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Man charged with MP Amess’ murder plotted for years to kill a lawmaker,
considered himself affiliated to Islamic State, court told
21 Oct, 2021 14:12
where British MP David Amess was stabbed to death during a meeting with constituents,
in Leigh-on-Sea, Britain, October 16, 2021. © REUTERS / Peter Nicholls
Ali Harbi Ali, who has been charged with murder and the preparation of terrorist acts over the killing of MP Sir David Amess, “considered himself affiliated to Islamic State,” Westminster Magistrates Court heard on Thursday.
Ali, a 25-year-old British Somali man, was detained last Friday by police responding to the stabbing of the Conservative MP at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.
Speaking during a hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court, prosecutor James Cable stated that Ali had “considered himself affiliated to Islamic State” and had been plotting to kill a lawmaker for a number of years.
The remarks were made during Ali’s first appearance since he was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Earlier on Thursday, Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, stated that officials have “authorised charges against Ali Harbi Ali for the murder of MP Sir David Amess on Friday 15 October 2021.”
As well as the charge of murder, Ali is facing a second charge of “preparation of terrorist acts” following a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police force.
Sir David, who had served in parliament since 1983, died at the scene after suffering from multiple stab wounds, with the UK’s Counter Terrorism Command leading the investigation.
No one else has been arrested over the incident and police are not currently looking for further suspects.
Ahead of the trial, Assistant Commissioner for the Met Police Matt Jukes offered his “deepest condolences” to the family, friends and colleagues of the late MP, stating he was dedicated to making a “positive impact” on the lives of his constituents.
Leigh on Sea, UK
London music hall bought by megachurch engulfed in child sex abuse
scandal after locals oppose plan to use it as Islamic centre
21 Oct, 2021 17:28
The historic Golders Green Hippodrome has been bought by the controversial Hillsong megachurch — whose founder has been charged with concealing child sex abuse — after locals protested plans to use it as a Shia Islamic centre.
Jewish News reported on Wednesday that Hillsong purchased the Hippodrome for an unreported sum from the Centre for Islamic Enlightening (Markaz El Tathgheef El Eslami) after it was prevented for several years from turning the former music hall into a venue for the Shia Muslim community.
The purchase is expected to be finalized in the “new year,” though contracts have already reportedly been exchanged between the two parties.
The Centre for Islamic Enlightening had purchased the Hippodrome in 2017, but its plans for the building were repeatedly opposed. The centre claimed religious discrimination was behind local opposition, and a 2017 letter signed by members of the Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Sikh communities condemned “the hostile and at times racist response to the new Islamic centre’s opening.”
A spokesperson for Hillsong told Jewish News that it aims “to be a positive influence in the area” and that it recognizes the “significance of the building to the community.” They also said that the church was looking forward to “adding to the work of local churches and charities” through its “social action programmes.”
However, Hillsong – which was founded in Australia in the 1980s by evangelical leader Brian Houston – has been plagued with accusations of sexual abuse in recent years.
Houston’s father, Frank Houston – who was also an evangelical Christian pastor – was accused, following his death in 2004, of having repeatedly sexually abused children, and Brian Houston was accused of covering up his father’s alleged crimes.
Australian police charged Brian in August with the concealment of child sex abuse and ordered the megachurch founder to appear in court. He has denied the charges and his legal defense is ongoing.
Other accusations of rape and sexual assault have also been made towards pastors and members of the church.
Pastor Carl Lentz – who befriended and baptized pop star Justin Bieber – was accused of sexual abuse by a former staffer in May. Bieber has since left the church in NYC.
Despite the many accusations of sexual abuse, Hillsong has locations across Australia, the US, and the UK. The megachurch also has close connections with Australia’s ruling Liberal Party, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison being one prominent attendee of the church. Morrison is reportedly close friends with Houston and sought a White House invitation for the megachurch leader from former US President Donald Trump.
Iran begins air drills, featuring both manned and unmanned aircraft,
as it complains about ‘Zionist presence’ on borders
21 Oct, 2021 08:51
Iran has kicked off its latest military drill, this time exhibiting army air force units, including both manned and unmanned aircrafts, amid ongoing concern from Tehran about the presence of “Zionists” near their borders.
Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, the commander of Iran’s Army Air Force, was present on Thursday for the operational phase of the 10th Fadaeian-e Harim-e Velayat (Defenders of Velayat Sanctuary) air drills.
The commander told gathered media that combat aircraft were tasked with air-to-ground bombardment drills at various heights and velocities. Aircrafts were armed with indigenous and upgraded “heavy bombs” and also utilized laser missiles, thermal television, radar, various rockets, and explosives produced by Iranian experts.
Images shared online appear to show the operation in action.
Unmanned aerial vehicles are also being utilized in the drills. Footage shared online shows a UAV slamming into a target in the desert.
While Iran frequently holds military drills, and ensures they are well covered by local media, recent wargames have taken place amid increasing tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan.
Over the past month, Tehran has complained about a “Zionist presence” on its northern borders without elaborating further. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh reiterated its complaint and said Tehran had informed countries in the South Caucasus that it would “not tolerate the illegitimate presence of the Zionist regime” – a reference to Israel.
Azerbaijan has enjoyed positive relations with Israel in recent decades, with the former supplying oil and the latter military equipment.
On Monday, Khatibzadeh also criticized Azerbaijan for not informing Tehran about their recent military drills.
Turkey busts ‘Mossad espionage network’, arrests 15 men for spying
on Palestinians & foreign students – reports
21 Oct, 2021 15:32
Turkey’s intelligence agency reportedly cracked a Mossad spy ring in an operation earlier this month, exposing five cells and arresting 15 men suspected of conducting covert activities on foreign students and Palestinians.
After tracking the network for over a year, the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) shared the information with counter-terrorism forces. According to the Sabah daily newspaper, a 200-strong team raided the cells in a secret operation across four provinces on October 7.
The Turkish newspaper reported that the arrested men had been instructed to gather information on foreign students, particularly Palestinians, enrolled in Turkish universities – with an eye on those thought to have a future in the defense industry. The spies were also allegedly tasked with looking into a number of other unspecified associations and organizations that hosted Palestinians in Turkey.
The network apparently used this information to put together profiles on individuals, which were then relayed to Mossad officials through end-to-end encryption programs like ProtonMail and SafeUM – a software that generates fake phone numbers. They also communicated through WhatsApp.
As compensation, the suspected agents were transferred payments via Western Union, Moneygram, and even Bitcoin in some cases, the paper said. The network also reportedly developed a courier system to transfer funds, using jewelry stores and markets.
One of the suspects, identified by his initials ‘A.B.’, was said to be a payment courier who was reported missing in Istanbul’s Maltepe district in June – in an apparent bid to mislead security forces. He was reportedly paid $10,000 this year for his spying activities, according to the paper.
Another individual named as ‘R.A.A’ apparently met with Mossad field agents in the Croatian capital of Zagreb and received payments of $1,000 and $1,200. A third member, ‘M.A.S’, travelled to Zurich twice to meet with an official. Like ‘A.B’, both men had previously been reported missing.
While the Daily Sabah did not disclose the men’s nationalities, a number of Israeli and Arab papers have reported that they were of “Arab origin.” The Middle East Eye (MEE) outlet revealed that six Palestinians who had been reported missing in Turkey since last month are among those arrested.
In a phone interview with MEE, the brother of an alleged Mossad agent identified by the initial ‘M’ said that he had received a call from M a few days ago confirming that he was in police custody in Istanbul and asking him to hire a lawyer.
The brother claimed the allegations were “all false.” M had reportedly lived in Turkey for the past nine years and was supposed to graduate from a medical school in the city of Konya in two months.
Meanwhile, an unidentified source close to the Israeli security establishment told MEE that the spy ring may have been working for both Mossad and the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service. The source also speculated that the alleged operatives could have spied on students studying in fields thought to be useful for the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Daily Sabah reported that a “comprehensive indictment” will be prepared once the MIT finishes interrogating the suspects.
Neither Turkish nor Israeli authorities have commented officially on the matter as yet.
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