From X.com
Two Algerian TikTok influencers arrested
in France on charges of inciting violence
Two Algerian men have been arrested in France following allegations they published posts inciting violence on social media platform TikTok. The arrests come amid strained relations between France and its former colony, in the wake of the arrest of French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal, and France's support of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
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French authorities were on Sunday holding two Algerians who have wide followings on social media platform TikTok on suspicion of inciting terror, after they allegedly published posts urging acts of violence in France.
The arrests of the two men – in Brest in the west of France and Grenoble in the southeast – comes against the background of growing political tensions between Paris and its former colony.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Sunday he had "doubts" over the commitment of Algeria to follow a roadmap set out by the two sides in 2022 to smooth post-colonial relations.
A video blogger known as "Imad Tintin" was arrested on Friday outside Grenoble after publishing a video that urged followers to "burn alive, kill and rape on French territory".
The post was taken down but hardline right-wing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau published a video grab on his social media accounts, condemning the publication as "vile".
"Nothing will go unanswered," Retailleau warned.
The blogger, 31, is due to appear before a judge later Sunday with a view to being charged and remanded in custody ahead of a fast-track trial on Monday, said regional prosecutor Eric Vaillant.
"Imad Tintin" entered France in December 2021 and applied for a residence permit in August 2023 after his marriage to a French woman. But his application was refused and he is also subject to an expulsion order.
He was arrested with his twin brother, according to a police source, who asked not to be named but who added that a search of their home revealed the sets used for the video which had more than 800,000 views. Prosecutors have not given details over the situation of the brother.
'War waged in France'
In the other case, a 25-year-old Algerian identified as Youcef A. but known on social media as Zazou Youssef was remanded in custody on Friday in the western city of Brest, prosecutor Camille Miansoni said in a statement.
He will stand trial there on February 24 on a charge of "publicly advocating an act of terrorism", she said. He faces up to seven years in jail and a 100,000-euro ($103,000) fine if convicted, the statement added.
Zazou Youssef appeared in a video posted on TikTok on December 31, calling for attacks in France and violence in Algeria. The suspect was living in France on a temporary residency permit.
TikTok told AFP the account from which the video was posted had been banned for posting several videos that broke its rules on hate speech.
Tensions have surged between France and Algeria after President Emmanuel Macron renewed French support for Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara during a landmark visit to the kingdom last year.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is de facto controlled for the most part by Morocco. But it is claimed by the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, who are demanding a self-determination referendum and are supported by Algiers.
French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal, a major figure in modern francophone literature, has meanwhile been imprisoned by Algerian authorities since mid-November on national security charges.
Read moreA war without a name: France's controversial colonial past in Algeria
Barrot told RTL Sunday that Algeria's positions "make us doubt the intention of the Algerians" to stick to the roadmap on improving ties.
"There needs to be two of us," he said, adding that he believed Algeria's basis for arresting Sansal "was not valid" and that he was "worried" about the 75-year-old writer's health.
"Zazou Youssef" and "Imad Tintin" have joined "the war waged in France by the Algerian regime", Chawki Benzehra, an Algerian dissident who took refuge in France after taking part in pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019, told AFP.
He accused the Algerian authorities of mobilising a "significant" number of influencers calling for "violence". Benzehra said he had also filed a complaint on Friday in Lyon for threats made against him by "Imad Tintin".
(AFP)
Italy stops 200,000 migrants from entering the country in two years of Meloni’s leadership
Stopping, or at least slowing, the mass migration came at a high price. Italy’s taxpayers forked out hundreds of millions of euros “in aid, trade and investment” to the pilfering Islamic countries, Tunisia and Libya, “in return for which both countries have endeavoured to stop migrant boats from leaving their shores.”
The migrants should have been forced back, rather than bribing these countries into keeping their own citizens from illegally invading another sovereign country.
Trump, in contrast, forced Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to agree to “stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States” after he threatened to “significantly tariff goods from coming into the U.S. from its southern neighbor.”
Libya and Tunisia are benefiting from the immigration crime of its citizens. The payout plan has proven that the illegal entry of migrants can be stopped by the migrants’ countries of origin, either by showing them the money or penalizing and sanctioning them. Italy chose to pay up.
But then, unlike Trump, Meloni is not a natural bully and doesn't have the financial clout that America does.
Meloni’s Italy stops 200,000 migrants crossing
by Nick Squires, Telegraph, January 1, 2025:
The Meloni government has blocked nearly 200,000 migrants from crossing the Mediterranean to Italy since coming to power two years ago, the country’s interior minister has said.
Italy has given hundreds of millions of euros in aid, trade and investment to Tunisia and Libya, in return for which both countries have endeavoured to stop migrant boats from leaving their shores….
Campaigners have accused Tunisia of rounding up sub-Saharan migrants and dumping them in the desert, while Libya has been accused of keeping them in filthy holding centres where they are subjected to torture and beatings….
“It is a positive picture and the numbers bear that out,” said Matteo Piantedosi, the interior minister in the Right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni.
He told La Stampa newspaper: “In 2024, we reduced the number of irregular arrivals by 60 per cent compared to the year before and by 38 per cent compared to 2022.”…
Spain: Muslim migrant teens arrested for plotting jihad massacre at church
How is Spain benefiting from bringing in large numbers of people who hate its people, its culture, and its heritage?
Moroccan minors arrested in Spain for alleged jihadist plot
targeting Basilica of Santa María
by Thomas Brooke, Remix News, January 2, 2025:
The Spanish National Police arrested four migrant minors aged 14 to 17 from Elche last month on suspicion of links to jihadism, marking another alarming incident in a year that has seen 15 minors detained for terrorism-related activities.
The operation was launched after investigators identified concerning messages posted on social media by the teenagers. Authorities acted swiftly, arresting the suspects on Dec. 19 — just days before Christmas, a period of heightened security risks due to festive gatherings.
As reported by El País newspaper, the suspects, all of Moroccan origin, allegedly planned an attack targeting the Basilica of Santa María in Elche during its Jubilee Year celebrations. The basilica, a historical and cultural landmark, hosts El Misteri d’Elx, a UNESCO World Heritage medieval drama, attracting large crowds.
The arrests were made just two days before the scheduled reinforcement of anti-terrorist measures were implemented across major Christian landmarks in Spain. These measures are typically in force between Dec. 21 and Jan. 8 where places of interest can expect a heightened police presence.
The National Court has ordered the four African-born minors to be placed in a juvenile center in Madrid while the investigation continues.
One of the accused, a fourth-year secondary school student, reportedly showed no prior behavior that might have raised alarms among classmates or teachers, adding to the concerns over hidden radicalization.
14 to 17 year olds don't necessarily have to be radicalized to commit acts of terrorism. They can be influenced by older associates and goaded into doing evil things.
The arrests in Elche come just days after a separate operation in Barcelona, where the Civil Guard detained a 19-year-old man in what was dubbed “Operation Kerkoporta.” Born in Melilla, the suspect is accused of attempting to indoctrinate others and seeking information on how to carry out mass poisoning using arsenic….
UK: Teen convert to Islam imprisoned for
jihad massacre plot has stabbed 10 prison
officers while behind bars
What is causing this boy to behave this way is his belief system, but British officials don’t dare examine that.
Muslim convert, 17, jailed for plotting music festival terror attack
‘stabs 10 prison officers since being put behind bars
by Emily Jane Davies, Daily Mail, January 1, 2025 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
A teenage Muslim convert jailed for plotting a music festival terror attack has reportedly stabbed 10 prison officers since being put behind bars.
When he was 15, the British teenager – who cannot be named – was caught by the FBI as he planned a terror attack on the Isle of Wight music festival and was jailed for seven years.
The boy searched for knives, stab vests and pick-up trucks and researched the event’s security arrangements before abandoning the plan because he couldn’t drive or find a vehicle.
He instead decided to ‘slice’ the throat of a teacher at his special educational unit who he believed had insulted Islam but was eventually arrested.
He was found with a knife in his rucksack and notes saying farewell to his mother and grandmother and begging them to become Muslim.
UK counter terrorism police became aware of the teenager as a result of information shared by the FBI from instant messaging platform Discord.
The teenager planned to target the event in 2022 after he ‘adopted an Islamic extremist mindset’, a court heard.
The court heard that since his arrest, the youth had been involved in 18 separate offences of attacking staff at a detention centre and using makeshift weapons.
After he was sentenced, the teen – now 17 – was locked up in Feltham Young Offender Institution in West London, where he has reportedly continued attacking staff.
Sentencing him to seven years in youth custody, Mrs Justice McGowan said the youth was an ‘isolated and troubled young man who looked for the fellowship and comfort of religious faith’ and ‘came to believe it was acceptable to kill those who insulted his faith.’
But he reportedly enjoys a cushy life behind bars, as he has his own cell with a TV, DVD player, games console, desk and ensuite toilet….
Seriously? How does he rate that? Is that normal for youth detention centers? Does he even have time to consider why he is in there? Is he getting charged for these stabbings?
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