Page 13 - Terrorsim

How the deadliest attack on Russian soil in years unfolded over the weekend

The auditorium at Crocus City Hall was about three-quarters full, with the crowd waiting to see Picnic, a band popular since the Soviet days of the early 1980s. But the concert was sold out in the 6,200-seat hall, so some of the audience was still likely getting food or were shedding their heavy coats in the cloakroom. It was 7-10 minutes before the start of the show, scheduled for 8 pm, said concertgoer Dave Primov. Then came the popping sounds. Initially I thought: fireworks or something like that Primov told The Associated Press. I looked at my colleague, and he also said: Fireworks, probably.' But it wasn't pyrotechnics. At least four khaki-clad men with automatic weapons were in the building, firing incessantly. Then they set the concert hall on fire. It was the start of the deadliest attack on Russian soil in years that left 137 people dead and more than 180 more injured in what President Vladimir Putin called a bloody, barbaric terrorist act. Although he sought to tie Ukrai

3 of 4 suspects charged in Moscow attack admit guilt during court hearing

Three of the four suspects charged with carrying out the concert hall attack in Moscow that killed more than 130 people admitted guilt for the incident in a Russian court Sunday. Moscow's Basmanny District Court formally charged Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19; and Shamsidin Fariduni, 25, with committing a group terrorist attack resulting in the death of others. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The court ordered that the men, all of whom are citizens of Tajikistan, be held in pre-trial custody until May 22. Mirzoyev, Rachabalizoda and Shamsidin Fariduni all admitted guilt after being charged. The fourth, Faizov, was brought to court directly from a hospital in a wheelchair and sat with his eyes closed throughout the proceedings. He was attended by medics while in court, where he wore a hospital gown and trousers and was seen with multiple cuts. The other three suspects appeared in court heavily bruised wit

Will identify and punish terrorists, vows Putin as Russians mourn

Moscow regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said doctors were "fighting for the lives of 107 people." State TV editor Margarita Simonyan, without citing a source, had earlier given a toll of 143

Deadliest terror attack in decade shakes Russia after Putin's vote triumph

Some Russian state-media commentators suggested Kyiv may be to blame, but Ukraine denied any role, calling it a false-flag operation by the Kremlin

Will not tolerate any act of cross-border terrorism: Pakistan's PM Sharif

Amidst a spike in terror attacks in Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday asserted that his government will not tolerate any acts of cross-border terrorism and that his country would like to exist in peace with all its neighbours. Days after what is now known as the Mir Ali attack in the restive northwest Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was addressing the first meeting of the apex committee a top official civil-military body tasked to tackle militancy since the new government came to power earlier in the month. Pakistan is facing a renewed threat by militancy. Over the weekend, two Pakistan Army officers and five soldiers were killed in a terror attack at Mir Ali in the troubled northwest of the country. Without naming any country, Sharif asserted that his country would not tolerate any cross-border terrorism from the neighbouring countries under no circumstances. The prime minister said that Pakistan would like to have peace with all neighbours and urged t

LeT operative Mohammad Qasim Gujjar declared designated terrorist

The Narendra Modi government on Thursday declared Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Mohammad Qasim Gujjar, the mastermind of several terror attacks, a designated terrorist. Announcing the government's decision, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said LeT operative Gujjar has caused numerous deaths and injuries with terror attacks and is involved in planning a war against India. "Anyone found involved in activities against the unity and integrity of the nation will be dealt with ruthlessly," Shah posted on X. Gujjar alias Salman alias Suleman with the intention to wage war against the country has been involved in carrying out a wide-range of terrorist activities, including coordinating, supplying, identifying locations for drones for dropping arms, ammunition, improvised explosive devices and cash, and delivering and managing consignments from across the border, according to an official notification. He has also been involved in creating new terror modules through recruitment and ...

NIA attaches properties, seizes Rs 2.27 cr in Handwara narco-terrorism case

The properties belonging to the four accused have been attached in tehsil Handwara of district Kupwara by the NIA

Iran forces kill Jaish al-Adl militant commander, his companions in Pak

In the latest development, Iran's forces, in an armed clash, attacked a militant group, one month after the two countries conducted air strikes on each other

Pakistan increases telecom towers in PoK to help terror groups: Report

The project for boosting telecom signals has been completely handed over to the Special Communication Organization (SCO) led by Pakistani army officer Maj Gen Umar Ahmad Shah, it said

NIA carries out raids at 15 locations in JEI terror funding case in J&K

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted raids at 15 locations across Jammu and Kashmir as part of its crackdown on the proscribed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in a terror funding case, an official said. The raids in the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu along with Budgam in central and Kulgam and Anantnag in south Kashmir led to the seizure of incriminating documents and digital devices connected with the activities of JeI and its related Trusts and more than Rs 20 lakh, a spokesperson of the federal agency said. However, official sources said two persons were also detained in Jammu for questioning during the raids targeting a private school and its functionaries including chairman at Gujjar Nagar and Shaheedi chowk in Jammu. They said the residences of former Jamaat chief Sheikh Ghulam Hassan and another leader, Sayar Ahmad Reshi, in Kulgam district were among those raided. The Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir was banned by the Centre for five years in February ...

Centre empowers states, UTs to declare SIMI banned group under UAPA

The Centre on Monday gave powers to all states and Union Territories to declare the terrorist group Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) a banned organisation under the anti-terror law UAPA. On January 29, the Central government had extended the ban imposed on the SIMI for five more years. While extending the ban on the terrorist organisation, the government had said the group has been involved in fomenting terrorism and disturbing peace and communal harmony in the country. In a notification on Monday, the Union Home Ministry said in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 42 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central government directs that all powers exercisable by it under section 7 and section 8 of the said Act shall also be exercised by the state governments and the Union Territory administrations in relation to the unlawful association SIMI. As many as 10 state governments -- Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, ..

US doesn't seek another war: WH on drone strike by Iran-backed group

A day after three US troops were killed in a drone strike in Jordan, the White House on Monday said it does not want to seek another war or escalate the tension, but would absolutely do what is required to protect itself in the region. John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters at a news conference here that the attack also sent more than 30 US soldiers to hospital, some with serious injuries. "These troops were conducting a vital mission in the region, aimed at helping US work with partners to counter ISIS. And even as the Defense Department gathers more information about the attack, that mission must and will continue," he said. "The counter-ISIS mission is separate and distinct ..indeed it has been longstanding and unrelated to our efforts to support Israel and to prevent a wider conflict in the region," Kirby said. "We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate. But we will absolutely do what

American-led negotiators close in on Gaza agreement to halt fighting

"The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences," Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Sunday, referring to the UN Relief and Works Agency

What's arming Hamas? Increasingly stolen weapons from Israeli military

Analysts have pointed to smuggling routes to explain how Hamas stayed so heavily armed despite an Israeli military blockade of the Gaza Strip

China presses Iran to rein in Houthi attacks in Red Sea, says report

Freight through Suez Canal down 45% since Houthi attacks

Pakistan long been epicentre of terrorism: MEA junks assassination claims

Jaiswal stressed that India and many other nations have publicly warned Pakistan that it would be consumed by its own culture of terror and violence

Pakistani Taliban pledge not to attack election rallies ahead of Feb 8 vote

The Pakistani Taliban pledged Thursday not to attack election rallies, saying their targets are limited to the military and security forces, as political parties and independent candidates ramp up their campaigns ahead of the Feb 8 vote. We have nothing to do with these elections and the parties participating in them, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, said in a statement. Other militant groups have not made similar pledges, and some previous Pakistani elections have been marred by violence. Two-time former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in a bomb attack in 2007 minutes after she addressed an election rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Her son, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, is leading the campaign for her Pakistan People's Party. Thursday's rare pledge by the TTP came after the government approved the deployment of troops in sensitive constituencies after intelligence agencies warned that militants could target rallies, which are usually held outdoors in public ...

Search underway in J&K to track down terrorists who attacked Army convoy

A cordon-and-search operation was underway in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday to track down terrorists who had fired on a convoy of Army vehicles a day ago, officials said. There was no casualty in the attack on the convoy on Friday. Troops are using sniffer dogs and aerial surveillance to comb the area, which has dense forest, the officials said. The cordon-and-search operation was underway to track the attackers, a senior officer said. The vehicles that came under attack near Krishna Ghati in Poonch sector on Friday evening were carrying security personnel back to a camp. No one was injured in the attack and the commanding officer as well as other Army personnel were safe, officials said. A similar ambush on Army vehicles took place in Poonch's Dhatya Morh in the Dera Ki Gali area on December 21. Four Army personnel were killed in the attack. Rajouri and Poonch districts have witnessed targeted attacks by terrorists on the Army and civilians in the recent past

45 live cartridges seized during checking near Indian Gate, accused held

At least 45 live cartridges were recovered from an SUV during police picket checking near the India Gate on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, police said. An intensive checking of vehicles is being carried out near the India Gate and Kartavya Path due to the upcoming Republic Day, they said. An officer said that during checking, at about 1.20 am on Wednesday, one Mahindra Scorpio was stopped for checking at police picket in Tilak Marg area. While checking, a packet was recovered from the vehicle, he added. During interrogation, the car driver identified as Ehit Sham-ul, 22, from Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, could not produce any valid documents for it, police said. A case under Section 25 of the Arms Act was registered against Ehit Sham-ul. He was further held and interrogated, they said.

Bus explodes in Afghanistan, killing at least 2 civilians and wounding 14

A minibus exploded in a mostly Shiite Muslim neighbourhood in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, killing at least two civilians and wounding 14 others, a Taliban official said Saturday, the first attack in the country in 2024. Police spokesman Khalid Zadran said the explosion took place in the western part of the city, in the Dashti Barchi area. The cause remained unknown, but police launched an investigation, he said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State group's affiliate in the region has in the past targeted Shiite schools, hospitals, and mosques in the same area. Last week during a press conference in Kabul, Taliban Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid said there had been a 90 per cent decrease in attacks by the IS affiliate in the past year. The IS affiliate has been a major rival of the Taliban since the latter seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021. IS militants have struck in Kabul, in northern provinces and especially whereve