Latest news with #Daesh
Roya News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Roya News
Daesh supporter charged over Taylor Swift 2024 Austria concert terror plot
A young Syrian national has been charged in Germany with supporting a terrorist organization in connection with an alleged plot to bomb a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in August 2024, federal prosecutors confirmed this week. The suspect, identified only as Mohammad A due to his age, is reportedly not in custody but is facing charges related to his alleged support of Daesh. German authorities say he played a role in aiding a co-conspirator in Austria with plans to target Swift's Eras Tour performance. According to the federal prosecutor's office, Mohammad A had embraced Daesh ideology by at least April 2024 and began communicating with an Austrian suspect, Beran A, during the summer. Between July and August, investigators say the pair exchanged messages related to a bombing plot targeting the pop star's scheduled concerts at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium, which were expected to draw over 65,000 fans across three days. The concerts were abruptly canceled just before the first show, leaving fans disappointed and sparking questions. At the time, authorities revealed multiple arrests and cited concerns about plots inspired by Daesh and Al-Qaeda. Mohammad A is accused of translating Arabic-language bomb-making instructions and helping the Austrian suspect connect with Daesh operatives abroad. He also allegedly drafted an oath of allegiance to Daesh on behalf of the main suspect. That suspect, 20-year-old Beran A of Ternitz, was arrested in Austria shortly before the concerts, following a tip-off from the CIA. US intelligence reportedly warned that the suspects aimed to inflict mass casualties. Authorities believe Beran A had also considered an earlier attack in Dubai in March 2024, as part of a possible triad of Daesh-coordinated strikes, but backed out at the last moment.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Syria must respond decisively to Damascus church attack
A suicide bomber attacked the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Dweil'a, a suburb of Damascus, Syria, during this week's Sunday Mass, killing at least 22 people and injuring more than 50 others. The Syrian Interior Ministry attributed the bombing to Daesh, but the little-known Saraya Ansar Al-Sunnah group later claimed responsibility. Authorities have arrested suspects believed to be connected to the attack. This was the first suicide bombing at a church in Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime in December last year and it underscored the continuing instability during Syria's political transition. The attack, which caused severe damage inside the church, has deepened fear among Syria's shrinking Christian population and prompted widespread international condemnation, including from the EU, the US, regional governments and the Greek Orthodox Church. Despite President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and other officials condemning the act as terrorism and pledging increased protection for religious sites, doubts and fears persist. This terrorist attack was significant, like all such attacks, but even more so because it provides a test for the new leadership in Syria. This is why Al-Sharaa needs a strong and decisive response to it. Leaving it unanswered could create divisions and add risks to the country's future. Social media has been flooded with various accusations of a lack of security, as well as a lack of a unified and direct response from the new government. Some are criticizing the fact that each ministry and many different officials all offered condemnation, showing a lack of strategy, as well as the absence of a unique presidential envoy to face this crisis. Others went as far as stating that the lack of protection was deliberate. The new government must show it is willing to protect and bring together all the ethnic and religious communities in Syria Khaled Abou Zahr They built these accusations on a pernicious point, which is that the patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, John X, is labeled by some as an Assad loyalist. They point out that he welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar Assad when they visited the Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus, one of the oldest Greek Orthodox churches in the city, in 2020. The visit was part of a rare Putin trip to Syria. Conspiracy theories on social media espouse that there is an unstated policy of not providing sufficient protection to the community as payback for the patriarch's past alignment with the Assad regime. But the new president needs to act as the leader of all communities in the country, regardless of their past, and take powerful action to protect the Greek Orthodox community. This also means full reconciliation with the Alawite community. The new government must show it is willing to protect and bring together all the ethnic and religious communities in Syria. The former regime had presented itself as a protector of minorities, including Christian ones, against the tyranny of extremists such as Daesh. This week's horrific terrorist attack at the Mar Elias Church not only causes destruction and suffering, but it also threatens the future of the country. Hence, decisive action needs to be taken. There is a security and military aspect. First of all, enough security and protection must be provided to communities. Moreover, there is a need to face and destroy any nonstate actor that threatens any community or the order of the state. This terror attack is a clear sign of the need to oppose Daesh and other groups and dismantle them. This task cannot be delayed. Syria needs to break out of the jail the former regime created and adopt an inclusive approach to governance and security Khaled Abou Zahr But this is only one part of the solution. The other part is to make sure state institutions grant every single citizen from all ethnic and religious communities the same rights. This cannot be only on paper but in fact. This means that an entire overhaul of the state is needed. It is the thorn the previous regime left for any future peace and prosperity in Syria. This transformation is Syria's biggest challenge, but also its greatest opportunity for a stable future. Syria needs to break out of the jail the former regime created and adopt an inclusive and rights-based approach to governance and security. The new leadership needs to rebuild trust and build national unity with all ethnic and religious groups — Christians, Druze, Kurds, Alawites, Sunnis, Armenians and others. There is a need to break free from the Baathist structure of the state and establish a new constitution that guarantees equal citizenship, religious freedom and freedom of expression: the same rights and duties for all. This also means that justice needs to be precise. Entire communities cannot be condemned as being complicit with the Assad regime, as that was the only way to survive. But those who facilitated or committed illegal acts against the broader population need to be brought to justice. The same applies to those who committed acts of terror against minorities. Justice cannot and should not be one-sided. This also brings the need to consider a reconciliation process. These points are essential for long-term stability. These are difficult and dangerous tasks to take on, yet they are the only true solution. Today, the new leadership needs to show this resolve toward the Greek Orthodox community, regardless of the past. Worshippers of any community cannot be blamed for the ills of the past regime. Even if people understand how difficult finding the perpetrators of this terrorist attack might be, they at least need to be convinced that the new leadership is doing its best to find them, as well as protecting the targets from future attacks. These are the conditions required to move toward a fair and nationwide reconstruction. By ensuring this protection, the new leadership will build the path to the future on Syria's greatest strength: its rich cultural and religious diversity.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Syria crackdown prevented further Daesh terror attacks
DAMASCUS: The sleeper cell behind a deadly church bombing near Damascus belonged to the Daesh group, which had plans to target a Shiite shrine in a similar attack, Syria's Interior Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. Sunday's attack on the Mar Elias Church killed at least 25 people. The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian Arab Republic in years, and comes as Damascus is trying to win the support of the country's minorities. Noureddine Al-Baba told journalists a second attacker was caught on Monday on his way to target a Shiite shrine in the Sayyida Zeinab suburb in Damascus, where many religious sites are located. Al-Baba said security forces also thwarted a third operation, where an attacker on a motorbike was going to target a crowded gathering in the capital. 'We raided Daesh hideouts, seizing weapons and explosive caches,' said Al-Baba, who said security forces were able to reach the sleeper cell's leader after interrogating the second attacker. He said the church bomber was not Syrian but did not give details. Al-Baba said cell leader Mohammad Abdelillah Al-Jumaili was a 'Daesh leader' responsible for recruiting extremists from the sprawling Al-Hol camp in north-eastern Syria to conduct attacks. Tens of thousands of Daesh militants and their families from around the world live in Al-Hol, held by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF condemned the attack on Sunday. Meanwhile, funerals were held for the victims of the church bombing at the Church of the Holy Cross in Damascus. Church bells rang and women ululated as men walked through the weeping crowds carrying white coffins. The crowds cheered as the clergy honored the victims as martyrs. Dima Beshara, 40, who lost her cousin Emil, 38, and seven other family members in the attack said Syria has always enjoyed religious coexistence and that she was among many from all sects who celebrated the downfall of ousted leader Bashar Assad in December. 'What did they do wrong? They went to the house of God to pray?' Beshara said at the graveyard. 'Am I supposed to be scared every time I want to go and pray?' She fears for her life and those of her loved ones, who regularly attend church for prayers, weddings and funerals. 'We love everyone. We don't have a problem with anyone. But we hope that they love us in return,' she said. Syria's top Christian leader said at the funeral for victims that President Ahmad Al-Sharaa's government bore responsibility for not protecting minorities and his condolences were insufficient. 'With love and with all due respect, Mr. President, you spoke yesterday by phone ... to express your condolences. That is not enough for us,' the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, John (X) Yazigi, said at the funeral, drawing applause. 'We are grateful for the phone call. But the crime that took place is a little bigger than that.' The US State Department condemned what its spokesperson Tammy Bruce described as 'a brutal and cowardly attack' and called on the Syrian government to hold all perpetrators of violence accountable. She said Washington continued to support the Syrian government 'as it fights against forces seeking to create instability and fear in their country and in the broader region.' Yazigi said the government must prioritize protection for all. 'What is important to me — and I will say it — is that the government bears responsibility in full,' Yazigi said. Hundreds were at the service in the nearby Church of the Holy Cross to bury nine of the victims, whose bodies were placed in simple white coffins adorned with white flowers. Social Affairs Minister Hind Kabawat — the only Christian and only woman in Syria's new government — attended.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Czech authorities detain 5 teens over online radicalization by Daesh and charge 2 with terror plot
PRAGUE: Czech authorities have detained five teenagers for being radicalized online by the militant Daesh group and charged two of them with terror-related crimes over an attempt to set fire to a synagogue, officials said Wednesday. Břetislav Brejcha, the director of the Czech counterterrorism, extremism and cybercrime department, said most of the suspects are under 18 years old. They were detained between February and June as a result of an international investigation that started last year. The five were promoting hate content on social media against minorities, certain communities and Jews, Brejcha said. During seven raids in the Czech Republic and Austria, police seized some weapons, such as knives, machetes, axes and gas pistols. On Jan. 29, 2024, two of the five tried to set a synagogue in the second largest Czech city of Brno on fire, Brejcha said without offering details. The following month, Czech media reported an arson attempt and said police were looking for witnesses. The reports said two suspects placed a firebomb in front of the synagogue but it did not explode and no damage was reported. The charges against them include hate-related crimes, promotion and support of terrorism and a terror attack attempt. The suspects were also involved in online groups recruiting fighters for Daesh militants in Syria, Brejcha said. The Czech authorities cooperated with their counterparts in Austria, Britain, Slovakia and with the European Union's law enforcement agency Europol in this case, he added. Michal Koudelka, the head of the Czech counterintelligence agency known as BIS, said the five shared a fascination with violence and hatred against Jews, and others. They were approached online by Daesh members and became radicalized, Koudelka said. 'We consider online radicalization of the youth a very dangerous trend,' Koudelka said, adding that the suspects had not been in touch with the local Muslim community.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
German prosecutor seeks arrest on terror charges of a Syrian man who allegedly stabbed 4
BERLIN: Germany's top prosecutor on Wednesday submitted a new arrest warrant based on terrorism allegations for a Syrian man who stabbed and critically injured four men outside a restaurant in the western city of Bielefeld last month. The federal prosecutor's office said in a statement that the accused, who has only been identified as Mahmoud M. in line with German privacy rules, 'is urgently suspected of membership of a foreign terrorist organization, attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm.' Last month, the defendant attacked several people with a knife outside a restaurant in downtown Bielefeld in the early morning. Four men were seriously injured. Prosecutors allege that the suspect follows an Islamist-jihadist ideology. He joined the Daesh group in Syria in December 2014 at the latest in the city of Raqqa in Syria, they said. After entering Germany, prosecutors said the accused decided to kill as many randomly selected people in Germany as possible. He did so 'in the name of a global 'holy war' and on behalf of Islamic State,' they added. 'To this end, in the early morning of May 18, 2025, he stabbed guests with knives in front of a restaurant in Bielefeld, critically injuring four people,' the prosecutors said. The newly submitted arrest warrant replaces an arrest warrant issued by a Bielefeld local court on May 20, which had been obtained by the Bielefeld public prosecutor's office. M. was arrested on May 19, and has been in custody since then. On May 20, the federal prosecutor's office had taken over the investigation. Among other things, the federal prosecutor's office takes over terrorism-related cases from local prosecutors in Germany.
