Reader’s Links, feb. 17, 18

Daily Links Post graphic

In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

This way, under the various posts of the day, conversation can take place without as much ‘noise’ on the various links and articles and ideas in the main posts and all the news links being submitted can be seen under these auto-posts by clicking on the comments-link right below these ones.

Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

91 Replies to “Reader’s Links, feb. 17, 18”

  1. WARNING: UK could be flooded by 100 ISIS jihadis but we are ready, terror officer says (express, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/920162/isis-uk-police-warning-neil-basu-syria-iraq-caliphate

    “THE UK could be flooded by up to 100 sick ISIS killers now the “caliphate has been defeated militarily” but the police are “absolutely waiting” and prepared, a senior counter-terror officer has disclosed.

    Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu emphasised that authorities are “absolutely waiting” for any militants who try to come back.

    But he played down the prospect of all those who are technically eligible to re-enter the country doing so.

    Mr Basu noted that not all of those are “mono-Brits”, saying the number includes “a lot” of dual nationals.

    In an interview published by the Combating Terrorism Centre at West Point, he said: “Like other countries, we operate on the principle that we don’t want you back, and therefore we will deprive you of your British passport and the Government has done that.

    “Because of this, the ones who could come back are about a third of this 300 number.

    “And for those among those who end up coming back, we are absolutely waiting for them. That’s the bottom line.”

    Security services estimate that around 300 individuals who travelled from the UK to take part in the conflict in Syria and Iraq remain in the region.

    The Home Secretary can deprive someone of their British citizenship if they are satisfied taking the measure is “conducive to the public good”, such as in national security cases.

    There are rules against rendering someone “stateless”, and the power can only be used where the individual in question has dual nationality, or if there is a reasonable belief that they could acquire citizenship of another state.

    Figures show that 36 deprivations of citizenship orders were made on the “public good” basis between 2006 and 2015. More up-to-date statistics are expected to be published in the coming weeks.

    Unconfirmed reports have suggested Londoners Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, who are suspected of being members of the ISIS group nicknamed “The Beatles” and were captured last month, were stripped of their UK citizenship.

    Approximately 850 UK-linked individuals travelled to engage with the Syrian conflict, according to Government estimates…”

  2. British ISIS fighter who was plotting a massacre on home soil is killed by a US drone in a secret UK-led mission in Syria (dailymail, Feb 17, 2018)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5401821/British-ISIS-fighter-Naweed-Hussain-killed-Syria.html

    “A British Islamic State fighter plotting attacks on this country was killed in a secret UK mission, the Daily Mail can reveal today.

    Naweed Hussain was hunted down by British personnel and killed by a US drone on the orders of the RAF in the Syrian city of Raqqa last spring.

    The 32-year-old from Coventry allegedly planned a massacre back in Britain while in the war-ravaged country.

    It is the first time the death of a British IS fighter killed in a mission involving the UK military has been revealed by anyone other than the UK or US government…”

  3. Top Daesh Leader Captured in Turkey, Extradited Back to Iraq (sputniknews, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201802171061751094-daesh-leader-turkey-extradition-iraq/

    “Turkish authorities have reportedly extradited a top Daesh leader to Iraq following the militant commander’s capture. Baghdad and Ankara collaborated with the US to execute the capture and extradition.

    Ismail Alwan Salman al-Ithawi, 55, is an Iraqi national and led Daesh’s Ministry of Religious Edicts as well as the committee that decided on appointments to the leadership of the organization. He had fled the collapse of Daesh’s territory in Syria and settled in the northern Turkish province of Sakyara, living under his brother’s name.

    To capture him, the coalition was forced to “infiltrate the highest levels” of the militant group, according to an official with the Iraqi Interior Ministry’s Daesh-hunting taskforce, the Falcons, speaking to AFP on Friday.

    “We asked our ambassador in Ankara to intervene with the Turkish authorities by providing the arrest warrant issued by Iraqi courts and recent photos of Ismail,” the official added…”

    • Yes they are “ready”. Ready to do Nothing as they have with the other ISIS jihadists already present. When it hits the fan in the UK it will be on the lines of 9/11 and massive.
      As an OT addendum: has anyone heard about the decrease in onlookers giving aid to accident etc. victims and instead videoing the scene for the MSM? I ask as my father who is retired still works as a good Samaritan and he has noticed a disinclination of others to help in accidents. Is this a one-off? or are we losing one of our basic human acts?

      • I have read reports of this, people seem to be more interested in getting their 15 minutes of fame by posting to Youtube rather then helping people.

  4. White House: New bipartisan DACA plan “giant amnesty”

    Is the “Common Sense Caucus” a triumph of marketing over accuracy? The White House has been very clear on the terms it will accept for granting a path to citizenship for DACA recipients and normalization of the program. They want a border wall and an end to broad family-unification or “chain migration” practices in order to keep the problem from recurring. Donald Trump went so far as to issue a veto threat for anything that doesn’t fully resolve the issue.

    With time ticking down, yet another bipartisan gang with better branding has offered a deal that falls short of those demands. It also falls short of common sense:

    https://hotair.com/archives/2018/02/15/white-house-new-bipartisan-daca-plan-giant-amnesty/

  5. U.S. top court mulls whether to take up ‘Dreamers’ dispute

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday discussed in private how to handle President Donald Trump’s appeal of a judge’s decision blocking his plan to end protections for young illegal immigrants dubbed “Dreamers,” and the nine justices could announce as early as Tuesday whether they will take up the case.

    Trump’s administration is appealing San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge William Alsup’s Jan. 9 ruling that halted the president’s order to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects from deportation young adults who came into country illegally as children and gives them work permits.

    U.S. lawmakers have been working to resolve the fate of the hundreds of thousands of young adults, mostly Hispanics, protected by the program, but legislation that would have done so failed in the Senate on Thursday. DACA was implemented in 2012 by Democratic former President Barack Obama.

    If the justices agree to hear the appeal by the Republican president, they likely would not rule on the case until late June.

    https://ca.news.yahoo.com/u-supreme-court-weighs-intervening-dreamers-problem-154648952.html

  6. Corbyn ‘The Collaborator’: Czech Communist spy reveals how he recruited Labour leader in the Cold War and used him as an ‘asset’ to create network of informants in Russian operation

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5401097/Jeremy-Corbyn-paid-Czech-secret-police-spy-claims.html#ixzz57NH6il3L
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

    Jeremy Corbyn was a paid informant of the Czech secret police at the height of the Cold War, a former Communist secret agent claims.

    Former spy Jan Sarkocy said he recruited the MP, codenamed Cob, in the 1980s.

    Mr Corbyn was an ‘asset’ who knew he was working with the Soviet puppet state, Mr Sarkocy claimed.
    ADVERTISING

    Earlier this week it emerged Mr Corbyn had hosted Mr Sarkocy – who was posted to Britain as a diplomat under a fake identity – in the House of Commons.

    The Labour leader insisted he had no idea Mr Sarkocy, who was actually working for the Czech secret police and was later expelled from Britain by Margaret Thatcher, was a spy.

  7. Soros Calls on EU to Regulate Social Media to Fight Populism

    Billionaire open-borders activist George Soros has demanded the European Union (EU) regulate social media because voters’ minds are being controlled and “manipulated”.

    He claimed the size of social media firms made them a “public menace” and argued they had led people to vote against globalist causes, including electing President Donald J. Trump, in an article for The Guardian published Thursday.

    The speculator, who runs one of the largest campaigning groups in the world and is noted for his interference in foreign politics and elections, said ultimately unregulated social media threatened democracy and the “integrity of elections”.

    New media websites and populist groups have been prolific on social media, using the platforms to surpass mainstream media and promote causes Mr. Soros and his allies oppose.

    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/02/16/soros-calls-eu-regulate-social-media-fight-populism/

    • Soros seems to becoming desperate as this is blatant as was his Brexit involvement. Normally he leaves it to his minions but lately he is shoving himself in directly. Arrogance or concern?

      • Both, he is concerned because populism is raising its head in all Western nations and he can’t succeed in his plan if the locals keep insisting on keeping control of their nations.

        Arrogance because this is his nature, he can accept that the little people are opposing what he is doing to them.

  8. Reality Check: More Minnesotans Own Guns, Violent Crime Remains Low

    ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — Minnesota set a record last year for the number of gun background checks the FBI conducted in the state.

    More people are carrying guns than ever before, but the crime rate remains relatively low. WCCO’s Pat Kessler is looking at the numbers, and giving them a Reality Check.

    We took a hard look at the numbers, and found: Minnesota has a high rate of gun ownership, and a relatively low rate of violent crime.

    Minnesota’s violent crime rate hit a 50-year low in 2016, according to the FBI.

    And in 2017, the state set a new record for firearms background checks.ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — Minnesota set a record last year for the number of gun background checks the FBI conducted in the state.

    More people are carrying guns than ever before, but the crime rate remains relatively low. WCCO’s Pat Kessler is looking at the numbers, and giving them a Reality Check.

    We took a hard look at the numbers, and found: Minnesota has a high rate of gun ownership, and a relatively low rate of violent crime.

    Minnesota’s violent crime rate hit a 50-year low in 2016, according to the FBI.

    And in 2017, the state set a new record for firearms background checks.

    http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2018/02/15/reality-check-gun-permit-background-checks/

  9. FEC war on Drudge, internet, goes ‘underground’

    Democratic efforts on the Federal Election Commission to punish media and stifle voices like the Drudge Report and Fox are going “underground” after failing in public, according to the agency’s outgoing defender of media and digital outlets.

    “The debate has gone underground, it has not ceased,” said Lee Goodman, who fought off several attempts to stifle outlets like Fox, Drudge and conservative media including film makers.

    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/fec-war-on-drudge-internet-goes-underground/article/2649290

  10. Turkey denies use of chemicals in Syria’s Afrin, says accusations baseless

    Smoke rises from the Syria’s Afrin region, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Hassa, on the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province

    BEIRUT, ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey never used chemical weapons in its operations in Syria, and takes the utmost care of civilians, a Turkish diplomatic source said, after Syrian Kurdish forces and a monitoring group accused it of carrying out a gas attack in Syria’s Afrin region.

    “These are baseless accusations. Turkey never used chemical weapons. We take utmost care about civilians in Operation Olive Branch,” the source said.

    Syrian Kurdish forces and a monitoring group said the Turkish military carried out a suspected gas attack that wounded six people in Syria’s Afrin region on Friday.

    The source also described the accusations of wounding six civilians through a suspected gas attack as “black propaganda”.

    Turkey launched an air and ground offensive last month on the Afrin region, opening a new front in the multi-sided Syrian war, to target Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

    Birusk Hasaka, a spokesman for the Kurdish YPG militia in Afrin, told Reuters that Turkish bombardment hit a village in the northwest of the region, near the Turkish border. He said it caused six people to suffer breathing problems and other symptoms indicative of a gas attack.

    http://www.oann.com/turkey-never-used-chemical-weapons-in-syria-accusations-baseless-turkish-diplomatic-source/

    • Seriously does anyone believe a word that comes out of Turkey except Erdogan’s delusional intentions? In my world turkey would be forced to give back Constantinople and kicked back into Asia. Irredentist am I WRT Constantinople.

      • I agree with what should happen, the Turks should be kicked back to Afghanistan where they came from and the Greeks should be given control of Turkey. Given what the Europeans are going through they may get mad enough to kick the Turks out of Turkey, it will take years to accomplish but it could be done.

  11. Mueller-convened grand jury indicts 13 Russians for election interference, wire fraud
    By J.E. Dyer February 16, 2018

    The Department of Justice announced on Friday that a federal grand jury has indicted 13 Russians on counts involving election interference, identity theft, and wire and bank fraud, all of it relating to the 2016 election.

    The grand jury was convened by the federal court for the District of Columbia.

    The indictment, including the names of the Russian defendants, is here.

    There are a few things to note straight off, based on the indictment. One of them is that we have known about the nature of all the election-interference charges for months.

    Some of the defendants are charged with the actual “interference.” Others are charged with the ID theft and wire fraud. Those accused of interference did the following: set up fake social media accounts; used those accounts to forward election-related and other, more general political themes; and advertised online a handful of political demonstrations to be held in U.S. locations, which may or may not have resulted in people literally showing up to demonstrate.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/02/16/mueller-convened-grand-jury-indicts-13-russians-election-interference-wire-fraud/

  12. Obama calls for ‘common-sense’ gun laws after Florida school shooting

    Former President Barack Obama sounded off on Thursday following the deadly Florida school shooting, calling for “common-sense” gun laws.

    Suspected 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz killed at least 17 people when he brought an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle to Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday and opened fire. The tragedy marks the 18th school shooting in 2018 and 25th fatal school shooting since Columbine in 1999.

    “We are grieving with Parkland. But we are not powerless,” Obama stated via Twitter. “Caring for our kids is our first job. And until we can honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep them safe from harm, including long overdue, common-sense gun safety laws that most Americans want, then we have to change.”

    https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/02/15/obama-calls-for-common-sense-gun-laws-after-florida-school-shooting/23362810/

    • One of the common sense gun laws Obama wants passed is to stop anyone buying a rifle until they are 21, the Dems trust 10 year olds to vote for President but don’t trust them with a gun. They allow 18 year olds to enlist in the militay and be send overseas to fight and die for the United States but don’t trust them with a gun. Does this make any sense to you?

      Common sense tells us that if we teach the kids how to use firearms at an early age the majority of them will be safe with them rather then have accidents because you wait until they are adults and they have been taught by Hollywood to misuse firearms. I started learning how to shoot when I was 5 and the time in my life when firearms were least available to me was when I was in the Army. I have never been in trouble with the law over my firearms usage and neither has anyone I know.

      Common Sense has nothing to do what what the Democrats want, neither does safety for the people. What they want is the power to force us to live the way they want instead of the way we want. Never forget this, all of the gun laws they want are designed to make us dependent on the government and thus have less freedom then we have when we are responsible for out own protection.

      • Heard on public radio the phrase “Gun Reforms” to describe the new gun restrictions they are pushing; from gun control to gun safety to gun reforms.

        Guess they haven’t realized that only the truly stupid or children haven’t yet caught on.

  13. Raise your hand if you think MS-13 is a firearm
    By Howard Portnoy February 16, 2018

    Maybe “Heroine of the Resistance” Joy Reid was onto something when she claimed earlier this month that “nobody that doesn’t watch Fox has heard of MS-13.” It appears that non-Fox watcher and eminent novelist Stephen King doesn’t know the difference between MS-13 and an M16.

    As Ryan Saavedra of The Daily Wire notes:

    On Wednesday, anti-Trump Republican commentator Rick Wilson made a remark on social media about the hyperviolent MS-13 street gang which elicited a moronic response from … King, who apparently believes that MS-13 is a gun.

    Rick Wilson tweeted: “You’re a hell of a lot more likely to be killed in FL by an opioid overdose than MS-13. But muh base.”

    https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/963783647852728320

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/02/16/raise-hand-think-ms-13-firearm/

  14. Trio of suicide bombers kill 20 at crowded market in Nigeria (abcnnews, Feb 17, 2018)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/trio-suicide-bombers-kill-18-crowded-market-nigeria-53159679

    “A trio of suicide bombers detonated at a crowded fish market in northern Nigeria, killing at least 20 people, police said Saturday.

    Borno state police spokesman Joseph Kwaji confirmed the Friday night attack to The Associated Press. Hospital officials said two patients later died from their injuries.

    The bombers, all believed to be female, left dozens wounded at the fish market in Konduga, just outside the state capital, Maiduguri. The city is the birthplace of the Boko Haram extremist insurgency and has been a frequent target…”

  15. Lesbian Couple Attacked in Paris No-Go Suburb (breitbart, Feb 17, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/02/17/female-homosexual-couple-attacked-paris-no-go-suburb/

    “A lesbian couple was attacked in the Paris suburb of Val-d’Oise over the weekend after a group of young men shouted slurs at them calling them “lesbian whores”.

    The attack occurred at a train station of the Paris RER public transit system which links the heavily migrant-populated suburbs to the centre of the city. The young women, aged 17 and 18, say they were accosted by several young men who pulled their hair and pulled at their clothes, Le Figaro reports.

    The attackers continued to harass the young women on the RER train leading to one of the women calling the police. Seven young men — all under the age of 17 — were arrested at the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine station. Two of those arrested were held in police custody including a girl who was with the young men.

    Police say that neither of the girls was seriously injured but both were in shock over the incident…”

  16. London’s ‘Modest’ Fashion Show Celebrates Sharia-Compliant Clothing Weeks After Women Burn Hijabs in Iran (breitbart, Feb 17, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/02/17/london-sharia-fashion-show-islamic-clothing-burn-hijabs-iran/

    “London Modest Fashion Week will “celebrate” Britain’s growing sharia-compliant fashion industry — less than two weeks after women living under Islamic fundamentalist regimes risked imprisonment when they burnt their hijabs on No Hijab Day.

    Described as an “exciting addition to the London fashion calendar” and “a celebration of style and global cultures”, London Modest Fashion Week will showcase “modest style” lines on the catwalk this weekend.

    The show will also put on a sharia legal clinic and zakat (religious tax) hub at the Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, venue.

    Organised by the Islamic clothing curator Haute Elan, the fashion website’s founder Romanna Bint-Abubaker said in 2017: “The fastest growing global consumer is at the moment the Muslim market.

    “One in three people by 2030 will be a Muslim in the world — that’s a huge population.”…”

  17. Save the Children warned a DECADE ago that aid workers were coercing children into sex – as Haitian president accuses organisations of cover-up (dailymail, Feb 17, 2018)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5402625/Abuse-aid-workers-peacekeepers-Haiti-known-10-years-ago.html

    “The scale of abuse by aid workers and peacekeepers overseas was ‘significant’ and ‘chronically under-reported’, according to a report published a decade ago.

    Save the Children found children were being coerced into sex, trading sex acts for food and other items and being forced into sexual slavery in Haiti, Cote d’Ivoire and southern Sudan…”

  18. Mr Blair and the billionaire who can’t stop interfering in other nations’ affairs: GUY ADAMS investigates how George Soros is using his wealth to manipulate politics across the globe (dailymail, Feb 17, 2018)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5402339/Tony-Blair-links-George-Soros.html

    “A perk of being one of the world’s wealthiest men is you can buy the most expensive of everything — from homes and cars, to yachts, private jets — and, let’s not forget, politicians.

    So it goes that, when George Soros decided to help the president of an impoverished West African country cement his powerbase a few years back, he agreed to pay big bucks to secure the regular assistance of one Tony Blair.

    Financial records produced by the American-Hungarian billionaire’s non-profit organisation, The Open Society Foundation (formerly Institute), reveal that in 2012 it spent $601,753 (£429,000) hiring Blair and his aides to help the leader of Guinea ‘manage and execute his ambitious reform agenda effectively’.

    The cash was paid to Blair’s personal charity, the Africa Governance Initiative. In return, Soros’s chum (and Guinea president) Alpha Conde received much invaluable advice, including how to handle PR in the aftermath of violent clashes during which government forces shot dead nine opposition activists and injured hundreds more.

    ‘We are losing the communications battle, in part because the government has remained largely silent over these past weeks,’ spin doctors from Team Blair advised the African politician in early 2013. They suggested he create a ‘new narrative’ in which ‘we must be seen as the side that has always been open to democratic process and dialogue’.

    On another occasion, Blair personally contacted Hillary Clinton, who was then U.S. Secretary of State, asking for help persuading the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to speed up moves to relieve Guinea’s national debt.

    ‘My charity is helping the President of Guinea with [the] Soros Foundation,’ Blair told Mrs Clinton in a leaked February 2012 email, adding that financial assistance would ‘make a big difference since [the] President has elections in early summer . . . any support would be very welcome!’

    Mrs Clinton passed Blair’s chummy request to U.S. Treasury officials, and suggested that Mr Soros personally call the Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to see if strings might be pulled.

    A few months later — hey presto! — this cosy networking bore fruit.

    The IMF wrote off $2.1billion (£1.5billion) of Guinea’s debt. Not long afterwards, President Conde was successfully re-elected, too.

    Having paid Blair’s bills, Mr Soros also took a hands-on role in supporting Conde in advance of those elections, setting up meetings between him and foreign power-brokers (one, in September 2011, saw him host the African statesman and his son at his New York apartment). Occasionally during this period, Soros seemed to take it upon himself to act as a quasi-official negotiator for the Guinea government.

    Indeed, he appears to have informally represented the Conde regime at a meeting in London that year with a Brazilian mining firm which had interests in the African country.

    In an internal email sent soon afterwards, executives from the company, Vale, said they’d been told by Soros to contribute $250million (£178million) to the Guinea government in order to be allowed to continue working there.

    The message suggested that Soros was behaving as if the people of Guinea had elected him to run their country. It complained, he ‘has no right to speak on their behalf’.

    These and other intriguing episodes are expected to feature in a high-profile court case which is currently going through the New York courts…”

  19. Armed gangs WIPE OUT 15 villages in mass Christian slaughter in Nigeria (express, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/919422/christian-persecution-nigeria-islamic-Nasarawa

    “ARMED men stormed through 15 villages to massacre Christians and destroy their churches in a violent crackdown against the religion in Nigeria.

    Dozens of people have been killed after the gangs ransacked towns and villages to clear them of all aspects of the Christian faith.

    Houses belonging to believers have also been razed with authorities doing little to help, an anti-persecution watchdog claimed.

    Open Doors spoke to one Christian who described the broad daylight attack carried out by a group of Fulani – one of Africa’s largest ethnicities.

    A spokeswoman said: “One attack took place in broad daylight, as people were about to go to church.

    “The assailants chased and killed the villagers and burned down nine churches and many more houses.”…”

  20. Munich Security Conference 2018. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster speech. Feb 17, 2018.

    ( 15 min 56 )

  21. 3 asylum-seekers held after Cyprus reception center damaged (wapo, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/3-asylum-seekers-held-after-cyprus-reception-center-damaged/2018/02/17/214fcad0-1400-11e8-a68c-e9374188170e_story.html

    “A Cyprus court has ordered the detention of two asylum-seekers on suspicion that they instigated a small uprising at an immigrant reception center, causing extensive damage to offices and setting fire to furniture and trash bins.

    Cyprus police said the Friday night unrest involved about 25 people at the Kofinou reception center. They say a third man has been arrested.

    State-Run Cyprus News Agency quoted Interior Ministry senior official Kypros Kyprianou as saying Saturday that the detained men were among 40 Eritreans who were brought to Cyprus from Italy as part of a European Union transfer program.

    Kyprianou said the detained suspects were angry at having their allowances cut after they refused to work in line with regulations.”

  22. Saudi Arabia: Egyptians on Trial for Assassination Attempts Near Makkah (aawsat, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1178276/saudi-arabia-egyptians-trial-assassination-attempts-near-makkah

    “Saudi Arabia’s Attorney General requested the maximum penalty for two Egyptian nationals for plotting the assassinations of some Arab leaders, as well as military officers, during their visits to the Holy Mosque in Makkah.

    The two defendants belong to al-Qaeda terrorist organization and Muslim Brotherhood, both on Saudi Arabia’s list of terrorism. They exploited their job sites and direct interactions with some Arab officials and guests, given that they used to work in a hotel in Makkah and one of them occupied the position of manager of the hotel’s internal supervision department.

    The indictment included the defendants participation in several training on using weapons, archery and explosives during their journey to Egypt before they returned to Saudi Arabia.

    The first defendant was accused of plotting to target officials and military leaders of Arab countries, planning and attempting to assassinate a number of foreigners in a hotel in Jeddah, and planning to steal weapons belonging to VIPs who are frequent guests at the hotel to be used in the assassination of important national and foreign figures.

    He was also accused of purchasing chemicals for the purpose of manufacturing weapons to be used in terrorist operations inside the country. He was also found guilty of smuggling an external hard drive to Saudi Arabia containing lessons on the preparation and manufacture of explosives.

    The indictment of the second defendant included his attempt to target an Arab official while he was near the Holy Mosque in Makkah. He was also linked to a person currently detained by the Egyptian security services known for his deviant tendencies.

    The Saudi Public Prosecution demanded the maximum sentence in accordance with the 2014 royal decree stating anyone involved in hostilities in the country in any form and belonged to extremists or religious groups should be imprisoned for 3 to 20 years. In addition, anyone who expresses their sympathies by any means, provide any form of material or moral support to them, or promote such groups whether in writing or speech will also be imprisoned.

    Prosecutors demanded the two Egyptians be sentenced to severe punishment for their charges and deported from the country after their sentence has been completed.”

  23. Libya’s mufti accuses Saudi Arabia of supporting Haftar (memo, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180217-libyas-mufti-accuses-saudi-arabia-of-supporting-haftar/

    “Libya’s Mufti Sheikh Sadeq al-Gharyani revealed on Friday that Saudi Arabia had sent followers of the Saudi Salafist Scholar Rabee al-Mudkhali to support Khalifa Haftar.

    Al-Gharyani, who was speaking to the Libyan TV Channel Al-Tanasuh, said that these people had previously supported Al-Gadhafi and are currently supporting Haftar, accusing both Al-Gadhafi and Haftar of “having blood on their hands.”

    Additionally, the mufti accused the United Nations of claiming to achieve peace in Libya, but have instead “installed Haftar, who undermines peace in the country.”

    Regarding the issue of migrants, he said; “If the UN wants to stop the influx of migrants into Libya, it would guard Libya’s borders.”

    Al-Mudkhali, it should be noted, is a Saudi Salafist sheikh who believes that Islam does not allow opposition to the rulers or giving them public advice.

    His followers have a huge presence in Libya and their militias fought in several battles in support of Haftar.”

  24. 19-Jähriger tot Afghane wollte Ex-Freundin ertränken, konnte aber nicht schwimmen –

    Spandau –

    Nach einem Streit mit seiner Freundin drehte ein 19-Jähriger völlig durch, wollte das junge Mädchen in der Havel ertränken. Die 17-Jährige konnte sich retten, der Täter (ein Nichtschwimmer) versank im eiskalten Wasser. Und starb jetzt an den Folgen.

    Am 19. Dezember, so die Erkenntnisse der Polizei, hatte der aus Afghanistan stammende Asylbewerber seine 17 Jahre alte deutsche Freundin am Spandauer Bergwall in die Havel gestoßen. Anschließend sprang der Mann hinterher und versuchte mehrfach, die junge Frau unter Wasser zu drücken – was jedoch misslang. Stattdessen gelang es der 17-Jährigen, davonzuschwimmen und das rettende Ufer zu erreichen. Der Wüterich hatte weniger Glück: Da er nicht schwimmen konnte, ging er in der nur zwei Grad kalten Havel unter.

    Erst die alarmierten Einsatzkräfte der Feuerwehr und der Wasserschutzpolizei konnten den Afghanen aus dem Wasser ziehen und ihn wiederbeleben. Anschließend wurde er auf die Intensivstation des Virchowklinikums gebracht. Hier fiel er direkt ins Koma.

    Zwar war der Mann laut Staatsanwaltschaft auch zwei Tage nach der Tat „nicht vernehmungsfähig“, lag noch immer im Koma. Dennoch wurde Haftbefehl „wegen versuchten Heimtückemordes aus niederen Beweggründen“ erlassen.

    Am 14. Februar, dem Valentinstag, starb der 19-Jährige nun an den Folgen seiner schlimmen Tat, ohne das Bewusstsein noch einmal wiedererlangt zu haben, wie die Senatsjustizverwaltung am Freitag bestätigte.

    Sein 17-jähriges Opfer erlitt bei dem Mordversuch eine schwere Unterkühlung, blieb ansonsten aber unverletzt.

    http://www.berliner-kurier.de/29713314 ©2018

  25. GERMANY – The real Women’s March is now: Protests against migrant violence and Islamisation in Berlin

    https://voiceofeurope.com/2018/02/the-real-womens-march-is-now-protests-against-migrant-violence-and-islamisation-in-berlin

    =======================================================
    Frauen Demo in Berlin – Linke halten dagegen – Räumung angekündigt Reuters Video Stand 17 Uhr

    Die Demo der Frauen mit 1.200 bis 4.000 Teilnehmern wurde am Checkpoint Charlie blockiert. Die Aufmarschroute und etwaige Ausweichrouten waren durch drei größere Blockaden des Gegenprotests belegt. „Der Kommunismus ist nicht gestorben, den erleben wir gerade hautnah“, erklärte dazu einer der Kommentatoren des Livestreams von Oliver Flesch und meint die linken Blockierer, vor allem die Antifa, die die Frauen-Demo blockieren. Rund 200 linke Blockierer gingen zu Sitzblockaden über.

    • Germany: Scuffles as police face protesters at AfD women’s march

      Scuffles erupted between left wing activists and police officers in central Berlin on Saturday as a women’s march called by Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) faced counter protesters.

      A large number of riot police stood guard at the city’s famous Checkpoint Charlie where the counter protesters staged the rally.

      The march was called to protest what the AfD members claim is a lack of security for women in the country.

    • Germany: Scuffles break out as protesters disrupt AfD’s ‘Women’s March’

      Scuffles erupted between left wing activists and police officers in central Berlin on Saturday, as a women’s march called by Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) Leyla Bilge faced counter protesters.

      A large number of riot police stood guard at the city’s famous Checkpoint Charlie, where the counter protesters staged their rally.

      The march was called to protest what AfD members claim is a lack of security for women in the country.

  26. Report: 8,480 Turkish citizens sought asylum in Germany in 2017 (turkishminute, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://www.turkishminute.com/2018/02/17/report-8480-turkish-citizens-sought-asylum-in-germany-in-2017/

    “According to data from the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), 8,480 Turkish nationals claimed asylum in Germany in 2017, Deutsche Welle Turkish reported.

    DW also said the number of Turkish asylum seekers has been on the rise in 2018 as well, with 741 applications from Turkish citizens in the month of January.

    Turkey ranked fourth among countries that sent the highest number of refugees to Germany in January 2018.

    Turkey survived a military coup attempt on July 15, 2016, after which the government launched a sweeping crackdown against all opposition, leading thousands to seek safety elsewhere in the world.”

  27. Ahmadreza Djalali: Sweden grants citizenship to academic facing death penalty in Iran (independent, Feb 17, 2018)
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/iranian-academic-ahmadreza-djalali-death-sentence-granted-swedish-citizenship-a8215686.html

    “An Iranian scholar facing the death penalty in Iran has been granted Swedish citizenship.

    Ahmadreza Djalali, a resident in Sweden who had been working as a researcher at the Karolinska Institute of medicine in Stockholm, was arrested during a trip to Iran in April 2016.

    In October 2017, he was found guilty of spying activity which led to the Israeli intelligence agency assassinations of four scientists working on Iran’s nuclear programme and sentenced to death.

    Dr Djalali, a medical doctor and university lecturer who had studied and taught in Sweden, Italy and Belgium, denies the allegations and says they were fabricated by Iranian Ministry of Intelligence interrogators…”

  28. UN condemns ‘surge’ in Iranian executions of juvenile offenders (alaraby, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2018/2/17/un-condemns-surge-in-iranian-executions-of-juvenile-offenders

    “The number of juvenile offenders executed in Iran has surged this year, the United Nations said on Friday, demanding an “immediate halt” in death sentences for crimes committed by those under 18.

    According the UN human rights office, Iran has already put three juvenile offenders to death in 2018, compared to a total of five such executions in all of 2017.

    There are currently 80 people on death row for crimes allegedly carried out when they were minors, the rights office said in a statement.

    Iran should “abide by international law and immediately halt all executions of people sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were under eighteen,” UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said, noting the “surge” in capital punishments.

    “No other State comes even remotely close to the total number of juveniles who have been executed in Iran over the past couple of decades,” Zeid said.

    Those put to death this year include Mahboubeh Mofidi, who was 16 when she allegedly killed her husband, whom she married at age 13, the UN said. She was executed on January 30, at age 20.

    Amir Hussein Pourjafar, accused of committing rape and murder when he was 16, and Ali Kazemi, who allegedly committed murder when he was 15, were also executed, according to the rights office.

    The UN raised alarm over three other detainees it believes could be facing an imminent death sentence over crimes committed while teenagers, including Abolfazl Chezani Sharahi, Hamid Hamadi and Omid Rostami, all of whom have had their scheduled executions postponed.

    Amnesty International says at least 87 people were executed in Iran from 2005 to the start of this year for crimes committed when they were minors.”

  29. “#UpdateBrazil – Did Russia interfere in the US election?”
    Terça Livre – February 17, 2018

  30. Reporter Becky Griffin: Fewer Mass Shootings if More Babies Were Aborted

    Reporter-model Becky Griffin took to Twitter on Thursday and responded to Wednesday’s mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida by insinuating that alleged shooter Nikolas Cruz wouldn’t have carried out mass murder if his mother had aborted him instead of putting him up for adoption.

    “Woman puts baby up for adoption, he grows up to be a violent young man who will spend the rest of his life in prison for a mass murder. Tell me more about how abortions are wrong,” Griffin wrote, in a tweet that went viral on Thursday, adding the hashtags #Florida and #ParklandSchoolShooting.

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2018/02/16/reporter-becky-griffin-fewer-mass-shootings-babies-aborted/

  31. There is an article on Breitbart about Soros asking the European governments to manipulate social media to combat populism. but for some reason it won’t post.

  32. Sudden Development in Case of 3 Syrians Facing Terrorism Charges in Germany (aawsat, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1178251/sudden-development-case-3-syrians-facing-terrorism-charges-germany

    “A sudden development occurred in the trial of three Syrians facing terrorism charges on Friday before the court of Hamburg, Germany.

    One of the three defendants confessed that ISIS sent him as part of the flow of refugees to Germany in order to form a “sleeper” terrorist cell.

    This confession confirms investigators’ fears of the exploitation of refugees who arrived from three years to form terrorist cells in Europe.

    Defendant Mohammed A. from Aleppo admitted that he had conducted three-month training courses on various weapons at ISIS camps in Raqqa as a preparation for the next mission in Germany.

    One of the ISIS militants in Raqqa worked on putting his picture in a passport confiscated by the terrorist organization from the Syrian cities.

    The defendant also received €1,500 from the organization to start his journey with refugees until reaching Germany. He also admitted that he had moved from the Free Syrian Army to the terrorist militias for purely financial reasons in 2015.

    He said before the court that ISIS militant Abu Walid al-Soury ordered him to travel to Germany and form a sleeper cell there.

    Terrorist confessions before the Paris police revealed that Abu Walid was the Syrian who also recruited the perpetrators of the Paris attacks at the end of 2015.

    Abu Walid told Mohammed A. that he had to apply for political asylum in Germany and wait for further instructions after receiving the approval.

    Mohammed claimed that he did not contact the terrorist organization in Syria because the German police in December 2015 paid him a visit and warned him that he will be under permanent monitoring.

    He did not recognize the other Syrians who are being tried with him in Hamburg and whether they were meant to form a sleeping cell.

    The public prosecution believes that the defendant is trying to reduce his sentence by confessing and perhaps even more likely to obtain the release called for by his lawyer.

    Notably, the Public Prosecution did not have evidence to condemn Mohammed A. of receiving military training in ISIS camps.”

  33. Trial of two Brotherhood members starts (saudigazette, Feb 17, 2018)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/528610/SAUDI-ARABIA/Trial-of-two-Brotherhood-members-starts

    “The first trial session of two Egyptian nationals, who were supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda, started recently at the Specialist Criminal Court in Riyadh.

    They were involved in the planning to assassinate a Saudi prince and Arab leaders at a hotel in Makkah, as well as several foreigners in Jeddah.

    The Public Prosecutor demanded stiff penalties for the two defendants. He also demanded deporting them after the completion of their prison terms.

    The Public Prosecutor leveled 13 charges against the two defendants.

    There were nine charges against the first defendant, who was working in a Makkah hotel. They included supporting Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood, intending to harm some leaders of Arab countries, planning to target a Saudi prince and some military commanders of an Arab country, conniving with another person, who is under detention by the Egyptian authorities, in carrying out these acts.

    The charges also include planning to kill a number of foreigners in a Jeddah hotel, attempts to steal weapons, manufacturing of explosives, purchasing chemicals for terror operations in the Kingdom, traveling to Egypt to get training in using arms, manufacturing of explosives and carrying out terror operations in the Kingdom.

    There were four charges against the second Egyptian, who was working as manager of internal supervision in a Makkah hotel.

    The charges include supporting Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood, attempt to target the minister of interior of an Arab country during his stay in a hotel in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, getting training in Egypt in weapons use and manufacturing of explosives.”

  34. US charges three with exporting drone parts to Hezbollah (memo, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180217-us-charges-three-with-exporting-drone-parts-to-lebanons-hezbollah/

    “A US federal grand jury indicted three Lebanese men on charges of illegally exporting drone parts from the US to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the US Justice Department announced Friday.

    The US Attorney’s office for Minnesota said two of the suspects – Usama Hamade, 53, and his brother, Issam Hamade, 55 – are now in custody in South Africa. The third, Samir “Tony” Berro, 64, remains at large. Usama Hamade, aka “Prince Sam” is a dual-citizen of South Africa and Lebanon. Berro and Issam Hamade have dual British-Lebanese citizenship.

    “This indictment describes an elaborate conspiracy and scheme to allegedly provide goods and technology to Hezbollah,” US Attorney Gregory Brooker told the Minnesota-based Star Tribune.

    “The investigation of this case was extremely complicated and our federal law enforcement partners at the FBI, the US Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted a thorough investigation and we are thankful for their dedication.”

    The Shia group Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organisation by the US. The group, which is backed by Iran and is currently engaged in fighting in support of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, has used drones at least since 2004…”

  35. Al Qaeda urges Egyptians to topple government as Egypt preps for vote (memo, Feb 17, 2018)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180217-al-qaeda-urges-egyptians-to-topple-government-as-egypt-preps-for-vote/

    “Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has urged Egyptians to topple their government in the second message from militants this week calling for violence in Egypt where presidential elections are due in March.

    Egypt has stepped up its battle with militants ahead of the vote on March 26-28. Cairo launched the latest military offensive against a Daesh branch in Sinai which has killed hundreds of police and soldiers and some civilians since it launched an insurgency in 2014.

    Daesh, an enemy of al Qaeda, released a video on Sunday in which it warned Egyptians against taking part in the vote and urged militants to attack security forces and leaders.

    In an undated audio recording, the Egyptian-born Zawahiri did not issue any specific threat, and did not mention any election.

    “I call on everyone … to work to uproot this apostate, criminal and corrupt regime, and to jihad with weapons, money, word and actions, raids and ambushes, strikes and protests,” Zawahiri said in the recording.

    Al Qaeda first posted the recording in its Telegram channel on Wednesday. The group has not recently claimed attacks in Egypt, but a group linked to it claimed a deadly assault on police in Egypt’s western desert in October last year.

    Zawahiri has publicly criticised Daesh for its brutal methods, which have included beheadings, drownings and immolation.”

  36. UK: Veterans march through Newcastle against ‘Islamist terrorism’

    Nationalist campaign group Veterans Against Terrorism (VAT), made up of former British Armed Forces and their supporters, marched through the streets of Newcastle on Saturday, to protest against “Islamism.”

    Former service personnel with badges pinned to their chest marched while waving the Union Jack and singing ‘Rule Britannia.’

    Several speakers voiced their concern regarding the recent upsurge of what they call “Islamist” militant attacks in the UK and demanded action from the government. “This is England. This is our English heritage. Not immigrants, motherland, our kind,” stated one VAT protester.

    The march passed off peacefully, apart from one incident when on veteran was dragged away by police after a disagreement with the crowd.

    VAT was formed by former service personnel shortly after the Manchester Arena bomb attack in 2017. The group has been accused of fostering anti-Muslim and racist sentiment. Indeed, some right-wing, anti-Muslim political organisations, like the English Defence League (EDL), have promoted the march on social media.

    Anti-fascists held a counter-demonstration, although both sets of protesters were separated by riot police.