Tag: ISIS

Senior Sri Lankan officials ‘withheld intel on terrorist attacks’

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The head of Sri Lanka’s parliament has made damning accusations against senior officials in the government, alleging that they withheld intelligence about impending attacks on churches, hotels and politicians.

A series of Easter Sunday bombings at Sri Lankan churches andhotels killed at least 359 people. Authorities have made dozens of arrests in the aftermath.

“Some top intelligence officials hid the intelligence information purposefully. Information was there, but the top brass security officials did not take appropriate actions,” Lakshman Kiriella, leader of the parliament, said Wednesday

Kiriella claims that Sri Lankan authorities received a warning from Indian intelligence about possible attacks on April 4, and that this information was shared at a Security Council meeting, chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena, on April 7 but was not shared further.

“Somebody is controlling these top intelligence officials,” Kiriella added. “The Security Council is doing politics. We need to investigate into this.”

Meanwhile, former army chief and Minister of Regional Development Sarath Fonseka told parliament that he believed the attacks had been planned for some seven or eight years.

ALSO ON RT.COMTerrorists needed ‘at least 7-8 years’ to plan Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka

A confidential April 11 security memo contained names, addresses, phone numbers and movement patterns of the attackers from the National Thowheeth Jama’ath group suspected of carrying out the spate of attacks. Sri Lankan authorities also knew as far back as January that the group was stockpiling weapons and detonators.

Government minister Rauff Hakeem described it as a “colossal failure on the part of the intelligence services,” as in-fighting between Sri Lanka’s president and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appears to have prevented effective action being taken to avert the danger.

“If the names of the persons involved were already known, why were they not arrested?” he added.

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WaPo headline linking anger at Sri Lanka terrorist attacks to ‘far right’ draws Twitter’s ire

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The Washington Post is under fire for printing a story with a contentious headline, implying that anger over the recent spate of bombings in Sri Lanka is unique to the “far right.”

Titled “Christianity under attack? Sri Lanka church bombings stoke far-right anger in the West,” the piece drew outrage online far and wide for its recklessly phrased headline.

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In its story, the Post cites right-wing leaders and activists across the US and Europe – such as Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s National Rally party – who view the bombings in Sri Lanka as part of a greater attack on Christianity.

While the Post does acknowledge that “Christian minorities are targeted around the world,” some took the piece itself to be a religious slight.

“If you [need] any further proof that the Washington Post is anti-Christian, check out this asinine headline,” one user said on Twitter.

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BBC News On Sri Lanka Attack: ‘Muslims Left Nervous And Afraid’

By Chris Menahan

Won’t somebody think of the Muslims?

From BBC News:

Muslims left nervous and afraid

The BBC’s Anbarasan Ethirajan writes from the capital, Colombo:

Sri Lankans are yet to come to terms with this wave of unprecedented bomb attacks.

It is believed some Muslim youths were radicalised after clashes between the majority Sinhala Buddhists and Muslims last year in the central district of Kandy.

There have been videos on social media showing hardline Islamists and Sinhala hardliners promoting hatred after that violence.

But very few expected such massive attacks a year later. And why were Christians targeted? They are also a minority in Sri Lanka.

It’s an eternal mystery, folks.

The country experienced suicide attacks by Tamil Tiger rebels during the civil war that ended in 2009.

But the ruthlessness with which the latest attacks were carried out show that the country’s task this time will be challenging.

It is a different kind of battle. In the meantime, Sri Lankan Muslims are left nervous and afraid.

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‘Wait for the Next’ – Islamic State-linked Group Issue Notre Dame Threat

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By Jack Montgomery

A radical group linked to the Islamic State has threatened an attack on the damaged cathedral of Notre Dame, or possibly another historic Christian building.

Al-Munatsir, a radical group linked to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s erstwhile caliphate, disseminated an image showing Notre Dame’s iconic bell towers engulfed in flames, with the caption “wait for the next”.

The SITE Intelligence Group Enterprise counter-extremism organisation, which reported on the threat, appears to believe it was targetted at the Parisian cathedral — although it is possible “wait for the next” could refer to an attack on another Christian building.

The French authorities do not believe the Notre Dame fire resulted from arson or terrorism at present, saying it was likely an accident.

Islamic extremists were quick to celebrate it, however — including al-Munatsir, which published an earlier image of the burning cathedral with the caption “Have a nice day”.

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The threats come as France honours the Paris fire brigade, the Pompiers de Paris, who were able to save much of the cathedral from the flames, despite the destruction of its spire and ancient roof timbers.

“The country and the entire world were watching us and you were exemplary,” French president Emmanuel Macron told hundreds of firefighters at the Elysée Palace, where they were gathered so he could pay tribute to them on behalf of the nation.

“You were the perfect example of what we should be,” he added, saying they would be awarded medals of honour for their “courage and devotion”.

Anne Hidalgo, the left-wing Paris mayor, also praised the firefighters’ “boundless courage”, saying they had “saved part of ourselves” by preventing the historic cathedral from being entirely consumed.

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SWEDEN DEMANDS SANCTIONS ON HUNGARY, NATIONS REFUSING THIRD WORLD MIGRATION

Sweden Demands Sanctions on Hungary, Nations Refusing Third World Migration

“It cannot be that responsibility is shared by one or two or three countries.  We have to help each other.”

By Virginia Hale

EU nations which refuse to open their doors to third world migration should have to “pay a price”, the Swedish Prime Minister has said.

In an interview with local media at the weekend, Stefan Löfven said he wants to see sanctions on countries unwilling to take part in a migrant quota system, claiming it was ‘not sustainable” that Hungary refuses to house, feed, and clothe a Brussels-dictated share of illegal immigrants who reach Europe.

“It cannot be that responsibility is shared by one or two or three countries.  We have to help each other,” he told the establishment newspaper Dagens Nyheter, stating that the EU must impose a common migration policy on the bloc’s member states.

“Hungary is one of the countries that receives the most funding from the EU, and it is saying no, we will not take responsibility with relation to migration,” the social democrat said, adding that Brussels should cut funding to nations which reject mass immigration.

Budapest hit back at Löfven’s claim that the nation was neglecting responsibility on the topic of migrants, with foreign minister Peter Szijjártó pointing out that border fences rolled out by the Hungarian government in 2015 are “defending western and northern Europe” from illegal immigration.

“What is at stake at the May elections is that politicians should be elected to the European Parliament who want security in Europe and not resettlement quotas, not no-go zones, not gang wars, not increasing crime and not a threat of terrorism,” the minister toldHungarian news agency MTI.

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Slamming Löfven as a “pro-immigration politician who also wants to force illegal immigrants onto Hungary, and wants to punish the Hungarians for saying no to the mandatory resettlement quota”, the minister added: “The Swedish Prime Minister has already made his decision [on migration policy], but we too have the right to decide.”

Prior to a meeting of EU leaders last September, Löfven reportedly showed visible signs of “anger” at some member states’ reluctance to agree to a common asylum policy, which would see illegal immigrants who manage to reach European shores spread out across the bloc.

The Swedish leader has repeatedly claimed that migrants will be “less of a burden” to the continent as a whole if there is a permanent mechanism to spread them throughout the bloc, ignoring the argument from Visegrád leaders that sharing out asylum seekers trafficked into the EU while failing to secure the borders makes the illegal immigration problem worse.

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MUSLIM POLITICIAN IN CANADA SAYS NOTRE DAME FIRE WAS “DIVINE INTERVENTION”

Muslim Politician in Canada Says Notre Dame Fire Was "Divine Intervention"

Payback for France banning the Islamic veil

 | Infowars.com – APRIL 17, 2019

A Muslim politician in Canada wrote a Facebook post in which she said that the Notre Dame fire was “divine intervention” in response to France banning the Islamic veil.

Québec Solidaire member Eve Torres suggested that the tragedy was “a result of a divine intervention related to the prohibition of religious symbols in France,” according to LaPresse.ca.

France passed an act of parliament in 2010 which banned the wearing of face-covering headgear in public places, including the Muslim niqab and burka.

Torres said that the ban had provoked the “wrath” of Allah and “here is the result!”

She further added, “I would sleep firefighters at the basilica of Notre-Dame Street in Montreal,” suggesting that could be the next church to go up in flames.

The co-spokesperson of Quebec Solidaire, Manon Massé, said she was “very disturbed” by the comments and that they were in “very bad taste”.

Torres later apologized, claiming it was all just a “joke”.

BuzzFeed and other media outlets have attempted to portray Muslims celebrating or justifying the fire as a “conspiracy theory”.

The reality is the exact opposite, as the video below documents.

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‘Have a nice day’: ISIS fanatics revel in Notre Dame’s destruction days before Easter as they describe the inferno as ‘retribution and punishment’

  • ISIS affiliated propaganda group made a heartless poster of the inferno in Paris

  • It was accompanied by a cruel message bidding ‘au revoir’ to Notre Dame

  • The world mourned as the 850-year-old cathedral erupted in flames on Monday

  • Prosecutors said they are treating it as an accident, ruling out terror for now

By Ross Ibbetson

ISIS fanatics are heartlessly revelling in the inferno at Notre Dame Cathedral just days before Easter calling it ‘retribution and punishment’, according to terror intelligence researchers.

A poster of the blazing cathedral appeared online accompanied by the words, ‘Have a good day,’ and was created by the ISIS affiliated Al-Muntasir group according to the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium.

The poster says: ‘Its construction began in the year 1163 and ended in 1345. It’s time to say goodbye to your oratory polytheism.’

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A poster created by the Al-Muntasir media group – an ISIS affiliated propaganda wing – appeared online on Monday night, according to the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium

The jihadists referred to the catastrophe as ‘retribution and punishment,’ SITE intelligence reported.

The chilling message appeared as firefighters continued their efforts to put out the blaze late on Monday night, which broke out less than a week before Easter and amid Holy Week commemorations.

The Al-Munatsir media organisation has shared propaganda rejoicing in terror attacks which have rocked France.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said it was treating the fire as an accident, ruling out arson and possible terror-related motives, at least for now.

While the jihadists celebrated online, France and the world mourned the destruction of a glorious symbol of Western civilisation.

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French President Emmanuel Macron treated the fire as a national emergency, rushing to the scene and cancelling a previously scheduled televised address meant to address France’s yellow vest crisis.

‘The worse has been avoided, although the battle is not yet totally won,’ the president said, adding that he would launch a national funding campaign on Tuesday and call on the world’s ‘greatest talents’ to help rebuild the monument.

‘Notre Dame of Paris is our history, our literature, our imagination. The place where we survived epidemics, wars, liberation. It has been the epicenter of our lives,’ Macron said from the scene.

President Emmanuel Macron looked shell-shocked at the site of the fire on Monday evening

President Emmanuel Macron looked shell-shocked at the site of the fire on Monday evening

Notre Dame was ravaged as the fire swept across the top of the building around a renovation project before its spire collapsed, threatening priceless architecture and artworks throughout the cathedral.

The 12th-century church is home to relics, stained glass and other incalculable works of art and is a leading tourist attraction.

French media quoted the Paris fire brigade as saying the fire was ‘potentially linked’ to a 6 million euro (£5.2 million) renovation project on the spire and its 500 tons of wood and 250 tons of lead.

Despite the dramatic image of the flaming cathedral, no one was killed.

One firefighter was injured, among some 400 who battled the flames for hours before finally extinguishing them.

Firefighters continued working through the night to cool the building and secure the monument and announced on Tuesday morning the fire had been extinguished.

The blaze started at 6.50pm after the cathedral had closed to the public, and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers.

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Nearby buildings were evacuated as fears mounted that the structure could collapse.

As the spire fell, the sky lit orange, acrid smoke rose in plumes and flames shot out the roof behind the nave.

Hundreds of people lined bridges around the island that houses the church, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world.

Paris fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the structure had been saved after firefighters managed to stop the fire spreading to the northern belfry. Gallet said ‘two-thirds of the roofing has been ravaged.’

As the cathedral burned, Parisians gathered spontaneously to pray and sing hymns outside the church of Saint-Julien-Les-Pauvres across the river from Notre Dame while the flames lit the sky behind them.

Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit invited priests across France to ring church bells in a call for prayers.

Parisians and toursits look on in disbelief as the flames engulf the historic cathedral, which is visited by millions every year

Parisians and toursits look on in disbelief as the flames engulf the historic cathedral, which is visited by millions every year

Firefighters look on at the fire fire at the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris as they cross a bridge over the river Seine

Firefighters look on at the fire fire at the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris as they cross a bridge over the river Seine

Experts say firefighters were left with devastatingly few options to save a structure that’s more than 850 years old, built with heavy timber construction and soaring open spaces, and lacking sophisticated fire-protection systems.

Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, Notre Dame is the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages.

Situated on the Ile de la Cite, an island in the Seine river, its architecture is famous for, among other things, its many gargoyles and its iconic flying buttresses. Some 13 million people visit it every year.

 

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“Innocent housewife” Shamima Begum was in fact cruel enforcer in ISIS’ morality police

BY EMMA R.

Shamima Begum was a member of the Isis morality police, a feared group which enforced the terror organisation’s strict interpretation of Islamic law – and she also tried to recruit other young women to join the jihadist group.

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The 19-year-old British citizen, who fled her home in Bethnal Green four years ago with two other schoolgirls, has claimed that she was only a “housewife” during her time living with the group in Syria.
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But according to a report in The Sunday Telegraph she played a much more active role in the organisation’s reign of terror as a member of the “hisba” – which metes out punishment to those found flouting Isis laws on how to dress and behave.
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One activist quoted by the newspaper said Begum had been seen holding an automatic weapon and shouting at Syrian women in the city of Raqqa for wearing brightly coloured shoes.
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“Members of our group from Raqqa knew her well”, said Aghiad al-Kheder, an activist from Deir ez-Zor who founded an anti-Isis collective that published information about Isis crimes from sources on the ground.
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“There were lots of young European women in the hisba. Some of them were very harsh and the local population became very scared.”
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There were separate allegations that Begum stitched suicide bombs onto explosive vests, so they could not be removed without detonating.
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The Mail on Sunday reported that the prime minister and home secretary had been briefed on intelligence received by the CIA and Dutch military intelligence.
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SHEP SMITH CUTS OFF FRENCH OFFICIAL FOR ALLUDING TO ISLAMIC ARSON OF NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL

Shep Smith Cuts Off French Official For Alluding To Islamic Arson Of Notre Dame Cathedral

‘No sir. We’re not doing that here. Not now, not on my watch,’ snaps Smith

 | Infowars.com – APRIL 15, 2019

Fox host Shepard Smith abruptly cut off a French government official describing the burning of the Notre Dame cathedral after he suggested that the blaze may not have been accidental.

“I would tell you something, even if nobody died, it’s like a 9/11, the French 9/11,” French official Philippe Karsenty said of the historic cathedral’s burning on Monday.

“And it’s a big shock. I mean, this church was there for more than 850 years, even the Nazis didn’t dare to destroy it.”

Karsenty then explained the routine Islamic attacks against churches throughout France, and alluded that the media is spreading the “politically correct” narrative that the cathedral’s burning is accidental before being suddenly cut off by Smith.

“And you need to know that for the past year we’ve had churches desecrated each and every week in France. All over France. Of course you will hear the stories about the political correctness which will tell you that it’s probably an accident — ”

“Sir? Sir. Sir. We’re not going to speculate here of the cause of something which we don’t know,” Smith said.

“I’m just telling you something, we need to be ready — ” Karsenty began.

“No sir. We’re not doing that here. Not now, not on my watch,” Smith snapped.

Coincidentally, Fox host Neil Cavuto reportedly also abruptly cut off the Catholic League president Bill Donahue for insinuating the fire was intentionally caused.

The notion that the Notre Dame blaze could have been started by arsonists was first reported by local cathedral workers.

“A Jesuit friend in Paris who works in #NotreDame told me cathedral staff said the fire was intentionally set,” reported Time columnist Christopher J. Hale.

It’s not outside the realm of possibility to deduce arson as the cause of the fire.

As we reported, anti-Christian attacks in France have been on the rise following the European Union’s decision to flood the continent with millions of migrants in 2015.

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