Eye on Extremism October 10, 2016

Eye on Extremism October 10, 2016 CNN: Missiles Target US Warship Off Yemen, Pentagon Says “Two missiles targeted a US warship off the coast of Yemen on Sunday but missed the vessel, hitting the water instead, a Pentagon spokesman says. The USS Mason conducts formation exercises with Navy patrol crafts in September. The USS Mason conducts formation exercises with Navy patrol crafts in September. The missiles were fired at the USS Mason from Houthi-controlled territory in war torn Yemen, Capt. Jeff Davis said. The US ship, a guided-missile destroyer, deployed ‘onboard defensive measures’ and was undamaged, he said. The warship was in international waters more than 12 nautical miles (22 km) offshore, in the southern end of the Red Sea, north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to a defense official. The missiles were launched within 60 minutes of each other, Davis said.” CBS News: U.S. Troops In Kuwait Saved Their ISIS Attacker After He Failed, Embassy Says “The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait says American soldiers deployed in the Gulf country who were intentionally rammed by an Egyptian man pulled their attacker from his burning vehicle after it caught fire. The embassy on Sunday described the incident on a Kuwaiti highway a day earlier as “an attempted terrorist attack.” The attempted attack is the first by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to target American troops in the tiny, oil-rich emirate that’s a stalwart U.S. ally. It comes as authorities already increased security ahead of a major Shiite commemoration in the coming days.” Reuters: Islamic State Hits Back Against Syrian Rebels North Of Aleppo: Monitors “Islamic State militants captured several villages from Syrian rebels in a counter-attack near the Turkish border that forced the foreign-backed insurgents to retreat, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. The rebels, whom Turkey has supported with tanks and air strikes, had been pushing towards the IS stronghold of Dabiq, a village with symbolic importance to the jihadists. The IS attack, which began late on Friday, retook villages including Akhtarin and pushed towards Turkman Bareh, some three km (two miles) east of Dabiq, said the British-based Observatory, which tracks the war using contacts on the ground. Turkey's military said two Syrian rebels had been killed and nine wounded in fighting against IS. It said Turkish warplanes had hit 14 Islamic State targets over the last 24 hours and that an air strike by the U.S.-led coalition killed two IS militants.” Daily Caller: As ISIS Continues To Lose Ground, Al-Qaida Stands To Win Big “The Islamic State’s split from al-Qaida and its resulting dominance in the terrorist sphere is a major blow to an already beleaguered al-Qaida network, but while the U.S. continues to focus on ISIS, al-Qaida is quietly moving forward. Despite losing its status as the predominant brand of Islamic terrorism, al-Qaida has not been silent since splitting with ISIS in 2014. The group is maintaining, and in some cases growing, its presence in several areas across the Islamic world. Al-Qaida has strengthened its positions in Syria and Yemen, for example, and continues to engage in turf wars with various ISIS affiliates.” The Guardian: Amid Syrian Chaos, Iran's Game Plan Emerges: A Path To The Mediterranean “Not far from Mosul, a large military force is finalising plans for an advance that has been more than three decades in the making. The troops are Shia militiamen who have fought against the Islamic State, but they have not been given a direct role in the coming attack to free Iraq’s second city from its clutches. Instead, while the Iraqi army attacks Mosul from the south, the militias will take up a blocking position to the west, stopping Isis forces from fleeing towards their last redoubt of Raqqa in Syria. Their absence is aimed at reassuring the Sunni Muslims of Mosul that the imminent recapture of the city is not a sectarian push against them. However, among Iraq’s Shia-dominated army the militia’s decision to remain aloof from the battle of Mosul is being seen as a rebuff.” Reuters: Syrian Government, Allies Advance As Russia Vetoes U.N. Demand “Russia vetoed a French-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution on Saturday that would have demanded an immediate end to air strikes and military flights over Syria's Aleppo city and called for a truce and humanitarian aid access throughout Syria. Meanwhile, a rival Russian-drafted resolution that aimed to revive a failed Sept. 9 U.S. and Russia ceasefire deal on Syria did not garner the minimum nine votes. Fighting continued in the almost six-year conflict with Syrian government forces recapturing territory from insurgents in several western areas. President Bashar al-Assad's forces, backed by Russian air power and Iranian, Lebanese and Iraqi fighters on the ground, hold the upper hand around the key battleground of Aleppo, whose opposition-held eastern sector has been encircled for all but a short period since July.” New York Times: Palestinian Gunman Kills 2 Israelis In Jerusalem “A Palestinian gunman made a brazen choice of location for a deadly rampage on Sunday: Driving a speeding car, he fired at civilians near a light rail stop opposite Israel’s national police headquarters, on the main road that runs between West Jerusalem and the predominantly Palestinian eastern part of the city. He then fled in the vehicle to a nearby Palestinian neighborhood, where he exchanged fire with police officers from a special counterterrorism unit who had chased him on motorbikes, according to the police. Soon afterward, a border police unit arrived and shot the gunman dead. The police identified him as a 39-year-old resident of East Jerusalem.” Reuters: Truck Bomb Attack On Soldiers Kills 18 In Southeast Turkey “Ten Turkish soldiers and eight civilians were killed on Sunday when suspected Kurdish militants detonated a five-tonne truck bomb that ripped through a checkpoint near a military outpost in the country's southeast, the prime minister said. Another 27 people, including 11 soldiers, were wounded in the blast which hit the Durak gendarmerie station, 20 km (12 miles) from the town of Semdinli, in one of the most deadly attacks in the region of recent times. The mountainous Hakkari province, where the attack occurred, lies near the border with Iraq and Iran and is one of the main flashpoint areas in a conflict that has pitted Turkey's army against the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) for 32 years. The attack occurred around 9:45 am (0245 EST) when a small truck approached the vehicle checkpoint and ignored an order to stop, prompting gendarmerie troops to open fire, the Hakkari governor's office said.” The Wall Street Journal: German Police Find ‘Highly Explosive’ Materials In Terror-Plot Manhunt “Police across eastern Germany were hunting for a 22-year-old man from Syria on Saturday suspected of planning a terror attack and said they had found ‘highly explosive’ materials in his apartment. After raiding the man’s apartment Saturday in the city of Chemnitz and failing to find him, police fanned out in a broadening manhunt and detained three people they described as the suspect’s contacts. They published his name—Jaber Albakr—and photographs showing him wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt with a colorful print. But as night fell, more than eight hours after the initial raid, the suspect remained at large. In Chemnitz, a city of more than 200,000 near the Czech border, all but one of the platforms at the main train station were shut down because of heightened security concerns.” RT: 1,300 French Prisoners Radicalized In Jail – Justice Minister “At least 1,300 France citizens imprisoned on common criminal charges have become radicalized in jail, according to France’s justice minister, who said that some 340 people in French prisons have been convicted on terrorism-related charges. There are currently ‘340 people prosecuted [in France] on charges related to terrorism’ in French prisons, French Justice Minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas said in an interview with Europe 1 radio on Sunday. However, he said that didn’t include those who have become radicalized in prison. ‘There are people who have been imprisoned, according to common criminal law, and then became radicalized in prison…. Now I can tell you a figure with high degree of accuracy – 1,300 people.’” Washington Post: Held On Charges Of Supporting ISIS, He Says The FBI Trapped Him In Its Own Terror Plot “The man at the Maryland shooting range introduced himself as a native of Iraq. He tried to be friendly with Nelash Das, telling the young man that he, too, was Muslim, by Das’s account. As weeks went by, they spent more and more time together, going to the shooting range, sharing meals and celebrating the holy holiday of Eid. Eventually, federal officials say, they also plotted to kill a member of the U.S. military. But when law enforcement intervened in suburban Washington on Sept. 30, the day of the planned attack, Das was arrested and held on charges of supporting terrorism, while the man who had befriended him went free.” United States Reuters: Two U.S. Troops Injured By Roadside Bomb In Afghanistan “Two U.S. servicemembers were injured by a roadside improvised explosive device in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday morning, a U.S. defense official said. The troops were conducting ‘a normal security patrol’ near Jalalabad Airfield in Nangarhar province when their vehicle hit the bomb, the official said. They were taken to Jalalabad Airfield for treatment. There was no word on their condition.” Syria Reuters: Russia Says Can Protect Its Syria Assets If U.S. Carpet Bombs “Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday that Russia had the means to protect its assets in Syria if the United States decided to carpet bomb the Syrian government's military air fields. Lavrov said he had heard that this was one option being advocated by some policy makers in Washington. ‘This is a very dangerous game given that Russia, being in Syria at the invitation of the legitimate government of this country and having two bases there, has got air defense systems there to protect its assets,’ Lavrov told Russian state TV's First Channel, according to the text of his interview published on the Foreign Ministry's website.” Iraq Reuters: Suicide Bomber Kills At Least 10 In Town North Of Baghdad “At least ten people, including four policemen, were killed by a suicide bomber in a car that targeted a checkpoint in northern Iraq on Sunday, police and medical sources said. The attack happened in Udhaim, a Sunni town 90 km (56 miles) north of Baghdad that U.S.-backed Iraqi security forces and Iran-backed Shi'ite militias took back from Islamic State last year. The ultra-hardline Sunni insurgents still control vast areas in northern and western Iraq, including the city of Mosul, captured in 2014.” BBC: IS 'Loses More Than A Quarter Of Its Territory' In Syria And Iraq “So-called Islamic State (IS) has lost more than a quarter of the territory it once controlled, new data shows. Security and defence analysts IHS say the group's control has shrunk by 28% since its height in January 2015. In the first nine months of this year, IS' territory fell from 78,000 sq km (30,115 sq miles) to 65,500 sq km - an area equivalent to the size of Sri Lanka - IHS analysts said. However, IS losses have slowed in the three months to October. IS has lost just 2,800 sq km (1,080 sq miles) since July. The slowdown appears to coincide with Russia reducing the number of air strikes against IS targets, IHS has observed. At the start of the year, some 26% targeted IS, but by the summer it had dropped to just 17%.” CNN: Iraq: Families Flee Ahead Of Battle For ISIS-Held Hawija “Amal –‘Hope’ in Arabic -- was one of a group of about 50 people who fled to Daqouq, this Kurdish town on the plains south of Kirkuk, from their homes around the ISIS-controlled town of Hawija, 60 kilometers (37 miles) away. They are among people fleeing from the villages around Hawija, often without a specific destination in mind. A steady stream of people from Hawija and the area around it shows up here every day. The number coming has increased as Iraqi forces prepare to launch an offensive on Hawija, the last major pocket of ISIS-controlled territory to be taken before the operation to drive ISIS out of Mosul.” Turkey CNN: Turkey Car Bombing Kills 18, Government Blames PKK “The death toll from a car bomb that exploded Sunday in southeast Turkey has risen to 18, Turkish state media reports. The bomb exploded at about 9.45 a.m. local time outside a police station in the Semdinli district of Hakkari Province -- about 77 kilometers (48 miles) from the Iraqi border, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said eight civilians died and 10 soldiers were killed in the attack, in which a pickup truck laden with about five tons of explosives made a ‘suicide rush’ at a checkpoint outside the station. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the Turkish army said the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been accused of a string of bombings targeting Turkish police and army assets, was behind the attacks.” Reuters: Turkey Says 38 Islamic State Militants Killed In Northern Syria “Thirty-eight Islamic State militants were killed in northern Syria over the last 24 hours, the Turkish military said on Sunday, marking an escalation of conflict in the area where Syrian rebels, backed by Turkey, are fighting the jihadists. Supported by Turkish tanks and air strikes, rebels have been pushing towards the Islamic State (IS) stronghold of Dabiq in an operation launched in late August. Fourteen of the IS fighters were killed as they attempted to enter the rebel-controlled villages of Akhtarin and Turkmen Bareh, three kilometers (two miles) east of Dabiq, the Turkish army said in a statement. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday that IS fighters had captured those villages in a counter attack near the Turkish border, but the Turkish military statement contradicted this account.” Afghanistan Associated Press: Afghan Army Helicopter Crashes In North Afghanistan; 8 Dead “Eight Afghan soldiers were killed early Sunday morning when a military helicopter crashed in northern Baghlan province, officials said. Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said that five crew members and three army soldiers were killed in the crash. The crash took place in Dand Ghori district while the helicopter was supplying a military base, he said. Waziri blamed a technical problem with the aircraft and said he rejected any claims by insurgents to have downed the helicopter. One helicopter was on the ground while a second was patrolling in the air above, when ‘suddenly a technical problem caused the helicopter to catch fire and hit the ground,’ Waziri said.” Yemen Sputnik News: Senior Yemen’s Military Official Killed In Clashes With Houthi Rebels “One of the top generals in the forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s government, commander of Yemen’s third military district, was killed together with several accompanying servicemen in a clash with the Houthi forces in the west of the Marib province, according to a source. The Marib province is located in the central part of Yemen, with the Houthi rebels having a military advantage there. Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Hadi and Houthi rebels since 2014. The Houthis are backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.” Egypt The Guardian: Egypt Unhappy With 'Unjustifiable' US Security Warning To Tourists “Egypt’s foreign ministry sharply criticised the US embassy in Cairo for advising citizens to avoid large gatherings in the capital until Sunday, calling the move ‘unjustifiable’. The largest Arab country is battling an Islamist insurgency mainly concentrated in the Sinai peninsula and which gained pace after its military ousted President Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist, in 2013 after mass protests against his rule. There have been occasional militant attacks in Cairo and other cities. The US embassy’s message warned against being in public spaces such as concert halls, movie theatres, museums, shopping malls, and sports venues, citing ‘potential security concerns’, but did not specify what they were.” Middle East CNN: Jerusalem Attack: 2 Killed, 4 Wounded In Drive-By Shooting, Israeli Police Say “Two people were killed and four wounded in a drive-by shooting attack and subsequent shootout in Jerusalem on Sunday, Israeli police said. The attack began when a gunman opened fire from his vehicle on civilians at a light-rail stop opposite the main police headquarters in Ammunition Hill, Israel Police foreign press spokesman Superintendent Micky Rosenfeld said. Two of the victims, both women, were critically injured. One of them, 60-year-old Levana Melihi of Jerusalem, later died at Mount Scopus Hospital. The attacker fled in the direction of the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, with police giving chase on motorcycles, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said. When the attacker saw the officers in pursuit, he opened fire in their direction and police shot back, she said.” The Jerusalem Post: Police Remain On High Alert In Capital “Before Sunday’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem, police had already increased their actions and presence in the eastern part of the city, especially as the High Holy Days approached, in what they described as an ongoing battle against terrorism and violent crimes. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that police have sought to increase efforts without changing ‘routine life.’ ‘We are calling up forces especially for Succot and Yom Kippur to protect the general public’s security and feeling of security,’ she said. ‘We are continuing in normal life. But the other side is, we also make efforts for the citizens to respond to every suspicious person or suspicious car. There are no changes in the routine of life, there are no special instructions.’ But Samri also acknowledged that police face particular challenges in combating ‘lone-wolf’ attackers.” The Jerusalem Post: Jerusalem Shooting Attack Serves Hamas Goal Of Igniting West Bank “Despite the considerable efforts made by security forces in recent weeks to prevent a surge of Palestinian terrorism during the High Holy Days, an east Jerusalem gunman succeeded in obtaining an automatic firearm and going on a murderous shooting spree in the capital, gunning down a woman and a policeman before being killed in return fire. The terrorist took advantage of the ease of movement east Jerusalem residents, who hold Israeli residency, have, as well as the disturbing ease with which firearms can be bought in east Jerusalem. The latest jihadist rampage on Jerusalem’s streets will serve Hamas’s goal of igniting a wave of violence among Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.” United Kingdom Daily Mail: British Former Glamour Model Is Arrested On Suspicion Of Possessing Terrorist Material After ‘Setting Up Multiple Facebook Accounts To Talk To Extremists’  “A British former Page 3 model and traffic warden who converted to Islam has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. Kimberley Miners was detained on suspicion of possessing material likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terror. It was reported last month that the 27-year-old, who has posed topless for The Sun, was speaking with a British fighter on Facebook who is recruiting women for the 'caliphate'. However, Ms Miners, from Bradford, has allegedly set up multiple Facebook accounts to engage with extremists, according to the Sunday Times.” The Daily Signal: How The British Government Tries To Stop Youth From Becoming Terrorists “At a moment when many countries in the Western world, including the U.S. and France, are trying to develop tools to defend themselves against the threat of homegrown terrorism, Britain’s intensive approach is receiving heavy scrutiny at home. With anxiety and division over terrorism, immigration, and religion at a fever pitch, some Britons criticize Prevent as a heavy-handed, bureaucratic strategy that stigmatizes Muslims. Supporters, though, consider the program a necessary, serious-minded solution that reduces the risks of all forms of extremism. Perhaps most contentiously, Prevent includes a statutory requirement that Britons who are part of public institutions that serve youth also must protect them from becoming extremist.” Daily Mail: Hundreds Of British Troops Carrying Anti-Chemical And Nuclear Weapon Kit Are Deployed To Drive Isis Out Of Their Iraqi Strongholds “Britain is sending hundreds of troops to Iraq carrying gas masks and nuclear warfare clothing to protect themselves against a 'likely' chemical attack by Islamic State.  The 250 soldiers from 4 Rifles battalion are being deployed today in preparation for a large-scale assault on Mosul, the last major ISIS stronghold in Iraq. All the soldiers have been given nuclear, chemical and biological clothing after it emerged that ISIS militants targeted US troops with mustard gas last month. The threat of a gas attack is high,' a source told The Sun. They are heading to one of the most dangerous areas in the country to work alongside the Iraqi Army and train the force's 7th Infantry Division.” Germany Newsweek: Germany To Bar EU Migrants Claiming Benefits “Angela Merkel’s government wants to restrict access to out of work benefits for EU citizens in Germany. A draft bill set to be agreed by the cabinet next week would see EU migrants who move to Germany denied ‘Hartz IV’ unemployment and welfare benefits for five years, Die Welt reported. Immigrants would be expected to work or support themselves upon arrival in Germany, only gaining access to the welfare system once their stay in the country had ‘solidified.’ Labor Minister Andrea Nahles, a member of the junior coalition partner Social Democratic Party (SPD), said that only a few people would be affected by the law but it was important to close the loophole. As of January, there were 440,000 people from other EU countries living in Germany and claiming the benefits, though the vast majority are low-paid workers topping up their income, rather than unemployed people.” Associated Press: Manhunt For German Bomb Plot Suspect; 1 Man In Custody “German police searched nationwide Sunday for a 22-year-old Syrian man believed to have been preparing a bombing attack, who slipped through their fingers as they were closing in on him, and were questioning a second Syrian man on suspicion he was involved in the plot. The man in custody was one of three apprehended in the eastern city of Chemnitz on Saturday. He was the renter of the apartment that police raided in their search for the main suspect, Jaber Albakr from the Damascus area of Syria, Saxony police spokesman Tom Bernhardt told The Associated Press. The other two men have been released. He said the man in custody was Albakr's ‘countryman,’ but wouldn't give other details.” The Wall Street Journal: Police Comb Eastern Germany In Hunt For Terror-Plot Suspect “Police broadened a manhunt for a 22-year-old Syrian refugee suspected of planning a terror attack, raiding a second apartment and detaining a fourth person linked to him. Sunday’s raid came more than 24 hours after police said they found ‘several hundred grams’ of highly explosive material in the man’s apartment in this eastern German city. Since then, police have combed the region for the man—identified by police as Jaber Albakr—and taken people described as his contacts into custody. The spokesman added that German police were now trying to find out whether this person had knowledge of Mr. Albakr’s alleged attack plans.” France Sputnik News: French Intelligence Puts 15,000 Islamist Radicals Under Constant Surveillance “At least 15,000 people are on a French database of individuals suspected of involvement in Islamist terror networks or radicalism, French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche reported on Saturday. At least 15,000 people in France are thought to pose a terror threat and are under the surveillance of the security services, French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche reported on Saturday. The suspects have been placed on France's FSPRT database of individuals suspected of involvement in terrorism or radicalization, created in March 2015. The database is managed by France's UCLAT unit for the co-ordination of the fight against terrorism.” Europe Associated Press: Afghan Migrants Stuck In The Balkans Resist Going Home “They have come a long way, spent most of their money on smugglers and camped out in the open for weeks. For Afghan migrants stranded in the Balkans there is no turning back, even as the most likely prospect many of them face in the European Union could be deportation back to their country. Thousands of young Afghan men in Serbia and elsewhere in the region are determined to reach wealthy EU nations, despite closed borders and an agreement between their government and the EU that will more easily send home Afghan citizens who have been rejected for asylum. Aid groups have sharply criticized ‘The Joint Way Forward’ declaration, which was agreed upon only days ahead of an international donors' conference Wednesday for Afghanistan that pledged $15.2 billion for the beleaguered country.” ISIS Elfagr: Syria: ISIS Executes 15 Men Convicted Of Theft “Over the past two days ISIS has executed 15 men and youths accused of theft, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The executions took place in the western part of Deir al-Zour province, in northeastern Syria. The Observatory claimed that the 15 individuals belonged to a tribe in western Deir al-Zour who had been arrested some time ago. The terrorist organization carried out executions, in a way not specified by the Observatory, on charges of "banditry and stealing the wealth of Muslims." The greater part of Deir al-Zour province is under ISIS control, with the exception of some districts in its capital and the military airfield in its territory.” Alwasat: Libya: Arrest Of ISIS Member In Wahda Bank “Security guards of Wahda Bank in {the Libyan city of} Tripoli apprehended a fugitive ISIS member from Sirte, when he came to check his account. A source disclosed that the arrest came after security forces received a tip-off from a citizen of Sirte who was present at the Wahda Bank branch in Rashid district. The source added that the armed security personnel assigned to protect the bank took the suspect to a security facility for further interrogation.” Muslim Brotherhood Veto: Expert: Insufficient Information Is An Obstacle To Unearthing Muslim Brotherhood Wealth “Dr. Tharwat el-Kherbawy, a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, said that the recent killing of Mohammed Kamal, a senior leader of the group, was {Egypt's} most important security operation, since the "Prince of Blood" had been in charge of the group's "qualitative committees." Therefore, he was deemed the most dangerous figure in the group. El-Kherbawy stressed that the money obtained by Mohammed Kamal was used to buy gold and dollars in anticipation of their increasing value. These assets were kept in safes in villas belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood in the 5th Settlement, El-Shorouk City and Badr City. Millions of dollars and gold bars were concealed there, but their exact value will only be ascertained after their confiscation. When Kamal wanted cash assets, he sold gold bars to Brotherhood-affiliated gold shops. Following the seizure of (Brotherhood-affiliated) foreign currency exchange companies (by Egyptian authorities) the group focused on gold shops in Cairo, Giza, Zagazig and Kafr Elsheikh. El-Kherbawy went on to say: "The money was spent on qualitative committees, which included assassination and bombing crews, as well as a committee to prepare, train and recruit young people who were brain-washed to commit jihad for the sake of Allah. There was also a committee in charge of planning operations, along with a committee for monitoring and investigating, which tracked the target. Then, the information was ultimately presented to Mohammed Kamal to get his nod for executing (the operation).” Loma Zoma: Expert: Mohammed Kamal Directed Muslim Brotherhood Terror Funds Against The Egyptian State “Dr. Tharwat el-Kherbawy, a former Muslim Brotherhood leader, asserted that Mohammed Kamal, who was killed during a police raid on his hiding place a few days ago, was the leader of the military wing of the group. He noted that under Kamal, large portions of Brotherhood funds were used for perpetrating violence and terrorism against the state. El-Kherbawy added that Kamal was one of the masterminds of the assassination plots of former Attorney General Hisham Barakat and ex-Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr. Ali Gomaa. Kamal also plotted the attack against the Cairo Security Directorate. El-Kherbawy stressed that the activists who had worked with him still maintain a presence in Alexandria, Cairo and Giza. Most of them received their training in the Gaza Strip from the Hamas Movement.” Elfagr: Expert: Muslim Brotherhood Leads Real Estate Market In Egypt “Lawyer Tharwat el-Kherbawy, a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, claimed the Brotherhood has enjoyed a huge surplus of money since Mubarak's rule. He pointed out that there is a "Brotherhood economic state" inside the Egyptian state. El-Kherbawy stressed that the Brotherhood group is fighting Egypt economically through real estate and dollar wars. The Egyptian lawyer commented that the Brotherhood controls vast amounts of land in the country's new cities. They are getting ready to sell the lands at exorbitant prices to force other owners to sell their lands at the same high price. In this way, the Brotherhood is actually leading the real estate market in Egypt.” The Seventh Day: Qatar Stops Financing Alaraby TV Network Due To Over-Spending By Brotherhood Member Islam Lotfi “Informed sources within the Qatar-financed London-based Alaraby TV Network disclosed that it has failed, for the fourth consecutive month, to pay what it owes the production and service companies it works with. The Network has also stopped paying bills, except for a restricted number of companies which maintain strong ties with Islam Lotfi, CEO of Alaraby TV Network. The sources revealed that Lotfi requested the assistance of Wadah Khanfar, the former Director General of Al Jazeera Network, to obtain funds from Qatar or Turkey. Lotfi also met with a Turkish official close to President Erdogan, asking for Turkish support. The sources indicated that the real cause of the financial crisis is Qatar's decision to stop its financial support due to the squandering of funds at the hands of Lotfi and those close to him. The sources claimed that the channel paid huge amounts of money to production, marketing and supply companies owned by Lotfi and those close to him. Lotfi exceeded the budgets on the channel's new headquarters, having spent 40 million sterling pounds ($50 million) instead of 20 million sterling pounds ($25 million). He also established a studio in Lebanon at a cost of $2 million, twice the original budget {for this purpose}.” Combating the Financing of Terrorism Elwehda: Hundreds Of Saudi Associations Being Trained To Combat Terrorism Financing “Dr. Mohammed bin Ahmed Basoudan, Undersecretary for Planning and Development at the Saudi Ministry for Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Dawa and Guidance, underscored his ministry's determination to train all its employees how to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism. These include imams, mosque preachers and propagandists. The official added that the ministry initiated a collaboration with the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in the training of 400 Quran memorization societies as well as 200 Dawa (inviting others to Islam) cooperative offices.” Houthi Barakish Net: Houthis Using Citizens' Donations To Finance Their War “Yemen's Houthi group began paying, in complete secrecy, the salaries of its popular committee employees, but without paying the Republican Guard. The payment comes from funds raised to support the Central Bank of Yemen. Local sources noted that the Houthis paid the salaries through certain post offices across the governorates of Amran and Sana'a as well as some of its offices in Saada. The payment was also carried out via money-transfers by the "Alkuraimi Exchange Company." This is at a time when the Houthis have refused to pay wages of state employees and retirees. The Houthi leaders amassed billions of riyals in donations, under the pretext of supporting the Central Bank, and are thus able to pay state employees' salaries. However, these funds were used to support Houthi fighters representing the People's Committees. Meanwhile, calls have been made by state employees and retirees to protest, next Sunday, in Tahrir Square in the capital Sanaa, demanding payment of their salaries.” Yemen Akhbar: Yemen: Houthi Group Forcing School Pupils To Pay Money To The Central Bank “Houthi group is forcing school children in the provinces they control to transfer money, as a part of what it described as a donation campaign to support the Central Bank of Yemen. This campaign was initiated by the militia leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in response to the government's decision to transfer the {headquarters of the} Central Bank from Sanaa to Aden. A source in the Sanaa-based Ministry of Education, which is still under the Houthis' control, claimed that directives were issued by the Houthi group to collect donations in schools from the various provinces dominated by the militia. The source added that the donation campaign has failed to register any mentionable achievements, compelling the group to turn to students in a {last ditch} effort to finance their wars under the banner of a campaign to support the Central Bank.”