Page 101 - War Conflict
NIA says man conspiring to launch suicide attack in Kerala arrested
The National Investigation Agency Monday arrested a man, who is a follower of Sri Lankan Easter bombing mastermind Zahran Hashim, on the charge of conspiring to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala, an NIA spokesperson said. The spokesperson said 29-year-old Riyas A, also known as Riyas Aboobacker or Abu Dujana, a resident of Palakkad, was picked up on Sunday in connection with the ISIS module case. During interrogation, Riyas disclosed that he has been following speeches/videos of Hashim for more than a year and has also followed the speeches of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. He admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala, the spokesperson said. During interrogation, he has disclosed that he has been in online contact with absconding accused Abdul Rashid Abdulla, aka Abu Isa, for a long time and has been following his audio clips including the clip which he had circulated on social media platform instigating others to carry out terror attacks in ...
J-K Police charge-sheet 9 accused in fire services crossing terrorist attack
Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday filed the charge sheet against nine accused in September 2018 terrorist attack near fire services crossing which led to the death of one CRPF jawan.On April 24 last year, militants holding illegal weapons had fired indiscriminately at the CRPF and police personnel deployed near Pampori Sons showroom. The incident had led to injuries among the personnel and death of CRPF constable Shanker Lal Brala.The charge-sheet was filed against nine accused for their role in hatching criminal conspiracy for the terrorist act, harbouring terrorists and giving support to the proscribed terrorist organisation, said the police statement.After the conclusion of the investigation, the police filed the charge-sheet before the competent court under Section 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code, ULA (P) Act and Substantive Offences Act thereof subsequent to obtaining necessary government sanction for prosecution under UAPA Act, added the police statement.
Group behind RSS leaders killing identified: IGP
A senior police officer said Monday the group behind the fatal attacks on an RSS leader and a BJP leader and his brother in April and November, respectively, in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir has been identified and efforts are on to arrest its members. RSS leader Chandrakant Sharma and his security guard were killed by a militant inside the district hospital on April 9, while state secretary of BJP, Anil Parihar, and his brother Ajeet Parihar were killed in the town on November 1 last year. "We have identified the group behind the killings. The vehicle used in the latest killing was purchased by one Zahid but he had joined the militant ranks and is moving around with Osama," the Inspector General of Police, Jammu, M K Sinha told reporters here. Osama is one of the seven terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashker-e-Toiba active in Kishtwar district. "From where the militants came and went after the recent attack have been worked out. We are aware how they carried out the ...
NIA arrests follower of Lanka bombing mastermind
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested an Islamic State sympathizer and follower of alleged Sri Lanka bombings mastermind Zahran Hasim, the agency said.
Country paid heavy price for eradicating militancy : Pak Army
Over 81,000 people, including security personnel, have either been killed or injured and the country's economy suffered a USD 300 billion loss in the war against terror since 9/11, the Pakistani Army said, and claimed that there is no organised terror infrastructure present in Pakistan. Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told the media that Pakistan had come a long way in its fight against militancy. "Pakistan paid heavy price to eradicate organised militancy from the country. We paid the price for this. Over 81,000 Pakistanis, including personnel of the armed forces, were either killed artyred or injured. The overall impact on the Pakistan's economy amounted to over USD 300 billion in losses," he said. "Today, we can say with conviction, evidence and logic that there is no organised terrorist infrastructure present in Pakistan," he added. Ghafoor said Pakistan carried out 1,237 kinetic operations since 9/11, while about 100,000 intelligence-based operations were carried out ...
Congress complains to EC against PM
The Congress on Monday complained to the Election Commission against PM Modi saying he violated the model code of conduct by seeking votes in the name of armed forces.
Kerala IS suspects under NIA lens after calls to Sri Lanka (IANS Exclusive)
Suspected IS sympathisers in various parts of Kerala are on the NIA's radar in wake of the horrendous Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka following intercepts of calls between people in the state and the island nation as well as some Facebook accounts on which "provocative" materials were uploaded, sources said.
Two 'militants' killed in Bangladesh pre-dawn raid
Two suspected Islamist militants were killed during a raid by Bangladesh's security forces here, officials said on Monday.
Links to Easter bombings put eastern Sri Lanka on edge
Suicide bombings at a militants' safe house have shaken the simple homes of this east Sri Lankan town as well as the rest of this idyllic coast, as the investigation into the Islamic State-claimed Easter bombings has spread here. Police and military checkpoints dot the coastal roads, with people emptying out of buses to present their identity papers. On streets lined with shuttered shops, police officers with assault rifles look warily at passers-by. Whispers persist about the leader of the IS-pledged militant group, which preached the promise of heaven through the killing of others both here and online. The scale of the explosives seized following Friday night's violence, as well as the continued warning of authorities that more militants remain on the loose, only add to the dread. "Even though the security forces are here, it's not like earlier," said Chandima Krishanthi, a 42-year-old market vendor in nearby Ampara. "We are living in fear. It's nothing like it used to be." Sri ...
Miscreants hurl petrol bombs in rice-laden FCI trucks
Two Food Corporation of India (FCI) rice-laden trucks were damaged when unidentified miscreants lobbed petrol bombs on Monday at the parking area of the depot at Mawroh, police said. No one was injured in the early morning attack but the police have already launched an investigation into the incident, a senior district police officer told PTI. The trucks were parked outside the FCI depot along side other lorries when unidentified miscreants hurled suspected petrol bombs, they said. The police officer said that the attack was carried out by a group of miscreants and all leads are being examined. Mondays incident took place a week after a security guard was allegedly murdered at the FCI depot at Byrnihat, along the Assam-Meghalaya border.
Sirisena appoints new Defence Secretary, acting IGP
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday appointed former Army commander Gen. S.H.S Kottegoda as the new Defence Secretary and Deputy Inspector-General C.D Wickramaratne as the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Northern Army commander visits forward posts along LoC in JK's Rajouri
General Officer-commanding-in-chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh Monday visited forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district and reviewed the operational preparedness and prevalent security situation of the force, a defence spokesman said. During the visit to the sector, the Army commander was briefed by the commanders on ground about the current operational situation, prevailing security scenario and the preparedness of the formations, the spokesman said. He said the Army commander was also briefed on the formations' role of maintaining a conducive environment for the recently held parliamentary elections in the border area villages. Besides, Lt Gen Singh was also briefed on the actions taken to meet the challenges of increased ceasefire violations through superior and aggressive domination of LoC being exercised by the troops and defensive measures put in place to thwart the nefarious designs of the adversary, he added. He said the Army commander, who .
Easily-available chemicals used for bombs: SL PM
The suicide bombers behind the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka assembled easily-available chemicals to make explosives, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, as authorities probe how the assailants acquired the technical knowledge to make the bombs.
Lanka bomb suspect's sister fears 18 relatives feared dead since Easter attacks
The sister of the suspected ringleader of Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday bombings has claimed that up to 18 members of her family are missing and feared dead since the massive suicide attacks and subsequent police raids, according to a media report. More than 250 people were killed and at least 500 injured in a series of coordinated suicide bombings at churches and hotels by the little-known National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ) across the island April 21. Mohamed Hashim Mathaniya is the sister of Mohamed Zahran Hashim, the man Sri Lankan authorities believe was one of the leaders of the attacks, the country's worst. He appeared in a video released by an ISIS-linked news agency before blowing himself up on Easter Sunday. Speaking to CNN, Mathaniya said she identified her brother from photographs of his body parts at the police station earlier in the week. "Five men went missing after the attacks (on Sunday). They were my three brothers, my father, and my sister's husband," she said. On Friday ...
Church wants more vigorous crackdown on Sri Lankan militants
The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka said Monday that the government should crack down on Islamic extremists with more vigor "as if on war footing" in the aftermath of the Easter bombings. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, said the church may not be able to stop people from taking the law into their own hands unless the government conducts a more thorough investigation and does more to prevent further attacks. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Easter attacks, which killed more than 250 people, and investigators are looking into the extent of the extremist group's direct involvement with the local radicalized Muslims who carried out the suicide bombings. The cardinal said he is not satisfied with how the government has conducted its investigations so far. "All the security forces should be involved and function as if on war footing," Ranjith told reporters. "I want to state that we may not be able to keep people under control in the absence of a .
Prez suspends defiant Lankan police chief over blasts, names successor; appoints new defence secy
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday suspended defiant police chief Pujith Jayasundara and named his successor as well as a new defence secretary as part of the revamping of the security establishment following the country's worst terror attack. Sirisena on Friday said that Jayasundara had resigned but he never sent the letter and remained in his official residence, according to officials. Senior Deputy Inspector General C D Wickremaratne has been appointed as the acting police chief while former Inspector General N K Illangakoon named as an advisor to the Defence Ministry, according to the President's office. Police chief Jayasundara was asked to quit along with defence ministry secretary Hemasiri Fernando, taking responsibility for the intelligence failure that led to the bombings. Jayasundara, however, refused to heed Sirisena's call to resign following April 21 coordinated blasts on three churches and three luxury hotels. The police chief in Sri Lanka can only be ...
Jihadists kill pastor, four others in Burkina church attack
Gunmen killed four worshippers and a pastor in the first jihadist attack on a church in Burkina Faso, security and local sources said Monday. Sunday's attack took place in the small northern town of Silgadji near Djibo, the capital of Soum province, and two others were reported missing. "Unidentified armed individuals have attacked the Protestant church in Silgadji, killing four members of the congregation and the main pastor," a security source told AFP. "At least two other people are missing," the source added. It was the first attack on a church since jihadist violence erupted in the west African nation. Muslim clerics and imams have been targeted as well. "The attack happened around 1:00 pm, just as the faithful were leaving the church at the end of the service," a member of the church who did not want to be identified told AFP. "The attackers were on motorbikes. They fired in the air before aiming at the members of the congregation," the witness added. Burkina Faso has suffered ..
Two suspected militants blow themselves up during raid by Bangladesh's anti-terrorism unit
Two suspected militants were killed on Monday after they blew themselves up during a raid at their hideout by the Bangladesh's elite anti-terrorism unit in Mohammadpur area here, officials said. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) surrounded a single-storey tin-shed house in Mohammadpur's Basila area, on the outskirts of Dhaka, following a tip off. The personnel of the elite anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit met with gunfire, followed by a powerful blast, they said. "We overnight laid a siege to the house. They (suspected militants) staged a blast early Monday in which at least two of them were killed," a RAB spokesman told reporters. He said that those living in the neighbourhood were evacuated ahead of the raid. According to witnesses, the blast was so powerful that it shook the whole area. A fire also broke out following the blast and fire-fighters were called in to douse the blaze. RAB chief Benazir Ahmed said that at least two (suspected) militants have been killed in the ...
Prez Sirisena suspends defiant Sri Lankan police chief over blasts, names successor
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has suspended police chief Pujith Jayasundara, his office announced on Monday after the defiant Inspector General refused to quit following the massive Easter Sunday bombings. Sirisena on Friday said that Jayasundara had resigned but he never sent the letter and remained in his official residence, according to officials. The police chief in Sri Lanka can only be removed through a parliamentary procedure and Sirisena's action suspending him is the first step towards that, the officials said. Senior Deputy Inspector General C D Wickremaratne, the second-in-command in the force, has been appointed as the acting police chief. Jayasundara was asked to quit along with defence ministry secretary Hemasiri Fernando, taking responsibility for the intelligence failure that led to the bombings. Police chief Jayasundara has steadfastly refused to heed Sirisena's call to resign following April 21 coordinated blasts on three churches and three luxury ...
Lanka to introduce tough laws to eliminate jihadism: PM Wickremesinghe
Introducing a tough new legislation to eliminate jihadism and extremism from Sri Lanka is the government's top priority, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said in the aftermath of country's worst terror attacks on Easter Sunday. The deadly attacks could have been prevented if the new Counter Terrorism Bill, which provides for territorial jurisdiction, was passed in Parliament without delay, he said on Sunday after joining the Sunday Mass in Colombo and the mass at the Saint Anthony's church in Kochchikade, a week after the deadly suicide bombing killed over 250 people. "No anti-terrorism law in Sri Lanka provides for territorial jurisdiction under which a cadre belonging to an international terrorist organisation could be arrested in Sri Lanka if they are found. Not even the penal code provides that provision," the Prime Minister was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror. Introducing legislation against extremism is a priority for the government and new laws will be introduced to