al-Qaida

Wife of al-Qaeda captive pleads for his freedom

Anna Sheinman — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 18:43:52 +0100

The wife of al-Qaeda hostage Warren Weinstein has pleaded for his release on the anniversary of his disappearance.

Mr Weinstein, a 71 year-old aid worker from Maryland, was taken captive last August by gunmen who broke into his home in the city of Lahore, Pakistan.

Elaine Weinstein said: “It is impossible to describe the pain and sadness my daughters and I feel. We are simply heart sick.

"I always imagined growing old with Warren and enjoying our family together."

Mr Weinstein had worked in the Pakistan for eight years as the country director of JE Austin Associates, advising the Pakistani government and businesses on development.

In videos released by al-Qaeda, Mr Weinstein makes a direct plea to President Obama for his release. Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri said Mr Weinstein would be freed if the US stopped airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen and al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects worldwide were released. An investigation by the FBI into the kidnapping is ongoing.

Al Qaida terrorist planned London Jewish murders

Simon Rocker — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:14:53 +0100

The Community Security Trust has confirmed that it was briefed on potential attacks on Jewish neighbourhoods in London after the discovery of papers on the body of Al Qaeda’s African leader, who was killed last year.

According to documents revealed by a Canadian newspaper this week, terrorists were planning an operation in Golders Green or Stamford Hill during Chanucah.

A CST spokesman said that the organisation had been “briefed on a confidential basis by the police about this information, suggesting the potential terrorist targeting of London’s Jewish communities when it was discovered last year”.

While the information was “worrying”, he said, “it does not fundamentally change the general threat that we have faced for some years now, and which guides all our security procedures and our work with the police.”

The documents were found on Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who was shot by Somali forces last year.

He was wanted by the United States for the bombings of its embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 and suspected to be behind the bombing of an Israel-owned hotel in Kenya in 2002.

The Toronto Star this week revealed the existence of the documents, which indicated potential targets in London including Eton School, the Ritz and Dorchester Hotels, as well as districts which the terrorists thought would be populated with “tens of thousands of Jews crammed in a small area”.

The CST urged the Jewish community to “remain alert, but not to be alarmed and to ensure that it continues leading its communal life to the full.

“We ask the community to fully co-operate with existing security measures and to report any suspicious activity to the police and to CST.”

Camden Council giving al-Qaeda group freedom to preach

Marcus Dysch — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:51:03 +0100

A leading local authority has refused to sever its links to a group which promotes the ideology of Osama bin Laden at a taxpayer-funded centre and encourages young Muslims to prepare for jihad.

Camden Council has repeatedly rejected the opportunity to take action over the Ministry of Dawah, which holds weekly lectures glorifying the al-Qaeda leader and extreme Islamist clerics such as Anwar al-Awlaki.

The Dawah group has been holding events at the Kings Cross Neighbourhood Centre in north London for more than two years.

The council has been asked to investigate the meetings and warned that in refusing to make a decision on the group's future it may be breaching the government’s Prevent counter-extremism guidelines.

Last year’s Prevent review included clear directives to local authorities, stating that “propagandists for terrorism and for ideologies taken up by terrorists should not be permitted to make use of publicly-owned venues” and that authorities “must be ready to take appropriate action”.

The Ministry of Dawah’s promotion of extreme Islamist organisations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, and support for bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders on social networks and at the Kings Cross meetings, is in direct violation of those guidelines.

Events held by the group at the venue have included a “Maidens of Paradise” discussion about women, and “Deeds after Death” in which participants were told: “Did you know you can still get rewards even after your soul has departed from your body?”

A “Free Palestine” discussion asked participants to consider how “the Zionist Israeli state [is] using illegal weaponry such as white phosphorous to kill and murder innocent human beings including children”.

At another lecture the speaker tells the audience: “You are in a battle of ideas, a battle for hearts and minds, and it’s a battle that’s clearly about the West versus Islam.

“Your goal is to kick start [a] revival. It is to make sure that every single Muslim is talking about how we need to unite, how we will seek our progress with Islam alone. You know what to do, you know the work that is yours. You must publicly call for this.

“Realise my brothers you are part of this battle for hearts and minds and the battle will come to your door and you have to make a decision on what you are going to do.”

One lecturer claimed Israeli snipers were used to kill Palestinian children in Gaza and talked about his hope that Muslims would be able to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque with “no Israel, no occupation at all”.

“We should have the courage to say it here among Muslims. At work with non-Muslim colleagues and friends it is hard to say because they think ‘what are you going to do, wipe all these people out?’. No, we are going to return justice for the Palestinians. That is the aim,” he tells the young audience.

There is a further discussion on how Israel will be “wiped off the earth” by Allah.

The Ministry of Dawah claims to provide “activities and Islamic circles for youth, dealing with our issues, on the level, in a way we can understand. We hope to engage, entertain and excite”.

The centre is run by the King’s Cross Brunswick Neighbourhood Association (KCBNA), whose chief executive, Nasim Ali, was also the leader of the council until earlier this year. The council was the KCBNA’s biggest funder in 2010 and 2011.

Hasan Afzal, director of the anti-extremism group Stand for Peace, contacted the council earlier this month to warn that the Ministry of Dawah was using the centre to “whitewash the terrorist convictions of a number of Islamists”.

New council leader Sarah Haywood said in a statement this week that the KCBNA must take responsibility for the matter.

She said the council was aware of the concerns about the Ministry of Dawah and had encouraged KCBNA to “consider and review” its hosting of the organisation.

“Ultimately this is a decision for the KCBNA. We trust that they will make an informed decision,” said Cllr Haywood.

The council said it "always" followed the government's counter-extremism guidelines.

Mr Ali said he had been informed about the concerns last week and that the centre was now taking the issue “very seriously”.

“I have asked the council to give us the evidence. The Ministry of Dawah is an occasional hirer [of the room] and they did not tell the centre what they were going to be speaking about,” he said.

“Our trustees are looking into it to see if there is enough evidence to stop them hiring the centre. We hope the police will look into whether they might be promoting extremism.”

Mr Ali said that when he informed the Ministry of Dawah about the trustees’ investigation, the group had been “quite aggravated that these allegations have been made and said there was no evidence to back it up”.

He admitted that he was not aware how long the group had been using the centre, and said he had never attended any of the lectures.

Mr Afzal said: “It’s extraordinary that a council which witnessed terrorism in July 2005 has been so slow and unnecessarily politically correct to the extent that it is ignoring government guidelines which are there to protect Muslims and non-Muslims from non-violent extremism.

“If Camden Council is not doing its job then it is in violation of its duty of care to its residents.”

Toulouse Jewish school killer dead after police break stand-off

Jennifer Lipman — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:38:42 +0000

The suspected murderer of four Jews at a school in Toulouse and three French paratroopers has been confirmed dead in gunfire with police.

French police raided a building that Mohammed Merah had been holed up in since 3am on Wednesday morning. Not having heard anything from Merah overnight, despite a series of explosions aimed at pressuring him to surrender, they threw stun grenades into the apartment at about 10.30am.

There was no response and when police entered initially there was no sign of Merah, but he emerged from another room armed with a submachine gun. After shooting at police he jumped out of a window, still shooting, and was found dead on the ground below.

According to Interior Minister Claude Gueant, two officers were wounded during the exchange of fire.

Police and government ministers had said they wanted to take the suspect alive, but after 32 hours it is understood they felt it was necessary to break the stand-off and minimise risk to police officers.

Merah had reportedly told officers that he wanted to "die with weapons in his hands"

The 23-year-old had already been named as the gunman behind the attack on the Ozar Hatorah school in Toulouse and two other attacks that left three paratroopers dead.

He had claimed to have al-Qaida links. He also told French police that his motives were revenge for the Palestinians and the presence of French troops in foreign wars.

He had French citizenship but was of Algerian descent.

Toulouse murder suspect 'escaped from Kandahar jail' after bomb plot

Jennifer Lipman — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:48:12 +0000

The suspected killer of four people at a Jewish school in Toulouse escaped from a prison in Afghanistan four years before carrying out the massacre.

Ghulam Faruq , the director of Kandahar prison , said that Mohammed Merah was one of hundreds of Taliban-connected prisoners who escaped during a Taliban attack on the jail in 2008.

According to the BBC, Merah was jailed for three years the previous December for planning a bomb attack in Kandahar.

According to Le Monde, as well as his time in Afghanistan, Merah – a French citizen of Algerian descent – also visited Pakistan, where he trained with Taliban militants.

Merah told police he wanted revenge on behalf of the Palestinians and also to avenge France's military involvement overseas.

Police trapped Merah at the Toulouse house in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and the stand-off has continued since. Two police officers have been wounded, and although Merah has said he would hand himself in later today, it is believed that he is currently refusing to communicate with the police.

Arrests in New York synagogue attack plot

Jennifer Lipman — Thu, 12 May 2011 13:18:42 +0100

Two men thought to be planning to strike synagogues in New York have been arrested just ten days after the city celebrated the death of the man behind the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The pair, described as Muslims of North African descent, were detained by police as they attempted to buy AK-47s, hand grenades and other weapons.

Police ruled out that the attack was a response to the death of the al-Qaida leader, but said the suspects had been overheard plotting about the attack.

According to ABC News Radio, the plot was the 13th attack on the city prevented since September 11.

Arrests over deadly Marrakesh cafe bomb

Jennifer Lipman — Fri, 06 May 2011 09:30:19 +0100

Three people have been arrested in Morocco on suspicion of involvement in the deadly café bomb last week.

The Interior Ministry described one of the detained men as the main suspect behind the attack, which killed 16 people including British travel writer Peter Moss.

In a statement, they said the man had loyalties to al-Qaida and had tried to travel to terrorism "hotspots" including Chechnya and Iraq.

They said the man had posed as a tourist when he left the bomb near the Argana café in Marrakesh's historic Djema el-Fnaa square and detonated it remotely. They also said he had studied bomb-making online.

Earlier this week the Moroccan ambassador to Britain pledged to "rapidly bring those accountable to justice.

Morocco blast victims mourned around world

Jennifer Lipman — Tue, 03 May 2011 10:46:31 +0100

Mourners in Israel, Morocco and China have paid respects to the young Jewish couple who were killed in a bomb attack in Marrakesh last week.

The funeral of Messod Wizman, 32, and his wife Michal Wizman, 30, took place yesterday in Jerusalem, Mrs Wizman's home town.

The couple, who had a three-year-old son, were caught up in the explosion at the Argana cafe in the historic Djema El Fna Square. Fourteen others, including former JC writer Peter Moss, were also killed in what Moroccan authorities said could have been the handiwork of al-Qaida.

The Wizmans, who lived in Shanghai, had been staying with Mr Wizman's family in Casablanca for Pesach.

The Wizmans' rabbi, Rabbi Sholom Greenberg in Shanghai, said the couple had been a "treasured part of our community.

"We lost very precious people. The entire community is in shock. Messod and Michal were very special and beautiful people with the kindest of hearts and purest of souls."

Bin Laden: what the world's leaders said

Jennifer Lipman — Mon, 02 May 2011 11:30:47 +0100

Morocco bomb was al-Qaida 'style'

Jennifer Lipman — Mon, 02 May 2011 10:47:52 +0100

Al-Qaida is thought to have been behind the bomb in Morocco that left a former JC writer, a Jewish couple from Shanghai, and 13 others dead.

Morocco's Interior Minister said Thursday’s bomb, believed to have been exploded remotely, reminded "of the style used generally by al-Qaeda."

A video featuring a threat to Morocco posted before the blast has also been attributed to the group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Mr Moss, a father-of-two from north London, was following in the footsteps of many visitors to Morocco by eating at the Argana cafe in Marrakesh’s historic Djemma El Fna Square.

A travel writer, comedian and novelist, Mr Moss was for many years a contributor to the JC’s travel and books sections. A supporter of Maccabi GB, Mr Moss was the coach of the Sunday Jewish football league’s FC Team and also volunteered for Jewish mental health charity JAMI.

Ten years ago Mr Moss was across the street when the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem was attacked by a suicide bomber, killing 16 people.