Latest news with #counterterrorism
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Islamic coalition concludes imam training in Comoros
RIYADH: The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition recently concluded its 'Building Capacity for Imams and Preachers' training program in Moroni, Comoros, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. The five-day program gave imams and preachers intensive training on topics including deconstructing extremist rhetoric, social influence techniques, public speaking, and promoting moderacy. Comoran Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Anfani Hamada Baca thanked the Saudi-backed coalition for its "significant efforts to counter extremist ideas and promote moderacy through various strategic initiatives aimed at combating extremism and terrorism.' Participants praised the program's organization and scientific content, stressing the importance of expanding such initiatives to strengthen educational and religious institutions in protecting communities from extremist ideology, the SPA reported. Earlier, Comoros Defense Minister Youssoufa Mohamed Ali reaffirmed his country's commitment to the coalition's fight against extremism and terrorism, adding that the program's launch was a 'significant step forward' in that fight. Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Moghedi, the coalition's secretary-general from Saudi Arabia, said the initiative was part of a broader effort involving 15 strategic programs in four areas: intellectual development, media, counter-terrorism financing, and military operations.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Four people arrested after Palestine Action incident at RAF Brize Norton
Four people have been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in an action claimed by the campaign group Palestine Action, counterterrorism policing south-east said on Friday. In a statement the force said: 'A 29-year-old woman of no fixed abode, and two men aged 36 and 24, both from London, were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, contrary to section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. 'A 41-year-old woman, of no fixed abode, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. 'The arrests, which took place on Thursday in Newbury, Berkshire, and in London, are in connection with an incident in the early hours of [last] Friday during which damage was caused to two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. Those arrested are currently in police custody while enquiries are ongoing.' The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said on Monday the pro-Palestinian campaign group would be proscribed under anti-terror laws. If approved in parliament, this would make membership and support of the group illegal. She said Palestine Action had a 'long history' of criminal damage, adding that it had targeted 'financial firms, charities, universities and government buildings'. 'The UK's defence enterprise is vital to the nation's national security and this government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk,' Cooper said. 'Its activities meet the threshold set out in the statutory tests established under the Terrorism Act 2000.' Palestine Action released a statement condemning the arrest, which was made under section 5 of the Terrorism Act, saying it amounted to crackdown on 'non-violent protests' opposing Israel's war in Gaza. The government's move to proscribe Palestine Action has been widely condemned by MPs, including Diane Abbott, who said the government 'seems confused between protest and terrorism'. Palestine Action said the government has not proscribed activist groups that had taken similar action, including an anti-war protester represented by Starmer who was among a group of activists who broke into RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to sabotage US bombers before they flew to Iraq in 2003. Josh Richards, who was among the Fairford Five, was cleared after a jury failed to reach a verdict.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Four arrested after RAF Brize Norton break-in
Counter-terror police have arrested four people after military planes were sprayed with paint during a break-in at RAF Brize Norton that was claimed by a pro-Palestinian posted online last Friday by Palestine Action showed two people inside the Oxfordshire airbase in darkness, with one riding on a scooter up to an Airbus Voyager and spraying paint into its jet East counter terrorism police has now arrested a 29-year-old woman of no fixed abode and two men, aged 36 and 24, both from London, on terror charges.A 41-year-old woman, of no fixed abode, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. The suspects aged 24, 29 and 36 are suspected of "the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000", the force arrests took place in Newbury, Berkshire, and all suspects remain in government has said it will proscribe Palestine Action following the incident at Brize Norton, making it illegal to be a East counter-terror police gave no further details about the individuals it had arrested, nor their suspected link to the incident. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DHS returns anti-terrorism funds held back from big cities
Major cities are again receiving counter-terrorism funding and reimbursement for security at major events that had been withheld by the Trump administration to punish local governments run by Democrats. The Department of Homeland Security has restored payments to Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco and other cities that had sued DHS to restore the funding, officials said. 'Citizens all over the country will benefit as a consequence of that initial filing because those releases are now beginning to trickle out,' Mary Richardson-Lowry, Chicago's corporation counsel, said Thursday. The restoration of the funds from the Securing the Cities program comes as communities around the country increase security as a precaution following the U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Chicago had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in May, claiming the funds that Congress had allotted for the city were being illegally withheld by DHS. San Francisco, Seattle, Denver and Boston joined in the lawsuit when their funds were also cut. Richardson-Lowry's office said Seattle and San Francisco have begun receiving their funding and Boston's payment is in process. The mayor's office in Denver did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Securing the Cities program was created to help prepare for the possibility of nuclear or terrorist attacks. It began as a pilot program in the New York City region in 2006 and expanded over time to 13 cities. In 2018, the program was formally authorized by Congress. The money is used to fund security measures and training, including for large-scale events such as Lollapalooza, which each summer draws about 400,000 people to Chicago's downtown. Chicago was awaiting reimbursement of about $1.2 million for expenses that included the purchase of equipment to detect a nuclear event. 'We need that equipment to ensure our citizens have every opportunity to be safe in this current environment,' said Richardson-Lowry. DHS did not immediately return a request for comment about the funding. Earlier this week, the agency issued a warning of a 'heightened threat environment' across the country after U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
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.
