Islam - Current Day - Terrorism, Terrorists, Murder, France, Ontario, Syria, Kenya

“Outrage in France after 23-year-old nurse killed by Muslims

in brutal hit-and-run” 

by John Cody, Remix News, July 25, 2020

Axelle Dorier, a 23-year-old French woman and nurse, was struck by a vehicle and dragged 800 meters to her death on July 19 while walking her dog in the city of Lyon, with prosecutors stating that the migrant driver “knowingly knocked down” and drove away from her dismembered body.

The 21-year-old driver, Youcef T., has been placed into custody for “manslaughter” for being responsible for the “hit-and-run death”, Lyon prosecutors say.

Maître Céline Cooper, a far-left lawyer who is defending the suspect said the popular outrage over the incident is from right-wing citizens and lambasted the French Minister of the Interior of having spoken of “murder” in the case.

The atrocious killing has sent shockwaves through France just a week after 58-year-old bus driver Philippe Monguillot was beaten to death by four migrant men, one of which was from Africa, who was arrested in the apartment of Mohammed A, an individual already known to the police. 

The incident prompted his wife Veronique to tell French newspaper Le Parisien, “We were destroyed in a few seconds, I have the impression of living a nightmare. A nightmare which is getting worse by the day.” Monguillot was killed for trying to enforce a mandatory mask rule on the bus and for demanding the men purchase tickets when they tried to force their way onboard….

French prosecutors say that the driver, Youcef T., was originally at a birthday party with 40 people in the 5th arrondissement. He and his friend left the party in two separate vehicles and his friend, driving a Twingo, struck a dog, killing it.

Youcef T. claims he “panicked” after the owners of the dog became aggressive and began to attack both his friend and himself. Youcef T. sped away and only to strike Dorier while she walking her own dog. He said he did not realize that she became wedged in his vehicle and simply kept driving.

Dorier had her arm ripped off as Youcef T. dragged her for 800 meters.

According to Lyon Mag, Youcef T. is also being accused by police of driving with a suspended license.

Police say they received a call over a dispute between two motorists and a group of young people who accused him of killing their dog. A few minutes later, they received a second call about “a motorist driving a Golf who knowingly ran over a young woman and dragged her for several meters”, according to La Depeche.

Dorier was first struck by Youcef T, but actually managed to get up, at which point a number of witness accounts say the “driver then purposefully began accelerating” while dragging her behind.

So, he hit her twice, accidentally!

Three hours after Dorier was struck and killed, Youcef T. and his passenger turned themselves into the police and admitted to striking the woman, but claim they did not realize they dragged her for nearly a kilometer. Originally from the Lyon metropolitan area, blood alcohol tests were negative.

The 19-year-old passenger, Mohamed Y., was indicted “for non-assistance to a person in danger” and released under judicial supervision…

National Rally leader Marine Le Pen wrote, “What level of barbarism must we reach for the French people to say stop to this wildness of our society? How many policemen, gendarmes, bus drivers, slaughtered young girls or boys does it take?”…

Kingston, Ont, teen pleads guilty to 4 terrorism charges

in relation to alleged bomb plot

Catharine Tunney · CBC News · Posted: Jul 28, 2020 

A minor, who can't be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, appeared in a Kingston courtroom in January 2019. (Laurie Foster-MacLeod sketch)

A Kingston, Ont. teenager has pleaded guilty to four terrorism-related offences stemming from what police say was a thwarted bomb attack in early 2019.

The minor, who can't be named due to a publication ban under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was charged in January 2019 after multiple searches were conducted on two homes in the Ontario city, about two hours from the nation's capital, following a tip from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation in late December 2018.

The accused was charged with knowingly facilitating terrorist activity, making or possessing explosive materials, taking action "with intent to cause an explosion of an explosive substance that is likely to cause serious bodily harm or death to persons or is likely to cause serious damage to property" and counselling someone else to place or detonate an explosive or other lethal device to cause death or serious bodily injury.

The teen, who was 16 at the time, was inspired by the Islamic State and said he wanted to become a "martyr," according to an agreed statement of facts read aloud by the Crown today in court.

But his plan — which involved a pressure cooker bomb — was foiled by an undercover informant working for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation who tipped off the RCMP.

The teen unwittingly thought he was talking to a "lone wolf," and sent the agent a Power Point presentation with detailed instructions on how to build a successful pressure cooker bomb, according to the agreed statement, which was read in both English and Arabic. 

The accused then counselled the undercover agent to build the device and place it in a public place, like a bar, in order to kill innocent people.

Crown wants teen sentenced as an adult

The court heard how the young person also made an explosive substance — triacetone triperoxide — with the goal of manufacturing an explosive device to place either in a public place or under a police or military vehicle.

The investigators who searched his home found all the materials needed to build an explosive device, said the statement.

The charges relate to the period from Dec. 20, 2018 to Jan. 24, 2019. On Jan. 25, 2019, the RCMP announced that a terrorist bomb plot had been stopped, but few of the details of the case had been made public until now.

Sentencing is expected at a later date. The Crown says it will seek an adult sentence.

Justice Elaine Deluzio ordered a psychiatric assessment before the case is back in court in September.

The teen also pleaded guilty to violating a bail condition related to wearing an ankle monitor.

Number of surrendered terrorists in 2020 rises to 117

Turkey

BY DAILY SABAH

 

Turkish security forces eliminated two terrorists in an operation against the PKK in Siirt province, July 27, 2020. (DHA Photo)

A terrorist surrendered to Turkish security forces in Syria, the Turkish Interior Ministry said on Wednesday, increasing the total number of terrorists that have surrendered so far this year to 117.

The terrorist laid down arms after persuasion efforts by Turkish forces, the ministry said in a statement, adding that efforts are ongoing to convince more terrorists to turn themselves in.

While the Turkish security forces carry out counterterrorism operations both within Turkey and across its borders, a large number of terrorists continue to surrender voluntarily. Some of those who surrendered recently have reported that many others cannot do so out of fear for their lives.

Once the terrorists surrender, they are provided with many opportunities, including the right to education and the freedom to live without fear and oppression.

The security forces have adopted "ending terrorism at its root" and "attack rather than defense" strategies for its operations across the country.

On the other side, Turkish security forces arrested at least three YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, near the country's southern border, the National Defense Ministry said on the same day.

The terrorists, aiming to disrupt peace and security in the Operation Olive Branch zone, were held before they could achieve their "treacherous ambitions," the ministry said on Twitter.

Turkish troops are in the region as part of a cross-border security and counterterrorism initiative.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terrorist operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable peaceful settlement by locals: Euphrates Shield in 2016, Olive Branch in 2018 and Peace Spring in 2019.

In its more than four-decade terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

Kenya: Sheikh Charged With Terrorism Denied Bail

28 JULY 2020

The Nation (Nairobi)

By Joseph Wangui

A Muslim preacher whose arrest two years ago caused chaos in Marsabit will remain in remand after the High Court dismissed his application for bail pending trial.

Sheikh Guyo Gorsa Boru, who is facing 11 charges related to terrorism and being a member of a terrorist group, wanted to be released on grounds that there no longer existed compelling reasons to deny him bail.

In his application, Mr Boru explained that since his arraignment in court on January 13, 2018 the State has not been diligent in the prosecution of the case.

He set out instances where the prosecution failed to supply him witnesses' statements within the stipulated period. He also complained that the prosecution, without reasonable excuse, was seeking adjournments of the trial with an aim to delay the conclusion of the case.

He also urged the court to consider his background and relationship with the Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) prior to his arrest.

On fears that if released he would escape, Mr Boru said he had no capacity to flee the country. As regard to whether his release would pose a danger to public security, the applicant stated that there was no evidence that such threat existed.

While explaining that he is not a danger to the society, Mr Boru submitted that the charges facing him do not include radicalisation which would have entitled the prosecution to make such a claim.

He further submitted that the persons who were charged with causing civil disturbances in Marsabit following his arrest were acquitted by the court. He said there was no possibility that he would be a threat to the security and peace of the community, hence the circumstances that had caused dismissal of his earlier application had changed.

He pointed out that the majority of the charges are based on alleged terrorism material found in his phone, adding that he is a law abiding citizen who should benefit from the constitutionally guaranteed right to be released on bail pending trial.

But justice Luka Kimaru found the prosecution was not solely to blame for the delay in the expeditious conclusion of the criminal trial. Some of the delays were attributed to the non-attendance of the interpreter.

Since only two prosecution witnesses are yet to testify, justice Kimaru ordered the State to present them and close its case within three months. Should the State fail to comply with the order, the judge said Mr Boru will be at liberty to reapply to be released on bail.

The judge further said Mr Boru was not able to establish that the circumstances that had made the court dismiss his earlier bail application had changed. In opposing the bail application, State counsel Willy Momanyi said Mr Boru is facing serious criminal charges and if convicted he is likely to face a stiff custodial sentence.

"Terrorism is a serious offence and undermines the national security and tranquillity of the people of Kenya. It would be risky to release the applicant on bail pending trial because he is not likely to attend court to face trial," said Mr Momanyi.

He insisted that the prosecution was apprehensive Mr Boru may have reasons to abscond and leave the country due to the fact that if he were to be convicted, he would serve a substantial term in prison.

This Week's Terror Attacks and Stories - 20:28 > UK, Yemen, Syria, Canada, USA

UK court rules IS bride Shamima Begum can return to Britain to challenge removal of citizenship

In this still taken from CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police in London on Feb. 23, 2015, Amira Abase, left,
Kadiza Sultana, center, and Shamima Begum, walk through Gatwick airport, south of London,
before catching their flight to Turkey © AP / Metropolitan Police

Shamima Begum – one of three London schoolgirls who traveled to Syria to join Islamic State in 2015 – will be allowed to return to the UK to challenge the removal of her British citizenship, senior UK judges have ruled.

The 20-year-old left the UK five years ago and lived under IS rule for over three years. She was found in a refugee camp in February last year, and was discovered to be pregnant.

Then-UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid later revoked her British citizenship on national security grounds.

Last year, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) maintained that Begum had not been illegally rendered stateless while she was living in Syria because she was entitled to Bangladeshi citizenship.

The Court of Appeal partially overturned that ruling. It also stated that Javid’s decision to remove her British citizenship was “unlawful,” because of the “risk of mistreatment” that was foreseeable as a consequence of the then-home secretary’s actions.

Seriously? What about the risk of mistreatment to the British public by a determined terrorist supporter? What madness!

Finally, the judgement found that Begum could not be assured a “fair and effective appeal” against the decision while she was outside the UK and in Syria.

Sky News conducted an interview with Begum in the refugee camp in which she claimed that she was “just a housewife.” She said she left Raqqa, Syria, in January 2017 with her husband, and claimed that her children – a one-year-old girl and a three-month-old boy – had both died.

Her third child is thought to have died shortly after he was born last year.

Shamima Begum going through security at Gatwick airport, before they caught their flight to Turkey.

© AP / Metropolitan Police

Begum took legal action against the UK Home Office, claiming the government's decision was unlawful because it rendered her stateless and exposed her to a risk of death or inhuman and degrading treatment.

Responding to the ruling, the UK government said it was a “very disappointing decision,” insisting that they would appeal and apply for the court’s original judgement to be stayed until then.

And if she has the right to return, even for trial, will she be incarcerated or allowed to roam freely in the streets of London?

What happened to her husband?

Wounded children treated in Yemen hospital

after Saudi airstrike hits residential area

A heartbreaking video from RT’s video agency Ruptly shows children undergoing treatment after a Saudi airstrike hit a residential area in Yemen’s northern province of al-Jawf.

The attack on Wednesday left nine people dead and almost as many wounded, with the local officials saying that the most of the victims were women and children.

A doctor at the al-Jawf General Hospital told Ruptly that the facility received up to four kids after the airstrike. They suffered torn wounds to their limbs and bodies, with one small child having his face mutilated by shrapnel.

WARNING! GRAPHIC CONTENT

Video 3:30 in some Arabic dialect. The medical staff pull sheets up over the heads of two of the children,
but they are not dead. You can see one of them move his hand when it is pinched at about 30 seconds.

“We’re sad and in pain, as the Yemeni people are being hit while peacefully sitting in their homes, and today it was children and women who suffered,” the doctor said.

Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to help reinstate the ousted President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to power and fight the Houthi rebels who had gained control of most of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

Since then, Yemen has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes, with over 100,000 people killed, an estimated four million people displaced, and most of its 29 million residents now dependent on aid for survival.

The majority of civilian casualties during conflict have come as a result of airstrikes, with the Saudi-led coalition being blamed by international human rights groups for indiscriminate bombings and targeting of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and markets.

Yemen has also been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, which the UN estimated may kill even more people than the five years of fighting.

Yemen is a proxy war between Iran, which supports the Houthis, and Saudi Arabia which supports the ousted president. Iran is trying to encircle Saudi Arabia with its influence. The two countries are made up of different houses of Islam, each thinking the other is apostate.

It matters not to either country how many people die or are torn apart. It doesn't seem to matter to the US or the UK either, as both countries provide Saudi Arabia with an endless supply of weapons. 

Targeting hospitals, markets, and residential areas are not acts of war, they are acts of terror. But, rest assured, Saudi Arabia, Iran, The USA, and the UK will never be held accountable for them.

7 killed, dozens injured in car bomb attack in Syria

By Darryl Coote

July 19 (UPI) -- At least seven people were killed and dozens more were injured Sunday when a car bomb exploded in northern Syria near the Turkish border, a British-based monitor of the nearly decade-old civil war said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that five civilians and two unidentified people were killed Sunday evening in the explosion at a roundabout near the Bab al-Salam border crossing with Turkey.

More than 60 people, including women and children, were injured in the blast, it said.

Those injured in Azaz were transported to Turkey for treatment, Turkish state media Anadolu Agency reported, though stating the number of injured was at least 85.

The Syrian monitor blamed the Islamic State for the attack, which followed Turkish forces launching raids and arrests against the terrorist organization in the Turkish forces-controlled Northern Aleppo province following an IS assassination of a local official in the region in late June.

Meanwhile, Turkish state media blamed the attack on YPG/PKK Kurdish fighters, who Turkey views as terrorists and has launched several operations into Syria to push them back from the border.

Since the Syrian civil war began in March 2011, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed, more than 5 million people have fled the country and 6 million more have displaced within the war-torn nation, according to the United Nations.

Bab al-Salam border crossing Turkey-Syria

Alleged ISIS member from Calgary charged with terrorism: RCMP

By Stewart Bell Global News

A Calgary man has been charged with terrorism offences for allegedly travelling to Syria in 2013 and joining the so-called Islamic State, the RCMP said on Wednesday.

The charges allege that Hussein Sobhe Borhot participated in a kidnapping on behalf of ISIS.

The arrest of the 34-year-old followed what police described as an “extensive and complex” national security investigation that spanned seven years.

He was taken into custody in Calgary on Tuesday and faces four terrorism-related charges including participation in the activity of a terrorist group and commission of an offence for a terrorist group.

There is more on this story on Global News

Two of the ISIS terrorists dubbed the Beatles admit involvement in captivity of Kayla Mueller, James Foley

In exclusive interviews, the two men, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, for the first time admitted their involvement in the captivity of Mueller

ISIS terrorists known as 'The Beatles' admit involvement in captivity of slain Americans

By Ken Dilanian, Anna Schecter and Richard Engel, NBC News

WASHINGTON — Two of the British ISIS terrorists dubbed the “Beatles” further incriminated themselves in the mistreatment of Western hostages in Syria, including Americans Kayla Mueller and James Foley, in interviews obtained exclusively by NBC News.

In the interviews, the two men, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, for the first time admitted their involvement in the captivity of Kayla, an aid worker who was tortured and sexually abused before her death in 2015.

Kotey said, "She was in a room by herself that no one would go in."

Elsheikh got into more detail, saying, "I took an email from her myself," meaning he got an email address the Islamic State militant group could use to demand ransom from the family. "She was in a large room, it was dark, and she was alone, and … she was very scared."

In one email reviewed by NBC News, ISIS demanded the Muellers pay 5 million euros and threatened that if the demands weren’t met, they would send the family “a picture of Kayla's dead body.”

Kayla Mueller, 26, an American humanitarian worker from Prescott, Arizona with her mother Marsha Mueller. Reuters file

Elsheikh also implicated himself in the abuse of American James Foley. “I didn't choke Jim,” he said. “If I choked Jim I would say I choked him. I mean, I've — I've hit him before. I've hit most of the prisoners before.”

He said that sometimes Foley would let himself become a target to make sure hostages got enough food. Said Elsheikh, “If the guard would ask, ‘Is the food enough?" some of the other prisoners were very timid. It was always him who would say, ‘It's not enough’” and take the risk of retaliation from guards.

Kotey and Elsheikh are both in U.S. military custody in Iraq amid questions over how and when they will face justice. U.S. and British authorities say the so-called “Beatles” were responsible for 27 killings, including the beheadings of Americans Foley, Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassig, and British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning.

The families of American hostages murdered by ISIS tell NBC News they are urging the Trump administration to try them in a U.S. civilian court.

"They did so much horror to so many people," Kayla's mother, Marsha Mueller, said. "They need to be brought here. They need to be prosecuted. The other thing that's really important to me about this is I need information about Kayla. We know so little about what happened to her."

I wonder if it might not be better not to know.

There is more to this story on NBC News including a video.

==============================================================================================

This Week's Terrorist Attacks and Stories: 20:27 > USA-4, Germany, India, UK

After ARD agitation: Armenian Christian in Berlin attacked by Islamists with a knife

Who knows this attacker?

The Syrian-Armenian Bundestag employee Kevork Almassian was attacked yesterday by two Islamists in Berlin with a knife and was barely able to escape with his life.

Kevork Almassian is an Armenian Christian and a recognized refugee in Germany. Since 2018 he has worked for AfD MP Markus Frohnmaier in the Bundestag. Since he was doxed last year by editor-in-chief Lars Wienand from T-Online, the ARD magazine "Kontraste" and the Syrian Islamist activist Nahla Osman from Rüsselsheim, he has received death threats ( jouwatch reported ).

Yesterday two Islamists struck and attacked Almassian with a knife on the street. The Islamists were obviously after his life. Almassian evaded them and managed to escape by running for about 10 minutes and calling for help. Nobody on the street in Berlin reacted.

The human hunters Lars Wienand and Silvio Duwe and Georg Heil from “Contrasts” never apologized to Almassian. After the fee-financed defamation reports, Almassian is repeatedly threatened massively by Islamists. Frohnmaier asks for clues to the perpetrator .

Almassian wrote on Twitter : “I just survived a murder attack (in Berlin). (...) This is not the first time that someone in Germany is trying to attack me and the main reason for this is a report from ARD-Contrasts from February 2019 which contains many lies and fabrications ... If anything should happen to me, I do the ARD-Contrasts magazine and his hate campaign against me last year was responsible for provoking radical Islamists and forcing them to take "revenge". "

UK police arrest four terrorism suspects

in London and Leicester

The Met police carried out an operation to arrest three terrorist suspects in the east of the British capital, another man was detained in Leicestershire.

The police said that four men were arrested for “preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism” as part of a proactive investigation. Three suspects were detained at two separate addresses in East London, with one more apprehended in Leicestershire.

Video on social media showed armed officers from the Counter Terrorism Command breaking into a home in Goodmayes and escorting two men outside. “No shots were fired” during the operation, according to the law enforcers, but one man was bitten on the foot by a police dog and taken to hospital.

Witnesses told local media that loud bangs, which resembled gunshots, were heard. The loud noises weren’t gunshots, but “part of distraction tactics used by officers,” a police spokesman clarified later.

The suspects were aged between 17 and 32, the police said, adding that the officers have been conducting searches at four locations in East London.

The neighbors at one of the addresses where the arrests were made told the UK media that they were “a little bit shaken” by what had happened.

They also said they didn’t know the inhabitants of the home, which the police raided, too well because “they don't speak very good English.” The locals added that it was a “mystery” for them, who actually lived in the house, due to people always coming and going.

One of India’s cruelest gangsters, already facing 60 charges, arrested after his gang killed 8 cops in violent shootout

FILE PHOTO © REUTERS/Amit Dave

Vikas Dubey, a notorious gangster behind a string of murders, kidnappings, and extortions, was arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police after massacring 8 cops in an ambush and spending days on the run.

Dubey was apprehended after visiting a temple in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. A shopkeeper happened to recognize the most-wanted man – who was peacefully buying prayer offerings – and reportedly called security guards who asked for his ID.

As the confrontation escalated, Dubey hit out at the guards who dragged him towards a police van. Footage from the scene shows the gangster being beaten and forced into the vehicle.

Dubey’s name returned to Indian news reports – and police wires – earlier last week, when a squad of officers descended on his place in Kanpur, a metropolis in his home state, Uttar Pradesh. Dubey set up a massive ambush involving as many as 60 of his men – armed with assault rifles, and pistols.

The gangsters opened fire from rooftops, outnumbering and outgunning the police as around 30 officers arrived. Dubey himself managed to escape, while eight officers were killed.

A massive manhunt was unleashed shortly afterwards, and the bounty on the notorious gangster was raised to Rs 5 lakh (around $7,000).

Dubey’s gangster career started back in 1990, when the first criminal case against him was registered. By 2020, he faced 60 criminal charges, including counts of murder, extortion, kidnapping, and rioting.

“It is a big success for the police, Vikas Dubey is a cruel killer,” Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said, adding the police have informed their colleagues in Uttar Pradesh that the manhunt was a success.

Texas Border Patrol Agents Apprehend

Three Illegal Migrants From Iran

Jennie Taer, Sara Carter

Border Patrol agents stationed at the Del Rio Sector of Texas detained a family of three Iranian nationals illegally crossing the border on Sunday, according to a press release. The group is considered to be “Special Interest Aliens” by the Department of Homeland Security because of their home country’s terrorism prevalence.

“Agents in Del Rio Sector encounter individuals from countries all throughout the world,” said Del Rio Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Doyle E. Amidon, Jr.

He added, “The vigilance, diligence, and dedication to duty that our agents display on a daily basis is second to none. The security of our neighborhoods, communities, and our great nation is our top priority.”

The area has seen a flow of people crossing from all over the world. This year, alone, individuals from 63 different countries were arrested at the Del Rio Sector.

A top US terrorism fighter’s dire warning

Russell Travers detailed his concerns to the intelligence community’s watchdog.

Days later he was fired.

By BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN, Politico

America’s intelligence agencies risk slipping back into dangerous pre-9/11 habits, a recently departed top counterterrorism official is warning in his first public remarks on the matter.

Russell Travers, former head of the U.S. government’s hub for analysis of counterterrorism intelligence, was so alarmed that he shared his concerns with the intelligence community’s top internal watchdog in his final weeks on the job.


“I think there are really important questions that need to be addressed, and I don’t think they have been thus far,” said Travers, who ran the National Counterterrorism Center until March of this year. “And that has me worried, because I do think we could very easily end up back where we were 20 years ago.”

Travers detailed his concerns, much of which remain highly classified, to the intelligence community’s inspector general. About a week later, he was summarily ousted, he says — and the Trump administration official who fired him didn’t explain why.

For more on this story please go to Politico

==============================================================================================

Feds file terrorism charges against MS-13 leader

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Federal prosecutors announced groundbreaking terrorism charges against a leader of MS-13 on Wednesday, saying the man, who was an illegal immigrant in the U.S. before being deported twice back to El Salvador, ran the violent gang’s Eastern U.S. operations.

Armando Eliu Melgar Diaz, 30, oversaw 20 MS-13 cliques stretching from Louisiana to New York, ordering assassinations and facilitating the gang’s extortion and drug trafficking activities, the Justice Department said.

He becomes the first MS-13 leader to face terrorism charges here.

“We’re using ‘terrorism,’ which gives us extra strength,” President Trump said at the White House as he touted the new actions, which also included takedowns of dozens of other members of La Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, ranging from Las Vegas to New York.

One of those New York targets, Alexi Saenz, could face the death penalty, Attorney General William P. Barr said.

The gang has been a particular focus for Mr. Trump, who in 2017 ordered the Justice Department and Homeland Security to go to war on the organization.

Mr. Barr said MS-13 is unique among criminal organizations, calling it a “death cult” because of its savagery, but also pointing to its sophistication and reach, with a hierarchy and tentacles spanning multiple countries.

==============================================================================================

Two more charged with terrorism in Oklahoma City

Nolan Clay, The Oklahoman

Oklahoma City police officers arrest a protester on May 30 near NW 23 and Classen Boulevard.

Two protesters were charged Friday. [Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman]

Two more protesters Friday were charged with terrorism after a further investigation into the damage to an Oklahoma City bail bonds business May 30.

Haley Lin Crawford and Sydney Lynch are accused in the felony charge of acting with a large crowd of others to unlawfully break the windows of CJ's Bail Bonds.

They are the youngest so far to be charged in Oklahoma County District Court over protests May 30 and 31.

Crawford's 18th birthday is Saturday, records show. Lynch turned 18 two weeks ago. Both are from Oklahoma City. Investigators said they were identified from a recording made on Facebook by another protester and from tips to CrimeStoppers.

Three other protesters were charged earlier with terrorism. So far, six protesters have been charged with rioting and one has been charged with assault and battery upon a police officer. More rioting charges are expected next week.

Also, five protesters were charged with incitement to riot over a confrontation with police in June during the painting of a street mural.

District Attorney David Prater has been both praised and condemned for his get-tough stance on what charges to file over the protests.

The harshest criticism has been directed at the terrorism charges filed over the burning of an Oklahoma County sheriff's van and the damage to and attempted burning of the bail bonds business.

The ACLU of Oklahoma called the terrorism charges "nothing short of an abuse of power." Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City held a protest July 2 to denounce the filing of the terrorism cases.

Prater has stood by his decision. "This is not Seattle," he said June 26. "We're not putting up with this lawlessness here."

On June 28, he said, "These criminals have subverted peaceful protests and impaired the open discussion regarding race in our country. ... When you act like a terrorist, you will be treated like a terrorist. All innocent citizens of Oklahoma County deserve to be protected."

This Week's Terrorist Attacks and Stories - 20:25 > Reading, Stamford Hill, Karachi

Libyan refugee charged with murder
in wake of Reading attacks on gay men

But not charged with terrorism!

©  REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

Libyan-born Khairi Saadallah has been charged with three counts of murder, following a mass stabbing in the town of Reading last week. The attack, initially investigated by UK’s counter-terrorism police, targeted gay men.

The 25-year-old has been charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder, the Crown Prosecution Service said on Saturday. The June 20 knife attack in a Reading park left three people dead and at least three others injured.

Although Saadallah had been investigated by British counter-terrorism police, there was no reference to terrorism in the charges listed.

The stabbing took place at Forbury Gardens in Reading last Saturday. Three of the victims died at the scene, while the other three were taken to hospital and have all since been released.

The authorities are yet to disclose the suspect’s motive. However, given that all three of those who died are gay, and the attack coincided with Pride Month, which is being marked by many LGBT events across the UK, a number of media outlets have pointed the finger at homophobia. Saadallah openly expressed his disgust with homosexuals, the Sun newspaper reported, citing a gay acquaintance of the suspect. “In my country, disgusting people like you would be beheaded,” he allegedly told the man.

So, how is it this is not terrorism? I don't understand!

Saadallah came to the UK as an illegal immigrant in 2012, fleeing the chaos of the Libyan War that was prompted by the NATO-backed toppling of Muammar Gaddafi. In 2018, he was granted asylum. The British media claims that he received it despite being on MI5’s suspected-jihadist list for many years.

The charges are being levied on Saadallah a day after another major stabbing incident occurred, this time in central Glasgow. On Friday, a man injured six people before being shot dead by the police. Media reports say the suspect was a disgruntled Sudanese asylum seeker, who had complained about poor Covid-19 sheltering conditions and who allegedly had a history of mental-health issues. Police said the attack was not being treated as a terror-related incident.

There seems to be a concerted effort to deny terrorism even when it seems obvious. Europe keeps covering up criminal events at the hands of migrants, especially those who are mentally deranged. But according to Dr. Wafa Sultan, a Lebanese psychiatrist, all devout Muslims are deranged. (See: Great Quotes - Sidebar  https://northwoodssaveachild.blogspot.com/).

Militants throw grenades, open fire at

Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi 

A group of militants armed with guns and grenades stormed the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi. Attackers and several security personnel were killed in the battle, local media reported, citing police.

The attack occurred at around 10am local time. Four gunmen dressed as off-duty police officers drove to a parking lot in front of the stock exchange building in a single vehicle and threw a grenade at the main entrance gate, police said. The terrorists then opened fire indiscriminately, forcing people to flee in panic.

Around 150 employees were at the building during the assault, the stock exchange director told the media. They locked themselves inside their offices.

Police and security personnel were quickly dispatched to the scene, and a fierce firefight ensued in which all of the terrorists were shot dead. Police seized AK-47 rifles, hand grenades, and other explosives.

Two security guards and a police officer were killed in the attack, officials said. Seven people were injured.

The insurgent group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the raid. Founded in 2000, BLA seeks to establish an independent state in Balochistan, Pakistan’s southwestern province.

London: Man and woman stabbed by Muslim terrorist

outside a Jewish bakery

BY BTNEWS · JUNE 28, 2020

BREAKING: A man and a woman were stabbed by a Muslim terrorist last night outside a Jewish bakery in Hackney, Stamford Hill. The man staggered inside for help before collapsing on the floor, where he was helped by volunteers from the Shomrim Jewish community group.

A woman was also found wounded nearby and taken to the hospital.

Armed Police officers rushed to the scene and arrested the Muslim terrorist.

Islam: On This Day in History > American Arrested for Planning Dirty Bomb

José Padilla (born October 18, 1970), also known as Abdullah al-Muhajir or Muhajir Abdullah, is a United States citizen from Brooklyn, New York, who was convicted in federal court of aiding terrorists.

Padilla was arrested in Chicago on May 8, 2002, on suspicion of plotting a radiological bomb ("dirty bomb") attack. He was detained as a material witness until June 9, 2002, when President George W. Bush designated him an enemy combatant and, arguing that he was not entitled to trial in civilian courts, had him transferred to a military prison in South Carolina. Padilla was held for three and a half years as an enemy combatant. Upon pressure and lawsuits from civil liberties groups, he was transferred to a civilian jail in 2006.

In August 2007, a federal jury found him guilty of conspiring to commit murder and fund terrorism. Government officials had earlier claimed Padilla was suspected of planning to build and explode a "dirty bomb" in the United States, but he was never charged with this crime. He was initially sentenced to 17 years in prison, which was increased on appeal to 21 years. His lawsuits against the military for allegedly torturing him were rejected by the courts for lack of merit and jurisdictional issues.

This Week's Terrorist Attacks/Stories - 20:23 > USA-2, Mali, Germany, Syria, J&K-2, Turkey

Islamic terrorist suspect's sister killed by police in Florida

By SNEJANA FARBEROV FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

1 June 2020

The sister of a recently arrested Florida terrorism suspect was shot and killed by police on Friday after being caught on video charging officers while armed with a butcher knife outside a government building. 

Temple Terrace Police Chief Kenneth Albano said during a news conference that the officer-involved shooting occurred at the City Hall building.

Heba Momtaz Al-Azhari, 21, arrived at City Hall at around 1pm and asked for an officer's help, officials said. When a uniformed officer went outside and approached the woman, she charged at him with a knife. 

Surveillance video captured the moment Heba Momtaz Al-Azhari, 21, allegedly tried to ambush a police officer outside the Temple Terrace, Florida, City Hall on Friday. video 0.04

Police say Al-Azhari asked for a police officer's help. When he approached her sitting on a bench, she pulled out a large butcher knife and charged him. 

The deadly confrontation took place just days after Heba's brother, Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, 23, was arrested on federal charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. 

According to the US Department of Justice, Muhammed admired Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen and allegedly told an informant he wanted to die like him after killing dozens of people.  

Heba's older brother, Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, a 23-year-old US citizen, 4last week was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to ISIS

A uniformed officer comes up to the woman wearing traditional Muslim garb and a face mask. Moments later, she jumps to her feet brandishing a long knife in her hands and lunges at the cop, who draws back.

The woman pursues him, making thrusting and slashing motions with the knife, as if trying to stab the officer. 

The 30-second video released by the police department ends with another officer pointing his gun at someone.  

Multiple cops responded to the scene and fired at Al-Azhari, though Albano wouldn't say how many. The officer who was attacked sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Al-Azhari later died of her injuries at a hospital.

'It's a very traumatic thing for an officer to pull his weapon and much less take a life,' Albano said at the press conference. According to the chief, the officer repeatedly and loudly told Al-Azhari to drop the knife. 

The chief did not say how many officers were involved, how many fired their weapons or how many times the woman was shot. The officer who was attacked did fire his weapon, Albano said. 

An Al-Azhari family spokesperson told Spectrum Bay News 9 Heba was upset over her brother's arrest.  

A federal criminal complaint released by the US Department of Justice charged Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, a US citizen, with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The charge carries a potential 20-year prison term.

A public defender listed in court records for Al-Azhari said the government's charges in the case unfairly attempt to portray him as a terrorist.

His sister's attempted murder of a police officer is not going to help with that line of defence.

'The allegations misunderstand both the law and the evidence,' said the public defender, Samuel Landes, in an emailed statement. 'I'm thankful that in this country everyone enjoys a presumption of innocence, and I look forward to Mr. Al-Azhari's day in court before a jury of his peers.'

An FBI affidavit says Al-Azhari was recorded as expressing admiration for Omar Mateen, the mass shooter who carried out a massacre at the Orlando Pulse nightclub in 2016 before being killed by police, and even drove there to scope out the location. 

In a conversation with a confidential informant, the FBI says, Al-Azhari said 'that's how I want to die, to be honest.'

The informant then asked how many people Al-Azhari wanted to kill.

Al-Azhari allegedly scouted multiple locations in the Tampa Bay area to attack

'I don't want to take four or five, no. I want to take at least 50,' Al-Azhari replied on the recording, according to the affidavit. 'You know like, brother Omar Mateen in Orlando did. He took 49 with him.'

The affidavit also details how Al-Azhari negotiated with an undercover FBI employee to purchase a variety of guns and silencers, including an AK-47-style rifle. He was arrested Sunday after taking possession of weapons allegedly to be used in an attack.

'We are grateful for the hard work and swift action by our law enforcement partners and concerned citizens during this investigation,' said US Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez, whose district includes Tampa. 'Their coordination and cooperation in this matter allowed us to interrupt a serious threat, without harm to anyone.'

According to the 62-page FBI affidavit, Al-Azhari scouted a number of targets in the Tampa Bay region, including multiple beaches, Honeymoon Island State Park and even the Tampa FBI field office. 

He also allegedly rehearsed what he would say when carrying out an attack, some of which was intercepted by electronic surveillance on May 16.

'Know America. Today is your emergency. Today we kill from you guys like you killed from us,' he is overheard saying, according to the affidavit. 'This is a revenge for Muslims.'

Court-ordered searches of Al-Azhari's iPhone also revealed numerous videos and extremist statements advocating jihad attributed to the Islamic State group. Another video, the FBI says, shows Al-Azhari in a facemask and pointing a gun at presumably someone on the floor.

'Hey you, get on the floor. Get on the floor now. Don't you move, don't you move, I'm telling you, I will kill you,' he says on the video.

Then, Al-Azhari looks into the camera and says: 'God willing, the exalted. This is revenge for my brothers Al Muwahideen [the monotheists] in Guantanamo in general, and for my brother [redacted] in particular. ...this is a revenge for all my Muslim brothers in Iraq and al-Sham [Syria] and everywhere.' 

He then points the gun at what is presumed to be someone on the floor and says: 'those who were killed by the hands of those filthy crusaders.'

Al-Azhari had previously been convicted in Saudi Arabia in 2015 of terror-related crimes, including attempting to travel to Syria to participate in jihad and join a terrorist group along with two others, including his own father. 

He served three years in prison in Saudi Arabia and then was deported back to the US, according to the FBI. He lived in California and since 2019 in the Tampa area.

A key to the case was an eBay transaction in which Al-Hazhari purchased weapons parts for $375 from someone in Texas. 

The package was halted by the US Postal Service and eBay flagged the purchase. The seller then provided FBI agents with details about the deal and the Postal Service seized the package. According to the affidavit, FBI has been aware of Al-Azhari since at least May 2019.

On May 1, Al-Azhari was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm after allegedly making threats to harm his colleagues at Home Depot. 

Prior to his arrest of the state charge, FBI agents interviewed some of his co-workers at the home improvement store, who expressed concern about statements that the suspect had made concerning Islam, guns and violence.

A supervisor told agents that when speaking about the September 11 attacks, Al-Azhari had said that he believed that Americans got what they deserved that day, according to the affidavit.

The same supervisors also allegedly overheard Al-Azhari speaking to other co-workers about jihad, saying that it involved 'defending Islam.'

Another colleague at the Home Depot had reported Al-Azhari to corporate security, claiming that he tried to convince his co-workers to convert to Islam, and that he 'spoke negatively and passionately about the United States and homosexuality.'

Al-Azhari was arrested on Sunday and was being held in the Pinellas County jail at the request of federal agents.  

Temple Terrace, Fla

French forces kill leader of al-Qaida in North Africa

By Danielle Haynes

June 5 (UPI) -- French forces killed Abdelmalek Droukdel, the leader of al-Qaida in North Africa, France's Ministry of Defense said Friday.

Defense Minister Florence Parly said French armed forces killed Droukdel and "several of his close collaborators" during an operation Wednesday in Mali.

In addition to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, she said Droukdel led Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, a Sahel-based group that swore allegiance to al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Parly announced that French forces also captured Mohamed el Mrabat, a leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara on May 19.

"I congratulate and thank all those who have enabled and carried out these daring operations," Parly said.

3 self-proclaimed members of the far-right 'boogaloo' movement were arrested on domestic terrorism charges for trying to spark violence during protests

Rosie Perper and Sonam Sheth Jun 3, 2020, 7:07 PM

A member of the far-right militia, Boogaloo Bois, walks next to protestors demonstrating outside Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department Metro Division 2 just outside of downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 29, 2020. LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images

Three self-proclaimed members of the far-right "boogaloo" movement were held on domestic terrorism charges after federal prosecutors accused them of trying to spark violence during police brutality protests in Las Vegas.

The "boogaloo" movement was defined in the charging document as "a term used by extremists to signify coming civil war and/or fall of civilization." The three men previously served in the US Navy, Army, and Air Force, according to the filing.

Each defendant was charged with conspiracy to damage and destroy by using fire and explosives, and possession of an unregistered firearm.

According to the filing, the men in late May discussed "causing an incident to incite chaos and possibly a riot" in response to George Floyd's death.

There is more on this story at Business Insider.

‘His aim was to kill Muslims’: German law enforcers say they’ve prevented a Christchurch-style attack at home

FILE PHOTO © Reuters / Thilo Schmuelgen

German police have arrested a suspected right-wing extremist who was planning an attack on a mosque that would attract global media notoriety, much like last year’s deadly shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The 21-year-old man from Hildesheim, a town in northern Germany, was arrested on Saturday, the prosecutor’s office said. The law enforcers made their move against the wannabe terrorist after he revealed his plot “in an anonymous internet chat.” 

The suspect had “for some time been considering the idea of committing an attack in which he wanted to kill numerous people in order to attract worldwide media attention,” the prosecutor said.

The man was aiming to carry out an atrocity similar to that perpetrated in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019. In that attack, a gunman shot 51 people dead after targeting two mosques.

“His aim was to kill Muslims,” the prosecutors pointed out.

Unspecified weapons allegedly intended to be used in the attack, as well as digital files of right-wing extremist content, were discovered at the home of the suspect. He now faces charges of threatening to commit criminal offences and financing terrorism through the purchase of arms.

National media reported that Hildesheim District Court initially rejected the application for the arrest warrant and the man was detained only after the General Prosecutor’s Office directed the judge in the nearby town of Luneburg to do so. 

Germany has been rocked by several extreme right-wing attacks over the past year, and there has also been a grim toll of stabbings and rammings by radicalized Muslims.

In February, a far-right gunman opened fire on customers at a shisha bar in Hanau, near Frankfurt, killing nine. In October, two people died when a synagogue in Halle, outside Leipzig, was targeted, and a right-wing sympathizer was charged with the murder of pro-immigration politician Walter Lubcke last summer.

Syrian Army Repels Terrorist Attack in Idlib,

30 Militants Killed, Wounded 

MIDDLE EAST, Sputnik
08.06.2020

The town of Ariha in the southern countryside of Syria's Idlib province

Ceasefire violations have often been reported in Idlib province, where on 5 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a new ceasefire.

The Syrian Army has thwarted an attempt by terrorists to capture Tanjara in southern Idlib, the Russian Defence Ministry's centre for Syrian reconciliation said on Monday, adding that at least 30 militants were killed and wounded.

"On 8 June, militants from the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group attempted to seize the settlement of Tanjara in the southern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone", Rear Adm. Alexander Shcherbitskiy, the head of the centre for Syrian reconciliation said.

The militants broke through the defences and wedged into the battle formations of the Syrian army for 600 meters. However, the return fire of the aviation and artillery allowed to repel the attack, and the government forces regained positions on the front line of defence, he noted.

"The terrorists lost more than 30 people killed and wounded. Three pickups with heavy machine guns were destroyed", Shcherbitsky said.

Over the past day, the group's militants also shelled settlements in Idlib and Aleppo provinces five times, he said.

Numerous attacks have recently been conducted by militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (formerly known as Al-Nusra Front*) in the Syrian provinces of Idlib and Latakia, the Russian military said earlier.

JMB terrorist arrested in West Bengal

Gourab Neto
8 Jun 2020

Kolkata: The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police nabbed another Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorist identified as Sheikh Rezaul alias Kiron From Dankuni on Monday morning. He will be produced at the Bankshall Court on Tuesday seeking police remand. 

On May 29 morning STF had arrested a JMB member identified as Abdul Karim alias Boro Karim. He was the key person to set up and look after the Dhuliyan module of JMB and was also close to JMB Chief Salauddin. 

Sources informed that after interrogating him, STF officials came to know about Rezaul is active in South Bengal. On the basis of the information, STF officials started gathering inputs and finally on Monday early morning came to know about Rezaul's hideout Dankuni bus stand. Later a team nabbed him from there and brought to STF police station.

STF officials claimed that Reazaul was wanted in a case which was registered during 2018. He is a key person of the terror outfit. Rezaul reportedly used to keep in touch with the senior JMB leaders and arrange meeting between the leaders and other members of the terror outfit. While doing so he came close to Salauddin who is still absconding. It is suspected that Rezaul may have been recruiting youths from Dankuni and other areas to set up a new module of JMB.

Ten Pakistanis among 93 terrorists killed in 2020

By Manu Pubby, ET

NEW DELHI:

Reversing setbacks in Kashmir, security forces have killed 93 terrorists in a string of successful operations this year as they scaled up joint operations and the army stepped up its anti-infiltration grid along the Line of Control (LoC).

In a span of 24 hours, two joint operations were carried out in Shopian that resulted in nine terrorists being killed, without any casualty suffered by security forces. 

Official data reveals that out of the 93 terrorists killed this year, 35 belonged to the Hizbul Mujahidin, indicating that it is currently the most active group in Kashmir. Ten Pakistani terrorists have been eliminated this year, with the rest being local recruits.

Officials said there is clear intelligence that a large number of Pakistani terrorists are present in the valley, but these terrorists have been avoiding any exposure to security forces to avoid international glare.

303 YPG/PKK terrorists killed during counterterrorism operations in past 3 months

BY DAILY SABAH WITH AA

ISTANBUL WAR ON TERROR JUN 08, 2020

Turkey's security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern parts

of the country against the YPG/PKK terrorists. (DHA)

At least 303 PKK/YPG terrorists were killed and 177 arrested between March 1 and May 31, as the Turkish security forces dealt a major blow to the terrorist group, according to Anadolu Agency (AA).

Out of the 177 suspects, 81 high-ranking terrorists have been put under arrest.

The first operation that netted high-ranking members took place on March 9, when two PKK terrorists, both of whom have been a member of the PKK for over 20 years, were captured in eastern Turkey's Van.

The two terrorists were later identified as the bodyguards of the PKK heads, Murat Karayılan and Cemil Bayık. In their testimonies, they confessed that the PKK was in a panic mode thanks to Turkey's ongoing counterterrorism operations.

Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence.

The forces have adopted "ending terrorism at its root" and "attack rather than defense" strategies for its operations across the country.

In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and European Union, has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) also carries out cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts and bases where they carry out attacks on Turkey. The operations intensified in July 2018 and gradually became routine.

The operation in Van was followed by a subsequent operation in northern Iraq on March 10 where five PKK terrorists were killed.

High-ranking PKK terrorists targeted

On March 11, another high-ranking terrorist, who was on the Red Category of the Interior Ministry's Most Wanted list, surrendered to the security forces. After surrendering, thanks to the convincing activities of the security forces, Duygu Karayel, codenamed "Siya Munzur," was taken into custody in southeastern Turkey's Mardin.

The Interior Ministry's most wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red indicating the greatest threat to Turkey's national security, followed by blue, green, orange and gray.

There has also been a surge in the number of terrorists laying down arms and surrendering to Turkish security forces following these series of successful domestic and cross-border anti-terror operations. About 90 terrorists have so far surrendered to the forces since the beginning of this year

During another operation on March 9, Halide Tarı, codenamed "Ayten Amed," who was a part of the so-called top decision making organ of the women's branch of the PKK, was killed in northern Iraq.

It was confirmed after her killing that Tarı, who was wanted on charges of disrupting the unity and the territorial integrity of the state, has been a member of the terrorist group since the 1990s and was coordinating terrorist groups different branches in northern Iraq's Qandil mountains.

Another terrorist Nazife Bilen, who was also a part of the terrorist group's top decision making organ, was killed on March 30 in a joint operation by the Turkish intelligence and security forces. Later, the security forces reported that Bilen was the highest-ranking woman terrorist that has been killed so far.

On the last two days of April, seven terrorists, four of whom were in the Gray Category of the Most Wanted list, have been killed in the Kağızman district of eastern Turkey's Kars, one of the most critical points in the fight against terrorism.

On April 10, Mahmut Okay, another terrorist in the Orange Category and the so-called leader of PKK eastern Erzurum region was captured in the Varto district of eastern Turkey's Muş.

The PKK youth branch's so-called leader of the southeastern Cizre district, Resul Özdemir, codenamed "Zibo," on the other hand, was brought to Turkey from Sweden on April 22 thanks to coordinated efforts by the two countries' intelligence services. After returning to the country, Özdemir was arrested.

Month of May full of operations

The security forces also had a fast start in May by targeting the terrorist elements since the very beginning of the month. On May 1, one of the suspected perpetrators of the 2011 Ankara terrorist attack that killed five civilians, was captured and arrested in southeastern Turkey's Diyarbakır.

On May 6, five terrorists were killed in the Doğubeyazıt district of the eastern province of Ağrı. One of the killed terrorists was identified as Özer İnce, codenamed "Piro Serhat," who was in the gray category of the Most Wanted list, while another was the so-called leader for the Ağrı Mountain region, Nevzat Pirbudak.

These terrorists were also found to be the perpetrators of a terrorist attack in Doğubeyazıt on March 2 that killed two civilians.

In the Ovacık district of southeastern Tunceli province, three terrorists were killed on May 7, one of whom was identified as Mehmet Fatih Demir, codenamed "Mahsum," who was in the Gray Category of the Most Wanted list. He was one of the perpetrators of a terrorist attack that killed a gendarme commander in 2016.

At the end of the month, on May 30, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced that five terrorists have been killed in the southeastern province of Siirt, including the so-called leader for the Harekol Mountain region. "Harekol headquarters of the terrorist group has collapsed," the minister said.

In a similar statement on May 31, Soylu confirmed that three more terrorists were killed in the southeastern province of Bitlis, one of whom was the perpetrator of a terrorist attack that killed two gendarmerie commanders last year.

Some 122,054 operations, including 116,650 in rural areas, targeted PKK terrorists in 2019 alone and have successfully detained and killed top PKK figures.

According to the Interior Ministry, there were 835 to 1,995 PKK terrorists in January 2017, while the number dropped to between 1,100 and 1,200 by January 2018, 755 to 876 in January 2019 and under 500 in January 2020, equating to an 83% drop over four years and the lowest figures in three decades.

More importantly, while around 5,558 terrorists joined the PKK in 2014, this number fell to 130 in 2019 and to just 13 in the first five months of 2020, a whopping 70% drop year-on-year.

PKK continues to attack civilians

During this process, while the security forces were targeting the terrorists, the PKK continued its attacks not only toward the Turkish military but also on civilians.

In PKK attacks, nine security officers and 12 civilians have been killed while 13 security officers and a civilian have been injured.

One of the biggest terrorist attacks on civilians took place on May 14.

Workers of Vefa Social Support Group, which was formed to assist people during the pandemic, were attacked while returning from a quarantined neighborhood in Van's Özalp district. Two members of the group were killed in the attack.

According to a statement from the Van Municipality following the attack, the group was in the neighborhood to distribute aid. After their work was done in the region, they were attacked by terrorists using long-barrel weapons.

Vefa Social Support Groups were initially formed to respond to the needs of people older than 65 whose mobility has been restricted as part of coronavirus measures. Public workers, such as police, gendarmerie, security forces and personnel of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), not only meet the needs of senior citizens but also provides protective equipment including masks, cologne, hand soap and disinfectants. The groups have been formed under the supervision of the district municipalities all over the country, and a call center has been established for people to obtain the group's services.