Photo: Somalis stand over the wreckage of car bomb which exploded outside a restaurant in Mogadishu, April 21, 2015.
Africa
Somali Al Shabaab Militants Use Donald Trump in Recruiting Film
At Least 4 Killed In Bombing in Somali Capital
U.N. envoy urges Libya rivals to end bloodshed
Member of Nigerian Islamic Movement dies in prison
Two students die in grenade attack at Ethiopia University
---------
Arab World
Saudi Arabia Executes 47 Terrorists, Including Shiite Cleric Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr
Several ISIL Terrorists Killed in Syrian Army's Mortar Attacks in Deir Ezzur
Syrian, Iraqi Militants Planned New Year Attack in Munich
Syrian Ground, Air Forces Hit ISIL Centres Hard North, Northeast Aleppo
Militants' Hardware Sustain Major Damage in Air Attacks across Syria's Aleppo
Syrian Army's Sporadic Attacks Inflict Major Losses on Terrorists in Dara'a
Terrorists' Tunnel Destroyed by Syrian Army in Eastern Countryside of Aleppo
Syrian Artillery Units Shell Militant Positions Heavily North of Homs Province
Terrorists Sustain Casualties in Syrian Army Attack Northeast of Damascus
Saudi Arabia reopens Baghdad embassy
Saudi Arabia: beheadings reach highest level in two decades
U.S. backed alliance advances against Islamist groups in Syria's north
---------
India
Indian Muslim Group Ushers In 2016 by Launching Campaign against ISIS
4 terrorists, 3 IAF men killed in Pathankot air force base attack
'Indian Muslims Not Attracted To Islamic State, Al-Qaeda'
Attacked For Opinion on WhatsApp, Muslim Man Gets Help from Strangers
What makes Gurdaspur-Pathankot belt so vulnerable to terror attacks
---------
Pakistan
Interior Minister Accused of Backing Terrorists
Terrorists to Be Vanquished This Year, Says Gen Sharif
Senators call for inquiries into all major terror attacks
Pakistan, S. Arabia to jointly tackle challenges, says NA speaker
Book on Pakistan's communist politics launched
Conflicting dates announced for quadrilateral Afghan talks
‘IS recruiter’ arrested in Karachi
4 terrorists arrested
Tahir-ul-Qadri seeks justice for victims of Model Town tragedy from Pakistan Army
---------
South Asia
At Least Two Killed, 15 Injured As Taliban Suicide Bomber Hits Kabul
Rival Taliban Groups Agree On Ceasefire, Exchange Of Prisoners
Afghan Special Forces release 59 hostages from Taliban captivity in Helmand
---------
Southeast Asia
Indira’s Case No Victory for Islam If Justice Not Served
Gov’t Pandering To Religious Intolerance, Says MIC Youth
Nik Aziz’s son named head of K’tan Amanah Shariah panel
'Un-Islamic' vaping catches fire in Malaysia amid govt backlash
Form parliamentary committee to address interfaith conversion issues, PM told
After Israeli military base claim, Dr Zuhdi says DAP free to sue anyone
---------
Mideast
Erdogan Says Hitler's Germany Exemplifies Effective Presidential System
Israel Strikes Hamas Military Sites In Gaza
Saudi says 3 civilians killed in missile fire from Yemen
Israel to return bodies of 23 Palestinian attackers
Senior Official Asks Rouhani to Order Increasing Iranian Missiles' Range to 5,000km in Reaction to US Hostility
Iranian MPs Call for Gov't's Firm Stance against US Violation of JCPOA
---------
North America
Muslim Activist Explains Why She Won’t Condemn ‘Islamic Terrorism’
‘Toronto 18’ convict granted day parole so he can go to graduate school
Canada misses year-end Syrian refugee target
200 Muslim Meat-Packers Fired Over Prayer Dispute
---------
Europe
Man Rams Car into Troops Guarding Mosque in France
Belgium releases six suspects held over ‘terror plot’
Germany hunts New Year 'terror plot' suspects
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
---------
Africa
Somali Al Shabaab Militants Use Donald Trump in Recruiting Film
Jan 02, 2016
RIYADH: Somalia's militant group al Shabaab has released a recruitment film in the form of a documentary about racial injustice in the United States featuring Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, SITE Monitoring reported on Saturday.
Trump, the billionaire developer, former reality TV star and Republican front runner, was shown in the 51-minute film making his December call for the United States to bar all Muslims from the country as his supporters cheered.
It was shown between two clips of militant leader Anwar al-Awlaki, killed in a drone strike in Yemen in 2011, saying Muslims in the United States would face a choice between leaving for Islamic countries or staying at home to fight the West.
The film was distributed on Twitter on Friday by the al-Kataib Media Foundation, a militant organisation, SITE reported.
Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the United States has been widely condemned by American politicians. It has also provoked an international uproar and led to criticism that his views could be used as propaganda by militants.
Al Shabaab, which seeks to overthrow Somalia's Western-backed government and impose a strict version of Islamic law, has links to the international militant group Al Qaeda and has carried out attacks in Kenya and Ethiopia.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1230284/somali-al-shabaab-militants-use-donald-trump-in-recruiting-film
---------
At least 4 killed in bombing in Somali capital
Jan 2, 2016
A bomber detonates his explosives at a popular restaurant in the Somali capital, killing himself and at least three others.
Police said the attacker, dressed in a business suit over an explosive vest, entered the Village Restaurant on Saturday and set off the bomb.
The attack is the third against the restaurant, which is opposite Somalia's National Theater.
http://presstv.ir/Detail/2016/01/02/444144/Mogadishu-explosion-Somalia-presidential-palace/
---------
U.N. envoy urges Libya rivals to end bloodshed
2 January 2016
The U.N.’s envoy for Libya held talks in Tripoli Friday, seeking to encourage the administration there to commit to a national unity government that would end years of bloodshed.
Martin Kobler, on a desperate diplomatic push to get Libya’s two separate administrations to sign a power-sharing agreement, met Thursday with representatives of the internationally-recognized government near its headquarters in the east of the country.
“More discussions in Tripoli - I invite all to take responsibility for Libya’s future, take responsibility for next generations,” Kobler tweeted on Friday after meeting with the head of the rival parliament in Tripoli, Nouri Abusahmein.
Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi and now has two governments and parliaments.
Militant groups such as ISIS have taken advantage of the lawlessness to make gains along the coastline, and the U.N. estimates that fighting has forced 435,000 people from their homes.
On December 17, under U.N. guidance, envoys from both sides and a number of independent political figures signed a deal to unify the government.
Around 80 of 188 lawmakers from Libya’s internationally recognized parliament and 50 of 136 members of the rival Tripoli-based General National Congress signed the deal.
It calls for a 17-member government, headed by businessman Fayez el-Sarraj as premier, based in Tripoli.
But analysts have cast doubt on the viability of a deal that would seek to bring together two parliaments controlled by hardliners.
Abusahmein asked Kobler to meet a number of leaders in the Tripoli-based administration, including senior military and intelligence officers and judiciary.
“We believe that for any political agreement to be effective on the ground, all parties tasked with implementing it have to be present with us today,” he said.
At a press conference in a VIP lounge at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport late Friday, Kobler said that in meetings with both administrations he put forward “five points.”
Firstly, “the Libyan political agreement is the basis of all discussions. There is no alternative,” he said.
Secondly, “there should be no parallel initiatives. All initiatives should be based under the umbrella of the United Nations,” Kobler added.
The process must be “inclusive,” and also be guided by the principle of “the peaceful transfer of power from the old institutions to the new institutions,” he said.
Finally, he said, there was “the principle of Libyan ownership. It must be a Libyan agreement and the Libyans must steer the process.”
The press conference was cut short by Jamal Zoubia, head of the media department in the Tripoli-based government, who told Kobler that the event was “illegal” as he needed prior permission.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/01/02/U-N-Libya-envoy-in-Tripoli-for-government-talks-.html
---------
Member of Nigerian Islamic Movement dies in prison
Jan 2, 2016
Another member of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) has lost his life in detention due to the lack of medical care, the movement has announced.
According the a statement released by the movement on Friday, Abbas Isiyaku had been shot and injured in an attack by the Nigerian army in the city of Zaria in the northern province of Kaduna in December.
On December 12, Nigerian soldiers attacked Shia Muslims attending a ceremony at a religious center in Zaria, accusing them of stopping the convoy of the army’s chief of staff and attempting to assassinate him. Dozens of people lost their lives in the deadly assault.
“There are some other 13 critically wounded members of IMN still in the prison in Kaduna, Nigeria, alone,” the statement further said, adding that a large number of others, including the country’s prominent Shia cleric, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, and his wife, were still being held incommunicado at different military barracks and other prisons without access to medical attention.
Zakzaky has been in police custody since Nigerian forces raided his home on December 13 and arrested him after reportedly killing those attempting to protect him, including one of the movement’s senior leaders and its spokesman.
Earlier on Friday, hundreds of people staged a peaceful demonstration in the northeastern city of Gombe to express outrage at Zakzaky's detention and show solidarity with him. They also demanded the immediate release of the incarcerated leader. A similar protest was also held in the northwestern city of Sokoto.
Both incidents, the Zaria’s massacre and raid on Zakzaky’s home, led to the deaths of hundreds of members of the religious community, including three of Zakzaky’s sons. According to the UK-based Islamic Human Rights Commission, the death toll stands at over 1,000.
http://presstv.ir/Detail/2016/01/02/444125/Nigeria-IMN-Abbas-Isiyaku-Zaria-Gombe-Zakzaky-rally/
---------
Two students die in grenade attack at Ethiopia University
Jan 1, 2016
Two students have died in a grenade attack at a university in southern Ethiopia.
“The blast killed two students and wounded six, of which four were seriously injured,” Ejigu Shiferaw, a police official in the town of Gedeo, said on Friday.
The attacker, or attackers, tossed a hand grenade at students on the campus at Dilla University on Thursday night in the diverse Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), about 350 kilometres (200 miles) south of the capital, Addis Ababa.
Police did not cite any details on the number of suspects in police custody, or possible motives behind the attack, in the area, where there have not been any recent reports of significant unrest.
Full report at:
http://presstv.ir/Detail/2016/01/01/444099/Ethiopia-university-students-grenade/
---------
Arab World
Saudi Arabia executes 47 terrorists, including Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr
Jan 2, 2016
Saudi Arabia on Saturday announced the execution of 47 prisoners accused of terrorism charges, including a Shiite cleric who was a central figure in 2011 Arab Spring-inspired protests in the kingdom.
The killing of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr may spark new unrest among Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority, largely concentrated in the kingdom’s east, and in Bahrain, which has seen low-level violence since 2011 protests by its Shiite majority demanding greater rights from its Sunni monarchy.
The cleric’s name was among a list of the 47 carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. It cited the Interior Ministry for the information. Saudi state television also reported the executions.
Of those executed, Saudi Arabia said 45 were Saudi citizens, one was from Chad and another was from Egypt.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/saudi-arabia-executes-47-terrorists-including-shiite-cleric-sheikh-nimr-al-nimr/
---------
Several ISIL Terrorists Killed in Syrian Army's Mortar Attacks in Deir Ezzur
Jan 01, 2016
"The Syrian Army targeted the ISIL terrorists' gatherings in al-Jurah and al-Rasafah districts in the Southeastern outskirts of Deir Ezzur city, claiming lives of several militants," the sources said.
"The ISIL terrorists had gathered in al-Jourah and al-Rasafah to carry out a joint offensive against the government positions, but the army troops tracked and targeted them with heavy mortar attacks," the source said.
"The ISIL terrorists left behind the dead and injured members and retreated forces," the sources went on to say.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941011000722
---------
Syrian, Iraqi militants planned New Year attack in Munich
January 02, 2016
MUNICH - Germany received a tip hours before midnight that militants from Iraq and Syria were planning New Year attacks in Munich but police could not find the suspects and are not even sure if they exist or are in the country, the city’s police chief said on Friday.
Hubertus Andrae told a news conference that German officials had received a “very concrete” tip that suicide attacks were planned on New Year’s Eve at two train stations. Police closed the central and Pasing stations about an hour before midnight, and reopened them hours later. “We received names. We can’t say if they are in Munich or in fact in Germany,” Andrae said.
“At this point we don’t know if these names are correct, if these people even exist, or where they might be. If we knew this we would be a clear step further. We have no information that these people are in Munich or in Germany,” he added. The alarm came as Europe entered the New Year under a state of heightened alert, seven weeks after Islamist militants killed 130 people in shootings and suicide blasts across Paris.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said the Munich tip, which media reports said came from French intelligence, indicated that the Islamic State militant group was behind the planned operation. Herrmann told reporters later on Friday that the police presence at the train stations had been reduced. “We all know that there is a high risk of attacks in Europe and also here in Germany and Bavaria. But we don’t have a concrete indication that there will be an attack today or tomorrow at a specific location,” he said.
Thomas de Maiziere, interior minister in the federal government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, said: “The situation in Europe and also in Germany remains serious in the New Year. Security forces anticipate the high threat of international terrorism to persist.”
Police said they had received information that five to seven suicide bombers were planning to take part in the attack. After the deadliest year for militant attacks in Europe since 2004, the build-up to the New Year had been overshadowed by arrests, security warnings, and the scaling-back of big traditional celebrations in Brussels, Moscow and Paris. On Dec. 26, police in the Austrian capital Vienna said a “friendly” intelligence service had warned European capitals of the possibility of a shooting or bomb attack before New Year. That tip, too, had included the names of several suspects.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/international/02-Jan-2016/syrian-iraqi-militants-planned-new-year-attack-in-munich
---------
Syrian Ground, Air Forces Hit ISIL Centres Hard North, Northeast Aleppo
Jan 02, 2016
"The Syrian warplanes carried out several combat sorties over the ISIL positions in Tal Msibin village and Azaz town in the Northern part of the province and targeted them heavily, which ended in mass destruction of the ISIL military hardware and the killing of tens of the militants," the sources said.
"Minutes after the bombardments of the ISIL strongholds, the Syrian Army and the country's National Defense Forces (NDF) stormed the militants' defense lines, killed and wounded tens and destroyed their military equipment," the sources added.
"The same story happened near al-Bab city in the Northeastern part of Aleppo province. The ISIL defense lines were bombed by the Syrian fighter jets and then the pro-government forces attacked the militants' strongholds," the sources went on to say.
Military analysts believe that the joint coordinated offensives on this kind can not only weaken the enemy's defense abilities but will weaken their combat spirit.
On Friday, the Syrian government forces detected and destroyed a tunnel used by the ISIL militants in the Eastern countryside of Aleppo city.
"The Syrian army destroyed a long tunnel of the ISIL terrorists with over seven meters of depth in the Northern side of Kuweires airbase," the sources said.
"The tunnel connects the villages of Sherba and Aisheh," the sources added.
"The army soldiers seized the ISIL militants' weapons and ammunition inside the tunnel," the sources said.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941012000351
---------
Militants' Hardware Sustain Major Damage in Air Attacks across Syria's Aleppo
Jan 02, 2016
"The Takfiri militants' positions in Darit Ezza in the Western part of Aleppo came under massive bombardments of the Syrian warplanes, which claimed the lives of many terrorists," the sources said.
"The Syrian air fleet also tracked and targeted the militant groups' concentration centers in Afash, Deir Qaq, Aisheh and al-Hadher in the Eastern and Southern territories of the province, which left scores of the terrorist dead or wounded and destructed their military grid," the sources added.
On Friday, the Syrian government forces detected and destroyed a tunnel used by the ISIL militants in the Eastern countryside of Aleppo city.
"The Syrian army destroyed a long tunnel of the ISIL terrorists with over seven meters of depth in the Northern side of Kuweires airbase," the sources said.
"The tunnel connects the villages of Sherba and Aisheh," the sources added.
"The army soldiers seized the ISIL militants' weapons and ammunition inside the tunnel," the sources said.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941012000504
---------
Syrian Army's Sporadic Attacks Inflict Major Losses on Terrorists in Dara'a
Jan 02, 2016
"Al-Sekak buildings in the Northern countryside of Dara'a witnessed heavy clashes between the Syrian forces and the militant groups, in which the pro-government forces killed or injured dozens of the militants," the army said.
"There were several clashes between the Syria forces and the militant groups in Dara'a al-Mahatta near Nazehin camp and in Dara'a al-Balad near al-Arbaeen neighborhood, which ended in the destruction of the terrorists' fortified strongholds," the army said.
"Over 13 Takfiri terrorists were killed and many more were wounded in the army attacks in al-Bado and al-Jumruk al-Qadim in Dara'a al-Balad," the army went on to say.
The Syrian forces have had good records of hitting the militants' gathering hard in the recent weeks, including recapturing of Sheikh Meskeen.
On Friday, reports from Dara'a said terrorists are pinned down behind their defense lines North of the province after sustaining large casualties in a fresh round of attacks by the Syrian army and popular forces.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941012000587
---------
Terrorists' Tunnel Destroyed by Syrian Army in Eastern Countryside of Aleppo
Jan 01, 2016
"The Syrian army destroyed a long tunnel of the ISIL terrorists with over seven meters of depth in the Northern side of Kuweires airbase," the sources said.
"The tunnel connects the villages of Sherba and Aisheh," the sources added.
"The army soldiers seized the ISIL militants' weapons and ammunition inside the tunnel," the sources said.
Sources said on Thursday that the Syrian fighter jets intensified their airstrikes on ISIL positions in the province of Aleppo as the government is determined to purge the country of the terrorists.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941011000740
---------
Syrian Artillery Units Shell Militant Positions Heavily North of Homs Province
01, 2016
"Scores of the militants were killed or wounded after the Syrian artillery units shelled their positions near Talbiseh," the army said.
"The army's heavy shelling spread waves of concern among the militants as in most cases such heavy shelling have been followed by the ground forces attacks on the shelled defense lines of the militant groups," the army added.
Earlier reports said that concentration centers of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front in the Northern parts of Homs province came under massive bombardment by the Syrian warplanes.
"The Syrian fighter jets carried out several combat sorties over the positions of Nusra terrorists in Tir Ma'ala and Ein Hossein al-Janoubi villages and bombed them heavily, which left many terrorists dead and many other wounded," the sources said.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941011000685
---------
Terrorists Sustain Casualties in Syrian Army Attack Northeast of Damascus
Jan 01, 2016
"The Syrian army exploded one of the major military sites of Liwa Fajr al-Ummah, affiliated to Ajnad al-Sham, in Harasta," the sources said.
"Several explosions occurred as a result of the army attack, which left many terrorists dead or wounded," the army added.
"The terrorist groups had stored a large volume of ammunition inside the site, and the first explosion caused the other explosions in the depot," the army went on to say.
Militant groups' positions in different parts of Damascus province have been under the massive attacks of the Syrian army, air force, and artillery units in the recent weeks.
Sources said earlier today that two main districts in the Eastern and Northeastern outskirts of the Capital were the scenes of the Syrian government forces' heavy attacks on the militant groups' strongholds, adding the militants left behind many dead members and fled the battlefronts.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941011000711
---------
Saudi Arabia reopens Baghdad embassy
1 January 2016
After a 25-year hiatus Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad on Friday, giving way to more cooperation between the two countries on tackling terrorism, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.
The embassy was shut down in 1990 after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Its reopening will allow the two countries to cooperate on security and the fight against extremism, the new Saudi ambassador to Iraq, Thamer al-Sabhan, told Al Arabiya.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/01/01/Saudi-Arabia-reopens-Baghdad-embassy.html
---------
Saudi Arabia executes 47 terrorism convicts
2 January 2016
The Saudi interior ministry on Saturday said 47 people convicted of plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks, targeting civilians and security forces, were executed.
The ministry statement, published on the official SPA news agency, said the 47 had been convicted of adopting the radical "takfiri" ideology, joining "terrorist organizations" and implementing various "criminal plots."
Most of those executed were involved in a series of attacks carried out by al-Qaeda from 2003-06 that killed Saudis and foreigners in the kingdom, the interior ministry statement added.
45 of those executed were of Saudi nationality, alongside one Chadian and one Egyptian, according to a list of names and nationalities published by the Saudi Press Agency. The 47 men were based across 12 regions in the kingdom, the interior ministry statement added.
They were convicted of plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks targeting civilians and security forces in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/01/02/Saudi-interior-ministry.html
---------
U.S. backed alliance advances against Islamist groups in Syria's north
January 02, 2016
BEIRUT: A U.S.-backed alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters advanced against Islamist insurgents in the north of the country on Friday, capturing at least one village in Aleppo province, a spokesman and a monitoring group said.
Fighters from the Democratic Forces of Syria seized the village of Tanab near the town of Azaz after heavy clashes with the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and the powerful Ahrar al Sham, spokesman Talal Selo told Reuters.
"We liberated Tanab," he said.
Britain-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Democratic Forces of Syria had also captured the village of Tat Mrash. Selo said he could not yet confirm its capture.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/international/02-Jan-2016/u-s-backed-alliance-advances-against-islamist-groups-in-syria-s-north
---------
India
Indian Muslim Group Ushers In 2016 by Launching Campaign against ISIS
Mohammed Wajihuddin
Jan 1, 2016
Mumbai: As a New Year resolution, a group of city Muslims launched "Muslims against ISIS" campaign on Friday, denouncing the jihadist terror organization's brutalities and chalking out steps to stop Muslim youths from becoming IS recruits. A joint initiative of city-based NGO Sahas Foundation and think-tank Urdu Markaz, the campaign has created a taskforce of volunteers to identify and counsel radicalized or potential recruits of ISIS or Islamic State (IS) who have been or are about to be trapped in the "fake jihad" through online propaganda.
Launching the campaign at Imamwada Municipal Urdu School ground in Bhendi Bazaar, activists said there could not have been a noble cause than initiating an ideological war on IS on New Year's Eve. "When we thought about what to do on New Year, a suggestion came that why not start creating awareness among youths about how to keep away from the virus of ISIS and other terrorist outfits. Now, we have resolved to reach out to a maximum number of Muslim youths with the message of not falling prey to the propaganda of any terrorist organizations," said Syed Furqan, Sahas Foundation's president and the main force behind the campaign. Furqan added that on the night of December 31, his group created "awareness" against vices from drunk driving to terrorism and intolerance through a human chain at Nariman Point.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Muslim-group-ushers-in-2016-by-launching-campaign-against-ISIS/articleshow/50410022.cms
---------
4 terrorists, 3 IAF men killed in Pathankot air force base attack
Harkirat Singh
Jan 02, 2016
Four terrorists and three Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel were killed in an attack on an air force base in Punjab’s Pathankot district early on Saturday morning, setting alarm bells ringing across the country.
Gunshots rocked the facility around 3:30am on the second day of a new year as a group of at least five men in army-style clothing - believed to be operatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group - launched the daring operation less than 24 hours after an alert was sounded in the state over the assault of a top police officer by suspected Pakistani terrorists.
Security forces were on the lookout for a possible fifth suspect after the Pathankot attack, police said. Even though police said the gun battle ended by 8am, shots and loud explosions were heard from inside the base around 11am.
At least one helicopter could be seen firing at an area inside the facility. No other details were available about the fresh fighting.
A defence source said the terrorists from JeM, a group blamed for the December 2001 attack on Parliament that killed 11 people, had probably infiltrated about three days ago. Pathankot — located at the tri-junction of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh — is on a highway that connects insurgency-hit J-K with the rest of the country.
A team of 50 commandos of the National Security Guard (NSG) led the fight against the militants at the air force base, a top security official said.
The NSG commandos were flown to Pathankot on Friday night in view of a security threat after the abduction and thrashing of Gurdaspur SP (headquarters) Salwinder Singh by terrorists, who dodged security forces and escaped.
The NSG commandos were rushed to the air force base and an army cantonment at Mamoon after their arrival in Pathankot, and a major search operation was kick-started. The terrorists launched the assault soon after a combing operation in the area between the air base installation and Chakki river, police said.
As police cordoned off the area that resembled a war zone, army and air force personnel swung into action alongside the NSG forces that retaliated strongly, a source told HT in the wake of the attack reminiscent of the Gurdaspur strike last year.
In July, heavily armed men in army fatigues sprayed bullets on a moving bus and stormed Dinanagar police station in Gurdaspur district bordering Pakistan, killing six people and injuring eight.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/pathankot-air-force-base-attacked-4-terrorists-2-iaf-men-killed/story-Sutonspc1t7zVlYIanfisO.html
---------
'Indian Muslims Not Attracted To Islamic State, Al-Qaeda'
1 Jan, 2016
Indian Muslims have little fascination for Islamic radical groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, say scholars and Muslim leaders agreeing with Home Minister Rajnath Singh's assertion that Indian Muslims were not attracted to their ideologies.
The minister, while speaking at a conference at Maulana Azad Urdu University of Hyderabad in Lucknow, said the terror organisation could not dominate in India because of the cultural and family values being practised here. "India is the only country where Muslim families stop their children when they get deviated from the right path. Only Indian Muslim families do this," he said.
Muslim scholars and clerics agreed. Zameer Uddin Shah, Vice-Chancelor, Aligarh Muslim University said: "Indian Muslims follow the tenets of Islam which prescribes use of force only in self-defence".
Ruling out any liking for ISIS ideology among Indian Muslims, Maulana Abdul Hamid Nomani, Secretary of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, said: "Indian Muslims hate ISIS and such radical groups". The Jamiat is an amalgam of Indian Muslim scholars.
"There are very few people who support them and such people exist in every society. An Indian Muslim has no reason to get attracted to the organisation as it is anti-Islam," Nomani told IANS.
Agreeing to Singh's claim, Zafar-Ul-Islam Khan, the editor and publisher of a fortnightly magazine, The Milli Gazette, said Muslims in India were not taught to be pro-violence. "It is in our upbringing not to opt for any violent means. We are peace lovers," Khan said.
However, he questioned the harassment of some Indian Muslims on the suspicion of being linked to ISIS. "It is good that the government believes so, but why do the agencies harass Muslims over suspicion of being linked to ISIS?" he asked.
The issue of harassment is also taken up by Asaduddin Owaisi, President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party. "Muslims are being tortured and harassed in various ways. It is very important for the establishment to look into these matters and not to let them escalate," Owaise said.
He said Muslims as a community could not be attracted to anti-national activities or any group like ISIS. "Muslims fight against discrimination and administrative issues not against the nation. Muslims are as much Indians as any other person from a different community," he said.
Full report at:
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/520656/indian-muslims-not-attracted-islamic.html
------
Attacked for opinion on WhatsApp, Muslim man gets help from strangers
Jan 02, 2016
A week after a man’s photo studio was burned down by alleged fundamentalists in north Kerala for what was perceived as his questioning of some of Islam’s traditions, friends and well-wishers have started a crowdfunding campaign to help rebuild the studio, his only source of income.
On December 26, Rafeeq was rudely woken to the news that his studio had been torched by miscreants in Kannur district’s Thaliparambha.
The 32-year-old said the act was in retaliation to his questioning of some of Islam’s traditions, including the need for hijab, the veil that covers a woman’s head. Rafeeq had shared his views on a WhatsApp group that was circulated.
However, the discourse soon turned into a communal issue, with Rafeeq receiving threatening calls.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/attacked-for-opinion-on-whatsapp-muslim-man-gets-help-from-strangers/story-9sI2u56ew7xqUrMjP3oMcN.html
---------
What makes Gurdaspur-Pathankot belt so vulnerable to terror attacks
Ramesh Vinayak
Jan 02, 2016
The terrorist strike on the frontline Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in the wee hours of Saturday is the second major ‘made-in-Pakistan’ terror attack to take place in Punjab’s Gurdaspur-Pathankot belt in the last six months.
The latest incident is an uncanny replay of the modus operandi in the Dinanagar terror episode in Gurdaspur district on July 27 last year. Three Pakistan-origin terrorists of the ‘Lashkar-e-Taiba’ group had crossed over from the international border and attacked a local police station that time.
Ten persons, including the Gurdaspur superintendent of police, were killed in the 12-hour-long operation that killed all heavily-armed terrorists who were equipped with two GPS devices and night vision devices with US army marking.
Read| Intel-igent call: NSG commandos were rushed to Pathankot before attack
Dinanagar is barely 20km from Pathankot, which is located on the tri-junction of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and has a big army cantonment and an airbase.
Saturday’s episode fits into a pattern of deadly cross-border terror attacks on the Gurdaspur-Pathankot-Jammu axis in last fourteen years. In fact, NH-44, the main artery that connects Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir and runs parallel to the international border, has come to be known as the ‘highway of terror’.
Here is why Gurdaspur-Pathankot belt is vulnerable to terrorist strikes:
Porous border
Though a large portion of the India-Pakistan border on the 553-km Gurdaspur-Jammu sector is fenced, there are several gaps caused by the Ravi river and season rivulets that cut into the international boundary. Gurdaspur shares a long, zig-zagging border with Pakistan. It’s easy to infiltrate from this stretch as compared to the heavily-mined and guarded Line of Control as well as the international border in neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir. A dense fog in winters makes the border surveillance an added challenge.
Proximity to Pakistan
As the border terrain is broken and forested, the rivulet beds provide an ideal cover for terrorists who can sneak in and reach the busy NH-44 highway that snakes along the border. This enables terrorists to hijack vehicles and mount rapid strikes. In almost all terror attacks, militants used the snatched vehicles to attack the intended targets, mostly catching security forces off-guard.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/what-makes-punjab-s-gurdaspur-so-vulnerable-to-terror-attacks/story-AD6XL20I3OjuwZJZDxBgRJ.html
---------
Pakistan
Interior minister accused of backing terrorists
KHAWAR GHUMMAN
Jan 02, 2016
ISLAMABAD: Taking cue from her party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, a little known PPP MNA on Friday staged a blistering attack on the powerful interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, accusing him of providing support to terrorists and militant organisations.
If this wasn’t enough, the PPP backbencher, Shahida Rehmani, also alleged that Chaudhry Nisar was running a network of corruption through handpicked patwaris (revenue officers) of the Punjab government.
“Every now and then, the interior minister makes statements about his progress but what is happening on the ground speaks volumes about him,” the lawmaker on a reserved seat stated on the floor of the National Assembly.
MNA Shahida Rehmani accuses Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of corruption
Last week, addressing the death anniversary of his mother in Gari Khuda Bakhsh, the young PPP chairman had targeted the federal government for using the National Acton Plan (NAP) against his party.
Other PPP leaders also lashed out at the interior minister for trespassing the Sindh government’s authority.
If Ms Rehmani’s speech was an indication, it seemed in coming days the PPP would go harder on the federal government.
“Few yards from here a religious scholar has expressed his allegiance to Daesh and of late media reports have confirmed the spread of the terrorist organisation in the country which I believe this maulana has a role in. But, alas, our interior minister doesn’t see anything wrong in it,” said Ms Rehmani.
She said if this didn’t come under terrorism, can someone from the treasury explain what is called terrorism.
The interior minister over the last a couple of weeks has repeatedly said since there were no charges against Maulana Abdul Aziz of Lal Masjid, the government cannot arrest him.
Likewise, Ms Rehmani said the government was sitting on the judgment against Mumtaz Qadri, who has been awarded the death sentence by the courts for murdering Punjab governor Salman Taseer.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1230247/interior-minister-accused-of-backing-terrorists
---------
Terrorists to be vanquished this year, says Gen Sharif
Jan 02, 2016
QUETTA: Army Chief General Raheel Sharif said on Friday the nation would get rid of terrorism this year.
He was addressing tribal elders of Gwadar, Talar and Turbat areas of Makran division.
“The new year will be the year when terrorism will end,” he said.
Gen Sharif, however, stressed the need for the entire nation to extend support to the armed forces in this regard. He said the “elements involved in the bad practice of financial misappropriation” should also be dealt with strictly.
He said there was a nexus between terrorism, corruption and crime. The elements involved in terrorism and financial corruption had developed close relations to help each other out.
All the “negative forces” in the nexus would be defeated.
The new year would be the “year of national solidarity”, he said. The nation would witness the birth of peace and justice in the year.
“Peace and justice will be ensured across the country with the support of the nation,” he said.
The army chief said that Balochistan would be turned into a peaceful province.
The army would help make the Gwadar seaport fully functional, he said. The port would bring progress and prosperity to the people of Balochistan.
Gen Sharif said: “Pakistan is on way to success and happiness and the people of Balochistan will also benefit from this.”
The armed forces had been rendering great sacrifices for the cause of peace and stability in the country, he said.
Gen Sharif visited Turbat, Talar and Gwadar to review the progress made in the projects undertaken by army engineers as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The army chief was briefed in detail about the law and order situation in Balochistan, particularly in Makran division, and progress made in the ongoing projects.
He was informed that the security situation in the division had improved considerably. He paid rich tribute to army men and personnel of law enforcement agencies who had laid down their lives for security and development of the area.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1230276/terrorists-to-be-vanquished-this-year-says-gen-sharif
---------
Senators call for inquiries into all major terror attacks
AMIR WASIM
Jan 02, 2016
ISLAMABAD: The Senate echoed on Friday with a demand for holding inquiries into all major terror attacks in different parts of the country over the last decade to expose those who were responsible for breach of security.
During a debate on an adjournment motion moved by retired Colonel Tahir Mashhadi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attack on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, some senators also called for an inquiry into the 1999 Kargil fiasco.
Mr Mashhadi suggested setting up of a judicial commission to expose those guilty of negligence in providing security to the school, where the Taliban attack left over 140 schoolchildren and teachers dead in Dec 2014.
Supporting Mr Mashhadi’s call, a number of senators from both the treasury and opposition benches regretted that parliament was not even aware of findings of the inquiry commission formed to investigate the Abbottabad incident in which the US Marines killed Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in a military operation in May 2011.
Former interior minister Rehman Malik asked the government to take an extreme step of stopping transit trade with Afghanistan to force the country to hand over Mullah Fazlullah, who had claimed responsibility for the massacre of schoolchildren.
The former minister wanted to know whether handing over of the “chief terrorist Fazlullah” was part of the agenda for the talks to be held with Afghanistan later this month.
He asked the government to hold an in-camera session of parliament to discuss the report of the inquiry commission on the killing of Osama bin Laden.
The PML-Q’s Mushahid Hussain Syed said that no one had been held responsible for major terror attacks even on the country’s sensitive installations, including the army’s General Headquarters (GHQ), Kamra airbase and Karachi’s Mehran naval base. “This culture of cover-up must be ended,” the PML-Q senator said.
He also suggested an inquiry into the helicopter crash in Naltar that left the ambassadors of Norway, the Philippines and Indonesia dead in May last year. He said the inquiry report into the crash had not been made public. “This has been a cause of concern for the diplomatic community.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1230184/senators-call-for-inquiries-into-all-major-terror-attacks
---------
Pakistan, S. Arabia to jointly tackle challenges, says NA speaker
Jan 02, 2016
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will join hands to confront global challenges, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said here on Friday.
Talking to Saudi Ambassador Abdullah Marzouk Al Zahrani who called on him, the speaker said that the new year had come with new regional and global problems for the Ummah that needed to be addressed through mutual cooperation by Muslim countries.
He underlined the need to rectify the distorted image of Islam projected by the extremists and propagated by the western media as an intolerant and violent religion.
Mr Sadiq said Islam was a religion of peace that abhorred terrorism and extremism in all their forms and manifestations.
Highlighting Pakistan’s contribution in the war against terrorism, he said the country had suffered immense social, economic and human losses.
He said the government was committed to rooting out the menace under the National Action Plan through better civil-military coordination.
The country’s fight against terrorism would continue till the extermination of the last terrorist, he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1230273/pakistan-s-arabia-to-jointly-tackle-challenges-says-na-speaker
---------
Book on Pakistan's communist politics launched
Jan 02, 2016
KARACHI: The major failure of the communist movement in Pakistan was that Marxism was taken as an engineering manual by communist parties. Marxism is a science. It should be applied creatively to society, which was not done.
This was the point raised by Director of Pakistan Study Centre, the University of Karachi, Dr Syed Jaffer Ahmed while reacting to an argument put forth by a fellow panellist during a well-participated discussion at the launch of a book titled Surkh Salam authored by Kamran Asdar Ali at T2F on Friday evening.
Dr Asif Farrukhi, who moderated the event, introduced the theme of the book and Mr Ali to the audience that packed the T2F hall in no time. He said Surkh Salam was about communist politics and class activism in Pakistan between 1947 and 1972. The author, he said, was an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of South Asia Institute at the University of Texas, Austin. The first person that Dr Farrukhi invited to speak on the subject was journalist Imran Aslam.
Mr Aslam read out his impressions on the book and its writer. He congratulated Mr Ali for his effort saying “clues were scattered all over his work for future historians”. He said the author had a “nose for a good story”. He called the book a “remarkable achievement” for it rescued time from ravages of time. He likened the people in the book as characters in a drama giving the example of Tom Stoppard’s critically acclaimed play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead in which two minor characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet take centre stage.
Dr Ahmed spoke on the methodology and technique of the book. He said the history of the Left in Pakistan had not been documented the way it merited. Some did attempt to do so, but they captured certain phases of the Left in history, so there was a need for a comprehensive study on the topic.
He said the book discussed the 1948-54 period of the Communist Party of Pakistan; its second part dealt with Hasan Nasir, followed by the 1972 labour movement. He said three themes converged in Surkh Salam: partition of India, the Communist Party and the role of progressive literature. He was of the view that the forte of the book was the author’s training in anthropology.
Hoori Noorani went down memory lane. She said she grew up in a communist household where individuals like Hasan Nasir would often be talked about. It captured her childhood imagination, and it was an education in humanism that lasted to date. She termed the book an “important addition to the scarce literature available on the subject”, arguing that it touched upon a significant period (1972) which was “forgotten in the noise of Islamic radicalisation”.
She lauded the fact that the book discussed the “debates that took place with the Communist Party” giving an insight into “how the Communist Party was formed”. It also contained debates between conservatives like M. Hasan Askari and progressives like Sajjad Zaheer, she said, but mentioned that it did not include other conservatives such as Shorish Kashmiri and Mumtaz Shireen. When she rounded off her speech, Dr Farrukhi said he did not agree with her calling Mr Askari a conservative.
Full report at:
http://images.dawn.com/news/1174562/book-on-pakistans-communist-politics-launched
---------
Conflicting dates announced for quadrilateral Afghan talks
Jan 02, 2016
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan announced on Thursday conflicting dates for holding the inaugural round of quadrilateral dialogue, which also involves the United States and China, on resumption of the Afghan reconciliation process.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, speaking at a press conference in Kabul, said the meeting would be held in Islamabad on Jan 11.
Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif, meanwhile, in a policy statement in the Senate on the visit of Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif to Kabul, said Islamabad would host the four-nation talks on Jan 16.
In his meetings with President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah during the weekend trip, Gen Sharif had discussed the roadmap for restarting the reconciliation process between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Successful reconciliation process is the best bet against IS which is expanding its footprints in Afghanistan, says Asif
The meeting of the coordination committee of the newly formed quadrilateral mechanism would be held at the level of senior officials. Afghanistan has announced that its delegation would be led by its deputy foreign minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai. Pakistan is expected to be represented at the meeting by the foreign secretary.
The second round of the talks would be held in Kabul, President Ghani said.
The Foreign Office spokesman had earlier at the weekly briefing said: “Consultations are under way to host the first meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Committee in Islamabad in the second week of January. Exact date is being worked out in consultation with Afghanistan, China and the US. The level, composition and agenda of the meeting are also being worked out through consultations.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1229983/conflicting-dates-announced-for-quadrilateral-afghan-talks
---------
‘IS recruiter’ arrested in Karachi
Jan 02, 2016
KARACHI: Police’s Counter-Terrorism Department arrested on Friday a man who was allegedly recruiting young men for the militant Islamic State (IS) group and had sent three militants to Syria, one of whom was killed there.
According to an official, the police’s special unit detained Abdul Aziz alias Aziz Rehman from Orangi Town.
He belongs to the banned Jundullah (Haji Aqakhel group) and was collecting funds for the IS in Karachi and Quetta.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1230186/is-recruiter-arrested-in-karachi
---------
4 terrorists arrested
January 02, 2016
PESHAWAR - Special police unit Friday arrested four notorious terrorists of a banned organization during a crackdown and recovered pamphlets from their possession.
Police sources said that the arrest was made in Peshtakhara Square on main Bara road.
The arrested persons were identified as Nesar Ahmad, Shermat Khan, Abiz Faraz and Abdullah. The arrested persons have been shifted to an unknown location for further interrogation.
Dozen of pamphlets of a banned organization were recovered from their possession.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/national/02-Jan-2016/4-terrorists-arrested
---------
Tahir-ul-Qadri seeks justice for victims of Model Town tragedy from Pakistan Army
January 02, 2016
LAHORE: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief, Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri has sought justice for the victims of Model Town tragedy from Pakistan Army, as they did with the martyrs of Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar.
Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri was chairing a meeting of PAT’s Central Executive Council held today. During the meeting a resolution was presented in which, PAT urged Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif to arrest the mastermind of Model Town incident.
The PAT in the resolution alleged that the incumbent rulers are not providing justice to the victims of the Model Town tragedy, therefore the military should play its role in providing justice to the slain and wounded persons.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/national/02-Jan-2016/tahir-ul-qadri-seeks-justice-for-victims-of-model-town-tragedy-from-pakistan-army
---------
South Asia
At least two killed, 15 injured as Taliban suicide bomber hits Kabul
Jan 02, 2016
KABUL: A Taliban suicide car bomber struck a French restaurant popular with foreigners in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least two people in a New Year's day attack that marks the latest in a series of brazen insurgent assaults.
Fifteen others were wounded in the attack on Le Jardin, an Afghan-owned eatery, which caused a piercingly loud explosion and left a building engulfed in flames.
The attack comes a day after Afghanistan announced four-way talks in Pakistan on January 11, aimed at jump-starting peace negotiations with the resurgent Taliban.
“We can confirm a suicide car bomb attack on Le Jardin,” Fraidoon Obaidi, the head of Kabul's Criminal Investigation Department, told AFP.
“We are busy extinguishing the fire at the scene... two Afghans have been killed and 15 others wounded,” he added.
The Italian-run Emergency Hospital in Kabul said on Twitter that the fatalities included a 12-year-old boy who was declared dead on arrival.
Security forces cordoned off the area and firefighters and ambulances were seen rushing to the restaurant, which sports a large garden festooned with rose bushes and is a popular hangout for foreigners and wealthy Afghans.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Twitter claimed several foreigners had been killed and wounded in the suicide attack.
Taliban insurgents routinely exaggerate the death toll in attacks on government and foreign targets.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1230074/at-least-two-killed-15-injured-as-taliban-suicide-bomber-hits-kabul
---------
Rival Taliban groups agree on ceasefire, exchange of prisoners
Jan 02 2016
The rival Taliban groups, led by Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour and Mullah Mohammad Rasool have agreed on ceasefire and exchange of prisoners.
Two senior Taliban have told Reuters news agency that representatives of a splinter group headed by Mullah Mohammad Rasool Akhund calling itself the ulema, which rejects Mansour’s authority, travelled to an undisclosed location to meet the exiled insurgency leadership headed by Mansour on Friday.
“We agreed on ceasefire and prisoners’ swap, but the ulema were not given access to Mansour,” Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, Rasool’s deputy, told Reuters by telephone.
According to Reuters, Niazi said the delegation was only able to meet Mansour’s deputy, Haibatullah Akhund, who told the representatives that from now on, Mullah Mansour would not meet people because of security issues.
Niazi believes that Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Manour is dead that is why the delegation was not able to meet him.
“Like many other people, we also believe that Mullah Mansour is dead and that’s why his deputy Sheikh Haibatullah refused access to the ulema council to him,” Niazi told Reuters.
In December 2015, spokesperson for the first-Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum said the Supreme Leader of Taliban sustained injuries after another commander of the militant group namely Mullah Abdullah Sarhadi opened fire on him in Kuchlakh area which is 25 kilometers from Quetta, capital of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/raval-taliban-groups-agree-on-ceasefire-exchange-of-prisoners-4453
---------
Afghan Special Forces release 59 hostages from Taliban captivity in Helmand
Jan 02 2016
Afghan National Army Special Forces have released 59 hostages from the captivity of Taliban militants in southern Helmand province.
A statement released by the Ministry of Defense on Saturday morning states that the hostages were released from Taliban hideouts in Nahr-e-Saraj District last night.
The press release further states that Taliban had locked up these people on different pretexts who are now at Camp Shorabak or Camp Bastion.
The statement does not provide further details.
General Ayoub Salangin the Senior Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs has also confirmed the report through a post on his official twitter account.
“Special Forces have released 59 people from a Taliban prison in Nahr-e-Saraj District of Helmand,” the post reads.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/afghan-special-force-release-59-hostages-from-taliban-captivity-in-helmand-4449
---------
Southeast Asia
Indira’s case no victory for Islam if justice not served
Robin Augustin
January 2, 2016
PETALING JAYA: The outcome of the M Indira Gandhi case on Wednesday cannot be seen as a victory for Islam if justice was not served, said the vice-president of Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) Mujahid Rawa.
In responding to the statement by PAS Youth that the outcome was seen as a victory for Islam, Mujahid, who is also MP for Parit Buntar, said it was too simplistic to interpret it that way.
“I respect the decision of the court, but this issue goes beyond the law, and the background of such cases,” he told FMT.
On Wednesday the Court of Appeals overturned the Ipoh High Court’s ruling that quashed the unilateral conversion of Indira’s three children to Islam by her Muslim convert ex-husband.
“Even in the context of Islamic law of the right to care of the child should either parent convert, the moral issue is whether mercifulness and love were addressed.
“We must look at the moral aspect of it, does the court’s decision obtain justice for all parties? Justice is important in Islam.”
He said that even if the case was to be judged in the Syariah Court, the ruling cannot be said as being “Islamic” if justice was void.
Mujahid reiterated that the case therefore could not be regarded as a victory for Islam if justice did not prevail.
He said that in issues where the Syariah Court and the civil courts were in conflict with each other, it was important to take all aspects of the case into consideration and not view it from a purely legal perspective alone.
Full report at:
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/01/02/indiras-case-no-victory-for-islam-if-justice-not-served/
---------
Gov’t pandering to religious intolerance, says MIC Youth
January 2, 2016
KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC Youth wing is “shocked” and has openly posed the question, “Why is the government, of all Malaysian people, pandering to the narrow-minded Islamist in our midst?”
In a statement issued late last night, MIC Youth Chief, C Sivarraajh called for parties to “end this legal charade” in response to the Court of Appeal’s decision Wednesday on the custody and unilateral conversion to Islam of M Indira Gandhi’s three children.
He said, “We are shocked beyond belief that a civil court can order her to go to the Islamic court which is, in fact, a minor court. It is an abdication of the court’s inherent duty to give justice to all applicants.”
Critical of the apex court’s decision, he alluded to the principles of constitutionalism and said: “The civil court system takes precedent over all judicial jurisdictions in Malaysia. Everyone knows that except the judges at the Court of Appeal.”
Sivarraajh elaborated that the looming implications of the decision was that non-Muslim parents are “vulnerable” and the current judicial system accorded no protection for them to protect the religious status of their children.
Full report at:
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/01/02/govt-pandering-to-religious-intolerance-says-mic-youth/
---------
Nik Aziz’s son named head of K’tan Amanah syariah panel
January 2, 2016
PETALING JAYA: Nik Omar Nik Aziz, the second son of PAS spiritual leader, the late Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat was announced as chairperson of the Syariah Panel of Kelantan Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) at a special dinner last night.
The announcement was made by Kelantan Amanah communications director Nordin Hussin in Petaling Gaya, a report in Malaysiakini said.
When questioned later about Nik Omar’s involvement with the PAS splinter group, Nordin however denied there was any truth to the statement and said, “There is no such thing as Nik Aziz’s son joining Amanah. You must have misheard.”
A senior leader in Kelantan Amanah however, when contacted by Malaysiakini, confirmed Nik Omar’s move to the party but explained the latter wanted to keep a low profile as per the wishes of his mother.
“But he will attend internal meetings, it is just that he will avoid the spotlight in public events like this,” the source explained, referring to Nik Omar’s absence from last night’s dinner.
Full report at:
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/01/02/nik-azizs-son-named-head-of-ktan-amanah-syariah-panel/
---------
'Un-Islamic' vaping catches fire in Malaysia amid govt backlash
January 02, 2016
KUALA LUMPUR: At Malaysian e-cigarette outlet Vape Empire, customers kick back and puff out thick, aromatic clouds of vapour in funky flavours like Horny Mango and Creamy Suckerz' Banana Anna.
"Vaping" is soaring in popularity in Malaysia, the largest e-cigarette market in the Asia-Pacific region, but authorities are threatening to ban the habit for health reasons -- a move that has sparked anger from growing legions of aficionados.
Backing a ban, Malaysian religious leaders this month declared a fatwa on the "un-Islamic" habit, but it remains to be seen whether the decree will dampen enthusiasm.
"The business is growing very fast because there are many people trying to convert from tobacco smoking to vaping," Vape Empire's co-founder Muhammad Sharifuddin Esa said, adding that his business has expanded to 57 locations since it opened just two years ago.
The pastime has proved a particular hit in the moderate, Muslim-majority nation, where other vices such as alcohol and drugs are especially frowned upon.
Now several Malaysian states say they may impose a ban from January 1 and have threatened to stop issuing new merchants' licences -- a potential blow to a sector worth an estimated 2.8 billion ringgit ($650 million) last year, according to reports.
Health risks debated
The industry, which is expected to grow by more than 13 percent year-on-year to 2025, is currently unregulated, and many say forbidding e-cigarettes -- already outlawed in Thailand and Singapore for health reasons -- is a big mistake.
"The government must regulate and not ban, because vaping is the future," Sharifuddin said.
Research on health risks remains split and like Malaysia, few countries have introduced national legislation to regulate the sector.
The devices function by heating flavoured nicotine liquid -- or e-juice -- into a vapour that is inhaled, much like traditional cigarettes but without the smoke.
Some experts warn vaping can produce cancer-causing formaldehyde and one US study said vaping is up to 15 times more harmful than traditional tobacco smoking. The World Health Organization has called on governments to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.
But other research suggests vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes and manufacturers tout them as harmless aids to quit tobacco.
Enthusiasts in Malaysia say banning the habit doesn't make economic sense.
"Vaping communities are fighting for their rights because the vape scene actually brings profits to the country," said Muhammad Imman, marketing manager of the colourfully named Fcuking Flava vape shop, one of thousands that have popped up across the country.
Marketers cater to local tastes, selling e-juice flavoured with snake fruit, lychee and even durian, the notoriously pungent Southeast Asian fruit.
The juices are marketed like single-malt whiskies or perfumes, as seen at a recent vaping convention in Kuala Lumpur, their creators extolling organic and other premium ingredients.
Aficionados gather daily in Malaysia's vape shops, sometimes for "cloud chasing" competitions to see who can produce the biggest vapour puffs and to show off vape prowess by blowing rings into the foggy air.
Full report at:
http://english.astroawani.com/lifestyle/un-islamic-vaping-catches-fire-malaysia-amid-govt-backlash-87711
---------
Form parliamentary committee to address interfaith conversion issues, PM told
January 2, 2016
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 — DAP’s M. Kulasegaran has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to form a parliamentary committee to address issues concerning unilateral conversion after the Court of Appeal decided to uphold the conversion orders on Indira Gandhi’s children this week.
The Ipoh Barat MP said he brought up again the suggestion he made in 2014 as issues relating unilateral conversion was a complex one that can only be resolved by the Parliament.
“The issue of conversion has to be resolved by Parliament and a strong political will is required. As of today the government and the Committee on Conversion are in a stalemate with no clear decision. This is because the issue is complex, sensitive and difficult to resolve,” he said in a statement.
“Thus I call upon the Prime Minister to form an all party Parliamentary committee to find a ‘win-win’ formula to this complex issue so that we can have a permanent solution to this unresolved issue!”
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/form-parliamentary-committee-to-address-interfaith-conversion-issues-pm-tol
---------
After Israeli military base claim, Dr Zuhdi says DAP free to sue anyone
BY KAMLES KUMAR
January 2, 2016
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — The DAP can go ahead and sue anyone if it denies being offered RM1.2 billion in exchange for an Israeli naval base in Port Dickson in the event of a win in the next general election, Dr Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki said today.
The PAS research director — who made the initial allegation — was responding to a statement made by Lim Kit Siang who said the party’s lawyers were taking legal action against ‘a senior political leader’ who made those claims.
“I have no comment. They have a right to sue anybody,” Mohd Zuhdi told Malay Mail Online when contacted today.
He however refused to state if he was sticking by his initial claims against the DAP when pressed further.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/after-israeli-military-base-claim-dr-zuhdi-says-dap-free-to-sue-anyone
---------
Mideast
Erdogan says Hitler's Germany exemplifies effective presidential system
Jan 02, 2016
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who is pushing for executive powers, cites Hitler's Germany as an example of an effective presidential system, in comments broadcast by Turkish media on Friday.
Erdogan wants to change the Turkish constitution to turn the ceremonial role of president into that of a chief executive, a Turkish version of the system in the United States, France or Russia.
Asked on his return from a visit to Saudi Arabia late on Thursday whether an executive presidential system was possible while maintaining the unitary structure of the state, he said: “There are already examples in the world. You can see it when you look at Hitler's Germany.
“There are later examples in various other countries,” he told reporters, according to a recording broadcast by the Dogan news agency.
Also read: Turkish PM slams Israel for 'Hitler-like fascism'
The ruling AK Party, founded by Erdogan, has put a new constitution at the heart of its agenda after winning back a majority in a November parliamentary election.
It agreed with the main opposition CHP on Wednesday to revive efforts to forge a new constitution.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1230061/erdogan-says-hitlers-germany-exemplifies-effective-presidential-system
---------
Israel strikes Hamas military sites in Gaza
2 January 2016
The Israeli air force carried out attacks on Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip early Saturday, Palestinian security sources said, just hours after rockets from the enclave hit southern Israel.
According to the sources, the Israeli strikes targeted four empty facilities ranging from Beit Hanoun in the north to Rafah in the south, causing damage but no casualties.
The Israeli army said its "aircraft targeted two Hamas military training facilities and two military sites in the Gaza Strip".
"The IDF holds Hamas responsible and accountable for all attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip," a statement read.
Late Friday, two rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel, without causing casualties or damage.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/01/02/Army-Two-rockets-launched-from-Gaza-.html
---------
Saudi says 3 civilians killed in missile fire from Yemen
Jan 02, 2016
RIYADH: Three civilians including two children have been killed in cross-border missile attacks from Yemen on a residential area in southwestern Saudi Arabia, civil defence authorities said.
Eleven others were wounded, among them nine children, when several missiles hit residential districts in the Jazan region on Thursday, civil defence spokesman Major Yehia al-Qahtani said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia is leading a military coalition that has been battling rebels in neighbouring Yemen since March.
The rebels intensified their rocket attacks across the Saudi border in recent days, prompting the coalition to threaten severe reprisals.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1230060/saudi-says-3-civilians-killed-in-missile-fire-from-yemen
---------
Israel to return bodies of 23 Palestinian attackers
January 02, 2016
Jerusalem - Israel was set Friday to hand over the bodies of 23 Palestinians killed during recent attacks on Israelis, the army said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions.
"Today, in accordance with the instructions from the government, the army is planning to return the bodies of 23 Palestinian assailants who attacked Israeli civilians and members of security forces in the last months," a military spokeswoman told AFP.
Palestinian medical sources in Hebron said 17 bodies to be buried in the area had already been received.
Six others were to be handed over in the northern West Bank.
Since a wave of violence erupted at the start of October, 138 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, according to an AFP count, most while carrying out attacks on Israelis.
Twenty Israelis, an American and an Eritrean have also been killed in the unrest.
Israel does not always immediately return the bodies of slain attackers.
The military spokeswoman said that after Friday's handovers the army would have returned a total of 76 bodies and was still holding two.
Police could also be holding more bodies, she said, from attacks in Israel and east Jerusalem.
Palestinian sources said the Israelis were still holding a total of 17 bodies.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian wounded in early December during clashes with Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank has died of his injuries, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday.
Shadi Ghabish died overnight at his home near the Jalazon refugee camp from complications after undergoing two operations at a Ramallah hospital to remove bullets from his body, the ministry said.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/international/02-Jan-2016/israel-to-return-bodies-of-23-palestinian-attackers
---------
Senior Official Asks Rouhani to Order Increasing Iranian Missiles' Range to 5,000km in Reaction to US Hostility
Jan 01, 2016
In his letter to the president on Friday, Rezayee reminded that when the US took hostile measures against Iran's nuclear program and Tehran, in response, took an offensive move and increased the number of centrifuges to 20,000, the US was forced to come to the negotiating table and recognize Iran's nuclear enrichment rights.
"I hope the range of Iran's missiles will exceed 5,000 kilometers with your support soon," he added, saying that such a move would force the US to put an end to its meddling policies with regard to Iran's defense program.
The senior Iranian official reiterated that the US would feel sorry and come to realize that its measures are futile when Iran increases the range of its missiles to 5,000km to bring US targets as remote as Diego Garcia within its scope.
Diego Garcia was the US air base which was involved in the attack on Iran in Tabas incident in the early years after the Islamic Revolution more than three decades ago.
He said the US is seeking to re-impose sanctions against Iran under different pretexts after removing them under the nuclear deal that was clinched between Tehran and the six world powers in Vienna in July, and the Islamic Republic needs to show a firm response to make Washington understand that it cannot succeed in keeping Iran under pressure through such deceptive moves.
On Thursday President Rouhani ordered Defense Minister General Hossein Dehqan to enhance and accelerate development of the country's missile capability in response to the United States' new sanctions against Tehran's defense program.
President Rouhani noted the United States' "hostile policies and illegal and illegitimate meddling against Iran's right to develop its defensive power", and ordered the defense minister to accelerate production of various types of missiles needed by the Iranian Armed Forces more powerfully.
"As the United States seems to plan to include the names of new individuals and firms in its previous list of cruel sanctions in line with its hostile policies and illegitimate and illegal meddling in the Islamic Republic of Iran's right to reinvigorate its defense power, the program for the production of the Armed Forces' needed missiles is required to continue more speedily and seriously," President Rouhani's written order to the Defense Minister read.
President Rouhani's decree came in reaction to the US Treasury Department's announcement that it is preparing sanctions on two Iran-linked networks helping develop the missile program.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941011000817
---------
Iranian MPs Call for Gov't's Firm Stance against US Violation of JCPOA
Jan 01, 2016
The lawmakers' letter came in reaction to the US officials' remarks about imminent sanctions against firms and individuals in Iran, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates over alleged links to Iran’s ballistic missile program
"We call for the Iranian government's official stance against the recent anti-Iran measures of the US," the Iranian MPs said in their letter.
"As the representative of the Iranian people, we feel duty-bound to thank you for your orders to order the development of the country's missile program in reaction to the US hostile policies against Iran," the lawmakers added.
In relevant remarks earlier today, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif cautioned the US officials to avoid interfering in Iran's internal affairs.
"Let us learn from the history and repeat the experience of past successful deeds, not the past mistakes," Zarif wrote on his Tweeter account.
On Thursday, President Rouhani ordered Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan to enhance and accelerate development of the country's missile capability in response to the United States' new sanctions against Tehran's defense program.
President Rouhani noted the United States' "hostile policies and illegal and illegitimate meddling against Iran's right to develop its defensive power", and ordered the defense minister to accelerate production of various types of missiles needed by the Iranian Armed Forces more powerfully.
"As the United States seems to plan to include the names of new individuals and firms in its previous list of cruel sanctions in line with its hostile policies and illegitimate and illegal meddling in the Islamic Republic of Iran's right to reinvigorate its defense power, the program for the production of the Armed Forces' needed missiles is required to continue more speedily and seriously," President Rouhani's written order to the Defense Minister read.
President Rouhani's decree came in reaction to the US Treasury Department's announcement that it is preparing sanctions on two Iran-linked networks helping develop the missile program.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941011000804
---------
North America
Muslim Activist Explains Why She Won’t Condemn ‘Islamic Terrorism’
January 02, 2016
WASHINGTON - A Muslim social justice activist ‘emphatically’ refuses to condemn ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ in order to prove her allegiance to the United States, saying that she shares no link with “psychopaths who misrepresent and distort Islam for their deranged purposes.
“As an American Muslim, I am consistently and aggressively asked - by media figures, religious leaders, politicians and Internet trolls - to condemn terrorism to prove my patriotism.
I emphatically refuse,” Rana Elmir, who is deputy director of the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union Michigan (ACLU), a human rights organization, wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post.
Elmir said ‘Islamic terrorists’ are just as foreign to her as the “terror advanced by mostly white men at the alarming rate of one mass killing every two weeks in this country.
“Asking us to apologise for violence that has orphaned generations of Muslims has the perverse effect of re-victimizing us by erasing our humanity and experiences.
There is no other acceptable scenario in which the media, politicians and even our president would urge and expect victims to apologise publicly and rout out the ideology that contributed to their own persecution.
“Muslims across the globe are not threats.
They are threatened,” Elmir continued.
“Muslim vulnerability is not just contained abroad.
The pernicious disease that is Islamophobia is spreading at home, thanks to a steady diet of repugnant rhetoric and equally misguided policies.
While the number of hate crimes reported to the FBI fell in 2014 in most categories, the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes rose, with Muslim Americans experiencing five times the number of hate crimes today than they did before the Sept.
11, 2001, attacks.
Elmir went on to argue that condemning terrorist acts is an admission of guilt.
Zealots “thrive and profit off of the fear-mongering, hate and violence generated by othering and silencing an entire community who has lived and contributed to our nation since its founding,” she wrote.
“The first Muslims in the United States were brought over bound as slaves, not immigrants.
Muslims fought in every war starting with the American Revolution and have contributed to every facet of society - law, education, medicine, government, fashion, music, architecture and sports.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/international/02-Jan-2016/muslim-activist-explains-why-she-won-t-condemn-islamic-terrorism
---------
‘Toronto 18’ convict granted day parole so he can go to graduate school
January 1, 2016
Saad Gaya, one of 11 Toronto men convicted for planning a series of al-Qaida-inspired terrorist attacks in Southern Ontario, has been granted day parole in order to attend graduate school.
“You have clearly demonstrated your denunciation of radicalization and you presented as being very genuine in this regard,” wrote the Parole Board of Canada in a New Year’s Eve decision releasing the 28-year-old Gaya into a Toronto halfway house.
In 2010, Gaya was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in the “Toronto 18” terrorist plot, a foiled plan to commit mass murder in both Ottawa and Toronto.
Before he was arrested in an RCMP sting in 2006, the 21-year-old Gaya was pegged by ringleaders to drive a bomb-laden truck to one of three sites in the Greater Toronto Area, one of which was the Toronto Stock Exchange.
If carried out, the co-ordinated attacks could have been, as described by one security expert, as being akin to “Canada’s 9/11.”
“You admitted today that as a result of your growing extremist views that if an innocent person had died as a result of a bombing attack, that it was an acceptable outcome,” read parole documents.
Like many home-grown terrorists, Gaya sprang from fairly normal beginnings. Born in Montreal to Pakistani-born parents, parole documents the family as “culturally Muslim, but not overly strict in their following of the religion.”
“Letters written to the court described you as somewhat naïve and immature, having been sheltered at home, and you were even referred to as spoiled,” read the decision.
Gaya became radicalized after fellow students accused Islam of encouraging suicide bombings, prompting him to read up on his religion to argue in its defence.
Instead, shortly after joining McMaster University’s Muslim Student Association, he was recruited into a terrorist cell seeking to murder civilians in order to pressure the Canadian government into pulling troops out of Afghanistan.
According to psychologists with Corrections Canada, Gaya has a 20 per cent chance of committing an indictable offence within the next three years. His “reintegration potential” was assessed at “medium.”
In a May, 2014 report, Gaya was deemed by a psychologist to be “at least in the moderate range for general and violent recidivism.”
Nevertheless, Thursday’s parole decision said it was “evident” that Gaya had begun to abandon his extremist ideology.
Full report at:
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto-18-convict-granted-day-parole-so-he-can-go-to-graduate-school
---------
Canada misses year-end Syrian refugee target
01 January 2016
The Canadian government said Thursday it had welcomed more than 6,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015, falling short of its pledge to take in 10,000 but vowing to meet that target next month.
New Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had initially promised to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by December 31.
But his Liberal government then pushed the target date to end-February, following criticism it was moving too fast amid security concerns in the aftermath of deadly attacks in Paris as well as logistical issues.
The interim target of taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees by year's end was set in late November. But as of Thursday, with the arrival of three charter planes carrying about 800 refugees, the total stood at slightly more than 6,000.
"I am confident that a full 10,000 refugees would have landed in two weeks by mid-January and also that 25,000 would have arrived in Canada by the end of February," Immigration Minister John McCallum told reporters.
Beyond the 6,000 Syrians already on Canadian soil, another 4,700 are already cleared for arrival, McCallum said.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/america-canada/167997/canada-misses-year-end-syrian-refugee-target
---------
200 Muslim Meat-Packers Fired Over Prayer Dispute
01 Jan 2016
Nearly 200 Muslim employees have been fired from a meat-packing plant after downing tools following a dispute over praying at work.
The workers, mostly Somalian immigrants, staged a walkout to protest what they said was insufficient accommodation of prayer time at Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan, Colorado.
The company has provided a "reflection room" for Muslim employees to pray since 2009 but the workers claimed there had been a change to the policy.
Jaylani Hussein, a council spokesman, said: "All of these employees are good employees and don't have any other issues. They feel missing their prayer is worse than losing their job. It's like losing a blessing from God."
However, the company, an agribusiness giant that employs 155,000 people in 68 countries, said there had been a "misunderstanding" and its policy of allowing time for prayer had not changed.
Full report at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/12077549/200-Muslim-meat-packers-fired-over-prayer-dispute.html
---------
Europe
Man rams car into troops guarding mosque in France
Jan 02, 2016
PARIS: A man rammed his car into four soldiers guarding a mosque on Friday in the southeast French city of Valence, and was stopped when a soldier fired and wounded him, authorities said.
One soldier was slightly injured in the leg, and a passerby was hit in the leg by a stray bullet, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Defense Minister Jean-Yves L Drian said in a joint statement.
The man, who was not immediately identified, was arrested and hospitalised, according to the statement.
The attacker twice rammed his car into the soldiers guarding the main mosque in the city, Valence's Mayor Nicolas Daragon and a spokesman for the prosecutor's office said.
The soldiers, some thrown to the ground, fired warning shots and one then fired to disable the driver, who was hit in the arm and leg, the mayor told iTele TV.
The man's motives were unclear and investigations in this regard are underway.
The secretary-general of the prosecutor's office, Frederic Ouiseau, told iTele that authorities must be “extremely prudent about the motive” for the attack.
France is on high alert after militant attacks in Paris on November 13 that left 130 people dead, and is one of many countries taking extra security precautions.
The soldiers are part of the reinforced security guarding places of worship and other sensitive sites.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1230090/man-rams-car-into-troops-guarding-mosque-in-france
---------
Belgium releases six suspects held over ‘terror plot’
Jan 2, 2016
Authorities in Belgium have released six suspects who had been arrested over an alleged plot to carry out terrorist attacks in Brussels during the holiday season.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office said three out of a total of six suspects detained for questioning on Thursday were released on Friday. It said that the other three suspects had been set free on the same day of their arrest.
“Within the framework of an investigation in Brussels into the threats of terrorist attacks, with key places of the capital among the possible targets, the last three of the detainees were released after questioning,” the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
The office said the target of the alleged terrorist plot was police and military forces as well as major landmarks in the country’s capital of Brussels, including its vibrant central square, the Grand Place.
Full report at:
http://presstv.ir/Detail/2016/01/02/444146/Belgium-terrorist-suspects-Brussels-Federal-Prosecutors-Office/
---------
Germany hunts New Year 'terror plot' suspects
January 2016
German police were on high alert Friday as they hunted for up to seven people suspected of plotting a New Year's Eve suicide attack in Munich in the name of the ISIL group.
Police said an investigation was under way, with 550 officers deployed to hunt down the suspects and secure the city, warning that the threat remained "high".
"We still have many colleagues deployed. There is, as before, a high threat of terror," a police spokesman said.
German officials said they were tipped off by a "friendly intelligence service" about the plan, which was to have been executed at around midnight, said Joachim Herrmann, interior minister for the southern state of Bavaria.
Just 90 minutes before the southern German city was to ring in the New Year, police ordered the evacuation of Munich's main rail station and another station in the west of the city after being tipped off about a possible "terror attack".
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/europe/168001/briton-detained-for-amsterdam-airport-bomb-hoax
No comments:
Post a Comment