Terrorism Watch

Sweden has become for ISIS jihadis what Argentina was for the Nazis, an opposition politician is claiming. Swedish Moderate Party MP Hanif Bali told parliament the country has been lead-footed in dealing with returning terrorists. And now he fears there will be a high price to pay. “These [jihadist] trips have been happening for several years now, but you haven’t done anything,” Bali told Green Party spokesman Rasmus Ling. Nazi architect of death Adolf Eichmann escaped to Argentina after the war. Israel caught up with the Nazi, tried, convicted and hanged him. GETTY IMAGES Bali said the Greens have crafted laws that have exacerbated a difficult situation, calling the approach to extremism “passive.” “Sweden has become what Argentina was for the Nazis. Only, after World War II, they actually introduced retroactive legislation and got the Nazis sentenced,” the politician said. “Had [the Swedish government] been in power then, no Nazis would have been convicted.” He wo

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense is to strengthen partnerships with local factories to ensure they are involved in ministry projects, a government official said Thursday. Maj. Gen. Atiyah Al-Malki, from the Defense Ministry, was speaking at a specialist conference focusing on the Kingdom’s potential as a leading industrial power and global logistics platform. He told delegates that there was no clear plan to make deals with local factories and, for that reason, the ministry had set up committees to link its demands with what local factories could produce.  “Following the announcement of the Saudi Vision 2030 (reform plan), the Ministry of Defense has revised its regulations and policies to support our local industry. Currently, foreign investors could make deals with the ministry only if they committed to localization rules. They are being asked about the local factories they will work with and the local products they will get. “We have factories that can produc

ECHR recognizes that UK counter-terrorism laws have subsequently been amended. A European court has ruled that U.K. border officials violated Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights — which guarantees citizens the right to respect for private and family life — when they stopped a French national at a British airport in 2011 on her return from visiting her husband in a French prison where he was serving time for terrorism offences. Ruling in the case of  Beghal vs. United Kingdom  Thursday, European Court of Human Rights judges found unanimously that counter-terrorism legislation at the time "had not been sufficiently circumscribed." Sylvie Beghal, who lives in Leicester in the English Midlands, alleged that border officials breached a series of human rights under Schedule 7 of the counter-terrorism legislation when they stopped and questioned her at East Midlands Airport after she had visited her husband in jail in France. According to a  press rele

What is the proposed new law? The government has proposed introducing two new laws: one making it illegal to be participate in a terrorist organization, and one making it illegal to cooperate with these organizations. The laws would apply to people who recruit new members to the organization, something which is currently only punishable by law if these people were recruited specifically to carry out terrorist crimes. They would also make it a criminal offence to 'assist' terrorist organizations through giving them use of premises, arranging transport, providing them with equipment, or raising money for these groups, even if the person doing so is not a member. "We will discover more cases of those who commit these crimes. It will be easier to map the networks themselves," Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said on Thursday, after the law was referred to Sweden's legislative council for consideration. The law would not however be applied retroactively, mea

As the country struggles with jihadists, two concerns may complicate the counter-terror war and thus force authorities to revisit their strategy: One, the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) is pulling out of Somalia in 2021, and two; the new terrorist is no longer the foreigner but Kenyan. The planned military drawdown has left experts confused on what next for Somalia and the anti-terrorism war worldwide. For over 10 years, Amisom was a bulwark against terror, but the mission is now exiting without clear plans on how to secure Somalia thereafter. This development is likely to have a huge bearing on regional security. Seemingly, Kenya is yet to remodel its strategy in light of the expected military withdrawal. HAPHAZARD Kenya is a powerhouse -- politically, militarily and economically -- in this part of the world. And on paper, it is governed by one of the world's best counter-terror strategies. So, why is Kenya a sitting target for extremists? On April 6, 2015,

In January, after the Colombian guerilla group ELN carried out a car bomb attack against a police academy in Bogota that left 21 cadets dead, the government of President Ivan Duque called on Cuba to  extradite ELN leaders —including their top commander—who are in Havana as part of a  suspended peace process . Cuba’s refusal to honor the request, which would violate an agreement guaranteeing the ELN negotiators safe return in the event the talks are abandoned, is the latest point of tension between the two governments. In an email interview, Michael Camilleri, director of the Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program at the Inter-American Dialogue, explains  how Cuba’s role in the previous Colombia-FARC peace deal has affected bilateral ties, and the implications of the current tensions. World Politics Review: How did Cuban-Colombian relations evolve in the decades leading up to the beginning of the Colombian peace process in 2012? Michael Camilleri:  Relations between Colombia and Cuba were t

ISIS militants cling to last square mile of land in eastern Syria MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – More men and boys from a Somali American community in Minneapolis have joined – or attempted to join – a foreign terrorist organization over the last 12 years than any other jurisdiction in the country. FBI stats show 45 Somalis left to join the ranks of either the Somalia-based Islamic insurgency al-Shabab, or the Iraq- and Syria-based ISIS combined. And as of 2018, a dozen more had been arrested with the intention of leaving to support ISIS. Both numbers are far higher than those of alleged terrorist wannabes who left or attempted to leave the country from other areas in the country where Muslim refugees have been resettled. In the case of the Somalis, it's no longer just the men. Early last year, a female was  apprehended  by authorities on charges of supporting providing material support to Al Qaeda and arson. So what has made the area such a hotbed for such activity? And wh

This past weekend, the Venezuelan Guard  killed four protesters and wounded hundreds of others  who were trying to  bring humanitarian aid across the border . The Trump administration has been trying to get food, medicine and other supplies to impoverished Venezuelans — which President Nicolás Maduro has  refused, arguing  that it’s an attempt to undermine his leadership and the nation’s sovereignty. Meanwhile, according to the UNHCR, more than 3 million Venezuelans have already fled the country, and hundreds more cross the borders every day. But many more humanitarian and security crises roil the Venezuela-Colombia border than just the aid blockade, argued political scientist Annette Idler in the  Conversation . That’s what my research is finding as I look into women’s experiences with violence for the  Conpeace  project along the Colombian border with Venezuela. Women are suffering extreme levels of assault, kidnapping and other violence, given the combination of the Venezuel

During a visit to Mali, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said the worse thing Germany could do would be to pull troops out of the country. Mali is Maas's last stop on a five-day trip to West Africa. As part of this trip, the the foreign minister visited German Bundeswehr troops stationed in the northeastern city of Gao as part of the United Nation's MINUSMA peacekeeping force. Maas' tour of the Gao camp came just days after an EU training mission, where German soldiers are also stationed, came under fierce attack. In that incident, insurgents detonated car bombs and fired on the EU mission in the south of Mali, injuring three Malian soldiers.  More than 1,000 German troops are in Mali as part of the two missions to help stabilize the West African country. Peacebuilding in West Africa  Earlier in the week, Maas held talks in  Sierra Leone  as well as in Burkina Faso, where he pledged €46 million ($52 million) to stabilize those regions particularly affe