[IsraelTimes] Non-resident ambassadors from Senegal and Guinea, which recently upgraded diplomatic ties, to present credentials to the president next week
Senegal ... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees... and Guinea are sending their first-ever ambassadors to Israel next week, as Israel continues to expand its outreach to Africa.
Continued on Page 49
Khaled Khayat, 49, alleged to have plotted bomb with Islamic State operative in Syria
Khaled is alleged to have contacted the senior Islamic State operative on April 14
He was allegedly put in touch with the operative through terrorist elder brother, Tarek Khayat
It's believed Tarek may never met the brother to be sacrificed
Tarek had fought in Syria alongside other extremists before ISIS established a caliphate there
The brother who flew to Abu Dhabi has not returned to Australia and is not facing charges
Nb: Curiously, the third arrested man is no longer referred to as Khaled Merhi, but is merely nameless. I look forward to discovering who he is, and why he has not yet been presented in court.
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08/05/2017 01:47 ||
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[RT] German authorities were allegedly aware of Ahmad A.’s extremist tendencies for at least a year and tried to recruit him as an informant before the 26-year-old refugee went on a supermarket stabbing spree in Hamburg last week, killing one and injuring several others. Bring me the Tsarnaev and Hasan files Della. I think we have a match.
In June 2016, the State Criminal Police Office (KLA) allegedly tried to recruit the 26-year-old as an informant.
A KLA officer visited the asylum shelter in Hamburg to talk about potential radicalization within the migrant community, De Spiegel reports. The head of the asylum shelter reportedly informed the officer of Ahmad’s odd and potentially dangerous behavior.
The officer allegedly tried to approach the 26-year-old to find out about the “Islamist situation” in Hamburg. However, the attempt proved futile as the man refused to become an informant.
Furthermore, after talking with Ahmad, staff members of the Legato advisory center, which deals with cases of “religious-based radicalization,” said they were “overburdened” with the Palestinian who was suffering from “psychological problems.”
Der Spiegel further revealed that in September 2016, city authorities received information that the suspect was trying to ascertain the best way to make it into Syria, where he allegedly wanted to join the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group. Following the tip, federal police and border police were alerted of Ahmad’s motives.
The publication also said the man did not follow Islam’s code of ethics, and was drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis. The attacker also allegedly told an employee of the local café that “terror will come here.”
On 28 July, Ahmad A. went to an Edeka supermarket in Hamburg. Having grabbed a 20cm-long kitchen knife at the store, he began stabbing people and shouting “Allahu Akbar.” One person was killed and at least six others injured, before the attacker was apprehended by police.
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08/05/2017 00:00 ||
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#3
The publication also said the man did not follow Islam’s code of ethics, and was drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis.
The other day it was mental illness (I guess the Soviet psychology approach didn't sail well). Quick find another excuse for anything other than sudden jihad syndrome.
#7
As Kanzlerin Merkel (God bless her)
Makes Germany bigger and besser,
Her Hamburger Hilfer
May stab you, or pilfer.
You mustn't oppress your aggressor!
[AlAhram] Italy has warned NGOs operating migrant rescue boats in the Mediterranean they will not be allowed to continue if they do not sign up to new rules governing their operations.
Minniti's warning came a day after Italian authorities impounded a boat operated by German aid organisatiion Jugend Rettet on suspicion its crew effectively collaborated with people traffickers in a way that facilitated illegal immigration.
The aid organisation, which has only been operational for a year, declined to comment on the substance of detailed allegations made against it by Italian prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio.
Italian authorities had been monitoring Jugend Rettet's boat, the Iuventa, since October. Its crew is suspected to taking on board dinghy loads of migrants delivered directly to them by people traffickers and allowing the smugglers to make off with the vessels to be used again.
At least one such meeting allegedly took place only 1.3 miles off the Libyan coast, according to the prosecutor's file, the contents of which were published by Italian media.
Under the code of conduct, boats like the Iuventa would notably have to have an Italian police officer on board monitoring their activities.
Only three of the nine NGOs involved in search and rescue operations have so far agreed to abide by the code: Save The Children, Malta-based MOAS and Spain's Pro-Activa Open Arms.
Among those who have refused to sign is the Nobel Prize-winning organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Minniti meanwhile said a sharp fall over recent weeks in the number of migrants arriving in Italy following rescues was an indication that efforts to beef up the Libyan coastguard and cooperation with local mayors was bearing fruit.
"In recent days we have begun to see light at the end of the tunnel," the minister said. He revealed plans for further talks this month with Libyan mayors on economic development initiatives and with Chad, Niger and Mali on measures to reduce the number of migrants leaving those countries in the hope of reaching Europe.
Any bets on how long until Turkey opens its borders to allow migrants passage? And in the meantime, will the other "rescue" operations take their cargoes to Spain instead?
This would not have been possible under either President Obama or President Hillary Clinton.
[DW] Former Blackwater security contractor Nicholas Slatten has had his first-degree murder conviction overturned by a federal appeals court. Nicholas Slatten was involved in the 2007 slaying of 14 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad.
Four Blackwater security contractors sentenced for their part in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad will have their sentences revised, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on Friday, while former guard Nicholas Slatten saw his life sentence overturned.
The federal appeals court found that Slatten should have been trialed separately from his three co-defendants in 2014. Prosecutors had maintained that Slatten had fired the first shots at a crowded traffic circle in the Iraqi capital, ultimately leading to the deaths of 14 unarmed civilians and a life sentence for his role in the killings.
However, Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... the appeals court ruled that Slatten should be able to present new evidence at a new trial that one of his colleagues had in fact opened fire.
The federal prosecution's case against Slatten "hinged on his having fired the first shots, his animosity toward the Iraqis having led him to target (their vehicle) unprovoked," the appeals court panel of judges said. However, Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... subsequent statements made by an unnamed co-defendant admitting that that he had fired the first shot "strike at the heart of that theory and instead point to the co-defendant, not Slatten."
New sentences for Blackwater co-defendants
The three other Blackwater contractors involved in the massacre - Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard - will also receive new sentences. The court on Friday found that their mandatory 30-year sentences had violated the constitutional prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. Federal prosecutors had charged the men with using military arms while committing another felony - a statute generally employed against gang members or bank robbers, which had never been used against government security contractors.
The court also dismissed Liberty's attempted manslaughter convictions. His attorney, Bill Coffield, said they would review the available options. "Obviously we're pleased with the court's decision in terms of the unconstitutionality of the sentence," he said.
Heard's attorney, David Schertler, said in a statement that his client was entitled to a new trial, writing that "we are gratified that the court recognized the gross injustice of the 30 year mandatory minimum sentences imposed in the unique war zone circumstances of this case."
A front man for the US attorney's office said it was still reviewing the decision and no immediate comment.
Unanswered questions
The four former Blackwater contractors were sentenced in 2014 following a weeks-long trial in which the prosecution and defense presented contrasting versions of what triggered the slaying.
Federal prosecutors presented the massacre as a one-sided ambush on a group of unarmed civilians, while the defense claimed that the guards only opened fire after a potential boom-mobile began speeding towards their convoy, which was trying to clear a path for US diplomats. After the shooting, no evidence of a boom-mobile was ever found.
The incident stood out for its brutality, even as Iraq found itself in the midst of a violent sectarian war. In the US, it sparked fierce debate over the role of private contractors in war zones.
Since the ruling, Blackwater has been sold and is now operating as Virginia-based Academi.
[DAWN] The acting assistant secretary of United States for South and Central Asian Affairs and acting special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistain, Ambassador Alice Wells, stressed that Pakistain’s soil must not be used to plan or conduct terrorist attacks against its neighbours.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Friday, Ambassador Wells visited Islamabad as part of her introductory trip to the region.
Noting the ongoing South Asia policy review, Wells underscored the value of cooperation across a range of sectors and mutual interests, including security, trade, and the stability and security of Afghanistan.
During her two-day trip, Wells met Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Zubair Hayat.
She appreciated Pakistain’s significant sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, read the FO statement.
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Alice Wells, stressed that Pakistain’s soil must not be used to plan or conduct terrorist attacks against its neighbours. Alice, you are way too late...terrorism has been a part of the failed state of Pakistain at least since the 1980s.
[Al Jazeera] Pakistain's new prime minister has called for an investigation into allegations that opposition politician Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... harassed a former female member of his political party.
Shahid Abbasi on Friday backed moves to form a parliamentary committee to investigate the matter after a group of politicians raised the allegations in the house.
The scandal erupted on Tuesday after Ayesha Gulalai, a National Assembly member from the conservative Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... province, announced she was quitting Khan's Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) party, alleging that he had no respect for women and had sent her obscene text messages.
Khan, a former captain of Pakistain's national cricket team, has denied the allegations. No, no! Certainly not! and accused the ruling Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) of organising a smear campaign in the run-up to elections next year.
Gulalai announced in Islamabad that "Imran Khan's list of sins is very long" and that she decided to speak out because she does not want to compromise her integrity.
Gulalai has not released any of the alleged text messages.
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08/05/2017 00:00 ||
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[Iraq News] Iraqi Shia holy man and political leader Moqtada Tater al-Sadr ... the Iranian catspaw holy man who was 22 years old in 2003 and was nearing 40 in 2010. He spends most of his time in Iran, safely out of the line of fire, where he's learning to be an ayatollah... has urged to subject paramilitary forces fighting the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... to state control, further adding to the uniqueness of his stances from mainstream Shia politicians.
Delivering a speech to hundreds of thousands of his followers at al-Tahrir Square in Baghdad, al-Sadr urged to incorporate the Popular Mobilization Forces within the official Iraqi army and ensure it operates under the state’s oversight. He stressed on the importance of "placing weapons within the state’s hands exclusively".
The Shia-led Popular Mobilization Forces were formed in 2014 as per an edict by Iraq’s top Shia clergy to combat IS hard boys. They won government recognition as a national force under the prime minister’s command, but have faced recurrent accusations of human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... breaches and stirred controversy over reports they crossed the borders into Syria to fight IS by the side of Syrian government troops.
The demonstrations on Friday were organized upon a call from al-Sadr to protest the electoral system designed for the local elections slated for early 2018, which he deems unfair. He had led protests over the past months condemning the formation of the panel tasked with supervising the elections. The demonstrations turned violent and left casualties at one occasion.
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08/05/2017 00:00 ||
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[NEWSINFO.INQUIRER.NET] President Duterte visited Marawi for the second time on Friday to boost the morale of troops who have been battling pro-Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... Death Eaters for more than two months.
During the visit, Mr. Duterte lashed out at former president Benigno Aquino III once more as he talked about the illegal drug problem, which he believes to be one of the root causes of the Marawi conflict.
He earlier called Aquino a fool for questioning the effectiveness of the administration’s anti-drug campaign.
"That hurt," the President said, referring to Aquino’s comment.
"Many of my soldiers died, and my police were maimed... That’s insulting," he said.
He said he was "sensitive" about this issue because of the many members of the state forces who have died.
"So if you’re careless in saying nothing happened, I would really lose my cool," he said.
Mr. Duterte addressed the troops and posed for pictures with them, photos from Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go showed. He also visited the maimed.
Mr. Duterte first visit to Marawi since the fighting broke out took place late last month, and he had then thanked the troops for their heroism.
Government casualties in the fighting have risen to 119. Mr. Duterte has promised to provide for their families. Members of the private sector have also donated funds to help their kin.
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08/05/2017 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[RT] German authorities were allegedly aware of Ahmad A.’s extremist tendencies for at least a year and tried to recruit him as an informant before the 26-year-old refugee went on a supermarket stabbing spree in Hamburg last week, killing one and injuring several others.
Moqtada 
[NEWSINFO.INQUIRER.NET] President Duterte visited Marawi for the second time on Friday to boost the morale of troops who have been battling pro-
