New York Times: ‘Screams Were Echoing Everywhere’: A Train Hijacking’s 36 Hours of Terror
Thirty-six hours after one of the most audacious militant assaults in Pakistan in years, the country’s military declared on Wednesday that it had ended a deadly siege by a separatist group on a passenger train in a restive southwestern province. The attack, carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army, or B.L.A., unfolded Tuesday afternoon as the Jaffar Express, carrying more than 400 passengers, wound through the province’s rugged and isolated mountains. Gunmen opened fire, forced the train to halt and took hostages. On Wednesday night, Pakistan’s military said that security forces had carried out a rescue operation that secured the hostages’ release and left 33 militants dead. Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, the army’s spokesman, told a local broadcaster, Dunya News, that at least 21 passengers had died in the separatists’ assault on the train. He said that no hostages had been killed in the security forces’ rescue operation. The military’s account could not be independently verified.
Somali security forces on Wednesday ended a 24-hour siege at a hotel in the central city of Beledwyne, leaving an unknown number of people dead, including all the al-Shabab militants who launched the attack, officials said. The attack began when a car bomb exploded Tuesday at the Cairo Hotel, which houses traditional elders and military officers involved in coordinating the government’s offensive against al-Shabab. The mayor of Beledweyne, Omar Alasow, on Wednesday said security forces had “successfully ended the siege” and that six al-Shabab militants died. It is still unclear how many civilians were killed in the attack. The al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. Beledweyne, about 335 kilometers (208 miles) north of the capital, Mogadishu, is the capital of the Hiran region and a strategic location in the ongoing campaign against al-Shabab.
Telegraph: What prison will look like for crossbow killer Kyle Clifford
In accordance with the severity of his crimes, Clifford will be held in one of the maximum-security Category A prisons designed for the most dangerous offenders, at least initially. “There are only a limited number of prisons that can house those who have committed crimes of such gravity it must be impossible for them to escape,” says Ian Acheson, a former prison governor and senior adviser at the Counter Extremism Project.
Merkur: “Extremely dangerous powder keg”: IS prison in Syria becomes a risk for Germany to
Hans-Jakob Schindler, terrorism expert and director of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), calls this "an explosive situation": "Something like peace is currently emerging between Turkey and the PKK; initial negotiations are underway," says Schindler. For decades there have been bloody clashes between Turkey and the PKK, which is classified as a terrorist organization in many countries. Now leader Abdullah Öcalan has called on the PKK and all groups associated with it to lay down their weapons . Initial talks have taken place between him and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan . "The Turkish government's main aim is to prevent a Kurdish autonomous zone in Syria," explains Schindler.
TalkTV: New Offence Over Planning Mass Killings Recommended In Wake Of Southport Murders
CEP Strategic Advisor Liam Duffy interviewed: "The terrorism definition should not be changed in the wake of the Southport murders but a new offence to address the gap for lone individuals planning mass killings should be considered, the UK’s terror watchdog has said. Jonathan Hall KC said the legal definition is “already wide” and expanding the threshold would “increase the possibility of inaccurate use and, in theory, abuse”.
New York Times: Jury Hears Details of Failed Plot to Kill Iranian Dissident in New York
In the summer of 2022, a group of people plotting the murder of an Iranian dissident living in New York City began sharing “chilling intelligence,” a federal prosecutor said in court on Tuesday. That included photographs of the dissident, Masih Alinejad, her husband, their son and their Brooklyn home. The group also shared information about where she bought coffee and what time she watered the flowers in her garden. They even kept track of when the program she hosted appeared on Voice of America Persian, a U.S. government-owned broadcaster, and when she talked on the phone. The aim was to retaliate against Ms. Alinejad for criticizing one of Iran’s “core rules” requiring women to wear head scarves, the prosecutor, Jacob Gutwillig, said during his opening statement in the trial of two men, Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, charged in the failed plot against her.
Washington Post: Effort to deport Columbia student rests solely on Rubio decision
As the Trump administration moves to deport Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil, the government has so far provided just one reason for doing so: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has determined Khalil’s presence in the United States could have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” A government notice for Khalil to appear in a federal immigration court, which was obtained by The Washington Post, provides no other evidence or specific accusations. A court hearing Wednesday, four days after his arrest, yielded no additional information.
The Hill: Mahmoud Khalil case ‘not about free speech’: Rubio
Secretary of State Marco Rubio knocked the notion that Mahmoud Khalil’s federal court case is about First Amendment rights but rather his legal standing to remain in the U.S. after he led pro-Palestinian demonstrations. “This is not about free speech. This is about people that don’t have a right to be in the United States to begin with,” Rubio said during a Wednesday briefing with reporters.
MDR: Apparently another attack on synagogue in Halle prevented
Security authorities may have prevented another attack on the synagogue in Halle. As first reported by the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, a 19-year-old was arrested in Switzerland on February 14. According to the report, the man is said to have discussed plans for an attack on the messaging platform Telegram and had already obtained a weapon. The Jewish community in Halle has reacted sadly to the suspected plans to attack the synagogue in Halle. Max Privorozki, chairman of the Jewish community in Halle, told MDR that it was sad to learn that the threat remains relevant after the Yom Kippur attack five and a half years ago. However, he was grateful to the security authorities for supporting the community and continuing to make Jewish life in this country possible.
Morocco World News: Imam Sentenced in France Over “Apology for Terrorism”
A French Judicial court on Monday sentenced to a four-months suspended prison sentence and a two year ban from French territory the head of the Al Farouk Mosque in Pessac, Abdourahmane Ridouane, over allegations of “apology for terrorism.”
Pakistan’s neglected southwestern province of Balochistan has been the scene of a yearslong insurgency, with a dramatic uptick in attacks in recent years underscoring the struggles the government in Islamabad faces in dealing with myriad security threats. The seizure Tuesday of a passenger train by the outlawed Baluch Liberation Army, or BLA, took the insurgency to a new level with the first such large-scale operation by the militant group. The militants took hundreds of passengers aboard the Jafer Express hostage before Pakistani forces said Wednesday that they had killed all 50 of the attackers. The military said the assailants killed 21 passengers, and that all the remaining passengers were rescued.
Dunya News: 10 terrorists killed as suicide attack on FC checkpost foiled in Tank
The security forces on Thursday foiled a suicide attack on a checkpost in Jandola area of South Waziristan, killing 10 terrorists. Terrorists attacked the FC checkpost, but the prompt action of security forces thwarted the assault. According to sources, a suicide bomber was killed during the retaliation, and several attackers were also neutralised.
Voice of America: Somali forces kill 50 militants in airstrikes after ending hotel siege
Security forces in Somalia say they killed all six attackers who laid siege to a hotel in the central town of Beledweyne and later killed at least 50 al-Shabab militants in airstrikes. Speaking to reporters, Beledweyne District Commissioner Omar Osman Alasow confirmed that the hotel siege ended early Wednesday.
A Gazan man who published footage of himself boasting of armed action against Israel and praying for Allah to kill all Jews arrived in the United Kingdom last week aboard a dinghy of migrants that was picked up by British law enforcement in the English Channel. According to The Telegraph, the man known as Abu Wadei was arrested and charged with immigration offenses. The matter was first reported by the Daily Mail. The newspaper, which relied in part on pro-Israel Jewish UK group Campaign Against Antisemitism, identified the man as Abu Wadei. According to the newspaper, Wadei is thought to be in his 30s and from Khan Younis. His full name is believed to be Mus’ab Abd al-Kareem al-Kassass.
EU Today: Islamic Terrorist Organisations Added to UK list of Proscribed Groups
As of February 2025, the UK Home Office’s list of proscribed terrorist organisations has grown to encompass a diverse array of groups, with a significant portion being Islamist in nature. The criteria for proscription, as outlined by the Terrorism Act 2000, include organisations that commit, participate in, prepare for, promote, or encourage terrorism.
New York Times: Israel-Hamas Talks Deadlocked as Trump Envoy Turns to Ukraine
The Israel-Hamas negotiations to extend the cease-fire in Gaza were in limbo on Thursday as the Trump administration turned its attention to talks with Russian officials in Moscow over the Ukraine war. Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s Middle East envoy, was expected to leave the latest round of Gaza talks in the Gulf emirate of Qatar for Russia on Thursday. Mr. Trump has effectively charged Mr. Witkoff with working to resolve two of the world’s most fraught conflicts — the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Reuters: Hamas official welcomes Trump’s apparent retreat on call to displace Gazans
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem welcomed on Wednesday U.S. President Donald Trump’s apparent retreat from his proposal for a permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, urging him to refrain from aligning with the vision of the "extreme Zionist right."
Syria
Al-Arabiya: Turkey insists foreign fighters be expelled from Syria: Source
Turkey said on Thursday “terrorists” must lay down arms and foreign fighters must be expelled from Syria, after an agreement spearheaded by Syria’s new authorities to disband armed groups. “As Turkey, we remain determined to fight against terrorism,” a Turkish defense ministry source said.
Deutsche Welle: Syria: Breakthrough deal with Kurds shifts regional alliance
This week, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a ceasefire deal with the Kurdish-led authority, the Syrian Democratic Forces, in the country's northeast. The agreement marks an end to hostilities between Turkish-backed Syrian forces and US-backed Kurdish forces. It also outlines the merger of the Kurdish forces into the Syrian army, which has been a key obstacle since al-Sharaa announced the dissolution of all armed forces in Syria, including his own Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militia, or HTS, in favor of a new, unified Syrian force. Furthermore, it brings some 30% of previously Kurdish-controlled area at the border with Iraq and Turkey under the control of the central government.
An alleged drug smuggler who's been hiding in Asia and the Middle East is suspected of being the mastermind behind a hoax 'terror' caravan plot. Sayet Erhan Akca, 35, left his life in Australia as a former gym and childcare facility owner in mid-2023, after he was charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of drugs through the AN0M messaging app.
There are mounting calls for an inquiry into whether the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, and his police minister misled MPs and the public before controversial hate speech and religious worship bills were rushed through state parliament. In February, NSW Labor passed a suite of reforms aimed at curbing antisemitism amid a spate of arson and graffiti attacks which culminated with an explosives-laden caravan being found on Sydney’s outskirts. The government did not directly point to the caravan plot as the reason for the bill.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Islamophobia is on the rise across Australia, new report finds
A new report on Islamophobia in Australia has found a steep increase in assaults, abuse and threats based on reports to the Islamophobia Register between January 2023 and November 2024. Researchers from Monash and Deakin Universities analysed more than 600 in-person and online incidents, finding Muslim women were overwhelmingly the victims. That's more than double the incidents when compared to previous reporting period averages, according to the report.
Radio New Zealand: Christchurch mosque shootings: Community fears ongoing threat of another attack
Six years on from the Christchurch mosque shootings, members of the Muslim community fear there is still an ongoing threat of a terror attack, and that the threat may even be heightened. A white supremacist terrorist from Australia stormed into Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre on 15 March 2019. It took about 15 minutes for him to leave 51 worshippers dead or dying and injure dozens more. A Royal Commission into the attack followed with 44 recommendations made, while a coronial inquiry into the deaths remains ongoing. But the coalition government ended its response to the Royal Commission last August, scrapping eight recommendations in the process.
Voice of America: IS in Sahel expands terror threat beyond strongholds
On Feb. 24, the Moroccan counterterror agency broke up a terrorist cell calling itself "the Lions of the Caliphate in the Maghreb Al Aqsa." Authorities said the group was making remote-controlled bombs to carry out attacks in the North African country. In November, a similar terrorist cell was dismantled in the Spanish cities of Seville and Ceuta. The connection? Both Moroccan and Spanish authorities said the groups were aligned with Islamic State in The Sahel. The group is best known for wreaking a devastating wave of violence across Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, plunging these countries into chaos and fueling a spiraling humanitarian crisis. But analysts say the foiled terror cells farther afield are a worrying sign.
Voice of America: ECOWAS activates regional force amid growing terror threats
Security analysts are praising the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for activating its regional standby force but remain doubtful about its effectiveness following the recent withdrawal of three member states. The West African regional body announced the measure Tuesday in Abuja, stating it aims to curb terrorism and cross-border crimes. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja.
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers.
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