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Terrorists attacked oil tanker at Jeddah with ‘explosives-laden boat’
14 Dec 2020 16:03
FILE PHOTO: Oil tanker BW Rhine is seen in the Straits of Singapore. © Handout via REUTERS / Hafnia
An explosion and fire aboard a Singapore oil tanker at a Saudi port was the result of a “terrorist attack,” the Ministry of Energy said, condemning the recent spate of attacks on the Kingdom’s vital infrastructure.
In a statement carried by state media, the ministry confirmed that the BW Rhine vessel was attacked by terrorists shortly after midnight local time, adding that the Singapore-flagged vessel was anchored in the fuel terminal in Jeddah when it was targeted by an “explosives-laden boat.”
The ministry confirmed that there were no casualties, reiterating an earlier statement by the ship’s operators, Hafnia, and that there had been no damage to port facilities.
The spokesman quoted in the statement slammed the recent spate of attacks on vital Saudi infrastructure. “These acts of terrorism and vandalism, directed against vital installations, go beyond the Kingdom and its vital facilities, to the security and stability of energy supplies to the world and the global economy,” the statement reads.
The spokesman also urged world leaders to make a unified effort to tackle “subversive terrorist acts” and adopt practical measures to prevent further incidents.
Monday’s assault on an oil tanker discharging at the port of Jeddah comes after attacks on a Maltese vessel in Al-Shuqaiq and the petroleum products distribution station in north Jeddah in late November.
Sudan officially comes off U.S. blacklist of terrorism sponsors
By Don Jacobson
Sudanese celebrate during a reception for leaders of South Sudan in Khartoum, Sudan, on Nov. 15.
Sudan was removed from the U.S. blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism on Monday.
File photo by Mohammed Abu Obaid/EPA-EFE
Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The United States on Monday officially removed Sudan from its list of nations designated as state backers of terrorism, fulfilling a top goal for the African nation's transitional government.
Sudan's removal from the terrorism blacklist became official at the conclusion of a 45-day waiting period following U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's signing of a notification rescinding Sudan's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Monday marks a "historic day in the U.S.-Sudanese bilateral relationship, as Sudan's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism is officially rescinded," Pompeo said in a tweet.
"I congratulate [Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok] and the Sudanese people and look forward to building a stronger U.S.-Sudanese partnership," he said.
Sudan was first blacklisted as a sponsor of terrorism in 1993, when al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden lived there as a guest of the government.
Momentum to remove it from the list accelerated last year when an uprising ousted longtime President Omar al-Basir, who is accused of crimes against humanity stemming from the Darfur conflict, during which more than 300,000 Sudanese were killed.
President Donald Trump announced in October that Sudan would be removed from the list after it had agreed to provide compensation for the families of victims of the 1998 twin embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
Hamdok hailed the rescinding of the designation, which he says has prevented his government from receiving debt relief and financing from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
"Today, after more than two decades, it has been announced to our people that the name of our beloved country has come out of the list of states sponsoring terrorism and our liberation from the international and global blockade into which the behavior of the ousted regime has forced us," he said in a tweet.
Responding to Pompeo's message, Hamdok wrote, "It's indeed a historic day for our bilateral relations, by which we look forward to establish meaningful partnerships to benefit our people."
I suspect there is also some change in attitude toward Israel involved in this.
Islamist Movement Condemns Morocco-Israel Deal to Establish Relations
The movement called on Moroccans to protest the move and “confront it” with all means
By Safaa Kasraoui -
Dec 14, 2020
Rabat – Islamist movement the Justice and Spirituality Movement (Al Adl Wal Ihssan) issued a press release on Friday to condemn Morocco’s decision to establish diplomatic relaions with Israel.
Describing the move as “incalculable,” the banned movement said it strongly condemns “the decision to normalize [ties] taken by the Moroccan authority with the Zionist entity that usurped the land of Palestine.”
The movement said the decision contradicts the historical and current position of the Moroccan people, who support Palestinians and their full right to return to their homes as well as their independence.
If Palestinians returned to their historical home they would be in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco.
“We call on our people to reject the [Moroccan decision] and confront it and work to bring it down by all available peaceful means.”
The Islamist movement’s statement comes a few days after King Mohammed VI announced Morocco will establish diplomatic relations with Israel as soon as possible.
The decision followed a call with US President Donald Trump, who informed the monarch that his country recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Observers and activists saw the statement from Al Adl Wal Ihssan condemning normalization with Israel as an offense to Morocco’s sovereign decision, criticizing the Islamist movement’s silence during the Guerguerat development.
Some of them questioned why the Islamist movement did not issue a press release to condemn Polisario’s move after it caused a blockade of the Guerguerat border crossing point for over three weeks.
Moroccan movements, associations, and press expressed solidarity with the Royal Armed Forces, who acted on November 13 to secure the flow of goods and people in the region.
Morocco has banned the movement’s activities and prevented it from political participation due to what the government calls its antagonistic approach towards the Moroccan government.
The anti-monarchy movement claims to support democracy of the state but refuses to participate in elections, considering them undemocratic.
I wonder what their model of democracy looks like? Pretty weird, I'll bet.
Sheikh Abdessalam Yassine, a former teacher and the late spiritual guide of the group, founded the movement in the 1980s.
The Islamist movement was also active during the most notable protests in Morocco, including the Arab Spring protests in 2011 and the 2016-2017 Hirak Rif protests in the Al Hoceima province in northern Morocco.
Indonesian Police Arrest Top Islamist Militant Linked To Bali Bombings
by SANJAY BHAGAT, AzadHindNews
on DECEMBER 14, 2020
Jemaah Islamiah’s stated aim is to build an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia.
Zulkarnaen, one of the commanders of the Bali attack, was arrested on Thursday by anti-terrorism police, spokesman Ahmad Ramadhan said in a statement on Saturday.
He said the officers met no resistance.
Reuters was unable to reach Zulkarnaen or find out whether he had any legal representation. According to a UN Security Council report, he also goes by the name Aris Sumarsono.
Zulkarnaen is believed to have been involved in making the bombs that were used in the Bali attacks and in the 2003 bombing of the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 people.
Jemaah Islamiah’s former leader Para Wijayanto was arrested in 2019.
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