Tag Archives: France

Dutch and French Work Together in Apprehending Jihadist

On March 27, 2016, Dutch police arrested four individuals suspected of being connected to terrorist organizations. The arrests were made in conjunction with the French authorities claiming a suspected French terrorist was residing in Rotterdam.

The raids conducted on Sunday occurred in the Spangen and Sieuwe neighborhoods in western Amsterdam. They were carried out by the Dutch Special Intervention Service, an anti-terrorism unit of the police squad and by the Dutch Intelligence Agency (AIVD). Authorities evacuated residents near the two homes that were raided.

Three of the four were identified as a 32-year old French national, two Algerians 43 and 47-years old, and the last suspect is yet to be identified. Items that were collected from the apartments included cell phones, data carriers, SIM cards, money, drugs, and weapons.

Paris is still tracking down members of last November’s terrorist attack that may also have connections to last week’s bombings in Brussels.

While the French prosecutor would not released the identify of the French national the media named identified Anis B,  born in Montreuil, an impoverished Paris suburb, and later lived in Val-de-Mare.

Anis B reportedly traveled to Syria last year with Reda Kriket, a suspect in the Brussels bombing was arrested Thursday by police. Kirket was believed to bei n the late stages of planning a second attack on Paris.

Authorities connected the two when a search of Kriket’s apartment uncovered explosives, firearms, and a phone number for Rotterdam. French authorities contacted the Dutch authorities who traced the phone number, leading to the arrests of the four individuals.  French authorities believe that Anis B was in contact with Islamic State (IS) members in Syria and instructed to attack French targets with Kriket.

French prosecutor is not sure yet what the connection is between Anis and the Algerian suspects, but Anis was apparently found in one of their homes. Reports indicated that since February a number of Algerian IS members posing as Syrian refugees have gained access into Europe, most notably Germany.

European states are working together in the wake of the Brussels airport and metro attacks. Belgium, France, Germany,  Italy, and now the Netherlands have all within days after the Brussels attack have made arrests of suspected IS terrorists either connected to Brussels or Paris. However, authorities are still desperately searching for the “man in white” spotted on CCTV cameras at Zaventem Airport last week.

The intelligence sharing between France and the Netherlands may be a step in the right direction. The intercooperation of European intelligence has been a point of major criticism since the Brussels bombing.  With reports indicating that as many as 400 jihadists have been turned lose throughout Europe coordination and teamwork will be more important than ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raids Intensify Across Europe In Aftermath of Brussels Attack

Brussels anti-terror police made six arrests late Thursday night as authorities race to crack down the cell responsible for Tuesday’s dual attack.  A French national Reda Krikiet, who had connections to Paris terrorist mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud was detained. German authorities also made several arrests of suspects they believe are linked to the Brussels attack.

The Belgian prosecutors office did not make any formal statements on the identities of the six arrested, why they were arrested, or whether they will face charges. Reports indicated that one of the arrested had been shot by police when authorities closed in on an apartment. His name and condition were not released by authorities but he was described as a “big fish.”

The Brussels bombing anti-terror raids are correlating with ongoing raids dating back to the Paris attacks in November. Many of the suspects from Tuesday’s attacks including Najim Laachraoui and the El Bakraoui brothers were connected to Paris. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve noted that 75 people have been taken into custody for questioning about the Paris attacks. Out of the 75 arrested, 37 have been placed under formal investigation, and 28 have been incarcerated.

Thursday’s terror raids focused on the Schaerbeek district of Brussels where authorities had previously found bomb-making materials, a cache of weapons, and an Islamic State (IS) flag. Authorities made house-to-house inspections of the neighborhood, and residents said they heard several explosions as police forcefully entered several homes.

In France, Reda Kriket, a 34-year old Frenchman who was arrested in Argenteuil, a suburb in northern Paris. Minister Cazeneuve said authorities foiled Kriket’s plan which was in the advanced stages of a major terrorist attack in Paris. Cazeneuve also declared that at this current time there is no tangible evidence to link Kriket to either the Paris or Brussels attacks.

Kriket was found guilty of absentia trial by Belgian court in July 2015 for trying to join a jihadist network, and sentenced to ten years in jail. Kriket was an IS recruiter along with  Abaaoud who was also found guilty of absentia.

Further arrests were made in West Germany of two suspects believed to be connected to the Brussels attacks. One of the suspects detained was Samir E, who was well known to the Salafist scene, and arrested during a police raid in Dusseldorf. Samir E had been arrested in mid-2015 by Turkish authorities for trying to enter Syria; this was around  the same time as Khalid El Bakroui had entered Syria.  Turkey expelled both of them to Amsterdam and questioned whether the two knew each other.

The other suspect detained was a 28-year old Moroccan man, who was detained when police asked for ID at a train station, and found he was banned from travel in the EU Schengen Zone. They also found suspicious  text messages on his phone mentioned Khalid El Bakraoui. The text messages on his phone  read “fin” which is French for “the end” and came at 9:08 AM, minutes later Khalid El Bakraoui would detonate his explosives on the Maelbeek Metro killing 20.

Law enforcement will have to maintain a deterrent presence throughout Europe by continuing these raids and capturing IS members. Salah Abdeslam was finally captured during a raid and with two terrorists from Tuesday’s attack on the run and in hiding raids may be the only effective means of flushing them out.

 

 

 

 

 

Ivory Coast Becomes Newest Victim of AQIM

On Sunday, March 13, 2016, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) opened fire on a heavily packed beach in Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast. Six gunman reportedly killed 18 people, 15 civilians and 3 Ivory Coast soldiers. The fighting ceased after security forces killed all 6 attackers.

Since joining AQ, AQIM has been able to expand its reach to countries such as Mali, Niger, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso. Last November, AQIM claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 21 at the Radison Blu hotel in Mali. AQIM followed up this attack with another major strike in January on a hotel in Burkina Faso that killed 29.

The group seemed to be slowing down its operations, but has experienced a reawakening after the Mali terrorist organization al-Murabitoun pledged allegiance to AQIM. It is unclear who the leader of al-Murabitoun is, but the group reportedly contains fighters loyal to Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a former senior leader of AQIM. Al-Murabitoun has been able to launch several notable attacks on Algerian and Mali targets, the most notorious being the attack on the Amenas gas station in 2013 that killed 37. By assuming al-Murabitoun into their ranks, AQIM is able to claim attacks carried out by al-Murabitoun, giving the perception the group is still heavily active in the region.

Algerian forces were able to push AQIM out of its former stronghold by the Mediterranean Sea to the Sahel region where it currently resides. The group’s successes in Northern Mali prompted the UN to begin a peacekeeping mission that is currently ongoing in Mali.

Due to the ineffectiveness of the mission, the UN has sought the help of French forces who entered Mali in 2013. French forces were able to win back several towns in the North, but these successes may be causing the group to move further south into countries that have little counter terrorism capabilities.

With AQIM moving south, they will likely continue to look to take advantage of weaker nations like the Ivory Coast.

The Ivory Coast is made up of a primarily Muslim North and a Christian dominated South, which is similar to several other African nations facing internal violence. Ivory Coast has faced internal tensions for years, and the culmination of the tensions led to civil war in 2002. The first civil war officially ended in 2007, but another civil war emerged in 2011 when President Laurent Gbagbo refused to give up power to Alassane Ouattara.

While the current UN mission to the Ivory Coast has been able to stabilize most of the country, groups like AQIM are more than capable to take advantage of lingering tensions. Crime rates and political violence are still extremely high in Ivory Coast and almost half of the nation lives under the international poverty line, which could lead to resentment towards the government.

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security (OSAC) lists the Ivory Coast as having a high chance of terrorism. While the country has seen little terrorism inside its borders, the amount of neighboring countries that house terrorism coupled with high civil unrest makes the Ivory Coast a probable target for terrorist groups.

France has been a major contributor to counterterrorism efforts in West Africa. French forces have been battling AQIM for several years now, and they have established presences in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast. While France is combating terrorism, they have also garnered animosity from locals in some of these countries, including the Ivory Coast. OSAC mentions a growing anti-France rhetoric amongst Ivory Coast citizens, which is not a new feeling amongst the country.

During Ivory Coast’s first civil war, French troops supporting the UN peacekeeping mission engaged Ivorian troops on several occasions. This resulted in heavy anti-French protests throughout the country.

Soon after the attack, AQIM published its report of the attack in four different languages: Arabic, French, English, and Spanish. This tactic is seen in Islamic State (IS) propaganda messages in order to reach a broader audience. With AQIM competing with IS in the region for recruits, they may be trying to adapt to changing standards and appeal to a larger audience.

AQIM formerly went by the names Armed Islamic Group (GIA) and Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), both of which opposed Algerian leadership in the 1990’s. The Algerian government was able to wage a successful counterterrorism campaign against the groups, and drove the organization to the brink of destruction. To gain more recruits and funding the GSPC aligned itself with Al Qaeda (AQ) in 2006, branding itself Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Successful counterterrorism efforts against AQIM have been forcing the group to move further South. While they still have a strong presence in Northern Mali, they will likely try to stretch French forces away from their primary bases of operation. AQIM will likely attempt to exploit religious tensions in Ivory Coast, as well as other factors plaguing neighboring countries in the Sahel.

Libyan Military’s Successes in Benghazi Drive Fear into Illegitimate Government

Early yesterday, February 23, 2016, Libyan government forces led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar reclaimed two major sections of Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city. The government has been pushing to reclaim the city for years, and today’s victory will serve as a major morale boost and sign the government is capable to expel Islamist groups from major cities.

The government forces were reportedly met with cheers, as Islamist fighters belonging to several different jihadist groups, including Islamic State and the Al Qaeda affiliate Ansar Al Sharia were pushed out.

While this victory is a massive morale boost for the Tobruk government, it may serve as an impediment to unity talks. Gen. Haftar is a vocal opponent of all Islamist factions in Libya, including the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Libyan Dawn faction in Tripoli, which is currently engaged in unity talks with the legitimate government in Tobruk. One MP in Tripoli has called Gen. Haftar a “dictatorial coup leader.”

Further complicating the situation in Libya, Le Monde, a French newspaper, reported that French Special Forces have been actively engaged in covert operation against the Islamic State. The Huffington Post Arabic claims that the French forces are also supporting Gen. Haftar’s campaign against Islamists, but this statement is unconfirmed. Huffington Post Arabic is known to be pro-Muslim Brotherhood, and this would give them the motive to suggest any activity that could slow down Gen. Haftar’s push against Islamists.

France’s Defense Ministry declined to comment on the claims, but they will be launching an investigation into who leaked the information to Le Monde. The article also quoted a French Defense Official saying “The last thing to do would be to intervene in Libya. We must avoid any overt military engagement, but act discreetly.”

France has increased military activity in the region after establishing a military base in Northern Niger and conducting reconnaissance flights over Libya.

Even if French Special Forces have not aided Gen. Haftar, their presence in Libya will draw condemnation from the Islamist factions supporting the illegitimate Tripoli government. The Tripoli government does not want any foreign intervention to possibly hinder their progress, and they will likely continue to argue against France’s “secret war.” France could provide the support needed to help the Tobruk government reclaim more territory from the Islamists, and this would weaken the Tripoli government.

With the recent victory, the government forces may consider further putting off the unity talks as they continue to gain ground. If the Tobruk government and military can prove they are capable to defend the country from jihadists.

How France Lead the Resurgence in Defense Spending Despite Economic Austerity

In the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks last November, France, England, and Germany are leading a resurgence in military and security spending to support troops both domestic and abroad, but to also see the destruction of the Islamic State once and for all. The super powers of Europe have all provided essential roles in global security from France in West Africa, England in Afghanistan, and Germany in Iraq.

France is spending one million euros a day on heightened security, as part of a renewed surge in military spending throughout Europe.  France has been on an extended terror alert and is now spending more to increase safety, and other nations are also increasing military spending realizing terrorism is a permanent threat.

French President, Francois Hollande, has stated, “we need to track the terrorists, dismantle their networks, cut off their financing, and stop propaganda and radicalization.”

Germany will be hiring more police officers and intelligence officers, and in January, the defense minister suggested to increase defense spending by 130 billion euros, which includes purchasing a European-led air defense system known as MEADS and a bids for multi-purpose combat ships.  David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, is pushing for provisions for an additional 1,900 new officers and double funding for aviation security. England also authorized 12 billion pounds for Boeing P8 maritime patrol aircraft, increased fighter squadron numbers, and new strike brigade teams.

Belgium is also planning to increase its security spending. Nearly half a billion euros will be spent to jail returning jihadists, reinforce borders, and keep hundreds of troops on the street.

Defense companies both in American and Europe are reaping the rewards from this resurgence in defense spending. Europe’s defense industry is expected to benefit in terms of $50 billion in defense contracts as a result of the November Paris attacks. Areas of importance being emphasized include: cyber security, jet fighters, armored vehicles, and drones.

The path to military rejuvenation was not easy for many European nations, as many are still engulfed in Europe’s austerity program. The austerity program instituted by the European Union (EU) with Europe’s financial crisis in 2010. The program called for major cutbacks especially in military spending and personnel. The austerity program, was not popular among the public, and did not fix Europe’s economic ills.

France, Germany, Britain, and neighboring countries sharply curtailed their military spending when austerity was enforced. In 2015, only five nations of NATO met the military spending requirements of 2%  of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

From 2009 up till 2011, European states discharged 160,000 soldiers as a means to balance military forces.  By rule, European nations were hindered with broader government spending restrictions. Major European powers such as England had to cut 20,000 troops; Spain vacated airbases and switched to drones; and Germany closed 31 military bases and downsized another 90.

To save on cost European Union wants England, France, and Germany to cease in deploying unnecessary troops abroad, especially to the Middle East since involvement beginning to wind down. Countries like England use deployments of troops not just for war, but peacekeeping missions in hostile parts of the world.

A handful of European nations are quickly moving away from the “austerity mantra“that has dominated the region since the financial crisis. European leaders want a more flexible approach in balancing budgets and supporting security measures.

Jean Claude Juncker, former Prime Minister of Luxemburg, believes the time has come for the European Union to have its own army. The premise is to defend the continent against traditional strategic threats like Russia and other threats.

For years the United States called for its European allies to pull their own weight when it came to providing for themselves.  Europe’s free ride off American military will come to a halt very soon. Europe has been sole reliant on the United States for military financial support, and with European superpowers willing to carry the debt it could have significant economic ramifications for decades to come.

Hollande Continues to Stand up to Iran and Global Jihadists

My skin crawled yesterday when I heard that Italian officials concealed nude Roman statues in a Rome museum prior to a visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.  This was cultural submission to the global jihad movement which objects to Western culture and values.  Why would Italian officials hide their heritage for an Iranian official?  How long will it be when Western leaders start hiding and censoring Western culture on a wide scale because of objections by Islamists?

Fortunately, French President François Hollande chose not to submit to the Iranian leader’s intolerance of Western culture for a dinner he was scheduled to have with Rouhani.  The Iranian delegation demanded a halal menu and wanted wine removed from the menu.  Hollande refused and insisted on a menu of local food and wine.  His staff said an ‘Iran friendly’ meal went against France’s republican values.  Hollande’s staff offered to hold a breakfast instead, but Rouhani rejected this idea as “too cheap.”  As a result, the two leaders did not dine together.

Meanwhile, French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira resigned yesterday to protest President Hollande’s proposal for a constitutional amendment to strip French citizenship from some homegrown terrorists.  Taubira has been criticized for her weak positions in promoting French security in the wake of the November terrorist shootings by ISIS jihadists that killed 130.  According to the Wall Street Journal, Taubira was replaced by a centrist who reportedly will tip Hollande’s government away from his Socialist Party’s left wing.

Taubira’s lack of national security mindedness could be seen in photos of her bicycling home from the Justice Ministry after she resigned.

Let’s hope Hollande’s principled stand to fight the global jihad movement is a good omen that will offset this week’s nonsensical cultural submission to Iran during President Rouhani’s visit to Rome.

Jihadi Militants Take Fight to French in Burkina Faso

Blog Post: Jihadi Militants Take Fight to French in Burkina Faso

On the evening of January 15, 2016, al-Qaeda affiliated jihadists launched an assault on a hotel and café targeting the Cappuccino Café, and Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougo.

The four attackers, two of whom were women, entered the hotel, and seizing hostages, leading to a   fifteen hour standoff between local Burkina Faso authorities aided by French gendarmes. The aftermath of the incident would leave 28 dead, 56wounded, one hundred twenty six hostages freed, and a country coming to grips that the jihadists have declared war on anyone not in accordance to Sharia.

The Splendid Hotel, was a popular destination for westerners and United Nations staff. It is also sometimes used by French troops taking part in Operation Barkhane, a forced based in Chad to combat Islamist militants across West Africa’s Sahel region.

Burkina Faso, a largely Muslim country, for years had been mostly spared from the violence carried out by Islamic extremists who were abducting foreigners for ransom in Mali and Niger. It saw its first kidnappings this past April when a Romanian tourist was abducted.

The terrorists responsible for the attack were an affiliate of the as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) known as Al Mourabitoun. This was the same group responsible for the Radisson Blu Hotel attacks this past November in Bamako, Mali, and is led by long time al-Qaeda associate Moktar Belmoktar. Belmoktar is known for orchestrating coordinated attacks and hostage takings, including the In Amenas gas facility attack in Algeria in 2013.

On January 6, 2016, a program entitled “From the Desert’s Depth,” was aired on the AQIM’s media network. It featured a Malian fighter named Abu Basir al-Barami who was recently released from a Mali prison. In the course of the documentary he urged Mali Muslims to take up the “fight against the French infiltrators”.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) emerged out of Algeria’s Civil War in the early 1990s. Since 2004 the group has been led by Abdelmalek Droukdel, a trained engineer and explosives expert. Adbelmalek Droukdel has openly called on all Muslims in the region to reject foreign intervention.

This group officially joined al-Qaeda on September 11, 2006, and were previously known as the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) and the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (SGPC). The objectives of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb are ridding North Africa of western influence, overthrowing governments deemed apostate, and installing regimes based on Sharia.

France has a long history as the regions heavyweight and its government continues to provide political and military support to regimes facing jihadists’ threats. Currently France has 3,000 troops spread over five countries throughout Africa including: Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger.

The West Can Defeat ISIS – But What Comes Next?

French President François Hollande is making the rounds of the world’s capitals, jet setting between London, Washington and Moscow with several meetings in-between.

He is engaged in a full-throttle effort to convince leaders of a plain and simple plan. Immediately eliminate the Islamic State that’s claimed responsibility for the massacre of 130 innocent men, women and children in Paris. That the jihadist state needs to go is not in dispute. It is creating chaos and mayhem throughout the Middle East, parts of Africa and beyond. ISIS is an aggressively metastasizing cancer that threatens Europe and North America.

Before a global coalition follows the French headfirst into this Indiana-sized caliphate located in the former Iraq and Syria, however, we need to answer questions related to competing political and territorial concerns.

The last time the U.S. led from behind the French, the message was also seemingly plain and simple. Remove Muammar Gaddafi by aiding, abetting and arming Libya’s al-Qaeda militias and the country will take care of itself as the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood assumes power.

History proved them disastrously wrong. Libya quickly collapsed into a failed state with Gaddafi’s massive munitions stockpiles – and very likely some of the weapons and training that NATO gave to the Libyan jihadis opposed to Gaddafi – finding their way into Syria to form the early core of ISIS.

Indeed, arguments could be made that none of the interventions by the West in the Middle East and northern Africa turned out well. The common lesson learned in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya is that nothing is as simple as it looks. Every situation is difficult with many different considerations that all carry grave ramifications.

Let’s examine all of the intended outcomes as well as the possible unintended consequences of current decisions.

Whether we like it or not, ISIS currently plays a role in the balancing act between Shia and Sunni in the Middle East. What happens to the equilibrium once it is removed from the equation?

Do the U.S. and Europe propose to formalize the Shia crescent of dominance from Tehran, through Baghdad to Damascus, ending in Beirut? Russia is the coalition’s primary benefactor, so the axis now also includes Moscow. Is this how the West envisions that part of the world coalescing? Or does the West see some other as-yet undefined coalition of Sunni forces filling the void? How would U.S. allies such as Israel, Jordan and Turkey respond to a Shia crescent?

Have the leaders responsible thought about possible contingencies, and how to achieve better outcomes?

Have we considered that the very rise of ISIS, with broad support from local Sunni states, was itself a reaction to the removal of Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi army as the only credible counterweight to the Shiite rulers in Tehran? These states, from Saudi Arabia to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, will and must have a say in what happens next. They will not allow a nuclear-armed Iranian hegemony to expand unchallenged. They recognize that the U.S. has been an unreliable ally at best, as it facilitated the overthrow of Sunni regimes in Iraq, Egypt, Libya and Yemen and allowed for the advancement of Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities.

Further, the Middle East battleground is crowded with competing ethnic, sectarian and tribal interests, most of which harbor jihadist sympathies. So, with which should the U.S. ally itself against ISIS: the al-Qaeda affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra? The Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham? Are we helping Bashar al-Assad cling to power by fighting side-by-side with Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp? What about our relationship with Vladimir Putin’s Russia?

The Obama administration has already demonstrated its proclivity to side with the wrong party – al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood – in Libya and Egypt. We should not allow ourselves to become drawn into such mistakes again, especially when the ability of the West, Russia and Iran to fully destroy ISIS – or its jihadist ideology – is not entirely clear right now.

We need to think of this as a game of chess in which leaders strategize three to four steps ahead into a future without ISIS. Current decisions will have a domino effect on subsequent outcomes.

More often than not, we are playing soccer of the worst kind, the bunch ball sort in which we watched our children all at once chase the ball and try to kick it downfield at the same time with little success. It is such a sad but true comparison, but how else do you explain losing the war after more than 14 years of endless battles since 9/11?

Terrorist threats against the world’s most popular sport have a history

Although it may seem counterintuitive for al-Qaeda and the Islamic State to target the world’s most popular sport, there is a clear pattern of threats and attacks carried out on viewing parties and events since the 1990’s.

European soccer has a long history of political involvement.  Some clubs are identified with far-left and far-right ideologies, while supporter groups have clashed over doctrinal differences.  The recent migrant crisis has given the opportunity for fans to express their views in the stands.

Soccer is immensely popular in the Arab and Muslim world; there is no prohibition in Islam against it, wealthy Gulf sheikhs own top European clubs, and a large number of stars playing for them are Arab and/or Muslim as well.  Of course, this matters little to the ideologues of AQ and IS.

Threats to the World Cup and national squad matches have been well documented. The 1998 World Cup, held in and won by France, was targeted by al-Qaeda.  At the time, the Algerian jihadist organizations Armed Islamic Group (GIA) and the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC, which later evolved into al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrib) were engaged in a brutal insurgency against the Algerian government.

By the late 1990’s, al-Qaeda had active cells and sympathizers in France, which contains a large Algerian immigrant population.  A plot to strike the England-Tunisia game during the group stage was uncovered two months before it was to take place. French authorities arrested over a dozen GIA operatives, who planned to kill the English players on the pitch while another cell sought to murder the American soccer team players in their hotel.  Not surprisingly considering recent events, the GIA cell was apprehended in Brussels.

Instead of a horrific terrorist attack broadcast live to the whole world, the 1998 World Cup is best remembered for transforming Zinedine Zidane into a unifying symbol for France.  Born and raised in a rough section of Marseille to immigrant Algerian parents, he is by far the most famous of Muslim soccer players.  His upbringing, similar to that of the French jihadists, was also marked by discrimination and bigotry.  Yet he chose to represent France, lifted the World Cup trophy, and achieved global stardom.

Periodic al-Qaeda threats followed subsequent World Cups and symbolic matches, such as the France-Algeria friendly played at the Stade de France in Paris in 2001.  A highly emotional game due to the colonial history between the two countries, it was also targeted by a GIA cell affiliated with al-Qaeda.  Police arrested 4 jihadists the night before the game, seizing explosives and once again stopping a mass murder at a soccer event.

Taking a page from its forefathers, the Islamic State has also targeted soccer matches, as was seen during the Paris attacks.  In a cruel twist of irony, two of the eleven starters for the French team at the match vs. Germany that was targeted by suicide bombers at the Stade de France are Muslim.  One of them, Lassana Diarra, was personally affected as his cousin Asta Diakite was murdered by the jihadists in Paris.

The plot at the stadium was foiled by an alert security guard who turned away a potential suicide bomber.  The subsequent explosions outside the stadium were clearly heard inside, but the game continued.  Yesterday, the Germany-Netherlands match was called off after police in Hannover received what they believed to be credible reports of explosives packed inside an ambulance outside of the stadium.   A couple of days before, the Belgium-Spain match in Brussels was called off as well.

The recent scandals at soccer’s world governing body FIFA have not affected the popularity or revenue streams in the least.  With qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup in Russia underway, security will remain a top concern.  Increased threats will no doubt appear at next year’s European Championships, where 24 national teams, including the Russian, Belgian, Turkish, and German squads will participate and are set to take place in…France.

About Those French No-Go Zones…

In February of this year the Mayor of France Anne Hidalgo announced that the “City of Lights” would sue the right-leaning cable news channel Fox News for its depiction of so-called “No-Go Zones” in the French capital. That move came after a firestorm of controversy broke out over Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal invoking the term during a discussion of Islamic terrorism and related threats facing Europe at the Henry Jackson Society, a British think tank. Numerous liberal media outlets attempt to portray the existence of such zones, as false, and those who raised concerns about them, like Governor Jindal, as scare-mongers or Islamophobic.

Now, it appears, it is not Paris, but Governor Jindal, who may be owed an apology.

According to a story appearing in the British Telegraph, and Daily Mail, a French intelligence source warns that French security forces are preparing contingency plans for the “reappropriation of national territory”, meaning using force to reestablish control over largely urban areas dominated by predominately Muslim immigrants, some of them heavily armed with weapons flowing in from the Balkans and Libya:

There are a lot of alienated and angry fourth-generation immigrant kids in the suburbs and the prospect of radicalisation is increasingly likely,” the source said.

“The idea that attacks like the one on the train are carried out by individuals acting on their own is not credible. We’re dealing with highly-organised networks of militant Islamists embarked on a campaign of violence and determined to intensify it.”

Kalashnikov automatic rifles — used by the train gunman and Islamist terrorists who killed 17 people in Paris in January — and anti-tank missiles are now obtainable in France. Many were smuggled in from the former Yugoslavia after the Balkan wars in the 1990s. More weapons have come in from Libya, the sources said, adding that organised crime and terrorist groups were working together to procure them.

French intelligence officials go on to say that surveillance capabilities have been stretched to the breaking point and named several cases where only good fortune prevented a large scale casualty attack, and warn that a “French 9/11” may be on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Spanish officials warn that as many as 800 jihadists may be entering Europe disguised among the flow of thousands of illegal migrants streaming across the Mediterranean from Libya, or across Eastern European borders.

Similar sentiments have been expressed in the United States by FBI Director James Comey, who warned of “thousands” of potential Islamic State supporters operating in the United States, overwhelming U.S. law enforcement analysts. The FBI and counterterror officials have likewise warned Congress they have no way to vet the over 2,000 refugees proposed for admission to the United States from Syria.

There is a fundamental disconnect between the seriousness of the threat, and the way it has been addressed by much of the elite media. So while journalists are openly mocking those who warn of No-Go Zones operating in Europe, the French military is drawing up urban counter-insurgency plans. Barrels of ink have been expended discussing the misleadingly described “lone wolves”, treating the terror threat as one posed by unidentifiable social media-obsessed losers; meanwhile French intelligence officials cut to the heart of the matter, the threat is of “highly-organised networks of militant Islamists.”  Yet when offered evidence of such networks behind recent U.S. terror threats, the U.S. press has largely chosen to ignore them.

While France is both geographically closer, and further advanced in its prognosis, the threat to the U.S. is the same. Unless we wish to prepare our own “reappropriation of national territory” plans in coming decades, we should begin to take this threat far more seriously.