Brussels – A gunman who shot dead three people at a Jewish museum in Brussels had a camera strapped to his chest to film the killings, in an echo of the technique used by Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah. The gunman, who had not been caught bat the time of writing (not the reporting period) shot dead two Israeli tourists at the entrance to the museum before walking calmly through the entrance hall, putting down his bag, taking out a Kalashnikov rifle and killing one more. He then walked unhurriedly from the scene – after a quadruple murder that CCTV footage showed had taken less than 35 seconds. And authorities in Belgium have admitted that they are worried that the calculated killings bear strong resemblance to those carried out by jihadist Mohamed Merah, who shot dead seven people – including four outside a Jewish school – in Mar 12, and filmed the attacks. The most obvious suggestion is that the shooting was an anti-Semitic attack, carried out by radical Islamists – several dozen young people are known to have left Belgium to fight in Syria. The attack could have been an anti-Semitic assault carried out by a neo-Nazi; a theory which is supported by the calm, methodical movements of the shooter. Whoever killed the four people also knew that the museum was the only Jewish site in Brussels which did not have guards. Or it could have been the work of a lone crazed gunman – a possibility, but perhaps less probable, given the level of preparation.
Spain – Spain’s National Court is investigating a group of about 50 Basque radicals calling themselves Ibil, or Revolutionary Forums, which has as one its goals to restart ETA terrorist activity, El Mundo reported on the 18 May 14, citing a court document. Judge Fernando Andreu is running the investigation and he considers the group to be at an initial stage. ETA announced an end to violence in 2011 after killing more than 800 people during its four-decade campaign to win independence from Spain for the Basque region. Inevitably when terrorist groups wind down their operations there are those who oppose the idea and often form splinter groups, this being the case here. But although the threat currently will not be that great, there is the ability to attempt to become stronger such as the current Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland, United kingdom. The chances of them becoming a huge threat though would remain low and become more of a nuisance than anything else.
Spain's interior ministry says it has arrested six men on terror charges in its north African enclave of Melilla it was reported on the 30 May 14. A statement said the men were suspected of trying to recruit fighters for militant groups in Libya and Mali. Spain has arrested dozens of suspected militants in its enclaves in Melilla and Ceuta in recent years. The cities lie on the southern Mediterranean coast and are surrounded by Morocco. Earlier this week, about 400 migrants breached the border fence in Melilla. The enclave is a major crossing point for those seeking work or asylum in Europe and there have been several attempts to storm the 6m-high (19ft) border fence in recent weeks. One man detained was described by the interior ministry as the "first Spanish jihadist" to have returned from the conflict in Mali. He was also suspected of attending a training camp run by Mali's Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao).
United Kingdom – A dissident republican carried a bomb on the handlebars of his bike as he rode through an area packed with revellers on the 13 Dec 13. Police on the 22 May 14 confirmed a pressure cooker was used as part of the crude device – the first time a tactic widely used by al-Qaida has been deployed in Northern Ireland. It exploded after being left inside a sports bag at Exchange Street West in the popular Cathedral Quarter area of Belfast. The same type of device was used to devastating effect at the Boston Marathon last year, killing three and injuring dozens more. A warning phoned to a newspaper less than an hour before the explosion gave the wrong location of the bomb. Around 1,000 people had been in the area at the time of the incident, which happened less than a fortnight before Christmas. Dissident republican group Óglaigh na hÉireann said it was responsible.
.Background to the Attack on the 13 Dec 13
The bomb was left in a holdall in Exchange Street West where it exploded shortly before 1900 hrs on thew 13 Dec 13 when the area was packed with Christmas shoppers and party-goers. A warning was called into a local newspaper but the bombers gave the wrong location for device. A vigilant member of the public was hailed a hero after he reported seeing a suspicious
Five men are being questioned after a suspected dissident republican bomb plot was foiled near the border it was reported on the 26 May 14. The men, aged from their 50s to 70s, were detained when a car carrying an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), believed to be a home-made bomb in a beer keg, was stopped by armed southern Ireland police the Gardai. The arrests were made in the Kilcurry area of Co Louth, just outside Dundalk and about 2km from the border with Northern Ireland. The Garda press office said the operation was part of ongoing investigations into dissident republican activity and involved officers from the anti-terror special detective unit, the crime and security division and the elite armed emergency response unit. The Defence Forces' bomb squad was called in after the car was stopped and carried out checks on the device. Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said he was concerned at an explosives find in the midst of the local and European elections. "If this was an attempt to place a bomb then whoever is responsible should cease their activities," he said. "Anyone with an ounce of republican politics or common sense knows that there is a peaceful and democratic way forward."
Spain – Spain’s National Court is investigating a group of about 50 Basque radicals calling themselves Ibil, or Revolutionary Forums, which has as one its goals to restart ETA terrorist activity, El Mundo reported on the 18 May 14, citing a court document. Judge Fernando Andreu is running the investigation and he considers the group to be at an initial stage. ETA announced an end to violence in 2011 after killing more than 800 people during its four-decade campaign to win independence from Spain for the Basque region. Inevitably when terrorist groups wind down their operations there are those who oppose the idea and often form splinter groups, this being the case here. But although the threat currently will not be that great, there is the ability to attempt to become stronger such as the current Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland, United kingdom. The chances of them becoming a huge threat though would remain low and become more of a nuisance than anything else.
Spain's interior ministry says it has arrested six men on terror charges in its north African enclave of Melilla it was reported on the 30 May 14. A statement said the men were suspected of trying to recruit fighters for militant groups in Libya and Mali. Spain has arrested dozens of suspected militants in its enclaves in Melilla and Ceuta in recent years. The cities lie on the southern Mediterranean coast and are surrounded by Morocco. Earlier this week, about 400 migrants breached the border fence in Melilla. The enclave is a major crossing point for those seeking work or asylum in Europe and there have been several attempts to storm the 6m-high (19ft) border fence in recent weeks. One man detained was described by the interior ministry as the "first Spanish jihadist" to have returned from the conflict in Mali. He was also suspected of attending a training camp run by Mali's Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao).
United Kingdom – A dissident republican carried a bomb on the handlebars of his bike as he rode through an area packed with revellers on the 13 Dec 13. Police on the 22 May 14 confirmed a pressure cooker was used as part of the crude device – the first time a tactic widely used by al-Qaida has been deployed in Northern Ireland. It exploded after being left inside a sports bag at Exchange Street West in the popular Cathedral Quarter area of Belfast. The same type of device was used to devastating effect at the Boston Marathon last year, killing three and injuring dozens more. A warning phoned to a newspaper less than an hour before the explosion gave the wrong location of the bomb. Around 1,000 people had been in the area at the time of the incident, which happened less than a fortnight before Christmas. Dissident republican group Óglaigh na hÉireann said it was responsible.
.Background to the Attack on the 13 Dec 13
The bomb was left in a holdall in Exchange Street West where it exploded shortly before 1900 hrs on thew 13 Dec 13 when the area was packed with Christmas shoppers and party-goers. A warning was called into a local newspaper but the bombers gave the wrong location for device. A vigilant member of the public was hailed a hero after he reported seeing a suspicious
Five men are being questioned after a suspected dissident republican bomb plot was foiled near the border it was reported on the 26 May 14. The men, aged from their 50s to 70s, were detained when a car carrying an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), believed to be a home-made bomb in a beer keg, was stopped by armed southern Ireland police the Gardai. The arrests were made in the Kilcurry area of Co Louth, just outside Dundalk and about 2km from the border with Northern Ireland. The Garda press office said the operation was part of ongoing investigations into dissident republican activity and involved officers from the anti-terror special detective unit, the crime and security division and the elite armed emergency response unit. The Defence Forces' bomb squad was called in after the car was stopped and carried out checks on the device. Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said he was concerned at an explosives find in the midst of the local and European elections. "If this was an attempt to place a bomb then whoever is responsible should cease their activities," he said. "Anyone with an ounce of republican politics or common sense knows that there is a peaceful and democratic way forward."
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