LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 23/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.july23.16.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
Jesus Explains To His Disciples The
Parable of the weeds of the field.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13/36-43:"Jesus left the
crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying,
‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’He answered, ‘The one who
sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed
are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and
the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and
the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and
they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and
they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of
their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!"
If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but
gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?
Letter to the Romans 08/28-39:"We know that all things work together for good
for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom
he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in
order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he
predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and
those whom he justified he also glorified. What then are we to say about these
things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own
Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything
else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at
the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from
the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being
killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’No, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am
convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ
Jesus our Lord."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published on July 22-23/16
Nabih Berri’s incomplete proposals/Nayla
Tueni/AlArabiya/July 22/16
The ‘secret’ agreement on Iran nuclear deal/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al-Arabiya/July
22/16
Malaysia has been betrayed by Prime Minister Najib Razak/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al-Arabiya/July
22/16
Is Mahmoud Abbas silent out of frustration/Raed Omari/Al-Arabiya/July 22/16
Gingrich Outrageous, but Shariah is Worse/Tarek Fatah/The Toronto Sun/July 19,
2016
The Mistake of Fighting a Coup d’Etat With Another/Ahmad El-Assaad/July 21, 2016
No Saudi Surprises in 9/11 Commission's '28 Pages'/Stephen Schwartz and Irfan
Al-Alawi/The Huffington Post/July 22, 2016
Germany: The Terrifying Power of Muslim Interpreters/Stefan Frank/Gatestone
Institute/July 22/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
July 22-23/16
Arsal Municipality Imposes Night
Curfew on Syrian Refugees
Report: Ten Ministers Mull Suspending Participation in Cabinet over Budget
Report: Hizbullah Praises Salameh for Controlling Banking Measures Against
Supporters
British-Australian Held over Children Abduction Banned from Traveling
Tripoli Port Manager: No Banned Cargo on Turkish Vessels
Report: Gang Puts 'Kill List' in Arsal
New UNIFIL Chief Meets Salam and Qahwaji, Hails 'Sincere Support'
Nabih Berri’s incomplete proposals
SSNP to elect new leader on August 5
Samy Gemayel visits Miriam Skaff in bid to end boycott
Caracalla opens Baalabck International Festivals
UNIFIL Head Beary meets Prime Minister Salam and LAF Commander Khawaji
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 22-23/16
More than one’ shooter in Munich mall attack
Most Germans fear terrorist attack after train axe assault, poll shows
Brazil nabs 10 ISIS backers in Olympics anti-terror swoop
Five suspects charged, held over Nice attack
Kalashnikov found in raid linked to Nice attack
Aleppo Rebel Tunnel Blast Killed 38 Regime Forces
Moscow Restarts Air Travel for Russians to Turkey
Netanyahu Calls Abbas to Offer Condolences on Brother's Death
Qatar to Pay Gaza Salaries
Canada Military to Deploy 60 Medical Personnel to Iraq
Saudi Executions Exceed 100 This Year
Trump vows to halt immigration from terror-linked states
Trump hedges on NATO protection against Russian aggression
Hollande: UK must justify any delay on EU exit talks
As ISIS spreads, US officials urge more information sharing
Texas man who acted as Russian agent gets 10 years’ prison
After Times Square fake bomb scare, officers called heroes
17 bodies found, 1,128 migrants rescued from Mediterranean
Circa News: Saudi prince's remarks could reshape Middle East
Bahrain says dismantles terrorist cell linked to Iran regime’s Revolutionary
Guards
Links From Jihad Watch Site for
July 22-23/16
Shooting rampage in Munich ongoing, 15 dead, Islamic State
celebrates
CNN: Eyewitness at Munich mall says shooter screamed “Allahu akbar”
Kerry: Air conditioners as big a threat as the Islamic State
UK: Two jailed for putting bacon on mosque door, “attack on England”
Raymond Ibrahim: ‘Worthless Christians’ Treated ‘Like Animals’
Imam advises temporary marriage may help with teen promiscuity
Renowned Islamic apologist’s aide arrested for recruiting for the Islamic State
Rachel Maddow on Nice jihadi’s motive: “Maybe that’s not important”
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: The Islamic Republic of Iran: At War with the U.S.
Hugh Fitzgerald: The Berbers and Islam as a Vehicle for Arab Supremacism (Part
II)
Brooklyn: Muslim teens beaten outside mosque may have sexually assaulted man’s
girlfriend
Nice truck jihadi had accomplices, plotted for months
July 22-23/16
Arsal Municipality Imposes Night
Curfew on Syrian Refugees
Naharnet/July 22/16/The restive northeastern border town of Arsal has decided to
impose a nighttime curfew on Syrian refugees, its municipality announced on
Friday, two days after one of the town's mayors was critically wounded in an
assassination attempt. “We call for further unity, calm and solidarity between
the dear residents of the town and the dear Syrian guests,” Arsal municipal
chief Bassel al-Hujeiri said in a statement. “The crimes that happen every now
and then, the last of which was the attempt on Mayor Mohammed Alouli's life, are
aimed at undermining unity and harmony and sowing discord among brothers,” he
added. “Out of keenness on everyone's interest and safety, we ask the Syrian
brothers not to leave their places of residence at night, between 10 pm and 7
am, as of Monday, July 25,” the municipal chief said in his statement. Several
municipalities across Lebanon have imposed similar curfews on Syrian refugees
and workers. Such measures have spiked recently after a string of suicide
bombers attacked al-Qaa town on Lebanon's border with Syria. Reports initially
suggested the attackers had come from nearby refugee settlements, though that
was later denied by Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, who said they came
from Syria's Raqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group. Lebanese
activists say the security fears of citizens are being manipulated by some to
justify discriminatory measures against the Syrians. A gang of Syrian and
Lebanese nationals has compiled a hit list that includes the names of ten people
in Arsal that the group intends to liquidate, al-Hujeiri told Asharq al-Awsat
daily in remarks published Friday. Ever since the Syrian revolt erupted in March
2011, Arsal has served as a key conduit for extremists, refugees, rebels and
wounded people fleeing strife-torn Syria. Militants from the IS and the Qaida-linkd
al-Nusra Front are entrenched in rugged mountains along the Lebanese-Syrian
border and the Lebanese army regularly shells their positions while Hizbullah
and the Syrian army have engaged in clashes with them on the Syrian side of the
border. The two groups briefly overran the town of Arsal in August 2014 before
being ousted by the army after days of deadly battles. The retreating militants
abducted more than 30 troops and policemen of whom four have been executed and
nine remain in the captivity of the IS group.
Report: Ten Ministers Mull
Suspending Participation in Cabinet over Budget
Naharnet/July 22/16/Some cabinet ministers have threatened to suspend their
participation in the cabinet meetings if Lebanon's state budget was not included
on the agenda for discussion and approval “as soon as possible,” al-Mustaqbal
daily reported on Friday. “Ten ministers have formed a ministerial lobby and
have met more than once and decided to suspend their participation in the
cabinet meetings,” said the daily. They threatened to boycott the meetings if
efforts failed to include the state budget on the agenda, added the newspaper.
Due to conflicts between the rival political parties, Lebanon has not approved a
state budget since 2005 and its public debt has amounted to around $70 billion.
On Monday, the cabinet convened in a special session and tackled the need to
approve a state budget in light of a worsening financial and economic situation
in the country, in light of reports doubting that an agreement among political
parties might lead to that. Unnamed sources have said that the political
circumstances will not help finalize the state's financial plan and that it is
linked to the controversial file of Lebanon's offshore oil and gas wealth which
is anticipated to reduce the country's accumulating public debt. The cabinet
convened on Monday and tackled the need to stipulate a state budget in light of
a worsening financial and economic situation in the country.
Report: Hizbullah Praises
Salameh for Controlling Banking Measures Against Supporters
Naharnet/July 22/16/Hizbullah praised Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh for
preventing some banking institutions from using a U.S. law against Hizbullah as
a punitive tool against its supporters, al-Akhbar daily reported on Friday.
After observing the performance of the Special Investigation Commission for
Fighting Money Laundering for more than a month, Hizbullah sent a letter to
Salameh which included recognition of his role in curbing some banking
institutions and preventing them from converting the U.S. law into a tool to
punish supporters of the Resistance, said the daily. Two Lebanese banks have
reportedly suspended three Hizbullah-linked accounts in conformity with a U.S.
sanctions law, which triggered ire among Hizbullah circles that described the
move as “crossing a red line,” and threatened that the “U.S. sanctions shall not
pass.”Hizbullah Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc has criticized
Lebanon's central bank for saying it would abide by the U.S. law, which the
Hizbullah lawmakers said violates Lebanon's sovereignty. The U.S. Hizbullah
International Financing Prevention Act says Washington will target those
"knowingly facilitating a significant transaction or transactions for" Hizbullah
or any individual, business or institution linked to the group. Those under
sanctions include Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and top commander
Mustafa Badreddine as well as some businessmen. The list also includes the
group's al-Manar TV and al-Nour Radio. The law triggered an unprecedented
dispute between Hizbullah and the central bank widely seen as a pillar of
stability. Salameh has said on more than one occasion that the Central Bank will
abide by the restrictions in the Hizbullah International Financing Prevention
Act, which was signed into law in December.
British-Australian Held over
Children Abduction Banned from Traveling
Associated Press/Naharnet/July 22/16/The lawyer of a dual British-Australian
national indicted in a botched attempt to kidnap two Australian-Lebanese
children at the center of a custody battle says he has objected to a travel ban
imposed on his client.
Joe Karam said on Friday that judges issued the ban against Adam Whittington but
that he appealed the decision. A verdict is expected on Saturday. Whittington,
who heads a British-based child recovery agency, allegedly masterminded the plot
to kidnap the children, Noah and Lahalla, from their Lebanese father, Ali al-Amin,
in Beirut in April. Whittington, his colleague and the children's Australian
mother, Sally Faulkner, were charged with forceful kidnapping, which is
punishable in Lebanon by up to 15 years imprisonment. Faulkner and an Australian
TV crew posted bail in April and have since returned to Australia.
Tripoli Port Manager: No
Banned Cargo on Turkish Vessels
Naharnet/July 22/16/Director of the Tripoli Port Ahmed Tamer assured on Friday
that the Turkish freight vessels that were seized for inspection and search in
the port a day earlier did not contain banned cargo, the National News Agency
reported on Friday. “The authorities suspected the presence of banned materials
in the shipments of the two ships that carried 54 trucks,” Tamer told NNA. He
added that the trucks were scanned and no illegal material was found, he said:
“The trucks were sent to Beirut and their loads were scanned confirming the
absence of banned material aboard.”“The ships unloaded their cargo and left the
port without any legal hindrances,” emphasized Tamer. He voiced calls on
Lebanese and Arab media outlets to seek facts from the related authorities
before reporting any misleading information relating to the port. Furthermore,
Tamer hoped that the customs authorities redevelop their equipment and repair
the scanner in the port. On Thursday, the army took tight security measures in
the northern seaport of Tripoli and seized the Turkish freight vessels. Media
outlets circulated reports that the ships carried banned material.
Report: Gang Puts 'Kill List'
in Arsal
Naharnet/July 22/16/A gang of Syrian and Lebanese nationals has compiled a hit
list that includes the names of ten people in the northeastern border town of
Arsal, As Sharq al-Awsat daily reported on Friday. “There are gangs comprised of
Lebanese and Syrian nationals who have singled out a list of specific names that
they plan to terminate, ”Arsal's municipal chief Bassel al-Hujeiri told the
daily in an interview. On the other hand, security sources told the newspaper
that “a list is being circulated and it includes ten names, seven of which are
from Arsal including the town's mayor, while the other three are Syrians
residing in Arsal whom the terror groups want to eliminate.”Ever since the
Syrian revolt erupted in March 2011, Arsal has served as a key conduit for
extremists, refugees, rebels and wounded people fleeing strife-torn Syria.
Frequent clashes erupt between the Lebanese army and the Islamic State and al-Nusra
Front rival jihadist groups in Arsal. Militants from the IS and Nusra are
entrenched in rugged mountains along the Lebanese-Syrian border and the Lebanese
army regularly shells their positions.
New UNIFIL Chief Meets Salam
and Qahwaji, Hails 'Sincere Support'
Naharnet/July 22/16/Maj. Gen. Michael Beary, the newly-appointed head of the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) held separate talks Friday in
Beirut with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji,
the U.N. force said. The meetings discussed “the security and political
situation in the country, the implementation of UNIFIL's mandate under U.N.
Security Council Resolution 1701 as well as the situation in UNIFIL’s Area of
Operations in South Lebanon with particular focus on cooperation between UNIFIL
and the Lebanese Army.” Following the meetings, Beary said: “I thanked the
leaders for their relentless and sincere support for the work we are doing on
the ground in close coordination with the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) and for
their commitment to UNSC resolution 1701; I highly appreciate their continuous
efforts in helping preserving stability in the country during this very
sensitive time that the region is facing.” “This being our first meeting after I
assumed Command of UNIFIL, I assured the Prime Minister and LAF Commander of my
intent to ensure continuity in UNIFIL’s operations. We must continue to build on
our strategic partnership with the LAF, enhancing its capacity through the
Strategic Dialogue and assist the Government of Lebanon in strengthening state
authority in the south,” he added. Beary also stressed during the talks on “the
importance of the Mission’s relations with the population.”“I assured the
leaders that our peacekeepers, military and civilian, will continue working with
full respect for the religious beliefs, traditions and cultural sensitivities of
the host population. We attach great importance to our relationship with the
people of the south; a special bond that goes back in time, this symbiotic
co-existence is key to the success of the Mission,” he said. Beary also met
separately with the Lebanese Government Coordinator to UNIFIL and Deputy Chief
of Staff for Operations Brigadier-General Mohammed Janbay. Beary, who hails from
Ireland, assumed UNIFIL's command on July 19, succeeding Major-General Luciano
Portolano of Italy. Currently, UNIFIL comprises almost 10,500 military personnel
from 40 countries, including the Maritime Task Force, the only naval force in
peacekeeping operations, and some 1,000 civilian national and international
staff.
Nabih
Berri’s incomplete proposals
Nayla Tueni/AlArabiya/July 22/16
Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri said he contributed to the deal with
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil to end obstacles over the country’s offshore oil
and gas reserves. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tammam Salam called for not rushing
into the matter, as it affects future generations and he does not know the
details. This means the issue will remain stuck between parliament and the
cabinet. Tackling less important matters, such as those regarding mobile
operators and trash, has also been hindered, so how can something as significant
as offshore oil and gas, which entails overlapping and contradictory interests,
pass peacefully?
National dialogue
The other urgent issue relates to Berri’s package of proposals to be addressed
at the national dialogue sessions, which will begin on Aug. 2. This is an
attempt to revive the state’s work. He has repeatedly said the package does not
resemble the Doha Agreement, and will not impose a new reality or harm the Taif
Agreement. It involves electing a president, and agreeing on an electoral law
and a new cabinet. These are indisputably urgent matters. There is a bottleneck,
and it is unacceptable to continue trading accusations and keeping Berri’s
incomplete package without developing an alternative . This proposal is not a
reality imposed on those participating in national dialogue, and is not a
response to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s demand that Michel Aoun be
president. Those who reject the upcoming dialogue sessions are wrong to do so,
especially when they do not have an alternative plan to solve the ongoing
obstruction.
March 14 parties may have taken a positive step by attending parliament sessions
scheduled to elect a president despite a boycott by Hezbollah and the Free
Patriotic Movement. However, March 14 parties must take other initiatives to
push the state project forward, but without making concessions. There is a
bottleneck, and it is unacceptable to continue trading accusations and keeping
Berri’s incomplete package without developing an alternative.
**This article was first published in an-Nahar on July 18, 2016.
SSNP to elect new leader on August 5
Fri 22 Jul 2016/NNA - The Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) indicated on
Friday that it had set forthcoming August 5 to elect a new leader, after the end
of the second mandate of MP Assaad Hardan on top of the party. The announcement
was made in the wake of an extraordinary session held by SSNP Higher Council,
which confirmed commitment to the decision of the party's court to accept a
challenge motion of an amendment that allows Hardan to run for a third term.
Samy Gemayel visits Miriam
Skaff in bid to end boycott
Fri 22 Jul 2016/NNA - Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel visited on Friday head
of the "Popular" bloc Miriam Skaff at her residence in Yarzeh, whereby the pair
reportedly discussed the need to work on ending the state of boycott between
Kataeb and the Popular bloc since the unfortunate incident that killed the two
martyrs Salim Assi and Nasri Marouni, the brother of Minister and MP Elie
Marouni in Zahle. As per a statement by Gemayel's Media Bureau, it said that
"the visit comes in full coordination with Marouni, which constitutes the first
step towards addressing the strained relations between both sides, in
preparation to restore matters to normal."
Caracalla opens Baalabck
International Festivals
Fri 22 Jul 2016/NNA - Baalback International Festivals kicked off on Fiday, with
renowned Caracalla dance band opening this year's summer edition of the renowned
celebrations.Thousands of people attended the show, titled "Sailing Through
Time," alongside a panel of ministers, lawmakers, and dignitaries.
UNIFIL Head Beary meets Prime
Minister Salam and LAF Commander Khawaji
Fri 22 Jul 2016/NNA - In a press release by UNIFIL, it said: "UNIFIL Head of
Mission and Force Commander Major-General Michael Beary today called on Prime
Minister Tammam Salam and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander General Jean
Khawaji in separate meetings in Beirut."Release added: "The meetings discussed
the security and political situation in the country, the implementation of
UNIFIL's mandate under UN Security Council resolution 1701 as well as the
situation in UNIFIL's Area of Operations in South Lebanon with particular focus
on cooperation between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army."Following the meetings,
Major-General Beary said: "I thanked the leaders for their relentless and
sincere support for the work we are doing on the ground in close coordination
with the LAF and for their commitment to UNSC resolution 1701; I highly
appreciate their continuous efforts in helping preserving stability in the
country during this very sensitive time that the region is facing.""This being
our first meeting after I assumed Command of UNIFIL, I assured the Prime
Minister and LAF Commander of my intent to ensure continuity in UNIFIL's
operations. We must continue to build on our strategic partnership with the LAF,
enhancing its capacity through the Strategic Dialogue and assist the Government
of Lebanon in strengthening state authority in the south."During the meetings,
UNIFIL Head of Mission Major-General Beary stressed on the importance of the
Mission's relations with the population:" I assured the leaders that our
peacekeepers, military and civilian, will continue working with full respect for
the religious beliefs, traditions and cultural sensitivities of the host
population. We attach great importance to our relationship with the people of
the south; a special bond that goes back in time, this symbiotic co-existence is
key to the success of the Mission."Major-General Beary also met separately with
the Lebanese Government Coordinator to UNIFL and Deputy Chief of Staff for
Operations Brigadier-General Mohammed Janbay.
Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
July 22-23/16
More than one’ shooter in
Munich mall attack
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Friday, 22 July 2016/German special force
police have arrived at the scene of a 'rampage' at a Munich shopping center,
where an attack is believed to have killed up 15 people. Munich police think
there is more than one shooter involved, although no one has been taken into
custody yet. The mall near the southern German city's Olympic stadium was
surrounded by police after shots were fired. "There is a major police operation
under way in the shopping centre," Munich police said on Twitter, urging people
to avoid the area. Emergency vehicles were seen in the streets outside, as
passers-by looked on. A mall employee told Reuters that staff were still hiding
out in the shopping center. Munich transportation authorities say have halted
service on multiple train, tram and bus lines. The shopping center is next to
the Munich Olympic stadium, where the Palestinian militant group Black September
took 11 Israeli athletes hostage and eventually killed them during the 1972
Olympic Games. "We believe there was more than one perpetrator. The first
reports came at 6 p.m., the shooting apparently began at a McDonald's in the
shopping center. There are still people in the shopping center. We are trying to
get the people out and take care of them," a Munich police spokeswoman said.
Unconfirmed footage shows a gunman armed in black emerging from a McDonalds –
supposedly in Munich- and opening fire with a pistol on civillians. Munich
police hunting shooter or shooters at mall; no one captured yet.
Meanwhile, other footage posted on Twitter showing the mall’s rooftop where
shots are clearly heard. The attack comes just days after a teenage asylum
seeker went on the rampage with an axe and a knife on a regional train in
Germany, injuring five people. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the
teenager was believed to be a "lone wolf" attacker who appeared to have been
"inspired" by the ISIS group but was not a member of the militant network. It
also follows a truck attack in the French Riviera city of Nice after Bastille
Day fireworks last week that left 84 people dead.
Most Germans fear terrorist
attack after train axe assault, poll shows
Reuters, Berlin Friday, 22 July 2016/More than three-quarters of Germans believe
their country will soon be the target of terrorism, a survey showed on Friday,
after a 17-year-old asylum-seeker wounded passengers on a train in an axe attack
claimed by Islamic State. Seventy-seven percent expect an attack to happen soon,
up from 69 percent two weeks ago, according to the survey compiled by
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen for broadcaster ZDF. Bavarian police shot dead the
teenager after he wounded four people from Hong Kong on the train and injured a
local resident while fleeing. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said
investigations suggested he was a “lone wolf” who had been spurred into action
by ISIS propaganda. The axe rampage came days after a Tunisian drove a truck
into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice, killing 84 in
an attack also claimed by the militant group. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas
told Bild newspaper’s Friday edition that there was “no reason to panic but it’s
clear that Germany remains a possible target”. The survey of 1,271 respondents,
which showed 20 percent do not expect an attack soon, was conducted during the
three days following the train attack.
It also showed 59 percent think enough is being done to protect them from
terrorism - almost twice as many as think they should be better protected.
Brazil nabs 10 ISIS backers
in Olympics anti-terror swoop
The Associated Press, Rio de Janeiro Friday, 22 July 2016/Ten Brazilians who
pledged allegiance to ISIS were arrested Thursday, authorities announced,
describing them as “amateurs” who discussed on social media the possibility of
staging attacks during next month’s Olympics. Justice Minister Alexandre de
Moraes said in the capital, Brasilia, that the 10 were being held on two
terrorism-related charges and that two more people were being sought.
Authorities said any attack plan would have had little chance of coming to
fruition, citing the group’s lack of resources and skills. But officials and
security experts argued that police were justified in being aggressive in light
of “lone wolf” attacks staged in the US and Europe by men with little or no
training. Moraes said police acted because the group discussed using weapons and
guerrilla tactics to potentially launch an attack during the Olympics, which
begin in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 5. They will remain in police custody for at
least 30 days. “They were complete amateurs and ill-prepared” to actually launch
an attack, Moraes said. “A few days ago they said they should start practicing
martial arts, for example.” He said that there were no specific targets for an
attack, but that even disorganized groups have to be taken seriously. The
possibility of an attack is not so “far-fetched” even though Brazil has never
been a target for terrorism, said Alex Kassirer, a counterterrorism analyst at
Flashpoint, a New York-based intelligence group.
“The Olympics is a really unique opportunity to be able to target a
concentration of all of the enemies in one area,” she said. Kassirer pointed out
the ISIS launched a channel in May on the messaging app Telegram to disseminate
extremist propaganda specifically in Portuguese. On Sunday, another channel
vowed allegiance to ISIS, although its authenticity has not been determined, she
said. The arrests were made in 10 different states, including Sao Paulo and
Parana in the southern part of the country, and it was not clear whether the
suspects knew each other beyond their online contacts. Moraes said authorities
seized computers, cellphones and other equipment, but no weapons. Authorities
said the investigation that began in April showed the suspects had all been
“baptized” as ISIS sympathizers online but none had actually traveled to Syria
or Iraq, the group’s stronghold, or received any training. Several were
allegedly trying to secure financing from ISIS. Investigators said none of the
suspects were of Arab descent, but released no details on their religion. They
were described as being between the ages of 20 and 40, except for one minor.
Newton de Oliveira, a professor and security specialist at Mackenzie
Presbyterian University in Rio de Janeiro, applauded authorities for detecting
the group, saying recent world events raised worries about terrorism during the
sporting event. But he cautioned it was hard to say how serious this threat was.
“It’s not clear whether we are talking about young people getting carried away
or if they were going to move forward with actions,” Oliveira said. The justice
minister said one of the suspects communicated with a store in Paraguay via
email in an alleged attempt to buy an AK-47 assault rifle, apparently the most
concrete action taken toward a possible attack. The email communication was
intercepted by police.
Brazilians are allowed to possess small firearms but must have a license and
training to do so. Only members of the military may possess assault weapons like
the AK-47, although those and other firearms are common in the country,
especially in slums controlled by drug gangs. Last week the top military aide
for Brazil’s interim government said concerns over terrorism had “reached a
higher level” after the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice, France.
Officials did not raise the country’s terror alert level Thursday following the
raids. Security has emerged as the top concern during the Olympics, including
violence possibly spilling over from Rio’s hundreds of slums. Authorities have
said 85,000 police officers and soldiers will be patrolling during the
competitions.
Five suspects charged, held over Nice attack
AFP, Paris Friday, 22 July 2016/French judges on Thursday charged five suspects
who were in contact with truck attacker Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel in the lead-up
to the Nice attack that left 84 people dead, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
Three of the suspects were formally accused of acting as accomplices in “murder
by a group with terror links,” the prosecutor’s office said. Another two were
charged with “breaking the law on weapons in relation to a terrorist group.”All
five have been remanded in custody.
Kalashnikov found in raid
linked to Nice attack
AFP, Nice Thursday, 21 July 2016/French police found a Kalashnikov rifle and a
bag of ammunition in the basement of a man held in connection with the Bastille
Day truck massacre, a source close to the case said Thursday. The raid was
carried out as part of the investigation into a 22-year-old man believed to have
received text messages from Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel on the night of the
attack, discussing the supply of weapons. About 100 investigators are poring
over masses of data linked to the probe, and photos found on Bouhlel's cellphone
indicate he was studying several locations where crowds gathered. One photo
concerns a fireworks display on August 15, another a race on January 10 along
the Promenade des Anglais where the attack took place, and another showed the
opening times of the fan zone during the Euro football tournament. Jean-Pascal
Padovani, the lawyer for the 22-year-old suspect, has denied "any implication in
a terrorist act" by his client. Five suspects will on Thursday go before
anti-terrorism judges investigating the attack that left 84 dead and over 300
injured. They are four men aged 22 to 40 and a women aged 42 who were linked to
Bouhlel, who was shot dead by police after he ploughed a rental truck into a
crowd of people.
Aleppo Rebel Tunnel Blast Killed 38
Regime Forces
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 22/Nearly 40 Syrian soldiers and pro-regime
fighters were killed when rebels blew up a tunnel under a government position in
Aleppo city, a monitor said Friday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights said 38 members of government forces were killed in Thursday's
blast, which brought down a building used by the regime in Aleppo's Old City.
The monitor had earlier reported a toll of 14. A video posted online by the
Thuwwar al-Sham rebel group purported to show the incident, with members of the
force walking though a long tunnel and preparing barrels full of explosives. "We
are now inside the tunnel that will be detonated soon, God willing, the tunnel
under the traffic branch building, which is an important headquarters for the
Assad regime and its mercenaries," a rebel says in the video. The footage then
shows a massive blast leveling a multi-storey building, filmed from multiple
angles. A huge geyser of dirt and smoke shoots upwards from the scene of the
blast, after which gunfire can be heard. Aleppo was once Syria's economic
powerhouse, but it has been ravaged by the conflict that began in March 2011.
The city has been roughly divided between government control in the west and
rebel control in the east since shortly after fighting began there in mid-2012.
The east of the city has been under siege for the past two weeks, since
government forces severed the only remaining supply route into rebel-held
districts. The government advance has raised fears for more than 200,000 people
who remain in the east of the city, where food shortages and spiraling prices
have already been reported.
Moscow Restarts Air Travel
for Russians to Turkey
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 22/Moscow on Friday lifted a temporary ban on
air travel for Russian citizens to Turkey imposed over fears of unrest after a
failed coup in the country. "From July 22 2016 regular air connections for all
airlines making flights from the territory of Russia to Turkey are
reestablished," the transport ministry said in a statement released overnight.
Moscow blocked Russian citizens from flying to Turkey on Saturday in the wake of
a bloody coup attempt that rocked the country and President Vladimir Putin
ordered officials to help holidaymakers return home. Airlines cancelled flights
over the weekend before restarting air travel only for non-Russian citizens. The
ministry said the decision to lift the restrictions was taken "after receiving
assurances from the Turkish side on urgent measures taken for the increased
security of Russian citizens". Flagship carrier Aeroflot confirmed that it had
started allowing Russian citizens onto its regular flights to Turkey from 00:00
on Friday (21:00 GMT Thursday). "Aeroflot is restarting carrying Russian
citizens and the sale of tickets to Turkey," the company said in a statement.
Major cities in Turkey descended into battlegrounds on the night of July 15
during a coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that ultimately
ended in failure. Russia and Turkey have only recently mended ties after they
were shattered by Ankara's shooting down of one of Moscow's warplanes over the
Syria border last November. The Kremlin has lifted retaliatory sanctions it
slapped on Turkey preventing the sale of package tours to the country and is in
the process of restarting charter flights. The punitive measures dealt a
crushing blow to the Turkish tourism industry, which is hugely reliant on
Russian tourists especially on its Mediterranean coast.
Netanyahu Calls Abbas to
Offer Condolences on Brother's Death
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 22/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Friday to offer condolences on the
death of his brother, an Israeli official told AFP. Abbas' brother Omar died in
Qatar Thursday, with the funeral taking place on Friday.He had been suffering
from cancer according to Israeli media reports. The official, in the Israeli
prime minister's office, said Netanyahu called Abbas on Friday but that the
conversation was "only to offer condolences." No other topics were discussed, he
said. Palestinian state media confirmed the call. Relations between the two men
are frosty, with Netanyahu accusing Abbas of libeling the Jewish people last
month after he suggested some rabbis had called for Palestinian wells to be
poisoned. Abbas and Netanyahu shook hands at a climate summit in Paris in
November, but held no significant talks. The last substantial public meeting
between them is thought to date back to 2010, though there have been unconfirmed
reports of secret meetings since then. Israel has called for direct peace
negotiations without preconditions, but the Palestinian leadership prefers a
multilateral approach -- saying Israel's leadership has failed to abide by
previous agreements.
Qatar to Pay Gaza Salaries
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 22/The wealthy Gulf state of Qatar has
pledged to pay one-month salaries for public sector employees in Gaza, to help
"alleviate the suffering" caused by the Israeli blockade, state media said. The
Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has ordered paying a total of
113 million rials ($31 million), which is the total wage bill for one month in
the strip ruled by Islamist movement Hamas, QNA state news agency said late
Thursday. This is to "alleviate the suffering of the brothers in (the Gaza)
Strip and (ease) the severe financial hardship they are facing due to the unjust
blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation," it said. Gaza has been subjected to
a stringent Israeli blockade since 2006, with construction materials tightly
controlled for fear militants could make use of them to forge arms or build
fortifications. Hamas hired more than 40,000 people after it seized Gaza in 2007
following deadly clashes with militants of Fatah, the party of Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas. But after a reconciliation deal with Abbas that led to
the formation of a West Bank-based national unity government in June 2014, Hamas
relinquished responsibility for paying salaries. Hamas has technically handed
power to the unity government but it remains in de facto control of Gaza. Abbas'
West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) initially refused to pay the workers.
Qatar has been a major donor for Gaza.
Canada Military to Deploy 60
Medical Personnel to Iraq
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 22/Canada said Thursday its military is set
to deploy up to 60 medical staff to Iraq to run a field hospital for the
international coalition fighting the Islamic State group. "As part of our
ongoing commitment, Canada will soon deploy up to 60 medical personnel who will
be leading a medical facility alongside coalition partners in northern Iraq,"
Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a statement following a meeting in
Washington with other coalition members. Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion
added: "Canada is proud to be contributing to all military and civilian lines of
effort of the coalition. This type of integrated approach is essential to help
secure long-term stability in the region." The medical personnel will join
Canadian special forces and trainers already deployed to Iraq as part of the
fight against IS. Canada withdrew from the coalition's bombing campaign in March
following the election of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but Ottawa still
provides CP-140 Aurora surveillance and CC-150T Polaris refueling aircraft to
the effort.
Saudi Executions Exceed 100
This Year
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 22/Saudi authorities on Friday executed a
national convicted of murdering a compatriot, in the 101st execution of the year
in the ultra-conservative kingdom, the interior ministry said. Fahad Abdulhadi
al-Dusari was found guilty of shooting dead Mubarak bin Mohammed al-Dusari
following a dispute, the ministry said in statement carried by SPA state news
agency. He was executed in the region of Riyadh, it said. On Thursday,
authorities carried out the 100th execution in the capital, putting to death a
Saudi convicted of shooting dead a compatriot. Saudi Arabia imposes the death
penalty for offenses including murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and
apostasy. Most people executed are beheaded with a sword. There were no
beheadings during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began in the
kingdom on June 6. However, executions resumed on Sunday when authorities put a
Saudi murderer to death. Human rights group Amnesty International says the
kingdom carried out at least 158 death sentences last year, making it the third
most prolific executioner after Iran and Pakistan. Amnesty's figures do not
include secretive China. The London-based watchdog says the Saudi rate of
executions this year is "higher than at the same point last year."Murder and
drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47
people were put to death for "terrorism" offenses on a single day in January.
They included prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution prompted
Iranian protesters to torch Saudi diplomatic missions, leading Riyadh to sever
relations.
Trump vows to halt
immigration from terror-linked states
AFP, Cleveland Friday, 22 July 2016/Republican nominee for US president Donald
Trump on Thursday vowed to suspend immigration from countries “compromised by
terrorism” and said their citizens were not welcome in America. “We must
immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by
terrorism until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place,”
he said.“We don’t want them in our country,” he said to huge cheers and applause
from delegates at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Wall again!
Trump also repeated his pledge to build a wall along the southern border with
Mexico in a bid to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking. “We are going
to build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs and
the violence, and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities,” he said
in accepting the party’s nomination. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton fired off an icy
rebuke Thursday to her rival Donald Trump after he savaged her record upon
accepting the Republican nomination for president, telling him: “We are better
than this.”Clinton’s one-line tweet came midway through a sweeping acceptance
speech in which Trump attacked the Democratic former secretary of state for a
legacy of “death, destruction, terrorism and weakness.”
Trump hedges on NATO
protection against Russian aggression
By AP Washington Thursday, 21 July 2016/Republican nominee Donald Trump hinted
the US may revisit NATO’s longstanding policy of defending its allies against
possible Russian aggression if he becomes president, saying that some allies
aren't holding up their end of the bargain. Trump told The New York Times that
he would decide whether to protect the Baltic republics against any incursion by
Russia based on whether those countries “have fulfilled their obligations to
us.” His remarks came ahead of his speech to formally accept the Republican
nomination for president late Thursday, and dominated the day’s
convention-related chatter, even though they are in in line with his views
questioning the United States’ global role. In 2014, the 28-member alliance
created a rapid-reaction force to protect the most vulnerable NATO members
against a confrontation with Russia. Last week, President Barack Obama pledged
unwavering commitment to defending Europe, adding that “in good times and in
bad, Europe can count on the United States.” White House spokesman Josh Earnest
reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to its trans-Atlantic partners.“The
cornerstone of that alliance is the pledge that all of the allies have made to
mutual self-defense,” Earnest said. “The US commitment to that pledge is
iron-clad,” Earnest said. NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a
military alliance of European and North American democracies created after World
War II to strengthen international cooperation as a counter-balance to the rise
of the Soviet Union. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenbert said he wouldn’t
wade into the US presidential campaign, but he noted that “solidarity among
allies is a key value for NATO.” “This is good for European security and good
for US security. We defend one another. We have seen this in Afghanistan, where
tens of thousands of European, Canadian and partner nation troops have stood
shoulder-to-shoulder with US soldiers.”Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary
Clinton's campaign was quick to pounce on Trump's statements. “The president is
supposed to be the leader of the free world. Donald Trump apparently doesn’t
even believe in the free world,” Clinton senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan
said in a statement shortly after the interview was published.
Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, was on the defensive early
Thursday, telling Fox News he is confident the Republican nominee would stand by
America’s NATO allies. But he insisted those countries “must pay their fair
share.”Pence added that a Trump administration would tell US allies “the time
has come for them and for their citizens to begin to carry the financial costs
of these international obligations.”Trump has publicly welcomed praise from
Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling MSNBC in December that, “when people
call you brilliant, that’s always good, especially when the person heads up
Russia.” When the interviewer pointed out charges that Putin kills opponents and
that he invaded neighboring Ukraine, Trump responded that Putin is “running his
country, and at least he’s a leader, unlike what we have in this
country.”Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, an outspoken Trump critic, said
Thursday that Trump’s statements make Putin “a very happy man.”“The Republican
nominee for president is essentially telling the Russians and other bad actors
that the United States is not fully committed to supporting the NATO alliance,”
Graham said. Even Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, took issue with part of
Trump’s remarks, saying that “the phrase about Russia even hypothetically
attacking someone is unfortunate wording.” Trump also told The Times that he
would not criticize Turkey for cracking down on political opponents and
restricting civil liberties following last week’s attempted coup. Of Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump said: “I give great credit to him for
being able to turn that around.” The US has no “right to lecture” Turkey and
other countries when "people are shooting policemen in cold blood," Trump said.
With decades in business and no prior political experience, Trump cast the
projection of American military might abroad in economic terms. For example, he
said it might not be necessary to station American troops abroad, though he
agreed it’s preferable. “If we decide we have to defend the United States, we
can always deploy” troops from the US, Trump told the newspaper, “and it will be
a lot less expensive.”
Hollande: UK must justify any
delay on EU exit talks
Reuters, Dublin Thursday, 21 July 2016/British Prime Minister Theresa May must
justify any foot-dragging over the opening of formal talks to quit the European
Union, French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday, adding pressure on
her to launch negotiations quickly.
Hollande, due to meet May in Paris later on Thursday, told a news conference
during a visit to Ireland that he would hear May out but did not see an interest
in putting off exit negotiations. May has said her government is unlikely to
trigger the formal divorce process until next year as London works out how best
to tackle the complex negotiation. Hollande said that May's appointment last
week as prime minister had more quickly than expected resolved the question of
who would lead the negotiations on Britain's behalf, leaving little reason to
postpone. “First we spoke of September, then October and now December. There
needs to be justifications. If it is to delay the negotiation, which itself
could take time, I think it would create a damaging uncertainty,” Hollande said.
“If it is to have more time for the negotiations so that the negotiations are
shorter, then that can be envisaged.”In reaction to the pressure from Hollande,
a spokeswoman for May said her government needed the time to prepare the
negotiations. Hollande, who was speaking in Dublin where he and Irish Prime
minister Enda Kenny issued a joint statement urging rapid exit talks, also said
he would confer with German leader Angela Merkel after his meeting with May. In
talks in Berlin on Wednesday, Merkel agreed with May that Britain needed time to
put together a negotiating stance before triggering a formal divorce from the
bloc, though the German leader was clear that no one wanted “a long period of
limbo”.
As ISIS spreads, US officials
urge more information sharing
Reuters, Washington Friday, 22 July 2016/US officials on Thursday called on
partners in the coalition against ISIS to increase information sharing to
counter the militant group’s expanding reach beyond Iraq and Syria, and said a
victory in the northern city of Mosul was now in sight. Addressing the opening
of a meeting of more than 30 defense and foreign chiefs in the US-led coalition,
US Secretary of State John Kerry said that while the number of ISIS fighters is
estimated to be down by one third, the group was transforming itself “from a
phony state into some kind of global network.”A spate of recent attacks claimed
or apparently inspired by ISIS, such as a truck attack in Nice, France, that
killed 84 people last week, formed a grim backdrop to two days of Washington
meetings aimed at combating the group. In the wake of deadly attacks in Paris
and Brussels, in particular, the United States has pushed allies to share
information on suspected militants, some of whom have easily crossed
intra-European borders. Thursday’s meeting was meant as a show of unity in the
coalition, but the recent coup attempt in Turkey has raised questions about that
country’s focus on the fight. Before Kerry spoke, the head of the Western-backed
Syrian National Coalition called for a suspension of the air campaign in Syria,
amid reports of dozens of civilians’ deaths from air strikes around the northern
city of Manbij, until the incidents were investigated. Kerry said breaking down
structural barriers was crucial to allow more sharing of information about
threats as the group seeks to boost recruitment by adopting new languages and
moving into new territories. “Information sharing has always been a big part of
what the coalition does and it is playing a key role in our effort to prevent
foreign terrorist fighters from traveling to Syria and Iraq, but it is also
clear now that we have to do more,” he said. “We have to keep breaking down the
structural and bureaucratic barriers in order to be able to exchange up-to-date
information even more quickly and more widely so that a border guard in southern
Europe has the same data about a terrorist suspect as an airport security
officer in Manila,” he added. Brett McGurk, the United States’ envoy to the
coalition, told the meeting that the liberation of Mosul, ISIS’s capital in
Iraq, “is now in sight.” Iraqi Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi said less than
10 percent of Iraqi territory remains in ISIS’s hands, but battlefield advances
have not been matched by security gains. “Progress in military performance must
be paired with progress on the security file,” he tweeted from Washington. A
suicide bombing claimed by ISIS this month which killed at least 292 people in
central Baghdad in one of the worst such attacks since the US-led invasion in
2003 was a “stark example” of that failure, he said. Obeidi said the battle to
retake Mosul, which has gained momentum since the recapture of Falluja and a
northern air base, required air strikes, intelligence, logistics and engineering
support. [nL8N1A30TM}
Driving ISIS out of Mosul could also strengthen the US-led coalition’s efforts
in Syria, said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “The group’s
structures in Syria and Iraq are intertwined, so that a defeat for ISIS in Mosul
would undoubtedly have consequences for the situation in Syria,” Steinmeier told
reporters. Steinmeier expressed disappointment at the number of countries that
participated in a donor conference for Iraq on Wednesday, where more than $2.1
billion in aid was raised. “I wish we had more countries represented at a high
level for the financial part,” he said.
Texas man who acted as
Russian agent gets 10 years’ prison
The Associated Press, New York Friday, 22 July 2016/A Texas man who acted as a
secret agent for the Russian government and illegally exported cutting-edge
military technology to Russia has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Alexander Fishenko learned his punishment Thursday in federal court in New York.
He pleaded guilty in September to crimes including acting as a Russian agent.
His lawyer declined to comment. The 50-year-old Fishenko is a US and Russian
citizen. He owned Houston-based Arc Electronics Inc. Prosecutors say he led a
scheme that evaded strict export controls for micro-electronics commonly used in
missile guidance systems, detonation triggers and radar systems. Prosecutors say
his company shipped about $50 million worth of technologies to Russia between
2002 and 2012. Five other people have pleaded guilty. Another three were
convicted. Three are at large.
After Times Square fake bomb
scare, officers called heroes
The Associated Press, New York Friday, 22 July 2016/When a passing driver hurled
a flashing, clicking object into their police van in Times Square, it looked
like danger to Sgt. Hameed Armani and Officer Peter Cybulski. “Boss, this is a
bomb,” Cybulski said. But rather than run to safety, Armani hit the gas,
determined to get the device away from the crowds. “We’re gonna go, but I’m not
going to have anybody else go with us,” he thought. The partners were hailed for
their quick-thinking courage Thursday after the dramatic episode, which evolved
into an overnight police standoff with the man suspected of tossing the object,
later revealed to be a harmless fake. Armani and Cybulski “put their own lives
at risk so that they could save potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of
people in Times Square,” Police Commissioner William Bratton said, calling them
“heroes of this city.”The driver, whom police identified as Hector Meneses, 52,
was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Calls to possible phone numbers for him
and relatives weren’t immediately returned. It wasn’t clear whether he had a
lawyer who could comment about the incident. The bomb hoax in one of the world’s
top terror targets came at a tense time for police and communities nationwide,
amid anger and anxiety over police killing civilians, gunmen killing police and
recent attacks by extremists in Orlando, Florida, and Europe. Armani and
Cybulski were in a marked, parked police van down the block from the theater
showing the hit musical “Hamilton,” when an SUV slowly rolled by.
Security-camera video shows the driver throwing something into the officers’
open passenger-side window. Armani turned on the lights and sirens, and the
officers headed away from the square, praying, said the sergeant, who’s Muslim;
his partner is Catholic. Armani, an Afghan immigrant, joined the New York Police
Department 10 years ago. Cybulski became an officer three years ago after two
years in a police cadet program. “We thought, ‘This is it. We’re not going to
make it ... but I’m happy nobody else is going to get hurt,’” Armani said. They
drove a block and a half to a less crowded spot, then got the device out of the
van. It turned out to contain a red candle, two solar-powered garden lights, a
T-shirt and tin foil, said William Aubry, the chief of Manhattan detectives.
Meanwhile, license-plate readers helped police track Meneses’ SUV to Columbus
Circle, a major traffic circle by Central Park, police said.
After officers stopped the SUV, Meneses barricaded himself in it, told them he
wanted to die and had a bomb strapped to an industrial-style vest he was
wearing, Aubry said. Police used a robot to scan his vehicle, and hostage
negotiators tried to talk with him over the next roughly six hours, with Meneses
donning a red construction helmet and holding a household remote-control device
as if poised to use it to detonate something, Aubry and Chief of Department
James O’Neill said. Ultimately, SWAT officers closed in, pepper-sprayed Meneses
and pulled him from the SUV, which was packed with 19 more garden lights and a
capped pot with wires coming out, seemingly meant to simulate a pressure cooker
bomb, officials said. Originally from Colombia, Meneses lives in Queens, where
neighbors told police he’s prone to buttonholing people about community issues
and can be irascible, Aubry said. Meneses applied in April for a taxi driver’s
license but hasn’t gotten it, the city Taxi and Limousine Commission said. The
officers, meanwhile, said they just did the jobs they’re trained to do. “We come
to work every day not knowing, quite literally, what might be thrown at us,”
Cybulski said.
17 bodies found, 1,128
migrants rescued from Mediterranean
The Associated Press, Rome Friday, 22 July 2016/Rescue boats recovered the
bodies of 17 migrants and plucked 1,128 survivors from the Mediterranean Sea
south of Sicily on Thursday, a day after 22 corpses were found at the bottom of
a smugglers’ boat.
The Italian coast guard, which coordinated Thursday’s rescues, said the
operation took on survivors from five rubber motorized dinghies, a larger boat
and two small boats. Those rescues took place as a separate vessel was bringing
the bodies of the 17 discovered a day earlier toward Sicily, where the corpses
were expected to arrive Friday. The humanitarian organization Doctors Without
Borders, meanwhile, said the bodies of 21 women and one man were found in a pool
of fuel at the bottom of another smugglers’ boat. That same rescue effort saved
209 people who were aboard two rubber dinghies. By Thursday evening, the coast
guard reported that nearly 1,700 migrants had been rescued in a two-day period.
Vessels from non-government organizations, national military fleets and passing
cargo ships have been rescuing migrants daily from unseaworthy smuggling boats
launched from Libya’s lawless shores. Hundreds of thousands of migrants have
been rescued in the past few years.
Circa News: Saudi prince's
remarks could reshape Middle East
National Council of
Resistance of Iran
Friday, 22 July 2016 14:25
Saudi Arabia's open support of an Iranian opposition group -- the People's
Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) -- is what many are calling the
beginning of the "redrawing of some lines of history," the U.S.-based Circa News
reported.
Circa News, or more simply, Circa, is owned by the U.S. media company Sinclair
Broadcast Group.
The report said in part:
A Saudi prince called for the ouster of Iran's hardline theocratic regime,
throwing his support behind a dissident group.
'Hard to believe'
Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki bin Faisal recently spoke before the National
Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Paris. He publicly supported Iranian
dissident leader Maryam Rajavi and her group, the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI
or MEK).
The announcement stunned former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who
attended the event.
"What I saw was perhaps the redrawing of some lines of history that everybody
has insisted will persist until the millennium or the next millennium," said
Mukasey, who attended the event.
That was "historical," said Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, who also
was there.
"That tells you that the Saudis are beginning to believe that the current
dictatorship is such a threat, that they need to publicly, openly be with the
Iranian freedom movement (and) that Iran is really a danger to the stability of
the whole region," he said.
'Even the Doves found this shocking'
"This is an absolute astonishing event," Howard Dean, a former Democratic
presidential candidate, told Circa at the event.
The report by Circa went on to say that Prince Turki addressed the NCRI's
President-elect Maryam Rajavi, who had also told the crowd during her speech
that "the overthrow of the religious dictatorship [in Iran] is possible and
within reach."
Prince Turki later responded with, "Your legitimate struggle against the
Khomeinist regime will achieve its goal, sooner, rather than later."
"I, too, want the overthrow of the regime," said Prince Turki, who was once the
head of Saudi Arabia's intelligence branch.
U.S. officials have accused the Iranian regime of encroaching both militarily
and politically into the Middle East.
Retired commandant of the Marine Corps and four-star General James Conway, who
also attended the event, told Circa that Tehran's involvement stretches far into
Iraq and Syria, where Iranian backed groups like Hezbollah are utilized in proxy
wars and integrated into the political system.
"If you accept that a future Iran with nuclear weapons tied to terrorism could
see one day a nuclear weapon in one of our cities that would make Iran a serious
consideration, and I would say a serious threat," said Gen. Conway.
Bahrain says dismantles
terrorist cell linked to Iran regime’s Revolutionary Guards
National Council of Resistance of Iran/July 22/16
Bahrain said on Thursday it had dismantled an Iranian-linked cell plotting
attacks on its territory, arresting five suspects after finding bomb-making
materials, guns and knives in their houses, Reuters reported. Police said the
five men had received military training in Iran and Iraq, according to a
statement by Bahrain's interior ministry. The Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Friday
that the five detained persons were members of a terrorist cell linked to the
Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the so-called
Iraqi Hezbollah. Security forces said that the suspects had received intensive
military training in making bombs and carrying out terrorist activities at the
camps of IRGC and Iraqi Hezbollah.Bahraini Security Forces captured the
terrorist network two weeks ago in a preemptive strike.A source at the Ministry
of Interior confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper the news that the cell is
linked to people in Iran and the suspects arrested in Bahrain. “A secret
terrorist plot aided by the so-called Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the
Hezbollah terrorist organization was foiled,” said the ministry. “It targeted
the security of the kingdom of Bahrain by plotting to carry out a series of
dangerous bombings,” it added.
The ministry announced that its security forces had collected items suspected to
be explosives and moved them to a safe location, away from the residential area
where they were being stored. The security forces discovered a number of
weapons, communication devices and equipment used in detonating bombs. The
police also seized daggers, knives covered with polyurethane bags and various
currencies. Investigations and testimonies of the five members of the cell
revealed a series of important security information.
The five members are:
Mohammed Abduljalil Mahdi Jassim Abdullah, 28, a private company employee, who
received military training in Iran that included the use of pistol and automatic
weapons, such as Kalashnikov and PKG. He also received training in bomb-making
and assembly and in the use of explosives such as TNT and C4. Ali Ahmed al-Musawi,
living in Iran, coordinated the training and provided Mohammed with logistical
support. The investigations revealed that when Mohammed returned to Bahrain, he
decided with others to use a car repair workshop in Hamad Town to store
bomb-making materials and weapons. The group built a hidden room to conceal the
contraband. In addition to the weapons and explosives training he received
abroad in 2013, the suspect also watched films of bombings conducted by the
Hezbollah brigades in Iraq.
Mahmood Jassim Marhoon Mohammed Marhoom, 26, a private company employee, who
received military training in Iran by the IRGC and in Iraq by the Hezbollah
brigades.
Jassim Mansoor Jassim Shamloh, 25, a private company employee, who confessed to
receiving batteries from the first suspect to be used in bomb-making and remote
control devices. He hid the items in his father’s home in Hamad Town until the
first suspect asked for them.
Ahmed Mohammed Ali Yousif, 23, who confessed to providing assistance to the
third suspect by transferring the batteries, remote controls and wires for
making bombs to his flat with full knowledge of their nature and purpose.
Khalil Hassan Khalil Ibrahim Saeed, 20, a student, received a number of
batteries and remote controlled bomb detonators from the first suspect who asked
him to hide them at his home. He had full knowledge of the nature and purpose of
the items.
The Interior Ministry’s counterterrorism investigations continue as part of the
ongoing national security operations. The ministry called any citizen who has
information about suspicious activity to inform the authorities.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on
July 22-23/16
The ‘secret’ agreement on Iran
nuclear deal
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al-Arabiya/July
22/16
The nuclear agreement is partially like the Sykes-Picot agreement when it comes
to secrecy, the untold truth and disingenuity. Those promises made by the Obama
administration to people, regarding how the nuclear deal would curb Iran’s
nuclear ambition, appear to be illusions. A secret agreement, obtained by the
Associated Press, reveal that Iran’s nuclear deal would not only lift
constraints on Iran’s nuclear program after the nuclear deal, but it will also
do so before the deal expires as it makes it easier for Iran to achieve its
nuclear ambitions.According to the secret agreement, the deal would pave the way
for Iranian leaders to advance their nuclear capabilities at a higher level and
even be capable of reducing the break out capacity from one year to six months
long before the nuclear agreement ends. The Obama administration has not made
this document public yet. A diplomat who works on Iran’s nuclear program shared
the secret document with The Associated Press. He asked for anonymity since he
was not allowed to release the documents. “The diplomat who shared the document
with the AP described it as an add-on agreement to the nuclear deal. But while
formally separate from that accord, he said that it was in effect an integral
part of the deal and had been approved both by Iran and the US, Russia, China,
Britain, France and Germany, the six powers that negotiated the deal with
Tehran.” This document suggests that Iran can install thousands of centrifuges,
five times more than what it posses currently, as well enrich uranium at much
higher pace, long before the agreement expires
Iran can get what it needs
This document suggests that Iran can install thousands of centrifuges, five
times more than what it posses currently, as well enrich uranium at much higher
pace, long before the agreement expires. According to the Associated Press:
“Centrifuges churn out uranium to levels that can range from use as reactor fuel
and for medical and research purposes to much higher levels for the core of a
nuclear warhead. From year 11 to 13, says the document, Iran can install
centrifuges up to five times as efficient as the 5,060 machines it is now
restricted to using.” “Those new models will number less than those being used
now, ranging between 2,500 and 3,500, depending on their efficiency, according
to the document. But because they are more effective, they will allow Iran to
enrich at more than twice the rate it is doing now,” says the report. The
Associated Press adds: “The document also allows Iran to greatly expand its work
with centrifuges that are even more advanced, including large-scale testing in
preparation for the deal's expiry 15 years after its implementation on Jan. 18….
The document is the only secret text linked to last year’s agreement between
Iran and six foreign powers. It says that after a period between 11 to 13 years,
Iran can replace its 5,060 inefficient centrifuges with up to 3,500 advanced
machines. Since those are five times as efficient, the time Iran would need to
make a weapon would drop from a year to six months.”More importantly, this
document and the rest of the nuclear agreement still do not explain what are the
rules on Iran’s nuclear proliferation after the 13 years are. The only
interpretation would be that since there is no restriction indicated, then Iran
will be free to do what it desires when it comes to its nuclear program,
installing advanced centrifuges, enriching uranium, and obtaining a nuclear
bomb.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told reporters at the Republican National Convention “I
can just say that it would not be surprising to me at all to see those
restrictions in the nuclear deal lifted within 10 years or Iran violating them
in the meantime….Remember, we did a similar deal with North Korea and they
detonated a nuclear device only 12 years later.”Sanctions and nuclear reliefs.
At the anniversary of the nuclear agreement, July 14th, President Barack Obama
pointed out that the nuclear deal has helped in “avoiding further conflict and
making us safer.”The latest developments in the Middle East show that the
nuclear agreement has created more tensions, conflicts as it has made Iran’s
military more interventionist, and aggressive in the region. The deal has
definitely increased the number of conflicts and instabilities in the region.
Iran has also become more emboldened in breaking diplomatic and international
norms. However, as usual, the Obama administration is ignoring the new
revelation, downplaying it, or dodging any question linked to it. State
Department spokesman Mark Toner pointed out in a Monday press briefing that “as
to any alleged document, I just can’t speak to it at this point in time.”The
good news for the Iranian government is that it is becoming financially and
economically more powerful in the meantime, thanks to the tens of billions of
dollars released to Tehran, and thanks to the lifting of four rounds of UN
Security Council’s sanctions that allows the Iranian regime and Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IEGC) to sell oil and do business freely in the
international market. The secret agreement highlights the fact that significant
restraints on Iran’s nuclear program will be lifted before the expiration of the
nuclear deal and it would shockingly allow Iran to install more advanced nuclear
components than it ever possessed, which would “legally” and much more easily
allow Iranian leaders to obtain nuclear weapons if they chose to do so.
Meanwhile, the nuclear deal is helping Iran financially and economically to
prepare itself. As some of the Iranian authorities have repeatedly said on the
state media outlets – they have not given away anything on the nuclear program,
and this appears to be accurate.
Malaysia has been betrayed by
Prime Minister Najib Razak
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al-Arabiya/July
22/16
I have argued time and again that the greatest threat to the Muslim world is not
the West, but rather, corruption and incompetence in administration in the
Muslim countries themselves. To this argument there were a number of crucial
pieces of evidence. First of all, there is a clear inverse correlation between
corruption and economic development not just in the Middle East, but globally.
Secondly, Muslim countries are among the most corrupt countries in the world,
and this maps well to the problems we know well from the region. In this sense,
the abundance of natural resources has served to mask much of the problem, as
per capita wealth in the region comes out as much higher than it would have been
for a given level of corruption, and that distorts the perception of societal
problems in these countries. For another, that abundance of wealth can be used
to buy off the acquiescence of the population to an otherwise questionable
regime, as is the case with the benefits that these states lavish upon their
population, or alternatively, can be used to fund extensive repressive police
and intelligence apparatuses to keep the population in check, as was the case in
Saddam-era Iraq. But there was also plenty of converse evidence, specifically
states on the periphery of the Islamic world which did not conform the region’s
reputation for corruption. Most notably, we had the examples of Turkey and of
Malaysia. Malaysia is a secure and naturally wealthy country with a track record
of success in development and is suffering entirely from self-inflicted wounds
In both the cases, the countries have inherited and sustained over the span of
the 20th century an ethos of modernism and civic-mindedness which emulated that
in the successful countries in the West. And they reaped the benefits of social
and political stability, and economic development, both having been the most
economically developed Islamic countries in international rankings. But I fear
we are about to be witnesses to a very cruel experiment, which I believe will
prove my argument. It is yet too early to make a definitive judgement on the
direction Turkey is heading in after the failed coup of the other week, even if
the omens do not look good.
Breakdown of institutional functioning
In the case of Malaysia, we are already seeing the breakdown in institutional
functioning and credibility which will likely see the country join the other
Middle Eastern countries in the infamous club of corrupt and barely functioning
states. Malaysia has been betrayed not so much by its institutional traditions,
as by its populist Prime Minister Najib Razak. He has ridden a wave of popular
support into power on the back of promises for economic liberalization, and
growth and opportunity, but has seemingly wasted no time in milking the state
dry for his own personal gain and the gain of his family. An ongoing Wall Street
Journal investigation is looking into evidence that as much as $1 billion has
been siphoned into the prime minister and his relatives’ bank accounts, most of
it from the coffers of the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, allegedly
started by Mr Razak soon after he took charge in the country in 2009. And a
further $5 billion are unaccounted for. Neither Turkey nor Malaysia can hide
behind the usual excuses about Western intervention or historical colonial
crimes. Both have come into the post WW2 world as confident, independent
nations, and both carved a way in the world for themselves through hard work and
diligence, efforts which have yielded a good life to the majority of their
citizens. Turkey currently finds itself in a complex political, economic and
security crisis from which we cannot draw too many general conclusions. But
Malaysia is suffering entirely from self-inflicted wounds. It is a secure and
naturally wealthy country with a track record of success in development. But it
has let its guard down, and has let corruption infest the highest levels of
government. Malaysian civil society must now take firm and immediate action to
put the country back on track. If not, I fear that the country will tragically
end up as the perfect case study into how the problems of the Islamic world stem
primarily from domestic corruption.
Is Mahmoud Abbas silent out of frustration?
Raed Omari/Al-Arabiya/July
22/16
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been noticeably silent for quite some
time. His last appearance on the international political scene was in April for
meetings with French President Francois Hollande in Paris, and with Russian
President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Abbas must be despondent about successive
international failures to revive the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace
process. At 81, age may also be a factor. With US President Barack Obama’s
failure to achieve a breakthrough in two consecutive terms, Palestinians and
Arabs in general pinned their hopes on the recent French peace initiative.
However, it was scuppered by Israeli rejection and settlement activity. US
Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Paris this week for talks with
Abbas. However, due to Israeli intransigence Kerry was unable to achieve
tangible progress in peace talks when he came into office, so he is even less
likely to succeed now that he is leaving in a few months. In any case, the
international war on terror is expected to be Kerry’s priority in Paris, rather
than the peace process. Domestically, Abbas’s disappointment stems from his
inability to reconcile with Hamas
Domestic politics
Domestically, Abbas’s disappointment stems from his inability to reconcile with
Hamas, especially since the conflict between it and his Fatah party has greatly
damaged the Palestinian cause and its image. Israeli-Turkish rapprochement means
Abbas is even less likely now to secure a foothold in Hamas-run Gaza, and the
party is less likely to compromise with him because it is supported by a
regional power that is back on good terms with Israel. Abbas is also frustrated
that the Syrian conflict, the global war on terror, the US elections, Britain’s
vote to leave the EU, and tensions between Russia and NATO have all eclipsed the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition, there is talk of a struggle within
Fatah between Abbas supporters and those demanding younger leadership of the
Palestinian Authority (PA).
Gingrich Outrageous, but Shariah is Worse
Tarek Fatah/The Toronto
Sun/July 19, 2016
http://www.meforum.org/6126/shariah-newt-gingrich
Within hours of Thursday's terror attack in France by Islamic State-inspired
terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, the former speaker of the U.S. Congress,
Newt Gingrich, called for weeding out all Muslim Americans who support Islamic
Shariah. Appearing on Fox News, Gingrich said: "We should frankly test every
person here who is of a Muslim background and if they believe in Shariah, they
should be deported."
The reaction to Gingrich's outrageous and unworkable proposal was swift. "Wrong,
wrong, wrong," tweeted Bob Rae, former interim leader of Canada's Liberal Party.
I agree with Rae. But when I asked him, in a tweet, "pray tell me who will stop
a jihadi truck in Canada? Who will protect my family and me?" there was no
response.
Gingrich's ridiculous suggestion was a godsend to Islamism apologists. They used
the occasion to defend Islamic Shariah and portray it as a benign concept that
posed no danger to America or the West.
Gingrich's ridiculous suggestion was a godsend to Islamism's liberal apologists.
Jeffery Goldberg, pontificating in the Atlantic, wrote: "Shariah, as Muslims
understand the term, is not merely about punishment ... Islamic law concerns
itself with all aspects of human existence: from marriage and divorce to
economics and commercial law to personal behavior and hygiene."
In the New York Times, Noah Feldman repeated the common refrain that: "Shariah
doesn't simply or exactly mean Islamic law."
And as if that were not bending over enough, given the horrors that Shariah has
inflicted on human societies, Carol Kuruvilla at the Huffington Post had this to
say about Shariah, despite its medieval monstrosities: "Sharia is an Arabic word
that means a path to be followed, commonly a path that leads to water. This
image of a road leading to the sustenance needed for life is a powerful one."
I can only imagine jihadis and Islamists howling in laughter at the gullibility
of Islamism's liberal apologists in the West.
For the inexhaustible supply of Western liberals, described by Lenin as "useful
Idiots," allow me to share a sample of just two Shariah laws, from among the
tens of thousands that have sustained ruthless, unelected caliphates for
centuries.
"If the husband's body is covered with pus and blood, and if the wife licks and
drinks it, her obligations to her husband will still not be fulfilled."
"Wives enter into their husband's slavery after marriage."
Even if one should consider those two examples an internal matter for Muslims,
here are two more illustrations of Shariah law as expounded by the founder of
20th century Islamism, the Indian-born Syed Mawdudi, in his book Call to Jihad.
1. "Islamic 'Jihad' does not recognize their (non-Muslims') right to administer
State affairs according to a system, which in the view of Islam, is evil."
We Muslims who call Western civilization our home must fight man-made Shariah
laws.
2, "If the Muslim Party commands adequate resources it will eliminate un-Islamic
governments and establish the power of Islamic governments in their stead."
It is not Gingrich who needs to weed out man-made Shariah laws from the mindset
of many Western Muslims. That responsibility is ours, we Muslims who call
Western civilization our home.
My question to Rae still stands: Who will stop the next jihadi truck? Or will we
wake up only when a boat explodes on our waterfront?
**Tarek Fatah, a founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress and columnist at the
Toronto Sun, is a Robert J. and Abby B. Levine Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
The Mistake of Fighting a Coup d’Etat With Another
Ahmad El-Assaad/July 21,
2016
It is most probable that the Syrian regime is the biggest beneficiary from the
attempted coup in Turkey, even if President RecepTayyip Erdogan, who was the
biggest supporter of the Syrian Opposition in the past five years, was not
successfully overthrown.
Given that Turkey was shaken up, and with Erdogan starting a purging campaign
against his opponents, while having his hands full with stabilizing the pillars
of his command, the Turkish Giant will be greatly diverted from the Syrian issue
in the next phase, and it will perhaps stay away from the region as a whole,
since its own internal affairs are now at the top of its priority list.
Staging military coups in political work is unacceptable, because the
accountability of any command should stem from the people alone, and no one
else, through transparent elections, and nothing else. This is the culture of
democracy we wish to instill in our region, not the culture of coups d’états.
Therefore, we condemn the attempted putsch Turkey. Luckily, such a reckless
adventure did not succeed, because it was wrong, by all standards.
It was wrong because, had it succeeded, it would have shown that democracy is
not well instated in Turkey.
And it was wrong because, had it succeeded, it would have scared the investors
away, which would have led to an economic lull in Turkey.
But what makes it even more wrong is that, had it succeeded, it would have been
the perfect example for those who claim that Islam cannot coexist with democracy
and Human Rights.
However, Turkey turned out to be the example that proved all of these claims
wrong.
But in return, what Erdogan is doing today is also wrong. He is using this
failed coup to finish off his opponents, and to mute all voices that don’t agree
with him. No one can believe that more than 60 thousand people have been
arrested till now, and they all have to do with the coup, one way or another.
Actually, Erdogan is thereby establishing a new dictatorship, to replace the one
that the putschists tried to create. This is just as bad for Turkey as the
putsch itself.
In short, Erdogan is fixing the mistake with another.
No Saudi Surprises in 9/11
Commission's '28 Pages'
Stephen Schwartz and Irfan Al-Alawi/The Huffington Post/July 22, 2016
http://www.meforum.org/6125/no-saudi-surprises-in-911-report
While detailing the association of senior Saudi diplomats with Islamic radicals,
the 28 previously redacted pages of the 9/11 Commission report do not offer
significant evidence of official Saudi support for Al-Qaeda.
On July 15, the U.S. Congress released the appendix, redacted since 2002, to the
governmental inquiry regarding American intelligence failures in the period
leading to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The "28 pages" kept out of the public eye for 14 years have stimulated
widespread speculation. One thing, however, came to be accepted widely: that the
28 pages had to do with the involvement of Saudi Arabian subjects or officials
in the terrorist atrocities.
Now that the controversial section of the 9/11 report is available for scrutiny,
the suspicion that it dealt with Saudis is confirmed.
But the 28 pages do not offer significant evidence of official Saudi support or
approval for Al-Qaeda or the 9/11 conspiracy.
Rather, the 28 pages, headed as Part Four of the report, the "Finding,
Discussion, and Narrative Regarding Certain Sensitive National Security
Matters," recapitulate matters mainly reported publicly soon after 9/11.
The 28 pages mostly recapitulate matters publicly reported soon after 9/11.
The 28 pages admit that U.S. intelligence agencies failed to assess adequately
the relationship of Saudi Arabia to radical Islam, because of the kingdom's
status as an American "ally" [qualifying quote marks appear in the text of the
Report]. That link was, however, known throughout the Muslim world.
A review of information that had been collected by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency dredged up a range of names of
Saudis connected both to the country's rulers and diplomats and to participants
in the 9/11 plot.
The most information concerned Omar Al-Bayoumi, who according to the Report was
believed by Muslim informants to be an agent of Saudi intelligence. Al-Bayoumi
met in San Diego with two of the 9/11 hijackers, of whom 15 of 19 were Saudis.
The two individuals were Khalid Al-Mihdhar and Nawaf Al-Hazmi. Al-Bayoumi
received financial aid from Saudi sources, and the money he was paid went up
when he contacted Al-Mihdhar and Al-Hazmi.
From left to right: Omar Al-Bayoumi, Khalid Al-Mihdhar, and Nawaf Al-Hazmi.
Al-Bayoumi additionally had reputed contacts with the Holy Land Foundation (HLF),
a fundraising front for the Palestinian extremist group Hamas. Leading HLF
officers were convicted in 2008 of conspiracy to provide material support to a
terrorist organization and related charges. Al-Bayoumi is described in the
report as "providing guidance to young Muslims [through] writings [that] can be
interpreted as jihadist."
A second Saudi figure described in the 28 pages is Osama Bassnan. According to
the Report, Bassnan was an associate of Al-Bayoumi and "may have been in
contact" with Al-Mihdhar and Al-Hazmi. Once again, Muslim informants suggested
to American officials that Bassnan was a Saudi intelligence agent. Bassnan was
said to be considered an Islamic "extremist" and adherent of Bin Laden.
The 28 pages appear most significant when they discuss relations between
Princess Haifa Bint Sultan, the wife of then-Saudi ambassador to the U.S. Prince
Bandar Bin Sultan, Al-Bayoumi, and Bassnan. The wife of Bassnan received $2,000
per month from Princess Haifa. The money was transferred in payment for "nursing
services," but no such work was performed, according to the Report. Bassnan's
wife was sent more funds, and Prince Bandar disbursed $15,000 to Bassnan.
Several more Saudi names appear in the 28 pages. A Muslim cleric known as "Shaykh
Al-Thumairy," from Culver City, Cal., may have been in contact with Al-Mihdhar
and Al-Hazmi. Saleh Al-Hussayen, reportedly a Saudi Interior Ministry official,
stayed at the same hotel in Herndon, Va., when Al-Hazmi was there. Al-Hussayen
denied knowing the hijacker but was considered "deceptive" when questioned the
FBI. He left the U.S. for Saudi Arabia before the FBI could conduct a follow-up
interview.
Abdullah Bin Laden, the half-brother of Osama Bin Laden, was employed by
Saudi-backed agencies in the Washington, DC, area. He was said to be a "close
associate" of two more 9/11 hijackers, Muhammad Atta and Marwan Al-Shehi.
Other data in the 28 pages reveal that telephone numbers in the U.S. were found
in the personal directory of Abu Zubaida, a high Al-Qaeda leader, including that
of Prince Bandar's residence in Aspen, Colo., run as a corporate entity titled "ASPCOL."
In addition, the 28 pages comprise clues and reports about other Saudi-backed
Islamic charities and Saudi individuals. Saudi authorities are criticized for
their reluctance to assist the U.S. investigation, including a refusal to admit
that 9/11 hijackers identified by their passports were present in Saudi records.
To emphasize, very little of this could be reasonably described as new or even
as sensitive. The web tying Prince Bandar and Princess Haifa to Al-Mihdhar and
Al-Hazmi was described in detail in reportage in 2002. An explanation of the
case is simple enough, but does not prove that the Saudi royal family supported
Al-Qaeda knowingly or directly.
Wahhabism remains the sole Islamic interpretation permitted in Saudi Arabia.
The association of high Saudi diplomats with Islamic radicals, however tenuous,
reflects the nature of fundamentalist Saudi Wahhabism, the sole Islamic
interpretation permitted in the kingdom, which is the ideological backbone of
Saudi rule and, at the same time, inspires frenzied fanatics in all the world's
Muslim countries and Muslim minority communities. Some, like the so-called
"Islamic State" (ISIS) fight against the Saudi state.
Saudi Arabia cannot be impeached as an official backer of Al-Qaeda. This is no
surprise. But until Saudi Wahhabism is removed from its position of control and
indoctrination of the country's Muslims, the kingdom will produce terrorists.
That was known in 2002 when the 9/11 Commission delivered its Report, and it is
known to Muslims everywhere today. The 28 pages have merely dramatized the need
for Muslims to rid themselves of Wahhabi and other radical influences.
**Stephen Schwartz, a fellow at the Middle East Forum, is executive director of
the Center for Islamic Pluralism in Washington, DC. Irfan Al-Alawi is executive
director of the London-based Islamic Heritage Research Foundation.
Germany: The Terrifying Power
of Muslim Interpreters
Stefan Frank/Gatestone Institute/July 22/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8391/germany-muslim-interpreters
"Everything I told you then is true. ... But the interpreter there told me that
a faithful woman must not use words like sex and rape. Words like that would
dishonor my husband and our family. She also said that I was a blasphemer,
because I went to the police. No woman should report her own husband. The
husband must be honored." — "Sali" in an apparent suicide note to her lawyer,
Alexander Stevens.
"I am aware of statements in which interpreters have pressed and supposedly said
to Christians on the way to the police or beforehand: If you complain, you can
forget your application for asylum. I often noticed that statements were
retracted because Christians were threatened." — Paulus Kurt, Central Committee
of Eastern Christians in Germany (ZOCD).
"The interpreters are neither employed by the Federal Agency, nor are they in
any way sworn in to the legal system of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Ultimately, examination of the asylum application is left solely to these
interpreters... In our view, a decision-making process such as this, which is
practiced on a massive scale, is not in keeping with due process." — Open letter
from employees of Germany's Federal Agency for Migration and Refugees.
Alexander Stevens is a lawyer at a Munich law firm specializing in sexual
offenses. In his recent book, Sex in Court, he describes some of his strangest
and most shocking cases. One such case raises the question: What do you do when
interpreters working for the police and courts lie and manipulate? As no one
monitors translators, it is likely that in many instances, the dishonesty of
interpreters goes undetected -- Stevens' book chronicles the devastating effects
one dishonest interpreter had on a case.
The parents of a Syrian girl, "Sali," had promised their daughter to a man named
Hassan, who, at the time, was still living in Syria. The arrangement was seen as
mutually beneficial: Sali's parents would receive money and Hassan would be
allowed to enter Germany. Sali would never willingly have married a man 34 years
her senior, but the family's honor required it. However, Sali did not receive
any benefits from this arrangement. Hassan's interest in Sali was apparently
confined to her body. He forced Sali to perform all kinds of sexual practices
several times a day, and brutally abused the girl in the process.
Sali was unable to hide the fact that she took no pleasure in these rapes and
she became ill, so Hassan reproached her and "openly threatened to demand a
large compensation payment from her family, for the cost of the wedding
reception and lost pleasures of love." Sali sought help from a women's shelter,
where an employee took her to a lawyer: Stevens. At the shelter, Sali described
her misfortune, but was careful repeatedly to come to her husband's defense. She
was more worried about her family's honor, should Hassan decided to divorce her,
than about herself.
"After two hours of painstaking depictions of sexual abuse, corporal punishment,
and mental humiliation," Stevens writes, "I had no doubt that everything had
actually happened as she said."
The next day, Stevens tried to get an appointment for questioning with the
police and an interpreter. But he was surprised when he got to the shelter. Sali
was like a different person. Suddenly, she wanted nothing to do with him or the
women's shelter employee.
Sometime later, an employee of the women's shelter sent him a letter that Sali
had left behind for him. It read:
Dear Mr. Stevens,
I am very sorry to have caused you so much inconvenience. Please believe me when
I say I did not want to. Everything I told you then is true. I also wanted to
make a statement to the police regarding what I told you. But the interpreter
there told me that a faithful woman must not use words like sex and rape. Words
like that would dishonor my husband and our family. She also said that I was a
blasphemer, because I went to the police. No woman should report her own
husband. The husband must be honored. I did not know what to do, Mr. Stevens.
Because I think she is right. I should never have disgraced my husband and my
family. Therefore, I would ask you not to tell anyone. I do not want to create
any more trouble for my family and my husband's family. Please forgive me. You
were very good to me.
Sali
By this time, Sali was already dead. According to the employee from the women's
shelter, the police suspected suicide.
Interpreters Decide on Asylum
Non-Muslim refugees, in particular, complain of the pressure exerted on them by
Muslim interpreters. As Gatestone Institute has already reported, Christians and
other non-Muslims are beaten, threatened, and harassed in German refugee homes.
One of the reasons that German authorities do not intervene has to do with the
Muslim interpreters, says Paulus Kurt, head of the work groups for the Central
Committee of Eastern Christians in Germany (ZOCD):
"Interpreters belonging to the Islamic religion often stick with the defendants.
I am aware of statements in which interpreters have pressured and supposedly
said to Christians, on the way to the police or beforehand: 'If you complain,
you can forget your application for asylum.' I often noticed that statements
were retracted because Christians were threatened."
The effects of these abuses of power are devastating: interpreters in Germany
have great influence on who is granted asylum. In a November 2015 open letter to
Frank-Jürgen Weise, the head of their agency, employees of the Federal Agency
for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), pointed out the potential problems of this
system within their agency:
"A Syrian is someone who identifies himself as a Syrian in writing (checks the
proper box on the questionnaire), and the interpreter (usually not sworn in, or
from Syria) confirms it. The interpreters are neither employed by the Federal
Agency, nor are they in any way sworn in to the legal system of the Federal
Republic of Germany. Ultimately, examination of the asylum application is left
solely to these interpreters -- insofar as it involves the verification of
nationality and, therefore, the country of persecution. In our view, a
decision-making process such as this, which is practiced on a massive scale, is
not in keeping with due process."
Television Reports
In May 2016, the German public television station Bayerischer Rundfunk broadcast
a report on Muslim interpreters who lie. The report, entitled "Treason in the
Refugee Home: When Translators Mistranslate," exposed several instances of the
same issue:
Moderator: With the growing number of refugees, the demand for interpreters has
also rapidly increased. Ultimately, translators play a central role in the
asylum procedures, for example. Since there is an overall shortage of qualified
and sworn interpreters, the Federal Agency for Migration and Refugees has
recently been advertising for translators with this flyer [title: "We are
Looking for Interpreters"]. Inside, it says: "You take on great responsibility
in your work, and we expect you to be neutral and reliable." But there is often
a gaping hole between expectations and reality.
Reporter: Bullied and threatened by other refugees. A nightmare, what this Iraqi
refugee is telling us. He asks one of the translators for help, but he [the
translator] takes the side of the attacker.
Hassan: "They wanted to beat us; they insulted us. And the interpreter thought
about everything while translating, and alleged that none of it had happened."
Reporter: Hassan, as we call the young man, belongs to a small religious
community of Yezidis. Radical Sunni Muslims despise Yezidis, even in Germany.
Instead of conveying the message, the translator cheated him.
Hassan: "The interpreter translated that we merely had a dispute on the street."
Reporter: That was a conscious mistranslation. Not an isolated incident, says
Gian Aldonani. She fled to Germany as a young Yezidi girl. As a student in
Cologne, she got involved in working with refugees. In the process, it became
apparent to her again and again:
Gian Aldonani: "It is purposefully mistranslated. At first, we thought these
were isolated cases out of Cologne and the surrounding area. But in documenting
all of the cases, we recognized that translators all over Germany were very
purposefully mistranslating. [...] The social workers are reliant on the
translators. The translators take advantage of this situation. These people are
doing the same thing here that they do with minorities in their countries of
origin."
Hasan (left), a Yezidi refugee in Germany who was threatened by Muslims, speaks
to a reporter from German public television about how a government-employed
translator deliberately mistranslated his complaint and took the side of his
attackers. (Image source: Bayerischer Rundfunk video screenshot)
More "Isolated Cases"
Similar cases -- always labelled "isolated cases" -- are found in German and
Austrian newspapers again and again.
In Austria, in June 2016, the Salzburg regional court sentenced a jihadist to
two years in prison. He had fought for the Al-Nusra Front in Syria.
Incidentally, it became known that: "The 29-year-old came to Salzburg as a
refugee in October 2015 and helped at the Freilassing border crossing as an
interpreter."
Regarding "interpreter and cultural mediator Besnik S.," the Hamburger
Morgenpost newspaper wrote:
"Besnik S. also interpreted for the young refugees -- until one of his
colleagues became suspicious of him. Besnik S. was consistently translating
incorrectly. Instead of facilitating communication for the young men, he
allegedly tried to bring them closer to his ideology. "
Particularly grotesque is the March 2016 case of a Chechen interpreter, who
worked as a court translator in Graz, Austria:
"The interpreter had already interpreted several people's statements. As another
witness was supposed be questioned at that point, the woman [interpreter]
explained that the witness in question was her husband. But she claimed that he
could not come that day, and sent his apologies, because he was in Russia at the
moment and had already informed the court of that. The man was accused in
another proceeding of a similar type. ... Observers had already noticed that,
during recesses in the proceedings, the interpreter had talked with about 20
Chechens among the courtroom spectators."
Alexander Stevens, the Munich lawyer, often gets the impression that there is a
"fraternal solidarity" between interpreters and criminal defendants, he tells
Gatestone. From his own experience and from conversations with judges,
prosecutors, and fellow attorneys, he knows that Muslim interpreters in
particular often violate their duty of neutrality:
"My personal feeling is that not only the defendants [but also the interpreters]
of Islamic society are cunning, sly, and sometimes crafty. In this room,
organized crime, gang violence, theft, and fraud are frequently dealt with. They
are often very smart, and there is an incredible cohesion within the respective
cultural and religious community, particularly among Albanians, Turks, Syrians
and Moroccans. The common denominator is possibly Islamist conditioning. They
are very close, almost like family, but without being related by blood."
Negligence on the Part of the Authorities
This problem is well known among judges and defense lawyers, says Stevens:
"It starts as soon as the judge asks: 'What is your name?' Instead of simply
translating those three words, the interpreter often talks 'forever.'
Conversely, the interpreter then only says one sentence where you expect a
lengthy testimony. Often, you are not really sure what the interpreter and the
defendant are discussing."
Stevens cites negligence on the part of German authorities as exacerbating this
problem. While there are strict admission requirements for court interpreters in
languages such as English or Spanish, this is not the case in Germany for many
other languages. He points out that the German state of Bavaria's Court
Interpreters Act clearly states: "The recognition of foreign degrees falls under
the responsibility of the Bavarian Ministry of Education" -- meaning that even
applicants with flimsy degrees can be hired if the Ministry feels that there is
a shortage of interpreters in a particular language.
Stevens criticizes the naďveté of the Germans:
"The swearing-in process goes like this: The judge reads aloud to him from the
Judiciary Act, proclaiming that he [the interpreter] will translate faithfully
and diligently. That's it! With that, he is sworn in, and according to German
law, he is absolutely credible."
Stevens points out that although this problem has existed for a long time, it
has become even more harmful since the start of "the refugee problem, which
involves a whole potpourri of crime, including sexual assault."
Human Rights Activists: "No Trust for Muslim Translators"
Karl Hafen, the former longtime Executive Chairman of the German section of the
International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), is concerned about the situation
faced by non-Muslims in German refugee housing, where interpreters seem
complicit. He told Gatestone that
"Most of what is reported to us about translators involves threats that they
will not translate if the affected victims blame Muslims for their misfortune,
or that interpreters try to point out that what happened is mandated by the
Koran."
Many refugees are already intimidated by the mere presence of a Muslim
interpreter.
"Some victims complain that they can no longer speak openly when an interpreter
reveals she is Muslim by wearing a headscarf. Others tell us that they are
afraid to go to the doctor with a Muslim interpreter, because based on what was
done to them, they cannot trust her."
Hafen does not want to label those interpreters as Islamists -- they are normal,
conservative Muslims:
"Again, there is a strong return to Islamic rules, a kind of de-integration. It
also depends on how the interpreters themselves live, whether alone or in a
family that practices Islam. The Muslim interpreters refuse to believe that what
happened actually took place as described. And among other things, this practice
is encouraged, because part of our media -- but especially politicians and
bishops -- downplay the brutalities and simply refuse to recognize that the
people who have become victims, or who have had to witness crimes with their own
eyes, no longer trust Muslims."
We cannot allow translators to continue misrepresenting and manipulating an
already vulnerable refugee population. The German authorities need to reform the
system for employing translators for courts, police and government agencies, so
that all refugees receive the due process they deserve.
**Stefan Frank, based in Germany, is an independent journalist and writer.
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