s presentation, counterterrorism and insurgency expert Bruce Hoffman echoed his remarks, saying security, countermeasures and kinetics have “an absolutely vital role,” but added, “to actually break the cycle of recruitment and regeneration that is sustaining these groups, you have to target…education, countering the falsehoods, and, of course, building local leadership,” Hoffman said.  Fellow panelist Farah Pandith, who served during the Obama administration as the State Department’s first-ever special representative to Muslim communities, said action and investment were especially urgent as groups like ISIS broaden their recruitment efforts for operational gain.  “It is not just about young men; it’s also about young women,” she said. “ISIS and other groups…have understood very smartly that it isn’t useful for them to just look at one part of the population; they need to look at everyone.”  “So they’re looking at men and women, girls and boys,” Pandith said.  In his call for global commitments, Blair stressed the importance of investment in public and private education systems to promote religious tolerance and literacy.  “The essential thing, in my view, is to deal with the ideology,” Blair said, “and not just the violence.”  The Truth Must be Told Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Please contribute to our ground-breaking work here.    Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.


pamelagellerreport--2019-04-08--THE HORROR NYU honors Jew-hating terror-tied thugs Students for Justine in Palestine SJP with Pre

THE HORROR: NYU honors Jew-hating terror-tied thugs Students for Justine in Palestine (SJP) with Presidential Service Award

All colleges are hotbeds of left-wing hate and bigotry, but NYU is at the forefront of norming Jew-hatred. They set an horrifying precedent with this incomprehensible award given, no less, at an enormous graduation commencement ceremony at Yankee Stadium. Students for Justice in Palestine is the largest anti-Jewish student group in the country.  [The pose a] risk to Jewish and pro-Israel students appears to be growing. Indeed, unless college administrators take a more active role in preventing it, SJP has a good chance of achieving its goal of turning venomous hatred of Israel and bullying of Jews and non-Jewish supporters—with all the violence and fear that inevitably accompany it—into a legitimate and accepted tactic on North American campuses. (The Tower)  [SJP] advocate for Israel’s destruction, admire terrorists, and are making Jewish students feel unsafe on campuses across the country. They’re Students for Justice in Palestine—and they’re a huge problem  Historically the recipient of Jewish philanthropy (Stern School of Business, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Kimmel Center for University Life, Arthur Carter Hall) etc)  This incident is only one in a series of documented physical assaults against pro-Israel and Zionist students. In opening its campus to the 2018 SJP National Conference, UCLA becomes an inviting location for such physical violence to occur. In viewing the Brandenburg standard, one can debate the imminence of such violence. What is more likely than not, however, is that in the wake of such SJP rallies, violence is more likely to occur.  For example, on April 27, 2018, an SJP protest against a pro-Israel event at New York University (NYU) turned violent when an SJP member “stole an Israel[i] flag [from pro-Israel students] and brought it to the [SJP] protesters. [The flag] was ripped, stomped on, defaced with pink chalk and then burned.” Also at the event, an SJP member “sneaked in during the singing of Hatikva, forcefully and hurtfully grabbed the microphone from the [pro-Israel student] who had been holding it, and shouted, ‘Free Palestine!’”  Terror-Tied SJP to Host Vigil Equating Pittsburgh Shooting to Israel’s Actions in Gaza  Evidence mounting that US boycott-Jews (BDS) groups are fronts for terror organizations  SJP activists frequently intimidate and harass Jewish and pro-Israel students. SJP members have physically assaulted Jewish students, aggressively disrupted pro-Israel events and possibly vandalized communal property. SJP rallies regularly include hate-speech and chants such as “Long Live The Intifada!” and “From the River to the Sea Palestine will be Free!” — calls for violence and for the dismantling of Israel as a Jewish state.  Temple University, August 2014: A Jewish student was hit in the face by someone who was part of a group of students, many of whom were confirmed as SJP members. Two witnesses heard members of SJP call him a “kike” after the attack. “Before this, I just thought Students for Justice in Palestine was crazy”, the victimsaid after the incident, “but I didn’t know it would lead to violence.”  Loyola University, September 2014: Members of SJP at Loyola University Chicago verbally assaulted Jewish students affiliated with Hillel who were staffing a table with literature for a Birthright Israel trip. SJP members reportedly surrounded the table, blocking the movement of the Hillel students and preventing others from approaching. One student witness told The College Fix, a news website that covers campus issues, that one Jewish student became “worried about attending future Hillel events for fear of being attacked.”  Northeastern University, 2013: The entire SJP was suspended from campus for a school year after intimidating students on campus. In 2011 the chapter chose to interrupt an on-campus Holocaust remembrance event by whipping out anti-Israel signs and yelling insults at the audience and speakers before storming out.  Florida Atlantic University, April 2012: SJP members posted eviction notices on the dorm room doors of 200 students, most of them Jewish. The tactic has been repeated at various campuses. As one NYU student said, “this made me feel targeted and unsafe in my own dorm room and I know others feel exactly the same as myself.”  UC Berkeley, March 2010: Husam Zakharia, while serving as president of the SJP chapter on campus, rammed a female pro-Israel student with a shopping cart. She was holding a sign reading “Israel Wants Peace.”  SJP is frequently criticized for creating a hostile and unsafe environment on U.S. campuses for all who do not share their anti-Israel views.  In August of 2014, a document was leaked to the public entitled “Declaration of Principles and Strategies of Binghamton University Students for Justice in Palestine.”  The document outlined the tactics and organizational details for the Binghamton University branch of SJP and provides insights into the organization’s guiding principles.  The document shut down any possibility of dialogue with pro-Israel students, entrenching a policy known as “anti-normalization” which “prohibit(s) the leadership of SJP from engaging in any form of official collaboration, cooperation, or event co-sponsorship with the following student organizations and groups, due to their unyielding support for the Apartheid State of Israel.”  The document listed examples of pro-Israel groups subject to this exclusion such as Hillel, CAMERA and AEPi and clarified that this would include collaborations on publications, discussions or events with them.  The document also gave its members directives on how to disrupt pro-Israel activities with maximum impact while staying “within the bounds of what is not widely considered to be legally reprehensible.”  Realize Israel, a pro-Israel group at New York University, said in an April 5 Facebook post that the university is “condoning violence and discrimination” by giving the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter an award.  As the Journal previously reported, NYU SJP announced on Facebook that they had been selected for a Presidential Service Award for “significant contributions to the university community in the areas of learning, leadership, and quality of student life.”  Realize Israel wrote in their post, “We are outraged that the University would award an organization that has spent the last several years making Jewish and pro-Israel students feel unwelcome and unsafe on campus.”  They pointed out that NYU SJP “defaced Israel’s flag and physically assaulted pro-Israel students for openly celebrating their identities” and put forward “two one-sided and factually inaccurate anti-Israel resolutions to the Student Government Assembly through a non-transparent, unbalanced, and undemocratic process.”  “By presenting the NYU President’s Award to SJP, not only is our university condoning violence and discrimination against members of the NYU community, but it is declaring that this type of behavior represents the ethos of our university,” Realize Israel wrote.  They added that they are going to investigate who nominated NYU SJP for the award and who decided to give them the award.  “We also believe it is high time that the administration put an end to this endless cycle of intimidation, and we plan to voice our concerns about the systemic anti-Semitism perpetuated by anti-Israel activism that is plaguing our campus,” the post concluded.  Ezra Meir Cohen, president of Realize Israel, told the Journal in a text message, “It is ridiculous that members of this organization constantly persecute other students (one of them was arrested because he physically assaulted another student at our yearly Yom Ha’atzmaut party), and that the university is rewarding them.”  In April 2018, an unidentified NYU student can be seen wrestling the microphone out of the hands a female NYU student leading the singing of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem. He started chanting “Free Palestine” before being arrested on charges of assault and stealing


pamelagellerreport--2019-11-26--UK: SHOCKING CCTV footage of Muslim terrorist launching a frenzied stabbing attack on train commuter

UK: SHOCKING CCTV footage of Muslim terrorist launching a frenzied stabbing attack on train commuters –  shouting ‘Long live the Caliphate’

Jihadi Mahdi Mohamud, a Dutch national from a Somali family, who had arrived in the UK aged nine, pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder when he appeared at Manchester Crown Court today.  During his terror attack at the city’s Victoria railway station last New Year’s Eve, Mohamud expressed his allegiance to Allah by screaming ‘Allahu Akbar!’ and ‘Long live the Caliphate!’ as he stabbed his victim, James Knox repeatedly in the back, shoulders and head before turning his devotional attentions towards Anna Charlton, slashing her across the face.  Mohamud was pepper sprayed and Police Sergeant Lee Valentine, shot at him with his Taser, which failed to paralyse him.  Sgt.Valentine attempted to reload, but Mohamud stabbed him in the shoulder before being wrestled to the ground and arrested.   Hmm, will the Islamophobia never end?  CCTV reveals horrific moment lone-wolf terrorist shouting ‘Long live the Caliphate’ stabbed two innocent commuters ‘like an animal’ in New Year’s Eve railway station attack before slashing a hero PC • Mahdi Mohamud, 26, today pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder • The 26-year-old shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ and ‘Long Live the Caliphate’ in attack • He stabbed Anna Charlton and James Knox at Manchester Victoria Station • He also slashed officer Lee Valentine as he was Tasered and pepper sprayed • Mohamud was found to be in possession of a terror manual titled ‘the seven most lethal ways to strike with a knife’ and footage of terror preacher Anwar al-Awalaki Shocking CCTV footage shows the moment a terrorist launched a frenzied attack on train commuters – as the hero police officer who tried to stop the attacker recalls how he ‘lunged’ at his head with the blade. Sergeant Lee Valentine, 31, has spoken of the moment he pulled the trigger on his Taser but failed to stop crazed lone wolf Mahdi Mohamud who was armed with a fillet knife. He was with colleague Pc Tom Wright, 27, on duty at Manchester Victoria railway station when he heard a shocking scream as Mohamud launched the attack. Sgt Valentine said he felt ‘massively’ lucky not to be more seriously injured in the attack last New Year’s Eve. CCTV footage shows the moment the knifeman, 26, had 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. Sgt Valentine said: ‘I didn’t even get the chance to take the fired cartridge off the top before he just started running towards me. ‘He probably closed a seven foot gap in half a second. ‘It was just like a dive, he flew, he probably jumped three or four foot off the ground and just sort of lunged, probably lunged at my head with his knife.’ Mohamud, who was born in the Netherlands and moved to the UK aged nine, had been diagnosed with a drug-induced psychosis in 2016, and had created a document incorporating the jihadi message of terror figurehead Anwar Al-Awalaki. Mohamud at Manchester Crown Court today admitted three counts of attempted murder and one count of 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’. Talking of the moment he heard the attack, Sgt Valentine said: ‘It was just like a scream I had never heard before, it was literally like someone was being killed.’ Fellow British Transport Police (BTP) Pc 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. The suspect was pepper sprayed before seconds later Pc Wright, 27, arrived along with Sgt Valentine, the only one armed with a 50,000 volt Taser gun.  The Truth Must be Told Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Please contribute to our ground-breaking work here.    Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.


pamelagellerreport--2019-12-06--FLORIDA JIHAD: Muslim terrorist who opened fire on US Navy base in Florida is member of SAUDI MILITA

FLORIDA JIHAD: Muslim terrorist who opened fire on US Navy base in Florida is member of SAUDI MILITARY

Second Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani was a member of the Saudi airforce.  Trump’s national security ban is not enough. How many people have to die? Answer me.   19 of the Muslim terrorists on 9/11 were Saudi citizens. Why would continue to give Saudi nationals flying lessons? 3,000 murdered men, women and children wasn’t enough?  Saudi Air Force member suspected in shooting at US Navy base that left four dead  The first reports of an “active shooter” on the base came through to the Escambia County sheriff’s office at about 6:51 a.m., officials said.  A member of the Saudi Air Force visiting the United States for military training was the suspect in a shooting attack at a U.S. Navy base in Florida in which four people were killed and eight were injured on Friday, the state governor and other officials said.  Four people including the shooter were killed in the episode at Naval Air Station Pensacola, the Navy and local sheriff’s office said, the second deadly shooting at a U.S. military installation this week.  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed that the suspect was a Saudi national attending training at the base as part of long-standing Navy program open to U.S. allies. The motive for the violence was still under investigation.  “There is obviously going to be a lot of questions about this individual being a foreign national, being a part of the Saudi Air Force and then to be here training on our soil,” DeSantis said at a news conference on Friday. “The government of Saudi Arabia needs to make things better for these victims. They are going to owe a debt here, given that this was one of their individuals.”  The suspect fired a handgun in the attack, which played out over two floors in classroom building at a base whose main function is training.  “Walking through the crime scene was like being on the set of a movie,” Sheriff David Morgan said.  The first reports of an “active shooter” on the base came through to the Escambia County sheriff’s office at about 6:51 a.m., officials said.  In recent weeks, 18 naval aviators and two aircrew members from the Royal Saudi Naval Forces were training with the U.S. Navy, including a stint at Pensacola, according to a Nov. 15 press release from the Navy. It was not clear if the suspected shooter was part of that delegation.  The delegation came under a Navy program that offers training to U.S. allies, known as the Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity.  The Saudi trainees went “through the same student naval aviator or aircrew training that their U.S. Navy counterparts experience,” the press release said.  Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington did not respond to questions.  Two sheriff’s deputies were injured, one shot in the arm, the other in the knee, but both were expected to survive, officials said at the news conference.  Eight people were taken to Baptist Hospital for treatment, hospital spokeswoman Kathy Bowers said.  Sheriff’s officials said one of the three victims died after being taken to the hospital, but it was unclear whether that victim was one of the eight who arrived at Baptist. Bowers declined to say.  While military bases house the nation’s most powerful armaments, military personnel normally are restricted from carrying weapons on base unless they are part of their daily duties. Nonetheless U.S. military bases have seen deadly mass shootings before, including one in Ford Hood, Texas, in 2009 that left 13 dead and one at the Washington Navy Yard in 2013 that killed 12.  U.S. President Donald Trump said on Twitter that he had been briefed and spoken with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.  On Wednesday, a sailor shot three civilians at the historic Pearl Harbor military base in Hawaii, killing two of them before taking his own life.  The Pensacola base, which is near Florida’s border with Alabama, is a major training site for the Navy and home to its aerobatic flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels. The base employs more than about 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel, according to the base’s website.  Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said at the news conference that the base is “an incredibly important part of our community.”  “We’re a military town,” he said. “Our hearts and prayers are connected to all of those that serve us every day.”


pamelagellerreport--2019-12-16--Four Muslims Arrested for Vandalizing Barcelona Jihad-Terror Attack Memorial

They destroyed it by pouring concrete on it. That, too, is a terror attack.  Four Pakistani nationals were arrested in Barcelona earlier this week after they poured concrete on part of a memorial to the victims of the 2017 Barcelona terror attack.  The four men poured concrete over a plaque on the La Rambla street which is a memorial to the victims, 16 of whom died, of the Barcelona radical Islamic terror attack. The vandalism took place at around 6 p.m. in the evening and the suspects were soon caught by police just yards away from the site of the crime, Spanish newspaper El Pais reports.  Police were tipped off by a pedestrian who managed to capture the act on their mobile phone and helped identify the Pakistani men who were behind it.  Each of the four men has been charged with harming the memorial and have also been charged under Spanish hate crime legislation due to the nature of the attack. The concrete has since been removed from the memorial.  The memorial itself contains the phrase “May peace cover you, oh city of peace” in Spanish, Catalan, English, and Arabic and lies next to a drawing of the word Barcelona by artist Frederic Amat, along with the date and time of the terrorist attack.  The incident comes just over a year since Stefan Åkerlund, the father of Stockholm terror attack victim Ebba Åkerlund, complained repeatedly to police that a migrant had vandalised his daughter’s grave on multiple occasions.  “I personally caught him in the act of desecration, when he was pouring [candle wax] on Ebba’s grave; the police released him after only one hour in custody,” Åkerlund said.  “That’s what my nightly visits to the graveyard were worth.”  Since the Barcelona attacks, Spain has been on high alert for radical Islamic terrorist plots. Spanish and Moroccan authorities have managed to foil a potential attack on the city of Seville during Holy Week earlier this year.


pamelagellerreport--2019-12-29--WATCH: Terrorist Arrested in Chanukah Celebration Machete Stabbings in Harlem

Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Louis Farrakhan and the Democrat Party of Jew hatred have blood on their hands. The Left has made New York dangerous for Jews. Democrat authorities are complicit to these antisemitic assaults, since they are being perpetrated by their supporters and constituents. President Trump must intervene in this crisis before someone is killed.  After a two-hour cross county search, the suspect in the Monsey stabbing attack was arrested in Harlem, CBS reports.  Five people were stabbed Saturday night at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York, and a suspect was later arrested in New York City, police said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the attack an act of “domestic terrorism.”  Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said a man armed with a blade attacked around 10 p.m., on the seventh night of Hanukkah. The attacker, identified as 37-year-old Thomas Grafton, was arrested by the New York City police department nearly two hours later in the Harlem section of Manhattan, NBC New York reported.  “This is an intolerant time in our country,” he said to reporters outside the rabbi’s home on Sunday morning. “We see anger, we see hatred exploding.”  Authorities have not provided a motive for the attack, but Cuomo said it was an example of larger problems.  The suspect faces five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary, authorities said Sunday.  The suspect was caught in a car after license plate readers in Harlem and the George Washington Bridge were able to locate him, a senior law enforcement official told NBC News. Investigators requested a search warrant for the vehicle in an effort to determine whether the weapon was inside.  Weidel said the victims were taken to two hospitals in the area. Their conditions were not released.  Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said a man armed with a blade attacked around 10 p.m., on the seventh night of Hanukkah. The attacker was arrested by the New York City police department nearly two hours later in the Harlem section of Manhattan, NBC New York reported. Monsey is an enclave of ultra-Orthodox Jews about 35 miles from New York City.  The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council for the Hudson Valley region tweeted reports that the stabbings took place at the house of a Hasidic rabbi during a Hanukkah celebration.  Police said the stabbings happened at around 10 p.m. A witness saw the suspect fleeing in car and alerted police to license plate number, Weidel, the police chief in Ramapo, which covers Monsey, said. That allowed police to find his vehicle as he entered New York City, where police apprehended.  He said he thought the crime was an act of domestic terrorism and expected it to be prosecuted that way.  He added: “It is an American cancer on the body politic.”  Here’ what we know about the (thanks to Heavy):  1. The NYPD Located Grafton Thomas in a 2015 Nissan Sentra With ‘Blood All Over Him’  The suspect, identified as Grafton Thomas, lives in Greenwood Lake. Public records show that Thomas lives in a house on Lake Drive that has been owned by a relative since 2001. He previously lived in Brooklyn, New York, records show.  The suspect fled the stabbing scene in a vehicle, but it didn’t take long for police to locate it. Police revealed that the NYPD had located the suspect in the 32nd Precinct. Authorities said a witness wrote down the suspect’s license plate at the scene and it was uploaded into a police database. License plate readers helped alert the NYPD that the suspect had driven his Nissan Sentra into New York City, where he was apprehended.  According to CNN, Thomas was found with “blood all over him.” He was arrested just after midnight on Sunday. The stabbings occurred about 10 p.m. Saturday.  CBS New York reported that the man entered the Shul and stabbed people with a machete during a Chanukah celebration. According to the television station, the suspect chased people out of the home before fleeing in a car.  Governor Cuomo called the incident “frightening” and “inexplicable.” He said the suspect did not make any statements before stabbing people. “Nothing said, just hate. Hate and violence, that’s all it was,” Cuomo said Sunday.  The Orthodox Jews Public Affairs Council located in the area wrote on Twitter: “At 9:50 this eve, a call came in about a mass stabbing at 47 Forshay Road in Monsey (Rockland County; 30 miles North of NYC). It’s the house of a Hasidic Rabbi. 5 patients with stab wounds, all Hasidic, were transported to local hospitals.”  The Council added: “2 of the victims of the attack were taken into hospital as critical. The perp’s face was partially covered with a scarf but skin showed him to be an African American. One of the victims was stabbed at least 6 times. The fifth/least severe case had a cut in his hand. Perp left in a vehicle…a Gray Nissan Sentra.” The New York Times reported that the knife attack occurred in the home of an “ultra-Orthodox rabbi.”  2. Grafton Thomas Has a Criminal History, Including Being Accused of Punching a Police Horse, Reports Say  Grafton Thomas has a criminal history. According to Daily Beast, it includes once punching a police horse and that’s just one of several past arrests on his record. Daily Beast gave his name as Grafton Thomas. However, The New York Daily News says Grafton has only one sealed prior arrest.  He is now facing five counts of attempted murder.  The Jewish community has been through a lot, and the videos from Monsey were distressing.  “On this sixth night of Hanukkah, five people were stabbed during a menorah lighting at a synagogue in Monsey, Rockland County. A man walked in and started stabbing people with a machete,” wrote Mack Rosenberg of WCBS 880.  The disturbing videos posted to Twitter showed victims on stretchers and chaos at the scene. ABC 7 reported that the rabbi’s home is located next door “to his congregation.” The attack occurred on the evening of December 28, 2019.  ADL New York/New Jersey wrote, “Aware of reports of a stabbing in Monsey, NY at a synagogue. We are on the way to the scene to gather more information and coordinate with law enforcement.”  3. One Witness Said Grafton Thomas Pulled Out a Knife & Started to ‘Run at People’  One witness described the horrific stabbing attack to The New York Post, saying, “He just took it (the knife) out and started to run at people.” The witness said he threw furniture at Thomas.  Mark D. Levine, New York City Councilman, wrote, “There have been NINE anti-Semitic attacks in NYC in the past week. And now this horror tonight just outside the city, in Monsey. This is a full blown crisis. None of what we are doing is good enough.”  4. Unconfirmed Reports Say a Suspect Pulled Out a Machete With a Cover Before Stabbing People  The suspect “entered Rabbi Rottenburg’s Shul, located in the Forshay neighborhood in Monsey, and pulled out a machete. He pulled off the cover and stabbed at least 3 people. One of the victims was stabbed in the chest,” reported Vos Iz Neias.com.  A man wrote on Twitter, “A man with machete just went into a synagogue not far from my house and started stabbing people. Prayers to those wounded. Reports are that the suspect is still on the loose.”  Motti Seligson, director of media for Chabad, reported that people at the synagogue “were gathered for a Hanukkah celebration.” He also wrote, “I’m hearing two men walked into Rabbi Rottenberg’s home where a menorah lighting ceremony was taking place and stabbed five people. They tried moving to the ajoining synagogue but the people there barricaded the door. They fled in a silver car.”  Monsey is a hamlet and census-designated place that is located in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County.     5. The Area Has the Largest Jewish Population in New York State & the String of Anti-Semitic Attacks Is Raising Great Alarm  According to The New York Times, Rockland County’s roughly 320,000 residents are about 31 percent Jewish, which is the largest Jewish population per capita of any New York county.  Previously, an Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed as he walked to a Monsey synagogue, The Times reported in November 2019.  Earlier in the day on December 28, Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted about a different attack, writing, “I am disgusted to learn of the attack on three members of our Jewish community in Brooklyn on Friday—the 6th anti-Semitic incident in NYC just this week. The cowards responsible are trying to spread fear, but they will always fail. NY stands united against anti-Semitism & hate.” The Jersey City mass shooting at a Kosher supermarket has also left the Jewish community shaken.  The Truth Must be Told Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Please contribute to our ground-breaking work here.    Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.


pamelagellerreport--2019-12-30--UK: FIVE ARRESTED IN DEADLY NEW YEAR’S EVE TERROR PLOT

The trouble is, with so many jihadis in the West, we need to get it right every day – they only need to be lucky once in a while. We have remade our societies into veritable police states rather than take the necessary measures to keep this scourge from our shores.  Met police arrest five suspects on suspicion of organising terror offences  FIVE men have been arrested on suspicion of terror offences the Metropolitan Police have confirmed today.  In a joint nationwide operation, forced from the Counter Terrorism Command, Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) unit and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) CTP arrested the five men today. According to the police, the five men were arrested on Monday morning at addresses in north London, Manchester and Peterborough.  In a statement from the Met Police they said: “A 21-year-old man [A] was arrested in Manchester on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism under Section 40(1)(b) Terrorism Act (TACT) 2000.  “A 19-year-old man [B] was arrested in Peterborough and two men [D – 23yrs; E – 22yrs] were arrested in north London on suspicion of the same offence.  “A 19-year-old man [C] was also arrested in Peterborough on suspicion of encouraging terrorism, under section 1 of TACT 2000. This arrest was made under PACE.”  The police also stated the arrested were not made into a supposed threat on New Year’s Eve.     Four men arrested have been arrested on suspicion of attempting an act terrorism (Image: GETTY/Express)     Moreover, the operation was made in relation to the attack on Fishmongers’ Hall in London last month.  The police added: “Searches are currently being carried out a number of addresses in Manchester, Peterborough and north London and the investigation is being led by detectives from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command with support from CTPNW and ERSOU colleagues.”  Last month, Cambridge University students, Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt were killed in attack in Fishmongers’ Hall.  The attack then continued to London Bridge where the attacker, Usman Khan was confronted by members of the public.  Khan, 28, was a convicted terrorist and was released in December 2018.  After being tackled to the floor by the public, he was later shot dead by the police.  In a statement, Mr Merritt’s family described him as a “talented” man who died “doing what he loved”.  It continued: “Jack lived his principles; he believed in redemption and rehabilitation, not revenge, and he always took the side of the underdog.  “Jack was an intelligent, thoughtful and empathetic person.”  Ms Jones’ family also praised her daughter, who they said had a “great passion” for supporting victims of criminal justice.


politicalite--2019-04-19--BREAKING One DEAD after Nothern Ireland Terror Incident

BREAKING: One DEAD after Nothern Ireland Terror Incident

A WOMAN has been shot dead in Londonderry, according to reports.  The victim, 29 died after shots were fired in Londonderry, with police in Northern Ireland treating the death as a “terrorist incident”.  Police in Northern Ireland have launched a murder inquiry after the death in the Creggan area of the city amid unrest on Thursday evening.  Petrol bombs were thrown and images from the scene show vehicles alight and others burnt out.  Assistant chief constable Mark Hamilton, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said a murder inquiry had been launched after the death.  He said: “Sadly I can confirm that following shots being fired tonight in Creggan, a 29-year-old woman has been killed.  Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster tweeted: “Heartbreaking news. A senseless act. A family has been torn apart.  “Those who brought guns onto our streets in the 70s, 80s & 90s were wrong. It is equally wrong in 2019.


pravadareport--2019-03-26--Terror in the heart of the Netherlands escalates into outburst of nationalism

In the quiet morning of the 18th of March, a terrorist attack took place in the city of Utrecht, The Netherlands, causing a new wave of distrust in the most tolerant kingdom of the world. Living in the very center of the country, a member of ethnic minority, Gokmen Tanis, killed with a pistol three Dutch people and heavily wounded five more in a tram, heading from the city´s central station.  The murderer is a 37-years-old, native of Turkey. He left the transport and ran into hiding, nevertheless, getting his face caught on a security camera of the tram. Committing the attack at 10 a.m. in the morning, the police searched for eight hours and subsequently arrested the murderer in one of the living houses, three kilometers from the crime scene.  The investigation group had resorted to exceptional measures by the standards of Dutch law. As the criminal´s personality became identified, the investigators disclosed his bank account and discovered that, after the attack, Gokmen transferred an unknown sum of money from a phone. By employing special devices, the group found a phone number, which was linked to the bank account, and tracked down the digital footprint of the shooter.    The motives of the crime contradicted to each other until the very end. No connections between the suspect and the victims were established. Initially, as it often happens, the police didn't disdain to call the case as a terroristic one. The same happened the last year, when a young refugee from Afghanistan almost slaughtered two American tourists on the central station of Amsterdam, thereby expressing his anger to a right wing "Party for Freedom" and its all-time leader Geert Wilders, the Dutch Trump, who planned to organize a competition for the most offending caricature of the prophet Muhammad.  This time, the society got completely blown away by the uncertainty of the motive as well as the reluctance of law enforcements to inform media due to the slow collection of evidences. From the start, the police expected the worst, presuming terroristic cause and potential attacks all around the city. The public transport, partially paralyzed by the strikes across the country, quickly disappeared from the streets, on which nobody was recommended to appear. A found note in Gokmen´s car with a word "Allah" only added to the suspicion of religious roots.  In spite of the notion that friends of Gokmen say that he was raised in a deeply religious Wahhabi family and his brother is a member of Turkish Islamic fundamentalist and anti-democratic club "Chalifa state", the personal mental state could also play a big role in the development of the incident. In 2011, Gokmen was already spotted on the camera of a Dutch right wing website GeenStijl where answering to the questions of an accidentally approached journalist, stated that he is a democrat, not a religious fanatic.  According to an ex-girlfriend of the shooter, Angelica, Gokmen is a psychopath, rather than a terrorist and she attempted numerous times to make the police aware of his probable mental relapse.  The couple together sniffed cocaine throughout the year of their relationships, which hard to call romantic. Angelica would be often beaten and even once violently raped in 2017. The offender faced a trial and was taken into custody in August of the same year, but eventually saw freedom in September under the pretense of the unsound mind and willingness to participate in a personality test. During the following fifteen months, the criminal would not appear in a prescribed for him psychological institution. Getting detained again, but this time until the 1st of March of 2019, Gokmen expanded own list of the previous convictions, among which we can find: shoplifting, drunk driving, drug dealing, possession of a firearm, spitting on a police officer and such a widespread misconduct in the Netherlands as bicycle theft. The reason behind the release is the same as the last time, namely, suspicion of a personality disorder and the promise of the criminal to participate in the personality test.  Chance for political alternative from the right  Just as the assault of the Afghan refugee, the recent terrorist attack is a handy occasion for Dutch nationalists to remind the frightened electorate about inconsistency of the currently prevailing social-liberal agenda. After the incident in Amsterdam, the attention of the public towards anti-immigrant sentiments has been considerably growing, people started to look up Geert Wilders name in the internet more often, while a new party "Forum for Democracy" several times appeared on top positions of polls for the 2019 elections, promoting, more relevant than ever, American idea of the three-strikes law. According to the party, the third heavy offense must be accompanied with a life sentence.  The tragedy unfolded two days before the provincial elections in Utrecht, where nationalists for many years lose to most of the parties, competing on par only against greens. The provincial elections indirectly form the upper chamber of the Dutch parliament or the senate, which task is to identify technical contradictions in new bills and the current legislation, and affirm new laws, proposed by the the lower chamber. On the next day after the incident, the lower chamber became a place of confrontation between right parties and the rest. The second biggest party of Geert Wilders together with the young, but rapidly burgeoning party "Forum for Democracy", attempted to start debates with the remaining eleven parties, majority of which has already formed opposition against the nationalists.  Geert Wilders spoke out against the minister of justice and security, calling upon his immediate resignation. Comparing the length of the Gokmen's list of convictions with the distance from The Hague to Tokio, the politician added that the police and its administration have committed an unprecedented hindsight, leaving the incorrigible criminal to freely wander on the streets. Wilders attempted to initiate debates, involving the prime-minister Mark Rutte in the dispute, who earlier asked the public to avoid hatred and xenophobia, although he repeatedly speculated on the topic of terroristic motive, thereby evoking discontent among the ethnic minorities.  The debates that had to attract attention of the public to the current left liberal stance in relation to criminals, were doomed to silence. The coalitional parties jointly voted to postpone the discussion, as if being afraid of a polemic just few days before the provincial elections kicked off. They justified the decision by addressing the lack of forensic evidences. Wilders understood that the actions of his opponents have a political rather than organizational character, noticing that the parliament is ready to discuss an agricultural problem of environmental unfriendliness of Dutch manure, not the slaughter. In the same way, social liberal parties accused "Forum for Democracy" in the reluctance of the party to stop their political campaign on the day of the attack, hoping for the minimal intensity of the society in such dramatic times.  The 20th of March, the election day, Utrecht stood out with the highest turnout among all Dutch cities. The recent terror apparently provoked the residents of the railroad center, which turnout reached a mark of 60%, leaving behind the political capital The Hague with its 49%.  The results of the elections eroded the superior position of the centrist government. If four years ago, the Netherlands chose conservative liberals of Rutte, christian democrats and progressivists, this time, victory was achieved by new right in the face of Thierry Baudet and his "Forum for Democracy". The brand new party literally broke into the upper chamber on the first try, taking more than 14% of the total seats and driving out the long-standing leader "Party for Freedom and Democracy" of Mark Rutte. The once dominant party lost ten seats, keeping now 13% of the total share.  The unprecedented success of the forum, which showed up just three years ago, makes us think about new social demand of the Dutch nation that experiences a palling taste of costly and occasionally dubious reforms of the ruling elites.  A proposed by Rutte abolishment of dividend tax on transnational corporations was recently repealed due to the fact that expenses on the reduction of international tax burden incurs two billion euro expenditures every year. By arguing that suchlike indulgence for the international capital is going to bring more jobs, the prime minister archly holds back that the real reason behind the initiative is a desire of the government to keep or move the headquarters of huge companies Shell and Unilever to the Netherlands. Being British-Dutch corporations, the European Union might prohibit these two to simultaneously remain dual-listed on European and non-European stock exchanges, at least in case if Brussels doesn't come up with any deal regarding Brexit. Rutte wants to see the skyscrapers of transnational corporations in the Hague and Rotterdam, but not in London, where the companies trade volume is much bigger than in his country.  Thierry Baudet, the leader of the election's winner party, condemned the initiative, stating that the loss of billions of euros in exchange with the relocation of two headquarters and their tiny staff is completely extraneous to the interests of people, whose high tax load, also in relation to dividends of the local business, doesn't bother the government, which prefers to make advances towards foreign capital.  One way or another, surprising, even for the winners, victory of new right forces, points out not only distrust of the society in political elites, but also indicates its dissatisfaction with populist radicalism of old right in the face of Wilders. "Party for Freedom" lost half of the seats, reserving five, the result is undoubtedly disappointing for one the most provocative politicians, however, in alliance with "Forum for Democracy", Wilders and his movement will only reinforce the presence of nationalists in political life of the Kingdom. The only question that comes up is "what kind of right movement is the most demanded in the country of fragrant tulips and old windmills"?  Regardless the fact that the parties are based on the common beliefs, they focus on totally different segments of the electorate, jointly opposing the European Union, refugees, high taxation and russophobia. Wilders is a devoted populist, his mission is to ignite a spark amongst the wide masses of working class. Often employing vulgar and banal anti-Islamic rhetoric, he demands to ban the Quran and close all the mosques together with muslim schools. Thierry Baudet, on the other hand, seeks support from more educated sectors of the population, dreaming to revive the golden age of the 19th century Netherlands. Calling himself as a man of Enlightenment, Thierry shifts the focus from anti-Islamic sentiments to classical Dutch culture, which is expressed in the photorealistic masterpieces of Rembrandt, geometrically adjusted philosophy of Spinoza and, of course, black Pete, a dark skinned assistant of Sinterklaas (the Dutch Santa Claus).  Since "Forum of Democracy" has become a part of the senate, the party is planning to oppose immigration loosenings and green taxation on CO2. At the very end of the election day, Thierry Baudet quoted Hegel, saying "The owl of Minerva spreads its wings in the dusk", insinuating that only now it became apparent what direction the nation heads to.  The rest of the parties, predominantly of the left liberal cohort, lost influence in the senate. Progressivists from D66 as well as social democrats PvdA gave up several seats, while a party of ethnic minorities DENK, which participated in the provincial elections just like "Forum for Democracy" for the first time, couldn't make it to get into the senate.


prisonplanet--2019-01-11--Netherlands narrowly escaped a major terrorist attack with dozens of deaths prosecutors

Netherlands narrowly escaped a major terrorist attack with dozens of deaths – prosecutors

Dozens of people would have been killed in an unprecedented terrorist attack in the Netherlands if a seven-strong terrorist cell had not been stopped in time, a Dutch public prosecutor told a court on Thursday.  The terrorists were intercepted in September last year following months of investigation. The seven suspects were arrested in the towns of Arnhem and Weert. Police seized 100kg of fertilizer as well as other bomb-making materials at their homes, they said at the time. This week, preliminary hearings in the high-profile case started.  “The suspects said goodbye to friends. These suspects were on the way to commit an attack, with dozens of victims. The Netherlands escaped a major attack,” the prosecutor told a court on Thursday.  According to the prosecution, the terrorists intended to target a festival with guns and bombs. A car bomb was also considered by the group. The conspirators discussed how they would conduct the raid, how they would avoid police, and how they should set off their explosive vests early if law enforcement tried to stop them, the court was told.  Luckily, the police identified the threat before they could carry out their plans. The prosecutor stressed that at no point was the public in danger in this case.  The police operation to bust the cell started in mid-May after a tip from the Dutch intelligence service AIVD, which flagged one of the suspects as a potential terrorist. The police managed to infiltrate the cell sometime in June and collected enough evidence against them by late September, after which the arrests were made. Shortly before that, group members received training in using guns by two undercover police officers.  The defense team insists that the police operation was actually entrapment and that the group would never have taken part in the gun training unless provoked by the police. The defendants say they only wanted to “play with Kalashnikovs” and were not “hardcore jihadists” contrary to what the prosecution alleges.  Of the seven people arrested in September, only three were present during the preliminary hearing. One 18-year-old person was since released due to lack of evidence to justify his continued detention, but remains a suspect in the case.  This article was posted: Friday, January 11, 2019 at 6:19 am


prisonplanet--2019-02-06--French city to shut jihad-calling mosque to thwart possible terrorist attacks

Fearing potential terrorist attacks, the south-eastern city of Grenoble will temporarily close a mosque in which imams were allegedly calling for “armed jihad.” Over 400 worshippers attended the mosque each day.  The Al-Kawthar mosque, located in a populous Rue des Trembles district of Grenoble, has become fertile soil for disseminating “ideas and theories that provoke violence, hatred and discrimination,” the local prefecture said. It claimed the imam legitimized “armed jihad… Sharia and discrimination against women.”  The imam’s sermons allegedly stirred up hatred towards those practicing other religions. It is thought that over 400 Muslims attended the Al-Kawthar each day, according to French media.  The mosque will now be shut for six weeks and its assets will be frozen. To do so, Grenoble authorities invoked a specific French law which deals with prevention of terrorist attacks and threats to national security.  The city, which is home to over 162,000 residents, accommodates 20 mosques, including the Al-Kawthar, according to a local Muslim-oriented website.  Last year, it emerged that mosques in Aix-en-Provence, Sartrouville and Marseille were also closed for preaching radical Islamism. The move came after a string of terrorist attacks sent shockwaves across France, leaving multiple people killed and injured.  Grenoble itself witnessed a terrorist attack in 2015, when a man was found beheaded at a local factory and an Islamist flag was seen flying over the facility. A 35-year-old man, Yassin Salhi, was arrested in the manhunt that followed. It later transpired that the victim of the attack was his boss.  In 2016, French authorities closed around 20 mosques considered to be spreading violent extremism. In all, there are some 2,500 mosques and prayer halls in France. Of those, around 120 are considered to be preaching radical Salafism, a strict Sunni interpretation of Islam.  This article was posted: Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at 6:59 am