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Europe
Germany
21 December 2024, 10:12 During the attack, the car, thought to have been a dark-coloured BMW, reportedly crashed through barriers protecting the market around 7:04pm and ploughed into shoppers in the eastern German city of Magdeburg. Abdulmohsen, the 50-year-old doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006, is being held on suspicion of the attack. Saudi officials told The Times that they had warned German officials about Abdulmohsen's views more than once. It is believed the perpetrator was acting alone and was not previously known to security forces. Abdulmohsen ’reportedly’ described himself as an ex-Muslim, was a vocal supporter of the German far-right AfD party and shared dozens of posts online criticising Islam. He also is reported to have accused the German authorities of failing to combat the ’Islamism of Europe. The car used in the attack was a rental vehicle registered to Munich. Police said the car was driven at least 400 meters across the Christmas market. Speaking today, the region's minister confirmed Abdulmohsen held Islamophobic views while some outlets have reported he tweeted about ’murdering Germans.’ At least 15 people were seriously injured and 37 have injuries of medium severity, and 16 are lightly injured. Far-right protests took place in Magdeburg today night with groups holding “Remigration now!” signs. (Source: LBC – United Kingdom)
SAT, 21 DEC, 2024 - 15:29 Death toll has risen to five after car driven into Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany a city of about 240,000 people on Friday evening. More than 200 people were injured, many seriously. The suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy has been living in Germany for nearly two decades and practising medicine there. He moved to Germany in 2006 and had been practising medicine in Bernburg, about 25 miles south of Magdeburg. Describing himself as a former Muslim, he shared dozens of tweets and retweets daily focusing on anti-Islam themes, criticising the religion and congratulating Muslims who left the faith. He also accused German authorities of failing to do enough to combat what he said was the ’Islamism of Europe”. ’Some’ described him as an activist who helped Saudi women flee their homeland. He has also ’voiced’ support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Recently, he seemed focused on his theory that German authorities have been targeting Saudi asylum seekers. Prominent German terrorism expert Neumann said he had yet to come across a suspect in an act of mass violence with that profile. “After 25 years in this ‘business’ you think nothing could surprise you anymore. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance towards Islamists - that really wasn’t on my radar,” Mr Neumann, the director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at King’s College London, wrote on X. (Source: Irish Examiner - Ireland)
Skandinavia
21 DEC 2024 AT 18:08 A 15-year-old boy gets into a taxi outside Stockholm hiding a loaded gun and asks to be taken to the Israeli embassy. A 13-year-old in Gothenburg is caught firing shots at Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems. At the same facility, a 16-year-old in May used two vacuum flasks packed with explosives to try to attack the Israeli defence company and was charged alongside a 23-year-old accomplice. ’The investigation was unable to uncover who gave them instructions or transferred money to the pair’. The prosecutor in the case said ’it seems clear’ they were acting on behalf of someone else. ’There are cases where the proxies aren’t aware or don’t realise that they are acting on behalf of a foreign power, the Swedish Security Service said in a statement earlier this year’ ’All three attacks this year are part of a new trend in which Iran-affiliated actors recruit local criminals, including minors', to strike at Jewish and Israel-linked targets in Europe. In Brussels in May, the security services found children as young as 14 orchestrating an attack on the Israeli embassy. Britain’s MI5 has also issued warnings of an increase 'in Iran-linked' attacks. The incidents show how the war between Israel and Iran’s proxies across the Middle East 'is also driving Tehran to escalate its covert operations in Europe' - and the conflict is stirring tension between communities divided over immigration. The Nordic countries are particularly vulnerable. Both Swedish and Norwegian security services have warned 'against Iranian-backed operations'. On Oct 1, Swedish police rushed to the Israeli embassy building after shots were reported, but they arrived too late to catch the perpetrator. Police reports put the suspect on a southbound train to Copenhagen, which later that night was rocked by two loud explosions close to Israel’s mission in the Danish capital. Security officials said ’they believe’ the man was also recruited by Iran. In October, Norway temporarily raised its terror alert to high from medium, armed its police and set up controls on the border with its Scandinavian neighbour. In these traditionally open societies with minimal policing and high trust, now international crime gangs have taken root among the poorer and often immigrant-dominated communities. "Anger among some groups at the number of civilians killed by Israel’s military in Gaza and Lebanon has made it easier to find recruits". 'People acting on behalf of the Iranian regime' reach out to potential mercenaries on platforms like Telegram, TikTok or Whatsapp, according to Nesser, a terrorism researcher at Norway’s defence research institute. Prices start from about €1,500 for a murder, Nesser says. A petrol bomb attack can cost as little as €120. Operatives use the apps to direct and advise recruits during their illegal operations. For years, Sweden has been struggling with the increasing presence of organised crime gangs that seek to recruit youngsters from its immigrant communities. Over 1.5 million people have moved to the country since 1980 and now around 20% of the population were born outside of the country. But many struggle to assimilate. In a recent survey, 40% of migrants said they do not feel integrated into Swedish society. The dwindling welfare state and "much higher poverty rates in immigrant neighbourhoods make recruitment easier for criminal gangs" and, increasingly, hostile actors like Iran. "While some of the young people are motivated by frustration at what they see as Israel’s brutal war in Gaza, others are simply driven by money and sometimes the young perpetrators have no idea what they are signing up for. If they are under 15, they can’t be prosecuted in either Sweden or Norway". Now there are concerns in Norway that those problems are spreading across the 1,600-kilometre open border that separates the two countries. Warnings about 'Swedish conditions' have become commonplace in the political debate in Oslo. Officials are starting to see the same patterns that have taken hold in Sweden and Denmark. In Sweden, the mounting alarm over immigration and public safety has helped fuel support for the far-right Sweden Democrats, the second largest party in parliament and key backer of conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s minority government. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is making it a priority to deal with youth crime, particularly among immigrants. With the help of the far-right, Kristersson has introduced youth prisons for children under 15. Norway faces its own elections in less than a year and Social-Democratic Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has made youth crime a priority, promising stricter handling of the most serious offences. The far-right opposition Progress Party is leading in the polls. It wants to go further and, following the Swedish approach, make it possible to lock up 15-year-olds. In the small, wealthy country Norway, the prospect of further attacks could play into the hands of the ’far-right’ in the lead up to September’s vote. That is making some officials nervous. (Source: Bangkok Post – Thailand / Bloomberg News – U.S.)
Russia
December 21, 2024 Drone attack hit Russian city Kazan, capital of the Tartarstan republic with a population of more than 1.3 million, 1,000km from Ukraine frontier. There were no victims, local officials said. (Source: Digital Journal – Canada / AFP – France)
Asia
Gaza
(Saturday), December 21, 2024 A devastating Israeli airstrike on Friday night killed 12 Palestinian civilians, including seven children and one woman, after it hit, completely destroying a family home in the northern Gaza neighborhood of Jabalia an-Nazla. According to the Palestinian Civil Defence, the victims were all members of the Khilla family in Jabalia. 15 other people were injured in the attack. Health authorities in Gaza reported that at least 56 people had been killed in Israeli attacks since the dawn of Friday, with 42 of those fatalities occurring in northern Gaza. (Source: 'Days of Palestine Foundation' - ?)
Israel
2024-12-21 12:10 A hypersonic ballistic missile, launched from Yemen, struck central Israel. The missile, fired by the Houthi group, exploded in a public park in southern Tel Aviv after attempts to intercept it failed. Medics reported that 16 people were injured by glass shards, while 14 others sustained bruises during a rush to shelters. The missile triggered air raid sirens across central Israel, sending millions to safety. (Source: Shafaq News - Iraq)
Syria
Dec 21, 2024, 3:01 PM Following a meeting between a US representative and Jolani, the US stipulated that if the new Syrian government wishes to establish positive relations with the US, it should not involve Iran in any role, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Lebanon, Amani stated. He mentioned that similar advice was given to the Muslim Brotherhood between 2011 and 2013 and that the same condition was placed on former Egyptian President Morsi. (Source: MEHR News Agency - Iran)
21.12.2024 In Syria, the Bayirbucak Turkmens in the Latakia province are still trying to know the fate of over 150 of their relatives who were detained years ago by the regime forces. Vice president of the Syrian Turkmen Parliament, Komurcu, said that the regime forces detained over 150 Bayirbucak Turkmens between 2011 and 2014 in Latakia. Since the Baath regime collapsed on Dec. 8, only one of these detainees has been released. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Turkey
December 21, 2024 Turkish authorities have over the past week detained 85 individuals due to alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing Turkish media. Interior Minister Yerlikaya said the detainees were identified through their use of ByLock, a mobile messaging application, which Turkish officials have said was a secret communication tool for Gülen supporters. In recent years, more than 705,172 people have been investigated on terrorism or coup-related charges due to their alleged links to the movement. There are at least 13,251 people in prison who are in pre-trial detention or convicted of terrorism charges in Gülen-linked trials. Scores of other Gülen movement followers had to flee Turkey to avoid the government crackdown. Gülen passed away in exile in October. (Source: Turkish Minute - ?)
North America
United States
21 December, 2024 The United States government yesterday authorised the sale of more than $5 billion in military equipment to Egypt. The State Department informed Congress it had approved the sale of $4.69 billion in equipment for 555 US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks operated by Egypt, $630 million in 2,183 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and $30 million in precision-guided munitions. The US Congress can still block the sales, but such attempts are usually unsuccessful. Cairo is one of the largest recipients of US security ’aid’ since its peace treaty with Israel in 1979. In addition to the sales to Egypt, the State Department authorised $295 million in equipment for Taiwan, $170 million in bombs and missiles for Morocco, and $130 million in uncrewed aircraft systems and armoured vehicles to Greece. The Taiwan authorisations were announced shortly after US President Biden announced $571.3 million in new military aid to the self-ruled island, which China claims as part of its territory. (Source: The New Arab - based in London, United Kingdom, owned by a Qatari company)
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