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Surrey, UK man convicted of terrorism offences
counterterrorbusiness
A man from Surrey has been found guilty of terrorism offences after being arrested in January 2021.
Asad Bhatti was charged at that time and a search was carried out at an address in Redhill.
The 47-year-old has now been found guilty of two counts of possessing an article for the purpose of terrorism, and three counts of making or possessing an explosive substance under suspicious circumstances.
Bhatti came to the attention of Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) after taking his computer in to a shop to be fixed, where a member of staff found some concerning file titles which he reported.
Police carried out a search at his home and a storage container he rented, where the officers found chemicals, chemistry equipment, electronic circuitry and even an improvised explosive device, which was dismantled by a specialist explosive ordnance disposal team. At his home, police found items including a USB stick containing guides to make explosive devices.
Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, head of CTPSE, said: “The case against Bhatti was strong, I am glad the jury have found him guilty today.
“There was clear evidence of his extreme Islamist ideology and the danger he posed. He clearly hated those whom he considers do not follow his version of Islam, and he made a range of derogatory comments towards those he considers to be ‘unbelievers’.
As far as Islamist ideology is concerned, his doesn't seem to be so extreme compared to other Islamists/jihadists.
“I am especially grateful to the member of public who recognised the risks and took steps to call the police. This allowed Counter Terrorism Policing to stop Bhatti’s progress in manufacturing explosive devices which could otherwise have caused significant harm to the public.”
Bhatti will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Tuesday 25 April.
Terrorism charges laid after knife attack on Surrey, B.C., bus
CBC
Mon, April 3, 2023 at 12:15 p.m. PDT·2 min read
Transit police say a man was stabbed on a bus by another man in Surrey, B.C., on Saturday morning.
(Shane MacKichan - image credit)
A B.C. man who allegedly slashed a man's throat on a transit bus in Surrey, B.C., on Saturday is facing terrorism charges.
According to court documents filed by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, the man is alleged to have committed the assault for "the Islamic State" — commonly known as ISIS.
Abdul Aziz Kawam, born in 1995, faces four terrorism charges for attempted murder, aggravated assault and two counts of assault related to the attack.
He was arrested after a stabbing on a bus travelling near the Fraser Highway and 148 Street in Surrey, B.C., just after 9:30 a.m. PT Saturday.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police say the suspect had threatened someone at a bus stop before allegedly attacking a different person after boarding.
Saturday, police say there was an "altercation" between two men on board the bus. According to transit police, the struggle happened near the back doors of the bus, and the driver heard what was happening and pulled over. Approximately 20 people were on board at the time.
"During that altercation, one of the men allegedly took out a knife and slashed the other male's throat," Const. Amanda Steed told CBC News on Sunday.
Police said the victim was able to push the suspect out the back doors of the bus after being slashed.
The victim was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries but is expected to make a full recovery.
Transit Police told CBC News that a nurse at the hospital told them the victim only survived because the knife used in the attack was dull.
Kawam also allegedly assaulted another victim before the slashing. According to Steed, he approached the victim at the bus stop on Fraser Highway and 152 Street and "brandished the knife, holding it to the victim's throat."
Kawam appeared in court in Surrey on Monday morning.
Ramadan in Sweden: Five Muslims arrested for plotting
jihad massacre in revenge for Qur’an-burning
APR 4, 2023 8:00 AM
BY ROBERT SPENCER
Jihad Watch
How long before Sweden jettisons the idea of freedom of expression and outlaws blasphemy against Islam altogether?
Canada is working at it now!
Terror expert: Sweden a priority target
Translated from “Terrorexpert: Sverige en prioriterad måltavla,”
Nyheter 24, April 4, 2023:
Five people have been arrested on suspicion of having planned a terrorist crime in Sweden. That the plans are linked to the protests after the Koran burning in January does not surprise terror expert Magnus Ranstorp. Sweden has become a priority target, he says.
Five people have been arrested in a coordinated operation by the police’s national task force in Eskilstuna, Linköping and Strängnäs. Those arrested are suspected of having planned a terrorist crime in Sweden.
“Five people is quite a lot, often it may have been two or three people, often also in one place, so it is quite unusual that there are many different cities,” says Magnus Ranstorp, researcher at the Norwegian Defense University.
The security police make the assessment that an attack was not immediately imminent. According to Säpo, the terror plans are linked to the protests after the far-right politician Rasmus Paludan’s high-profile Koran burning in January – and the crime is linked to the terrorist group IS.
Ranstorp emphasizes that it is an expected development as a result of a changed security situation that both he himself and the Security Police have previously warned about. Information that is spread online that the Swedish social service kidnaps Muslim children also plays a role.
“Previously, it was the case that Sweden was a legitimate, but not a priority target. But now we have become a priority target because of the Koran burnings and the LVU campaign. It has put Sweden on the map, above all the recent Koran burning,” he says.
Several reports that have mapped the radical Islamist environment show that it is spread out in various Swedish cities, from north to south, says Ranstorp.
“In the bigger cities, it’s not about many people, but they do exist and the Security Police have a good idea of who these people are. In Linköping and Eskilstuna above all, there are individuals there who have this violent orientation, who are interested in assassinations.
“But as I said, the Security Police have an iron grip on these environments, so it’s not surprising that they’ve intercepted something here.”
Bahrain jails men over YouTube discussion of Islam
by Sebastian Usher, BBC, March 31, 2023:
Three members of a religious and cultural society in Bahrain that advocates open discussion of Islamic issues have been given jail terms.
They were prosecuted under a law that criminalises “ridicule” of any of Bahrain’s recognised religious texts, which include the Quran and the Bible.
Human rights groups say the men were persecuted for expressing their right to free speech and belief.
The society said the case had fuelled violence against it members.
In a series of programmes posted on YouTube, Al-Tajdeed Society has raised questions over Islamic legal theory and opinions issued by Islamic clerics.
The group is Shia Muslim, which accounts for the majority of Bahrain’s population, although the ruling family is Sunni Muslim.
But prominent Shia clerics have been the most openly hostile to the organisation, denouncing its work as blasphemy and calling for Al-Tajdeed members to be ostracised.
Of course, clerics know that Islam cannot stand up to scrutiny, and so must protect it from any questions. Biblical scholars will gladly address scrutiny of the Bible.
A lawsuit was finally submitted against the group, with the prosecution saying the case had been brought “in defence of our righteous religion” and to “prevent sedition within society”. It demanded the maximum punishment under Bahraini law.
Al-Tajdeed – which means renewal in Arabic – responded by saying in court: “Thoughts are to be challenged with thoughts, and words are not to be suppressed by the authority of the law”.
The court has now sentenced the three defendants – Jalal al-Qassab, Redha Rajab and Mohammed Rajab – to a year in jail and a fine. The sentence is suspended, pending an appeal.
Al-Tajdeed has said that the court case has exacerbated an existing campaign at mosques and on social media, encouraging verbal and physical violence against its members…..
During the trial, Human Rights Watch had called for the charges to be dropped and for a halt to inflammatory public comments condemning Al-Tajdeed on religious grounds.
Bahrain has established a reputation in the Gulf region for being open to religious tolerance and pluralism. It inaugurated the largest church in the region, Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral, in 2021. It also has one of the only remaining Jewish communities in the Gulf.
BY CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS
Jihad Watch
Bahrain is and has been touted for its friendliness toward Christians, which is to be commended, given that Christians are treated as inferiors in some Sharia states, and persecuted in others. The Jerusalem Post reports:
While Christianity is fading in countries across the Middle East and North Africa, the tiny island country of Bahrain recently opened the largest Catholic church in the Gulf, giving a tremendous boost to the Christian community.
Last year, the pope was warmly received in Bahrain; he stated:
It is not enough to grant permits and recognize freedom of worship. It is necessary to achieve true freedom of religion.
The latest news, however, shows up that even in a country such as Bahrain, the Sharia, as the principal source for legislation, is shown up for its repressiveness and incompatibility with Western values. This is still little understood by far too many Western leaders.
Although “Bahrain has established a reputation in the Gulf region for being open to religious tolerance and pluralism,” it is characteristic of any Sharia-adherent country that freedom of speech is not allowed, further illustrating why Western countries need to adhere to their own principles in light of mass Muslim migration to the West. It also needs to be noted that insults to the Bible are included within the scope of the Bahraini law. However, Christians generally support the freedom of speech and free will; punishment for insults to the Bible or Christianity in general are not found in contemporary majority-Christian states. So here we see Bahrain is extending its Sharia tenets to Christianity. Bahrain is not the only Muslim country that attempts to expand its own Sharia principles regarding criticism, insults and blasphemy to apply to insults to all religions. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, “Turkey has for many years criminalized blasphemy or expression deemed insulting to religion or religious beliefs,” and Turkey seeks such laws to be international. It needs to be noted that blasphemy laws are indeed present but dormant in many Western countries, and dormant for good reason.
The violent and murderous reactions of some Muslims to insults of Muhammad and Islam are not found among adherents of other religions, so trying to draw other religions into efforts to criminalize the freedom of speech and expression must be firmly rejected by all Western countries. However, the “Islamophobia” subterfuge has already subverted most Western countries under Sharia principles. Criticizing Islam should not be illegal in itself, and if an irrational individual uses such criticism as an excuse to commit a crime, then he or she should be fully prosecuted and made an example of. It is a necessity that all ideologies and ideas be able to be scrutinized.
Bahrain has a much better reputation for religious freedom than many Islamic countries. Yet Jalal al-Qassab, Redha Rajab, and Mohammed Rajab have been jailed for advancing discussion about, and criticism of, Islam. Their group’s members met with violence from Muslim individuals and rage from Muslim clerics.
Hysteria is so easily ignited in Islam!
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