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16 December 2008, by DW World
There are roughly 700 people in Germany who the interior ministry believes may be involved in extremist Islam circles, the ministry’s deputy head said. Dozens of them are under intense surveillance.
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16 December 2008, by World Tribune
The German government has published a comic book designed to dissuade Muslims from turning to Islamist extremism although U.S. officials say the effectiveness of the effort is questionable. The comic was issued by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia that seeks to educate young people about the differences between Islam and Islamic extremism and danger posed by Islamic terrorism.
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29 October 2008, by Associated Press
Security officials from several European countries have developed a manual to help prison authorities prevent their jailhouses from becoming incubators for Muslim extremists. The manual, developed by France, Germany and Austria, includes signs that may indicate that a prisoner was becoming radicalized, including the presence of a growing beard. A prison group feared the manual could stigmatize Muslim inmates. The document was distributed at a two-day closed-door conference of European security experts that ended Wednesday. It will be given to prison personnel.
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29 October 2008, by Mail on Sunday
Psychologists in the Prison Service will try to ‘cure’ extremist Muslim inmates of their political beliefs with controversial therapies similar to those used to ‘de-programme’ members of religious cults
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4 August 2008, by The Muslim Weekly
Islamic extremism should be regarded as a potential addiction for vulnerable young people in the same way as alcohol, drugs or gambling, according to Scotland’s counter-terrorism co-ordinator. Allan Burnett wants to introduce rehabilitative measures similar to addiction support to prevent youngsters from becoming radicalised by fundamentalists, instead of sending them to prison. Speaking on the eve of the first anniversary of the Glasgow airport attack, Mr Burnett told The Herald that he wants to develop restorative justice and early intervention initiatives for young people as part of the strategy to stop future attacks.
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29 July 2008, by News Agencies
Spanish police broke up a cell of suspected Islamic militants, and arrested four people accused of fundraising for terrorist activities. The men, all of Algerian origin, were arrested in the southern province of Huelva and the Basque region in the north. Authorities said that the cell had been under investigation since 2005, and was directly linked to Al Qaeda.
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28 July 2008, by Adnkronos
Members of Italy’s Muslim community met on Friday to find new ways to combat extremism. The meeting, held in Rome’s main mosque, was the first of its kind to be organized by the Association of Muslim Intellectuals. "We placed attention on the need to implement strategies to prevent Islamic radicalism and foster initiatives that aim to create a more accurate image of Islam," said in a statement by the group.
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2 July 2008, by The Muslim Weekly
The radical Abu Qatada has variously been described as a «truly dangerous individual» and a «key UK figure» in al-Qaida-related activity by those in anti-terrorist circles who have studied his work and words. Qatada, who was released from prison last night on strict bail conditions including a 22-hour curfew, became one of the UK’s most wanted men in December 2001, when he went on the run on the eve of government moves to introduce new anti-terror laws allowing suspects to be detained without charge or trial.
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1 July 2008, by The Muslim Weekly
New guidance to help and support local authorities, schools, community groups and the police in tackling violent extremism and prevent radicalisation in communities was launched on Tuesday by the government. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and Children, Schools and Families Secretary Ed Balls rolled out their counter terrorism strategy which hopes to prevent people getting involved with violent extremism.
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1 July 2008, by Mail on Sunday
Islamic extremists in Britain are openly trying to recruit children via the internet, a report warns.
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1 July 2008, by Earth Times
Police fear that a convert, Eric B, 20, is being groomed by Jihadists to become the first German suicide bomber, according to the news magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday. German police had lost track of B several weeks ago in the wilds in or near Afghanistan, where he was in training with Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), an Uzbek-origin terrorist group regarded as just as threatening as Arab-based al-Qaeda.
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30 June 2008, by 24 Timer
Former spokesperson of the Islamic Faith Society (ISF) Kasem Said Ahmed was attacked on his way to work, shortly after the attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan was announced in the Danish media. The attack occurred in Copenhagen, and Ahmed said he was punched in the face after being asked if he was an imam.
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30 June 2008, by News Agencies
Police in Barcelona arrested two people on Tuesday on suspicion of recruiting Muslims to fight for militant groups, news agency EFE reported. The report said they were not connected to 11 other Islamist militants who a Spanish court charged on Thursday with offences related to suicide bomb plots in the Spanish city and Germany.
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30 June 2008, by Aftenposten
Norway’s first terrorism trial ended with the acquittal of Arfan Bhatti, who was charged with firing shots at a synagogue in Oslo, and planning attacks on embassies. His alleged accomplices were also acquitted, but Bhatti was convicted for other shootings and attempted murder. Instead of terrorism, Bhatti was essentially convicted of vandalism instead - though some viewed his verbal threats, thoughts, and ideas conveyed by cellphone as frightening.
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25 June 2008, by Adnkronos
Magdi Allam, a Christian convert to Islam who has been targeted with death threats over apostasy, has expressed concern about these dangers and the fear that the perpetrators may be Italian. Allam’s fears were expressed concerning the large number of al-Qaeda inspired websites popping up on the internet, and the belief that some websites are created and maintained by Italians.
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9 June 2008, by New York Times
The New York Time discusses the increasing use of technology, specifically the internet, in organizing terror interest. The article follows a 48-year-old Belgian woman named Malika El Aroud, who posts on the internet under the pseudonym «Oum Obeyda,» who while she does not disseminate instructions on how to make bombs nor intends to take part in violence herself, post encourages and «bullies» Muslim men to fight.
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4 June 2008, by The Muslim Weekly
Radical «cleric» Abu Hamza has launched a High Court battle against extradition to the US to face terror charges. He is wanted for allegedly trying to set up an al-Qa’ida training camp in Oregon. He is also claimed to have helped the gang who kidnapped Western tourists in Yemen in 1998, killing three Britons. But his lawyers are arguing extradition should be blocked because evidence gained by torture was being used against him.
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3 June 2008, by Adnkronos
The threat of Islamic terrorism in Germany remained high in 2007, according to an annual report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The report said Islamic militants are increasingly setting their sights on Germany and view the country as an «operational area» and that Islamists regard Germany as a «crusader» and as an ally of the United States and Israel. American, Israeli and British institutions were at high risk, said the report, as well as Russian targets, due to the ongoing conflict in Chechnya. As an example, the report mentioned the arrests of militants on 4 September 2007, when three individuals allegedly planned attacks on American institutions in Germany and were caught with bomb-making material.
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2 June 2008, by Spiegel Online
Two short films have appeared on the Internet featuring the German Islamist Eric B. in which he calls his «brothers» to join the jihad. The authorities have been hunting him for weeks, fearful that he could be preparing a terrorist attack in Kabul. The video messages are fanning those fears. The news spread like wildfire through the offices of Germany’s intelligence agencies.
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2 June 2008, by Adnkronos
Members of the Islamic community in Naples and surrounding areas are planning to protest newly proposed security measures. The package could make illegal immigration a crime and replace police officers with security personnel to patrol the streets - including soldiers.