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Post by Admin on Jan 17, 2015 22:40:50 GMT
A hardcore of British women who have travelled to Syria to join Islamic State (Isis) are encouraging other women in the UK to carry out terrorist attacks back home, the Observer has learned. The role of British female jihadists in inciting terrorism in the UK has been uncovered by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s College London, which has identified a group of around 30 female Britons based in northern Syria. According to monitoring of their social media accounts, a number have been acting as Isis recruiters or openly praising the Charlie Hebdo shootings, while encouraging more bloodshed, including the beheadings of westerners. Until now, the western women joining Isis have largely been portrayed as passive – travelling to marry jihadists and bear their children away from the frontline. But as police across the UK prepare for possible attacks against them and with Europe on high alert following arrests of suspected Islamist militants in Belgium, France and Germany, the ICSR work shows that many such women are part of the escalating threat. Melanie Smith, research fellow at the ICSR and the person in charge of the first known database of female foreign fighters, said: “British women tend to incite [attacks], they say to people that can’t move to the Islamic State: ‘Why not carry out something at home?’ That’s a common message: if you can’t leave your family behind or afford to move to Syria then carry out something.” Information from the database, which has details of 70 women, the youngest a French 15-year-old, suggests the portrayal of women as merely providing support and children for male fighters is becoming increasingly outdated. Smith said: “I don’t think anyone talks about women returning as a risk. While they might not have the same military training, you can see women online being frustrated about the fact they can’t fight and they suggest to each other that they could do something else. Women historically have been used in suicide bombings and singular operations.”
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Post by Admin on Jan 18, 2015 22:34:21 GMT
Almost half of those in France believe cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed – like those printed by satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo – should not be published, a poll said Sunday, with a similar number in favour of “limitations” on free speech. The recent attack by Islamic extremists at the offices of Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people in apparent revenge for publishing cartoons of Mohammed has led to a fierce defence of France’s freedom of speech laws by politicians, media and millions of French citizens – including at a huge unity march in Paris on January 11. Conducted last week in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo killings, the poll found that 42 percent of French people oppose the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, which are considered blasphemous and highly offensive by many Muslims. Half of those questioned also said they believed there should be "limitations on free speech online and on social networks". However, 57 percent said opposition to the cartoons from Muslims should not stop them from being published. Hollande: Freedom of expression ‘non-negotiable’Charlie Hebdo has published cartoons of Mohammed several times in the past and did so again on Wednesday with its “survivors issue” – the first since the January 7 attack at its Paris offices. The first print run of the edition, which features a weeping Mohammed on the cover holding a sign that says “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie) under the words “All is forgiven”, sold out within minutes at newsagents across France after going on sale Wednesday. Publishers announced Saturday that they would once more increase the print run of the issue – to 7 million copies – having already increased it once from 3 million to 5 million. Before the attacks, the magazine had a print run of just 60,000. Charlie Hebdo's decision to print another Mohammed cartoon has led to condemnation from Muslim groups in France as well as fierce and sometimes violent protests in several Muslim countries. At least ten people were killed in two days of unrest in Niger as protesters set fire to churches and ransacked several French-linked businesses in the capital Niamey. French President François Hollande has condemned the violence, calling France’s commitment to freedom of expression "non-negotiable". “There are tensions abroad where people don’t understand our attachment to freedom of speech,” Hollande said. French back ban on returning jihadists But while French attitudes towards freedom of expression may be split, the poll suggests the country’s citizens are largely united when it comes to taking tough action on Islamic extremists. The vast majority – 81 percent – were in favour of stripping French nationality from dual nationals who have committed an act of terrorism on French soil. More than two-thirds (68 percent) said French citizens should be banned from returning to the country if "they are suspected of having gone to fight in countries or regions controlled by terrorist groups", such as Syria. The same number backed bans on those suspected of wanting to join jihadist movements abroad from leaving France. France has long been concerned by the number of its citizens travelling abroad to fight in jihadist movements in countries such as Syria and Iraq, and the possibility that they might return to commit terrorist acts on home soil. One of the Charlie Hebdo gunmen – Saïd Kouachi – is known to have travelled to Yemen where he trained with militants from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula while his brother and accomplice, Chérif Kouachi, was part of a group that helped French Muslims travel to Iraq to fight alongside al Qaeda after the 2003 US-led invasion.
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Post by Admin on Feb 14, 2015 22:24:55 GMT
Danish authorities mounted a nationwide manhunt Saturday for a gunman who opened fire on a free speech seminar at a Copenhagen cafe in an apparent attempt to kill a Swedish artist who had published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed eight years ago. Police said the gunman, who fled in a stolen car, killed one person and injured three police officers in the attack at the Krudttoenden cafe, which was hosting an "Art, blasphemy and the freedom of expression" event. Police released a grainy photo of a man in a dark ski jacket and cap who may be linked to the attack. It was taken by a surveillance camera near the site where the gunman abandoned the dark-colored Volkswagen Polo that he had carjacked. Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt called the shooting "a cynical act of violence" and an "act of terrorism." Authorities also called on Germany and Sweden to be on the lookout for the suspect at their borders with Denmark. Authorities initially thought two people were involved in the shooting. The Danish Security and Intelligence Service described the gunman, who was carrying a black machine gun, as tall, with an athletic build. It said he had an "Arabic appearance, but with lighter skin than normal and black straight hair." He wore a black or dark blue ski jacket and matching pants, possibly with gloves, the security service said. The gunman did not get into the main room where the event was being held, but fired into it, according to several media accounts. Police later found the getaway car abandoned near a metro station and promptly shut down the transit line between two stations to search for the suspect. After Islamist militants attacked the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris last month, killing 12 people, Vilks told the AP that even fewer organizations were inviting him to give lectures over increased security concerns. Vilks said he thought Sweden's SAPO security service, which deploys bodyguards to protect him, would step up the security around him. "This will create fear among people on a whole different level than we're used to," he said. "Charlie Hebdo was a small oasis. Not many dared do what they did."
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Post by Admin on Feb 15, 2015 22:24:20 GMT
Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, the suspected gunman killed by police after shooting attacks against a free speech event and outside a Copenhagen synagogue, was 22 years old and had a background in criminal gangs, police said Sunday. Although police did not themselves confirm the name of the dead man, who has been widely identified by Danish and international news media, they told reporters the assailant was born in Denmark and had a criminal record, including violence and weapons offences. Police believe the suspect carried out both shootings alone but were investigating whether he had received help from others. Jens Madsen, head of the Danish intelligence agency PET, said investigators believe the gunman was inspired by Islamic radicalism. "PET is working on a theory that the perpetrator could have been inspired by the events in Paris. He could also have been inspired by material sent out by (the Islamic State group) and others," Madsen said. A Danish film maker attending a panel discussion on blasphemy was killed in the shooting Saturday at the free speech event and a member of the Scandinavian country's Jewish community was killed outside the synagogue. Five police officers were also wounded in the shootings. Earlier Sunday, at least two people with handcuffs were taken out by police from an Internet cafe in Copenhagen, Danish media reported. Police spokesman Steen Hansen told The Associated Press that "the action was part of the police investigation" but declined to give further details.
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