Much like the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India, Bangladesh&#39;s Awami League&nbsp;has adopted the strategy of letting the masses guess their next move. The Indian public was surprised when BJP candidate Yogi Adityanath was declared as the&nbsp;chief minister&nbsp;of the state of Uttar Pradesh, mainly because he was denied the&nbsp;status of the&nbsp;chief ministerial&nbsp;candidate before the elections.

A similar approach was adopted in Bangladesh by the ruling Awami League regarding a newly-founded, yet&nbsp;influential, religious-social outfit called Hefazat-e-Islam. Bangladesh&#39;s government allowed the Islamist pressure group to hold a huge anti-blogger rally in early 2013, where the latter went way beyond just denouncing secular thinkers. Later, the party denied permission for a second rally to the outfit and clamped down on thyem with force that resulted in several fatalities. Later, the government granted land and other facilities to them for developing religious infrastructure. Such conflicting moves have left people bewildered.&nbsp;

In a controversial act, the party officially&nbsp;recognised&nbsp;one degree of Qawmi Madrassa, an informal education system that is closely related to the pressure group. Correspondingly, another demand by the same group was acknowledged when the government removed the&nbsp;&#39;Bengalised&#39;&nbsp;statue of Greek goddess Themis from the Supreme Court. The statue&nbsp;symbolises&nbsp;justice and fairness. The Hefazat group expressed its gratitude to the Prime Minister for the action. However, it was later discovered that the statue was only to be reinstalled in an inner and less visible spot within the premises of the same court.

Political enthusiasts and analysts are stumbling to make any sense out of these unfolding developments. The Awami League strategists must be grinning with glee as they keep calling the uninterrupted diversionary shots. The real issues, on the other hand, hardly make it to the headlines.

However, it is imprudent to ignore the supposed rise of the regressive Islamist force as it clearly aspires to fill the vacuum of an opposition party in the political space since the main erstwhile opposition - the centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party - has been&nbsp;sidelined.&nbsp;

The Themis statue is the first of its kind sculpture in Bangladesh.&nbsp;It is situated beside the National Eid Gah, where Muslims congregate twice a year for the biggest Eid prayers of the country.&nbsp;Notwithstanding the sense of high drama on the matter, the Awami League appears to have acted wisely.

Clamour for removal of hundreds of other similar statues have emerged such as &#39;The mother and children&#39; of 1971 in Eskaton, Central Dhaka and &#39;The three Freedom Fighters&#39; that includes a woman, on the Airport Road. The group also wanted the Baul statue in front of the Airport removed. They got the statue removed, despite resistance from liberal Dhakaites.&nbsp;

Another notable demand made&nbsp;was for the removal of all statues from the entire country. As one rightly says, give them an inch and they will take a mile. During the 2013 anti-blogger rally, the group also made a 13-point-demand charter which would essentially turn Bangladesh into one of the most regressive theocracies in the world. They have not abandoned that position yet. In an instance of 2008, when the government attempted to draft a comprehensive women&#39;s empowerment bill, the outfit and its allies started a protest that ultimately led to&nbsp;scrapping&nbsp;of the same.&nbsp;

The case of the Themis statue depicts Hefazat&#39;s sense of priority in&nbsp;polity, similar to the BJP&#39;s game of putting Gau-Raksha above poverty alleviation.&nbsp;Hopeful liberals of Bangladesh still want to put their faith in the officially secular Awami League. Politicking with emotive religious issues has become an unfortunate reality in South Asia. One can only hope that the grand old party of Bangladesh will stick to its progressive credentials in the final count to uphold the true spirit of the liberation struggle of Bangladesh which has been the prime revolutionary event in the modern political history of the land.

The case for the removal of the Themis statue from Bangladesh's Supreme Court is similar to the BJP's one of putting Gau-Raksha above poverty alleviation

Much like the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India, Bangladesh's Awami League has adopted the strategy of letting the masses guess their next move. The Indian public was surprised when BJP candidate Yogi Adityanath was declared as the chief minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh, mainly because he was denied the status of the chief ministerial candidate before the elections. A similar approach was adopted in Bangladesh by the ruling Awami League regarding a newly-founded, yet influential, religious-social outfit called Hefazat-e-Islam. Bangladesh's government allowed the Islamist pressure group to hold a huge anti-blogger rally in early 2013, where the latter went way beyond just denouncing secular thinkers. Later, the party denied permission for a second rally to the outfit and clamped down on thyem with force that resulted in several fatalities. Later, the government granted land and other facilities to them for developing religious infrastructure. Such conflicting moves have left people bewildered. In a controversial act, the party officially recognised one degree of Qawmi Madrassa, an informal education system that is closely related to the pressure group. Correspondingly, another demand by the same group was acknowledged when the government removed the 'Bengalised' statue of Greek goddess Themis from the Supreme Court. The statue symbolises justice and fairness. The Hefazat group expressed its gratitude to the Prime Minister for the action. However, it was later discovered that the statue was only to be reinstalled in an inner and less visible spot within the premises of the same court. Political enthusiasts and analysts are stumbling to make any sense out of these unfolding developments. The Awami League strategists must be grinning with glee as they keep calling the uninterrupted diversionary shots. The real issues, on the other hand, hardly make it to the headlines. However, it is imprudent to ignore the supposed rise of the regressive Islamist force as it clearly aspires to fill the vacuum of an opposition party in the political space since the main erstwhile opposition - the centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party - has been sidelined. The Themis statue is the first of its kind sculpture in Bangladesh. It is situated beside the National Eid Gah, where Muslims congregate twice a year for the biggest Eid prayers of the country. Notwithstanding the sense of high drama on the matter, the Awami League appears to have acted wisely. Clamour for removal of hundreds of other similar statues have emerged such as 'The mother and children' of 1971 in Eskaton, Central Dhaka and 'The three Freedom Fighters' that includes a woman, on the Airport Road. The group also wanted the Baul statue in front of the Airport removed. They got the statue removed, despite resistance from liberal Dhakaites. Another notable demand made was for the removal of all statues from the entire country. As one rightly says, give them an inch and they will take a mile. During the 2013 anti-blogger rally, the group also made a 13-point-demand charter which would essentially turn Bangladesh into one of the most regressive theocracies in the world. They have not abandoned that position yet. In an instance of 2008, when the government attempted to draft a comprehensive women's empowerment bill, the outfit and its allies started a protest that ultimately led to scrapping of the same. The case of the Themis statue depicts Hefazat's sense of priority in polity, similar to the BJP's game of putting Gau-Raksha above poverty alleviation. Hopeful liberals of Bangladesh still want to put their faith in the officially secular Awami League. Politicking with emotive religious issues has become an unfortunate reality in South Asia. One can only hope that the grand old party of Bangladesh will stick to its progressive credentials in the final count to uphold the true spirit of the liberation struggle of Bangladesh which has been the prime revolutionary event in the modern political history of the land.

Awami League's flirting with Hefazat is dangerous for Bangladesh

A suspected suicide bomb attack in&nbsp;a busy bus terminal in the Indonesian capital Jakarta has left three policemen dead and ten people injured, Reuters reported.

Indonesian police had said earlier&nbsp;that there had been two explosions in the eastern part of the capital Jakarta at the Kampung Melayu terminal.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E2fNrDEvrSE"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
A suspected suicide bomb attack in a busy bus terminal in the Indonesian capital Jakarta has left three policemen dead and ten people injured, Reuters reported (WION)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&quot;There has been a bomb, for now we suspect it is a suicide bombing,&quot; deputy national police chief Syafruddin told TV station TVOne.

He said the bomber was killed along with one police officer.

Andry Wibowo, the head of East Jakarta police, told Metro TV that people had heard two explosions and three people had been hurt.

&quot;From the damage, I can see the explosions were pretty big,&quot;&nbsp;Andry Wibowo said.

There were two blasts at around 9:00pm (local time), close to each other, there are three victims,&quot; Andry Wibowo said.

(WION with Agency inputs)

Indonesian police said there had been two explosions in the eastern part of the capital Jakarta near a bus station

A suspected suicide bomb attack in a busy bus terminal in the Indonesian capital Jakarta has left three policemen dead and ten people injured, Reuters reported. Indonesian police had said earlier that there had been two explosions in the eastern part of the capital Jakarta at the Kampung Melayu terminal. A suspected suicide bomb attack in a busy bus terminal in the Indonesian capital Jakarta has left three policemen dead and ten people injured, Reuters reported (WION) × "There has been a bomb, for now we suspect it is a suicide bombing," deputy national police chief Syafruddin told TV station TVOne. He said the bomber was killed along with one police officer. Andry Wibowo, the head of East Jakarta police, told Metro TV that people had heard two explosions and three people had been hurt. "From the damage, I can see the explosions were pretty big," Andry Wibowo said. There were two blasts at around 9:00pm (local time), close to each other, there are three victims," Andry Wibowo said. (WION with Agency inputs)

Suicide attack in Jakarta, 3 policemen killed

Three French schoolchildren were hurt in the attack near London&#39;s parliament on Wednesday, French officials said.

The three students from the Concarneau Lycee in Brittany, western France, were on a school trip there, a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement. The statement did not say how serious the injuries were.

A total of 90 students from the school were in London, about a dozen of which were in the area of the attack, an official at the school told Reuters.

&quot;As the centre of London was hit by a cowardly attack, France assures the British people of its solidarity,&quot; the foreign ministry statement said, adding that French authorities were in contact with their British counterparts.

A report in Le Telegramme newspaper cited a fellow students who was at the scene of what British police have described as a terrorist incident, saying the three were hit by a car that was involved whilst walking on Westminster Bridge. One of them landed on the hood of the car, the Telegramme said.

They were aged around 15 or 16, Le Telegramme reported.

(Reuters)

The three students are believed to be hit by a car, said a fellow student who was at the scene

Three French schoolchildren were hurt in the attack near London's parliament on Wednesday, French officials said. The three students from the Concarneau Lycee in Brittany, western France, were on a school trip there, a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement. The statement did not say how serious the injuries were. A total of 90 students from the school were in London, about a dozen of which were in the area of the attack, an official at the school told Reuters. "As the centre of London was hit by a cowardly attack, France assures the British people of its solidarity," the foreign ministry statement said, adding that French authorities were in contact with their British counterparts. A report in Le Telegramme newspaper cited a fellow students who was at the scene of what British police have described as a terrorist incident, saying the three were hit by a car that was involved whilst walking on Westminster Bridge. One of them landed on the hood of the car, the Telegramme said. They were aged around 15 or 16, Le Telegramme reported. (Reuters)

Three French schoolchildren hurt in London attack

The national capital was today wrapped in an unprecedented security cover with thousands of security force personnel keeping a hawk-eye vigil to ward off any terror strike or untoward incident during India&#39;s 68th Republic Day celebrations.

Mobile hit teams, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters were deployed to keep a watch on the eight-kilometre-long parade route from Rajpath to Red Fort besides nearby localities.

There were intelligence inputs that terror groups may try to carry out attacks. Delhi Police was sent a special advisory informing them that terror groups might use animals to target crowded areas like important installations, railway stations, etc to create a panic.

Crown prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the chief guest of the Republic Day celebrations.

As per earlier intelligence inputs, terror groups like LeT may be planning to use helicopter charter services and charter flights to launch attacks.

Snipers were on top of high-rise buildings while around scores of CCTV cameras kept a tight vigil on people&#39;s movements on the parade route.

Elaborate air defence measures, including the deployment of anti-aircraft guns, were also put in place to secure the air space.

Nearly 60,000 security personnel drawn from Delhi Police and central security forces have been deployed in Central Delhi. Police are also using counter-drone technology to thwart any attack or identify any suspicious flying object, a senior police officer said.

Security personnel identified vulnerable spots like crowded markets, railway stations, bus stands and other high-value establishments and efforts were made to secure them. Traffic police deployed around 1,500 personnel to manage route diversions during the parade.

Patrolling in public places was intensified and checking and frisking in the metro, railway stations and bus terminals tightened.

(PTI)

Mobile hit teams, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters were deployed to keep a watch on the eight-km-long parade route

The national capital was today wrapped in an unprecedented security cover with thousands of security force personnel keeping a hawk-eye vigil to ward off any terror strike or untoward incident during India's 68th Republic Day celebrations. Mobile hit teams, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters were deployed to keep a watch on the eight-kilometre-long parade route from Rajpath to Red Fort besides nearby localities. There were intelligence inputs that terror groups may try to carry out attacks. Delhi Police was sent a special advisory informing them that terror groups might use animals to target crowded areas like important installations, railway stations, etc to create a panic. Crown prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the chief guest of the Republic Day celebrations. As per earlier intelligence inputs, terror groups like LeT may be planning to use helicopter charter services and charter flights to launch attacks. Snipers were on top of high-rise buildings while around scores of CCTV cameras kept a tight vigil on people's movements on the parade route. Elaborate air defence measures, including the deployment of anti-aircraft guns, were also put in place to secure the air space. Nearly 60,000 security personnel drawn from Delhi Police and central security forces have been deployed in Central Delhi. Police are also using counter-drone technology to thwart any attack or identify any suspicious flying object, a senior police officer said. Security personnel identified vulnerable spots like crowded markets, railway stations, bus stands and other high-value establishments and efforts were made to secure them. Traffic police deployed around 1,500 personnel to manage route diversions during the parade. Patrolling in public places was intensified and checking and frisking in the metro, railway stations and bus terminals tightened. (PTI)

Tight security in India's capital for Republic Day celebrations

An explosion outside a church on Borneo island injured four children today, Indonesian police said.

Several motorbikes were also damaged in the explosion in the parking lot of the Oikumene Church in Samarinda, the provincial capital of East Kalimantan province, said national police spokesman Maj Gen Boy Rafli Amar.

The children, aged 2 to 4 years old, suffered burn injuries, Amar said.

Media reports cited local police spokesman Lt Col Fajar Setiawan as saying the explosion came from a Molotov cocktail thrown by a man riding on a motorbike.

The man jumped into a nearby river but was captured by locals and handed over to police. TV footage showed the injured man lying on the deck of a motorboat. He was wearing a black shirt with the words &quot;Jihad, Way of Life.&quot;

Amar identified the man as a 32-year-old former terror convict from the West Java town of Bogor who was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison over a 2011 terror attack and was released in July 2014.

He moved to East Kalimantan about a year ago.

It was the second explosion at a church in Indonesia this year.

In August, a would-be suicide bomber failed to detonate a bomb during a Sunday Mass in a church in Medan, the provincial capital of North Sumatra in western Indonesia, but he managed to injure a priest with an axe before being restrained.

Indonesia, the world&#39;s most populous Muslim nation, has carried out a sustained crackdown on militant networks since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

(PTI)

The explosion came from a Molotov cocktail thrown by a man riding on a motorbike, media reports cited local police spokesman as saying

An explosion outside a church on Borneo island injured four children today, Indonesian police said. Several motorbikes were also damaged in the explosion in the parking lot of the Oikumene Church in Samarinda, the provincial capital of East Kalimantan province, said national police spokesman Maj Gen Boy Rafli Amar. The children, aged 2 to 4 years old, suffered burn injuries, Amar said. Media reports cited local police spokesman Lt Col Fajar Setiawan as saying the explosion came from a Molotov cocktail thrown by a man riding on a motorbike. The man jumped into a nearby river but was captured by locals and handed over to police. TV footage showed the injured man lying on the deck of a motorboat. He was wearing a black shirt with the words "Jihad, Way of Life." Amar identified the man as a 32-year-old former terror convict from the West Java town of Bogor who was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison over a 2011 terror attack and was released in July 2014. He moved to East Kalimantan about a year ago. It was the second explosion at a church in Indonesia this year. In August, a would-be suicide bomber failed to detonate a bomb during a Sunday Mass in a church in Medan, the provincial capital of North Sumatra in western Indonesia, but he managed to injure a priest with an axe before being restrained. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has carried out a sustained crackdown on militant networks since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people. (PTI)

Explosion at central Indonesia church injures 4 children

Two police officers in Brussels were stabbed on Wednesday in a possible terror attack, prosecutors said.

The attacker stabbed one officer in the neck and the other in the abdomen. The police officers&#39; wounds were not life-threatening, Reuters reported.

The attacker, a 42-year-old Hicham D, was shot in the leg. The Belgian assailant was taken away in an ambulance, the prosecutors said.

The BBC reported that the attacker is believed to have links to jihadists who travelled to Syria to fight.

&quot;We have reason to believe that it is terror-related,&quot; federal prosecutor&#39;s spokesman Eric Van Der Sypt said, The Guardian reported.

Belgium&nbsp;is on high alert after 32 people were killed in bombings at the city&#39;s airport and metro on 22 March.

Early on Wednesday, the city&#39;s Gare du Nord railway station was closed over a bomb scare.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The attacker stabbed one officer in the neck and the other in the abdomen. The injuries are not life-threatening

Two police officers in Brussels were stabbed on Wednesday in a possible terror attack, prosecutors said. The attacker stabbed one officer in the neck and the other in the abdomen. The police officers' wounds were not life-threatening, Reuters reported. The attacker, a 42-year-old Hicham D, was shot in the leg. The Belgian assailant was taken away in an ambulance, the prosecutors said. The BBC reported that the attacker is believed to have links to jihadists who travelled to Syria to fight. "We have reason to believe that it is terror-related," federal prosecutor's spokesman Eric Van Der Sypt said, The Guardian reported. Belgium is on high alert after 32 people were killed in bombings at the city's airport and metro on 22 March. Early on Wednesday, the city's Gare du Nord railway station was closed over a bomb scare. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Two Brussels police stabbed in suspected 'terror attack'

French police arrested two young women from the city of Nice in mid-September for suspected ties to Islamist State militant Rachid Kassim, the Paris prosecutors&#39; office said on Sunday. 
 
Aged 17 and 19, the teenagers used the Telegram encrypted messaging system to communicate with Kassim, who is suspected of having participated in several attacks or attempted attacks in France, a spokesman said, confirming an earlier report by newspaper Le Parisien. 
 
&quot;They were incited to commit an attack on specific targets in retaliation for the recent death of the Islamic State&#39;s spokesman (Abu Muhammad al-Adnani),&quot; a source close to the investigation told Le Parisien. 
 
The two teenagers admitted considering the attack, before abandoning the idea, the daily reported. 
 
At least four other teenagers, all suspected of having plotted to kill in the name of the Islamic State, were arrested in about 10 days in early September by the General Directorate for Internal Security, a French intelligence agency, which spotted the suspects on social networks. 
 
All were in contact via Telegram with Kassim, who is currently located in the Syrian-Iraqi region, according to police and judicial sources. 
 
(Reuters)

The young women used the Telegram app to communicate with Kassim who is suspected of having participated in several attacks against France

French police arrested two young women from the city of Nice in mid-September for suspected ties to Islamist State militant Rachid Kassim, the Paris prosecutors' office said on Sunday. Aged 17 and 19, the teenagers used the Telegram encrypted messaging system to communicate with Kassim, who is suspected of having participated in several attacks or attempted attacks in France, a spokesman said, confirming an earlier report by newspaper Le Parisien. "They were incited to commit an attack on specific targets in retaliation for the recent death of the Islamic State's spokesman (Abu Muhammad al-Adnani)," a source close to the investigation told Le Parisien. The two teenagers admitted considering the attack, before abandoning the idea, the daily reported. At least four other teenagers, all suspected of having plotted to kill in the name of the Islamic State, were arrested in about 10 days in early September by the General Directorate for Internal Security, a French intelligence agency, which spotted the suspects on social networks. All were in contact via Telegram with Kassim, who is currently located in the Syrian-Iraqi region, according to police and judicial sources. (Reuters)

Two French teenagers held for suspected ties to IS militant

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s presence in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Pakistan remains doubtful amid strained Indo-Pak ties in the wake of Uri attack in Kashmir on Sunday and ongoing unrest in the Valley.&nbsp; 
 
No decision has been taken as yet on Modi&#39;s participation in the summit scheduled to start on November 8 in Islamabad, Indian news agency ANI reported today quoting sources.&nbsp; 
 
At least 17 soldiers were killed and four militants were shot dead when gunmen attacked an Indian Army base &nbsp;in Uri area of Kashmir Valley on Sunday.&nbsp; 
 
While Modi condemned the attacks and assured that the perpetrators will not go &#39;unpunished&#39;, Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh branded Pakistan as a &#39;terrorist state&#39;.&nbsp; 
 
The ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has asserted that neighbouring country, Pakistan, will have to bear the brunt of Uri attacks in Kashmir, one of the deadliest raids on Indian Army base, that left at least 17 soldiers dead.&nbsp; 
 
Speaking to ANI, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi condemned the Uri terror attack and said: &nbsp;&quot;Today&#39;s incident of Uri is very unfortunate and painful. Now it is very clear from the observations of the military establishment that the terrorists were trained from Pakistan and they were heavily armed with well-equipped planning.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Following the terror strike, Indian Army claimed that weapons recovered from the site had Pakistan markings on them. Initial investigations by the Indian Army indicate the role of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan based&nbsp;terrorist group. Pakistan, however, has denied the allegations.&nbsp; 
 
The two countries have been at loggerheads with each-other following the outbreak of unrest in Kashmir Valley after death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8.&nbsp; 
 
 
UN chief condemns Uri attacks&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, the terror strike has evoked widespread condemnation. &nbsp;UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said he hopes the perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice and all involved will work for the re-establishment of stability and prevent further loss of life. 
 
&quot;The United Nations is following developments closely and shares the concerns of people living in the region for peace,&quot; a statement issued by Ban&#39;s spokesperson here said. 
 
He &quot;hopes that all involved will prioritise the re-establishment of stability and prevent any further loss of life. The Secretary-General encourages all stakeholders to meet their respective responsibilities to maintain peace and stability,&quot; the statement said. 
 
Expressing his &quot;deepest sympathy and condolences&quot; to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives and to the government of India, Ban wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack. 
 
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, who succeeded Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as the head of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), also expressed solidarity with the people of India &quot;who have suffered a terrorist attack.&quot;, Indian news agency PTI reported today.&nbsp; 
 
 
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister pays tributes to martyrs 
 
Meanwhile, led by the chief minister of northernmost Jammu and Kashmir state Mehbooba Mufti, senior Indian Army and police officials paid tributes at the wreath laying ceremony for the 17 soldiers killed in the militant attack on an Army base in Uri. 
 
&quot;Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti laid wreaths on the coffins of the martyred soldiers at a somber ceremony held at headquarters of the Chinar Corps here at Badamibagh,&quot; an Army official was quoted as saying by Indian news agency PTI.&nbsp; 
 
The chief minister later visited the soldiers, injured in yesterday&#39;s attack, at the 92 Base Hospital of the Army, the official said. 
 
Following directions of Indian defence Minister Manohar Parikkar, the Army has made arrangements for transporting the mortal remains of all the martyrs directly to their respective hometowns. 
 
While two of the 17 soldiers hail from Jammu and Kashmir, rest of them belong to Uttar Pradesh (four), Bihar (three), Maharashtra (three), West Bengal (two), Jharkhand (two) and Rajasthan, according to the Indian news agency.&nbsp; 
 
Anti-Pakistan protests were also reported in the Jammu area of the northernmost state follow the terror attacks. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
 
 
&nbsp;

The terror strike in Uri on Sunday that killed at least 17 Indian soldiers has triggered a fresh war of words between India and Pakistan

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Pakistan remains doubtful amid strained Indo-Pak ties in the wake of Uri attack in Kashmir on Sunday and ongoing unrest in the Valley. No decision has been taken as yet on Modi's participation in the summit scheduled to start on November 8 in Islamabad, Indian news agency ANI reported today quoting sources. At least 17 soldiers were killed and four militants were shot dead when gunmen attacked an Indian Army base in Uri area of Kashmir Valley on Sunday. While Modi condemned the attacks and assured that the perpetrators will not go 'unpunished', Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh branded Pakistan as a 'terrorist state'. The ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has asserted that neighbouring country, Pakistan, will have to bear the brunt of Uri attacks in Kashmir, one of the deadliest raids on Indian Army base, that left at least 17 soldiers dead. Speaking to ANI, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi condemned the Uri terror attack and said: "Today's incident of Uri is very unfortunate and painful. Now it is very clear from the observations of the military establishment that the terrorists were trained from Pakistan and they were heavily armed with well-equipped planning." Following the terror strike, Indian Army claimed that weapons recovered from the site had Pakistan markings on them. Initial investigations by the Indian Army indicate the role of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan based terrorist group. Pakistan, however, has denied the allegations. The two countries have been at loggerheads with each-other following the outbreak of unrest in Kashmir Valley after death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. UN chief condemns Uri attacks Meanwhile, the terror strike has evoked widespread condemnation. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said he hopes the perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice and all involved will work for the re-establishment of stability and prevent further loss of life. "The United Nations is following developments closely and shares the concerns of people living in the region for peace," a statement issued by Ban's spokesperson here said. He "hopes that all involved will prioritise the re-establishment of stability and prevent any further loss of life. The Secretary-General encourages all stakeholders to meet their respective responsibilities to maintain peace and stability," the statement said. Expressing his "deepest sympathy and condolences" to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives and to the government of India, Ban wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack. Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, who succeeded Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as the head of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), also expressed solidarity with the people of India "who have suffered a terrorist attack.", Indian news agency PTI reported today. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister pays tributes to martyrs Meanwhile, led by the chief minister of northernmost Jammu and Kashmir state Mehbooba Mufti, senior Indian Army and police officials paid tributes at the wreath laying ceremony for the 17 soldiers killed in the militant attack on an Army base in Uri. "Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti laid wreaths on the coffins of the martyred soldiers at a somber ceremony held at headquarters of the Chinar Corps here at Badamibagh," an Army official was quoted as saying by Indian news agency PTI. The chief minister later visited the soldiers, injured in yesterday's attack, at the 92 Base Hospital of the Army, the official said. Following directions of Indian defence Minister Manohar Parikkar, the Army has made arrangements for transporting the mortal remains of all the martyrs directly to their respective hometowns. While two of the 17 soldiers hail from Jammu and Kashmir, rest of them belong to Uttar Pradesh (four), Bihar (three), Maharashtra (three), West Bengal (two), Jharkhand (two) and Rajasthan, according to the Indian news agency. Anti-Pakistan protests were also reported in the Jammu area of the northernmost state follow the terror attacks. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Uri terror attack: Indian Prime Minister's SAARC appearance remains doubtful

An Australian woman wearing a burkini was asked to leave a French beach -- and threatened -- even though France&#39;s apex court has overturned the &quot;burkini ban&quot;. 
 
Zeynab Alshelh travelled to Europe to show solidarity with French Muslims by wearing a burkini, Austalia&#39;s Channel 7 reported her as saying. 
 
&quot;We were threatened by locals to leave the beach and if we didn&#39;t they were going to call the police,&quot; Alshelh said. Even though the ban had been overturned on the Villeneuve-Loubet beach, the medical student said &#39;the locals were not happy&#39;. 
 
&quot;It did make me sad. It&#39;s really upsetting because it&#39;s just not fair,&#39; the 23-year-old said. &quot;It is as Australian as you can get, it was born in Australia and it started off in Australia and it&#39;s the name, the way that the name was put together was very Australian so it is pretty Australian,&quot; Alshelh said of the burkini. 
&nbsp; 
Channel 7&#39;s broadcast of the footage on Sunday evening showed local bathers make disparaging gestures towards Alshelh, who is sitting burkini-clad on the sand with her mother, AFP reported. 
 
When she first heard of France&#39;s burkini ban, Sydney-born Alshelh thought it was &#39;ridiculous&#39;, she told Channel 7. 
 
&#39;&#39;When I invented the burkini in early 2004, it was to give women freedom, not to take it away,&#39;&#39; Aheda Zanetti, the Australian woman who designed the burkini, told The Guardian in August. 
 
&quot;It starts off at the beach and God knows where it ends,&quot; Zeynab told Channel 7. 
 
A terror attack on Bastille Day in July killing 86 people prompted Nice and about 30 other French towns to ban the Islamic swimsuit. The Islamic State had claimed respo0snibilty for the attack. However, in August, France&#39;s highest court overturned the ban declaring the swimsuit&#39;s prohibition an &quot;illegal violation of fundamental freedoms&quot;. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Footage broadcast on Sunday evening showed local bathers making disparaging gestures towards 23-year-old Zeynab Alshelh

An Australian woman wearing a burkini was asked to leave a French beach -- and threatened -- even though France's apex court has overturned the "burkini ban". Zeynab Alshelh travelled to Europe to show solidarity with French Muslims by wearing a burkini, Austalia's Channel 7 reported her as saying. "We were threatened by locals to leave the beach and if we didn't they were going to call the police," Alshelh said. Even though the ban had been overturned on the Villeneuve-Loubet beach, the medical student said 'the locals were not happy'. "It did make me sad. It's really upsetting because it's just not fair,' the 23-year-old said. "It is as Australian as you can get, it was born in Australia and it started off in Australia and it's the name, the way that the name was put together was very Australian so it is pretty Australian," Alshelh said of the burkini. Channel 7's broadcast of the footage on Sunday evening showed local bathers make disparaging gestures towards Alshelh, who is sitting burkini-clad on the sand with her mother, AFP reported. When she first heard of France's burkini ban, Sydney-born Alshelh thought it was 'ridiculous', she told Channel 7. ''When I invented the burkini in early 2004, it was to give women freedom, not to take it away,'' Aheda Zanetti, the Australian woman who designed the burkini, told The Guardian in August. "It starts off at the beach and God knows where it ends," Zeynab told Channel 7. A terror attack on Bastille Day in July killing 86 people prompted Nice and about 30 other French towns to ban the Islamic swimsuit. The Islamic State had claimed respo0snibilty for the attack. However, in August, France's highest court overturned the ban declaring the swimsuit's prohibition an "illegal violation of fundamental freedoms". (WION with inputs from AFP)

Australian wearing burkini forced to leave French beach: Reports

US President Barack Obama on Sunday urged Americans on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to embrace the nation&#39;s diversity and not to allow &quot;terrorists&quot; to divide the country. 
 
Extremist organisations like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group &quot;know that they will never be able to defeat a nation as great and as strong as America,&quot; Obama said at a memorial service at the Pentagon, one of the sites attacked on September 11, 2001. 
 
&quot;So instead they try to terrorise, in the hopes that they can stoke enough fear that we turn on each other,&quot; said Obama, who observed a moment of silence on Sunday at the Oval Office in honor of the nearly 3,000 people killed that day. 
 
&quot;And that&#39;s why it is so important today that we reaffirm our character as a nation (...) Our diversity, our patchwork heritage, is not a weakness. It is still and always will be one of our greatest strengths,&quot; he added. 
 
&quot;This is the America that was attacked that September morning. This is the America that we must remain true to.&quot; 
 
In an indirect reference to the controversial anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant campaign rhetoric of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Obama recalled that Americans were &quot;a people drawn from every corner of the world, every color, every religion, every background.&quot; 
 
Obama, who is a Democrat, has repeatedly criticised Trump&#39;s statements, including the billionaire&#39;s proposal in the wake of last December&#39;s mass shooting attack in San Bernardino, California to ban Muslims from entering the United States. 
 
In the 15 years since the Al-Qaeda suicide plane strikes on the Pentagon, New York&#39;s World Trade Center, and in Pennsylvania, &quot;the threat has evolved,&quot; the president said. 
 
&quot;With our stronger defenses, terrorists often attempt attacks on a smaller but still deadly scale,&quot; he added, recalling the Boston marathon bombings, the nightclub massacre in Orlando in June and the carnage in San Bernardino. 
 
(AFP)

Al-Qaeda and Islamic State 'know that they will never be able to defeat a nation as great and as strong as America,' he said

US President Barack Obama on Sunday urged Americans on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to embrace the nation's diversity and not to allow "terrorists" to divide the country. Extremist organisations like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group "know that they will never be able to defeat a nation as great and as strong as America," Obama said at a memorial service at the Pentagon, one of the sites attacked on September 11, 2001. "So instead they try to terrorise, in the hopes that they can stoke enough fear that we turn on each other," said Obama, who observed a moment of silence on Sunday at the Oval Office in honor of the nearly 3,000 people killed that day. "And that's why it is so important today that we reaffirm our character as a nation (...) Our diversity, our patchwork heritage, is not a weakness. It is still and always will be one of our greatest strengths," he added. "This is the America that was attacked that September morning. This is the America that we must remain true to." In an indirect reference to the controversial anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant campaign rhetoric of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Obama recalled that Americans were "a people drawn from every corner of the world, every color, every religion, every background." Obama, who is a Democrat, has repeatedly criticised Trump's statements, including the billionaire's proposal in the wake of last December's mass shooting attack in San Bernardino, California to ban Muslims from entering the United States. In the 15 years since the Al-Qaeda suicide plane strikes on the Pentagon, New York's World Trade Center, and in Pennsylvania, "the threat has evolved," the president said. "With our stronger defenses, terrorists often attempt attacks on a smaller but still deadly scale," he added, recalling the Boston marathon bombings, the nightclub massacre in Orlando in June and the carnage in San Bernardino. (AFP)

Obama on 9/11: Diversity one of America's 'greatest strengths'

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned Sunday of new terror attacks against France. 
 
Paris was put on high alert last week after French authorities said they had dismantled a &#39;terrorist cell&#39; planning to attack a Paris railway station under Islamic state&#39;s guidance. 
 
&quot;This week at least two attacks were foiled,&quot; Manuel Valls said in an interview with Europe 1 radio and Itele television on Sunday, Reuters reported. 
 
Three French women were arrested this Friday after a car loaded with gas cylinders was found near Notre Dame cathedral. 
 
Valls, however, said former president Nicolas Sarkozy&#39;s proposals to boost security was not the right way to deal with threats. 
 
Sarkozy had suggested special courts and detention facilities for citizens suspected of militant links in an interview to local newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche. 
 
&quot;Every Frenchman suspected of being linked to terrorism, because he regularly consults a jihadist website, or his behavior shows signs of radicalisation or because is in close contact with radicalised people, must be preventively placed in a detention center,&quot; Sarkozy had said in the interview. 
 
Last month, Sarkozy announced his candidature for the 2017 presidential election. 
 
&quot;He (Sarkozy) is wrong about trying to wring the neck of the rule of law,&quot; Valls said in response to Sarkozy&#39;s statement. 
 
Valls said there were 15,000 people on the radar of police and intelligent services who were in the process of being radicalised, Reuters reported. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Officials said last week they had dismantled a 'terrorist cell' that planned to attack a Paris railway station under IS guidance

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned Sunday of new terror attacks against France. Paris was put on high alert last week after French authorities said they had dismantled a 'terrorist cell' planning to attack a Paris railway station under Islamic state's guidance. "This week at least two attacks were foiled," Manuel Valls said in an interview with Europe 1 radio and Itele television on Sunday, Reuters reported. Three French women were arrested this Friday after a car loaded with gas cylinders was found near Notre Dame cathedral. Valls, however, said former president Nicolas Sarkozy's proposals to boost security was not the right way to deal with threats. Sarkozy had suggested special courts and detention facilities for citizens suspected of militant links in an interview to local newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche. "Every Frenchman suspected of being linked to terrorism, because he regularly consults a jihadist website, or his behavior shows signs of radicalisation or because is in close contact with radicalised people, must be preventively placed in a detention center," Sarkozy had said in the interview. Last month, Sarkozy announced his candidature for the 2017 presidential election. "He (Sarkozy) is wrong about trying to wring the neck of the rule of law," Valls said in response to Sarkozy's statement. Valls said there were 15,000 people on the radar of police and intelligent services who were in the process of being radicalised, Reuters reported. (WION with inputs from agencies)

French prime minister warns of new attacks, says 15,000 people on police radar

Three Islamic State-linked women, who were planning to launch a jihadist attack&nbsp;in France, were arrested on Thursday, French authorities said on Friday. 
 
The suspects were arrested after French police found a car laden with gas cylinders. 
 
A half-lit cigarette&nbsp;and a flammable material&nbsp;found in the boot of the car were used to launch the cylinder attack, investigators said. Fortunately, the women were unable to blow up the car. 
 
&quot;A terrorist cell made up of young women totally receptive to the deadly ideology of Daesh (IS) has been dismantled,&quot; France&#39;s anti-terrorism prosecutor Francois Molins said a press conference.&nbsp; 
 
France is on high alert after security services received warnings about a potential attack in railway stations. 
 
The incarcerated women were hiding in an apartment in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Paris&nbsp;suburb of Boussy-Saint-Antoine. 
 
One policeman was stabbed during the Thursday night operation. 
 
Prosecutors have also found&nbsp;links between one of the arrested women and IS. 
 
Nineteen-year-old Ines Madani, suspected to lead the radical group, was the fiancee of&nbsp;Larossi Abballa. Madani had also individually pledged her allegiance to the IS, prosecutors said. 
 
In June, 25-year-old&nbsp;Abbala had murdered policeman&nbsp;Jean-Baptiste S and his partner in Magnanville, a&nbsp;Paris suburb. 
 
Madani was then engaged to another IS jihadist&nbsp;Adel Kermiche who&nbsp;killed priest Jacques Hamel in July.&nbsp; 
 
The other two women have been idenified as 23-year-old&nbsp;Sarah H&nbsp;and Amel S, who is 39 years of age. Amel&#39;s daughter has also been taken to police custody. 
 
Sarah was the woman who stabbed the policeman in the Thursday swoop. 
 
The developments also demonstrated IS&#39;s willingness to use women to launch fatal attacks in France. 
 
(AFP)

Three radicalised women were 'determined' on launching an attack in the city, French investigators said

Three Islamic State-linked women, who were planning to launch a jihadist attack in France, were arrested on Thursday, French authorities said on Friday. The suspects were arrested after French police found a car laden with gas cylinders. A half-lit cigarette and a flammable material found in the boot of the car were used to launch the cylinder attack, investigators said. Fortunately, the women were unable to blow up the car. "A terrorist cell made up of young women totally receptive to the deadly ideology of Daesh (IS) has been dismantled," France's anti-terrorism prosecutor Francois Molins said a press conference. France is on high alert after security services received warnings about a potential attack in railway stations. The incarcerated women were hiding in an apartment in the Paris suburb of Boussy-Saint-Antoine. One policeman was stabbed during the Thursday night operation. Prosecutors have also found links between one of the arrested women and IS. Nineteen-year-old Ines Madani, suspected to lead the radical group, was the fiancee of Larossi Abballa. Madani had also individually pledged her allegiance to the IS, prosecutors said. In June, 25-year-old Abbala had murdered policeman Jean-Baptiste S and his partner in Magnanville, a Paris suburb. Madani was then engaged to another IS jihadist Adel Kermiche who killed priest Jacques Hamel in July. The other two women have been idenified as 23-year-old Sarah H and Amel S, who is 39 years of age. Amel's daughter has also been taken to police custody. Sarah was the woman who stabbed the policeman in the Thursday swoop. The developments also demonstrated IS's willingness to use women to launch fatal attacks in France. (AFP)

France foils IS-directed gas cylinder explosion in Paris

Nice has become the latest French seaside resort to ban the burkini, the body-concealing Islamic swimsuit that has sparked heated debate in secular France, city officials said on Friday. 
 
Using language similar to bans imposed in a string of other towns on the French Riviera, the city barred apparel that &quot;overtly manifests adherence to a religion at a time when France and places of worship are the target of terrorist attacks&quot;. 
 
The wording of the ban in Nice refers specifically to last month&#39;s Bastille Day truck attack in the city that claimed 86 lives as well as the murder 12 days later of a Catholic priest near the northern city of Rouen. 
 
Fifteen towns in the southeast, as well as others elsewhere in France, have already banned the burkini including nearby film festival host city Cannes, where three women were each fined 38 euros ($43) under the ban at the weekend. 
 
Nice&#39;s deputy mayor Christian Estrosi, from the centre-right Republicans party, wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Tuesday that &quot;hiding the face or wearing a full-body costume to go to the beach is not in keeping with our ideal of social relations&quot;. 
 
Valls came under fire after saying on Wednesday that the burkini was &quot;not compatible with the values of France and the Republic&quot;. 
 
The Socialist premier cited the tensions in France after the jihadist attacks to justify his support for the mayors who barred a garment that he said was &quot;founded on the subjugation of women&quot;. 
 
France&#39;s Human Rights League accused Valls of &quot;participating in the stigmatisation of a category of French people who have become suspect by virtue of their faith&quot;. 
 
Burkinis are a rare sight on French beaches, where a small minority of Muslim women can be seen bathing in ordinary clothes and wearing headscarves. 
 
Islamic dress has long been a subject of debate in France, which was the first European country to ban the Islamic face veil in public in 2010, six years after outlawing the headscarf and other conspicuous religious symbols in state schools. 
 
Meanwhile, the imam of Florence, Italy, triggered a storm on Friday by posting on his Facebook page a picture of a group of eight nuns, veiled and dressed in their habits, on a beach. 
 
Izzedin Elzir, who is also president of the Union of Islamic Communities of Italy (UCOII), posted the picture without a caption but unwittingly sparked a wave of criticism. 
 
The image was shared more than 2,000 times and drew many negative comments. Facebook blocked Elzir&#39;s profile page for several hours after receiving hostile notifications from users. 
 
Interviewed on Sky Tg24 television, Elzir said he had simply sought to stir a &quot;positive debate&quot; and in fact had received messages from &quot;very many Christians&quot; to thank him. 
 
He said he posted the picture &quot;to respond to those who say that... western values are different in the way people dress and cover their body&quot;. 
 
&quot;I meant that part of western values comes from Christianity... and you can see that Christian roots are also derived from people who cover themselves almost completely.&quot; 
 
Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Tuesday that Italy would not ban the burkini, saying the measure would be fruitless and even counter-productive, as it could cause a potential backlash. 
 
(AFP)

The French town said the apparel 'overtly adhered to a religion' at a time when the country is in the grips of cascading terror attacks

Nice has become the latest French seaside resort to ban the burkini, the body-concealing Islamic swimsuit that has sparked heated debate in secular France, city officials said on Friday. Using language similar to bans imposed in a string of other towns on the French Riviera, the city barred apparel that "overtly manifests adherence to a religion at a time when France and places of worship are the target of terrorist attacks". The wording of the ban in Nice refers specifically to last month's Bastille Day truck attack in the city that claimed 86 lives as well as the murder 12 days later of a Catholic priest near the northern city of Rouen. Fifteen towns in the southeast, as well as others elsewhere in France, have already banned the burkini including nearby film festival host city Cannes, where three women were each fined 38 euros ($43) under the ban at the weekend. Nice's deputy mayor Christian Estrosi, from the centre-right Republicans party, wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Tuesday that "hiding the face or wearing a full-body costume to go to the beach is not in keeping with our ideal of social relations". Valls came under fire after saying on Wednesday that the burkini was "not compatible with the values of France and the Republic". The Socialist premier cited the tensions in France after the jihadist attacks to justify his support for the mayors who barred a garment that he said was "founded on the subjugation of women". France's Human Rights League accused Valls of "participating in the stigmatisation of a category of French people who have become suspect by virtue of their faith". Burkinis are a rare sight on French beaches, where a small minority of Muslim women can be seen bathing in ordinary clothes and wearing headscarves. Islamic dress has long been a subject of debate in France, which was the first European country to ban the Islamic face veil in public in 2010, six years after outlawing the headscarf and other conspicuous religious symbols in state schools. Meanwhile, the imam of Florence, Italy, triggered a storm on Friday by posting on his Facebook page a picture of a group of eight nuns, veiled and dressed in their habits, on a beach. Izzedin Elzir, who is also president of the Union of Islamic Communities of Italy (UCOII), posted the picture without a caption but unwittingly sparked a wave of criticism. The image was shared more than 2,000 times and drew many negative comments. Facebook blocked Elzir's profile page for several hours after receiving hostile notifications from users. Interviewed on Sky Tg24 television, Elzir said he had simply sought to stir a "positive debate" and in fact had received messages from "very many Christians" to thank him. He said he posted the picture "to respond to those who say that... western values are different in the way people dress and cover their body". "I meant that part of western values comes from Christianity... and you can see that Christian roots are also derived from people who cover themselves almost completely." Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Tuesday that Italy would not ban the burkini, saying the measure would be fruitless and even counter-productive, as it could cause a potential backlash. (AFP)

Nice latest town in French riviera to impose ban on burkini

Bangladeshi security forces said today they had arrested four women suspected of being members of a home-grown militant group blamed for an attack on a Dhaka cafe last month in which 22 people were killed.&nbsp; 
 
Five young men attacked the upmarket cafe on July 1, an assault claimed by Islamic State.&nbsp; 
 
Three of the attackers were from affluent Dhaka homes who had broken off contact with their families months earlier. Police believe that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, a banned group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, played a significant role in organising the group.&nbsp; 
 
The four women were arrested in an overnight raid in the capital, based on information from a regional militant leader who was detained last month, said Rapid Action Battalion spokesman Mizanur Rahman Bhuiya.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Three of them are students of a private university and the other one is working as an intern in the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital,&quot; he told Reuters, adding that jihadi books, audio and video clips of jihadi lectures were seized. More than a dozen suspected JMB militants, including seven women, have been arrested since the cafe attack.&nbsp; 
 
On July 26, police killed nine militants believed to be plotting a similar assault. 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 has dismissed the claims and pinned the blame on domestic militant groups. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
 
&nbsp;

The women were arrested in an overnight raid in the capital, based on information from a regional militant leader detained last month

Bangladeshi security forces said today they had arrested four women suspected of being members of a home-grown militant group blamed for an attack on a Dhaka cafe last month in which 22 people were killed. Five young men attacked the upmarket cafe on July 1, an assault claimed by Islamic State. Three of the attackers were from affluent Dhaka homes who had broken off contact with their families months earlier. Police believe that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, a banned group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, played a significant role in organising the group. The four women were arrested in an overnight raid in the capital, based on information from a regional militant leader who was detained last month, said Rapid Action Battalion spokesman Mizanur Rahman Bhuiya. "Three of them are students of a private university and the other one is working as an intern in the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital," he told Reuters, adding that jihadi books, audio and video clips of jihadi lectures were seized. More than a dozen suspected JMB militants, including seven women, have been arrested since the cafe attack. On July 26, police killed nine militants believed to be plotting a similar assault. 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 has dismissed the claims and pinned the blame on domestic militant groups. (Reuters)

Dhaka cafe attack: Bangladesh police arrest 4 women

Amid growing strain in ties, India today summoned Pakistani envoy Abdul Basit and issued a strong demarche over Pakistan&#39;s continued support to cross-border terrorism in Kashmir, which has fuelled unrest in the Valley. 
 
Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar called Basit to his south block office and lodged a strong protest over the issue as he made a specific reference to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist and Pakistani national Bahadur Ali, who was captured recently in north Kashmir during an encounter. 
 
Jaishankar called in the Pakistan envoy and issued a strong demarche on continuing cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. 
 
&quot;Demarche made specific reference to LeT terrorist and Pak national Bahadur Ali who was apprehended recently,&quot; foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. 
 
Ali, born in the Zia Bagga village of Pakistan, was arrested by Indian authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on July 25 with weapons (AK 47 rifle, live rounds, grenades, grenade launcher etc) as also sophisticated communication equipment and other material of Pakistani/ international origin, according to the demarche issued to Basit. 
 
&quot;Bahadur Ali has confessed to our authorities that after training in Lashkar-e-Toiba camps, he was infiltrated into India. He was thereafter in touch with an &#39;operations room&#39; of LeT, receiving instructions to attack Indian security personnel and carry out other terrorist attacks in India,&quot; it said. 
 
Basit&#39;s summoning comes on a day when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to people of Kashmir, which has been witnessing widespread unrest for over a month triggered by the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with the security forces. As many as 55 people have lost their lives in these incidents of violence. The ties between India and Pakistan have seen growing bitterness after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Wani&#39;s killing on July 8. 
 
Not only did Sharif praise Wani and hailed him as a &quot;martyr&quot; but he also asserted &quot;Kashmir will one day become Pakistan&quot;, a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country &quot;will not be realised even at the end of eternity&quot;. 
 
The chill in bilateral relations was on full display during Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh&#39;s visit to Islamabad for a SAARC ministerial meet last week when he and his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan not only avoided a proper handshake but Singh also left without attending the lunch hosted by Khan. 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

'Demarche made specific reference to LeT terrorist Bahadur Ali who was apprehended recently,' foreign ministry spokesperson said

Amid growing strain in ties, India today summoned Pakistani envoy Abdul Basit and issued a strong demarche over Pakistan's continued support to cross-border terrorism in Kashmir, which has fuelled unrest in the Valley. Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar called Basit to his south block office and lodged a strong protest over the issue as he made a specific reference to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist and Pakistani national Bahadur Ali, who was captured recently in north Kashmir during an encounter. Jaishankar called in the Pakistan envoy and issued a strong demarche on continuing cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. "Demarche made specific reference to LeT terrorist and Pak national Bahadur Ali who was apprehended recently," foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. Ali, born in the Zia Bagga village of Pakistan, was arrested by Indian authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on July 25 with weapons (AK 47 rifle, live rounds, grenades, grenade launcher etc) as also sophisticated communication equipment and other material of Pakistani/ international origin, according to the demarche issued to Basit. "Bahadur Ali has confessed to our authorities that after training in Lashkar-e-Toiba camps, he was infiltrated into India. He was thereafter in touch with an 'operations room' of LeT, receiving instructions to attack Indian security personnel and carry out other terrorist attacks in India," it said. Basit's summoning comes on a day when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to people of Kashmir, which has been witnessing widespread unrest for over a month triggered by the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with the security forces. As many as 55 people have lost their lives in these incidents of violence. The ties between India and Pakistan have seen growing bitterness after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Wani's killing on July 8. Not only did Sharif praise Wani and hailed him as a "martyr" but he also asserted "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity". The chill in bilateral relations was on full display during Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Islamabad for a SAARC ministerial meet last week when he and his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan not only avoided a proper handshake but Singh also left without attending the lunch hosted by Khan. (PTI)

India summons Pak envoy Abdul Basit over cross-border terror, issues strong demarche

The United States on Monday strongly condemned the terror attack at a hospital in Pakistan&rsquo;s restive Balochistan province and offered assistance to the Pakistani government in its bid to bring to justice the perpetrators of the assault. 
 
&ldquo;Our hearts go out to the families and other loved ones of more than 60 killed and we wish a speedy recovery to the dozens more injured. The US is committed to our continuing counter-terrorism partnership with Pakistan, and we remain resolute in joining with the people of Pakistan in confronting terrorism in Pakistan and across the region,&rdquo; Josh Earnest WH press secretary, said.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;The United States condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks today in Quetta, including the bombing at the Civil Hospital that killed dozens of Pakistanis and wounded many more, and the murder of Bilal Anwar Kasi, president of the Baluchistan Bar Association,&rdquo; the State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau, said.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;We send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, and we offer our assistance to Prime Minister Sharif as his government investigates and works to bring the murderers to justice,&rdquo; she said. 
 
Trudeau said the terrorists targeted a hospital, as well as the judiciary and the media, two of the most important pillars of every democracy.&rdquo;The victims at the Civil Hospital, many of them lawyers and journalists, were gathered as free citizens to mourn the murder of Kasi,&rdquo; she said.&rdquo;These brutal and senseless attacks only deepen our shared resolve to defeat terrorism around the world, and we will continue to work with our partners in Pakistan and across the region to combat the threat of terrorism,&rdquo; Trudeau said. 
 
(PTI)

Offers condolences and support to Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif for investigating the blast?

The United States on Monday strongly condemned the terror attack at a hospital in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province and offered assistance to the Pakistani government in its bid to bring to justice the perpetrators of the assault. “Our hearts go out to the families and other loved ones of more than 60 killed and we wish a speedy recovery to the dozens more injured. The US is committed to our continuing counter-terrorism partnership with Pakistan, and we remain resolute in joining with the people of Pakistan in confronting terrorism in Pakistan and across the region,” Josh Earnest WH press secretary, said. “The United States condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks today in Quetta, including the bombing at the Civil Hospital that killed dozens of Pakistanis and wounded many more, and the murder of Bilal Anwar Kasi, president of the Baluchistan Bar Association,” the State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau, said. “We send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, and we offer our assistance to Prime Minister Sharif as his government investigates and works to bring the murderers to justice,” she said. Trudeau said the terrorists targeted a hospital, as well as the judiciary and the media, two of the most important pillars of every democracy.”The victims at the Civil Hospital, many of them lawyers and journalists, were gathered as free citizens to mourn the murder of Kasi,” she said.”These brutal and senseless attacks only deepen our shared resolve to defeat terrorism around the world, and we will continue to work with our partners in Pakistan and across the region to combat the threat of terrorism,” Trudeau said. (PTI)

Pakistan hospital blast: US condemns terror attack

An Australian man with reported links to far-right extremist groups was charged on Sunday with planning a terrorist attack after his Melbourne home was raided following police fears of a &quot;specific threat&quot;. 
 
The 31-year-old, named in local media as Phillip Galea, appeared in court after he was charged with planning or preparing for a terrorist act and collecting or making documents to facilitate an attack. 
 
Galea told the Melbourne Magistrates&#39; Court he would fight the charges, adding that they were &quot;a conspiracy against the patriot movement&quot;. 
 
Police would not confirm if he was a member of the anti-Islam Reclaim Australia group but said he had a &quot;number of affiliations to different organisations&quot;. 
 
There were violent clashes between left and right-wing groups over immigration in Australia&#39;s second-largest city in May and June, sparking a push by the Victoria state government to boost police powers. 
 
Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews said there was &quot;no imminent threat&quot; after the weekend police raids but that authorities remained vigilant. 
 
Anti-Muslim sentiment has mounted in Australia in recent years after a series of attacks by radicalised youth, including the killing of a police employee in Sydney in October. 
 
The Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which took part in the operation on Saturday, has been carrying out a series of raids in various cities amid increasing concern about home-grown extremism. 
 
Canberra raised the terror threat alert level to high in September 2014, while parliament has passed a suite of new national security laws. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The 31-year-old Phillip Galea told the Melbourne Magistrates' Court there was 'a conspiracy against the patriot movement'

An Australian man with reported links to far-right extremist groups was charged on Sunday with planning a terrorist attack after his Melbourne home was raided following police fears of a "specific threat". The 31-year-old, named in local media as Phillip Galea, appeared in court after he was charged with planning or preparing for a terrorist act and collecting or making documents to facilitate an attack. Galea told the Melbourne Magistrates' Court he would fight the charges, adding that they were "a conspiracy against the patriot movement". Police would not confirm if he was a member of the anti-Islam Reclaim Australia group but said he had a "number of affiliations to different organisations". There were violent clashes between left and right-wing groups over immigration in Australia's second-largest city in May and June, sparking a push by the Victoria state government to boost police powers. Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews said there was "no imminent threat" after the weekend police raids but that authorities remained vigilant. Anti-Muslim sentiment has mounted in Australia in recent years after a series of attacks by radicalised youth, including the killing of a police employee in Sydney in October. The Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which took part in the operation on Saturday, has been carrying out a series of raids in various cities amid increasing concern about home-grown extremism. Canberra raised the terror threat alert level to high in September 2014, while parliament has passed a suite of new national security laws. (AFP)

Australian 'patriot' charged with planning terror attack

A machete-wielding man shouting &quot;Allahu akbar&quot; (God is the greatest) wounded two policewomen in southern Belgium today before being shot dead by police, with Europe on edge after a wave of jihadist attacks. 
 
The attack outside the main police station in the city of Charleroi, around 60 kilometres (40 miles) south of Brussels left one of the policewomen with &quot;deep wounds to the face&quot; while the other was slightly injured, Belga news agency said. 
 
Charleroi police said the attacker was shot and killed, while the two victims were out of danger. 
 
Belgium has been on high security alert for months since suicide bombers struck Brussels airport and a subway station near the European Union&#39;s institutions on March 22, killing 32 people. 
 
The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which controls large areas of territory in Iraq and Syria and has claimed numerous terror attacks in Europe in the last year. 
 
Belgian Interior Minister Jean Jambon condemned a &quot;disgusting act in Charleroi&quot; on his Twitter account and said the country&#39;s terror threat level, currently at level three on a scale of four &nbsp;would be examined. 
 
Belgian police have carried out dozens of anti-terror raids since the November 2015 attacks in Paris, planned in Belgium and involving Belgian extremists, which left 130 people dead. 
 
Last month they arrested and charged a 33-year-old man, identified as Nourredine H., with attempting to commit &quot;terrorist murder&quot; and &quot;taking part in the activities of a terrorist organisation&quot;. 
 
Prosecutors said there was for now no link to the Brussels suicide bombings. 
 
Belgium is the main source per head of population of jihadist recruits going from European Union countries to fight with IS in Syria, causing deep concern that they will return home battle-hardened and even more radicalised. 
 
The interior ministry said 457 Belgian men and women had gone or tried to join jihadists in the Middle East, including 90 who are missing or dead. 
 
Belgium launched its first attacks against IS in Iraq in late 2014 as part of a US-led coalition. It joined a similar anti-IS operation in Syria this year. 
 
Several of those involved in the Brussels bloodshed in March were directly linked to the November 13 bomb and gun attacks in Paris. 
 
In June Belgian authorities charged two men with terrorist offences amid reports of a planned attack on a Euro 2016 fanzone in central Brussels. 
 
Belgium then beefed up security for its July 21 national day celebrations after a truck attack that killed 85 people in the French city of Nice on Bastille Day, July 14. 
 
(AFP)

Charleroi police said the attacker was shot dead, while the two victims were out of danger

A machete-wielding man shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is the greatest) wounded two policewomen in southern Belgium today before being shot dead by police, with Europe on edge after a wave of jihadist attacks. The attack outside the main police station in the city of Charleroi, around 60 kilometres (40 miles) south of Brussels left one of the policewomen with "deep wounds to the face" while the other was slightly injured, Belga news agency said. Charleroi police said the attacker was shot and killed, while the two victims were out of danger. Belgium has been on high security alert for months since suicide bombers struck Brussels airport and a subway station near the European Union's institutions on March 22, killing 32 people. The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which controls large areas of territory in Iraq and Syria and has claimed numerous terror attacks in Europe in the last year. Belgian Interior Minister Jean Jambon condemned a "disgusting act in Charleroi" on his Twitter account and said the country's terror threat level, currently at level three on a scale of four would be examined. Belgian police have carried out dozens of anti-terror raids since the November 2015 attacks in Paris, planned in Belgium and involving Belgian extremists, which left 130 people dead. Last month they arrested and charged a 33-year-old man, identified as Nourredine H., with attempting to commit "terrorist murder" and "taking part in the activities of a terrorist organisation". Prosecutors said there was for now no link to the Brussels suicide bombings. Belgium is the main source per head of population of jihadist recruits going from European Union countries to fight with IS in Syria, causing deep concern that they will return home battle-hardened and even more radicalised. The interior ministry said 457 Belgian men and women had gone or tried to join jihadists in the Middle East, including 90 who are missing or dead. Belgium launched its first attacks against IS in Iraq in late 2014 as part of a US-led coalition. It joined a similar anti-IS operation in Syria this year. Several of those involved in the Brussels bloodshed in March were directly linked to the November 13 bomb and gun attacks in Paris. In June Belgian authorities charged two men with terrorist offences amid reports of a planned attack on a Euro 2016 fanzone in central Brussels. Belgium then beefed up security for its July 21 national day celebrations after a truck attack that killed 85 people in the French city of Nice on Bastille Day, July 14. (AFP)

Machete-wielding assailant shouting 'Allahu akbar' attacks, wounds two Belgian policewomen

An NIA team today scoured the site and spoke to eyewitnesses of yesterday&#39;s terror attack in Kokrajhar town of India&#39;s Assam state. Fourteen were killed, while a massive combing operation was on to nab the terrorists of Bodo separatist outfit, National Democratic Front of Bodoland (S) suspected to be involved in the strike. 
 
Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who visited the attack site, told reporters that the terrorists who was neutralised yesterday has been identified as Manjay Islari. 
 
&quot;He is a self-styled area commander of 16th battalion of NDFB(S) faction. We will give the body to his parents,&quot; he said. 
 
He said that combing operation in the area has been intensified to nab those who fled after carrying out the attack on Balajan Tiniali market, about 12 km from here, just days before Independence Day. 
 
To a question, he said that the militants were not part of any suicide squad. &quot;If they were part of a suicide squad they would not have fled.&quot; 
 
An NIA team has reached the spot and was speaking to eyewitnesses, officials said. 
 
Combing operation by police, para-military and army is also on in neighbouring Chirang district to nab militants. 
 
Defence sources said specialised troops, tracker dogs and other equipment have been pressed into service. 
 
The Army was also carrying out extensive area domination operations in the district to ensure swift actions, they said. 
 
The situation was described as tense but under control by police. 
 
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal visited the seriously injured at Gauhati Medical College Hospital and inquired about their condition. 
 
He spoke to doctors there on providing them advance medical treatment, government sources in Guwahati said. 
 
Kokrajhar deputy commissioner held a high-level security meeting with police, army and paramilitary forces to review the situation ahead of Independence Day, administration sources said.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

A minister of the Indian state said the gunman killed was identified as Manjay Islari, a member of banned terror group, NDFB(S)

An NIA team today scoured the site and spoke to eyewitnesses of yesterday's terror attack in Kokrajhar town of India's Assam state. Fourteen were killed, while a massive combing operation was on to nab the terrorists of Bodo separatist outfit, National Democratic Front of Bodoland (S) suspected to be involved in the strike. Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who visited the attack site, told reporters that the terrorists who was neutralised yesterday has been identified as Manjay Islari. "He is a self-styled area commander of 16th battalion of NDFB(S) faction. We will give the body to his parents," he said. He said that combing operation in the area has been intensified to nab those who fled after carrying out the attack on Balajan Tiniali market, about 12 km from here, just days before Independence Day. To a question, he said that the militants were not part of any suicide squad. "If they were part of a suicide squad they would not have fled." An NIA team has reached the spot and was speaking to eyewitnesses, officials said. Combing operation by police, para-military and army is also on in neighbouring Chirang district to nab militants. Defence sources said specialised troops, tracker dogs and other equipment have been pressed into service. The Army was also carrying out extensive area domination operations in the district to ensure swift actions, they said. The situation was described as tense but under control by police. Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal visited the seriously injured at Gauhati Medical College Hospital and inquired about their condition. He spoke to doctors there on providing them advance medical treatment, government sources in Guwahati said. Kokrajhar deputy commissioner held a high-level security meeting with police, army and paramilitary forces to review the situation ahead of Independence Day, administration sources said. (PTI)

Assam terror attack: NIA team in Kokrajhar, massive combing operation on to nab perpetrators

As many as seven Bangladeshi nationals were arrested by police in Indian state of West Bengal for trespassing into the Indian territory on Thursday.&nbsp; 
 
The seven persons were arrested from the Indo-Bangla international border in Bongaon&rsquo;s RS Math area of West Bengal after they failed to produce valid documents.&nbsp; 
 
Officials said three persons, among the seven trespassers, were carrying Indian voter identity card with the same picture but different names and particulars&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;We have arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals for illegally trespassing into India. The arrested have been identified as Kamal Sheikh, Rubia Begum, Iqbal Mollah, Md Nasir, Jahidul Sarif, Md Mir Amir, Pannu Sikder. The seven arrested comprise six men and one woman with an infant. All are residents of Faridpur in Bangladesh and their ages range between 19 and 35. We have lodged a case against them,&rdquo; said a senior police of the Bongaon Police Station.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;We had intelligence inputs about some people who had come to India from Bangladesh in the last couple days. We have tightened vigil along the border and police stations across the border area have been kept on high alert,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Security arrangements across the border areas have been tightened by the Indian security agencies. The Border Security Force (BSF) and state police have beefed up security to prevent any illegal migration or trespassing into the Indian territory from Bangladesh.&nbsp; 
 
Besides West Bengal, four more states -- &nbsp;Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya --- that share border with the neighbouring country have been kept on high alert following the Dhaka attack last month.&nbsp; 
 
The Indo-Bangla border is 4,096 Kilometre with West Bengal having the highest length with 2,217 Kilometre. 
 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

The seven were arrested in the Indo-Bangla international border region after they failed to produce valid documents

As many as seven Bangladeshi nationals were arrested by police in Indian state of West Bengal for trespassing into the Indian territory on Thursday. The seven persons were arrested from the Indo-Bangla international border in Bongaon’s RS Math area of West Bengal after they failed to produce valid documents. Officials said three persons, among the seven trespassers, were carrying Indian voter identity card with the same picture but different names and particulars “We have arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals for illegally trespassing into India. The arrested have been identified as Kamal Sheikh, Rubia Begum, Iqbal Mollah, Md Nasir, Jahidul Sarif, Md Mir Amir, Pannu Sikder. The seven arrested comprise six men and one woman with an infant. All are residents of Faridpur in Bangladesh and their ages range between 19 and 35. We have lodged a case against them,” said a senior police of the Bongaon Police Station. “We had intelligence inputs about some people who had come to India from Bangladesh in the last couple days. We have tightened vigil along the border and police stations across the border area have been kept on high alert," he added. Security arrangements across the border areas have been tightened by the Indian security agencies. The Border Security Force (BSF) and state police have beefed up security to prevent any illegal migration or trespassing into the Indian territory from Bangladesh. Besides West Bengal, four more states -- Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya --- that share border with the neighbouring country have been kept on high alert following the Dhaka attack last month. The Indo-Bangla border is 4,096 Kilometre with West Bengal having the highest length with 2,217 Kilometre. (WION)

Seven Bangladeshi nationals arrested for illegally trespassing into India

A passenger ferry docked in the southern French port of Marseille was evacuated on Sunday after an explosion was felt on board, with authorities investigating if it was caused by an old wartime bomb. 
 
France has been on high alert following the Bastille Day truck attack in Nice which killed 84 and the jihadist murder of a priest last week. 
 
All the passengers had already disembarked after their voyage from Corsica and the blast did not cause any damage to the ship or dock, officials said. 
 
&quot;The Jean Nicoli of the shipping company Corsica Linea had completed its disembarking operations after coming from Porto Vecchio when what appears to be an underwater explosion shook the ship,&quot; the Marseille port authority said in a statement. 
 
&quot;The ship&#39;s captain immediately implemented security procedures and suspended the operation of embarking passengers for the next destination of Porto Torres in Sardinia,&quot; it said. 
 
Marseille deputy prosecutor Jean-Jacques Fagni confirmed to AFP that the explosion &quot;very fortunately was without any consequences, neither to property nor person&quot;. 
 
The port authority said only crew members were on board at the time and all were immediately evacuated. A maintenance worker said, &quot;I was in the cabin, and there was noise: &#39;boom&#39;.&quot; Another worker said, &quot;It went &#39;boom&#39; and we felt like something moving up and down.&quot; 
 
Investigation underway&nbsp; 
 
An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the explosion. The magistrate had initially said it appeared to be caused by an old explosive device on the seabed. 
 
Dives conducted during the afternoon however did not seem to support this hypothesis, according to a source familiar with the incident. &quot;There was something, for sure, but what?&quot; said the source. 
 
The prosecutor said on Sunday night, &quot;It is still too early to say what it is or what it is not,&quot; while noting that they had not ruled out it being caused by an old bomb. 
 
Marseille police commissioner Laurent Nunez said &quot;security measures&quot; had been taken, including inspections of other quays, following the incident. After &quot;removing any doubts&quot; he allowed the ship to depart on Sunday night for Sardinia, its original destination. 
 
There are numerous World War II munitions in the sea and on land around Marseille, which was the scene of a major battle. In January frogmen found 50 unexploded shells off the port. 
 
(AFP)

Authorities are investigating if the explosion was caused by an old wartime bomb

A passenger ferry docked in the southern French port of Marseille was evacuated on Sunday after an explosion was felt on board, with authorities investigating if it was caused by an old wartime bomb. France has been on high alert following the Bastille Day truck attack in Nice which killed 84 and the jihadist murder of a priest last week. All the passengers had already disembarked after their voyage from Corsica and the blast did not cause any damage to the ship or dock, officials said. "The Jean Nicoli of the shipping company Corsica Linea had completed its disembarking operations after coming from Porto Vecchio when what appears to be an underwater explosion shook the ship," the Marseille port authority said in a statement. "The ship's captain immediately implemented security procedures and suspended the operation of embarking passengers for the next destination of Porto Torres in Sardinia," it said. Marseille deputy prosecutor Jean-Jacques Fagni confirmed to AFP that the explosion "very fortunately was without any consequences, neither to property nor person". The port authority said only crew members were on board at the time and all were immediately evacuated. A maintenance worker said, "I was in the cabin, and there was noise: 'boom'." Another worker said, "It went 'boom' and we felt like something moving up and down." Investigation underway An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the explosion. The magistrate had initially said it appeared to be caused by an old explosive device on the seabed. Dives conducted during the afternoon however did not seem to support this hypothesis, according to a source familiar with the incident. "There was something, for sure, but what?" said the source. The prosecutor said on Sunday night, "It is still too early to say what it is or what it is not," while noting that they had not ruled out it being caused by an old bomb. Marseille police commissioner Laurent Nunez said "security measures" had been taken, including inspections of other quays, following the incident. After "removing any doubts" he allowed the ship to depart on Sunday night for Sardinia, its original destination. There are numerous World War II munitions in the sea and on land around Marseille, which was the scene of a major battle. In January frogmen found 50 unexploded shells off the port. (AFP)

French ferry evacuated after mystery underwater explosion

Scotland Yard warned yesterday that a terror attack in the UK is a case of &quot;when&quot; rather than &quot;if&quot; and the current threat level of &quot;severe&quot; in the country meant an attack was imminent. 
 
&quot;I feel and understand that fear, and as the police officer in charge of preventing such an attack I know you want me to reassure you. I am afraid I cannot do that entirely. Our threat level has been at &quot;severe&quot; for two years. It remains there. It means an attack is highly likely; you could say it is a case of when, not if,&quot; Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the chief of Metropolitan Police said. 
 
The warning by Britain&#39;s top police chief came as &#39;The Sunday Times&#39; quoted a senior intelligence source as saying that at least four active terror plots in Britain are being investigated by police and security services. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s four or five cases where there is a sense of a plot, where they are planning and plotting and intending to commit an act of terrorism rather than just being extremists,&quot; the source told the newspaper. 
 
Last week Ben Wallace, the UK&#39;s new security minister, held talks with retail bosses and operators of sporting venues to review security at stadiums and shopping centres. 
 
&quot;In light of events in Germany and France, the government is keen to ensure that shopping centres and sports stadiums where there are large crowds are getting the support they require,&quot; said Wallace. 
 
Another intelligence source said that Islamic State militants were increasingly going after &quot;softer targets&quot;, as well as seeking to recruit people with mental health problems. 
 
&quot;Unbalanced people, mentally ill people, people with particularly violent or anti-societal or sociopathic tendencies are being recruited as foot soldiers; and then that is playing itself out in the most innocent and unassuming targets, such as the street crowds on Bastille Day in Nice,&quot; the source said. 
 
A current review by the UK&#39;s National Police Chiefs&#39; Council is expected to redeploy firearms officers from rural areas of the UK to major cities deemed to be at greater threat of terrorism. 
 
The review, which started in March when Theresa May was home secretary and is now being overseen by her successor Amber Rudd, is expected to report in October. 
 
(PTI)

The warning came after 'The Sunday Times' quoted a senior intelligence source saying four active terror plots are under investigation

Scotland Yard warned yesterday that a terror attack in the UK is a case of "when" rather than "if" and the current threat level of "severe" in the country meant an attack was imminent. "I feel and understand that fear, and as the police officer in charge of preventing such an attack I know you want me to reassure you. I am afraid I cannot do that entirely. Our threat level has been at "severe" for two years. It remains there. It means an attack is highly likely; you could say it is a case of when, not if," Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the chief of Metropolitan Police said. The warning by Britain's top police chief came as 'The Sunday Times' quoted a senior intelligence source as saying that at least four active terror plots in Britain are being investigated by police and security services. "There's four or five cases where there is a sense of a plot, where they are planning and plotting and intending to commit an act of terrorism rather than just being extremists," the source told the newspaper. Last week Ben Wallace, the UK's new security minister, held talks with retail bosses and operators of sporting venues to review security at stadiums and shopping centres. "In light of events in Germany and France, the government is keen to ensure that shopping centres and sports stadiums where there are large crowds are getting the support they require," said Wallace. Another intelligence source said that Islamic State militants were increasingly going after "softer targets", as well as seeking to recruit people with mental health problems. "Unbalanced people, mentally ill people, people with particularly violent or anti-societal or sociopathic tendencies are being recruited as foot soldiers; and then that is playing itself out in the most innocent and unassuming targets, such as the street crowds on Bastille Day in Nice," the source said. A current review by the UK's National Police Chiefs' Council is expected to redeploy firearms officers from rural areas of the UK to major cities deemed to be at greater threat of terrorism. The review, which started in March when Theresa May was home secretary and is now being overseen by her successor Amber Rudd, is expected to report in October. (PTI)

Terror attack in UK imminent: Scotland Yard

A maternity hospital supported by Save the Children was bombed Friday in an air raid in Idlib province of northwest Syria, causing casualties and heavy damage, the Britain-based charity said. 
 
&quot;Save the Children supported maternity hospital in #Idlib bombed, casualties reported - numbers unconfirmed,&quot; it tweeted. 
 
In a statement, Save the Children said the bomb hit the entrance to the hospital. 
 
&quot;This is the only hospital specialising in maternity and children in the northern western side of rural Idlib,&quot; it said. 
 
&quot;Casualties have been reported and we are awaiting confirmation of numbers,&quot; the statement said. 
 
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that the hospital in the rebel-held town of Kafar Takharim was heavily damaged and left barely operational. 
 
Quoting sources on the ground, it said a jihadist from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham who was going to visit his wife in the hospital was killed in the raid. 
 
&quot;It was him that was targeted. He went to visit his wife who had just given birth when the bombing happened,&quot; said the monitoring group&#39;s head, Rami Abdel Rahman. 
 
The bombing came a day after the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, said it was breaking ties with the global terror network and changing its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. 
 
Save The Children said the hospital is the biggest in the area, serving over 1,300 women monthly and carrying out over 300 deliveries a month. 
 
&quot;The hospital has six incubators for premature babies, and an outpatient clinic for supporting pregnant women and providing after delivery care,&quot; it said. 
 
The Britain-based Observatory did not specify if the raid was carried out by Syrian regime aircraft or warplanes of its Russian allies.&nbsp;Several clinics and makeshift hospital in rebel-controlled areas have been hit by Syrian regime air strikes, particularly in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. 
 
Last week, air raids struck four makeshift hospitals and a blood bank over a 24-hour period in the regime-besieged eastern sector of the city of Aleppo. 
 
In a separate statement, Sonia Khush, Syria Director for Save the Children, said the situation for an estimated 100,000 children trapped under siege and bombardment in Aleppo is &quot;desperate&quot;. 
 
&quot;The world cannot turn its back while children are bombed and then denied medical treatment,&quot; she said.&nbsp;&quot;We need an end to the indiscriminate attacks on civilians and immediate and unfettered access for humanitarian aid.&quot; 
 
CIA chief not optimistic about Syria 
 
Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan said on Friday he was not optimistic about the future of Syria. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t know whether or not Syria can be put back together again,&quot; Brennan told the annual Aspen Security Forum. His comments were a rare public acknowledgement by a top US official that Syria may not survive a five-year civil war in its current state. 
 
The twin US goals in Syria have been ending the violence that already has claimed some 400,000 lives, according to United Nations estimates, and seeking a political process to replace Assad, whom President Barack Obama has said &quot;must go.&quot; 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The bombing hit the entrance to the hospital, the area's biggest, serving over 1,300 women and carrying out over 300 deliveries every month

A maternity hospital supported by Save the Children was bombed Friday in an air raid in Idlib province of northwest Syria, causing casualties and heavy damage, the Britain-based charity said. "Save the Children supported maternity hospital in #Idlib bombed, casualties reported - numbers unconfirmed," it tweeted. In a statement, Save the Children said the bomb hit the entrance to the hospital. "This is the only hospital specialising in maternity and children in the northern western side of rural Idlib," it said. "Casualties have been reported and we are awaiting confirmation of numbers," the statement said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that the hospital in the rebel-held town of Kafar Takharim was heavily damaged and left barely operational. Quoting sources on the ground, it said a jihadist from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham who was going to visit his wife in the hospital was killed in the raid. "It was him that was targeted. He went to visit his wife who had just given birth when the bombing happened," said the monitoring group's head, Rami Abdel Rahman. The bombing came a day after the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, said it was breaking ties with the global terror network and changing its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. Save The Children said the hospital is the biggest in the area, serving over 1,300 women monthly and carrying out over 300 deliveries a month. "The hospital has six incubators for premature babies, and an outpatient clinic for supporting pregnant women and providing after delivery care," it said. The Britain-based Observatory did not specify if the raid was carried out by Syrian regime aircraft or warplanes of its Russian allies. Several clinics and makeshift hospital in rebel-controlled areas have been hit by Syrian regime air strikes, particularly in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Last week, air raids struck four makeshift hospitals and a blood bank over a 24-hour period in the regime-besieged eastern sector of the city of Aleppo. In a separate statement, Sonia Khush, Syria Director for Save the Children, said the situation for an estimated 100,000 children trapped under siege and bombardment in Aleppo is "desperate". "The world cannot turn its back while children are bombed and then denied medical treatment," she said. "We need an end to the indiscriminate attacks on civilians and immediate and unfettered access for humanitarian aid." CIA chief not optimistic about Syria Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan said on Friday he was not optimistic about the future of Syria. "I don't know whether or not Syria can be put back together again," Brennan told the annual Aspen Security Forum. His comments were a rare public acknowledgement by a top US official that Syria may not survive a five-year civil war in its current state. The twin US goals in Syria have been ending the violence that already has claimed some 400,000 lives, according to United Nations estimates, and seeking a political process to replace Assad, whom President Barack Obama has said "must go." (AFP)

Save the Children-supported maternity hospital bombed in Syria: NGO

French Prime Minister said today he was &quot;open&quot; to a temporary ban on foreign financing for mosque building, after a spate of attacks in the country claimed by jihadists. 
 
Manuel Valls also admitted in an interview with the Le Monde daily it was a &quot;failure&quot; that one of the jihadists who attacked a church and killed a priest earlier this week had been released with an electronic tag pending trial. 
 
Valls and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve have come under fire for perceived security failings that have failed to prevent three major terror attacks in France in 18 months. 
 
The fact that one of the church attackers, 19-year-old Adel Kermiche, was awaiting trial on terror charges and had been fitted with an electronic tag meant judges needed to take a &quot;different, case-by-case, approach&quot;, Valls said. 
 
However, the prime minister stressed that the judges in this individual case should not be held responsible for this &quot;act of terrorism&quot;. 
 
And as the jihadist killing of a priest at the altar of his church sparked fears of religious tensions in secular France, Valls said the country needed to forge &quot;a new relationship&quot; with Islam. 
 
&quot;We need to reset and invent a new relationship with Islam in France,&quot; Valls said. 
 
He added he was &quot;open to the idea that, for a period yet to be determined, there should be no financing from abroad for the construction of mosques.&quot; 
 
Valls also called for imams to be &quot;trained in France, not elsewhere&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

We need to reset and invent a new relationship with Islam in France: Manuel Valls

French Prime Minister said today he was "open" to a temporary ban on foreign financing for mosque building, after a spate of attacks in the country claimed by jihadists. Manuel Valls also admitted in an interview with the Le Monde daily it was a "failure" that one of the jihadists who attacked a church and killed a priest earlier this week had been released with an electronic tag pending trial. Valls and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve have come under fire for perceived security failings that have failed to prevent three major terror attacks in France in 18 months. The fact that one of the church attackers, 19-year-old Adel Kermiche, was awaiting trial on terror charges and had been fitted with an electronic tag meant judges needed to take a "different, case-by-case, approach", Valls said. However, the prime minister stressed that the judges in this individual case should not be held responsible for this "act of terrorism". And as the jihadist killing of a priest at the altar of his church sparked fears of religious tensions in secular France, Valls said the country needed to forge "a new relationship" with Islam. "We need to reset and invent a new relationship with Islam in France," Valls said. He added he was "open to the idea that, for a period yet to be determined, there should be no financing from abroad for the construction of mosques." Valls also called for imams to be "trained in France, not elsewhere". (AFP)

French Prime Minister: Open to temporary ban on foreign financing of mosques

Two people were reportedly killed in an explosion in Kot-e-Sangee in Kabul today, TOLOnews reported.&nbsp; 
 
In an update, TOLOnews said parliament&#39;s head of HR department was killed in the blast reported this evening.&nbsp; 
 
The number of casualties is likely to increase. Three were wounded in the incident according to eyewitnesses, TOLOnews said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Update Kabul explosion: Two people reportedly killed in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IED?src=hash">#IED</a> explosion in Kot-e-Sangee and two other wounded
&mdash; TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/TOLOnews/status/759034276125872129">July 29, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Update <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kabul?src=hash">#Kabul</a> explosion: Eye witnesses report that at least one person was killed and three others wounded in the explosion
&mdash; TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/TOLOnews/status/759024401987805184">July 29, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
BREAKING: Parliament&#39;s head of HR department killed in Kote Sangi, Kabul, explosion: official
&mdash; TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/TOLOnews/status/759031305598300160">July 29, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
 
(WION)&nbsp;

The number of casualties is likely to rise

Two people were reportedly killed in an explosion in Kot-e-Sangee in Kabul today, TOLOnews reported. In an update, TOLOnews said parliament's head of HR department was killed in the blast reported this evening. The number of casualties is likely to increase. Three were wounded in the incident according to eyewitnesses, TOLOnews said. Update Kabul explosion: Two people reportedly killed in #IED explosion in Kot-e-Sangee and two other wounded — TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) July 29, 2016 Update #Kabul explosion: Eye witnesses report that at least one person was killed and three others wounded in the explosion — TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) July 29, 2016 BREAKING: Parliament's head of HR department killed in Kote Sangi, Kabul, explosion: official — TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) July 29, 2016 (WION)

Parliament's head of HR, one other killed in Kabul blast: Local media?

Austria has handed over to France two suspected members of the same Islamic State (IS) cell that massacred 130 people in Paris last November, prosecutors said today. 
 
The Algerian and Pakistani men, now aged 29 and 35 and who have not been named, were arrested in Austria on December 10. 
Austrian and French authorities believe they travelled to Greece along with two men involved in the November 13 atrocities, posing as refugees. 
 
While the eventual assailants continued on to France, the two were detained by Greek authorities for 25 days because they had falsified Syrian passports. 
 
Once let go, they made it to Salzburg at the end of November -- after the Paris atrocities -- and Austrian police arrested them at a migrant centre. 
 
Following a French request, a court in Salzburg in western Austria approved at the beginning of July their transfer to France. 
 
&quot;Both suspects have now left the country,&quot; prosecutors said in a statement on Friday. 
 
They had said in April that they were looking into &quot;leads&quot; suggesting that the Pakistani may have been involved in attacks in 2008 in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people. 
 
He unsuccessfully appealed against his transfer, saying he would not get a fair trial in France and that he feared for his safety. 
Salzburg prosecutors added Friday that two more men, a Moroccan and an Algerian arrested eight days after the others, remained in custody. 
 
In December, prosecutors had said that the men, aged 25 and 40 at the time, were being held &quot;because of indications of close contact&quot; with the two who have now been transferred to France. 
&nbsp;

Austrian and French authorities believe the men travelled to Greece along with 2 men involved in November 13 atrocities, posing as refugees

Austria has handed over to France two suspected members of the same Islamic State (IS) cell that massacred 130 people in Paris last November, prosecutors said today. The Algerian and Pakistani men, now aged 29 and 35 and who have not been named, were arrested in Austria on December 10. Austrian and French authorities believe they travelled to Greece along with two men involved in the November 13 atrocities, posing as refugees. While the eventual assailants continued on to France, the two were detained by Greek authorities for 25 days because they had falsified Syrian passports. Once let go, they made it to Salzburg at the end of November -- after the Paris atrocities -- and Austrian police arrested them at a migrant centre. Following a French request, a court in Salzburg in western Austria approved at the beginning of July their transfer to France. "Both suspects have now left the country," prosecutors said in a statement on Friday. They had said in April that they were looking into "leads" suggesting that the Pakistani may have been involved in attacks in 2008 in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people. He unsuccessfully appealed against his transfer, saying he would not get a fair trial in France and that he feared for his safety. Salzburg prosecutors added Friday that two more men, a Moroccan and an Algerian arrested eight days after the others, remained in custody. In December, prosecutors had said that the men, aged 25 and 40 at the time, were being held "because of indications of close contact" with the two who have now been transferred to France.

Austria hands over November 13 Paris attack 'accomplices' to France

Abu Jundal, key accused in 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, and 11 others were today convicted by a special &nbsp;court in India&#39;s western Maharashtra state in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case.&nbsp; 
 
Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court acquitted eight others in the case while trial of two accused have been separated.&nbsp; 
 
Special MCOCA Judge Shrikant Anekar delivered the verdict after final arguments in the case concluded recently following a ten-year-long wait.&nbsp; 
 
The court also dropped MCOCA charges in the case, in which 22 people, including Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, were arrested. 
 
The court accepted prosecution&#39;s case that the aim of the convicted accused was to create terror in the minds of people and to eliminate public leaders like then Chief Minister of western Indian state of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, and Hindu leader Pravin Togadia. 
 
On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad in Maharashtra and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. 
 
The Indica, allegedly driven by Jundal, managed to give police the slip. Jundal, who hails from Beed district of Maharashtra, drove to Malegaon and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan, according to the state police. 
 
He was deported to India from Saudi Arabia in 2012. Later, charges were framed against the arrested accused in August 2013. 
 
During the trial, the prosecution examined 100 witnesses while defence lawyers examined 16. 
 
The trial was stayed by the India&#39;s top court for a while after one of the accused challenged constitutional validity of certain provisions of MCOCA. The stay was vacated in 2009. 
 
In August last year, the Bombay High Court directed the lower court to expedite the trial.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)&nbsp;

Special court in western state of Maharashtra accepted that aim of convicted was to eliminate PM Narendra Modi, then Gujarat chief minister

Abu Jundal, key accused in 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, and 11 others were today convicted by a special court in India's western Maharashtra state in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court acquitted eight others in the case while trial of two accused have been separated. Special MCOCA Judge Shrikant Anekar delivered the verdict after final arguments in the case concluded recently following a ten-year-long wait. The court also dropped MCOCA charges in the case, in which 22 people, including Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, were arrested. The court accepted prosecution's case that the aim of the convicted accused was to create terror in the minds of people and to eliminate public leaders like then Chief Minister of western Indian state of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, and Hindu leader Pravin Togadia. On May 8, 2006, a Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica car on Chandwad-Manmad Highway near Aurangabad in Maharashtra and arrested three terror suspects and seized 30kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 3,200 bullets. The Indica, allegedly driven by Jundal, managed to give police the slip. Jundal, who hails from Beed district of Maharashtra, drove to Malegaon and a few days later he escaped to Bangladesh from where he fled to Pakistan, according to the state police. He was deported to India from Saudi Arabia in 2012. Later, charges were framed against the arrested accused in August 2013. During the trial, the prosecution examined 100 witnesses while defence lawyers examined 16. The trial was stayed by the India's top court for a while after one of the accused challenged constitutional validity of certain provisions of MCOCA. The stay was vacated in 2009. In August last year, the Bombay High Court directed the lower court to expedite the trial. (PTI)

India: 26/11 terror attack accused Abu Jundal convicted in 2006 arms haul case

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

Iran today condemned a shooting spree at a busy shopping centre in Munich by a teenage German-Iranian gunman who killed nine people before committing suicide. 
 
Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi denounced &quot;the killing of innocent and defenceless people&quot; and expressed Iran&#39;s solidarity with the German government and people, official IRNA news agency reported. 
 
Ghasemi also called for a &quot;relentless and comprehensive fight&quot; to eradicate violence. 
Sixteen people were also wounded in Friday&#39;s shooting spree in Munich, German police said, adding that the assailant was an 18-year-old 
 
German-Iranian who had no criminal record. 
 
A police spokesman in Germany had said on Friday that terrorism was suspected, without revealing any immediate indications of an Islamist link. 
 
The attack came just days after a teenage 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. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

A police spokesman in Germany said that terrorism was suspected, without revealing any immediate indications of an Islamist link

Iran today condemned a shooting spree at a busy shopping centre in Munich by a teenage German-Iranian gunman who killed nine people before committing suicide. Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi denounced "the killing of innocent and defenceless people" and expressed Iran's solidarity with the German government and people, official IRNA news agency reported. Ghasemi also called for a "relentless and comprehensive fight" to eradicate violence. Sixteen people were also wounded in Friday's shooting spree in Munich, German police said, adding that the assailant was an 18-year-old German-Iranian who had no criminal record. A police spokesman in Germany had said on Friday that terrorism was suspected, without revealing any immediate indications of an Islamist link. The attack came just days after a teenage 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. (AFP)

Iran condemns shooting spree by German-Iranian gunman in Munich

The lone teenager who shot dead nine people in a gun rampage in Munich was &quot;obsessed&quot; with mass killers such as Norwegian rightwing fanatic Anders Behring Breivik and had no links to the Islamic State group, police said today. 
 
Europe reacted in shock to the third attack on the continent in just over a week, after the black-clad gunman went on a shooting spree at a shopping centre on Friday evening before turning the gun on himself. 
 
&quot;There is absolutely no link to the Islamic State,&quot; Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae said. 
 
He said the assault was a &quot;classic act by a deranged person&quot; and described an individual &quot;obsessed&quot; with mass shootings. 
 
He said German investigators saw an &quot;obvious link&quot; between Friday&#39;s killings and Breivik&#39;s massacre of 77 people in a bomb attack in Oslo and a shooting rampage on the nearby island of Utoya exactly five years earlier. 
 
Most of the victims in Friday&#39;s attack were foreigners. 
 
Munich prosecutor Thomas Steinkraus-Koch said the 18-year-old German-Iranian student -- named as David Ali Sonboly -- had suffered depression, while media reports said he had undergone psychiatric treatment. 
 
The teenager had 300 rounds in a rucksack when he targeted the busy Olympia shopping mall, just minutes away from the flat he shared with his family, according to authorities. 
 
Tributes for victims 
 
Grieving Munich residents laid roses and lit candles in memory of the victims, with one placard bearing the simple plea: &quot;Why?&quot; 
 
&quot;Bloodbath in Munich,&quot; was the headline on the best-selling Bild newspaper as Germany struggled to come to terms with the killings. 
 
Among the nine killed were three Turks, three Kosovans and a Greek national, according to their foreign ministries. 
 
Most of the casualties were young people aged 15 to 21, with three women among the dead according to Munich police. 
 
Sixteen people were wounded, three of them critically. 
 
The attack sent Germany&#39;s third largest city into lockdown as police launched a massive operation to track down what had initially been thought to be up to three assailants. 
 
An amateur video posted on social media appeared to show a man in black walking away from a McDonald&#39;s fast foot outlet in Munich while firing repeatedly with a handgun as people fled screaming. 
 
A police patrol shot and wounded him but he managed to escape before police found the body of what they believed was the &quot;only shooter.&quot; 
 
&#39;Never heard of problems&#39; 
 
Sonboly is thought to be have been born in Germany to an Iranian father who worked as a taxi driver and a mother who worked at a department store. 
 
Neighbour Delfye Dalbi, 40, described him as &quot;a good person&quot; who &quot;helped, would share the newspapers&quot;. 
 
&quot;Not once did I see him angry. I never heard of him having problems with the police or other neighbours,&quot; she said. 
 
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 in a heated exchange with a man on a nearby balcony. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m German, I was born here,&quot; the assailant replied after the man fired off a volley of swear words, including an insulting term for foreigners. 
 
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. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

Munich prosecutor says the 18-year-old German-Iranian student, who went on a shooting rampage, also suffered depression

The lone teenager who shot dead nine people in a gun rampage in Munich was "obsessed" with mass killers such as Norwegian rightwing fanatic Anders Behring Breivik and had no links to the Islamic State group, police said today. Europe reacted in shock to the third attack on the continent in just over a week, after the black-clad gunman went on a shooting spree at a shopping centre on Friday evening before turning the gun on himself. "There is absolutely no link to the Islamic State," Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae said. He said the assault was a "classic act by a deranged person" and described an individual "obsessed" with mass shootings. He said German investigators saw an "obvious link" between Friday's killings and Breivik's massacre of 77 people in a bomb attack in Oslo and a shooting rampage on the nearby island of Utoya exactly five years earlier. Most of the victims in Friday's attack were foreigners. Munich prosecutor Thomas Steinkraus-Koch said the 18-year-old German-Iranian student -- named as David Ali Sonboly -- had suffered depression, while media reports said he had undergone psychiatric treatment. The teenager had 300 rounds in a rucksack when he targeted the busy Olympia shopping mall, just minutes away from the flat he shared with his family, according to authorities. Tributes for victims Grieving Munich residents laid roses and lit candles in memory of the victims, with one placard bearing the simple plea: "Why?" "Bloodbath in Munich," was the headline on the best-selling Bild newspaper as Germany struggled to come to terms with the killings. Among the nine killed were three Turks, three Kosovans and a Greek national, according to their foreign ministries. Most of the casualties were young people aged 15 to 21, with three women among the dead according to Munich police. Sixteen people were wounded, three of them critically. The attack sent Germany's third largest city into lockdown as police launched a massive operation to track down what had initially been thought to be up to three assailants. An amateur video posted on social media appeared to show a man in black walking away from a McDonald's fast foot outlet in Munich while firing repeatedly with a handgun as people fled screaming. A police patrol shot and wounded him but he managed to escape before police found the body of what they believed was the "only shooter." 'Never heard of problems' Sonboly is thought to be have been born in Germany to an Iranian father who worked as a taxi driver and a mother who worked at a department store. Neighbour Delfye Dalbi, 40, described him as "a good person" who "helped, would share the newspapers". "Not once did I see him angry. I never heard of him having problems with the police or other neighbours," she said. 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 in a heated exchange with a man on a nearby balcony. "I'm German, I was born here," the assailant replied after the man fired off a volley of swear words, including an insulting term for foreigners. 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. (AFP)

Lone Munich attacker obsessed with mass killings, had links to Norwegian serial killer, says police

Five suspects have been formally charged over the truck terror attack in the French riveria city of Nice that killed 84 people, the Paris prosecutor said on Thursday. 
 
Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who mowed down a crowd enjoying Bastille Day fireworks display, had long plotted the carnage, prosecutor Francois Molins said. 
 
The revelations come as the French government continues to be plagued by questions over possible security failings, prompting authorities to launch an investigation into potential oversights. 
 
Molins said photos on Bouhlel&#39;s phone showed he had likely already staked out the same July 14 event in 2015. 
 
It also emerged that one of the five suspects in custody, a Tunisian named Mohamed Oualid G, had filmed the scene the day after the carnage, as it crawled with paramedics and journalists. 
 
The five were brought before anti-terrorism judges late Thursday and charged. 
 
They are 22-year-old Franco-Tunisian Ramzi A, 37-year-old Tunisian Chokri C, 40-year-old Tunisian Mohamed Oualid G, 38-year-old Albanian Artan H, and his wife Enkeledja Z who holds both French and Albanian nationality. 
 
None were known to intelligence services, and only Ramzi A, who was born in Nice, had a criminal record, for robbery and drug offences. 
 
He led police to a Kalashnikov and a bag of ammunition on Thursday, however the purpose of the weapons was unclear. 
 
Ramzi, Chokri and Oualid were charged with being accomplices to murder by a terror group. 
 
Ramzi and the Albanian couple faced a second charge, of breaking the law on firearms in relation to a terrorist crime. They are accused of providing Bouhlel with the gun he fired at police officers before he was shot dead. 
 
More than 400 investigators have been poring over evidence since the attack, the third in France in 18 months, and it was analysis of Bouhlel&#39;s telephone records that led them to the five suspects. 
 
While the Islamic State group claimed the attack, describing Bouhlel as a &quot;soldier&quot;, investigators have not found direct proof of his allegiance to the jihadists. 
 
Many people interviewed by investigators described the Tunisian father of three as &quot;someone who did not practise the Muslim religion, ate pork, drank alcohol, took drugs and had an unbridled sexual activity&quot;, Molins said earlier this week. 
 
However initial details of the investigation revealed Bouhlel had been fascinated with jihad for a while. 
 
In May last year, he took a photo of an article about the drug Captagon, an amphetamine used by jihadists in Syria. 
 
&#39;I am not Charlie&#39;&nbsp; 
 
In July 2015 he took photos of the crowd at the Bastille Day fireworks display, as well as another crowd watching a concert on Nice&#39;s Promenade Des Anglais three days later. 
 
In April this year, Chokri C sent Bouhlel a Facebook message reading: &quot;Load the truck with 2,000 tonnes of iron... release the brakes my friend and I will watch&quot;. 
 
Investigators also found a text message in Bouhlel&#39;s phone from Mohamed Oualid in January 2015, roughly a year after attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly which spawned the hashtag &quot;I am Charlie&quot; in support of those killed. 
 
The message read: &quot;I am not Charlie... I am happy they have brought soldiers of Allah to finish the job.&quot; 
 
Analyses of Bouhlel&#39;s computer and cellphone showed a wide range of images and internet searches showing a fascination with violence and jihadist movements such as al-Qaeda and IS. 
 
His family and friends have described him as violent and possibly suffering from mental illness. 
 
Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O&#39;Toole said the majority of his reported character traits are &quot;only seen collectively in someone who is psychopathic&quot;. 
 
&quot;This is probably one of the most callous crimes you and I have ever heard of, it&#39;s very cold-blooded and it&#39;s predatory,&quot; she said. 
 
State of emergency extended&nbsp; 
 
French President Francois Hollande on Thursday promised &quot;truth and transparency&quot; from an inquiry into allegations of lax security. 
 
&quot;When there is a tragedy, or in this case an attack with many dead... there will naturally be questions,&quot; Hollande said during a visit to Dublin, adding that the conclusions of the police probe would be announced next week. 
 
On Thursday, parliament finalised the adoption of a bill extending the emergency laws for a fourth time, after it was toughened up by the rightwing-dominated Senate. 
 
The final version bans gatherings where sufficient security cannot be provided and makes it easier to shut places of worship where preachers incite hate or violence. 
 
Since November the authorities have had emergency powers to carry out searches by day or night and place people under house arrest. 
 
(AFP)

Analysis of terrorist Bouhlel's telephone records led the investigators to the five other suspects, none of whom were on intelligence radar

Five suspects have been formally charged over the truck terror attack in the French riveria city of Nice that killed 84 people, the Paris prosecutor said on Thursday. Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who mowed down a crowd enjoying Bastille Day fireworks display, had long plotted the carnage, prosecutor Francois Molins said. The revelations come as the French government continues to be plagued by questions over possible security failings, prompting authorities to launch an investigation into potential oversights. Molins said photos on Bouhlel's phone showed he had likely already staked out the same July 14 event in 2015. It also emerged that one of the five suspects in custody, a Tunisian named Mohamed Oualid G, had filmed the scene the day after the carnage, as it crawled with paramedics and journalists. The five were brought before anti-terrorism judges late Thursday and charged. They are 22-year-old Franco-Tunisian Ramzi A, 37-year-old Tunisian Chokri C, 40-year-old Tunisian Mohamed Oualid G, 38-year-old Albanian Artan H, and his wife Enkeledja Z who holds both French and Albanian nationality. None were known to intelligence services, and only Ramzi A, who was born in Nice, had a criminal record, for robbery and drug offences. He led police to a Kalashnikov and a bag of ammunition on Thursday, however the purpose of the weapons was unclear. Ramzi, Chokri and Oualid were charged with being accomplices to murder by a terror group. Ramzi and the Albanian couple faced a second charge, of breaking the law on firearms in relation to a terrorist crime. They are accused of providing Bouhlel with the gun he fired at police officers before he was shot dead. More than 400 investigators have been poring over evidence since the attack, the third in France in 18 months, and it was analysis of Bouhlel's telephone records that led them to the five suspects. While the Islamic State group claimed the attack, describing Bouhlel as a "soldier", investigators have not found direct proof of his allegiance to the jihadists. Many people interviewed by investigators described the Tunisian father of three as "someone who did not practise the Muslim religion, ate pork, drank alcohol, took drugs and had an unbridled sexual activity", Molins said earlier this week. However initial details of the investigation revealed Bouhlel had been fascinated with jihad for a while. In May last year, he took a photo of an article about the drug Captagon, an amphetamine used by jihadists in Syria. 'I am not Charlie' In July 2015 he took photos of the crowd at the Bastille Day fireworks display, as well as another crowd watching a concert on Nice's Promenade Des Anglais three days later. In April this year, Chokri C sent Bouhlel a Facebook message reading: "Load the truck with 2,000 tonnes of iron... release the brakes my friend and I will watch". Investigators also found a text message in Bouhlel's phone from Mohamed Oualid in January 2015, roughly a year after attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly which spawned the hashtag "I am Charlie" in support of those killed. The message read: "I am not Charlie... I am happy they have brought soldiers of Allah to finish the job." Analyses of Bouhlel's computer and cellphone showed a wide range of images and internet searches showing a fascination with violence and jihadist movements such as al-Qaeda and IS. His family and friends have described him as violent and possibly suffering from mental illness. Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole said the majority of his reported character traits are "only seen collectively in someone who is psychopathic". "This is probably one of the most callous crimes you and I have ever heard of, it's very cold-blooded and it's predatory," she said. State of emergency extended French President Francois Hollande on Thursday promised "truth and transparency" from an inquiry into allegations of lax security. "When there is a tragedy, or in this case an attack with many dead... there will naturally be questions," Hollande said during a visit to Dublin, adding that the conclusions of the police probe would be announced next week. On Thursday, parliament finalised the adoption of a bill extending the emergency laws for a fourth time, after it was toughened up by the rightwing-dominated Senate. The final version bans gatherings where sufficient security cannot be provided and makes it easier to shut places of worship where preachers incite hate or violence. Since November the authorities have had emergency powers to carry out searches by day or night and place people under house arrest. (AFP)

Five charged over France truck attack

terror-attack

Terror Attack, News on Terror Attack, stories on Terror Attack, articles on Terror Attack, Terror Attack stories at Wion, Terror Attack news, Terror Attack latest news