Surge in extremists freed back onto Britain's streets   ...

Eurasia Review By Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman Terrorism remains high on the agenda of defence and security organisations worldwide.Indeed, the recent Shangri-La Dialogue 2018 in Singapore brings together defence officials to unpack the new dimensions of terrorism and counter-terrorism in its plenary sessions. The dialogue is crucial as current developments attest to the intractable nature of the problem.AdvertisementThe annual spring offensive by the Taliban underscores how terrorist groups continue to be a destabilising force in Afghanistan. The war in Yemen and recent launch of the jihadi propaganda outlet “Al-Badr”, named after a fabled battle in AD 624, highlight the longevity of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.Suicide attacks committed by jihadi families and the Depok prison riot caused by inmates – both linked to the Islamic State (IS) – in Indonesia in May 2018 demonstrates how IS is far from defeated and evolving from a caliphate into a transnational terrorist...

Law enforcement and security contractors have to worry a lot more about security at events now than they used to. by George Varga, The San Diego Union-Tribune TNS — Send in the drones.Along with 3-D mapping and a beefed-up police presence that can include officers armed with assault rifles, the growing use of drones is just one of the enhanced security measures some outdoor concert venues in San Diego have enacted in the wake of last fall’s Route 91 Harvest festival massacre in Las Vegas.The timing is sound. Security measures have been refined and enhanced as San Diego’s already busy summer concert season is about to heat up even more, starting with this weekend’s opening of the San Diego County Fair.The goal could be life-saving.On Oct. 1, a lone gunman in Las Vegas shot and killed 58 people — including a San Diego attorney — from his hotel room in...

The Oklahoman by Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — After striking an elusive nuclear deal with Iran, the Obama administration found itself in a quandary in early 2016: Iran had been promised access to its long-frozen overseas reserves, including $5.7 billion stuck in an Omani bank.To spend it, Iran wanted to convert the money into U.S. dollars and then euros, but top U.S. officials had repeatedly promised Congress that Iran would never gain access to America's financial system.Those assurances notwithstanding, the Obama administration secretly issued a license to let Iran sidestep U.S. sanctions for the brief moment required to convert the funds through an American bank, an investigation by Senate Republicans released Wednesday showed. The plan failed when two U.S. banks refused to participate.Yet two years later, the revelation is re-igniting the bitter debate over the nuclear deal and whether former President Barack Obama was too eager to grant concessions to...

Washington Examiner by Tom Rogan British government minister Sajid Javid released his nation's updated counter-terrorism strategy on Monday. Titled "Contest," it builds on previous efforts but with greater urgency, capability and aggression.Contest starts by identifying the significant terrorist threat facing the U.K."Despite action by a global coalition to reduce its territory and infrastructure," the report authors note, "Daesh’s [another term for the Islamic State/ISIS] actions and propaganda mean it remains the most significant terrorist threat we face today. That said, Al Qaeda continues to pose a persistent threat to the West and domestically we also face an increasing threat from extreme right-wing terrorism as well as a persistent risk from Northern Ireland related terrorism." The point is well made. ISIS might have lost much of its territory, al Qaeda might have lost much of its leadership and Northern Ireland might be more stable than during the troubles, but each of...

by Walaa Ali CAIRO – 5 June 2018: Egyptian security forces at the Ministry of Interior killed on Monday 15 terrorists in an exchange of fire after locating their hiding place by Arish's ring road.According to the security forces report, the Ministry of Interior received information confirming that the elements belong to a terrorist cell that attempted to incite violence in different areas in Arish.The report pointed out that the elements were in contact with some terrorist leaders abroad who support them financially to carry out terrorist acts aimed to destroy the state, especially after the success of Egyptian efforts to combat terrorism.It is worth mentioning that the security sources said that the Ministry of Interior succeeded in the recent period in the elimination of terrorism in Sinai, and in fully securing the governorate.In November 2017, President Abdel Fatah al Sisi ordered the Armed Forces to eradicate terrorism in Sinai...

Clarion Project Too often, when a terror attack gets reported, we learn only of the number of deaths and injuries. We rarely get a glimpse into the on-going reality of those who were present at the scene — from “minor injuries” which can end up becoming life-long problems to post-traumatic stress, a crippling phenomenon.The 9/11 terror attack came with a unique set of lingering effects — specifically, the illnesses contracted by first responders and volunteers involved in the clean-up of the site, who were exposed to toxic fumes that wreaked havoc with their bodies.The rescue and recovery operation at the site lasted until May 30, 2002, almost nine months after the attack.On May 30, 2018, the 16th anniversary of the end of that effort, plans were announced to create a memorial at the site of the former World Trade Center for the workers and volunteers who were poisoned during the...

All Things FirstNet By Christopher VondracekSteven Raucher, or “Steve from the Future,” as he has been known to refer to himself, is the co-founder of RapidDeploy, and a man determined to make a difference in public safety communications.RapidDeploy recently launched a video proclaiming a second extinction was coming for public safety – spelling extinction for legacy public safety software and suggesting major changes in the communications industry. Evolution to the cloud is the clear message. “The existing solutions in American public safety are built on technologies which are outdated and do not leverage the power of the cloud,” Raucher saidRaucher, a 20-year veteran of the finance and IT sector, became a first responder in 2015 and gained firsthand experience of the challenges first responders face during a call for service. His RapidDeploy co-founder, Brett Meyerowitz, a volunteer paramedic, formerly with Intel and the former CTO of one of the largest...

by Judith Bergman  •  Gatestone Institute It is reasonable to assume that the planned report and the ensuing work on finding a definition of "Islamophobia" is meant effectively to destroy the little that remains of free speech in the UK. The Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group has as its top priority "tackling the far right and counter jihadists". It seems a peculiar government priority to "tackle" people who are opposed to jihad; one would assume that the British government is also against jihad. According to British government logic, then, after Muslims stabbed and beheaded British Army soldier Lee Rigby in broad daylight in London, Muslim institutions needed protection -- not British ones. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims[1] has formally begun work on the establishment of a "working definition of Islamophobia that can be widely accepted by Muslims, political parties and the government". Read more: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12270/uk-blasphemy-laws...

Maritime Security Dialogue: Innovation and the Marine Air-Ground Task Force CSIS Headquarters   ...

By Ryan Browne, CNN Washington (CNN)The US military carried out several drone strikes in Somalia in the last few weeks, targeting dozens of anti-government militants who the Pentagon said were associated with the local al Qaeda affiliate, al-Shabaab. The US military conducted an airstrike Saturday that targeted a group of al-Shabaab militants about 26 miles southwest of Bosasso, Somalia, according to US Africa Command, which oversees US military operations on the continent. Africa Command said Monday that 27 "terrorists" were killed in that strike. On Thursday, US forces conducted an airstrike 30 miles southwest of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. Africa Command said that strike killed 12 "terrorists."No civilian casualties That strike came about a week after a US airstrike near Mogadishu that Africa Command said killed 10 al-Shabaab fighters. Africa Command said none of the strikes were assessed to have caused civilian casualties and that all of them were carried out...

CNBC Family terrorism is Southeast Asia's newest threat, defense officials warn    Indonesian and Philippine defense officials over the weekend warned of the dangers of terrorism carried out by families.     This is a "new development in Southeast Asia, something local terrorists have never done before," said Delfin Lorenzana, secretary of national defence for the Philippines.     The ministers were speaking at the speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.by Nyshka Chandran     Families carrying out terror acts are a worrying new trend in Southeast Asia, regional defense ministers warned this weekend.Referring to multiple bombings in the Indonesian city of Surabaya last month that involved three families, including kids, the government officials expressed a strong urgency to prevent parents from radicalizing children."The advent of family terrorism," in which parents and children display a "disturbing" willingness for suicide bombings is "a new development in Southeast Asia, something local terrorists have never done before,"...

OAN NewsroomThe State Department is designating a band of Syrian militants as a terrorist group, branding it an offshoot of the al-Nusrah Front.The order came Thursday and targets members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham also known as HTS. The move aims to isolate the terror group and cut off its access to U.S. financial aid.This is taking effect as the State Department considers sending millions of dollars to local groups in the war-torn country to help stabilize the region post ISIS. Read more: http://www.oann.com/state-dept-designates-hayat-tahrir-al-aham-as-terrorist-organization/...

Homeland Security Committee Washington, D.C. – House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) today released May’s Terror Threat Snapshot, a monthly assessment of the Committee’s continuing effort to highlight the growing threat America, the West, and the world face from ISIS and other Islamist terrorists. Key Points: April 23, 2018: Salah Abdelslam, 28, the last surviving suspect in the 2015 Paris attacks, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Belgian court, after being found guilty of the attempted murder of police officers in a shootout with Brussels police officers. Abdelslam did not appear before the court, as he is being held in a high-security facility in northern France, awaiting trial for the Paris attacks. April 24, 2018: Bahrumsyah, the most senior Southeast Asian ISIS commander, was reportedly killed in U.S. airstrikes in eastern Syria. Bahrumsyah, an Indonesian national, led a unit of approximately 100 Southeast Asians, and organized funding...

Gatestone Instituteby Ruthie Blum* Nearly a year has passed since the establishment of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, announced by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube, but groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas -- among the 64 organizations currently designated by the State Department as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) -- still have Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and YouTube videos.* The more important question, then, is whether Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms are providing "material support or resources" -- in the form of a "tangible or intangible" property or service -- to FTOs and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The Counter Extremism Project appears to think that the answer is yes.* "[G]iven the volume of content uploaded to Facebook by the platform's estimated 2.2. billion active users on a daily basis, the one percent of terrorist content that is not removed is a significant amount that needs to be...

Washington Post by Siobhán O'Grady In September, Kensington Palace released photos of Prince George hand-in-hand with his father, walking into his first day at Thomas's Battersea School in London. One photo shows him giggling, dressed in his new school uniform: shorts, a sweater and blue socks.About a month later, Husnain Rashid, a 32-year-old from Nelson, Lancashire, encouraged Islamist militants to attack the 4-year-old, posting a photo of him at school with two masked fighters superimposed over it. He also posted the school's address and wrote that “even the royal family will not be left alone.”“School starts early,” he added. Now Rashid has pleaded guilty to encouraging terrorism.The photo was one of about 360,000 terrorist propaganda messages Rashid has posted on Telegram, a messaging app favored by the Islamic State. His various messages suggested planning attacks on British soccer stadiums, Jewish communities and army bases. His Telegram channel was called the...

All Africa By Kunle OlasanmiThe federal government has been called upon to exit the country from International Criminal Court (ICC) in order stand a better chance of winning the war against terror.Participants at an International Conference on Human Rights and Armed Conflict in Nigeria organised by Global Amnesty Watch in conjunction with the Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, said government must assure the military that it is insulated from the ICC as regards its operations meeting international standard of the rules of engagement. They accused Amnesty International of hindering the fight against Boko Haram by continuously blackmailing the military with the ICC.In a communiqué signed by the chairman, Communiqué Drafting Committee, Dr Mutiullah Olasupo, and secretary, Barrister Maxwell Gowon, the conference agreed that a special task team should be set up to review and respond to any report emanating from Amnesty International, UNICEF and/or their associates.It stated:...

Baltimore Sun AP - Maryland man who authorities say traveled to Somalia and became a fighter for an al-Qaida-linked extremist group has been sentenced in New York to 35 years in prison.Thirty-three-year-old Maalik Alim Jones was sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty to federal terrorism charges.Prosecutors say Jones trained with and supported al-Shabab, an ultra-conservative Islamic militant group. The group seeks to run Somalia under a strict interpretation of Shariah law.The Baltimore man was turned over to the U.S. by Somali authorities who arrested him in 2015 as he allegedly tried to get on a boat to travel to Yemen.Authorities say Jones confessed to fighting Kenyan government soldiers in a battle until he was injured by a missile. They say he admitted to getting paid $100 monthly by al-Shabab. Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-terrorism-charges-20180530-story.html...

Pakistan Point News by Rehan Amjad Liege, Belgium - A gunman who shot and killed two police officers on Tuesday and seriously injured a third was on a watchlist because of his contacts with radical Islamists, a source close to the investigation told AFP."He is suspected of having been radicalised (in prison)... He has been reported or presumed to be belonging to the entourage of an Islamist recruiter," the source said on condition of anonymity. Read more: https://www.pakistanpoint.com/en/world/news/belgium-shooter-was-on-police-watchlist-for-i-357213.html...

Gatestone Institute by Soeren Kern Initial reaction to Macron's speech was one of nearly unanimous disappointment over a missed opportunity. "We were expecting concrete policies," said the mayor of Aulnay-sous-Bois, Bruno Beschizza. "For now, there is nothing practical. I came out empty-handed." An estimated six million people — around one-tenth of France's population — live in 1,500 neighborhoods classified by the government as Sensitive Urban Zones (zones urbaines sensibles, ZUS), priority targets for urban renewal. Back in Paris, Macron admitted that France has "lost the battle over drug trafficking in many cities." He promised to announce a new plan to combat drug trafficking "by July." President Emmanuel Macron has substantially scaled back plans to rehabilitate France's banlieues — poverty-ridden and crime-infested neighborhoods with large Muslim populations — and has instead called on local mayors and civil society groups to find solutions at the grassroots level.The policy reversal follows weeks of...