Polish Private Investigator with anti-Muslim Views on Trial for Possessing Terrorist Instruction Manuals

September 3, 2019 Article

A private investigator voiced “racist, anti-Muslim and anti-immigration views” on social media and to work colleagues, a jury has heard.

Pawel Golaszewski, 34, is accused of possessing instruction manuals on making weaponry and killing techniques.

He denies six counts of possessing a document containing information useful for terrorist purposes under the Terrorism Act.

It is alleged that, on or before February 23, Golaszewski had copies of 21 Silent Techniques Of Killing by Master Hei Long, The Anarchist Cookbook and The Big Book Of Mischief.

It is also alleged he had the Improvised Munitions Handbook, Murder Inc The Book by Jack The Rippa, and Mini-manual Of The Urban Guerrilla by Carlos Marighella.

Prosecuting, Dan Pawson-Pounds told the Old Bailey on Tuesday that one of the documents gave “detailed instructions on how to kill people, as simple as that”, while another contained instructions on how to “fight against a government”.

Armed police stopped the defendant’s car on Abbey Road, Leeds, on February 23 and arrested him on suspicion of terrorist offences.

They seized a laptop and tablet computer – devices on which the documents were found – as well as three sets of double looped tie-wraps, a folding pocket knife and a pair of chain link handcuffs.

Searching his home in Armley, officers seized a survival knife in a sheath on a wall in the living room, two smoke grenades and a torch with a concealed knife in a desk drawer.

Mr Pawson-Pounds said Golaszewski, who appeared in the dock assisted by a Polish interpreter, told police at Eccleshill Police Station in Bradford that he was “not a terrorist” and the manuals were for professional research.

“I’m not a terrorist. In regards Britain First I’m not agreeing with their policies, their views and I think what they are doing is wrong,” the defendant told police.

“In regards the manuals on my devices, I was doing research, general research as I wanted to join army forces.

“And also I was doing some general research as part of my business and work.

“In regards to smoke grenades, I bought them legally from UK shop and they were for paintball purposes and I’m taking part in paintball events.”

Golaszewski, who was arrested while wearing a Nationwide Security Services uniform, claimed he obtained the documents as research for work as a security guard.

“The Crown’s position is that there can be no legitimate reason for someone working in this industry, as a security guard or front door bouncer, to need to possess such material,” Mr Pawson-Pounds told the court.

“The world would be a very dangerous place if that was a legitimate reason.”

Golaszewski also claimed the manuals were to assist his own private investigations company, PG Investigations, in tracing missing persons and debtors, serving legal documents, matrimonial cases and surveillance.

The jury was told that investigators found that, after speaking to the defendant’s work colleagues and analysis of his Facebook account, he had voiced “anti-Muslim and anti-immigration” views.

Mr Pawson-Pounds said: “The defendant presents as a deeply bigoted individual, espousing far right causes and voicing racist, anti-Muslim and anti-immigration views.”

Two copies of the Improvised Munitions Handbook were allegedly found on the defendant’s laptop – one in a subfolder called “banned books collection” – and another copy was found on his tablet, where it had been downloaded in Kindle format.

An expert in explosions concluded that guidance in the 256-page document was “largely accurate and could be used to make viable explosive substances”, the jury heard.

Golaszewski, of Wensleydale Mews, Armley, has been remanded in custody.

The trial was adjourned until Wednesday morning.

The post Polish Private Investigator with anti-Muslim Views on Trial for Possessing Terrorist Instruction Manuals appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Golaszewski, News, terrorism

How Christchurch inspired further acts of far-right terror

September 3, 2019 Article

Shortly before a far-right terrorist entered two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and murdered 51 Muslims in March, a self-aggrandising racist screed totalling 87-pages appeared on the infamous 8Chan imageboard, a link to the suspect’s Facebook live stream as he went on his killing spree, was also posted, and others were encouraged to view and share.

As the tragedy unfolded, variations of this video would infect the largest social media platforms, as sections of the tabloid press in the UK were criticised and accused of turning terrorism into the shallowest form of clickbait.

In the days which followed, as Muslim communities mourned in New Zealand and abroad, as world leaders condemned the anti-Muslim and Islamophobic violence, some, on the darkest corners of the internet, were busying themselves by translating this racist screed into the major languages of Western and Eastern Europe. Tell MAMA found that individuals had translated copies into French, Dutch, Spanish, Bulgarian, Russian, and Ukrainian.

Reports to Tell MAMA increased by 593 per cent, with 95 reports between March 15, and midnight on March 21.

The manifesto and actions of the Christchurch suspect inspired further acts of racist violence and domestic terrorism in California, El Paso, Texas, in Baerum, Norway, and a village in Surrey, England.

The commission of an investigation of the Christchurch terror attacks, announced on March 25 by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, promised to give Muslim communities much need reassurances and answers. Now, however, many feel marginalised by the secrecy of the commission which appears to favour governmental sources over Muslim voices. Aliya Danzeisen, of the Islamic Women’s Council, said they were being “ignored”. Anjum Rahman described how, for years, Muslims had warned about the rise of anti-Muslim and Islamophobic sentiments and the risks it posed, only to find it overlooked. In July, New Zealand’s Human Rights Commissioner called for the increased inclusion of Muslims in the inquiry. Pete Breidahl warned authorities about the gun club Brenton Tarrant was a member of in 2017 – and it was ignored.

Archives of the Facebook profile of the suspect, Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian national living in New Zealand, revealed a small number of viewers, which grew as 8Chan posters praised the racist terror as it unfolded.

Analytics, provided by Facebook, reveal that the initial live stream had fewer than two-hundred viewers. The peak number of viewers hit around four-thousand before it was removed an hour later from the platform.

Within a day, however, there were 1.5 million attempts to reupload to the video to Facebook, of which, 1.2 million were blocked, meaning that 300,000 uploads slipped through. The company was not without criticism and admitted that due to ‘rarity’ of such events, its artificial intelligence software did not ‘automatically catch’ the video.

Tarrant’s alleged Twitter activity, most active 3 days before the terror attack, was soon removed from the platform.

YouTube, however, refused to disclose any details of how many times the terror video, was uploaded, but it emerged that “as soon as the group took down one, another would appear, as quickly as one per second in the hours after the shooting”. YouTube even disabled, for a brief time, several search functions to limit its reach, but some users had edited the original clips to avoid their automated detection systems.

The virality of the terror attack and the manifesto were boosted by several British tabloids, as BuzzFeed News reported that MailOnline had allowed readers to download the 74-page racist screed.

The Sun and The Mirror ran excerpts of the video. Lloyd Emberly, who edits the latter news title, tweeted on March 15: “For a brief period this morning the Mirror website ran some edited footage filmed by the gunman in Christchurch. We should not have carried this. It is not in line with our policy relating to terrorist propaganda videos”.

Possession of the Christchurch live streams carries a potential prison sentence of up to 14 years in New Zealand, and dozens (if not more), have since been charged.

Sky New Zealand was fined NZ$4,000 (£2,100) for airing “extensive” footage of the Christchurch terror attack live streams. The network had briefly broken association with Sky Australia following its airing of the live stream, in a deleted tweet. Sky Australia later clarified that the decision between the two stations was mutual.

One of the men who watched the live stream of the Christchurch terror attack, outside of New Zealand, was Vincent Fuller, 50, who lived in that Surrey village mentioned above. Mr Fuller spoke of his “agreement” with this terroristic act on Facebook. The following evening, a neighbour recalled Fuller shouting: “All Muslims should die, white supremacists’ rule. I’m going to murder a Muslim”.

Fuller, in possession of a baseball bat, racially abused a South Asian neighbour, before going on a racist rampage, damaging vehicles and threatening drivers, including a Muslim man who works for Uber.

He then returned home and left in possession of a nine-inch blade which he later used to attack a 19-year-old man, Dimitar Mihaylov, on March 16. His victim suffered injuries to their hand and neck, which the police declared to be a terrorist attack a day later.

Fuller admitted guilt at Kingston Crown Court, including to charges of attempted murder, possession of a bladed article, affray and racially aggravated harassment (among other charges). A judge will decide on September 5 if the attack was terroristic, an argument pursued by the prosecution.

The main suspect in an antisemitic mass shooting, which left one person dead and three others injured, at a California synagogue, drew direct inspiration from Christchurch. A manifesto, attributed to John T Earnest, followed a similar pattern: appearing on 8Chan before the attack occurred. It was in this racist screed that Mr Earnest claimed that he attempted to burn down a local mosque days after the deadly terror attack in New Zealand. Local police later confirmed that John T Earnest is a suspect Escondido, California, on March 25. The second source of inspiration for this racist violence was Robert Bowers, the white supremacist, accused of murdering 11 Jewish people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in October last year. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

A white supremacist, intent on killing as many Latinx people as possible, entered a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, singling out those they perceived as Latinx (and avoiding other ethnic groups), in a domestic terror attack which left 22 people dead and 26 others injured, on August 3. A manifesto attributed to the suspect, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, adapted the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, to fit Latinx communities, was uploaded to 8Chan. Crusius was described as “cold” and “lacking remorse” in interviews with police.

To repeat a similar pattern: a white supremacist motivated by racial hatred enacted mass murder to further an ideologically driven conspiracy theory of the “grand” or “great” replacement. In our latest annual report, covering the reporting year of 2018, Tell MAMA outlined the ideological thrusts that connect dehumanising language to group-based violence and genocide in the Balkans and Rwanda to the transnational, pan-European movements that take inspiration from the French and Italian New Right, namely through the works of Renaud Camus. But as our report shows, “This racialised paranoia about Muslims in France is nothing new, however. Charles de Gaulle, who oversaw the end of oppressive and violent French colonial rule in Algeria, confided in 1959, that withdrawal from Algeria was better than offering full citizenship, as it would turn France into an “Islamic country”. The consipracy of Eurabia has dominated thinking in some mainstream circles.

A week later, a white supremacist, inspired by the terroristic shootings in El Paso and Christchurch stormed a mosque in a town near Norway’s capital, Oslo, dressed in a helmet, body armour and armed with various weapons, including “two shotgun-like weapons and a pistol”. The attack resulted in one injury, as 65-year-old Muhammad Shafiq, one of three congregants present at the mosque, disarmed the man.

The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Philip Manshaus, awaits trial on charges of murder and murder. Following the attack, police found the body of Johanne Zhangjia Ihle-Hansen, the stepsister of the suspect.

There was, however, no evidence of a racist screed, nor use of either 4Chan or 8Chan, as misreported by sections of the media. A post attributed to Manshaus appeared on EndChan, which linked to the Facebook profile of Manshaus, and a photo album of him from youth to adulthood on the photo-sharing platform Imgur.

A variant of the enduring “Chad vs Virgin” meme, which began life on 4Chan’s /r9k/ forum, which was said to have been created by Manshaus in praise Brenton Tarrant, put himself and others, like Crusius, were his “disciples”, suggesting how one disciple begets the violent actions of the other. The meme also repeated reference to the “great replacement” conspiracy and antisemitic talking points that reference the terroristic violence of Anders Breivik. A point reiterated by Cathrine Moe Thorleifsson, who researches extremism at Oslo’s Center for Research on Extremism (C-Rex).

An Instagram account, attributed to Manshaus, featured just three photos, two of the suspect, and the other was of Anders Breivik performing a Nazi salute. Norweigan police confirmed that Manshaus supported Vidkun Quisling who headed the puppet regime under Nazi Germany’s control. Following the end of the Second World War, Quisling was arrested and put on trial for treason, and, following his conviction, was executed.

Neo-Nazis in Ukraine who translated the alleged screed of Tarrant, following requests to publish it in paperback on Telegram (in a group we will not disclose), sought to radicalise those far-removed from dark internet cultures. An admin for this group even translated the alleged manifesto of Patrick Crusius. Tarrant’s solicitor had later informed the group’s admin (identified by their pro-Hitler username) that he was unable to deliver letters to him in prison, suggesting instead, that he write to the prison address provided. The admin shared a screenshot of the email with the group which boasts 1,100 members.

Brenton Tarrant, however, is unable to send or receive letters after New Zealand’s Department of Corrections admitted that two letters from Tarrant to supporters escaped censure or vetting. One such letter sent to a supporter based in Russia spoke of his love for the country, his racist ideology, and worryingly, a call to arms for further violence. This supporter uploaded the contents of the letter to 4Chan.

Law enforcement officials thwarted at least seven mass shootings or white supremacist attacks across the United States two weeks after the terror attack in El Paso.

Following the terror in Christchurch, there has been a growing debate about the threat of far-right violence and terror. Some academics have argued that public perceptions about terrorism are obscuring the reality, that in most western democracies (including the United States), deadly far-right terror outweighs other forms of terroristic violence. The issue of framing has been addressed in academic circles, as one study found that a preoccupation with al-Qaeda and ISIS-inspired attacks among terrorism researchers, overlooked state terrorism, far-right terrorism, and militia-based terrorism (in countries like Iraq or Northern Ireland). Other studies point to how terror attacks carried out by those of Muslim backgrounds had, on average, gained 4 ½ times the coverage, despite being responsible for 12.4% of domestic terror attacks in the United States between 2011 and 2015.

The UK government announced in July that the terror threat system will now account for the threat of domestic far-right extremism.

The spectre of ideologically-motivated individuals self-radicalising online has emerged, echoing similar talking points about the far-right terrorist Darren Osborne. A man with a history of violence was consuming propaganda from Britain First (and others) within weeks of watching a BBC dramatisation of the horrors of child sexual exploitation. In Osborne’s own words, committed by hand on a napkin in a pub, he wrote “islams ideology doesn’t belong here & neither does Sharia law”. Of course, the pathway to radicalisation is not linear nor is Osborne an outlier.

More broadly, however, the use and promotion of “leaderless resistance” amongst neo-Nazi groups are most pronounced during the 1970s and 1980s in the United States. A group called The Order, which inspired Combat 18 in the UK, was a notable example of a semi-autonomous terror group which helped finance other white supremacist activities. Infiltration by the FBI stopped The Order but not before the group had firebombed a synagogue (which resulted in no injuries), murdered a Jewish radio host, and armed robberies. Robert Jay Mathew’s who led the group was killed in a shootout with the FBI in 1984. The anniversary of his death has become a yearly rallying point for neo-Nazis, has resulted in racist violence, including in December last year.

An all-white jury cleared 13 white supremacists of seditious treason in 1987 after the Justice Department became convinced that The Order was coordinating with other groups.

The FBI’s infiltration of The Order drew attention to the influence of William Pierce, who authored The Turner Diaries, a white supremacist survivalist novel, which has inspired domestic terrorism in the United States, the UK, and other countries.

Terrorism scholar J.M. Berger outlined how Louis Beam, a high-ranking member of his local Ku Klux Klan chapter and in the Aryan Nations, further popularised the idea of “leaderless resistance” in a racist magazine called The Seditionist. Berger argues that the far-right do not have a monopoly on this concept, but as the terror attacks in 2019 demonstrate, “distributed leadership”, which, for Berger, are “difficult to combat than more ordinary influence patterns, where one or two relatively prominent figures have a disproportionately large influence over a large number of people”. A means to counter this evolving threat, Berger argues, is through deplatforming and countervailing messaging.

The owner of 8Chan, Jim Watkins, has now stated that he has no intention of making the website accessible again. Other studies have looked at the sharp rise in antisemitism on platforms like Gab and 4Chan’s /pol/ forum (which saw exponential growth in usage following the election of Donald Trump).

Tarrant visited Greece, Austria, Bulgaria, Turkey, Israel, Romania and Hungary as recently as 2018, with some trips occurring a year or so prior. In 2016, he visited Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia, according to Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Sotir Tsatsarov. His interest focused on obscure locations during the Ottoman wars in the nineteenth century. He visited 11 semi-rural locations in Bulgaria, including the town of Plevin, made famous for being the site of a siege during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877 and 1878. Prosecutors in Bulgaria launched an investigation into Tarrant’s presence in the country. Tarrant visited Pakistan, parts of South-East Asia, and North Korea. The Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadžić was glorified in the terroristic live streams.

Tarrant also donated €1500 to Martin Sellner’s Identitäre Bewegung Österreichs (IBÖ) organisation last year. Pleasantries between Sellner went beyond mere exchanges of gratitude, as a chain of emails revealed a closer friendship between the two men, including offers to drink beer or coffee together if either man found themselves in Austria, New Zealand, or Australia. Austrian police then launched a terror investigation into Sellner’s connections to Tarrant, including the allegation that Sellner was working with Tarrant in a terrorist and “structurally fascist” organisation.

Investigations of Tarrant’s social media footprint revealed support for the Australian “eco-fascist” Marcus Christensen, who supports the white nationalist Lads Society movement, but denies holding such views, in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, who also revealed that Tarrant had left several positive reviews for his machinist business. Tom Sewell, president of the Lads Society, confirmed to the newspaper that Tarrant rejected the chance to join the group, as he was moving to New Zealand in 2017.

More broadly, Tell MAMA has continued to urge social media platforms and search engine providers to limit those on the far-right who breach hateful conduct policies and who promote hyperpartisan content under the auspices of “news”. As our 2019 report states: “The growth of hyperpartisan alternative news platforms, saturated in pro-Tommy Robinson content, gained notable attention in 2018 and 2019, creating a bivouac of ideological content”.

Tell MAMA made similar recommendations in its 2016 annual report, published in 2017, warning how far-right websites had gamed Google’s algorithm through legal Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) methods.

Brenton Tarrant, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, still faces 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of engaging in a terrorist act. The trial will begin on May 4, 2020.

The post How Christchurch inspired further acts of far-right terror appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Brenton Tarrant, Christchurch, El Paso, Far Right groups, News, terrorism

Review of Prevent Programme ‘Could See Anti-Radicalisation Scheme Scrapped’

August 24, 2019 Article

The man tasked with reviewing the Government’s anti-radicalisation programme Prevent has said “everything is up for discussion” including scrapping the scheme.

Lord Carlile was appointed by the Government earlier this month to conduct a review into Prevent.

Part of the Government’s wider counter-terrorism strategy, Prevent seeks to stop people at risk of being radicalised from being drawn into terrorist ideologies.

In an interview with the BBC’s Newsnight programme, Lord Carlile said if it is to continue “it should be seen as fair by all communities”.

Lord Carlile acknowledged his advice might be that police take “even less of a role than they have now”.

He said: “It will involve talking to those who have described Prevent as toxic, and I hope they will cooperate strongly with my review, and it will involve a set of empirical judgments.”

The review was welcomed by the Muslim Council of Great Britain when it was announced in January.

Harun Khan, the organisation’s secretary-general, said: “For far too long, the Prevent strategy has affected the lives of innocent families, been criticised for mainstreaming discrimination and lost the trust of communities around the UK.”

Teachers’ unions have also called for the statutory duty placed on teachers and social workers to report those who they think are at risk of radicalisation to be scrapped.

Lord Carlile added: “I will be scrutinising the performance up to now of the Prevent strand of counter-terrorism policy, with a view to advising as to what should happen to Prevent, what kind of policy of this kind, if any, there should be in the future.

“Everything is up for discussion, including scrapping it, replacing it with something different, continuing with it, modifying it, perfecting it, introduction new streams of thought into it, this is a completely open book, it’s blue-sky thinking.”

The Government said the review will focus on the current delivery of the Prevent programme and make recommendations for the future and is expected to report to Parliament by August 2020.

A former Liberal Democrat MP, Lord Carlile was the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation from 2001 to 2011.

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Categories: Lord Carlile, News, Prevent

Teenager Inspired by Anders Brevik Convicted in the UK

July 22, 2019 Article

A teenager who saw Anders Breivik and those behind the Columbine High School massacre as his “poster boys” has been convicted of attempting to possess a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Kyle Davies, 19, ordered a Glock 17 handgun and five rounds of ammunition from an online gun dealer on the dark web after developing a “deep and persistent” interest in mass shootings during his A-Levels.

The order was intercepted by Homeland Security at Newark Airport in New York, with police arresting Davies at his home in Gloucester after delivering a dummy package to him.

A jury at Gloucester Crown Court unanimously convicted Davies of attempting to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life and attempting to possess five rounds of ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Their verdicts followed a two-week trial at the court.

Davies insisted he had bought the gun and ammunition to kill himself and was not planning a mass shooting.

But when officers searched his bedroom after his arrest, they discovered handwritten notes relating to planning a massacre and Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011.

A USB drive contained thousands of pages of documents relating to massacres and explosives, including a number of how-to guides.

Officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit said they had stopped Davies at “phase one” of his plan and found no evidence that he had identified a target.

Judge Paul Cook will sentence Davies at a later date, telling the defendant that he required reports to assess the level of danger he poses to the public.

Detective Inspector Kevin Till, of the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “The depth of research Davies had carried out and the extent of his planning under what he himself termed ‘phase one’ leaves us in no doubt he was intending to follow in the footsteps of the murderers he idolised.

“The intervention by Homeland Security at Newark Airport undoubtedly led us to a very dangerous individual.

“A meticulous investigation, closely supported by forensic experts and the CPS, has clearly shown his intent to harm others and, ultimately, ensured he never had the opportunity to move on to ‘phase two’.”

Howard Phillips of the CPS said: “Davies’ notes did not identify a target and did not demonstrate an ideology or aim that would support a charge under terrorism legislation.

“The challenge for the CPS was therefore to prove that his intent when purchasing the hand gun was to endanger the lives of others, and not just to take his own life as he claimed.

“We will thankfully never know what the consequences would have been had the gun and ammunition Davies attempted to import actually made it into his hands.”

James Mancuso, of Homeland Security Investigations in London, said: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with our UK law enforcement partners and their fight against firearms trafficking.

“Through this partnership, we have been able to prevent a man from obtaining a firearm and ammunition, which has potentially foiled a mass casualty event.

“We commend the dynamic and impressive work of the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit and other UK law enforcement teams that participated in this operation.

“Their dedication to ensuring the safety of their residents has undoubtedly saved lives.”

The post Teenager Inspired by Anders Brevik Convicted in the UK appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Anders Brevik, Columbine School, Kyle Davies, News

Salih Khater – Guilty of Trying to Kill Cyclists & Police Officers Outside the Houses of Parliament

July 17, 2019 Article

A student has been found guilty of trying to kill cyclists and police officers outside the Houses of Parliament.

Salih Khater, 30, ploughed his Ford Fiesta into a pedestrian and a group of cyclists who had stopped at a red light in Parliament Square on August 14 last year.

He then careered into a security lane and crashed into barriers as two police officers jumped out of the way.

The attack was caught on CCTV footage which was played in court.

The Old Bailey heard Khater, of Highgate Street, Birmingham, wanted to cause maximum carnage and it was “miraculous” that no-one was killed.

But Khater claimed he came to London to find the Sudanese embassy to get a visa, “got lost” around Westminster and panicked.

The jury deliberated over two days before rejecting his explanation and finding him guilty of two charges of attempted murder.

Khater made no reaction as he was found guilty of the charges.

Mrs Justice McGowan remanded him into custody to be sentenced on October 7. She ordered pre-sentence reports to help her determine Khater’s potential dangerousness.

Jenny Hopkins, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “It was only quick reactions and good luck that stopped Salih Khater killing anyone when he drove his car into cyclists and police officers outside Westminster.

“His driving was so precise and determined that it was difficult for skilled accident investigators to repeat the manoeuvre he carried out.

“Whatever his motives, this was not an accident. It was a deliberate attempt to kill and maim as many people as possible.”

During the trial, prosecutor Alison Morgan QC said Khater’s attack was “premeditated and deliberate”.

She said: “He caused widespread fear and chaos but miraculously, and contrary to his intentions, he did not kill anyone that day.

“Those who were faced with a vehicle being driven at them at high velocity somehow, and largely by their quick responses, managed to avoid death or very serious injury.”

Ms Morgan told jurors Khater’s reason for the attack was unclear but by targeting officers guarding the Palace of Westminster the defendant had a “terrorist motive”.

The court heard how Khater was born in Sudan and was granted asylum in Britain in 2010, after claiming he had been tortured in his home country.

In the months before the attack, the defendant showed signs of “paranoia” about British authorities, it was claimed.

He had failed his accountancy exams at the University of Coventry and his work as a security guard had dried up.

On May 24 last year, he emailed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to express concern about an “event” involving the intelligence services, the court heard.

The day before the attack, Khater had travelled to Peterborough and unsuccessfully applied for a fast-track UK passport, the court heard.

He then set off from Birmingham to London just before 10pm, arriving after midnight.

Evidence from his mobile phone showed he had looked up maps for 10 Downing Street and Westminster on the internet as potential “deliberate targets”.

CCTV captured Khater arriving in Parliament Square just before 1am and driving around Westminster, checking the layout for the attack five or six hours later.

He then parked up and rested for four-and-a-half hours in Windmill Street in Soho before returning to Parliament Square for further reconnaissance.

He went on to do four laps of the square before launching the rush-hour attack.

Pedestrian Paul Brown was crossing the road when Khater’s car “came out of nowhere” and hit him, causing bruising and grazes.

Krystof Tokarski and Anya Breen were cycling to work and were waiting at traffic lights when Khater revved his engine and knocked them down.

Mr Tokarski suffered grazes and a broken little finger while Ms Breen was thrown over the bonnet, fracturing her collar bone.

Other people were trapped under their bikes, with some screaming in pain.

The defendant made a sharp turn into a slip road, going 32mph, forcing Pc Darren Shotton and Pc Simon Short to dive out of the way.

As armed police removed Khater from the car, the defendant confirmed he was acting alone but failed to explain himself.

Giving evidence, Khater said he wanted to return to Sudan to visit his sick mother and had Googled Downing Street and Westminster in his bid to find his way around central London.

He told jurors he “got lost” and “panicked” when he collided into cyclists and was trying to pull over when he crashed into barriers in the security lane.

He said: “I remember something made me panic. The car was not in my full control at the time.”

Commander Clarke Jarrett, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Salih Khater carried out an appalling act to deliberately target both members of the public and police officers, trying to kill and injure them.

“My thoughts are with the victims and I hope today’s verdict means those affected can begin to put the ordeal behind them.

“Through our investigation, we found that Khater acted completely alone.

We made extensive inquiries and searched his address and his digital devices, seeking evidence that could explain why he did this.

“Khater remained silent throughout our investigation and only at his trial offered the implausible explanation that it was an accident.

However, the evidence showed otherwise and he now faces a considerable time in prison.”

The post Salih Khater – Guilty of Trying to Kill Cyclists & Police Officers Outside the Houses of Parliament appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: cyclists, News, Salih Khater, terrorist attack, Westminster

Farhad Salah, Guilty of Terror Plot Using Bomb in Remote Controlled Vehicle

July 12, 2019 Article

An Iraqi-Kurd man has been found guilty of planning a terror attack using a bomb in a remotely-controlled vehicle.

Farhad Salah, 24, was found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday of preparing to commit acts of terrorism.

Jurors heard that Salah posted on social media about using a driverless car in an attack. But the jury cleared his co-defendant, Chesterfield chip shop owner Andy Star, 32, who was charged with the same offence.

This is the second time Salah and Mr Star have been tried on these charges. A jury failed to reach verdicts on either man following a trial last year.

Judge Paul Watson QC told Mr Star a decision had been made that he should not face a second retrial and a not guilty verdict was recorded in his case.

He said Mr Star could go free but was informed that he will continue to be detained on immigration matters.

The judge said Salah will be sentenced on July 24. Prosecutors told the five-week trial that Salah and Mr Star were in the early stages of testing small improvised explosive devices when they were arrested in high-profile raids on their homes in a Sheffield community centre and a Chesterfield fish and chip shop in December 2017.

But Mr Star has always insisted that gunpowder and other items found in his flat above the chip shop were all connected to his long-standing interest in fireworks. Salah was found guilty on a majority of 10 to 2 after the jury deliberated for almost three days.

When the judge recorded Star’s formal acquittal, a woman shouted “Terrorist” loudly from the jury box. Counter-terror police said Salah was not close to achieving his aim of putting a device in a vehicle but officers believe he was a “very real risk to the safety of the public in the UK”.

The raids in Sheffield and Chesterfield happened in the months following the Manchester Arena explosion, the terror attacks on Westminster and London Bridge, and at a time when there were fears that another atrocity was being planned for the Christmas period.

But police said they have never been able to identify Salah’s intended target.

Opening the case, prosecutor Anne Whyte QC told the jury: “The intention was to manufacture a device which would be placed in a vehicle but controlled remotely so that no-one had to martyr themselves in the process.”

She said that, a week before he was arrested, Salah messaged a contact on Facebook saying: “My only attempt is to find a way to carry out martyrdom operation with cars without driver, everything is perfect only the programme is left …”

The prosecutor said: “Farhad Salah had decided that improvised explosive devices could be made and used in a way here in the UK that spared his own life preferably but harmed others he considered to be infidels.”

The court heard how both defendants are Iraqi nationals.

Salah arrived at Heathrow Airport in December 2014 and applied for asylum. This application had not been determined by the time he was arrested. Mr Star was arrested in 2008 on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant and later told officials he had arrived in the UK by lorry.

He was given “leave to remain” in 2010 and eventually given refugee status, with “indefinite leave to remain” in February 2016.

At the beginning of the trial, Miss Whyte told the jury that Salah was a supporter of Islamic State (IS), despite him being an Iraqi-Kurd – a nationality usually associated with the fight against the terror group.

Gunpowder, homemade fuses and explosive chemicals were found when Mr Star’s Mermaid Fish Bar, in Chesterfield, was raided by armed police and similar items were found in the Fatima Community Centre, in Sheffield, were Salah lived.

Prosecutors told the jury that the items found in the raided premises showed the pair were testing small-scale explosive devices at both locations and the primary “laboratory” was at the chip shop, but Mr Star told police and both his trials that it was just paraphernalia connected with making fireworks.

Salah, of Brunswick Road, Sheffield, showed no emotion as he was led from the dock.

The post Farhad Salah, Guilty of Terror Plot Using Bomb in Remote Controlled Vehicle appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Farhad Salah, News, Terror Plot

Rami Malek Says He Asked for Reassurances Before Accepting James Bond Terrorist Character

July 3, 2019 Article

Rami Malek said he sought assurances about his character in the upcoming James Bond film before taking the role.

The Oscar-winning actor, who is of Egyptian descent, revealed he spoke with director Cary Fukunaga and asked if the terrorist he had been asked to play had any religious affiliations.

Only when Malek was told religion would play no part did he sign up for the as-yet-untitled film.

Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “It’s a great character and I’m very excited. But that was one thing that I discussed with Cary.

“I said, ‘We cannot identify him with any act of terrorism reflecting an ideology or a religion. That’s not something I would entertain, so if that is why I am your choice then you can count me out’.

“But that was clearly not his vision. So he’s a very different kind of terrorist.

“It’s another extremely clever script from the people who have figured out exactly what people want in those movies.”

Malek, who won the best actor Academy Award in February for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, will star in Bond 25 alongside Daniel Craig, who will reprise his role as 007.

Also appearing in the film are Lashana Lynch and Ana De Armas, who are new to the franchise, while Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw are all returning.

The film, set for release in April next year, has been plagued by issues during filming.

A “controlled explosion” damaging the outside of the famous 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire left a crew member suffering a “minor injury”.

And Craig, 51, underwent “minor ankle surgery” after injuring himself during filming in Jamaica.

The post Rami Malek Says He Asked for Reassurances Before Accepting James Bond Terrorist Character appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: James Bond, News, Remi Malek, terrorism

Prevent Advisory Groups Within Areas Like Redbridge Are Inviting Groups Who Have a Torrid History

June 10, 2019 Article

We within Faith Matters, have made the decision to disengage from any further association with the Redbridge Prevent Advisory Group. This group, which is meant to provide advice, support and scrutiny where possible on local Prevent programmes, now constitutes of some individuals who are part of groups who see nothing positive in Prevent and who regularly lambast counter-extremism work at every turn. Their position is nothing more than a form of posturing against the Government, whilst seeking to build a culture of victimisation within local communities.

Depressingly, allied to this, is the fact that the Home Office has an advisory role with Prevent Advisory Groups on a national basis. It seems that Home Office civil servants don’t want to ‘rock the boat’ around what is taking place in Redbridge and this highlights a depressing approach to countering extremism. It is the old tactic of seeking to ‘win over’ groups who frankly, want the legitimacy of being able to attack the Government through such platforms. It simply plays to their audiences that they have nurtured with a steady diet of fear mongering and victim baiting.

One of the representatives now being included is from a group that has actively attacked other projects, had a history of staff making antisemitic comments and which has sought to attack Prevent at every opportunity. It has also had associates promote the return of Hamas operative Khalid Meshal to Gaza with a narrative using Islamic verses. Another former supporter of the very group that is being invited to be on the Redbridge Advisory Group, promoted material that suggested that Israel should be ‘relocated to the United States’. Both had played a significant set of roles in the organisation that is now being given a seat at the table of the Redbridge Advisory Group.

The leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Jas Athwal, has been steadfast in his desire to challenge and counter extremism and he has repeatedly said that all forms of extremism must be challenged. He has shown leadership in this matter and it is therefore concerning that officers and their counterparts in the Home office have approved the inclusion of an individual associated with such a group. This not only sends out the wrong message to those Muslims who have been attacked by such groups, it also sends a huge message to Jewish communities who have repeatedly spoken out against such groups. It says that their voices are being set aside in the battle against extremism, in order to ‘tick box’ engagement, whilst undermining the very values of tolerance, fairness and balance that we all seek to defend.

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Categories: countering extremism, Faith Matters, Jas Athwal, News, Opinions, Prevent Advisory Group, Redbridge Advisory Group

Hanzalah Patel and Safwaan Mansur – Convicted of Preparing for Terrorist Acts

May 20, 2019 Article

Two friends convicted of preparing for terrorist acts in support of the so-called Islamic State after trying to reach Syria have been jailed.

Safwaan Mansur, from Birmingham, and Hanzalah Patel, from Leicester, travelled to Turkey in 2016 and 2017 after checking out an area near the Syrian border on TripAdvisor, a two-week trial was told.

Prosecutors alleged that the men had attempted to explain away their travel plans as an “innocent camping holiday”.

The men were each sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday to 14 years in prison, West Midlands Police said.

At the men’s trial, jurors heard that the pair, who spent nine days in jail in Turkey in 2017 after being arrested at an Istanbul hotel, bought camping equipment, outdoor survival clothing and airline tickets before travelling initially to Germany.

Prosecutors alleged that Mansur, 22, of Hampton Road, Aston, and Patel, also 22, of Frederick Road, Leicester, undertook a 24-hour bus journey from Istanbul to near the Syrian border during a previous visit to Turkey in 2016.

The men were arrested at Heathrow Airport in 2017 after being reported missing by family members.

Patel’s father contacted police in June that year after becoming concerned, having learned that his son had lied about leading prayers at a mosque in Germany.

During subsequent questioning by police, the men’s trial heard that Mansur said he had gone to Turkey’s Hatay province – described in court as a “transit area” for Syria – in 2016 to “have a look” like “lots of other tourists”.

Claiming items including water purifiers and solar chargers were found in the men’s luggage, Simon Davis, prosecuting, told the court: “Mr Patel, when interviewed, throughout maintained a no comment stance, as was his right.”

Jurors were told that Mansur said items in his luggage were gifts for friends at a mosque in Germany, where he intended to stop off en route to or from Turkey.

Outlining Mansur’s account, Mr Davis told the jury panel: “The people at the mosque liked outdoor pursuits like camping – that was the explanation being given.”

Lawyers acting for both defendants said the men had formed a “naive and idiotic” plan to cross into Syria, but had no intention of fighting or committing acts of terrorism.

However, jurors convicted the pair after trial, on April 1.

Following sentencing, acting head of the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit Chief Superintendent Shaun Edwards said: “If anyone is concerned that a friend or family member is thinking of travelling to Syria, it is very important that they tell us as soon as possible.

“Police and other agencies can offer support to help safeguard those who are vulnerable to radicalisers.

“The sooner we can intervene, the better chance we have of preventing people from becoming embroiled in the conflict and facing potential prosecution.”

The post Hanzalah Patel and Safwaan Mansur – Convicted of Preparing for Terrorist Acts appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Hanzalah Patel, Islamic State, News, Safwaan Mansur, Syria

Roman Kneblewski – An Ultra-Nationalist, Anti-Migrant and anti-LGBT Activist in Finchley

March 13, 2019 Article

The Polish Catholic Parish in Finchley has just announced on it’s website that this year it’s Lent Retreat – (17 to 20 March) – will be led by Roman Kneblewski, a radical priest from Poland known for his ultra-nationalist, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBT messages:

Kneblewski repeatedly praised ONR (‘Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny’ or ‘National-Radical Camp’), a Polish Fascist youth movement.

He is on record as saying:

“I wouldn’t condemn Fascism. If by Fascism we mean Francoism for example, which saved Catholic Spain from communist criminals, then I’m all for it.”

He also expressed full support for Jacek Międlar, an extremist former priest who is banned from entering the U.K. Kneblewski stated that Międlar’s anti-Semitic and hateful rhetoric is in fact a “language of love”. He also called Międlar “a good Catholic and a good Pole”.

Photo of Kneblewski and Międlar together

In a sermon, Kneblewski repeatedly called refugees heading for Europe an “invasion of Islamists”, adding that should they come to Poland, they would “slit throats, rape women and force children to become Muslims”.

In the same sermon he stated:

“Those invaders come here and they want benefits which they see as a tribute owed to them by us, infidel dogs” and: “Whoever encourages to accept those invaders is a sinner”.

On his Facebook profile, he wrote: “The Qur’an should be burned! Burn it, nothing else!”

He also approved of burying pig carcasses on mosque construction sites as a possible method of preventing mosques from being built.

Kneblewski is also known for his hostility to LGBT communities. In an online sermon he called homosexuality a “heinous perversion”.

Speaking about Anna Grodzka, the first Polish  transgendered politician, Kneblewski stated:

“Some individuals shouldn’t even see a psychiatrist but a vet. And I will have to see a gastro-enterologist as I’m getting a gag reflex”.

Kneblewski also hosted a lecture by Paul Cameron, an American anti-LGBT pseudo-scientist, in his parish in Poland. The lecture was titled “The Myths of Homo-Propaganda”.

Considering there are thousands of Catholic priests in Poland, most of whom preach a message of love, peace and respect, one has to ask why would the Polish Parish in Finchley choose such an individual to lead their faithful during a Lent Retreat? It is a legitimate question and we will be letting the relevant authorities know.

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Categories: Jacek Miedlar, LGBT hate, News, Polish Catholic Parish, Roman Knebleswki