Morocco said today that it had arrested 52 suspected militants inspired by Islamic State and that it had foiled several attacks in the North African kingdom by seizing weapons and bomb-making materials. 
 
It is the largest group arrested in years and the latest of a series of cells that the authorities say they have found plotting attacks inside and outside Morocco. 
 
The North African kingdom, an ally of the West against Islamist militancy, has been on high alert since 2014, when Islamic State took control of large swathes of northern Iraq and Syria. The 52 arrested were among 143 people investigated in many Moroccan cities and towns, the interior ministry said in a statement. 
 
Many members of the group were planning to create an Islamic State province (Wilayat) in Morocco, the statement said. They intended to assassinate Moroccan security and military officers and tourists, as well as targeting prisons and festivals and other institutions in the country. 
 
Morocco&#39;s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation, the judicial part of the Moroccan domestic intelligence service, has tracked suspected militants since Islamic State established itself as a global threat. Morocco has dismantled 38 suspected militant cells with Islamic State ties since 2013, the statement said, adding 159 cells had been found since 2002. 
 
Hundreds of fighters from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have joined Islamist militant forces in Syria. Some are threatening to return and create new jihadist wings in their home countries, security experts have said. 
 
Nearby Libya has become a major draw for jihadists from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Islamic State has taken advantage of the security chaos there to build a base, operate training camps and take over the city of Sirte. 
 
Morocco has been the target of militant attacks, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh, when an explosion in a cafe killed 15 people, mostly foreigners. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The 52 suspects arrested were among 143 people investigated in many Moroccan cities and towns

Morocco said today that it had arrested 52 suspected militants inspired by Islamic State and that it had foiled several attacks in the North African kingdom by seizing weapons and bomb-making materials. It is the largest group arrested in years and the latest of a series of cells that the authorities say they have found plotting attacks inside and outside Morocco. The North African kingdom, an ally of the West against Islamist militancy, has been on high alert since 2014, when Islamic State took control of large swathes of northern Iraq and Syria. The 52 arrested were among 143 people investigated in many Moroccan cities and towns, the interior ministry said in a statement. Many members of the group were planning to create an Islamic State province (Wilayat) in Morocco, the statement said. They intended to assassinate Moroccan security and military officers and tourists, as well as targeting prisons and festivals and other institutions in the country. Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation, the judicial part of the Moroccan domestic intelligence service, has tracked suspected militants since Islamic State established itself as a global threat. Morocco has dismantled 38 suspected militant cells with Islamic State ties since 2013, the statement said, adding 159 cells had been found since 2002. Hundreds of fighters from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have joined Islamist militant forces in Syria. Some are threatening to return and create new jihadist wings in their home countries, security experts have said. Nearby Libya has become a major draw for jihadists from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Islamic State has taken advantage of the security chaos there to build a base, operate training camps and take over the city of Sirte. Morocco has been the target of militant attacks, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh, when an explosion in a cafe killed 15 people, mostly foreigners. (Reuters)

Morocco arrests 52 suspected Islamic State militants, foils several attacks

Malian forces arrested a regional leader of Islamist group Ansar Dine in central Mali on Tuesday, after it claimed an attack in the region that killed 17 soldiers, the army spokesman said. 
 
Ansar Dine laid claim to the attack last week by gunmen who fired on troop positions, burned buildings and pillaged shops, killing 17 Malian soldiers and wounded 35 on an army base in the central town of Nampala last week. 
 
Army spokesman Modibo Naman Traore said the state security services arrested the commander, Mahmoud Barry - nicknamed &quot;Abou Yehiya&quot; - as he was travelling on a road between Nampala and the town of Dogofri. 
 
&quot;He is close to Lyad Ag Ghali, the chief of Ansar Dine,&quot; Traore said, adding that Barry had also planned an attack on the town of Nara that killed 12 people. 
 
French forces intervened in 2013 to push back Islamist fighters who had hijacked a Tuareg uprising to take over northern Mali. But despite 11,000 United Nations peacekeepers deployed in the country since, insecurity has worsened and militants still launch frequent attacks across the vast desert country and its neighbours. 
 
(Reuters)

The leader had laid claim to an attack by gunmen on army base that killed 17 and injured 35

Malian forces arrested a regional leader of Islamist group Ansar Dine in central Mali on Tuesday, after it claimed an attack in the region that killed 17 soldiers, the army spokesman said. Ansar Dine laid claim to the attack last week by gunmen who fired on troop positions, burned buildings and pillaged shops, killing 17 Malian soldiers and wounded 35 on an army base in the central town of Nampala last week. Army spokesman Modibo Naman Traore said the state security services arrested the commander, Mahmoud Barry - nicknamed "Abou Yehiya" - as he was travelling on a road between Nampala and the town of Dogofri. "He is close to Lyad Ag Ghali, the chief of Ansar Dine," Traore said, adding that Barry had also planned an attack on the town of Nara that killed 12 people. French forces intervened in 2013 to push back Islamist fighters who had hijacked a Tuareg uprising to take over northern Mali. But despite 11,000 United Nations peacekeepers deployed in the country since, insecurity has worsened and militants still launch frequent attacks across the vast desert country and its neighbours. (Reuters)

Mali arrests Islamist group leader linked to attack on troops

The nine militants that were killed in a special drive by joint forces in Dhaka were all very young and &#39;highly educated&#39; and they shouted &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; before attacking the law enforcers during the standoff, officials said.&nbsp; 
 
The militants were aged about 20, wore jeans and sneakers and were highly educated, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia and added that &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; inscribed black flags were recovered from the den. Thirteen handmade grenades, one sword, one pistol, seven magazines and were also recovered. 
 
SWAT, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Detective Branch of police (DB) and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) jointly carried out a one-hour operation &quot;Storm 26,&quot; at Jahaj Building in Dhaka&#39;s Kalyanpur area today. The militants had rented the apartment on June 20 and had gathered there to carry out terror attacks, said officials. 
 
The occupants of the building and adjacent ones were evacuated overnight to carry out the raid. A militant identified as Hassan, who was held alive during the drive, has reportedly confessed to be an operative of the Islamic State and was a student of Bogra&#39;s Government Shah Sultan College. However, the police suspects they are members of the banned militant outfit Jama&#39;atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who were trying to wield the emblem of the Islamic State. 
 
The DMP Commissioner added that police suspect these attackers belong to the same group that attacked the Gulshan cafe because similar kind of red handkerchiefs, black dresses and backpacks were found.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)

It is suspected millitants were members of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, who were trying to wield the IS emblem

The nine militants that were killed in a special drive by joint forces in Dhaka were all very young and 'highly educated' and they shouted "Allahu Akbar" before attacking the law enforcers during the standoff, officials said. The militants were aged about 20, wore jeans and sneakers and were highly educated, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia and added that "Allahu Akbar" inscribed black flags were recovered from the den. Thirteen handmade grenades, one sword, one pistol, seven magazines and were also recovered. SWAT, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Detective Branch of police (DB) and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) jointly carried out a one-hour operation "Storm 26," at Jahaj Building in Dhaka's Kalyanpur area today. The militants had rented the apartment on June 20 and had gathered there to carry out terror attacks, said officials. The occupants of the building and adjacent ones were evacuated overnight to carry out the raid. A militant identified as Hassan, who was held alive during the drive, has reportedly confessed to be an operative of the Islamic State and was a student of Bogra's Government Shah Sultan College. However, the police suspects they are members of the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who were trying to wield the emblem of the Islamic State. The DMP Commissioner added that police suspect these attackers belong to the same group that attacked the Gulshan cafe because similar kind of red handkerchiefs, black dresses and backpacks were found. (ANI)

Bangladesh raid: 'Slain militants were young and highly educated'

The head of the European Commission yesterday pledged &quot;Europe&#39;s solidarity and cooperation in the fight against barbarity&quot;, in a letter to French President Francois Hollande after a church attack claimed by the Islamic State group. 
 
&quot;More than ever, all over Europe, solidarity and cooperation will be essential in the fight against barbarity and to ensure that our shared values prevail,&quot; Jean-Claude Juncker wrote. 
 
&quot;The European Commission is fully mobilised, along with other European institutions, to provide all the support it can to France in these painful moments,&quot; he added. 
 
In a statement, the EU&#39;s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also expressed solidarity and offered her &quot;condolences to the families of the victims, to France and the Catholic Church.&quot; 
 
&quot;Targeting a man of faith, of any faith, is always a crime against our common humanity because it means targeting the deeper essence of our lives, believers and non-believers alike,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;The right answer is to keep living together, to stop the hatred,&quot; Mogherini said. 
 
&quot;The terrible, daily news of attacks reinforce our common work against terrorism, within and beyond our borders,&quot; she said. &quot;It&#39;s unity that will make us prevail.&quot; 
 
The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, wrote on Twitter: &quot;We stand side by side with the French in the face of this incomprehensible savagery.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

EU members pledged their solidarity and cooperation to France. EU's foreign policy chief stressed on unity in fight against terrorism

The head of the European Commission yesterday pledged "Europe's solidarity and cooperation in the fight against barbarity", in a letter to French President Francois Hollande after a church attack claimed by the Islamic State group. "More than ever, all over Europe, solidarity and cooperation will be essential in the fight against barbarity and to ensure that our shared values prevail," Jean-Claude Juncker wrote. "The European Commission is fully mobilised, along with other European institutions, to provide all the support it can to France in these painful moments," he added. In a statement, the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also expressed solidarity and offered her "condolences to the families of the victims, to France and the Catholic Church." "Targeting a man of faith, of any faith, is always a crime against our common humanity because it means targeting the deeper essence of our lives, believers and non-believers alike," she said. "The right answer is to keep living together, to stop the hatred," Mogherini said. "The terrible, daily news of attacks reinforce our common work against terrorism, within and beyond our borders," she said. "It's unity that will make us prevail." The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, wrote on Twitter: "We stand side by side with the French in the face of this incomprehensible savagery." (AFP)

EU vows to help France fight Islamic State 'barbarity'

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle near a crowded checkpoint north of Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 12 people, security and medical officials said. 
 
The blast at the entrance to the town of Khales also wounded 37, according to Diyala province police spokesman Colonel Ghalib al-Attiyah and health department spokesman Faris al-Azzawi. 
 
Hospital sources said the death toll was expected to rise given the extent of critical injuries. 
 
Attiyah said the checkpoint was crowded with cars, and that a number of them were burned in the blast. 
 
Amaq, a news agency that supports Islamic State, said the attack had targeted Iraqi troops in Khalis. 
 
The blast came a day after a suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State killed at least 15 people in Baghdad&#39;s Kadhimiyah neighbourhood. 
 
Islamic State overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained significant ground and are conducting operations to set the stage for the battle to recapture Mosul, the last IS-held city in the country. 
 
The jihadists have responded to the battlefield setbacks by striking civilians, and experts have warned there may be more such attacks as the jihadists continue to lose ground. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Islamic State claims responsibility for blast. Medical officials say death toll is expected to rise given the extent of critical injuries

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle near a crowded checkpoint north of Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 12 people, security and medical officials said. The blast at the entrance to the town of Khales also wounded 37, according to Diyala province police spokesman Colonel Ghalib al-Attiyah and health department spokesman Faris al-Azzawi. Hospital sources said the death toll was expected to rise given the extent of critical injuries. Attiyah said the checkpoint was crowded with cars, and that a number of them were burned in the blast. Amaq, a news agency that supports Islamic State, said the attack had targeted Iraqi troops in Khalis. The blast came a day after a suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State killed at least 15 people in Baghdad's Kadhimiyah neighbourhood. Islamic State overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained significant ground and are conducting operations to set the stage for the battle to recapture Mosul, the last IS-held city in the country. The jihadists have responded to the battlefield setbacks by striking civilians, and experts have warned there may be more such attacks as the jihadists continue to lose ground. (AFP)

At least 12 dead in Iraq's car bomb explosion

Civilians are being killed and wounded in record numbers in Afghanistan, the United Nations reported today, just days after one of the deadliest attacks ever in Kabul. 
 
&quot;UNAMA engages in ongoing dialogue with all parties to the conflict and the report has been shared in advance,&quot; said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the top UN official in Afghanistan, at a news conference today, referring to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. 
 
&quot;We share our report to ensure its accuracy and to include different perspectives, but above all our primary objective is to promote change,&quot; he added. 
 
Overall at least 1,601 civilians were killed and 3,565 wounded in the war in the first six months of 2016, the United Nations reported, as insurgent groups like the Taliban try to topple the government installed in Kabul after the 2001 US-led military intervention. 
 
The director of the UN Human Rights Program in Afghanistan, Danielle Bell, said this represented a &quot;four per cent increase in overall civilian casualties compared to the same period in 2015&quot;. 
 
The report was sharply critical of the Taliban. &quot;Anti-government elements including the Taliban nonetheless continued to carry out attacks against persons and locations that are clearly civilian under international humanitarian law,&quot; Bell said. 
 
Anti-government groups, the largest of which is the Taliban, accounted for at least 60 percent of non-combatants killed and wounded. 
 
Casualties caused by pro-government forces increased 47 per cent over the same period last year, the United Nations said. 
 
Afghan forces were responsible for 22 per cent of casualties overall, and the international troops remaining in the country caused 2 per cent, while 17 per cent could not be attributed to one side or the other. 
 
For the first time, the Afghan air force killed or wounded more civilians in its operations than air strikes carried out by international forces, the United Nations reported. 
 
UN officials said they had heard more commitments by both sides, but few effective actions to improve protection of civilians. 
 
Twin blasts on July 23 were claimed by Islamic State militants and killed at least 80 people and injured more than 230, most of them civilians. 
 
Those numbers are not included in the UN report, but the attack highlighted its finding that suicide bombings and complex attacks are now harming more civilians than are roadside bombs, Bell told reporters. 
 
Islamic State, a group that has made some limited inroads in Afghanistan, accounted for 122 casualties in the first six months of 2016 compared with 13 casualties attributed to it in the same period last year. 
 
(Reuters)

Anti-government groups, the largest of which is the Taliban, accounted for at least 60 percent of non-combatants killed and wounded.

Civilians are being killed and wounded in record numbers in Afghanistan, the United Nations reported today, just days after one of the deadliest attacks ever in Kabul. "UNAMA engages in ongoing dialogue with all parties to the conflict and the report has been shared in advance," said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the top UN official in Afghanistan, at a news conference today, referring to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. "We share our report to ensure its accuracy and to include different perspectives, but above all our primary objective is to promote change," he added. Overall at least 1,601 civilians were killed and 3,565 wounded in the war in the first six months of 2016, the United Nations reported, as insurgent groups like the Taliban try to topple the government installed in Kabul after the 2001 US-led military intervention. The director of the UN Human Rights Program in Afghanistan, Danielle Bell, said this represented a "four per cent increase in overall civilian casualties compared to the same period in 2015". The report was sharply critical of the Taliban. "Anti-government elements including the Taliban nonetheless continued to carry out attacks against persons and locations that are clearly civilian under international humanitarian law," Bell said. Anti-government groups, the largest of which is the Taliban, accounted for at least 60 percent of non-combatants killed and wounded. Casualties caused by pro-government forces increased 47 per cent over the same period last year, the United Nations said. Afghan forces were responsible for 22 per cent of casualties overall, and the international troops remaining in the country caused 2 per cent, while 17 per cent could not be attributed to one side or the other. For the first time, the Afghan air force killed or wounded more civilians in its operations than air strikes carried out by international forces, the United Nations reported. UN officials said they had heard more commitments by both sides, but few effective actions to improve protection of civilians. Twin blasts on July 23 were claimed by Islamic State militants and killed at least 80 people and injured more than 230, most of them civilians. Those numbers are not included in the UN report, but the attack highlighted its finding that suicide bombings and complex attacks are now harming more civilians than are roadside bombs, Bell told reporters. Islamic State, a group that has made some limited inroads in Afghanistan, accounted for 122 casualties in the first six months of 2016 compared with 13 casualties attributed to it in the same period last year. (Reuters)

Civilian casualties soar to record high in Afghanistan, says UN report

A suicide car bomber killed at least 14, including women and children packed into a minibus, at a checkpoint outside a central Iraqi town on Monday morning, police and hospital sources said.

A police officer at the scene said most of the victims died inside their vehicles while waiting to enter Khalis, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad.

&quot;We still have charred bodies inside many vehicles including a minibus packed with women and children,&quot; the police captain said, requesting anonymity.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State militants have stepped up attacks even as they incur battlefield setbacks in northern and western Iraq.

Hospital sources said the death toll was expected to rise given the extent of critical injuries.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has come under pressure to improve security since a suicide attack claimed by Islamic State earlier this month killed 292 in central Baghdad, one of the largest attacks of its kind since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The ultra-hardline militants have lost much of the territory they seized in 2014 and Abadi has pledged to retake this year the northern city of Mosul, the group&#39;s de facto capital in Iraq.

(Reuters)

The death toll is expected to rise, according to hospital sources. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility

A suicide car bomber killed at least 14, including women and children packed into a minibus, at a checkpoint outside a central Iraqi town on Monday morning, police and hospital sources said. A police officer at the scene said most of the victims died inside their vehicles while waiting to enter Khalis, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad. "We still have charred bodies inside many vehicles including a minibus packed with women and children," the police captain said, requesting anonymity. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State militants have stepped up attacks even as they incur battlefield setbacks in northern and western Iraq. Hospital sources said the death toll was expected to rise given the extent of critical injuries. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has come under pressure to improve security since a suicide attack claimed by Islamic State earlier this month killed 292 in central Baghdad, one of the largest attacks of its kind since the US-led invasion in 2003. The ultra-hardline militants have lost much of the territory they seized in 2014 and Abadi has pledged to retake this year the northern city of Mosul, the group's de facto capital in Iraq. (Reuters)

At least 14 killed in car bomb blast in north Baghdad

At least 80 people were killed and 231 wounded in twin explosions that ripped through crowds of Shiite Hazaras in Kabul, an attack claimed by the Islamic State terror group. Members of Afghanistan&#39;s Hazara minority were demonstrating over the route of a planned multimillion dollar power line at Dehmazang square in Kabul when explosions struck the peaceful protest.&nbsp; 
 
Afghanistan&#39;s President Ashraf Ghani said he was &quot;deeply saddened&quot; by the carnage, adding that &quot;peaceful protest is the right of every citizen&quot;. 
 
Condolences continued to pour in from across the world on the attack on the Persian-speaking Shia community that has threatened to exacerbate ethnic tensions among other groups.&nbsp; 
 
&#39;A despicable crime&#39;&nbsp; 
 
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon led the world body&#39;s strong condemnation of the terror attack in Afghanistan, describing it as a &quot;despicable crime&quot; while calling for bringing to justice the perpetrators of the assault.&nbsp; 
 
According to a statement issued by his office, Ban called for those responsible for the attack to be brought to justice.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The Secretary-General condemns the terrorist attack in Kabul. This despicable crime targeted citizens peacefully exercising their fundamental human rights,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp; 
 
The powerful UN Security Council also issued a statement, condemning &quot;in the strongest terms&quot; the &quot;heinous and cowardly&quot; terror attack yesterday.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The members of the Security Council reiterated their serious concern at the threats posed by the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), illegal and armed groups to the local population, National Defense and Security Forces and international presence in Afghanistan,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp; 
 
The 15-nation Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these &quot;reprehensible&quot; acts of terrorism to justice and urged all UN member nations to cooperate actively with the Afghan authorities in this regard.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The members of the Security Council stressed the need to take measures to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism, terrorist organisations and individual terrorists,&quot; in accordance with UN resolutions.&nbsp; 
 
Asserting that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is criminal, the Council said terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group.&nbsp; 
 
The Council reiterated that &quot;no violent or terrorist acts&quot; can reverse the Afghan-led process along the path towards peace, democracy and stability in Afghanistan, which is supported by the people and the Afghan government and by the international community.&nbsp; 
 
Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto called the attack &quot;an outrage that cannot be justified and stressed that the perpetrators of the attack must be held accountable.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;An attack deliberately targeting a large, concentrated group of civilians amounts to a war crime,&quot; he said in the statement, which was issued by UNAMA.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;This attack is particularly heinous because it targeted civilians as they exercised their rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression,&quot; Yamamoto said.&nbsp; 
 
UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft expressed his deepest sorrow and anger over the terrible terror attacks and &quot;mass murders&quot; taking place around the world.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&#39;Inhumane and un-Islamic&#39;, says Iran&nbsp; 
 
Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif condemned the attack and expressed grief.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Afghanistan terror bombings another instance of depth of Daesh depravity: Shia and Sunni are both victims &amp; must unite to defeat extremists,&quot; Zarif tweeted on Saturday, using another name for the Islamic State.&nbsp; 
 
Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi added that &quot;eradicating this unfortunate phenomenon wouldn&#39;t be possible without a joint cooperation and understanding among all countries&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
The &quot;inhumane and un-Islamic&quot; attacks were &quot;unjustifiable anywhere,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The first major IS assault on Kabul was apparently aimed at sowing sectarian discord in a country known for relative Shia-Sunni harmony.&nbsp; 
 
Iran, a country with a large Shiite majority, has a long border with Afghanistan.&nbsp; 
 
Pakistan expresses grief&nbsp; 
 
Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday said in a statement, &quot;The government and the people of Pakistan extend their sincere condolences and profound sympathies to the families of the bereaved people and convey their earnest prayers and wishes for early recovery of those injured in this heinous act of terrorism.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(Agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

UN Security Council statement condemns the "heinous and cowardly" attack, Iran calls it 'inhumane and un-Islamic'

At least 80 people were killed and 231 wounded in twin explosions that ripped through crowds of Shiite Hazaras in Kabul, an attack claimed by the Islamic State terror group. Members of Afghanistan's Hazara minority were demonstrating over the route of a planned multimillion dollar power line at Dehmazang square in Kabul when explosions struck the peaceful protest. Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani said he was "deeply saddened" by the carnage, adding that "peaceful protest is the right of every citizen". Condolences continued to pour in from across the world on the attack on the Persian-speaking Shia community that has threatened to exacerbate ethnic tensions among other groups. 'A despicable crime' United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon led the world body's strong condemnation of the terror attack in Afghanistan, describing it as a "despicable crime" while calling for bringing to justice the perpetrators of the assault. According to a statement issued by his office, Ban called for those responsible for the attack to be brought to justice. "The Secretary-General condemns the terrorist attack in Kabul. This despicable crime targeted citizens peacefully exercising their fundamental human rights," the statement said. The powerful UN Security Council also issued a statement, condemning "in the strongest terms" the "heinous and cowardly" terror attack yesterday. "The members of the Security Council reiterated their serious concern at the threats posed by the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), illegal and armed groups to the local population, National Defense and Security Forces and international presence in Afghanistan," the statement said. The 15-nation Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these "reprehensible" acts of terrorism to justice and urged all UN member nations to cooperate actively with the Afghan authorities in this regard. "The members of the Security Council stressed the need to take measures to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism, terrorist organisations and individual terrorists," in accordance with UN resolutions. Asserting that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is criminal, the Council said terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group. The Council reiterated that "no violent or terrorist acts" can reverse the Afghan-led process along the path towards peace, democracy and stability in Afghanistan, which is supported by the people and the Afghan government and by the international community. Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto called the attack "an outrage that cannot be justified and stressed that the perpetrators of the attack must be held accountable." "An attack deliberately targeting a large, concentrated group of civilians amounts to a war crime," he said in the statement, which was issued by UNAMA. "This attack is particularly heinous because it targeted civilians as they exercised their rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression," Yamamoto said. UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft expressed his deepest sorrow and anger over the terrible terror attacks and "mass murders" taking place around the world. 'Inhumane and un-Islamic', says Iran Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif condemned the attack and expressed grief. "Afghanistan terror bombings another instance of depth of Daesh depravity: Shia and Sunni are both victims & must unite to defeat extremists," Zarif tweeted on Saturday, using another name for the Islamic State. Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi added that "eradicating this unfortunate phenomenon wouldn't be possible without a joint cooperation and understanding among all countries". The "inhumane and un-Islamic" attacks were "unjustifiable anywhere," he added. The first major IS assault on Kabul was apparently aimed at sowing sectarian discord in a country known for relative Shia-Sunni harmony. Iran, a country with a large Shiite majority, has a long border with Afghanistan. Pakistan expresses grief Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday said in a statement, "The government and the people of Pakistan extend their sincere condolences and profound sympathies to the families of the bereaved people and convey their earnest prayers and wishes for early recovery of those injured in this heinous act of terrorism." (Agencies)

World leaders express solidarity with Afghanistan in wake of deadly Kabul attacks

Police in Bangladesh arrested today four women members of a home-grown militant group blamed for a bloody attack on a cafe in which 22 were killed, most of them foreigners, an officer said.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, Bangladesh newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted the Dhaka police chief Asaduzzaman Mia as stating that the &quot;instigators of the Gulshan caf? attack have been identified and their arrest is now simply a matter of time&quot;. The police chief reportedly said this to reporters in his office this afternoon. 
 
Authorities have intensified a hunt for militants after five young men stormed the upmarket restaurant, Holey Artisan Bakery, popular with foreigners on July 1. Among those killed were nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American and an Indian. 
 
The five militants were gunned down when security forces moved in. 
 
Police believe that Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, played a significant role in organising the group of privileged, educated young men who carried out the attack. 
 
The four women members of the group, aged 18 to 30, who were arrested in from the northwestern district of Sirajganj in Bangladesh, were believed to have been plotting an attack, police said. 
 
&quot;Acting on a tip-off, our force raided a rented house where a large amount of grenade-making materials, crude bombs and jihadi books were also found,&quot; district police superintendent Siraj Uddin Ahmed told reporters. 
 
The women would be interrogated to determine if they had any link to the Dhaka cafe attack, he said. 
 
On Thursday, four other members of the banned group, including a regional head, were arrested. 
 
The cafe attack was one of the worst militant attacks ever in Bangladesh. 
 
Al Qaeda and Islamic State have made competing claims for a series of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in the country over the past year. 
 
The government dismissed the claims and instead blamed domestic militant groups, but security experts say the scale and sophistication of the cafe assault suggested links to a trans-national network. 
 
(WION and Reuters)

Aged between 18-30, they were plotting an attack and were members of Jamayetul Mujahideen that has pledged allegiance to IS, police said

Police in Bangladesh arrested today four women members of a home-grown militant group blamed for a bloody attack on a cafe in which 22 were killed, most of them foreigners, an officer said. Meanwhile, Bangladesh newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted the Dhaka police chief Asaduzzaman Mia as stating that the "instigators of the Gulshan caf? attack have been identified and their arrest is now simply a matter of time". The police chief reportedly said this to reporters in his office this afternoon. Authorities have intensified a hunt for militants after five young men stormed the upmarket restaurant, Holey Artisan Bakery, popular with foreigners on July 1. Among those killed were nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American and an Indian. The five militants were gunned down when security forces moved in. Police believe that Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, played a significant role in organising the group of privileged, educated young men who carried out the attack. The four women members of the group, aged 18 to 30, who were arrested in from the northwestern district of Sirajganj in Bangladesh, were believed to have been plotting an attack, police said. "Acting on a tip-off, our force raided a rented house where a large amount of grenade-making materials, crude bombs and jihadi books were also found," district police superintendent Siraj Uddin Ahmed told reporters. The women would be interrogated to determine if they had any link to the Dhaka cafe attack, he said. On Thursday, four other members of the banned group, including a regional head, were arrested. The cafe attack was one of the worst militant attacks ever in Bangladesh. Al Qaeda and Islamic State have made competing claims for a series of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in the country over the past year. The government dismissed the claims and instead blamed domestic militant groups, but security experts say the scale and sophistication of the cafe assault suggested links to a trans-national network. (WION and Reuters)

Bangladesh arrests four women militants, to quiz them in Dhaka cafe attack

Forces loyal to Libya&#39;s unity government said today they had seized a building used by the Islamic State group to manufacture explosives in its coastal stronghold. 
 
The bomb factory is the largest to be captured by fighters allied with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) since they launched an operation to retake Sirte in May, the forces said on Facebook. 
 
They said the building was in the southeast of Sirte, the hometown of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi which IS has controlled since June 2015. 
 
The pro-GNA forces shared images of the building including several rooms containing explosive devices, cables and mobile phones. 
 
The fall of Sirte, 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli, will be a major blow to IS, which has faced a series of setbacks in Syria and Iraq. 
 
The two-month battle for Sirte has killed around 280 pro-government fighters and wounded more than 1,500, according to medical sources at the unity forces&#39; command centre. 
 
The pro-GNA forces are mostly made up of militias from western Libya established during the 2011 revolt that overthrew Gaddafi. 
 
A militia set up to guard the country&#39;s main oil facilities has also been advancing on IS. 
 
The GNA was the result of a UN-brokered power-sharing agreement struck in December, but it has yet to be endorsed by Libya&#39;s elected Parliament based in the country&#39;s far east. 
 
(AFP)

It is the largest to be captured by fighters allied with the government of national accord since they launched an operation to retake Sirte

Forces loyal to Libya's unity government said today they had seized a building used by the Islamic State group to manufacture explosives in its coastal stronghold. The bomb factory is the largest to be captured by fighters allied with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) since they launched an operation to retake Sirte in May, the forces said on Facebook. They said the building was in the southeast of Sirte, the hometown of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi which IS has controlled since June 2015. The pro-GNA forces shared images of the building including several rooms containing explosive devices, cables and mobile phones. The fall of Sirte, 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli, will be a major blow to IS, which has faced a series of setbacks in Syria and Iraq. The two-month battle for Sirte has killed around 280 pro-government fighters and wounded more than 1,500, according to medical sources at the unity forces' command centre. The pro-GNA forces are mostly made up of militias from western Libya established during the 2011 revolt that overthrew Gaddafi. A militia set up to guard the country's main oil facilities has also been advancing on IS. The GNA was the result of a UN-brokered power-sharing agreement struck in December, but it has yet to be endorsed by Libya's elected Parliament based in the country's far east. (AFP)

Libyan loyalists seize Islamic State bomb factory

Police were probing today the motives of the lone teenage German-Iranian gunman who went on a deadly rampage at a busy Munich shopping centre, the third bloody attack on civilians in Europe in just over a week. 
 
Nine people were killed and another 16 wounded as the black-clad gunman brought terror to Germany&#39;s third largest city on Friday evening, before committing suicide. 
 
&quot;Bloodbath in Munich,&quot; was the headline on the best-selling Bild newspaper as shockwaves reverberated across the continent. 
 
The killing spree sent the southern city into lockdown as elite police launched a massive operation to track down what had initially been thought to be up to three assailants. 
 
Chancellor to convene security council&nbsp; 
 
Chancellor Angela Merkel is to convene her security council today to address the shooting, which came just days after an axe rampage on a train in the same German state of Bavaria and just over a week after a truck attack in the French Riviera city of Nice that killed 84 people. 
 
Grieving Munich residents laid roses and lit candles in memory of the victims, with one placard bearing the simple plea: &quot;Why?&quot; 
 
Police chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters that the assailant was an 18-year-old dual national German-Iranian from Munich, who had no criminal record. 
 
&quot;The motive or explanation for this crime is completely unclear,&quot; he said. 
 
Armed with a handgun, the attacker opened fire at a McDonald&#39;s restaurant and continued along the street before entering the mall. 
 
A police patrol shot and wounded the gunman but he managed to escape, before police found the body of what they believed was the &quot;only shooter.&quot; 
 
Among the nine killed were three Kosovans, according to the foreign ministry in Pristina, while Munich police said the injured included children. 
 
Scenes of panic 
 
A video posted on social media appeared to show a man in black walking away from a McDonald&#39;s while firing repeatedly on people as they fled screaming. 
 
Survivors described terrifying scenes as shoppers rushed from the area, some carrying children in their arms. 
 
&quot;We entered McDonald&#39;s to eat... then there was panic, and people ran out,&quot; one woman told Bavarian television. 
 
Another video appeared to show the gunman on a car park roof exchanging a tirade of insults with a man on a nearby balcony. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m German, I was born here,&quot; the assailant replies after the man fired off a volley of swear words, including an offensive term for foreigners. 
 
Police initially believed there could be up to three assailants. 
 
But Andrae later said two others had &quot;absolutely nothing to do&quot; with the attack -- and that they were simply fleeing the scene. 
 
Munich&#39;s main train station was evacuated and metro and bus transport suspended for several hours while residents were ordered to stay inside, leaving the streets largely deserted. 
 
Earlier this morning, transport services were running again. 
 
&#39;Europe stands united&#39;&nbsp; 
 
President Joachim Gauck said he was horrified by the &quot;murderous attack&quot;, while US President Barack Obama voiced staunch support for Washington&#39;s close ally. 
 
&quot;Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all German people. Europe stands united,&quot; EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Twitter. 
 
The attack came just days after a 17-year-old asylum seeker went on a rampage with an axe and a knife on a train on Monday near Wuerzburg, also in Bavaria, injuring five people. 
 
Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere had said that assailant was believed to be a &quot;lone wolf&quot; who appeared to have been &quot;inspired&quot; by Islamic State group but was not a member of the jihadist network. 
 
The train attack triggered calls by some politicians to impose an upper limit on the number of refugees coming into Germany, which accepted a record 1.1 million migrants and refugees last year, many through Bavaria. 
 
&#39;No security anywhere&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The Munich mall is near the stadium for the 1972 Olympics and the athletes&#39; village which was the site of the hostage-taking of Israeli athletes by the Palestinian Black September group that ended in a massacre. 
 
Europe has been on high alert for terrorism after a string of attacks in neighbouring France and Belgium claimed by IS. 
 
&quot;It has reached us. People in Munich have long had a queasy feeling. Fears grew with every attack in Paris, Istanbul or Brussels,&quot; said the Abendzeitung newspaper&#39;s editor-in-chief Michael Schilling. 
 
&quot;There were particular concerns about the Oktoberfest. But since Friday it is clear that there can be no security anywhere, not even in the safest German city.&quot; 
 
The mall shooting occurred just eight days after 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel used a truck to mow down 84 people, including children, after a Bastille Day fireworks display in Nice, the third major attack on French soil in the past 18 months. 
 
In March, IS claimed suicide bombings at Brussels airport and a city metro station that left 32 people dead. 
 
In May, a mentally unstable 27-year-old man carried out a knife attack on a regional train in Bavaria, killing one person and injuring three others. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

Chancellor Angela Merkel is to convene her security council today to address the shooting which came days after Bastille Day attack

Police were probing today the motives of the lone teenage German-Iranian gunman who went on a deadly rampage at a busy Munich shopping centre, the third bloody attack on civilians in Europe in just over a week. Nine people were killed and another 16 wounded as the black-clad gunman brought terror to Germany's third largest city on Friday evening, before committing suicide. "Bloodbath in Munich," was the headline on the best-selling Bild newspaper as shockwaves reverberated across the continent. The killing spree sent the southern city into lockdown as elite police launched a massive operation to track down what had initially been thought to be up to three assailants. Chancellor to convene security council Chancellor Angela Merkel is to convene her security council today to address the shooting, which came just days after an axe rampage on a train in the same German state of Bavaria and just over a week after a truck attack in the French Riviera city of Nice that killed 84 people. Grieving Munich residents laid roses and lit candles in memory of the victims, with one placard bearing the simple plea: "Why?" Police chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters that the assailant was an 18-year-old dual national German-Iranian from Munich, who had no criminal record. "The motive or explanation for this crime is completely unclear," he said. Armed with a handgun, the attacker opened fire at a McDonald's restaurant and continued along the street before entering the mall. A police patrol shot and wounded the gunman but he managed to escape, before police found the body of what they believed was the "only shooter." Among the nine killed were three Kosovans, according to the foreign ministry in Pristina, while Munich police said the injured included children. Scenes of panic A video posted on social media appeared to show a man in black walking away from a McDonald's while firing repeatedly on people as they fled screaming. Survivors described terrifying scenes as shoppers rushed from the area, some carrying children in their arms. "We entered McDonald's to eat... then there was panic, and people ran out," one woman told Bavarian television. Another video appeared to show the gunman on a car park roof exchanging a tirade of insults with a man on a nearby balcony. "I'm German, I was born here," the assailant replies after the man fired off a volley of swear words, including an offensive term for foreigners. Police initially believed there could be up to three assailants. But Andrae later said two others had "absolutely nothing to do" with the attack -- and that they were simply fleeing the scene. Munich's main train station was evacuated and metro and bus transport suspended for several hours while residents were ordered to stay inside, leaving the streets largely deserted. Earlier this morning, transport services were running again. 'Europe stands united' President Joachim Gauck said he was horrified by the "murderous attack", while US President Barack Obama voiced staunch support for Washington's close ally. "Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all German people. Europe stands united," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Twitter. The attack came just days after a 17-year-old asylum seeker went on a rampage with an axe and a knife on a train on Monday near Wuerzburg, also in Bavaria, injuring five people. Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere had said that assailant was believed to be a "lone wolf" who appeared to have been "inspired" by Islamic State group but was not a member of the jihadist network. The train attack triggered calls by some politicians to impose an upper limit on the number of refugees coming into Germany, which accepted a record 1.1 million migrants and refugees last year, many through Bavaria. 'No security anywhere' The Munich mall is near the stadium for the 1972 Olympics and the athletes' village which was the site of the hostage-taking of Israeli athletes by the Palestinian Black September group that ended in a massacre. Europe has been on high alert for terrorism after a string of attacks in neighbouring France and Belgium claimed by IS. "It has reached us. People in Munich have long had a queasy feeling. Fears grew with every attack in Paris, Istanbul or Brussels," said the Abendzeitung newspaper's editor-in-chief Michael Schilling. "There were particular concerns about the Oktoberfest. But since Friday it is clear that there can be no security anywhere, not even in the safest German city." The mall shooting occurred just eight days after 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel used a truck to mow down 84 people, including children, after a Bastille Day fireworks display in Nice, the third major attack on French soil in the past 18 months. In March, IS claimed suicide bombings at Brussels airport and a city metro station that left 32 people dead. In May, a mentally unstable 27-year-old man carried out a knife attack on a regional train in Bavaria, killing one person and injuring three others. (AFP)

Shocked Germany probes 'lone' mass killer

Three Florida men were charged on Friday with attempting to support the Islamic State, the latest in a string of similar US prosecutions in recent years. 
 
US prosecutors said Gregory Hubbard, 52, was arrested on Thursday at Miami International Airport, where he was planning to fly to Germany on his way to Syria to join the militant group&#39;s fighting force. 
 
Darren Jackson, 50, and Dayne Christian, 31, provided Hubbard with weapons and firearms instruction and had themselves expressed a desire to join Islamic State, US prosecutors said in a statement. 
 
Since 2014, the Justice Department has brought Islamic State-related charges against more than 90 individuals, many of whom allegedly intended to travel to Syria to fight for the group. 
 
The Florida men repeatedly expressed support for Islamic State and for attacks carried out in its name, including the mass shootings in San Bernardino, California, and Orlando, US according to a criminal complaint filed on Friday. 
 
Earlier this week, Hubbard and Jackson told a confidential informant that they approved of the fatal shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to the criminal complaint. 
 
The men are due in federal court in Miami on Wednesday. All three face one count of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State, while Jackson was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. 
 
(Reuters)

One of them was apprehended at the airport. He was planning to fly to Germany on his way to Syria, to join the terrorist organisation

Three Florida men were charged on Friday with attempting to support the Islamic State, the latest in a string of similar US prosecutions in recent years. US prosecutors said Gregory Hubbard, 52, was arrested on Thursday at Miami International Airport, where he was planning to fly to Germany on his way to Syria to join the militant group's fighting force. Darren Jackson, 50, and Dayne Christian, 31, provided Hubbard with weapons and firearms instruction and had themselves expressed a desire to join Islamic State, US prosecutors said in a statement. Since 2014, the Justice Department has brought Islamic State-related charges against more than 90 individuals, many of whom allegedly intended to travel to Syria to fight for the group. The Florida men repeatedly expressed support for Islamic State and for attacks carried out in its name, including the mass shootings in San Bernardino, California, and Orlando, US according to a criminal complaint filed on Friday. Earlier this week, Hubbard and Jackson told a confidential informant that they approved of the fatal shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to the criminal complaint. The men are due in federal court in Miami on Wednesday. All three face one count of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State, while Jackson was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. (Reuters)

Three Florida men arrested for supporting Islamic State

United States President Barack Obama has offered full support to Germany in investigating the deadly terror attack that killed 10 people, including the gunman who allegedly shot himself in the head, in a busy shopping mall in Munich. 
 
Nine people, excluding the attacker, were killed in the shooting that began early yesterday evening, with 21 wounded according to the latest official toll. 
 
&quot;Germany is one of our closest allies, so we are going to pledge all the support that they may need in dealing with these circumstances,&quot; Obama said at the White House. 
 
The US condemns in the strongest terms the apparent terrorist attack that has claimed innocent lives in Munich, Germany, said his spokesman, Josh Earnest. 
 
&quot;We still do not know all of the facts, but we do know that this heinous act has killed and injured multiple individuals in the heart of one of Europe&#39;s most vibrant cities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the deceased, just as we wish those wounded a full recovery,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;In the midst of this tragedy, the US will work closely with our German partners to whom we will make available any resources that would assist their investigation, as the President pledged. The resolve of Germany, the United States, and the broader international community will remain unshaken in the face of acts of despicable violence such as this,&quot; Earnest said. 
 
State department spokesman John Kirby said the US is in close contact with German officials and stand ready to provide any and all assistance requested by our close friend and ally Germany in this time of crisis. 
 
Senator Mark Kirk asked the Obama Administration to take steps to ensure similar attacks do not happen on American soil. 
 
&quot;This year, it has become increasingly clear that keeping Americans safe from acts of terror must be our number one priority,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;We mourn alongside one of our closest allies tonight for the innocent lives taken by yet another act of terror. Now, more than ever, we must come together as a nation and fight to protect our freedoms. And we must win this fight, providing leadership to combat terrorism that threatens our very way of life,&quot; said Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. 
 
&#39;A disgusting terror attack&#39;

French President Francois Hollande today called the&nbsp;deadly shooting in Munich&nbsp;a &quot;disgusting terrorist attack&quot; aimed at stirring up fear in Germany after France was targeted last week.

&quot;The terrorist attack that struck Munich killing many people is a disgusting act that aims to foment fear in Germany after other European countries,&quot; Hollande said in a statement.

&quot;Germany will resist, it can count on France&#39;s friendship and cooperation,&quot; he said, adding that he would speak with German chancellor Angela Merkel today morning.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters, PTI)

Both Obama and Hollande have offered aid and cooperation to assist Germany in the Munich tragedy investigation

United States President Barack Obama has offered full support to Germany in investigating the deadly terror attack that killed 10 people, including the gunman who allegedly shot himself in the head, in a busy shopping mall in Munich. Nine people, excluding the attacker, were killed in the shooting that began early yesterday evening, with 21 wounded according to the latest official toll. "Germany is one of our closest allies, so we are going to pledge all the support that they may need in dealing with these circumstances," Obama said at the White House. The US condemns in the strongest terms the apparent terrorist attack that has claimed innocent lives in Munich, Germany, said his spokesman, Josh Earnest. "We still do not know all of the facts, but we do know that this heinous act has killed and injured multiple individuals in the heart of one of Europe's most vibrant cities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the deceased, just as we wish those wounded a full recovery," he said. "In the midst of this tragedy, the US will work closely with our German partners to whom we will make available any resources that would assist their investigation, as the President pledged. The resolve of Germany, the United States, and the broader international community will remain unshaken in the face of acts of despicable violence such as this," Earnest said. State department spokesman John Kirby said the US is in close contact with German officials and stand ready to provide any and all assistance requested by our close friend and ally Germany in this time of crisis. Senator Mark Kirk asked the Obama Administration to take steps to ensure similar attacks do not happen on American soil. "This year, it has become increasingly clear that keeping Americans safe from acts of terror must be our number one priority," he said. "We mourn alongside one of our closest allies tonight for the innocent lives taken by yet another act of terror. Now, more than ever, we must come together as a nation and fight to protect our freedoms. And we must win this fight, providing leadership to combat terrorism that threatens our very way of life," said Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. 'A disgusting terror attack' French President Francois Hollande today called the deadly shooting in Munich a "disgusting terrorist attack" aimed at stirring up fear in Germany after France was targeted last week. "The terrorist attack that struck Munich killing many people is a disgusting act that aims to foment fear in Germany after other European countries," Hollande said in a statement. "Germany will resist, it can count on France's friendship and cooperation," he said, adding that he would speak with German chancellor Angela Merkel today morning. (Reuters, PTI)

US, France condemn attack, pledge support to Germany

The likely, lone gunman in an attack&nbsp;that killed nine people and injured at least 16 others today was found dead near a shopping centre in Munich, Germany,&nbsp;a spokesman for the Munich police said on today. The attacker was an 18-year-old German-Iranian man who killed himself after carrying out the deadly shooting rampage, the Munich plice said.&nbsp; 
 
News agencies report varying number of those injured, from sixteen to twenty one. 
 
&quot;The perpetrator was an 18-year-old German-Iranian from Munich,&quot; police chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters after the massacre that left 10 people dead, including the gunman. 
 
&quot;The motive or explanation for this crime is completely unclear.&quot; 
 
Earlier police, citing eyewitness accounts, had said they were looking for up to three suspects in the shooting attack at the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre (OEZ) that sent shoppers running for their lives and shut traffic across the city. 
 
But early today, a Munich police spokesman said it was now believed likely that only one man was responsible for the shooting, the third attack against civilians in Western Europe in eight days. 
 
&quot;We can give a cautious &#39;all-clear signal.&#39; It looks like the body found near the OEZ was the gunman,&quot; a police spokesman said. 
 
Authorities had told the public to get off the streets as the city, Germany&#39;s third biggest, went into lockdown with transport halted and highways sealed off. 
 
A police spokesman initially said up to three gunmen were on the run after the shooting. The Bavarian capital was placed under a state of emergency as police hunted for them and special forces deployed in the city. 
 
Authorities found a 10th body about 1 km (0.6 miles) from the scene that was later determined to be the likely gunman. 
 
German radio station Bayerischer Rundfunk said the man had a red backpack similar to one used by a gunman seen at a McDonald&#39;s restaurant where the attack reportedly began. It said police were using a robot to investigate the backpack. 
 
German news magazine Focus said the dead man and suspected gunman had shot himself in the head. 
 
At the height of the incident, people in the Olympia shopping centre either fled or sought to hide. 
 
&quot;Many shots were fired, I can&#39;t say how many but it&#39;s been a lot,&quot; said a shop worker hiding in a store room inside the mall. 
 
It was the third major act of violence against civilians in Western Europe in eight days. Previous attacks in France and Germany were claimed by the Islamic State militant group. 
 
A police spokesman said there was no immediate indication that it was an Islamist attack but it was being treated as a terrorist incident. 
 
Friday is also the fifth anniversary of the massacre by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway in which he killed 77 people. Breivik is a hero for far-right militants in Europe and America. 
 
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the motive for the attack was not yet clear. 
 
&quot;The motives for this abhorrent act have not yet been completely clarified - we still have contradictory clues,&quot; Steinmeier said in a statement. 
 
Islamic State supporters celebrate 
 
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but supporters of Islamic State celebrated on social media. 
 
&quot;The Islamic state is expanding in Europe,&quot; read one tweet. 
 
Two witnesses told n-tv television that they saw a man dressed as Santa Claus walking away from the scene of the shooting with a crowd of people. One said the man had blonde hair, was not carrying a weapon but had a suitcase. 
 
A video posted online, whose authenticity could not be confirmed, showed a man dressed in black outside a McDonalds by the roadside, drawing a handgun and shooting towards members of the public. 
 
Witnesses had seen shooting both inside the mall and on nearby streets, police said. 
 
Several hours after the shooting, police said it was unclear if the shooters were still in Munich. As night closed in, the streets of the city were largely deserted. 
 
Thousands of people had been crowding the streets and squares in Munich&#39;s city centre in the afternoon, clinking glasses, eating sausages, and listening to bands at a beer festival. 
 
The festival was meant to last until Sunday but was evacuated shortly after the attack. 
 
Elena Hakes, wearing a blue traditional dress, had been with a friend in the Odeonsplatz square. 
 
&quot;We heard what had happened and decided to leave, it just seemed not befitting anymore to continue partying.&quot; 
 
&quot;Most of the people were very calm and composed. There were a few people who came running towards us who were screaming and in panic. But mostly it was surprisingly calm.&quot; 
 
Munich&#39;s main railway station was evacuated. BR television said police had sealed off many highways north of Munich and people were told to leave them. 
 
The shopping centre is next to the Munich Olympic stadium, where the Palestinian militant group Black September took 11 Israeli athletes hostage and eventually killed them during the 1972 Olympic Games. 
 
Friday&#39;s attack took place a week after a 17-year-old asylum-seeker assaulted passengers on a German train with an axe. Bavarian police shot dead the teenager after he wounded four people from Hong Kong on the train and injured a local resident while fleeing. 
 
German justice minister Heiko Maas told Bild newspaper&#39;s Friday edition before the mall attack that there was &quot;no reason to panic but it&#39;s clear that Germany remains a possible target&quot;. 
 
The incidents in Germany follow an attack in Nice, France, on July 14 in which a Tunisian drove a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, killing 84. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack. 
 
The Munich assault was also reminiscent of Islamist militant attacks in a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2013 and in Mumbai, India, in November 2008. 
 
Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende said on Twitter: &quot;Horrible killings in Munich. Taking place on the same day as we mourn &amp; remember the appalling terror that hit Norway so hard five years ago.&quot; 
 
(Reuters, AFP)

Body found about 1km from the scene was later determined to be the likely lone gunman who, German media said, had shot himself in the head

The likely, lone gunman in an attack that killed nine people and injured at least 16 others today was found dead near a shopping centre in Munich, Germany, a spokesman for the Munich police said on today. The attacker was an 18-year-old German-Iranian man who killed himself after carrying out the deadly shooting rampage, the Munich plice said. News agencies report varying number of those injured, from sixteen to twenty one. "The perpetrator was an 18-year-old German-Iranian from Munich," police chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters after the massacre that left 10 people dead, including the gunman. "The motive or explanation for this crime is completely unclear." Earlier police, citing eyewitness accounts, had said they were looking for up to three suspects in the shooting attack at the Munich Olympia Shopping Centre (OEZ) that sent shoppers running for their lives and shut traffic across the city. But early today, a Munich police spokesman said it was now believed likely that only one man was responsible for the shooting, the third attack against civilians in Western Europe in eight days. "We can give a cautious 'all-clear signal.' It looks like the body found near the OEZ was the gunman," a police spokesman said. Authorities had told the public to get off the streets as the city, Germany's third biggest, went into lockdown with transport halted and highways sealed off. A police spokesman initially said up to three gunmen were on the run after the shooting. The Bavarian capital was placed under a state of emergency as police hunted for them and special forces deployed in the city. Authorities found a 10th body about 1 km (0.6 miles) from the scene that was later determined to be the likely gunman. German radio station Bayerischer Rundfunk said the man had a red backpack similar to one used by a gunman seen at a McDonald's restaurant where the attack reportedly began. It said police were using a robot to investigate the backpack. German news magazine Focus said the dead man and suspected gunman had shot himself in the head. At the height of the incident, people in the Olympia shopping centre either fled or sought to hide. "Many shots were fired, I can't say how many but it's been a lot," said a shop worker hiding in a store room inside the mall. It was the third major act of violence against civilians in Western Europe in eight days. Previous attacks in France and Germany were claimed by the Islamic State militant group. A police spokesman said there was no immediate indication that it was an Islamist attack but it was being treated as a terrorist incident. Friday is also the fifth anniversary of the massacre by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway in which he killed 77 people. Breivik is a hero for far-right militants in Europe and America. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the motive for the attack was not yet clear. "The motives for this abhorrent act have not yet been completely clarified - we still have contradictory clues," Steinmeier said in a statement. Islamic State supporters celebrate There was no immediate claim of responsibility but supporters of Islamic State celebrated on social media. "The Islamic state is expanding in Europe," read one tweet. Two witnesses told n-tv television that they saw a man dressed as Santa Claus walking away from the scene of the shooting with a crowd of people. One said the man had blonde hair, was not carrying a weapon but had a suitcase. A video posted online, whose authenticity could not be confirmed, showed a man dressed in black outside a McDonalds by the roadside, drawing a handgun and shooting towards members of the public. Witnesses had seen shooting both inside the mall and on nearby streets, police said. Several hours after the shooting, police said it was unclear if the shooters were still in Munich. As night closed in, the streets of the city were largely deserted. Thousands of people had been crowding the streets and squares in Munich's city centre in the afternoon, clinking glasses, eating sausages, and listening to bands at a beer festival. The festival was meant to last until Sunday but was evacuated shortly after the attack. Elena Hakes, wearing a blue traditional dress, had been with a friend in the Odeonsplatz square. "We heard what had happened and decided to leave, it just seemed not befitting anymore to continue partying." "Most of the people were very calm and composed. There were a few people who came running towards us who were screaming and in panic. But mostly it was surprisingly calm." Munich's main railway station was evacuated. BR television said police had sealed off many highways north of Munich and people were told to leave them. The shopping centre is next to the Munich Olympic stadium, where the Palestinian militant group Black September took 11 Israeli athletes hostage and eventually killed them during the 1972 Olympic Games. Friday's attack took place a week after a 17-year-old asylum-seeker assaulted passengers on a German train with an axe. Bavarian police shot dead the teenager after he wounded four people from Hong Kong on the train and injured a local resident while fleeing. German justice minister Heiko Maas told Bild newspaper's Friday edition before the mall attack that there was "no reason to panic but it's clear that Germany remains a possible target". The incidents in Germany follow an attack in Nice, France, on July 14 in which a Tunisian drove a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, killing 84. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack. The Munich assault was also reminiscent of Islamist militant attacks in a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2013 and in Mumbai, India, in November 2008. Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende said on Twitter: "Horrible killings in Munich. Taking place on the same day as we mourn & remember the appalling terror that hit Norway so hard five years ago." (Reuters, AFP)

Munich attack: 10 dead, including 18-year-old German-Iranian gunman

A suspected Islamic State militant was arrested from Thane district of India&#39;s western Maharastra state on Friday.&nbsp;The suspect, Rizwan Khan, was arrested last night in a joint operation by police of southern Kerala state and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). 
 
He was produced in a Mumbai court today, which sent him to a transit remand till July 25.&nbsp;His lawyer, IO Khan, said that Rizwan was innocent and has been kept in custody, illegally. 
 
&quot;Since last three to four days he is in illegal custody. Why they have taken illegal custody to him, that we cannot say right now. Let&#39;s see on 25th, they will produce him before the appropriate court in Ernakulam. So, we will see and definitely he is absolutely innocent. He has nothing to do with the matter,&quot; said the lawyer. 
 
This is the second arrest by Kerala police in the last few days, who have been camping in Mumbai over the last week.&nbsp;Earlier this week, Kerala police arrested 45-year-old Arshid Qureshi, a public relation manager with controversial preacher Zakir Naik&#39;s Islamic Research Foundation, from Mumbai for allegedly radicalising youth and recruiting them to Islamic State. 
 
Islamic State has struggled to win over recruits in India, which is home to the world&#39;s third-largest Muslim population.&nbsp;Indian police arrested 29 men last year for establishing bases to recruit men to the Islamist militant group. All men were charged with conspiracy to wage war against the state. 
 
A handful of Indians are also suspected of having travelled to Iraq and Syria to join Islamic State, where the group is fighting to install an Islamic caliphate. 
 
(Reuters)

Rizwan Khan was produced in a Mumbai court today and sent to a transit remand till July 25. He was arrested last night

A suspected Islamic State militant was arrested from Thane district of India's western Maharastra state on Friday. The suspect, Rizwan Khan, was arrested last night in a joint operation by police of southern Kerala state and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). He was produced in a Mumbai court today, which sent him to a transit remand till July 25. His lawyer, IO Khan, said that Rizwan was innocent and has been kept in custody, illegally. "Since last three to four days he is in illegal custody. Why they have taken illegal custody to him, that we cannot say right now. Let's see on 25th, they will produce him before the appropriate court in Ernakulam. So, we will see and definitely he is absolutely innocent. He has nothing to do with the matter," said the lawyer. This is the second arrest by Kerala police in the last few days, who have been camping in Mumbai over the last week. Earlier this week, Kerala police arrested 45-year-old Arshid Qureshi, a public relation manager with controversial preacher Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation, from Mumbai for allegedly radicalising youth and recruiting them to Islamic State. Islamic State has struggled to win over recruits in India, which is home to the world's third-largest Muslim population. Indian police arrested 29 men last year for establishing bases to recruit men to the Islamist militant group. All men were charged with conspiracy to wage war against the state. A handful of Indians are also suspected of having travelled to Iraq and Syria to join Islamic State, where the group is fighting to install an Islamic caliphate. (Reuters)

Suspected Islamic State militant arrested in western India

Libyan forces said today they had edged further into the centre of Sirte as they seek to recapture the city from Islamic State, following heavy battles until late the previous evening that left dozens dead. 
 
Forces aligned with Libya&#39;s United Nations-backed government in Tripoli advanced rapidly on Islamic State&#39;s Libyan stronghold in May, but have faced lethal resistance from snipers, suicide bombers and mines as they have closed in on the city centre. 
 
Sirte had been under the complete control of Islamic State since last year, becoming its most important base outside Syria and Iraq, and its loss would be a major setback for the group.&nbsp;After a lull in fighting earlier this week, the government-backed forces launched a fresh assault on several fronts in Sirte, after first pounding Islamic State positions with artillery and air strikes. 
 
The brigades, made up mainly of fighters from the western city of Misrata, said in a statement that they had captured a hotel on the eastern front line used by Islamic State snipers, and also taken control of part of the &quot;Dollar&quot; neighbourhood. 
 
They said they had foiled three attempted car bomb attacks and destroyed an armoured vehicle. A Reuters witness saw a tank belonging to the brigades being blown up, though it was not clear what caused the explosion.&nbsp;He said shelling continued late into Thursday night, but it was quiet today morning. 
 
Nearly 50 bodies of Islamic State fighters killed during Thursday&#39;s clashes were counted, the statement from the government-backed forces said. At least 22 brigade members were killed and 175 wounded, according to Misrata&#39;s central hospital. 
 
Since the campaign for Sirte began in May, more than 300 fighters from the brigades have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded, a spokesman for the forces said. 
 
Islamic State expanded into Libya amid the political chaos and security vacuum that developed after long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in an uprising in 2011.&nbsp;The group extended its presence along about 250 kilometres of Libya&#39;s coastline, but failed to win and retain territory elsewhere in the country. 
 
(Reuters)

The government-backed forces have taken control of a part of 'Dollar' neighbourhood. The city has been under control of IS since last year

Libyan forces said today they had edged further into the centre of Sirte as they seek to recapture the city from Islamic State, following heavy battles until late the previous evening that left dozens dead. Forces aligned with Libya's United Nations-backed government in Tripoli advanced rapidly on Islamic State's Libyan stronghold in May, but have faced lethal resistance from snipers, suicide bombers and mines as they have closed in on the city centre. Sirte had been under the complete control of Islamic State since last year, becoming its most important base outside Syria and Iraq, and its loss would be a major setback for the group. After a lull in fighting earlier this week, the government-backed forces launched a fresh assault on several fronts in Sirte, after first pounding Islamic State positions with artillery and air strikes. The brigades, made up mainly of fighters from the western city of Misrata, said in a statement that they had captured a hotel on the eastern front line used by Islamic State snipers, and also taken control of part of the "Dollar" neighbourhood. They said they had foiled three attempted car bomb attacks and destroyed an armoured vehicle. A Reuters witness saw a tank belonging to the brigades being blown up, though it was not clear what caused the explosion. He said shelling continued late into Thursday night, but it was quiet today morning. Nearly 50 bodies of Islamic State fighters killed during Thursday's clashes were counted, the statement from the government-backed forces said. At least 22 brigade members were killed and 175 wounded, according to Misrata's central hospital. Since the campaign for Sirte began in May, more than 300 fighters from the brigades have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded, a spokesman for the forces said. Islamic State expanded into Libya amid the political chaos and security vacuum that developed after long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in an uprising in 2011. The group extended its presence along about 250 kilometres of Libya's coastline, but failed to win and retain territory elsewhere in the country. (Reuters)

Libyan forces claim gains in fierce fight against Islamic State in Sirte

French President Francois Hollande said on Friday France would supply heavy weapons to Iraqi forces as soon as next month and that there were no plans to deploy troops on the ground there and in Syria, after a fourth security council meeting since the attacks in Nice on Bastille Day. 
 
France has said it would ramp up efforts to fight Islamic State after an attack in the Riviera city of Nice that killed 84 people last week but would not deploy troops on the ground. 
 
&quot;This morning at the defence council, I took the decision as part of the anti-Daesh coalition to make weapons available to Iraqi forces,&quot; Hollande said, using another name for IS. 
 
&quot;They will be there next month,&quot; he said following the meeting with a handful of ministers and the heads of the security forces. 
 
An aide to the president said the weaponry would include artillery batteries and that France would also send military advisors to train Iraqi forces in using them. 
 
Hollande said he would also be sending the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the region &quot;at the end of September&quot;. 
 
The carrier &quot;will allow us to intensify strikes against terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq using our Rafale jets,&quot; he said. 
 
Hollande insisted that the move did not change the nature of France&#39;s military involvement in the region. 
 
&quot;We support our allies in Iraq and Syria but we are not deploying ground troops,&quot; he stressed. 
 
&quot;We have advice to give and training to carry out, but it is not our soldiers fighting on the ground in Syria and Iraq.&quot; 
 
French and American air forces have been conducting strikes on Islamic State strongholds in Syria and Iraq. 
 
Earlier this year, French military advisers and special forces also began operating on the ground in Libya against Islamic State militants in conjunction with Britain and the United States. 
 
(Reuters, AFP) 
&nbsp;

President Francois Hollande says France will send heavy weapons to Iraq in support of the coalition fighting Islamic State

French President Francois Hollande said on Friday France would supply heavy weapons to Iraqi forces as soon as next month and that there were no plans to deploy troops on the ground there and in Syria, after a fourth security council meeting since the attacks in Nice on Bastille Day. France has said it would ramp up efforts to fight Islamic State after an attack in the Riviera city of Nice that killed 84 people last week but would not deploy troops on the ground. "This morning at the defence council, I took the decision as part of the anti-Daesh coalition to make weapons available to Iraqi forces," Hollande said, using another name for IS. "They will be there next month," he said following the meeting with a handful of ministers and the heads of the security forces. An aide to the president said the weaponry would include artillery batteries and that France would also send military advisors to train Iraqi forces in using them. Hollande said he would also be sending the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the region "at the end of September". The carrier "will allow us to intensify strikes against terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq using our Rafale jets," he said. Hollande insisted that the move did not change the nature of France's military involvement in the region. "We support our allies in Iraq and Syria but we are not deploying ground troops," he stressed. "We have advice to give and training to carry out, but it is not our soldiers fighting on the ground in Syria and Iraq." French and American air forces have been conducting strikes on Islamic State strongholds in Syria and Iraq. Earlier this year, French military advisers and special forces also began operating on the ground in Libya against Islamic State militants in conjunction with Britain and the United States. (Reuters, AFP)

France to supply artillery to Iraqi army, rules out troop deployment

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today faced growing criticism from the European Union (EU) over an &quot;unacceptable&quot; crackdown that has seen tens of thousands of people detained or sacked, as supporters celebrated the defeat one week ago of the coup aimed at ending his rule.&nbsp; 
 
The authorities imposed a state of emergency yesterday, strengthening powers to round up suspects behind the failed military putsch and suspending a key European rights convention. 
 
The European Union urged Turkey &quot;to respect under any circumstances the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms&quot;, in a joint statement from foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn. 
 
They slammed as &quot;unacceptable&quot; the sacking or suspension of tens of thousands of people in the education system, judiciary and the media and said they were monitoring the state of emergency &quot;with concern&quot;. 
 
Turkey&#39;s Western allies have been watching with alarm the turmoil in the key NATO member state, which has also been reeling from a wave of bomb attacks by Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish rebels. 
 
 
Erdogan basks in support of jubilant crowds&nbsp; 
 
But at home, Erdogan has basked in the support of jubilant crowds who took to the streets of Istanbul overnight. 
 
Huge numbers were again expected to fill city squares Friday to celebrate Erdogan`s victory over the rebels, whose botched coup last Friday with troops, tanks and fighter jets claimed 265 lives. 
 
The president has said July 15 would in future be marked as the &quot;Remembrance Day of the Martyrs&quot;. 
 
The government said the coup claimed the lives of 24 plotters, and of 241 citizens and members of the security forces who stood up to them. Thousands of Erdogan supporters -- many carrying lit torches and waving the national crescent flag -- late Thursday streamed across the Bosphorus bridge that was one of the key battlegrounds. 
 
Flocking to the landmark where Turkish citizens stood up to the mutineers, they brandished signs such as &quot;Our flag, our nation&quot; and denounced the man Erdogan blames for the coup plot -- US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, 75. 
 
Erdogan has repeatedly rallied Turks -- on TV and even with mass phone text messages -- to stay on the streets in the fight against the &quot;terrorist&quot; followers of the spiritual leader whom he accuses of forming a secretive &quot;parallel state&quot; in Turkey. 
 
Erdogan has demanded the United States extradite his former ally turned arch-enemy Gulen, the leader of the Hizmet (Service) movement, which runs a global network of schools as well as businesses, media outlets and cultural centres. 
 
The usually reclusive 75-year-old preacher has condemned the attempted putsch and rejected the accusations against him as &quot;ridiculous, irresponsible and false&quot;. 
 
Late Wednesday, after a marathon meeting of his national security council, Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency -- Turkey`s first since 2002, the year before he first came to power as prime minister. 
 
The emergency powers allow Erdogan and his cabinet to rule by decree and rights groups and opposition parties fear they could lead to further curbs on freedoms of speech and assembly. 
 
&quot;The road to arbitrary rule, unlawful behaviour, feeding on violence, has been chosen,&quot; charged the opposition Peoples` Democratic Party (HDP).&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Society has been forced to choose between a coup or an undemocratic government.&quot;Erdogan has insisted democracy would &quot;not be compromised&quot; and the government pointed out that France also declared an emergency in the wake of a series of bloody jihadist attacks. 
 
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said there would be no curfews, and that the special measures may only last 45 days, insisting: &quot;We want to end the state of emergency as soon as possible&quot;. 
 
&quot;This is not a declaration of martial law.&quot; 
 
Period of pre-charge detention likely to be lengthened&nbsp; 
 
Erdogan said 10,410 people had so far been detained with 4,060 of them remanded in custody, including more than 100 generals and admirals.&nbsp; 
 
Turkey has started to close Gulenist schools, may set up special courts for coup plotters and restructure the MIT intelligence service, the Hurriyet and Sabah newspapers reported, citing government sources. 
 
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told CNN-Turk that the period of pre-charge detention would be lengthened. 
 
On restoring the death penalty, he pointed to Erdogan`s comment that there was popular demand for its reintroduction. 
 
&quot;The president said we cannot close our ears to the demands of the people.&quot; 
 
On EU warnings that capital punishment would spell the end of Turkey&#39;s membership bid, he said &quot;the European Union cannot tell us much, it has made Turkey wait at the door&quot; for decades. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Turkey's Western allies have been watching with alarm the turmoil in the key NATO member state

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today faced growing criticism from the European Union (EU) over an "unacceptable" crackdown that has seen tens of thousands of people detained or sacked, as supporters celebrated the defeat one week ago of the coup aimed at ending his rule. The authorities imposed a state of emergency yesterday, strengthening powers to round up suspects behind the failed military putsch and suspending a key European rights convention. The European Union urged Turkey "to respect under any circumstances the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms", in a joint statement from foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn. They slammed as "unacceptable" the sacking or suspension of tens of thousands of people in the education system, judiciary and the media and said they were monitoring the state of emergency "with concern". Turkey's Western allies have been watching with alarm the turmoil in the key NATO member state, which has also been reeling from a wave of bomb attacks by Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish rebels. Erdogan basks in support of jubilant crowds But at home, Erdogan has basked in the support of jubilant crowds who took to the streets of Istanbul overnight. Huge numbers were again expected to fill city squares Friday to celebrate Erdogan`s victory over the rebels, whose botched coup last Friday with troops, tanks and fighter jets claimed 265 lives. The president has said July 15 would in future be marked as the "Remembrance Day of the Martyrs". The government said the coup claimed the lives of 24 plotters, and of 241 citizens and members of the security forces who stood up to them. Thousands of Erdogan supporters -- many carrying lit torches and waving the national crescent flag -- late Thursday streamed across the Bosphorus bridge that was one of the key battlegrounds. Flocking to the landmark where Turkish citizens stood up to the mutineers, they brandished signs such as "Our flag, our nation" and denounced the man Erdogan blames for the coup plot -- US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, 75. Erdogan has repeatedly rallied Turks -- on TV and even with mass phone text messages -- to stay on the streets in the fight against the "terrorist" followers of the spiritual leader whom he accuses of forming a secretive "parallel state" in Turkey. Erdogan has demanded the United States extradite his former ally turned arch-enemy Gulen, the leader of the Hizmet (Service) movement, which runs a global network of schools as well as businesses, media outlets and cultural centres. The usually reclusive 75-year-old preacher has condemned the attempted putsch and rejected the accusations against him as "ridiculous, irresponsible and false". Late Wednesday, after a marathon meeting of his national security council, Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency -- Turkey`s first since 2002, the year before he first came to power as prime minister. The emergency powers allow Erdogan and his cabinet to rule by decree and rights groups and opposition parties fear they could lead to further curbs on freedoms of speech and assembly. "The road to arbitrary rule, unlawful behaviour, feeding on violence, has been chosen," charged the opposition Peoples` Democratic Party (HDP). "Society has been forced to choose between a coup or an undemocratic government."Erdogan has insisted democracy would "not be compromised" and the government pointed out that France also declared an emergency in the wake of a series of bloody jihadist attacks. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said there would be no curfews, and that the special measures may only last 45 days, insisting: "We want to end the state of emergency as soon as possible". "This is not a declaration of martial law." Period of pre-charge detention likely to be lengthened Erdogan said 10,410 people had so far been detained with 4,060 of them remanded in custody, including more than 100 generals and admirals. Turkey has started to close Gulenist schools, may set up special courts for coup plotters and restructure the MIT intelligence service, the Hurriyet and Sabah newspapers reported, citing government sources. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told CNN-Turk that the period of pre-charge detention would be lengthened. On restoring the death penalty, he pointed to Erdogan`s comment that there was popular demand for its reintroduction. "The president said we cannot close our ears to the demands of the people." On EU warnings that capital punishment would spell the end of Turkey's membership bid, he said "the European Union cannot tell us much, it has made Turkey wait at the door" for decades. (AFP)

Week after Turkey coup bid, EU slams 'unacceptable' crackdown

A joint team of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and Kerala Police arrested a youth in India yesterday allegedly associated with controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik&#39;s foundation in connection with a case registered in Kochi in India&#39;s southern Kerala state. 
 
A senior police official said Arshid Qureshi, who was associated with Naik&#39;s IRF Foundation, was nabbed from Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra in western India. 
 
Qureshi was held after the police raided a flat in Seawoods, reported The Times of India. 
 
According to the report, Ebin Jacob (25), the brother of Merin alias Mariam, who is missing along with her husband, Bestin Vincent alias Yahia, from Kerala, had told police that there was an attempt to forcibly convert him to Islam and make him join the Islamic State. Ebin had told Kochi police that Bestin and Qureshi were behind the attempted conversion. 
 
A case under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 153 A (promoting enmity between groups) as well as under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act was registered in Kochi. He was produced before the Belapur court in Navi Mumbai which granted Kerala Police his transit remand till July 25. 
 
Kerala Police will now produce him in a court in Kochi. 
 
At least 21 youth from Kerala have gone missing in the past one month and their families suspect they may have joined the Islamic State. The families of the youths, including a couple, have not heard from them for the past one month and fear that they have been radicalised after having gone to West Asia for religious studies. 
 
(WION)&nbsp;

Arshid Qureshi was nabbed from a Mumbai suburb after the brother of a missing Kerala man reported a forced conversion attempt to the police

A joint team of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and Kerala Police arrested a youth in India yesterday allegedly associated with controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik's foundation in connection with a case registered in Kochi in India's southern Kerala state. A senior police official said Arshid Qureshi, who was associated with Naik's IRF Foundation, was nabbed from Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra in western India. Qureshi was held after the police raided a flat in Seawoods, reported The Times of India. According to the report, Ebin Jacob (25), the brother of Merin alias Mariam, who is missing along with her husband, Bestin Vincent alias Yahia, from Kerala, had told police that there was an attempt to forcibly convert him to Islam and make him join the Islamic State. Ebin had told Kochi police that Bestin and Qureshi were behind the attempted conversion. A case under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 153 A (promoting enmity between groups) as well as under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act was registered in Kochi. He was produced before the Belapur court in Navi Mumbai which granted Kerala Police his transit remand till July 25. Kerala Police will now produce him in a court in Kochi. At least 21 youth from Kerala have gone missing in the past one month and their families suspect they may have joined the Islamic State. The families of the youths, including a couple, have not heard from them for the past one month and fear that they have been radicalised after having gone to West Asia for religious studies. (WION)

Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik's aide arrested for allegedly recruiting youth for IS

A grenade exploded on Friday outside a mosque in Yemen&#39;s capital Sanaa, controlled by the Iran-allied Houthi group, residents said, as worshippers were leaving after midday prayers.&nbsp; 
 
There were no injuries or casualties, a witness said.&nbsp; 
 
No group claimed responsibility for the explosion under a parked car by the Bilal mosque in western Sanaa.&nbsp; 
 
Islamist militants have exploited Yemen&#39;s 16-month civil war between the Houthis and supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, to strike at both sides. 
 
The Houthis have controlled Sanaa since 2014 when they drove Hadi and his government into exile in Saudi Arabia. 
 
Yemen&#39;s government forces and allies from the United Arab Emirates control the southern port city of Aden and have pledged to win back control of the capital. 
 
Islamic State said it carried out an attack on a mosque in Sanaa last September that killed 10 worshippers. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Islamic State militants had carried out an attack on a mosque in Sanaa last September that killed 10 worshippers

A grenade exploded on Friday outside a mosque in Yemen's capital Sanaa, controlled by the Iran-allied Houthi group, residents said, as worshippers were leaving after midday prayers. There were no injuries or casualties, a witness said. No group claimed responsibility for the explosion under a parked car by the Bilal mosque in western Sanaa. Islamist militants have exploited Yemen's 16-month civil war between the Houthis and supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, to strike at both sides. The Houthis have controlled Sanaa since 2014 when they drove Hadi and his government into exile in Saudi Arabia. Yemen's government forces and allies from the United Arab Emirates control the southern port city of Aden and have pledged to win back control of the capital. Islamic State said it carried out an attack on a mosque in Sanaa last September that killed 10 worshippers. (Reuters)

Grenade explosion near mosque in Sanaa, Yemen

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as he widened a crackdown against thousands of members of the security forces, judiciary, civil service and academia after a failed military coup. 
 
Erdogan said the state of emergency, which would last three months, would allow his government to take swift and effective measures against supporters of the coup and was allowed under the constitution. 
 
The state of emergency would go into force after it is published in Turkey&#39;s official gazette and would allow the President and cabinet to bypass Parliament in passing new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms as they deem necessary. 
 
Erdogan made the announcement during a live television broadcast in front of government ministers after a nearly five-hour meeting of the National Security Council. 
 
&quot;The aim of the declaration of the state of emergency is to be able to take fast and effective steps against this threat against democracy, the rule of law and rights and freedoms of our citizens,&quot; Erdogan said. 
 
Turkey&#39;s deputy premier said Thursday the state of emergency announced to fight plotters of last weeks failed coup may only last up to 45 days, despite being declared for a three-month span. 
 
&quot;We want to end the state of emergency as soon as possible,&quot; Numan Kurtulmus said in quotes carried by private NTV television. 
 
&quot;If conditions return to normal, we think it will take a one or one-and-a-half month period at the maximum. I hope there will be no need for a further extension.&quot; 
 
Turkey imposed a state of emergency as it presses ahead with a crackdown on suspects accused of staging the failed coup, blamed by the government on supporters of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. 
 
Erdogan, who has led Turkey as prime minister or president since 2003, has vowed to clean the &quot;virus&quot; responsible for the plot from all state institutions. The depth and scale of the purges have raised concern among Western allies that Erdogan is trying to suppress all dissent, and that opponents unconnected with the plot will be caught in the net. 
 
Kurtulmus insisted that no steps would be taken to restrict basic rights and freedoms, telling journalists that &quot;the decision on the state of emergency is aimed at cleansing the state of the gang&quot; of conspirators. 
 
About 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or are under investigation since Friday&#39;s military coup attempt. 
 
Before announcing the state of emergency, Erdogan said the sweep was not yet over and that he believed foreign countries might have been involved in the attempt to overthrow him. 
 
Speaking through an interpreter in an interview with broadcaster Al Jazeera, Erdogan dismissed suggestions that he was becoming authoritarian and that Turkish democracy was under threat. 
 
&quot;We will remain within a democratic parliamentary system. We will never step away from it,&quot; he said. 
 
Academics were banned from travelling abroad on Wednesday in what a Turkish official said was a temporary measure to prevent the risk of alleged coup plotters in universities from fleeing. State TRT television said 95 academics had been removed from their posts at Istanbul University alone. 
 
About a third of Turkey&#39;s roughly 360 serving generals have been detained since the coup attempt, a second senior official said, with 99 charged pending trial and 14 more being held. 
 
The defence ministry is investigating all military judges and prosecutors, and has suspended 262 of them, broadcaster NTV reported, while 900 police officers in the capital Ankara were also suspended on Wednesday. The purge also extended to civil servants in the environment and sports ministries. 
 
The threat of prolonged instability in a NATO member country, which had not seen a violent military coup for more than three decades, has shaken investors&#39; confidence. 
 
The lira fell to a record low after ratings agency Standard &amp; Poor&#39;s cut Turkey&#39;s foreign currency credit rating, citing the fragmentation of the political landscape and saying it expected a period of heightened unpredictability. The Istanbul stock index is down 9.5 per cent so far this week, its worst three-day performance since 2013. 
 
Seeking to prevent damage to the economy, Erdogan said in his televised address that his government would not abandon fiscal discipline and that it was not facing liquidity problems. 
 
Military chief refused to back coup bid 
 
About 1,400 were wounded as soldiers commandeered tanks, attack helicopters and warplanes, strafing Parliament and the intelligence headquarters and trying to seize the main airport and bridges in Istanbul on Friday night. 
 
At the height of the abortive coup, the rebel pilots of two F-16 fighter jets had Erdogan&#39;s plane in their sights as he returned to Istanbul from a holiday on the coast. Erdogan said he was almost killed or captured by the mutineers. 
 
Turkey&#39;s Western allies have expressed solidarity with the government over the coup attempt but have also voiced increasing alarm at the scale and swiftness of the response, urging it to adhere to democratic values. 
 
On Tuesday, authorities shut media outlets deemed to be supportive of Gulen. More than 20,000 teachers and administrators have been suspended from the education ministry. One hundred intelligence officials, 492 people from the Religious Affairs Directorate, 257 at the prime minister&#39;s office and 300 at the energy ministry have been removed from duty. 
 
Those moves come after the detention of more than 6,000 members of the armed forces, from foot soldiers to commanders, and the suspension of close to 3,000 judges and prosecutors. About 8,000 police officers, including in the capital Ankara and the biggest city Istanbul, have also been removed. 
 
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad Al Hussein voiced &quot;serious alarm&quot; on Tuesday at the mass suspension of judges and prosecutors and urged Turkey to allow independent monitors to visit those who have been detained. 
 
The foreign ministry has said criticism of the government&#39;s response amounts to backing the coup attempt. 
 
Tensions with US 
 
Erdogan&#39;s spokesman said on Tuesday the government was preparing a formal request to the United States for the extradition of Gulen. US President Barack Obama discussed the status of Gulen in a telephone call with Erdogan on Tuesday, the White House said, urging Ankara to show restraint as it pursues those responsible for the failed coup. 
 
Gulen, 75, whose religious movement blends conservative Islamic values with a pro-Western outlook, lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, but has a network of supporters within Turkey. He has condemned the abortive coup and denied any role in it. 
 
A former ally-turned critic of Erdogan, he suggested the President staged it as an excuse for a crackdown after a steady accumulation of control during 14 years in power. 
 
Washington has said it would consider Gulen&#39;s extradition only if clear evidence was provided, prompting Prime Minister Yildirim to accuse the United States of double standards in its fight against terrorism. 
 
Erdogan struck a more conciliatory note in his comments to Al Jazeera, saying he did not want to link the issue of US use of Turkey&#39;s Incirlik airbase with Ankara&#39;s request for Gulen&#39;s extradition. 
 
The airbase is key to the US-led fight against Islamic State. 
 
&quot;We need to be more sensitive. Relations between our countries are based on interests, not feelings. We are strategic partners,&quot; Erdogan said. 
 
Any extradition request would face legal and political hurdles in the United States. Even if approved by a judge, it would still have to go to secretary of state John Kerry, who can consider non-legal factors, such as humanitarian arguments. 
 
(Reuters)

Erdogan, however, dismissed concerns about him turning authoritarian and said Turkey 'will remain within a democratic parliamentary system'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as he widened a crackdown against thousands of members of the security forces, judiciary, civil service and academia after a failed military coup. Erdogan said the state of emergency, which would last three months, would allow his government to take swift and effective measures against supporters of the coup and was allowed under the constitution. The state of emergency would go into force after it is published in Turkey's official gazette and would allow the President and cabinet to bypass Parliament in passing new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms as they deem necessary. Erdogan made the announcement during a live television broadcast in front of government ministers after a nearly five-hour meeting of the National Security Council. "The aim of the declaration of the state of emergency is to be able to take fast and effective steps against this threat against democracy, the rule of law and rights and freedoms of our citizens," Erdogan said. Turkey's deputy premier said Thursday the state of emergency announced to fight plotters of last weeks failed coup may only last up to 45 days, despite being declared for a three-month span. "We want to end the state of emergency as soon as possible," Numan Kurtulmus said in quotes carried by private NTV television. "If conditions return to normal, we think it will take a one or one-and-a-half month period at the maximum. I hope there will be no need for a further extension." Turkey imposed a state of emergency as it presses ahead with a crackdown on suspects accused of staging the failed coup, blamed by the government on supporters of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Erdogan, who has led Turkey as prime minister or president since 2003, has vowed to clean the "virus" responsible for the plot from all state institutions. The depth and scale of the purges have raised concern among Western allies that Erdogan is trying to suppress all dissent, and that opponents unconnected with the plot will be caught in the net. Kurtulmus insisted that no steps would be taken to restrict basic rights and freedoms, telling journalists that "the decision on the state of emergency is aimed at cleansing the state of the gang" of conspirators. About 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or are under investigation since Friday's military coup attempt. Before announcing the state of emergency, Erdogan said the sweep was not yet over and that he believed foreign countries might have been involved in the attempt to overthrow him. Speaking through an interpreter in an interview with broadcaster Al Jazeera, Erdogan dismissed suggestions that he was becoming authoritarian and that Turkish democracy was under threat. "We will remain within a democratic parliamentary system. We will never step away from it," he said. Academics were banned from travelling abroad on Wednesday in what a Turkish official said was a temporary measure to prevent the risk of alleged coup plotters in universities from fleeing. State TRT television said 95 academics had been removed from their posts at Istanbul University alone. About a third of Turkey's roughly 360 serving generals have been detained since the coup attempt, a second senior official said, with 99 charged pending trial and 14 more being held. The defence ministry is investigating all military judges and prosecutors, and has suspended 262 of them, broadcaster NTV reported, while 900 police officers in the capital Ankara were also suspended on Wednesday. The purge also extended to civil servants in the environment and sports ministries. The threat of prolonged instability in a NATO member country, which had not seen a violent military coup for more than three decades, has shaken investors' confidence. The lira fell to a record low after ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut Turkey's foreign currency credit rating, citing the fragmentation of the political landscape and saying it expected a period of heightened unpredictability. The Istanbul stock index is down 9.5 per cent so far this week, its worst three-day performance since 2013. Seeking to prevent damage to the economy, Erdogan said in his televised address that his government would not abandon fiscal discipline and that it was not facing liquidity problems. Military chief refused to back coup bid About 1,400 were wounded as soldiers commandeered tanks, attack helicopters and warplanes, strafing Parliament and the intelligence headquarters and trying to seize the main airport and bridges in Istanbul on Friday night. At the height of the abortive coup, the rebel pilots of two F-16 fighter jets had Erdogan's plane in their sights as he returned to Istanbul from a holiday on the coast. Erdogan said he was almost killed or captured by the mutineers. Turkey's Western allies have expressed solidarity with the government over the coup attempt but have also voiced increasing alarm at the scale and swiftness of the response, urging it to adhere to democratic values. On Tuesday, authorities shut media outlets deemed to be supportive of Gulen. More than 20,000 teachers and administrators have been suspended from the education ministry. One hundred intelligence officials, 492 people from the Religious Affairs Directorate, 257 at the prime minister's office and 300 at the energy ministry have been removed from duty. Those moves come after the detention of more than 6,000 members of the armed forces, from foot soldiers to commanders, and the suspension of close to 3,000 judges and prosecutors. About 8,000 police officers, including in the capital Ankara and the biggest city Istanbul, have also been removed. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein voiced "serious alarm" on Tuesday at the mass suspension of judges and prosecutors and urged Turkey to allow independent monitors to visit those who have been detained. The foreign ministry has said criticism of the government's response amounts to backing the coup attempt. Tensions with US Erdogan's spokesman said on Tuesday the government was preparing a formal request to the United States for the extradition of Gulen. US President Barack Obama discussed the status of Gulen in a telephone call with Erdogan on Tuesday, the White House said, urging Ankara to show restraint as it pursues those responsible for the failed coup. Gulen, 75, whose religious movement blends conservative Islamic values with a pro-Western outlook, lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, but has a network of supporters within Turkey. He has condemned the abortive coup and denied any role in it. A former ally-turned critic of Erdogan, he suggested the President staged it as an excuse for a crackdown after a steady accumulation of control during 14 years in power. Washington has said it would consider Gulen's extradition only if clear evidence was provided, prompting Prime Minister Yildirim to accuse the United States of double standards in its fight against terrorism. Erdogan struck a more conciliatory note in his comments to Al Jazeera, saying he did not want to link the issue of US use of Turkey's Incirlik airbase with Ankara's request for Gulen's extradition. The airbase is key to the US-led fight against Islamic State. "We need to be more sensitive. Relations between our countries are based on interests, not feelings. We are strategic partners," Erdogan said. Any extradition request would face legal and political hurdles in the United States. Even if approved by a judge, it would still have to go to secretary of state John Kerry, who can consider non-legal factors, such as humanitarian arguments. (Reuters)

Turkish President Erdogan declares emergency after failed coup attempt

Bangladesh&#39;s elite security force said today it had arrested four members, including the top regional head, of the homegrown Islamist extremist group blamed for an attack on a Dhaka cafe in which 20 hostages were murdered. 
 
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officers stormed a flat in an apartment building in the industrial town of Tongi, just north of the capital Dhaka, and arrested four members of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). 
 
&quot;Among them was Mahmudul Hasan, the southern regional head of the JMB. He is a top militant trainer,&quot; RAB spokesman Mufti Mahmud Khan told reporters. 
 
Police recovered hand-made bombs and bomb-making materials from the house, indicating the militants &quot;were planning to carry out an act of sabotage,&quot; he said. 
 
Bangladesh&#39;s government has blamed JMB for the July 1 attack on an upscale cafe in Dhaka&#39;s Gulshan neighbourhood in which 20 hostages, including 18 foreigners, were shot and slaughtered. 
 
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Gulshan attack, releasing photos of the carnage and of the five men who carried out the deadly assault. 
 
Bangladeshi authorities rejected the claim, saying international jihadist networks have no presence in the world&#39;s third largest Muslim majority nation. 
 
But national police chief Shahidul Hoque said recently that authorities were investigating whether the Gulshan attackers had any international connections. 
 
RAB spokesman Khan said officers were probing whether Hasan and the three other detained JMB operatives, including a medical student, had played a role in the Gulshan attack. 
 
&quot;They will be questioned,&quot; he said. 
 
Hasan-trained militants were responsible for the murder of a police constable and deadly bomb attack at the nation&#39;s most respected Shiite shrine in Dhaka late last year, he added. 
 
Bangladesh has been reeling from a deadly wave of attacks in the last three years. 
 
The government and police say homegrown extremists are responsible for the deaths of some 80 secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities since 2013. 
 
Both IS and a branch of al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the attacks. 
 
Critics say Hasina&#39;s administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by Islamist extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic political opponents. 
 
Last month, authorities launched a crackdown on local jihadists, arresting more than 11,000 people, but critics allege the arrests were arbitrary or designed to silence opposition. 
 
(AFP)

Hand-made bombs were recovered from the house of the militants of the homegrown Islamist group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh

Bangladesh's elite security force said today it had arrested four members, including the top regional head, of the homegrown Islamist extremist group blamed for an attack on a Dhaka cafe in which 20 hostages were murdered. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officers stormed a flat in an apartment building in the industrial town of Tongi, just north of the capital Dhaka, and arrested four members of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). "Among them was Mahmudul Hasan, the southern regional head of the JMB. He is a top militant trainer," RAB spokesman Mufti Mahmud Khan told reporters. Police recovered hand-made bombs and bomb-making materials from the house, indicating the militants "were planning to carry out an act of sabotage," he said. Bangladesh's government has blamed JMB for the July 1 attack on an upscale cafe in Dhaka's Gulshan neighbourhood in which 20 hostages, including 18 foreigners, were shot and slaughtered. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Gulshan attack, releasing photos of the carnage and of the five men who carried out the deadly assault. Bangladeshi authorities rejected the claim, saying international jihadist networks have no presence in the world's third largest Muslim majority nation. But national police chief Shahidul Hoque said recently that authorities were investigating whether the Gulshan attackers had any international connections. RAB spokesman Khan said officers were probing whether Hasan and the three other detained JMB operatives, including a medical student, had played a role in the Gulshan attack. "They will be questioned," he said. Hasan-trained militants were responsible for the murder of a police constable and deadly bomb attack at the nation's most respected Shiite shrine in Dhaka late last year, he added. Bangladesh has been reeling from a deadly wave of attacks in the last three years. The government and police say homegrown extremists are responsible for the deaths of some 80 secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities since 2013. Both IS and a branch of al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the attacks. Critics say Hasina's administration is in denial about the nature of the threat posed by Islamist extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic political opponents. Last month, authorities launched a crackdown on local jihadists, arresting more than 11,000 people, but critics allege the arrests were arbitrary or designed to silence opposition. (AFP)

Bangladesh security forces arrest 4 Islamist extremists for alleged involvement in Dhaka attack

Europe is at major risk of &quot;lone wolf&quot; terror attacks, its policing agency said today, with the latest incidents showing &quot;how difficult it is to detect and disrupt suspects&quot;. 
 
Recent incidents including Monday&#39;s attack on a German train and last week&#39;s carnage in Nice which left 84 people dead &quot;remain a favoured tactic by the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda,&quot; Europol said in a statement. 
 
&quot;Both groups have repeatedly called on Muslims living in western countries to perpetrate lone actor attacks in their countries of residence,&quot; it said. 
 
In the latest incident, the Islamic State group on Tuesday released a video purportedly featuring a 17-year-old migrant who went on an axe rampage on a train at Wuerzburg in southern Germany, injuring five people, two critically. 
 
&quot;Although IS has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, none seem to have been planned, logistically supported or executed directly by IS,&quot; Europol said, 
 
Despite the attackers&#39; pledges of allegiance to the IS group, &quot;their actual involvement cannot be established,&quot; Europol said. 
 
The Hague-based policing organisation also released its 2015 &quot;EU Terrorism and Trend Report&quot; saying 151 people died and more than 350 others were injured in terror attacks last year in the 28-member bloc. 
 
The 55-page report only looked at 2015 and did not take into account the Nice attack or the attacks on the Brussels airport and metro stations in March in which 32 people died. 
 
&quot;In 2015 the EU (European Union) experienced a massive number of casualties caused by terrorist attacks,&quot; Europol chief Rob Wainwright said. 
 
&quot;The carefully planned attacks demonstrate the elevated threat to the EU from a fanatical minority based in the Middle East, combined with a network of people born and raised in the EU,&quot; he said. 
 
These people are &quot;often radicalised within a short space of time, (and) proven willing to act as facilitators and active accomplices in terrorism,&quot; Wainwright said. 
 
A significant number of all foreign terrorist travellers in Syria and Iraq are now female, the report said, and women have also &quot;proven to be very successful in facilitating and recruiting while still in the EU&quot;. 
 
These women are trained in the use of weapons though are probably not currently taking part in active combat, Europol added. 
 
&quot;Their roles may change in the future, which may have an effect on the nature and impact&quot; of Islamic State group operations in Europe, the policing agency warned. 
 
Last year, 687 suspects were arrested, of whom 198 were convicted of jihadist activities. 
 
Europol warned: &quot;It is a highly challenging task for the security services and law enforcement to prevent every terrorist attack by keeping track of the ever-increasing numbers of people suspected of being, in one way, or another sympathetic to IS ideology.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The Islamic State group yesterday released a video purportedly featuring a 17-year-old migrant who went on an axe rampage on a train

Europe is at major risk of "lone wolf" terror attacks, its policing agency said today, with the latest incidents showing "how difficult it is to detect and disrupt suspects". Recent incidents including Monday's attack on a German train and last week's carnage in Nice which left 84 people dead "remain a favoured tactic by the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda," Europol said in a statement. "Both groups have repeatedly called on Muslims living in western countries to perpetrate lone actor attacks in their countries of residence," it said. In the latest incident, the Islamic State group on Tuesday released a video purportedly featuring a 17-year-old migrant who went on an axe rampage on a train at Wuerzburg in southern Germany, injuring five people, two critically. "Although IS has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, none seem to have been planned, logistically supported or executed directly by IS," Europol said, Despite the attackers' pledges of allegiance to the IS group, "their actual involvement cannot be established," Europol said. The Hague-based policing organisation also released its 2015 "EU Terrorism and Trend Report" saying 151 people died and more than 350 others were injured in terror attacks last year in the 28-member bloc. The 55-page report only looked at 2015 and did not take into account the Nice attack or the attacks on the Brussels airport and metro stations in March in which 32 people died. "In 2015 the EU (European Union) experienced a massive number of casualties caused by terrorist attacks," Europol chief Rob Wainwright said. "The carefully planned attacks demonstrate the elevated threat to the EU from a fanatical minority based in the Middle East, combined with a network of people born and raised in the EU," he said. These people are "often radicalised within a short space of time, (and) proven willing to act as facilitators and active accomplices in terrorism," Wainwright said. A significant number of all foreign terrorist travellers in Syria and Iraq are now female, the report said, and women have also "proven to be very successful in facilitating and recruiting while still in the EU". These women are trained in the use of weapons though are probably not currently taking part in active combat, Europol added. "Their roles may change in the future, which may have an effect on the nature and impact" of Islamic State group operations in Europe, the policing agency warned. Last year, 687 suspects were arrested, of whom 198 were convicted of jihadist activities. Europol warned: "It is a highly challenging task for the security services and law enforcement to prevent every terrorist attack by keeping track of the ever-increasing numbers of people suspected of being, in one way, or another sympathetic to IS ideology." (AFP)

Europol warns it is difficult to predict lone wolf attacks

DONT PUBLISH -- ANU 
 
 
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility today for its first attack in Germany, an axe and knife assault on a train carried out by a 17-year-old Afghan refugee. 
 
German authorities said they had found a hand-painted IS flag among the belongings of the asylum seeker, who seriously injured four members of a family of tourists from Hong Kong in his rampage. The teenage assailant was killed as he tried to flee. 
 
&quot;The perpetrator of the stabbing attack in Germany was one of the fighters of the Islamic State,&quot; the IS-linked Amaq news agency said. 
 
The assault on a regional train near the southern city of Wuerzburg late Monday left two of the victims critically hurt, said Joachim Herrmann, the interior minister of Bavaria state. 
 
&quot;We hope that those who were gravely injured make it,&quot; Herrmann told ZDF public television. 
 
Germany has thus far escaped the kind of large-scale jihadist attack seen in the southern French city of Nice last week, in which 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel used a truck to mow down 84 people. That attack was also claimed by IS. 
 
The terrifying assault in Bavaria is likely to revive a heated national debate about integrating migrants and refugees after a record influx last year. 
 
&#39;Like a slaughterhouse&#39; 
 
The assailant had arrived as an unaccompanied minor in Germany about two years ago and had been staying with a foster family in the region for the last two weeks, Herrmann said. 
 
&quot;It is quite probable that this was an Islamist attack,&quot; said a ministry spokesman hours after the attack, adding that the assailant was heard shouting &quot;Allahu akbar&quot; (God is greatest). 
 
However, he stressed that the investigation was ongoing and that the teenager appeared to have acted alone. 
 
&quot;We must determine what the motive was and to what extent he really belonged to the Islamist scene or self-radicalised very recently,&quot; Herrmann said, adding that the assailant had no criminal record in Germany. 
 
The assault happened around 9:15 pm (1915 GMT) on the train which runs between the town of Treuchtlingen and Wuerzburg in Bavaria. 
 
An eyewitness who lives next to the railway station told DPA news agency that the train, which had been carrying around 25 people, looked &quot;like a slaughterhouse&quot; with blood covering the floor. 
 
The man, who declined to give his name, said he saw people crawl from the carriage and ask for a first-aid kit as other victims lay on the floor inside. 
 
&quot;The perpetrator was able to leave the train, police left in pursuit and as part of this pursuit, they shot the attacker and killed him,&quot; a police spokesman said. 
 
Herrmann later said the teenager was shot when he attacked police while trying to escape the scene. 
 
Political tensions 
 
Germany has been spared major Islamist attacks but in May, a mentally unstable 27-year-old man wielding a knife killed one person and injured three others on another Bavarian regional train. 
 
Early reports had suggested he had yelled &quot;Allahu akbar&quot; but police later said there was no evidence pointing to a religious motive. He is being held in a psychiatric hospital. 
 
In February, a 15-year-old girl of Turkish origin stabbed a policeman in the neck with a kitchen knife at Hanover train station in what prosecutors later said was an IS-inspired attack. 
 
And police in April arrested two 16-year-olds over an explosion that wounded three people at a Sikh temple, in what was believed to be an Islamist-motivated attack against an Indian wedding party at a temple in the western city of Essen. 
 
Germany let in nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers last year, with Syrians the largest group followed by Afghans. 
 
However the number of refugees arriving in Germany has fallen sharply as a result of the closure of the Balkans migration route and an EU deal with Turkey to stem the flow. 
 
Bavaria is governed by the Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel&#39;s conservative Christian Democrats, which has been loudly critical of Merkel&#39;s welcoming stance toward asylum seekers. 
 
The split threatened the unity of the ruling coalition in Berlin and sent the government&#39;s approval ratings plunging. 
 
It has also put wind in the sails of a right-wing populist party, Alternative for Germany, which was founded as a eurosceptic protest outfit in 2013 but now mainly rails against Islam and Germany&#39;s refugee influx. 
 
Merkel&#39;s popularity has rebounded recently but the Bavaria attack is likely to stoke political tensions. 
 
(AFP)

German authorities had found a hand-painted IS flag in the belongings of the teenage Afghan attacker. The assailant was killed while fleeing

DONT PUBLISH -- ANU The Islamic State group claimed responsibility today for its first attack in Germany, an axe and knife assault on a train carried out by a 17-year-old Afghan refugee. German authorities said they had found a hand-painted IS flag among the belongings of the asylum seeker, who seriously injured four members of a family of tourists from Hong Kong in his rampage. The teenage assailant was killed as he tried to flee. "The perpetrator of the stabbing attack in Germany was one of the fighters of the Islamic State," the IS-linked Amaq news agency said. The assault on a regional train near the southern city of Wuerzburg late Monday left two of the victims critically hurt, said Joachim Herrmann, the interior minister of Bavaria state. "We hope that those who were gravely injured make it," Herrmann told ZDF public television. Germany has thus far escaped the kind of large-scale jihadist attack seen in the southern French city of Nice last week, in which 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel used a truck to mow down 84 people. That attack was also claimed by IS. The terrifying assault in Bavaria is likely to revive a heated national debate about integrating migrants and refugees after a record influx last year. 'Like a slaughterhouse' The assailant had arrived as an unaccompanied minor in Germany about two years ago and had been staying with a foster family in the region for the last two weeks, Herrmann said. "It is quite probable that this was an Islamist attack," said a ministry spokesman hours after the attack, adding that the assailant was heard shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest). However, he stressed that the investigation was ongoing and that the teenager appeared to have acted alone. "We must determine what the motive was and to what extent he really belonged to the Islamist scene or self-radicalised very recently," Herrmann said, adding that the assailant had no criminal record in Germany. The assault happened around 9:15 pm (1915 GMT) on the train which runs between the town of Treuchtlingen and Wuerzburg in Bavaria. An eyewitness who lives next to the railway station told DPA news agency that the train, which had been carrying around 25 people, looked "like a slaughterhouse" with blood covering the floor. The man, who declined to give his name, said he saw people crawl from the carriage and ask for a first-aid kit as other victims lay on the floor inside. "The perpetrator was able to leave the train, police left in pursuit and as part of this pursuit, they shot the attacker and killed him," a police spokesman said. Herrmann later said the teenager was shot when he attacked police while trying to escape the scene. Political tensions Germany has been spared major Islamist attacks but in May, a mentally unstable 27-year-old man wielding a knife killed one person and injured three others on another Bavarian regional train. Early reports had suggested he had yelled "Allahu akbar" but police later said there was no evidence pointing to a religious motive. He is being held in a psychiatric hospital. In February, a 15-year-old girl of Turkish origin stabbed a policeman in the neck with a kitchen knife at Hanover train station in what prosecutors later said was an IS-inspired attack. And police in April arrested two 16-year-olds over an explosion that wounded three people at a Sikh temple, in what was believed to be an Islamist-motivated attack against an Indian wedding party at a temple in the western city of Essen. Germany let in nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers last year, with Syrians the largest group followed by Afghans. However the number of refugees arriving in Germany has fallen sharply as a result of the closure of the Balkans migration route and an EU deal with Turkey to stem the flow. Bavaria is governed by the Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats, which has been loudly critical of Merkel's welcoming stance toward asylum seekers. The split threatened the unity of the ruling coalition in Berlin and sent the government's approval ratings plunging. It has also put wind in the sails of a right-wing populist party, Alternative for Germany, which was founded as a eurosceptic protest outfit in 2013 but now mainly rails against Islam and Germany's refugee influx. Merkel's popularity has rebounded recently but the Bavaria attack is likely to stoke political tensions. (AFP)

IS claims first German attack with train axe assault

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