Call the Alexandria baseball shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise and others what it is. U.S. NewsBy Peter Roff | Contributing Editor for OpinionThe relative peace and quiet of an Alexandria, Virginia ballfield on a steamy but otherwise unremarkable morning was shattered by gunfire Wednesday when an Illinois man allegedly opened fire on a group of Republican lawmakers practicing for an upcoming charity baseball game.The shooter, now deceased, has been identified as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson, a Bernie Sanders supporter from Belleville, Ill. His social media accounts reveal him as someone intensely political and alarmed at the conservative direction the country has taken since the last election.If his motivation was political, if he was attempting to strike a blow for his cause by taking out as many Republican lawmakers at one time as possible, it would not be all that surprising. The self-described anti-Trump resistance has already stooped to violence before....

Fox News The shooting Wednesday at a congressional baseball practice prompted swift calls to ratchet down the country’s heated political rhetoric, with one Republican congressman who was at the scene saying the “hateful rhetoric” on both sides has to stop.Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., specifically blamed “political rhetorical terrorism” – heated rhetoric on social media and in the news – for Wednesday’s shooting, in which House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and several others were wounded.“This is the result, I believe, of political rhetorical terrorism. That has to stop,” he told “America’s Newsroom.” According to a well-placed source, the suspect has been identified as Illinois resident James T. Hodgkinson. Davis was at bat when the shooter opened fire in Alexandria, Va. He credited Scalise’s security detail with helping prevent the attack from being a lot worse, calling the officers “true heroes.”But he said the country needs to take ratchet down the political...

Sydney Morning Heraldby Clive Williams In the wake of terrorist attacks in France and England, both France and Britain are expected to toughen counterterrorism measures to try to contain the threat. France has lost 250 people to terrorist attacks since 2012, while Britain has suffered 35 victim deaths this year.In France, President Emmanual Macron and his security council approved a draft bill to put to cabinet on June 21 that will make existing emergency powers permanent and enable the Interior Ministry – which runs the police and security service – to order house arrests and electronic bracelets for anyone regarded as a security threat. House arrest will be renewable every three months. (At the moment, under emergency powers, about 1000 people of interest are under house arrest.) The draft bill also gives the police permanent powers to search property without judicial oversight and to close places of worship. Public gatherings...

Clarion Project By Elliot Friedland The annual Al Quds day parade in London, which marches against the State of Israel, will go ahead this year despite a campaign mounted against it. In previous years demonstrators have waved Hamas and Hezbollah flags at the march. Last year there were even placards saying “We Are All Hezbollah.”Hezbollah is an Iranian backed Lebanese militia group founded to fight Israel during the Lebanese civil war but now fighting on the regime side in the Syrian Civil War. Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestinian affiliate and is now the governing body of the Gaza strip.Both organizations are listed as terrorist organizations in the UK, however the political wing of Hezbollah is not listed as a terrorist organization.    “We have long argued that it is deeply unacceptable for Hezbollah flags to be flown here in the UK, especially on this annual outpouring of hatred” a spokesman...

by Ruthie Blum - Gatestone Institute*As soon as the statue of "Lady Justice," blindfolded and holding a scale, was erected in the Bangladeshi capital, fundamentalist groups began to protest, on the grounds that the piece of art was "un-Islamic" and constituted idol-worship.*Since 2013, dozens of people have been slaughtered, many with machetes. Although ISIS claimed responsibility for many of the brutal killings, no formal investigation into the murders was ever launched.*Instead, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the opportunity to arrest more than 11,000 people, only 145 of whom were Islamist terrorists. The rest were charged with crimes such as theft and drug-dealing, indicating that it might have been part of Hasina's crackdown on critics since her election in 2008.The arrest on May 26 of 140 secular activists in Bangladesh is the latest in a string of incidents indicating a disturbing shift towards Islamic fundamentalism in the East Asian parliamentary democracy.The activists...

Law Street By James LevinsonSweeping changes are likely to come in Britain’s policy toward terrorism and extremism after Prime Minister Theresa May declared that “enough is enough” during a speech outside of 10 Downing Street on Sunday. The speech was prompted after another attack on Saturday night at the London Bridge where a white van struck pedestrians in a coordinated attack that killed seven and injured dozens that was later claimed by ISIS.This is the third major attack that has occurred in Britain this year including a terror attack on Westminister Bridge that occurred in March and the bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in May.In her speech, May responded with the introduction of a new four-point plan toward combating the “new trend” of ideological extremism. While the plan presented was broad and skimmed on policy specifics that might be introduced, it was indicative of the direction of...

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press Minneapolis Star Tribune PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron held a special meeting Wednesday to create a new counterterrorism unit to improve intelligence-sharing and elaborate security strategies, one day after a man attacked a police officer in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.The "national center of counterterrorism" was formally presented Wednesday during a defense council at the Elysee palace, in the presence of government members and top security officials.The unit, composed of about 20 people, will supervise all counterterrorism efforts.It will be based at the Elysee, will operate 24 hours a day and will act directly under the president's authority — an unprecedented situation in the country, where some observers have denounced a lack of coordination between foreign and domestic intelligence services.A top official at the French presidency said the new unit will notably determine strategies to fight against radicalization on the internet and...

PM’s call reflects concerns over increase in tempo of attacks as fears grow that police and security services missed opportunities to stop attacks by Ewen MacAskill, Rowena Mason and Vikram Dodd - The GuardianThe British domestic intelligence agency MI5 is to take a hard look at its counter-terrorism operations in the wake of the London Bridge attack after Theresa May took the unusual step of calling publicly for a review.The prime minister’s decision to go public adds to the pressure MI5 is under as further questions emerge over whether it did enough to stop the attack.May’s call reflects concern over a sudden increase in the tempo of attacks and plots. There is also worry over whether the police and security services missed opportunities, including a disclosure from Italian intelligence that it had flagged up to its British counterparts worries about the third attacker, the Moroccan-Italian Youssef Zaghba. As well as...

‘Worst-case scenario is your staff, patients and visitors could be killed or injured,’ guide statesby Narjas Zatat - Independent.co.uk New guidance issued by a police counter-terror unit has warned hospitals and GP surgeries that they may be targets for attacks.The National Counter Terrorism Security Office released an updated ‘Crowded Places Guidance’ document, which tells medical professionals: “It is possible that your surgery, for example, could be the target of a terrorist incident. This might include having to deal with a bomb threat or suspicious items left in or around the area.“The worst-case scenario is your staff, patients and visitors could be killed or injured, and your premises destroyed or damaged in a ‘no warning’ multiple and co-ordinated terrorist attack.” Hospitals are warned that the nature of such an attack may be covert, “through interference with vital information” or “enabled by an insider or someone with specialist knowledge or access to...

IrishExaminer.com By Cormac O'KeeffeIrish Examiner ReporterA larger anti-terrorism unit, more armed gardaí on the streets, round-the-clock regional support units and specially trained garda dispatchers for terrorist and firearms incidents are all being put in place to deal with potential terror threats.The extra measures, unveiled in the wake of the London and Manchester attacks, come as the separated wife of Moroccan Rachid Redouane — who had lived in Dublin and was one of the three London attackers — issued a statement saying she was “deeply shocked, saddened and numbed” by his actions.British woman Charisse O’Leary, who married Redouane in Dublin in November 2012, said they had split up six months ago and that she would have to try and explain to their daughter “why her father did what he did”.She said: “I wish to make it absolutely clear, so there can be no doubt, I condemn his actions and do not...

DW by Shamil Shams DW: The attacks on Iran's parliament and Ayatollah Khomeini's mausoleum have been claimed by Islamic State (IS) - a Wahhabi-Sunni militant group. The attackers, however, were Iranian nationals, as claimed by officials in Tehran. Does it show that IS influence is increasing in the Shiite-majority Iran?Paulo Casaca: Iran has a long tradition of supporting terrorist groups not necessarily aligned with the Shiite sect of Islam, for instance al Qaeda, Hamas or the Taliban. Still, as it happens with other states that support jihadi groups, Iran cannot stop its own creations from turning against it. Pakistan is a good example in this case.The non-Shiite jihadi groups have already increased their activities in Iran, particularly in its Sistan-Baluchestan province. IS had repeatedly announced its intentions to start operations in Iran, and now we saw the group attacking two important sites in the country.Iranian authorities have condemned the Wednesday...

9news.com.au By Mark Saunokonoko On the eve of Ramadan this year, Islamic State published a foreboding video urging its followers to engage in "all-out war" on civilians and "infidels" in the West during the Muslim holy month.That sinister communique, titled "Where are the Lions of war", signalled Islamic State's continued intention to exploit the Muslim belief that good deeds are rewarded two-fold by Allah during Ramadan.A significant day looming in the Ramadan calendar – known as the "Night of Power" – will have counter-terror agencies in Australia and across the West on the highest possible alert.If destructive and bloody events in 2016 are an indicator, Islamic State will look to double down its campaign on Laylat al-Qadr, also known as Night of Power, set to fall on June 21 this year.Laylat al-Qadr falls on the 27th day of each Ramadan month and holds special importance to many Muslims.  The Night...

 SF Gate By Filipa Ioannou Firefighters, medics and FBI agents swarmed a normally quiet stretch of the Alameda waterfront next to the USS Hornet Museum on Wednesday morning, maneuvering around people lying on the ground as an ominous orange smoke filled the air and brightly colored emergency vehicles crowded the road.The alarming scene was part of a two-day exercise called “Operation Seasick” — six months in the making and organized by the FBI — to practice how local, state and federal law-enforcement agencies and emergency responders would work together in the event of a complex terror attack involving weapons of mass destruction in an area like the Port of Oakland. The simulation scenario was this: A terrorist deployed a chemical weapon using a dispersal device, shot several people from atop one of the ships at port, then barricaded himself inside the ship. “Shooting victims” painted with red makeup to imitate...

The New Daily by Andrew MacLeod I live between, and only a kilometre or so from, the last two terrorist attacks in London. I was also in Liverpool Street station about to board a tube when the 7/7 bombings took place in 2005. On February 9, 1996, I was around the corner when the IRA set off their huge bomb in Canary Wharf, London. In Islamabad, while I worked there for the United Nations, the windows of my apartment shook when, in 2008, terrorists threw a hand grenade into the garden of the Italian restaurant where I was about to go for dinner. I know terrorism well. I have seen its impacts and consequences. I have felt the shockwaves of its bombs. I have spoken to people who have been tempted to cross into the path of terrorism (see ‘Lessons From A Would-be Suicide Bomber’, here). I know terrorism better than...

By: Shawn Snow - Militarytimes.com WASHINGTON — A U.S. airstrike on a building in the village of Jineh, in Aleppo province, Syria, killed dozens al-Qaida regional leaders and militants and resulted in one civilian casualty, according to Army Brig. Gen Paul Bontrager, deputy director for operations at U.S. Central Command and lead investigator into the March 16 incident. Human rights groups have claimed the airstrike killed dozens of civilians.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based monitoring group, claimed the U.S. military struck a mosque, killing nearly 46 civilians, according to the BBC.U.S. military officials, however, have said that intelligence reports gathered before the strike showed it was not a mosque but a meeting place for al-Qaida militants. The strike was carried out by U.S. F-15s and an armed MQ-9 drone operating under a U.S. Special Operations task force.The formal investigation “found zero credible evidence" to suggest intelligence reports were...

Clarion Project By Meira Svirsky Iraqi Christian survivors of Islamic State’s brutal reign have been coming forward to tell the horrors they experienced as their land becomes liberated by coalition forces, reports Christianity Today.One man, identified only as Esam, related how Islamic State (IS/ISIS/ISIL) jihadis tortured and killed his brother-in-law while his wife and children were forced to watch."My wife's brother was crucified by Daesh [ISIS]," he said. "He was crucified and tortured in front of his wife and children, who were forced to watch. They told him that if he loved Jesus that much, he would die like Jesus."For four hours, militants tortured the man, before crucifying him and cutting open his stomach. He was eventually shot and killed.Esam also reported that two members of his wife’s family, a Christian couple, were kidnapped by ISIS. The wife “now lives with one of the Daesh emirs,” he said and the...

Fox News A hammer-wielding man who attacked a police officer at the world-famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, Paris investigators said Wednesday. The unnamed suspect, a 40-year-old man from Algeria, made the declaration of allegiance in a video authorities found in his apartment, France 24 reported.Officials are classifying Tuesday's attack as a "terrorist act" because of "the words he said," French government spokesman Christopher Castaner told RTL radio on Wednesday. The unidentified man cried out "This is for Syria!" before he lunged at officers in front of the Paris monument on Tuesday. He was also carrying two kitchen knives and "other unsophisticated weapons" with him at the time.New surveillance video released to the Associated Press showed the assailant swinging his hammer at several officers before a wounded policeman shot him. Both men were hospitalized.The suspect was a former journalist who had been...

Fox News ISIS claimed responsibility for a pair of Wednesday attacks in Tehran in which suicide bombers and teams of gunmen stormed Iran's parliament and the nearby shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, killing at least 12 and injuring dozens of others.This is the first attack orchestrated by ISIS in the Islamic Republic, SITE Intel Group reported. It wasn't initially clear if the death count, reported by state broadcaster IRIB, included the attackers.In a rare and stunning move, ISIS released video from inside the parliament building while the attack was under way.  The video, circulated online, shows a gunman and a bloody, lifeless body of a man lying on the ground next to a desk. A voice on the video praises God and says in Arabic: "Do you think we will leave? We will remain, God willing." Another voice repeats the same words. The two appeared to be parroting a slogan...

Financial Times by: Anjana AhujaThere must be a deviancy, an insanity even, that afflicts those who are motivated to kill for their beliefs. Such individuals — prepared to bomb a concert packed with children and teenagers or mow down pedestrians on a bridge — must lie somewhere on the spectrum of madness. This tempting rationalisation of terrorism has little basis in scientific evidence, according to psychologists.“It is not true that terrorists share a common psychological profile,” wrote Paul Gill and Emily Corner, from University College London. “No [single] mental health disorder appears to be a predictor of terrorist involvement.”Their analysis of four decades of research appeared in April in an issue of the journal American Psychologist devoted to terrorism and radicalisation.As countries struggle to contain the threat, the field of psychology is coming to painful terms with its own limitations. Despite decades of inquiry, academics are no closer to comprehending...

The Guardian  by Christopher Knaus, Melissa Davey and Australian Associated Press Gunman and another man dead, three police officers injured Police confirm they are treating it as an act of terrorism Melbourne siege: police investigate terrorism links – live updates Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the shooting and hostage situation that left two men dead in Melbourne overnight. The gunman, named by police on Tuesday as Yacqub Khayre, took a woman hostage in an apartment building in Brighton, 11km south-east of Melbourne’s central business district, on Monday night.Police shot him dead after he emerged from the complex with a sawn-off shotgun, shooting at officers. They then discovered the body of another man in the foyer of the apartment block.Three police officers were shot during the siege, although their injuries were not life-threatening. Two police suffered hand injuries and a third was injured in the face and neck area.The hostage...