Terrorism Watch

KABUL   |   Sat Aug 3, 2013 12:52pm IST (Reuters) - A suicide bomber attacked the Indian consulate in the eastern Afghan capital of Jalalabad on Saturday, Indian officials and local police said, killing six people and wounding 22. Gunfire resounded through the area for at least an hour following the 10 a.m. blast near the consulate entrance. All the casualties were civilians, except for one wounded Afghan soldier, said Baz Mohammad, a senior health official in Nangarhar province. "Explosion in front of India's Consulate in Jalalabad. All Indians officials safe," Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said on Twitter. The attack followed a world-wide travel alert issued by the United States on Friday, saying that Al Qaeda could be planning attacks in August, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. The United States has ordered the closure of 21 embassies and consulates on Sunday, including its Kabul mission. Nangarhar police chief Mohammad

Andrew O’Hagan meets young Afghan girls during a visit to Kabul last month. School attendance has surged in the last 10 years, but many other children are still in great danger. Photograph: Farzana Wahidy At the juvenile detention centre in Kandahar there are two sets of  children . The first are riotous and loud, arrested for theft and other crimes of that sort. When you give them a piece of paper and ask them to write down the reason they are in prison, they simply scratch lines into the paper or scrunch it up. They can't write. The second group are silent. But when they take the sheet of paper, they begin to write the most beautiful script, their sentences full of fire and argument. These are the children who were recruited to be suicide bombers – and their mothers tell them they will succeed next time. The prison isn't big on vocational training but they had some sewing machines before the man who operated them disappeared. Some of the boys are as young as 10. There is no e

New Delhi, Aug 02 (ANI): In a shocking revelation it has come to light that Maoists annually make over Rs 150 crore through extortion. A recent study by the government found that the Maoists earn anything between Rs 150-200 crore annually from extortion and charging of illegal taxes from government contractors. The Naxals extort money from various sources which include business establishments and industries, government contractors and funds allocated for developmental projects such as PDS (public distributions system). The contractors feel helpless and pay the Naxals. In one particular incident, the Naxals ransacked and looted the office of a construction firm, which refused to pay up. Source  http://www.aninews.in/videogallery7/13986-maoists-make-over-rs-150-crore-annually-through-extortion.html

KATHMANDU, Aug 2 : After a third consecutive invitation from the government for talks, the CPN-Maoist has finally decided to sit for talks. The party is now scheduled to hold discussions with constituent parties of the alliance headed by it and then announce exact dates for talks. The CPN-Maoist readiness for talks has brought about optimism about ending the months-long deadlock. But there are apprehensions whether talks between the government and the alliance led by the CPN-Maoist would really yield any tangible result as neither side has demonstrated enough seriousness.  Overtures by both the government and the CPN-Maoist for talks are widely seen as a formality and an attempt to show that they are not opposed to talks as such, that they want to find a solution through talks.  CPN-Maoist Vice-chairman CP Gajurel told Republica that they are yet to be set out the agenda of the alliance for talks. They will do so after holding a meeting of the alliance. "We are going to a hold mee

GAYA: Maoists blew up a railway track near Gaya, forcing stoppage of many prominent trains, including three Rajdhanis, in the late night hours.  The explosion on the track between Taraiya and Guraru railway stations occurred at around 11pm on Friday night, barely 20 minutes after the pilot engine of Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani train crossed the area, Gaya railway DSP Sunil Kumar said.  About two feet track was blown in the Down line in the blast.  There is usually a gap of one hour between the pilot engine and the train which follows it. Following the blast, the Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani train was stopped at Taraiya Station.  Railways had decided to run pilot engines ahead of trains following the 2003 accident of Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani in Naxal-hit Aurangabad district of Bihar which had left over a 100 people dead.  Around 13 trains, including three Rajdhanis, were stranded at different places on the UP line and many others were halted at DN line due to the blasts.  However, train services have r

The German intelligence agencies are having a tough time: Different branches are accused of having been well aware of US spying program Prism, another section has to defend itself against claims it failed in tracking down the neo-Nazi NSU terrorists while yet another division linked to the military is accused of having tried to recruit one of the NSU members as an informant – at least that's what German media claim. The German military denies it but the question remains: how many extremists are there in the German Bundeswehr? Military attractive for extremists Handling guns is attractive to those with neo-Nazi a mindset In an interview with German public radio, Ulrich Birkenheier, head of the Military counter-intelligence Service MAD, went on the offensive. Some 400 cases of extremism have been investigated by the MAD in 2012, 300 of which with a right-wing and 50 with an Islamist background. "The focus is in the right-wing area, because we've noticed that the military is

Originally published by  CBN News . A recent  New York Times   article  titled “Extremism Rises Among Myanmar’s Buddhists” offers important lessons on common sense and nonsense. Witten by one Thomas Fuller, it begins by telling of how After a ritual prayer atoning for past sins, Ashin Wirathu, a Buddhist monk with a rock-star following in Myanmar, sat before an overflowing crowd of thousands of devotees and launched into a rant against what he called “the enemy”—the country’s Muslim minority.  “You can be full of kindness and love, but you cannot sleep next to a mad dog,” Ashin Wirathu said, referring to Muslims. “I call them troublemakers, because they are troublemakers.” While the article is meant to highlight the supposed “intolerance” of Myanmar’s Buddhists, for those who can read between the lines—or who are familiar with Islamic teachings, history, and current events—it is clear that Buddhists are responding to existential threats posed by the Muslims living among and around them

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS –   In recent decades, many social scientists have drawn attention to the importance of “social capital.” The term is meant to capture the value, economic and otherwise, that comes from social networks, through which people frequently interact with one another. But what if social capital ends up contributing to the rise of extreme movements, including fascism? It is well-established that individuals and societies can gain a great deal from civic institutions, such as parent-teacher associations, athletic leagues, churches and music clubs. High levels of social capital have been associated with numerous social benefits, including improvements in health, promise-keeping, trust, altruism, compliance with the law, child welfare and individual happiness. Harvard University political scientist Robert Putnam has done a great deal to explore the beneficial effects of social capital. In his book “Bowling Alone,” he documented what he saw as its decline in the United Sta

The grim aftermath of the Hyde Park bombing which killed four soldiers and seven horses By Lauren Turner  – 02 August 2013 A man charged with the murder of four soldiers in the 1982 Hyde Park IRA bomb blast has been granted conditional bail at the Old Bailey. John Downey (61), from Co Donegal, was arrested at Gatwick Airport in May. He is accused of being responsible for a car bomb left in South Carriage Drive which killed the soldiers, injured other members of the Royal Household Cavalry and killed seven horses as they travelled from their barracks to Buckingham Palace. Downey is charged with murdering Roy Bright, Dennis Daly, Simon Tipper and Geoffrey Young, and with intending to cause an explosion likely to endanger life. He is due to stand trial at the central London court next year. Judge Mr Justice Sweeney told Downey there were a number of conditions to him being granted bail. The sum of £15,000 is to be deposited as security and a total of £55,000 by way of sureties, the judge

HOUSTON – Authorities discovered a pipe bomb Thursday afternoon at a bank robbery suspect’s northeast Houston apartment. Police have blocked off Cavalcade Street between Lockwood Drive and Hoffman Street as a precaution. They do not know yet if the pipe bomb is real or a dud. A bomb technician has entered the apartment located at the Cavalcade Plaza Homes. The discovery is connected to a  bank robbery  in Atascocita that happened on Wednesday. Police were searching one of the bank robbery suspect’s apartment when they found the pipe bomb. Source  http://www.khou.com/news/crime/DEVELOPING-Police-discover-pipe-bomb-at-NE-Houston-apartment-218019411.htm

A drug search was halted today after a bomb was discovered at a rural Waikato property. Police said they and Customs were searching three properties in and around Hamilton today when an improvised explosive device (IED), along with a number of firearms. A search of one property, which was being carried out in relation to the importation of controlled drugs and associated paraphernalia into New Zealand, was halted while police waited for Defence explosives experts to arrive after the discovery of the device. District Crime Services co-ordinator Detective Senior Sergeant Nigel Keall said there was no risk to neighbouring properties because of the rural location. "As a result of our searches so far, a 25-year-old man has been arrested and will appear in the Hamilton District Court tomorrow on 18 charges related to the importation of LSD, Ecstasy and cannabis seeds, possession of drug related equipment and the production of cannabis oil. "Further arrests are likely and our search

A total of eight soldiers were injured, two severely, by a bomb explosion in Raman district of Yala province on Friday afternoon. They were traveling inside an army GMC truck on the Kota Bharu-Raman road when an explosive device placed on a roadside tree was denoted, police said. The bomb blast knocked the vehicle off the road. The injured men were part of a special unit assigned to escort teachers in the area. It was  the second bombing in Yala province on Friday. Cpl Natthapong Longkaew was killed in a bomb explosion on Friday morning near Yala's Ban Bangosinae. He was part of a team assigned to patrol a route between Ban Bangosinae and Muang district of Yala. Source  http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/362755/second-bomb-attack-in-yala-friday

Fresh clashes between Kurdish fighters and jihadists erupted in the majority Kurdish province of Hasakeh in northern Syria early on Friday, a monitoring group said . At least 12 members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) were killed, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which added that 22 Kurdish fighters have been killed over the past few days. Reports of the latest Kurdish-jihadist violence emerged a day after at least 31 civilians, among them five women and four children, were killed in army shelling and an assault in the northwestern province of Idlib. Meanwhile, Kurdish activists said there was heavy fighting in villages between Cel Agha and Gerke Lage as radical Islamists shelled Ras al-Ain. "There was fierce shelling of Ras al-Ain at dawn today (Friday)," said Syrian Kurd activist Havidar, who also reported Islamists and Kurds fighting on the edges of the town. Kurds expelled jihadist groups from Ras al-Ain in mid-July. Clashes have raged ever

Latvia is resisting calls to extradite a man the US alleges wrote a computer virus used to steal millions. In January, Latvian Deniss Calovskis was named by the US as one of the creators of the Gozi virus. Latvian courts have twice rejected US extradition requests and its foreign minister has now backed their stance. In a statement, he said the potential jail term Mr Calovskis faced was too severe for the crimes he is alleged to have committed. The US began its campaign to extradite two of the three men alleged to have used Gozi soon after publicly accusing the trio of infecting more than one million computers with the virus and stealing data that was then used to plunder bank accounts. They ran a "modern-day bank robbery ring, that required neither a gun or a mask", said US attorney Preet Bharara in January. Romanian Mihai Ionut Paunescu and Russian national Nikita Kuzmin were named as the co-creators of Gozi. Mr Kuzmin is already in jail in the US following his arrest in Ma

(Reuters) - Five people were wounded in a bomb blast at a police station in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Friday, a security official said. A bag containing explosives was thrown from a car in the central Sidi Hussein quarter, hitting a building that belongs to a police force tasked with guarding electricity installations, Benghazi security spokesman Mohammed al-Hijazy said. Hijazy said this was not the first time the building had been targeted and that it was largely destroyed in the blast. Benghazi is where the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi began in February 2011. It is now a hot spot for violence, with numerous attacks on security forces. Libya's weak central government is struggling to assert its authority over armed groups that helped topple Gaddafi and have yet to lay down their weapons and over Islamist militants. Last September, the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed in an attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi. Source  http://www.reuters.com/

A screengrab posted by Grace Dent on Twitter on Wednesday Police are investigating bomb threats made on Twitter against several female journalists, including Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman. At 5.50pm on Wednesday Freeman received a tweet from an anonymous user, @98JU98U989, which claimed that a bomb had been placed outside her home and would be detonated at 10.47pm. She reported it to the Metropolitan police, who told her they were launching an investigation as the threat was an arrestable offence. The police also advised her not to stay at home overnight. Grace Dent, a columnist for the Independent and former Guardian writer, received the same message as Freeman, which  she took a screen grab of . It states: "A BOMB HAS BEEN PLACED OUTSIDE YOUR HOME. IT WILL GO OFF AT EXACTLY 10.47PM ON A TIMER AND TRIGGER DESTROYING EVERYTHING." Although the user's account was suspended, several other women – including Catherine Mayer, Europe editor of Time magazine, Sara Lang, a soc