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415 children under 10, 1,424 secondary school children, referred to U.K. anti-extremism program
Almost 4,000 Britons have been referred to the U.K. government’s counterterrorism program last year, among them children under nine. The figures released in January show 415 children aged 10 or under and 1,424 secondary school aged children had been referred to the program in England and Wales since July.
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Paris terrorist attacks’ mastermind captured
The Belgian police an hour ago captured Salah Abdeslam, the 26-year old French national who was the mastermind behind the 13 November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris which killed 130 people. “We got him,” the Belgian justice minister declared after confirming that Abdeslam had been captured during the operation in the Brussels’ neighborhod of Molenbeek.
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Fingerprints of Paris attacks’ mastermind found in Brussels flat
The Belgian police found the fingerprints of Salah Abdeslam, a prime suspect in last November’s terrorist attacks in Paris, in the Brussels apartment raided by the police on Tuesday. Abdeslam, a 26-year-old French national who lived in Brussels, was driven from Paris to Belgium hours after the 13 November attacks, which killed 130 people. Ten Belgians who helped him escape Paris and hide in Brussels have been in custody since late November.
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California university campus attacker was inspired by ISIS: FBI
Faisal Mohammad, 18, a college student from Santa Clara who attacked four people at a University of California campus in 2015, had been self-radicalized by terrorist propaganda from ISIS, the FBI said yesterday (Thursday). On 4 November Mohammad stabbed a fellow student in a UC, Merced classroom, then attacked three others as he fled on campus. Police gave chase and shot and killed him.
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ISIS committed genocide, crimes against humanity: U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry said that ISIS has committed genocide against Christians and other ethnic minorities. This is the first time the United States has declared genocide since Darfur in 2004.
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Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams denied entry to White House
After being denied access to the White House for a St. Patrick’s Day reception, Gerry Adams, the Sinn Féin leader, described the incident as an “unacceptable development.” Adams turned up on Tuesday evening for the annual Irish event hosted by the President, Barack Obama, but was denied access to the White House over a “security” issue. Sinn Féin “will not sit at the back of the bus for anyone,” Adams said in a statement.
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Belgian police arrest two suspects linked to November’s Paris terror attacks
Two suspects have been detained by Belgian police in connection with Tuesday’s shooting during a house raid in Brussels, in which another suspect was killed. The operation is linked to investigations into November’s Islamist attacks in Paris.
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Saudi Arabia leads effort to create a Muslim NATO-like alliance
Saudi Arabia has approached thirty-four Muslim-majority countries with a proposal to create a NATO-like military alliance of Islamic countries to combat terrorism. The proposed alliance would not be formed to confront any country in particular, but rather would be put together for the purpose of combatting terrorism. It is unclear whether Iran will be invited to join the new alliance.
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Remote detection of radioactive materials
National security experts believe terrorists continue to be interested in such devices for terror plots. Now researchers have proposed a new technique remotely to detect the radioactive materials in dirty bombs or other sources. It is the increased ion density that the researchers aim to detect with their new method. They calculate that a low-power laser aimed near the radioactive material could free electrons from the oxygen ions.
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Death of ISIS’s most senior military leader confirmed
A senior ISIS leaders, Omar the Chechen, has died after being seriously injured in a U.S.-led coalition strike in northeastern Syria, the Pentagon confirmed Monday. The Pentagon’s announcement clears up the fate of Omar al-Shishani a week after a U.S. official said the most-wanted militant had been targeted in a 4 March attack on the jihadist’s convoy. Shishani was one of the most-wanted ISIS leaders, and the United Stateshas put a $5 million reward on his head.
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American ISIS fighter captured in northern Iraq
Muhammad Jamal Amin, a 27-year old American from Virginia who joined ISIS and fought in its ranks, was taken into custody in northern Iraq. He was captured by Kurdish forces after trying to cross into Turkey. Amin is the first American fighting with ISIS to have surrendered in the field.
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Three gun-safety laws in effect in some states could significantly reduce gun deaths
A nationwide study which analyzes the impact of gun-control laws in the United States has found that just 9 of 25 state laws are effective in reducing firearm deaths. The research suggests that three laws implemented in some states could reduce gun deaths by more than 80 percent if they were implemented nationwide. Laws requiring firearm identification through ballistic imprinting or microstamping were found to reduce the projected mortality risk by 84 percent; ammunition background checks by 82 percent; and universal background checks for all gun purchases by 61 percent. Nineother states laws — such as the so-called “Stand your Ground” laws — were associated with increased mortality.
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1,500 people killed in 160 documented chemical attacks in Syria since 2011
The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) earlier today (Monday) released a report detailing 161 chemical attacks in Syria since the conflict emerged in 2011. These attacks have killed nearly 1,500 people in Syria, according to the report. A UN war crimes expert says the documentation of the attacks will allow for international prosecution in the future.
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ISIS attacks Iraqi town with chemical weapons
Iraqi officials has said that ISIS has launched two chemical attacks near the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, killing a three-year-old girl and wounding up to 600 people. The chemical attacks took place early Saturday in the town of Taza, security and hospital officials said place early on Saturday in the small town of Taza. The town was struck by several rockets carrying the chemicals.
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600 ISIS fighters killed in past three weeks: Kerry
Secretary of State John Kerry, in Paris for talks on the future of Syria, said that ISIS has lost 600 fighters and thousands of square kilometers of territory over the past three weeks. “In Syria, over the last three weeks alone, Daesh [ISIS] has lost 3,000 sq km (1,160 sq miles) and 600 fighters,” Kerry said.
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More headlines
The long view
Preventing Another 'Jan. 6' Starts by Changing How Elections Are Certified, Experts Say
The 2024 presidential election may be a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, but preventing a repeat of Jan. 6, 2021 — when false claims of a stolen election promoted by Donald Trump and his allies led to an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol —will be top of mind this election year. Research finds broad support among public for nonpartisan certification commissions.
States Rush to Combat AI Threat to Elections
This year’s presidential election will be the first since generative AI became widely available. That’s raising fears that millions of voters could be deceived by a barrage of political deepfakes. Congress has done little to address the issue, but states are moving aggressively to respond — though questions remain about how effective any new measures to combat AI-created disinformation will be.
Chinese Government Hackers Targeted Critics of China, U.S. Businesses and Politicians
An indictment was unsealed Monday charging seven nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their involvement in a PRC-based hacking group that spent approximately 14 years targeting U.S. and foreign critics, businesses, and political officials in furtherance of the PRC’s economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives.
European Arms Imports Nearly Double, U.S. and French Exports Rise, and Russian Exports Fall Sharply
States in Europe almost doubled their imports of major arms (+94 per cent) between 2014–18 and 2019–23. The United States increased its arms exports by 17 per cent between 2014–18 and 2019–23, while Russia’s arms exports halved. Russia was for the first time the third largest arms exporter, falling just behind France.
LNG Exports Have Had No Impact on Domestic Energy Costs: Analysis
U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) exports have not had any sustained and significant direct impact on U.S. natural gas prices and have, in fact, spurred production and productivity gains, which contribute to downward pressure on domestic prices.
Don’t Buy Moscow’s Shameless Campaign Tying Biden to Its Terrorist Attack
Russia has offered many different explanations to the ISIS-K’s 22 March 2024 terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, but the most recent explanation offered by Russia is the most audacious yet: Russia now charges that the Ukrainian energy company Burisma financed the attack. Burisma is at the center of an effort by a congressional committee to impeach President Biden, but the case has all but collapsed. Hunter Stoll writes that Russia’s disinformation and propaganda apparatus appears to be searching for ways to keep Burisma in the news ahead of the U.S. presidential election.