The far-right American group famous for its participation in the January 6th insurrection in Washington is now officially a terrorist organization in Canada, based largely on the events at the U.S. Capitol.
Public Safety Canada detailed the group’s inclusion in their terrorist list: “Members of the group espouse misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and/or white supremacist ideologies and associate with white supremacist groups. The group and its members have openly encouraged, planned, and conducted violent activities against those they perceive to be opposed to their ideology and political beliefs. The group regularly attends Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests as counter-protesters, often engaging in violence targeting BLM supporters.”
Canadian Criminal Code requires businesses and individuals to immediately disassociate from groups on the Entity List.
Saudi Arabia and other neighbors of Qatar have accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and embracing Iran, and have cut it off.
Diplomatic communications and air transport was halted. Embassies, borders, air space, and maritime access (40% of Qatar’s food supplies come from Saudi Arabia by boat) were shut off.
It is considered a dramatic escalation to a longer-term issue in the region.
Qatar says they are not sponsoring terrorism, but the nation does regularly (and currently) host prominent extremists.
Analysts have called it “almost an Arab region Cold War.’
Kuwait is seen as trying to mediate a solution to the crisis, and if they do, citizens of Qatar might not be expelled from their neighboring countries.
The UK capital saw 3 notable attacks Saturday. including on London Bridge, at Borough Market, and at Vauxhall. London authorities are currently saying that the London Bridge and Borough Market are connected and are being treated as “terrorist” actions, but the Vauxhall is currently considered separate.
The attacks include a vehicle hitting pedestrians and stabbings.
There were fatalities in addition to many people being injured.
The use of vehicles as the weapon of choice for violent Muslim attackers in Europe is of a special concern as it doesn’t even require the special and somewhat technical knowledge and supplies as do explosives, the other go-to weapon.
UK security officials have spoken about the phenomena, and the general tone is that they already stop a lot of attacks each year, but they can’t stop them all.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing, but they claim lots of attacks.
Gunmen, some reportedly dressed as women, but also wearing suicide vests, attacked the Tehran parliament building with guns. A standoff with police lasted hours.
6 attackers were killed, 5 arrested.
If ISIS was indeed responsible, it would be the first time their Sunni extremist group has successfully attacked Shia Iran, although they have been trying, reportedly. It is difficult for Sunni extremists to attack Iran because Iran is around 90% Shia, and Tehran is around 95% Shia, so there is not much of a reservoir of support for themthere.
ISIS would see an attack on Iran as a huge symbolic victory, according to analysts, as ISIS is against Iran like it’s against the U.S.
Iran blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack and vowed retaliation. The longstanding conflict between Middle East countries continues.
Six were killed, others injured, when gunmen entered the Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City, Quebec 8 p.m. Sunday (01:00 GMT Monday).
Two attackers were arrested immediately. Initially reports had it that there were three attackers, but police later said there was nothing suggests more than two.
RCMP said it is was “terrorist attack” and an anti-terrorism unit was deployed to the scene.
Context: Canadian government has a mass immigration policy and also a large-scale Syrian refugee intake. Many in Quebec are unhappy about these things.
Unknown (But which are being falsely reported on various websites):
– Identities
– What the attackers said in the mosque when they attacked
– Muslim extremist attackers or not
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued the following statement: “It was with tremendous shock, sadness and anger that I heard of this evening’s tragic and fatal shooting at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec located in the Ste-Foy neighbourhood of the city of Québec.
“We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge.
“On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of all those who have died, and we wish a speedy recovery to those who have been injured.
“While authorities are still investigating and details continue to be confirmed, it is heart-wrenching to see such senseless violence. Diversity is our strength, and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear.
“Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country. Canadian law enforcement agencies will protect the rights of all Canadians, and will make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators of this act and all acts of intolerance.
“Tonight, we grieve with the people of Ste-Foy and all Canadians.”
The mosque’s president (Mohamed Yangui) told Al Jazeera in a phone call after the shooting, “The neighborhood is very peaceful. We have a good relationship with the government, the mayor of Quebec. We have no problem whatsoever.”
“The operations were focused on ensuring that these terrorists do not succeed in their design to cause destruction and endanger the lives of our citizens,” Indian Director General of Military Operations Lt. Gen Ranbir Singh said of the move.
“Significant casualties have been caused to terrorists and those trying to shield them. We don’t have a plan to further conduct such strikes. India has spoken to Pakistan.”
India regularly crosses the Pakistan LoC to take out terrorists who Pakistan allows or proxies to act against Indians within India, but usually India does not go as deep and cause as much damage (killing) as today.
Usually, crossing the line is not admitted, but this time New Delhi has officially announced that troops carried out an attack authorized by Indian authorities.
According to analysts, Pakistan has been relying on its nukes as a threat to protect terrorist activity against India. Now, however, Pakistan will have to decide how to react to Indian troops crossing into Pakistan to kill terrorists — terrorists Pakistan may have to admit it allows or supports if it acknowledges India’s move.
The crossing of the LoC has been denied by Pakistan. Pakistan says there was merely cross-border fire. Pakistan’s statement said that at least two Army men were killed as Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire over the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.”
“Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing on the LoC in Bhimber, Hotspring Kel and Lipa sectors,” Pakistan’s statement read.
Singh, however, described the military procedure in detail: “Based on receiving specific and credible inputs that some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launch pads along Line of Control to carryout infiltration and conduct terrorist strikes inside Jammu and Kashmir and in various metros in other states, the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes at several of these launch pads to pre-empt infiltration by terrorists.
“During these counter terrorist operations significant casualties were caused to terrorists and those providing support to them. The operations aimed at neutralizing terrorists have since ceased. We do not have any plans for further continuation. However, the Indian Armed Forces are fully prepared for any contingency that may arise,” the DGMO said. No Indian casualties occurred during the surgical strikes that were carried out last night by the Indian Army.
“We have recovered items including GPS which have Pakistani markings. Captured terrorists hailing from PoK or Pakistan have confessed to their training in Pakistan or in Pakistan controlled region.”
Islamic group Boko Haram, which operates mainly in Nigeria, but also in Cameroon and Chad, killed the most people in 2014: 7,512 — up 300 percent from 2013.
Islamic group Islamic State killed slightly less — 6,073 — in its Middle East conquests in 2014.
Islamic group Taliban took 3,477 lives the same year in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Islamic group Fulani Militants killed 1,229 in the Central African Republic, up from less than one hundred in 2013.
Islamic group Al-Shabaab — a group affiliated with al-Qa’ida — killed 1,021 people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in 2014.
The Institute for Economics and Peace noted a rise in militant attacks globally — up 80 percent in one year and up 900 percent since 2000. In 2014 there were a total 32,658 deaths due to militancy, compared with 2000’s 3,329.
Terrorist attacks were up everywhere last year. While 80 percent of deaths took place in five countries — Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria — countries in which over 500 terrorist attacks took place within the year rose 120 percent. Sixty-seven countries experienced at least one terrorist attack resulting in death in 2014.
Many Western countries experienced terrorist attacks in 2014, including Canada, France, Austria, Australia and Belgium, but most of these killings were ascribed in the report to “lone wolf” attacks — contrasted against “Islamic fundamentalism.” The group cited right wing extremism, nationalism, anti-government elements, and other types of of political extremism and supremacism for these attacks. However, attacks numbers were relatively low in Western countries and all countries without an ongoing armed conflict.
Two known Canadian Muslim extremists, who had previously been found guilty of plotting to detonate homemade bombs in the British Columbia legislature during Canada Day two years ago, have been charged with new extremist crimes.
Amanda Korody and husband John Nuttal are currently on trial at a BC Supreme Court for plotting to infiltrate a synagogue and kill Jews.
The court Monday heard testimony written by undercover RCMP officers who thwarted the plan over a months-long undercover sting operation. The couple, according to the undercover officer, planned to become “regulars in the synagogue.”
John Nuttal and Amanda Korody
“They will gain the trust of everybody. And once they have everything they will get enough guns and ammo to go ahead with their mission,” Crown lawyer Sharon Steele read from the undercover RCMP officer’s notes.
The couple believed they would be able to infiltrate the synagogue because “they were both white and could pass for Jewish,” Steele read.
However, the couple were themselves infiltrated and arrested by RCMP who began their investigation after receiving a tip-off from Canada’s spy agency in late 2012.
Ramadan, Islam’s holy month, regularly sees a significant increase in religiously-motivated killing, but this year’s was the most deadly of the century, according to The Religion of Peace, a terrorism watch group that keeps records of killings in the name of Islam.
“This year’s Ramadan was the highest since I’ve been keeping track,” Glen Roberts, editor of TROP, told The Speaker. “Normally, Islam’s holiest month sees about 30 percent more terror deaths over a typical month.”
“Nearly 3,000 people were shot, beheaded, blown up, drowned, burned or hacked to death in the name of Islam,” stated Roberts in the summary on TROP’s webpage, noting that no deaths in the name of other religions took place during that time.
For the period roughly corresponding with Ramadan, which lasts 29-30 days based on visual sightings of the crescent moon, 314 terror attacks took place globally, including 63 suicide bombings, which resulted in 2,988 deaths and 3,696 wounded.
Killings during the first few days of Ramadan(TROP resource)
However, as Roberts pointed out, the actual numbers are higher than reported because TROP relies on news reports for figures. There is not a news report for every attack, Roberts told us, and the reports are not followed up by deaths that occur days or longer after the initial incident.
The figures include all killings motivated by a sentiment of religious duty, and so include killings by the Islamic State. “Any killing that I come across by the Islamic State is included in the count. I’m sure that there’s quite a bit that I miss,” commented Roberts.
The 314 attacks that resulted in death between June 18 and July 16 took place in Iraq, Niger, Somalia, Lebanon, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Egypt, Mali, Chad, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Kenya, India, Phillipines, Thailand, China, France, and Austria.
