Eye on Extremism December 21, 2016

Eye on Extremism December 21, 2016 Counter Extremism Project CBS This Morning: CEP president Fran Townsend, a former homeland security adviser to president George W. Bush, talks about the berlin Christmas market attack and the recent Europe travel alert issued by the state department. MSNBC: U.S. Officials: Berlin attack likely inspired, not directed, by ISIS: CEP spokesperson Tara Maller discusses the latest information concerning a truck attack at a berlin, Germany Christmas market. Fox Business News: CEP Spokesperson Tara Maller joins host Neil Cavuto to discuss issues surrounding the killing of the Russian ambassador to turkey by a Turkish policeman. Washington Post: German Police In Search For New Suspect In Deadly Christmas Market Attack “German police mounted a manhunt for a Tunisian asylum-seeker whose identity papers were found inside the truck used in this week’s deadly assault on a Berlin Christmas market, two senior law enforcement officials said Wednesday. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive case, said investigators discovered the man’s documents in the cabin of the truck that barreled into the market on Monday, killing 12 people, wounding dozens and reigniting debates about security and immigration. One of the two officials said the man, in his early 20s, had left his wallet in the vehicle, and his asylum documents were found inside. He is considered the prime suspect, both officials said, adding that police were confident that they were close to capturing him.” Daily Beast: ISIS: We did Berlin Truck Attack “A "soldier" of the Islamic State carried out the truck attack in Berlin on Monday evening, the terrorist group claimed through its unofficial news agency. Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured when a hijacked truck loaded with steel crashed into a popular Christmas market. A suspect was detained near the scene by German authorities, but he was later released on Tuesday, when officials said they did not have proof he was the individual driving the truck. The claim of responsibility comes through the Amaq News Agency, which ISIS typically uses to announce attacks it orchestrated or inspired. Like in other claims of responsibility, the news agency cited a security source within the Islamic State. It is not immediately clear whether the terrorist group directed or merely inspired the perpetrator of the Berlin attack.” Deutsche Welle: EU Agrees New Gun Rules In Face Of Terrorism “EU officials said the proposals, which were first mooted in 2015, will restrict access to some high-caliber weapons and give law enforcement authorities new tools to trace the weapons' origins and avoid them being sold on the black market. Support for the new rules gained traction following several terror atrocities on European soil, including the Paris, Nice and Brussels attacks over the past two years. ‘We have fought hard for an ambitious deal that reduces the risk of shootings in schools, summer camps or terrorist attacks with legally held firearms,’ European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in statement.” Fox News World: ISIS Social Media Accounts Promoted Use Of Trucks As Weapons More Than A Month Before Berlin Attack “More than a month before Monday's deadly terror attack at a Berlin Christmas market, social media sites tied to ISIS were flooded with links to an article in the group’s magazine touting ‘the deadly and destructive capability of the motor vehicle.’ In Facebook and Twitter posts dated Nov. 11 and 12, ISIS promoted the latest edition of their propaganda magazine, Rumiyah, alongside screenshots of an article entitled ‘Just Terror Tactics’ and hashtags like Jihad, KhalifaDE and Rumiyah4. Terrorism experts and social media monitors say these postings are a sign of ISIS’ expanding use of social media to recruit and radicalize followers and of the difficulties faced by both governments and private companies to properly combat accounts maintained by terror groups.” Reuters: Syrian Army Closes In On Last Aleppo Rebels “As President Bashar al-Assad's army closed in on the last rebel enclave in Aleppo on Tuesday, Russia, Iran and Turkey said they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal. The Syrian army used loudspeakers to broadcast warnings to insurgents that it was poised to enter their rapidly diminishing area during the day and told them to speed up their evacuation of the city. Complete control of Aleppo would be a major victory for Assad against rebels who have defied him in Syria's most populous city for four years.” NPR: After Diplomat's Killing, Russia Doubles Down On Ties With Turkey “Tuesday was supposed to be a day of triumph for Russian diplomacy, when Russia aimed to replace the United States as the indispensable power in the Middle East. Instead, it became a day of mourning, with a Turkish honor guard in Ankara loading the flag-draped coffin of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov onto a Moscow-bound plane. Karlov, who was assassinated in an Ankara art gallery Monday evening, had been given the delicate mission of patching up relations after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane last year. On Tuesday, Karlov's efforts were to be crowned by a meeting in Moscow of the foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran — and the rise of a new power constellation in the Middle East.” New York Times: ISIS Is Said To Claim Responsibility For Deadly Attack In Jordan “The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a terrorist attack in the southern Jordanian city of Karak that killed 10 people, including the head of the military’s special forces, according to an organization that monitors militant groups. As the authorities continued their investigation into the attack on Sunday, three gendarmes and a police officer were shot and killed in Karak as Jordanian security forces conducted raids, a spokesman for the Jordanian Public Security Department said. In the statement released by the Islamic State, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, the militants said four fighters, “by virtue of God alone” and described as “caliphate soldiers,” carried out the attack on Sunday using automatic weapons and hand grenades.” The Jerusalem Post: Israeli NGO Tries To Keep New Tactic Terrorism Cases Against Facebook Alive “The civil-rights organization Shurat Hadin– Israel Law Center late on Sunday filed a legal brief to try to keep its two terrorism cases against Facebook alive in face of a motion to dismiss, a tactic the social-media giant has used with total success to date. The group filed their first case against Facebook in 2015 on behalf of 20,000 Israelis during the first weeks of the ‘stabbing intifada.’ It was originally named Lakin v. Facebook after American- Israeli Richard Lakin, who was wounded in an attack by two Palestinians armed with a knife and a gun on an Israeli bus. But the name was changed to Cohen v. Facebook after Lakin died of his wounds. The case seeks an injunction to require Facebook to act more forcefully against incitement.” BBC: The Radio Station Giving Hope To Listeners In Syria “It might be any old radio show in any old country but this is Radio Alwan - an independent Syrian news station which broadcasts out of Istanbul and their calls are coming in from inside the war-torn country. Forgiveness takes on a whole new meaning here. No-one's calling the programme to chat about pardoning a cheating partner or absolving a friend who's stood them up. The crackle splits and splinters into a male voice. It's a paramedic from Idlib province, south-west of Aleppo. He wants to share a comment a colleague has just posted on Facebook straight after witnessing the massacre of 27 people.” Reuters: Accused Bomber Rahimi Pleads Not Guilty To New Jersey Charges “An Afghan-born U.S. citizen accused of planting bombs in New York and New Jersey pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to New Jersey state charges, including attempted murder of police officers wounded in a shootout upon his arrest. Ahmad Khan Rahimi, 28, appeared in the Union County Courthouse handcuffed in front with a protective vest, white skullcap and beard. His court-appointed lawyer pleaded not guilty to all charges on his behalf. Rahimi also faces a host of federal charges in New York and New Jersey and a life sentence if convicted of setting off bombs in coastal New Jersey and in New York City in September and leaving behind others that failed to detonate. He pleaded not guilty to federal charges in New York in November.” The Guardian: Nigeria's Farmers Return Home To Rebuild Lives Shattered By Boko Haram “They shot at everything,” says Isaak Amos*, pointing to the walls of his home in Dabna, a small village in north-east Nigeria. “We had a sense that Boko Haram was going to do something, but there was nothing we could do to prepare for it.” In attacks on the village two years ago, the militants killed and kidnapped more than 20 people. The local school, medical centre and church were all destroyed, forcing hundreds of people to flee from Dabna and neighbouring villages. Across north-eastern Nigeria, millions of people have been displaced. But in the past 18 months, military success against the Boko Haram insurgency has encouraged many displaced Nigerians to go back home. More than 660,000 of those in camps in the north-east returned to their homes this year.” United States Deutsche Welle: US Military Ends Anti-IS Operation In Libya's Sirte “The US military has formally ended operations to drive the so-called ‘Islamic State’ from its former stronghold in Libya, US military's Africa Command said in a statement on Tuesday. The United States on August 1 launched Operation Odyssey Lightning to help government-aligned forces push IS from Sirte. Fayez al-Sarraj, the leader of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), announced over the weekend that military operations begun in June in the coastal city had been completed after tough fighting to root out the jihadists. ‘In partnership with the Libyan Government of National Accord, the operation succeeded in its core objective of enabling GNA-aligned forces to drive Daesh (IS) out of Sirte,’ Africa Command said.” Politico: Israeli Ambassador Urges Move Of U.S. Embassy “Israel's ambassador to the United States on Tuesday evening forcefully endorsed moving America's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, saying the controversial diplomatic move would boost the chances of peace in the region. Ron Dermer, Israel's top diplomat in the United States, made the statement at an Israeli embassy Hanukkah party in Washington. It is a boost to President-elect Donald Trump's administration, which has said moving the embassy to Jerusalem is a top priority. Upon being named as Trump's choice for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman said in a statement that he will ‘strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two countries and advance the cause of peace within the region, and look forward to doing this from the U.S. embassy in Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem.’” Reuters: U.S. Plays Down Absence From Moscow Talks On Syria, Says Not 'Sidelined' “The United States on Tuesday sought to downplay its absence from talks on the Syrian conflict among Russia, Iran and Turkey in Moscow, saying it was not a ‘snub’ and did not reflect a decline of U.S. influence in the Middle East. However, President Barack Obama's decision to offer only limited support to moderate rebels has left Washington with little leverage to influence the situation in Syria, especially after Moscow began launching air strikes against rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad. Although Washington has long been a player in efforts to end the Syria civil war and other Mideast conflicts, the United States was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Syrian government and its allies, including Russia, mounted an assault to pin down the rebels in east Aleppo that culminated in a ceasefire deal.” Politico: Trump’s Terror-Fighting Team Yet To Take Shape “The terrorist attacks in Berlin and Ankara — and warnings that more attacks may come during the holiday season — have cast a new spotlight on the pace of Donald Trump’s homeland security, intelligence and counterterrorism appointments, and on whether he is prioritizing politics and ideology over substance when it comes to these critical roles. Despite his campaign's focus on more aggressively fighting terrorism, Trump has yet to name a White House homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to succeed Lisa Monaco, who currently holds the job under President Barack Obama. He also has not yet said who will take key positions at the Department of Homeland Security, including undersecretary for intelligence and analysis and undersecretary for policy.” Syria Reuters: Russia Says Drafting Document To Resolve Syria Conflict With Turkey, Iran “Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russian experts had drawn up a ‘Moscow Declaration’ that amounted to a roadmap for ending the Syria crisis and that he hoped that Turkey and Iran could support the document. Shoigu, speaking at meetings in Moscow with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts, said the document was aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Syria. ‘All previous attempts by the United States and its partners to agree on coordinated actions were doomed to failure. None of them wielded real influence over the situation on the ground,’ said Shoigu.” Reuters: UN Boosting Aleppo Monitoring After Security Council Vote “The Syrian government has authorized the United Nations to send an additional 20 staff to east Aleppo, where they will monitor the continuing evacuation of thousands of people, a U.N. spokesman said on Tuesday. ‘The task that has been given and mandated by the Security Council is to monitor and observe the evacuations,’ Jens Laerke told a news briefing in Geneva. The U.N. Security Council on Monday unanimously called for U.N. officials and others to observe the evacuation of people from the last rebel-held enclave in Aleppo and monitor the safety of civilians who remain in the Syrian city.” Reuters: Commentary: Aleppo's Fall Will Change U.S. And Russian Roles In Syria “On Dec. 19, the United Nations Security Council unanimously called for U.N. officials to observe the stalled evacuation of thousands of residents and fighters from the last rebel-held districts in the city of Aleppo, a process that began four days earlier. With President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and its allies regaining full control over Syria’s largest city, the nearly six-year-old Syrian civil war is entering a new phase. Assad and his allies – including Russia, Iran and various Shi’ite militias from Lebanon and Iraq – had imposed a long siege, including air strikes and intensive shelling, on the rebel-controlled parts of Aleppo. Assad signaled that he would take advantage of his opponents’ weakness, and move against other rebel-held areas in northern Syria.” The New York Times: Russia, Iran And Turkey Meet For Syria Talks, Excluding U.S. “Russia, Iran and Turkey met in Moscow on Tuesday to work toward a political accord to end Syria’s nearly six-year war, leaving the United States on the sidelines as the countries sought to drive the conflict in ways that serve their interests. Secretary of State John Kerry was not invited. Nor was the United Nations consulted. With pro-Syrian forces having made critical gains on the ground, the new alignment and the absence of any Western powers at the table all but guarantee that President Bashar al-Assad will continue to rule Syria under any resulting agreement, despite President Obama’s declaration more than five years ago that Mr. Assad had lost legitimacy and had to be removed.” Iraq Reuters: Iranian Kurdish Opposition Offices In Northern Iraq Hit By Explosion; Six Killed “Six people were killed in a bomb attack on the offices of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq late on Tuesday, Iraqi Kurdish security sources said. The explosion targeted the offices of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) in Koy Sanjak, east of Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region. Clashes opposed in June and July PDKI fighters and Iranian Revolutionary Guards in northwestern Iran, leaving several dead on both sides.” Turkey The Wall Street Journal: Turkey Targets U.S.-Based Cleric After Killing Of Envoy “Turkey said U.S.-based Turkish imam Fethullah Gulen was behind the assassination of Russia’s envoy to Ankara, expanding its fight against the man President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses of trying to overthrow him in July. ‘Both Turkey and Russia know that [Gulenists are] behind the attack’ on Ambassador Andrey Karlov, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a telephone call, according to a Turkish diplomat. State Department spokesman John Kirby, in a briefing after the call, said the investigation needed to play out ‘before we jump to conclusions.’” NPR: Turkey, Russia Launch Joint Probe Of Russian Ambassador's Assassination “Turkey and Russia have launched a joint investigation into the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey at the opening of a photo exhibit in the capital, Ankara, on Monday. The ambassador, Andrei Karlov, was gunned down as he gave a speech at an art gallery. Turkey has identified the attacker as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old riot police officer, who shouted to the crowd, ‘Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!’ He was killed by Turkish special forces at the scene. An 18-member Russian investigations team has arrived in Ankara and has examined the crime scene as well as the bodies of the ambassador and the gunman, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Police arrested ‘six relatives and a roommate of the assassin’ but later released his uncle ‘under judicial restrictions.’” Afghanistan NBC News: Taliban Releases Propaganda Video Showing Kidnapped U.S.-Canadian Couple, Children “An American woman being held hostage with her Canadian husband and two children — both born in captivity — pleaded with the American and Canadian governments for help in a newly released Taliban propaganda video. The video appeared to show Caitlan Coleman and her husband Joshua Boyle, who were kidnapped while hiking in Afghanistan in late 2012. Coleman, who appears to be reading from a script, called their captivity ‘the Kafkaesque nightmare in which we find ourselves’ and asks that governments on both sides intervene to work towards their release. She says the video was taken on Dec. 3. She addressed both President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump directly in the video.” The Wall Street Journal: Spanish Red Cross Worker Abducted In Afghanistan “Unknown gunmen abducted a Spanish employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross in north Afghanistan, the organization said Tuesday, underscoring the increasing dangers faced by foreigners as security worsens in the country. The man was kidnapped from his vehicle on the highway between the northern cities of Mazar-e-Sharif and Kunduz on Monday, the ICRC said. He was in the car with local staffers who weren’t taken, it said. Kunduz provincial spokesman Mahmood Danish confirmed the abduction of an ICRC employee in its Ali Abad district, and said the government was investigating the incident. Official Spanish news agency EFE also confirmed the abduction of a Spanish citizen from the area.” Voice Of America: Efforts Underway To Retrieve Kidnapped ICRC Official In Afghanistan “A search operation is underway in Afghanistan to recover a kidnapped foreigner working for the International Committee of the Red Cross, provincial authorities said. Several staff members were traveling in two vehicles to the restive northern Kunduz province on Monday when unknown gunmen intercepted them, according to an ICRC statement. They took hostage one male colleague while the rest were let go, it added, without discussing the nationality of the abductee. Police in Kunduz told VOA the man is Spanish, while those freed were Afghan nationals.” Egypt Associated Press: Maker Of SIgnal Says App Is Being Blocked In Egypt “An encrypted messaging app often used by journalists and activists in Egypt has been blocked by authorities, its maker said late Monday. Signal's owner, San Francisco-based Open Whisper Systems, said that it had investigated complaints over connectivity issues from Egyptians and ‘have confirmed that Egypt is censoring access to Signal.’ In a statement posted to Twitter , the group that it would begin ‘deploying censorship circumvention’ in the coming weeks.” Middle East The Times Of Israel: Shin Bet, Police Nab Palestinian Teen Over Cop Stabbing “Police and Shin Bet security agents arrested a Palestinian teen earlier this month suspected of stabbing a Border Police officer in October near Har Adar, west of Jerusalem. The 17-year-old Palestinian from the adjacent village of Bayt Surik attacked the cop on October 15 and fled the scene, the Shin Bet said in a statement Tuesday. An investigation found that the unnamed suspect monitored Israeli security agents operating along the security barrier running near Har Adar and Bayt Surik from his home and tracked their movements, the security agency said.” The Times Of Israel: Netanyahu: Israel Ready To Take In Wounded Syrians From Aleppo “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he instructed his government to find ways to extend medical assistance to Syrians injured in the latest round of fighting, especially those from the embattled city of Aleppo. ‘We see the tragedy of terrible suffering of civilians and I’ve asked the Foreign Ministry to seek ways to expand our medical assistance to the civilian casualities of the Syrian tragedy, specifically in Aleppo where we’re prepared to take in wounded women and children, and also men if they’re not combatants,’ Netanyahu told foreign journalists during a meeting in Jerusalem.” United Kingdom The Guardian: UK Police Forces On High Alert After Berlin Attack “Police forces across Britain are reviewing their security plans after the Berlin Christmas market attack and remain on high alert. The threat level in London remains at ‘severe’, meaning an attack is considered highly likely, the Metropolitan police said on Tuesday. A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The safety and security of British citizens is the government’s number one priority. Clearly in the light of what has happened in Berlin, police will be reviewing what is in place.’ Theresa May sent a message of condolence to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, on Monday night. ‘She expressed that her thoughts are with the people of Berlin and we stand ready to assist in any way we can,’ a spokesman said.” Germany The Washington Post: Berlin On High Alert As Search For Christmas Market Attacker Resumes “The German capital was on high alert Tuesday with one or more attackers still at large in a deadly truck assault on a Christmas market, an act claimed by the Islamic State that struck at the heart of Europe’s Christian traditions. Chancellor Angela Merkel decried Monday’s assault — in which a truck carrying a payload of steel plowed into festive stalls and fairgoers in Berlin, leaving 12 dead and dozens injured — as a presumed ‘terror attack,’ even as German police scrambled to find the culprit. The only suspect so far — a Pakistani asylum seeker taken into custody shortly after the bloodshed — was released by police Tuesday because of insufficient evidence. Late Tuesday, the Islamic State, through the affiliated Amaq news agency, claimed that the attacker was a ‘soldier’ responding to its call to target nations fighting the group in Iraq and Syria.” Deutsche Welle: German Terrorism Expert: 'Worst Fears Have Come True' In Berlin “German authorities have known that an attack of this dimension, including the number of dead and injured people, could happen here for a long time. Especially since the attacks of Brussels and Paris it's been clear that Germany isn't just an abstract terrorism target. Security authorities' worst fears have now come true. Could this attack have been prevented? No. If a radicalized fanatic decides to use a truck as a weapon, you don't stand a chance, unless you know about him and his plans in advance and arrest him before he can act. It's impossible to check all vehicles in the EU or to seal off all Christmas markets to protect them from any danger. You'd have to close them for that. An attack like this one cannot be prevented with 100 percent certainty.” Fox News: Manhunt For Berlin Attacker Continues; Police Treating Assault As Act Of Terrorism “The manhunt for the perpetrator of an Islamic State-claimed attack on a Christmas market in Berlin continued Tuesday as German police said ‘we may still have a dangerous criminal out there.’ Peter Frank, the country’s top prosecutor, said investigators are treating Monday's attack on the market outside Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church as an act of terrorism. At least 12 people were killed and more than 50 were injured after a truck plowed through a crowd at the market. ISIS -- through its media arm on Tuesday -- claimed responsibility for the massacre and called the attacker ‘a soldier of the Islamic State,’ a typical phrase used by the group when an assailant has been inspired but not directed.” The New York Times: Germany Releases Berlin Attack Suspect As ISIS Claims Involvement “For a Germany that likes to see itself as meticulous, the slip-up was startling: Hours after the authorities said they had grabbed a suspect in the deadly truck rampage at a Christmas market in Berlin, they acknowledged they may have detained the wrong man and began a desperate search for the actual driver. The decision on Tuesday to release the suspect and the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for the bloody attack inflicted a damaging blow to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. On a chaotic day of grief and uncertainty, after 12 people were killed and dozens injured on Monday, leaders of the country’s rising far-right Alternative for Germany party assailed the chancellor in blunt, visceral terms, describing the victims as ‘Merkel’s dead.’” Europe The New York Times: Gunman Who Shot 3 At Zurich Islamic Center Is Found Dead, Police Say “A gunman who wounded three people attending prayers at an Islamic center in Zurich has been found dead, apparently after committing suicide, the Swiss police said on Tuesday. Officials described the man as a 24-year-old Swiss citizen of Ghanaian descent, but they did not identify him by name. They said that he had no known links to terrorist groups, but that he was already wanted for the fatal stabbing of a friend whose body was found on Sunday at a playground in Zurich. ‘We don’t believe it was a terror act,’ Christiane Lentjes Meili, the chief of police for the canton of Zurich, said of the attack on Monday. ‘We have no evidence of a connection to terrorism.’” The New York Times: In Turkey, A Capstone To A Violent Year. In Germany, A Realization Of Fears. “A trim and well-dressed man, dapper in a black suit, flashes a badge to enter the most genteel of events — an exhibition of photographs — pulls out a pistol and guns down an ambassador, right in the middle of the diplomatic quarter of the Turkish capital, Ankara. Around the same time, in the shadow of a great church in Berlin that still bears the scars of bombs from World War II, a man plows a truck through a Christmas market, killing a dozen people. The two terrorist attacks — one in Europe, the other on the periphery of Europe — came within hours of each other Monday night, bookends to a terrible year that saw the wars of the Middle East metastasize across Europe and beyond, spawning terrorism, upending the lives of ordinary citizens and energizing right-wing political movements.” Counter-Terrorism Almesryoon: Egyptian President Calls For Combating Terror Financing   “Egypt's Presidential Spokesman Alaa Yousef stated that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi affirmed, during his meeting on Monday with a delegation from the American Jewish Committee, that terrorism is a real threat to the entire international community. The Egyptian official emphasized that dealing with terror requires a comprehensive strategy. It should include the fight against supplying terrorist groups with money, weapons and militants. The spokesman added that during the meeting, al-Sisi pointed to "the need to support the pillars of the national state in the region and not to allow terrorist forces to spread into the {power} vacuums that may emerge as a result of the collapse of nations.” Alkhaleej: Experts: Formulating A Unified Arab Anti-Terror Strategy Is Vital “Egyptian politicians and experts heeded the call by the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers to hold an Arab conference to combat terrorism, a significant step towards unifying Arab efforts against terrorist groups. This is particularly important because terrorist organizations do not recognize national borders; therefore, these experts outlined the need to develop a clear Arab strategy for combating terrorism. Maj. Gen. Fouad Allam, the ex-deputy head of Egypt's State Security Agency and present-day security expert, underlined the notion that an Arab conference {regarding the fight against terror} is now urgent. This is after terrorism hit many Arab countries, including Libya, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and most recently Jordan. In addition, many {terror} organizations are active in those countries, he stated. According to Allam, the heads of states, foreign and interior ministers, must participate in such a conference, which will be based on research, information and analysis, whose findings will be put into action and implemented.” Muslim Brotherhood Elbalad: Egypt: President Of "Business News" Company Denies Links To Muslim Brotherhood “Moustafa Sakr, Chairman of the “Business News Media Company", the parent company of two newspapers – Daily News Egypt and al-Borsa – expressed his surprise at the decision of the Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee against him and the company. He claimed that he had not been informed of these decisions. He disclosed that he heard {directly} from the bank the news of the seizure of both his personal bank account and the company's account. Sakr explained that although the decision was issued on Nov. 30th, until now he has received no explanation or reason for this decision. He pointed out that he submitted a grievance to the Committee, making a formal request to receive an explanation for the decision. According to the Chairman of Business News, he clarified in his grievance, represented by legal counsel, his legal and financial position, denying any ties to the Brotherhood on the part of the company or its shareholders.” The Seventh Day: Egypt: Detention Of Cell Suspected Of Fabricating Videos And Showing Them On Muslim Brotherhood TV Channels Extended “Monufia Governorate Prosecution, presided over by Attorney General Ahmed Abdel Gawad, ruled to remand in custody a Muslim Brotherhood cell for four more days pending investigations. This cell was led by Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Fattah Al Balawi who is a merchant and a Brotherhood leader; Mohammed Farag Ibrahim El-Naggar, who is in charge of the satellite division within the Media Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood Monufia; and Mahmoud Ibrahim Sayed Ahmed al-Dabbour, the Brotherhood's media official in Sadat District. The men are accused of establishing a Muslim Brotherhood cell, which fabricated videos of prisoners being tortured inside their homes. Their intention was to circulate these videos outside of Egypt via Mekameleen TV and Al-Sharq TV channels belonging to the Brotherhood.” Houthi Dar Alakhbar: Houthis Loot Endowment Funds In Yemen “Yemeni Minister of Endowments, Ahmed Attia, declared that the internationally-backed government sent a letter to the Governor of the Central Bank in Aden demanding a freeze on endowment funds belonging to the Houthi militias via CAC Bank (Cooperative & Agricultural Credit Bank). Attia stressed that some of the funds were looted under the so-called banner of "war effort." "In the event CAC Bank fails to respond and freeze funds controlled by the {Houthi} coup militias, we will sue it in the future," he said.”