Posts

Showing posts from May 13, 2012

Italy beefing up counter-terrorism intelligence

The recent threats and attacks against a nuclear engineering group CEO and the national tax collector Equitalia have persuaded the Monti-led government that the time to turn the screw on security has come. The Interior Minister Anna Maria Cancellieri has announced a plan to increase counter-terrorism intelligence and protection for potential targets. The minister said on Thursday that a high level of attention and vigilance needs to maintained and security measures for sensitive targets and people exposed to particular risk must be reinforced. Even Prime Minister Mario Monti has been threatened by a cell claiming to be part of the Informal Anarchists Federation, also known as FAI. However the police suspect the threatening letter to be a hoax. FAI has taken responsibility for kneecapping Ansaldo Nucleare CEO Roberto Adinolfi and has promised to carry out further acts of terrorism. Tax-collector Equitalia has been recently hit by a string of letter-bomb and petro

Spanish Government Turns Down Dialogue Offer by Basque Terrorists

Image
MADRID – Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz on Wednesday rejected the offer for “direct dialogue” floated by the Basque terrorist group ETA and he demanded that it dissolve itself unconditionally and hand over its weapons. The minister discussed the government’s position during an appearance in Parliament. ETA announced that it had designated a delegation to engage in “direct dialogue” with the governments of Spain and France in a statement sent to the French news agency AFP. “To hand over the weapons, you don’t need dialogue,” said Fernandez Diaz, who made it clear that ETA was not being allowed to place conditions on the government’s actions or on “our lives.” The minister insisted that the government does not need international “verifiers” to determine if ETA is disbanding and turning in its weapons because – he said – the police and the Civil Guard are up to handling that task. “Tell that to the leaders of ETA, tell them,” the int

New wave of serious leaks of confidential documents from the Pope

May 18, 2012. (Romereports.com) The leak of confidential Vatican documents continues, as dozens of letters and closed reports to the Pope appeared in a book that was released in Italy. There is nothing especially revealing the content except, the origin and date: they are recent documents and come from the Vatican's Secretariat of State. The documents discuss the well publicized parties of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the testimony of the former secretary to Marcial Maciel, how Angela Merkel was upset when an excommunication was lifted on a Lefebrian bishop, the Pope's bank account, a secret briefing for a meeting with the President of Italy, as well as the cease-fire of the Spanish terrorist group ETA. These new documents will give more clues to Cardinal Julián Herranz and his commission that is currently investigating the Vatican leak of classified documents. The Secretary of State is also conducting his own investigation into the leaks as well as

Boosting the police capacity to tackle security challenges

The current security challenges facing the country have put the capability of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to contain the situation to question. Concerned observers particularly bemoan the rising wave of terrorism in the country and the seeming helplessness of the police to tackle the menace. Their concern is quite understandable, as statistics released by the police indicate that the Boko Haram sect had so far carried out 118 bombings in the country, killing 308 people. The attacks were carried out in Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Niger and Plateau states, as well as the FCT, and only 33 suspects were said to have arrested in connection with the attacks. While the Boko Haram sect continues to perpetrate its evil acts mainly in the North, police statistics indicate that bank robberies and kidnapping are rife in the South. The statistics reveal that in 2011 alone, 879 robbery and 366 kidnapping cases were recorded across the country. During the period, 1,609

Former FARC hostage denies involvement in his own kidnapping

Image
Sigifredo Lopez, a former Colombian politician accused of aiding the FARC in his own kidnapping , asked the prosecution to reexamine the evidence against him. "There is no shred of evidence that says that [he colloborated with the FARC ]. We have all the evidence," said Alfredo Montenegro, a lawyer representing Lopez. Lopez is the only survivor of 12 deputies of the Valle del Cauca department who were kidnapped by the guerrilla group in 2002 and assassinated five years later. Investigators are analyzing a FARC training video which allegedly features Lopez instructing guerrillas on how to carry out abductions. Lopez denied Thursday's allegations from the governor of the  Nariño department that the politician was supported by the Rastrojos , one of Colombia 's most powerful drug gangs, in his Cali mayoral campaign last year. The Liberal Party member was suspended by party leader Simon Gaviria Thursday while the investigation is ongoing. The allegati

Fact File: The Far Right in Europe

Norwegian Anders Breivik may have acted alone, but his trial for the murder of 77 people shone a spotlight on far right politics across Europe. In the last ten years a backlash against immigration , the financial crisis and widespread disillusion with mainstream political parties has created fertile soil for the growth of a new kind of far right populism. Gone is the racist rhetoric and anti-semitism of 20th century fascists. In its place is a criticism of multiculturalism that crosses over into centre right politics , and an anti-Islamism with the power to unite far right groups across European borders. In March 2012, the UK’s English Defence League (EDL) joined other groups in Aarhus, Denmark to protest the “Islamification of Europe” . Despite poor attendance , the event, along with reports of Anders Breivik’s online relationship with the EDL highlighted how social media is enabling a pan-European far right consensus to emerge. While on the streets Neo-Nazi gang

Colombian rebels recruited teenagers: Activist

Image
Bogota: Colombia's FARC guerrillas pulled at least 13 teenagers out of boarding schools in the southern province of Putumayo and forced them to join their ranks, a human rights activist told EFE. The youngsters were taken from schools in a rural area near Puerto Guzman, sociologist and Andean Parliament member Gloria Ines Florez said by telephone from Putumayo, which borders Ecuador.  Fighters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, burst into the schools a few days ago and left with at least 13 adolescents. "They are students between the ages of 13 and 15, and the majority of them are girls," Florez said. She said she learned of the forced recruitment from her contacts in the area, where the boarding schools - a recent phenomenon - "have become places of protection for school boys and girls, given the serious conditions of the armed conflict”. Youngsters at the boarding schools have been relatively insulated from bat

Turkish civilian killed in attack by Kurdish rebels

Image
  DIYARBAKIR , Turkey (Reuters) – A construction worker was killed and three people were wounded when Kurdish militants attacked a military outpost in southeastern Turkey near the Iraqi border, security sources said on Saturday. Fevzi Altunc was killed late on Friday when gunmen from the Kurdistan Workers Party ( PKK ) opened fire on the outpost in a remote area in Hakkari province, the sources said. The three wounded workers were being treated in hospital on Saturday, they said. They had been building the station in the wooded, mountainous area near the village of Yesilova. Security forces have launched an operation in the area, said Firat News, a website close to the PKK . The website said Altunc was killed and the others were wounded during a firefight between the PKK and Turkish soldiers. Separately, PKK rebels kidnapped a village leader and five other members of a state-backed militia after stopping their vehicl

Blasts, arrests mark Bangladesh opposition strike

Image
AP Bangladeshi main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists shout slogans from behind a police cordon during a general strike in Dhaka on Thursday. Bomb blasts and arrests marked an opposition-called general strike in Bangladesh on Thursday in protest of a court order jailing 33 of the alliance’s leaders. No injuries were reported from several crude bombs that exploded in Dhaka. Schools and businesses were shut in the capital, and public life was disrupted in other major cities and towns during the shutdown. The United News of Bangladesh agency said police arrested at least 17 activists in Dhaka. ATN Bangla television station said more than 100 opposition supporters were arrested in various districts. A court on Wednesday had denied bail to 33 opposition leaders charged with involvement in an arson attack during a strike last month. The defendants include former Cabinet Ministers and the acting secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist P

Slain terrorist Merah planned to attack Indian embassy in Paris

That was the target given by Taliban which prepared him for jihad, says Le Monde Mohamed Merah, the terrorist who was shot dead by the French Special Forces in Toulouse on March 22, had also planned to attack the Indian Embassy in Paris, French daily Le Monde reported. Quoting sources from the Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence and the Special Forces who took part in the 32-hour siege of Merah, Le Monde alleges that the young killer's Taliban handlers in Pakistan had ordered him to attack the Indian mission here. “That was the target given him by the Taliban who prepared him for jihad during his training in Pakistan in the summer of 2011,” Le Monde reported. However, the paper says, Merah finally decided against the attack, given the difficulty of the enterprise. These conversations between Merah and Special Forces personnel were recorded and they are now part of the judicial dossier. Merah first killed three Army personnel outside their barracks

Pak journalist gunned down

A Pakistani journalist was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the restive southwest Balochistan province, the fourth scribe to be killed in as many months in the country ranked by UNESCO as “the second most dangerous” in the world for reporters. The body of Razzaq Gul was found on Saturday morning in Turbat, a town in Balochistan, his brother said. Gul had been working for the Express Group of publications, one of the leading media houses in Pakistan. He was associated with the group for 10 years. The group announced that Gul was killed following his abduction by unidentified men while returning home. Police found Gul’s body near a hospital. His motorcycle was lying near the body. No group claimed responsibility for the killing. Police officials said they were trying to ascertain the motive for the murder. Gul’s family said he had no enmity with anyone. His brother said the reporter had not received any threat. Doctors said Gul was shot three times and that his

No troop withdrawal from north, insists Rajapaksa

Image
AP Sri Lankan army soldiers on Thursday march during rehearsals in Colombo to commemorate the government's victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels in an annual military parade scheduled for May 19. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday rejected international calls to withdraw troops from the country’s former war zones, warning that the LTTE diaspora had not given up separatism. “Some are shouting remove military camps from the north and east,” Mr Rajapaksa said at a ceremony to mark ‘victory day’ on the third anniversary of crushing of the Tamil Tigers. Claiming that “the LTTE diaspora had not given up their separatist ideas, ” the President said, “We cannot jeopardise national security by removing camps.” His remarks came hours after US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said Colombo should demilitarise the Tamil dominated embattled north and do more to protect human rights. Sri Lanka’s foreign minister G M Peiris had a 45-minute meeting w

Hostage speaks; I was made to cook

Image
IAS officer Alex Paul Menon, who was released by Maoists in Chhattisgarh, recounts his days in captivity. Nothing can dampen the spirit of a mind ignited by Che Guevara. Alex Paul Menon, the Sukma collector who was set free by the Maoists after 14 days of captivity, was still hopeful of helping the poor, when THE WEEK met him on Friday at his in-laws' house in Nolambur, a suburb of Chennai. “It was hard trekking,” smiles the 32-year-old, talking about his days in captivity, where he was made to walk for miles. Menon, who is on leave for a week, took his wife Pushpa Bhagyam Asha, who is four months pregnant, for her first medical check-up in Chennai. “There are no hospitals in Sukma. There is one clinic very far away, but there are no lady gynaecologists there,'' says Menon. Menon also underwent medical tests to make sure he had not contracted water-borne diseases like typhoid. “I had to to drink the water they [Maoists] gave me, and so I was a little concern

Ka Oryang: A tribute to women detainees

Image
A best picture winner of the 2011 Cinema One originals in the Philippines, Ka Oryang (directed by Sari Lluch Dalena) stood out in the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival screening last May 14 at the CGV Cinema in Koreatown. Ka Oryang is a powerful story about Gregoria dela Cruz (Alessandra de Rossi), a doctor engaged in medical missions in the villages in the Philippines during the martial law years. She decided to help a wounded guerilla of the New People’s Army (NPA) and meets NPA comrade Noli (Joem Bascon), with whom she gets romantically involved. She goes back into her medical world, until one night, the military police arrested her and other women in the village. This is the beginning of a horrible life inside the detention center, where the women suffer the abuses of the vicious Captain (Emilio Garcia). The women -- some of whom are pregnant -- held a hunger strike. But this did not stop the violation of human rights. Meanwhile, Noli who is al

2 soldiers hurt as NPA rebels raid airport construction site in Albay

MANILA — Two soldiers were wounded as a group of New People's Army (NPA) rebels raided an airport construction site in Barangay Alobo, Daraga, Albay on Friday night, the military reported. Col. Arthur P. Ang, 901st Infantry Brigade commander, said eight rebels swooped down on the site and opened fire on his 12 soldiers guarding the facility at around 9:35 p.m. Despite the surprise attack, the soldiers were able to repulse the communist fighters. Two soldiers identified only as Pfcs. Gapayao and Cornal, both of the 2nd Infantry Division, were wounded during the attack. They are now in stable condition at a local hospital, Ang said. The report said two dump trucks, one backhoe, two articulated trucks, two payloaders, two road rollers and one grader were torched by another group of rebels. Some of the equipment were slightly damaged but could still be functional and employed to complete the project bei

American jihadi offers rare glimpse into Canadian life, extremism

Image
It’s a rare writer who publishes an autobiography at age 28. But, if for nothing else, give former Toronto resident Omar Hammami credit for his literary audacity – and his extraordinary optimism in the face of peril. The Story of an American Jihaadi Part One was released on the blogosphere this week. “I might as well set the story straight for history’s sake,” writes the Menace from Mobile Bay, Alabama, in the new memoir. “Yes… I was born and raised in America …but now I’m in Jihaad .” While the tract is a 127-page rush job rife with unconventional spellings – not surprising given it was uploaded on to the Internet by a writer on the run somewhere in Somalia – don’t hold out for Part Two. Militants who are “in jihaad ” these days don’t generally have long careers. In fact, rumours abound that the author may have already been slain by his fellow terrorists, or is about to be, given certain doctrinal differences. But Islamist militants may not be the on

Terrorists to freedom fighters

By Brian M Downing Tensions between Iran on the one hand and the United States and Israel have eased substantially since war loomed just a few weeks ago. Israeli politicians, generals and security experts have openly expressed opposition to attacking Iran. More recently, the hawkish coalition in power has brought in the Kadima party, a large moderate bloc whose leaders also oppose such a strike. The P5+1 talks - which include Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US plus Germany - on Iran's nuclear program are scheduled to begin in Baghdad next week in this calmer atmosphere. The Barack Obama administration has refused to support Israel's "red line" of continued uranium enrichment, which would lead to an Israeli attack. Obama has presented a less restrictive red line of an actual weapons program, which would lead to an American attack. Foreign powers should act to nudge Iran into accepting the US red line, which after all offers Tehran a victory of sorts ove

Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan informed UN Secretary General about Armenian terrorism

Azerbaijan, Baku, May 19 /Trend/ Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN Agshin Mehdiyev has sent a letter to the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, says a statement by the country's permanent mission to the United Nations. The letter contains the detailed information about terroristic acts committed by Armenian terrorist groups. The document appeared as a response to a letter of Permanent Representative of Armenia on May 5, 2012 addressed to the Secretary General, transmitting a statement of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia (S/2012/301). "This announcement is supposedly a response to the speech of the President of Azerbaijan at the Security Council meeting on May 4 on the agenda topic entitled "Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts". In fact, Armenian FM's statement is another clear example of sophisticated and cynical fraud by which the Armenian side is trying unsuccessfully to absolve themselves of responsibility for th

LAPD agrees to change terrorism database amid complaints

Responding to concerns over possible privacy invasions, the Los Angeles Police Department has agreed to change the way it collects information on suspected terrorist activity. The department, after coming under fire from civil-liberties and community groups, will no longer keep so-called Suspicious Activity Reports once the department's counter-terrorism unit determines the incident in question was harmless. Until now, the department was storing the innocuous reports in a database for a year. That gave rise to worries among critics of the reporting program that personal information about people who had done nothing wrong could be entered inappropriately into the federal government's vast network of counter-terrorism databases and watch lists. "It was a legitimate point," said Deputy Chief Michael Downing, who oversees the LAPD's counter-terrorism operation. Source http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/05/lapd-agrees-to-change-terrorism-database-amid

German police arrest 400 anti-capitalism “Blockupy” protesters

PressTV - German police have arrested at least 400 peaceful anti-capitalism “Blockupy” protesters demonstrating against the EU governments’ austerity policies in the financial hub of Frankfurt, Press TV reports. Earlier on Thursday, up to 1,000 Socialist and anti-Capitalism protesters gathered outside Frankfurt’s City Hall to protest the Germany’s adoption of austerity measures. The Frankfurt city police considered the gathering "unauthorized." According to the German police officials, 150 protesters were detained by the riot police on Thursday for ‘defying the assembly ban’ in their protests outside of the City Hall. The protest was part of a planned four-day long rally called “Blockupy” which began on Wednesday to oppose Germany’s euro debt crisis policies that have affected the lives of millions of ordinary people. The Thursday demonstrations came after a German court on Monday permitted protesters to hold rallies only on Wednesday and Saturday, rejecting demons

Fresh Somali clashes kill nine, injure six in SW capital

PressTV - Clashes between al-Shabab fighters and Somali government forces in Gedo, southwest of the capital city of Mogadishu, have left at least nine people dead and six others injured, Press TV reports. The conflicts reportedly broke out late on Tuesday continuing overnight into early Wednesday when al-Shabab fighters attacked Garbaharey district, targeting Somali government forces using mortar shells and artillery fire. “Clashes broke out last night [on Tuesday night] [and continued] until today [Wednesday] morning. The insurgent forces attacked TFG [Transitional Federal Government] positions in Argada neighborhood. In the morning, I saw nine dead bodies and more than six others were admitted to hospitals,” Abdishakur Aden, a Garbaharey resident told Press TV correspondent in Somalia. Somali government authorities have confirmed the deadly clashes between al-Shabab fighters and the government forces claiming that they have successfully repelled the attacks. “Al-Shabab att

Gunmen kill two Pakistani Shia policemen in Quetta

PressTV - Unidentified gunmen have killed at least two Pakistani Shiite policemen and wounded another two in the troubled Baluchistan province, Press TV reports. On Thursday, masked gunmen opened fire on a Pakistani police patrol in Sardar Karez area in the Eastern Bypass in the Baluchistan provincial capital city of Quetta. Two Hazara Shiite policemen named Ghulam Mortaza and Sanaullah were killed on the spot and two others named Asi Muhammad Hussain and Deen Muhammad were injured and taken to Bolan Medical Complex. Baluchistan’s Governor Zulfiqar Magsi and Chief Minister Aslam Raisani have condemned the terrorist attack. The assailants managed to escape the scene of the assassination and no group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. The Saudi-backed Wahhabi terrorist groups have recently escalated their violent attacks against Shiite Muslims of Pakistan, Iraq and some other countries. In Pakistan alone, dozens of innocent Hazara community Shiite civilians,

Iran Navy conducts 85 anti-piracy missions in 3 years

PressTV - A high-ranking Iranian naval official says Iran's Navy has conducted at least 85 anti-piracy missions in international waters over the past three years. Iran's Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Ali Akbar Marzban, said on Friday that more than 2,000 cargo vessels have also received Iranian naval escorts through the pirate-infested waters during the mentioned period. Marzban highlighted that Iran's maritime forces managed to rescue a number of tankers as well as merchant vessels in its 85 operations. Iran's Navy, in its latest anti-piracy mission, rescued a Panamanian freighter with 25 crew members on board from pirates in the Sea of Oman. The “Cruiser Heilan” bulk cargo ship, which was heading to Singapore, was rescued by the Iranian Navy’s Bahregan destroyer on May 16. Iran's Navy has been multiplying its naval presence in the international waters since last year, deploying vessels to the Indian Ocean a

Lebanese army seizes weapons, explosives near Syria border

The Lebanese army has seized a consignment of weapons and explosives near the Syrian border, apparently destined for armed gangs fighting against the Damascus government. According to Lebanese sources, the weapons were seized after the army intercepted a pickup truck in the village of Joura in the border region of Masharih al-Qaa late on Thursday. One gunman was killed and a Lebanese soldier was injured in the exchange of fire between the two sides. Lebanese troops also discovered a car laden with explosives in the southern city of Sidon. Several people have been arrested in connection with the incidents. Syria, which has been experiencing unrest since last year, has repeatedly said that weapons used by armed groups fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad are being smuggled into the country from Turkey and Lebanon. Syria has also accused Saudi Arabia and Qatar, of fueling unrest in the country by funding and arming the anti-Syria gunmen. Last month,

Northern Irish suspected republican dissident faces terror charges

| The Guardian Anti-terrorism laws used to jail top loyalist Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair have been used to charge a suspected republican dissident. The 47-year-old from the Lurgan area of County Armagh will face charges of "directing acts of terrorism" – a relatively little used piece of legislation that put Adair behind bars for several years in the 1990s. The suspect and two other men, aged 41 and 42, will appear before magistrates on Saturday morning. All three men face charges of conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to cause an explosion, the preparation of terrorist attacks and collecting information of use to terrorism. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the charges "are a result of an investigation led by police into dissident republican terrorist activity". A PSNI spokeswoman said the police had worked closely with colleagues in MI5 and the Public Prosecution Service to reach a point where charges had been brought. The arrests in L

Northern Irish suspected republican dissident faces terror charges

| The Guardian Anti-terrorism laws used to jail top loyalist Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair have been used to charge a suspected republican dissident. The 47-year-old from the Lurgan area of County Armagh will face charges of "directing acts of terrorism" – a relatively little used piece of legislation that put Adair behind bars for several years in the 1990s. The suspect and two other men, aged 41 and 42, will appear before magistrates on Saturday morning. All three men face charges of conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to cause an explosion, the preparation of terrorist attacks and collecting information of use to terrorism. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the charges "are a result of an investigation led by police into dissident republican terrorist activity". A PSNI spokeswoman said the police had worked closely with colleagues in MI5 and the Public Prosecution Service to reach a point where charges had been brought. The arrests in L

Theresa May takes powers to strip Met of counter-terrorism role

| The Guardian The home secretary, Theresa May, has quietly taken powers to strip Scotland Yard of its national counter-terrorism role in the aftermath of the Olympics. The move, which could lead to counter-terrorism policing being assigned to the new national crime agency (NCA) after it is set up next April, is contained in an enabling clause in the crime and courts bill, which is to be given a second reading in the House of Lords on Monday 28 May. The 2,000-strong counter-terrorism command of the Metropolitan police was created in 2006 but has its roots in the early 1970s when the anti-terrorist branch and the "bomb squad" was set up to counter the threat from anarchist groups, such as the Angry Brigade, as well take part in the campaign against the IRA. The home secretary has publicly said that no wholesale review of the future of the Met's anti-terrorism role will be undertaken until after the Olympics but there is growing belief within Scotland Yard that a fi

Italy beefing up counter-terrorism intelligence

PressTV - The recent threats and attacks against a nuclear engineering group CEO and the national tax collector Equitalia have persuaded the Monti-led government that the time to turn the screw on security has come. The Interior Minister Anna Maria Cancellieri has announced a plan to increase counter-terrorism intelligence and protection for potential targets. The minister said on Thursday that a high level of attention and vigilance needs to maintained and security measures for sensitive targets and people exposed to particular risk must be reinforced. Even Prime Minister Mario Monti has been threatened by a cell claiming to be part of the Informal Anarchists Federation, also known as FAI. However the police suspect the threatening letter to be a hoax. FAI has taken responsibility for kneecapping Ansaldo Nucleare CEO Roberto Adinolfi and has promised to carry out further acts of terrorism. Tax-collector Equitalia has been recently hit by a string of letter-bomb and petrol

Counterterrorism expert sees much to be done

Andrew Liepman, who is stepping down Friday as deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center, has spent much of his tenure monitoring a near-constant stream of threats, including the latest al-Qaeda plot to blow up an airplane with an underwear bomb. But as his six-year stint winds down, Liepman has increasingly sought to look past the latest threat data at longer-term questions, including what and how long it will take for the conflict with al-Qaeda to end. Al-Qaeda’s core organization in Pakistan was staggered last year by the death of Osama bin Laden and the toll of CIA drone strikes. But in an interview, Liepman said that predictions of al-Qaeda’s demise seem increasingly premature. “The mission hasn’t been accomplished, al-Qaeda hasn’t been strategically defeated,” Liepman said. “We’ll be done when the bin Laden global jihadist ideology no longer resonates at all. “I think we’re a ways away from that,” he said. Liepman, 55, is being replaced by Nicholas Rasmuss