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Egypt: IS Threat 'Coming Closer To Europe'

Written By Unknown on Senin, 16 Februari 2015 | 22.56

Egypt's ambassador to the UK has warned the Islamic State threat is "coming closer to Europe", and claimed there has been a collective failure to "snuff out" the terror organisation.

Nasser Kamel spoke of his concern that the international community was not acting together to tackle the group, after a video purported to show IS-inspired militants murdering 21 Egyptian Christians.

He told Sky News: "We and you and everyone has failed so far to snuff this organisation out. What is happening in Syria and Iraq is now moving to Libya."

He said Egypt had been fighting IS in the country's northern Sinai region, and that they were now taking them on in Libya.

Egypt's retaliatory airstrikes are the first time the country has acknowledged foreign military action since 1991.

On 3 February, the director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) warned Islamic State was "beginning to assemble a growing international footprint".

Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart said Libya was now "an attractive terrorist safe haven".

There are two governments in Libya - the internationally-recognised representatives are in Tubruk, after Islamist groups took over the capital Tripoli.

In 2012, Islamic militants killed the US ambassador and an aide in an attack on the Benghazi embassy - the city is still controlled by militants.

Derna, the town hit by the Egyptian strikes, is home to a group who pledged allegiance to IS in October, parading through the town in a show of strength.

There were a number of reported beheadings in the city at the end of 2014.

The Islamic State-inspired combatants have claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in Tripoli this year, including an attack on the Corinthia Hotel which killed nine people, including five foreigners.

The latest video from the group claims to be filmed west of Tripoli.

:: Egypt's Two Fronts

Egypt's response to the murder of the 21 Coptic Christians has been to launch airstrikes against the militants.

It means President Abdel Fattah al Sisi has opened a second front against fighters linked to IS.

The Egyptian army has long been involved in fighting the Sinai Province militant group in the east of Egypt.

Previously known as Ansar Beit al Maqdis, the group renamed itself Sinai Province when it aligned with IS in November 2014.

Its earlier attacks were aimed at Israel, including attacks on the country's gas infrastructure and border patrols.

However, after the revolution in Cairo, attacks became more violent and targeted on Egyptians. In September 2013, they attempted to assassinate the interior minister.

Towards the end of 2014, the group rebranded its social media to suggest they were the local affiliate of Islamic State.

In a message posted in November, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi referred to Sinai as an area under the group's control, going as far to say he would appoint a leader for the region.

:: Foreign Fighters In Syria and Iraq

IS factions in Libya have been bolstered by fighters returning from Iraq and Syria.

There are reports that up to 300 Libyan fighters were part of the al Battar Brigade who were key in the Islamic State advance into cities such as Mosul.

The group warned that "heads would be cut off, stomachs slit and Libya filled with graves" when they returned from Syria in the summer of 2014.

The group's latest video features a militant with a North American accent warning the group "are south of Rome on the land of Islam, Libya, sending another message".

It is unclear who the militant is, or if he even was actually standing on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Militants are now secure in a number of locations along the Libyan coast.

The Italian coastguard has been inundated with refugees from Libya, with another 2,000 rescued over the weekend.

Egypt's ambassador is not the only person calling for greater action against militants in the country.

There have also been calls from Libya's Prime Minister, as well as comments from leaders in the United Arab Emirates supporting Egypt's airstrikes.


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Police Charge Copenhagen Attack Suspects

Police say two men arrested over a deadly shooting in Copenhagen have been charged with aiding the suspected gunman.

A massive manhunt was launched in the wake of the shootings, which left two dead and five police officers injured.

By the early hours of Sunday officers believed they had caught the killer after the suspect, Omar-el Hussein, 22, was shot dead near a train station. The two men were later arrested nearby.

Reporting from Copenhagen, Sky's Ian Woods said: "We are hearing that police have charged two people that they detained with aiding the man suspected of shooting dead these people in that terrorist attack.

"I'm told one of them was arrested at an internet cafe and the other was arrested five hours earlier in the morning.

"I am told they are being charged in connection with hiding him after the initial gun attack at the cafe in Copenhagen early on Saturday afternoon, and also with supplying the weapon used. They will appear before a judge in a closed court session."

The two suspects cannot be named for legal reasons though Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet is reporting that both suspects are from an immigrant background.

"They are accused of getting rid of one of the firearms and giving him (the gunmen) a place to hide afterwards and they are denying that completely," the lawyer of one of the men, Michael Juul Eriksen said.

The paper added that El Hussein had been released from prison two weeks ago after serving a term for aggravated assault.

The first attack happened shortly before 3pm UK time on Saturday when a gunman opened fire outside a cafe where a panel was discussing freedom of speech.

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  1. Gallery: Two Killed In Cafe And Synagogue Shootings

    Two people have been killed and five police officers were injured in two shootings in the Danish capital Copenhagen. This is the scene of the cafe attack on Saturday

He was later shot dead by officers here, near one of the city's train stations, after reportedly opening fire on them

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Ukrainian Soldiers Killed Despite Ceasefire

Ukrainian Soldiers Killed Despite Ceasefire

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Four Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in attacks by separatists since a ceasefire came into force, according to reports.

The ceasefire came into force on Sunday morning, but a Kiev military source has reported four deaths since then.

A further 21 Ukrainian soldiers have been wounded, the source added.

Occasional shelling and gunfire has been heard close to the flashpoint town of Debaltseve in the country's east. It is on the frontline between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists.

The ceasefire agreement was reached following talks in the Belarus capital Minsk led by France and Germany.

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  1. Gallery: Ukraine Truce Holds But Sporadic Clashes Continue

    Pro-Russian separatists drive a tank through Donetsk. Most of the frontline has fallen silent, but a Kiev source said four Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the ceasefire started on Sunday.

Two members of the armed forces from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic stand guard at a checkpoint near the town.

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Another member of the Donetsk People's Republic checks on a kettle as the ceasefire holds across large swathes of eastern Ukraine.

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Meanwhile, on a road leading to the contested town of Debaltseve - which has continued to see some unrest - two Ukrainian soldiers play football during the ceasefire.

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Other members of the Ukrainian armed forces take a cigarette break near Debaltseve.

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Ukrainian Soldiers Killed Despite Ceasefire

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Four Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in attacks by separatists since a ceasefire came into force, according to reports.

The ceasefire came into force on Sunday morning, but a Kiev military source has reported four deaths since then.

A further 21 Ukrainian soldiers have been wounded, the source added.

Occasional shelling and gunfire has been heard close to the flashpoint town of Debaltseve in the country's east. It is on the frontline between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists.

The ceasefire agreement was reached following talks in the Belarus capital Minsk led by France and Germany.

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  1. Gallery: Ukraine Truce Holds But Sporadic Clashes Continue

    Pro-Russian separatists drive a tank through Donetsk. Most of the frontline has fallen silent, but a Kiev source said four Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the ceasefire started on Sunday.

Two members of the armed forces from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic stand guard at a checkpoint near the town.

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Another member of the Donetsk People's Republic checks on a kettle as the ceasefire holds across large swathes of eastern Ukraine.

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Meanwhile, on a road leading to the contested town of Debaltseve - which has continued to see some unrest - two Ukrainian soldiers play football during the ceasefire.

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Other members of the Ukrainian armed forces take a cigarette break near Debaltseve.

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Egypt Bombs Libyan Targets After Beheadings

Egypt's military has bombed targets in Libya, a day after a video purporting to show the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians was released by Islamic State-inspired combatants.

The attack, in which Libya's air force also took part, focused on camps, training sites and weapons storage areas across the border between the two countries.

A Libyan air force commander told Egyptian state television that 40-50 militants were killed, while two security officials said civilians, including three children and two women, died.

Saqer al Joroushi said the strikes by war planes loyal to the official government had been coordinated with Egypt and more would follow.

He said Egyptian and Libyan planes had combined to hit targets in the eastern town of Derna. Libyan planes then attacked the central cities of Sirte and Ben Jawad, he added.

Egyptian planes later returned for a second wave of airstrikes on Derna.

A spokesman for Egypt's Armed Forces General Command said the raids were "to avenge the bloodshed and to seek retribution from the killers".

"Let those far and near know that Egyptians have a shield that protects them," the statement added.

The strikes come after video emerged showing 21 handcuffed hostages dressed in orange jumpsuits being murdered by militants calling themselves the Tripoli Province of Islamic State.

In the latest issue of the IS online magazine Dabiq, the group said the same number of Egyptian hostages were being held in Libya after being kidnapped in January while in the country looking for work.

Egypt's Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East and are estimated to account for around 15% of the country's population.

In the video, which shows the hostages being beheaded simultaneously on a beach, a camouflaged fighter points north across the Mediterranean and threatens in an American accent that IS, which already controls around a third of Iraq and Syria, will soon reach Europe.

Egypt's ambassador to the UK, Nasser Kamel, told Sky News nations need to join together and face the IS threat, which is "coming closer to home, and by home I mean not only Egypt, but also Europe".

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron described the killings as "a simply barbaric and inhumane act", and warned Libya must not become a "safe haven for terrorists".

In the aftermath, Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah al Sisi, threatened to carry out a "suitable" punishment.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said "tough intervention" against the militants in Libya is needed or they would threaten world peace.

French President Francois Hollande and Mr al Sisi have urged the UN Security Council to meet and consider new measures to tackle the militants.

Meanwhile, Libya's internationally recognised prime minister, Abdullah al Thinni, has called on the West to launch airstrikes on militants in his country.

The country is split between rival governments backed by different militias: Mr al Thinni's, which is based in Tobruk, and another located in Tripoli.

The Tripoli-based parliament strongly condemned the Egyptian strike on Derna as an "assault against Libyan sovereignty".


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Why Are Egypt's Christians Being Targeted?

Egypt's Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East and are estimated to account for around 15% of the country's population.

"Coptic" is used to describe the native Christians living in the country, where Christianity is a large minority religion.

The Coptic Orthodox Church was founded in the first century by Saint Mark the apostle, who wrote the second Gospel of the New Testament.

The church carefully preserves the Orthodox Christian faith and follows the apostles' doctrines.

A video released on Sunday apparently shows 21 Copts being beheaded by Islamic State-inspired combatants.

The footage, entitled "a message signed with blood to the nation of the cross", has a caption in the first few seconds referring to the hostages as "people of the cross, followers of the hostile Egyptian Church".

It makes reference to Egyptian women Camilia Shehata and Wafa Constantine, the wives of Coptic priests whose alleged conversion to Islam caused a sectarian dispute in Egypt five years ago.

Shehata went missing for five days in July 2010 following a domestic argument. Police later found her and escorted her home.

Coptic Christians staged protests when she disappeared, but when Shehata was returned Islamists took to the streets claiming she had chosen to convert to Islam and was being held against her will.

Wafa Constantine went missing in 2004, reportedly after her husband refused to grant her a divorce.

As reports of her conversion to Islam spread, she was temporarily sequestered at a convent.

After the hostages are beheaded in the video, a scrolling caption reads: "The filthy blood is just some of what awaits you, in revenge for Camilia and her sisters."

Bishop Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, said the killings had caused "deep feelings of sorrow and pain".

"While it may seem illogical or incomprehensible, we also pray for those who have carried out these horrific crimes, that the value of God's creation and human life may become more evident to them, and in this realisation, that the wider effects of pain brought by this and other acts of brutality may be realised and avoided.

"We pray for an end to the dehumanisation of captives who become mere commodities to be bartered, traded and negotiated with."

Bishop Angaelos dismissed the claims about forcefully converting Muslims as "absurd" and "ill-informed, misinformed, propaganda".


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Huge Parade Cancelled Over Terror Attack Fear

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 15 Februari 2015 | 22.56

One of Germany's biggest carnivals has been cancelled at the 11th hour following a "specific threat of an Islamist attack".

More than 250,000 people were expected to attend the street parade in the northern city of Braunschweig this afternoon.

But shortly before it was due to start, police told people to stay at home after receiving credible information that an attack was imminent.

Police spokesman Thomas Geese said the event was cancelled 90 minutes before its scheduled start time, adding: "Many people arriving at the train station from out of town were already dressed up and very disappointed - but we didn't want to take any risks."

Officials do not believe the threat is connected to two fatal attacks in Copenhagen.

Ulrich Markurth, the Mayor of Braunschweig, said the cancellation of the yearly carnival was "a sad day for our city and a sad day for our democratic society".

The event - which coincides with the Roman Catholic carnival season - would have seen bands and 4,000 people in fancy dress costumes march down a four-mile route through the city.

Organisers have said the bands will perform their live music at the town hall instead.

Police have confirmed the warning came from intelligence sources, but have refused to provide any further information about the threat.


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Copenhagen Shootings: How Attacks Unfolded

Police officers are attempting to piece together what led a gunman to open fire in two fatal attacks in the Danish capital.

A massive manhunt was launched in the wake of the shootings, which left two dead and five police officers injured.

By the early hours of Sunday, officers believed they had caught the killer after a suspect was shot dead near a train station.

Here is how the events unfolded:

:: The first attack happened shortly before 3pm UK time on Saturday when a gunman opened fire outside a cafe where a panel was discussing freedom of speech.

Documentary film maker Finn Noergaard, 55, who was attending the event in the Krudttoenden cultural centre, was killed and three officers were injured after the shooter, armed with an automatic weapon, fired through the windows leaving dozens of bullet holes.

Among the speakers was Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who has faced death threats for his cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Mr Vilks, who had bodyguards with him, was reportedly bundled into a cupboard and was not hurt.

He said he believed he was the intended target of the shooting, which happened during a discussion called "Art, blasphemy and freedom of expression".

Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt has described the assault on the seminar as "a terrorist attack", but little is known about the attacker at this stage.

Police released CCTV images of a suspect wearing dark clothes and a scarf covering part of his face.

Investigators described him as 25 to 30 years-old with an athletic build, about 6ft tall, and was carrying a black automatic weapon. However, it is not clear if this is the same man who was later shot dead by police.

A car believed to have been used by the attacker was found abandoned.

:: Shortly after midnight UK time, a second attack happened outside a synagogue in Krystalgade, where a Jewish man was killed after being shot in the head and two police officers were wounded.

Denmark's Chief Rabbi, Jair Melchior, identified the Jewish victim as Dan Uzan, 37, a longtime security guard for the 7,000-strong community. 

He was guarding a building behind the synagogue during a bar mitzvah, or Jewish coming-of-age ceremony, when he was shot in the head. Two police officers who were there were slightly wounded.

:: At around 5am UK time, police said they had shot dead a man near a train station in the Norrebro area of Copenhagen - not far from the site of the two attacks.

Officers said he opened fire on them after they confronted him as he returned to an address they were watching. No police were hurt.

Police said had been "on the radar" of the intelligence services before the shootings.

They believe he was the person responsible for both attacks and they said there was nothing to suggest at present there were others involved.

However, they added there was a large amount of work ahead to determine whether he was acting alone.


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Suspect In Deadly Danish Shootings Is Killed

A man shot dead by police near a Copenhagen train station is believed to be behind two fatal attacks hours earlier in the city.

Danish officers said they had killed the man after he opened fire on them close to Norrebro Station.

They said CCTV indicated he was responsible for an attack at a cafe on Saturday afternoon and another deadly assault two miles away at the city's main synagogue.

Police said they knew the identity of the gunman and believed he was inspired by last month's Paris shootings, where Islamist gunmen targeted the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a kosher supermarket.

Investigators said there was nothing to suggest at present that other gunmen were involved in the shootings that left two people dead and five police officers wounded. They also said they did not believe the gunman had been to overseas jihadist training camps.

The attack at the synagogue in Krystalgade just after midnight UK time saw one man killed after being shot in the head and two policemen also shot, one in the arm and the other in the leg.

Armed Danish police also raided an internet cafe near where officers killed the suspected gunman, taking at least two people away, according to Danish media.

Sky News cameraman Pete Milnes, who was in a hotel next to the synagogue, said: "There was a succession of about six or seven gunshots.

"Within a minute or so, armed police were on the scene, a helicopter was hovering overhead. I witnessed police apprehend an individual who was handcuffed and later released.

"There were 20 to 30 armed police officers with semi-automatic rifles shouting at locals to stay indoors and close windows."

The victim has been named as 37-year-old Jewish man Dan Uzan, who was guarding a building behind the synagogue.

A major manhunt had earlier been launched after one man was killed and three police officers injured when a gunman opened fire at a cafe where a meeting on free speech was taking place.

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  1. Gallery: Two Killed In Cafe And Synagogue Shootings

    Two people have been killed and five police officers were injured in two shootings in the Danish capital Copenhagen. This is the scene of the cafe attack on Saturday

He was later shot dead by officers here, near one of the city's train stations, after reportedly opening fire on them

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Cafe Shooting Survivor Relives Horror Of Attack

One of the survivors of the deadly cafe attack in Copenhagen has told Sky News how people hid on the ground between tables and chairs as the gunman opened fire.

The killer armed with an automatic weapon carried out his assault as a discussion on free speech was taking place at the Krudttoenden cultural centre.

Documentary filmmaker Finn Noergaard, 55, who was attending the event, was killed and three police officers were injured.

Witness Dennis Meyhoff Brink said about half an hour into the meeting he heard shots coming from the room next door.

He said there were about 30 shots and it took a few seconds before he realised the group was under attack.

Mr Brink said people panicked and ran towards the doors to try to get out.

He said he heard a man yelling what he thought was Arabic and one of his first thoughts was of last month's terror attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, in which 12 people were killed.

"I couldn't help thinking about what happened to Charlie Hebdo," he said.

"We were just completely in shock and thought now it was our turn to get shot down."

Mr Brink was in a group of five who were "so shocked" that they could not get the door open and "were shaking all over".

Hearing more shots, they decided it was too dangerous to go outside so they lay down on the ground.

"People were trying to hide between tables and chairs that were turned over even though it was not a very good hiding place," he said.

"We were simply hoping for the best."

After about two minutes, a man came through the door with a gun in his hand and they were "terrified" that he was the killer.

But he turned out to be a man from the intelligence services who had been shot in the leg and was running to a back door to secure it.

Around five minutes later, they heard "numerous police cars arrive" and "we then knew that we were most likely safe".

One of the people speaking at the event was controversial Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who has had death threats for his cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

He was accompanied by bodyguards and was unharmed in the attack.

Mr Brink said he had not expected the meeting to be dangerous because there was security at the event.

He said: "It was simply a very peaceful debate and dialogue meeting about the conditions of art and the possibilities for making art when free speech is under pressure."

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  1. Gallery: Two Killed In Cafe And Synagogue Shootings

    Two people have been killed and five police officers were injured in two shootings in the Danish capital Copenhagen. This is the scene of the cafe attack on Saturday

He was later shot dead by officers here, near one of the city's train stations, after reportedly opening fire on them

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Tensions In Ukraine As Truce Deadline Passes

A ceasefire appears to be holding in Ukraine - although both sides have accused each other of violating the deal in the hours after the truce deadline passed.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko ordered government forces to stop firing at 10pm UK time on Saturday, under a plan agreed in Belarus this week.

The military said Ukrainian armed forces immediately fulfilled Mr Poroshenko's order and guns fell silent in Donetsk and some other parts of the country's east.

Under the peace agreement, both Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatist rebels were to hold their fire, before pulling back their heavy weaponry to form a wide buffer zone.

There were reports of continued fighting and movement of military vehicles right up to the deadline, and after it had passed government forces and rebels said there were violations in the first few hours.

A Ukraine military spokesman has said rebels shelled its positions 10 times after the truce began, but that the ceasefire is being observed "in general".

A pro-Kiev official says two civilians were killed by rockets fired by rebels just after the start of the truce, the AFP news agency is reporting.

Mr Poroshenko admitted there was "alarm" over the situation around the key transport hub of Debaltseve, where government forces have been hard pressed by Russian-backed separatists.

A senior pro-Russian separatist commander has said that rebels still have the right to fire on the town in spite of the ceasefire because "it is our territory".

Intense fighting continued around the strategic government-held area on Saturday. 

Earlier in the week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers were besieged by separatists around the town and would have to lay down their weapons.

Rebels told the Associated Press news agency they will not consider any battles for the town to be a violation of the ceasefire.

The intensity of the fighting around Debaltseve and elsewhere raises doubts about whether the ceasefire will hold.

The White House said President Barack Obama spoke to Mr Poroshenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday and expressed concern about the violence.

The French presidency said Mr Putin reaffirmed in a phone call with his French and German counterparts on Saturday that the ceasefire must be respected.

The statement also said the three leaders will speak by phone with Mr Poroshenko on Sunday to take stock of the ceasefire.


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