# International Terrorism Watch (Europe) Thread - January 2011



## George Wallace (1 Jan 2011)

*International Terrorism Watch (Europe) Thread - January 2011 *   

*European Terrorism statements here only - 
please take discussion/debate to a new thread

Thanks for your help 
making this news-only thread work*​


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## George Wallace (1 Jan 2011)

*Articles found January 1, 2011*

Muhammad Caricature Fallout

 Danish Paper Targeted in Foiled Terror Plot

12/29/2010
SPIEGEL ONLINE 

Article Link

*Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten became world-famous with its publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005 that sparked fierce protests by Muslims.  Police on  Wednesday arrested five people suspected of planning an attack against the newspaper.*

The Danish police on Wednesday arrested four people suspected of planning to attack the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten that outraged many Muslims by publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005. A fifth person was arrested in Sweden.


Denmark's PET security police said the suspects had planned to enter a Copenhagen office block housing several newspapers including offices of the daily Jyllands-Posten and to "kill as many as possible of those around."

"On the basis of the investigation, it is the PET's assessment that the detainees were preparing a terror attack against a newspaper, which according to the PET's information was Jyllands-Posten," it said. "It is likewise the PET's view that the attack was due to be carried out in the coming days."

The Danish justice minister said the suspects had a "militant Islamist background" and that the attempted attack was the most serious terrorist plot in Denmark so far.

*Links to International Terrorist Networks* 

The men arrested in Denmark are a 44-year-old Tunisian, a 29-year-old Lebanese citizen, a 26-year-old asylum-seeker from Iraq and a 30-year-old man whose identity has not yet been established, said PET chief Jakob Scharf. The man arrested in Stockholm was a 37-year-old Swede of Tunisian origin.

The four Danish arrests were made in the Copenhagen suburbs of Herlev and Greve and the items confiscated by police included a submachine gun with a silencer as well as ammunition. The detainees had links with international terrorist networks, Scharf said. 

Swedish police said the suspects were not linked to a botched suicide bombing in Stockholm two weeks ago in which only the bomber died. In that case an email -- thought to have come from the attacker -- was sent just before the attack, protesting against a Swedish artist who had also drawn cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as against Sweden's military presence in Afghanistan.

*History of Attacks *

Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad in 2005, which devout Muslims regard as blasphemy. The case triggered demonstrations in Muslim countries in which more than 150 people were killed. One of the cartoonists, Kurt Westergaard, continues to face death threrats and has been attacked several times. 

According to information obtained by SPIEGEL ONLINE, the five-man cell had been under police surveillance and security forces only stepped in when they saw the danger of an imminent attack. 

It is not clear whether the cell was operating independently or was steered by a terrorist group outside Denmark. Several of the men arrested are believed to have belonged to the radical Islamist scene in the Swedish capital Stockholm. 

"Jyllandsposten is an important target for jihadist terrorists," Swedish terrorism analyst Magnus Ranstorp told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "Anyone who carries one out will immediately become a star in the scene."

Al-Qaida has frequently called on sympathizers to attack the newspaper. 

With reporting by Yassin Musharbash

===================================================================

Arson and Integration

 Have Berlin Mosques Become a Target?

12/29/2010
By Jill Petzinger in Berlin
SPIEGEL ONLINE 

Article Link

*Several Muslim centers in Berlin have been the target of arson attacks in recent months. Police have made little progress in their investigation, but many suspect that the series of incidents has its roots in the raw rhetoric surrounding Germany's integration debate.*

The list isn't long. In early December, a petrol bomb exploded with a loud bang against the façade of the Iranian cultural center in the Berlin district of Tempelhof, sending flames licking up the front of the building. Before that it was the Al-Nur Mosque in the Neukölln neighborhood, where the majority of Berlin's Muslim population lives. Berlin's Sehitlik Mosque, also in Neukölln, has been attacked four times since late summer.

Yet even if there have been no injuries in the attacks to date, city officials are concerned. Berlin's State Criminal Police Office has established a special task force to look into a perplexing series of petrol bomb attacks that has targeted Muslim facilities in the German capital for months. Results, however, have so far been scant. Berlin police spokesman Klaus Schubert declined to comment on the specifics of the investigation, but told SPIEGEL ONLINE "there are no indications that the attacks were intended to cause actual harm to people."

Others, however, aren't as sanguine. The year 2010 in Germany was one which saw an intense debate about the difficulties of integrating the country's Muslim minority -- a discourse which many observers thought crossed the line into racial and religious profiling. 

Indeed, the interior minister of the city-state of Berlin, Ehrhart Körting, said recently that there may in fact be a connection between the attacks and the immigration debate. The discussion, he told the German news agency DAPD, may have established a climate "which could have encouraged right-wing extremists or Islamophobes to perpetrate such crimes." That, he continued, "should be clear to all those responsible for creating this climate."

*The Hallmarks of a 'Hate Crime' *

Indeed, following the most recent attack on the Sehitlik Mosque on November 19, police said it bore the hallmarks of a "hate crime."

Berlin's Muslim population has sought to maintain its composure. A spokesman for the Iranian cultural center told SPIEGEL ONLINE that they had not increased security and that the attack "has not made a difference to those visiting the center. They do not feel nervous or unsafe."

This upbeat attitude was reiterated by Yavuz Selim Akgül, chairman of the Sehitlik mosque. "Considering one mosque after another is being set alight," he told SPIEGEL ONLINE, "one could imagine the general atmosphere here would be less than positive. But that's not the case: calm prevails and attendance has not decreased."

Security, though, is tight. Akgül's mosque is under 24-hour guard and additional surveillance cameras are being installed. While police have removed the police guard placed in front of the mosque in the wake of the attack, a spokesman said they are closely monitoring the situation.

And it is a situation that may have to be monitored for some time. In addition to the rancorous immigration debate, Berlin has been on a high terror alert since mid-November, when German Interior Minister, Thomas de Maizière, said that the German government had "concrete indications" that Islamists were planning an attack and Germany could be a target. Heavily armed police have been patrolling Berlin streets ever since.

*'Erosion of Solidarity'* 

Some have criticized the terror warnings for being detrimental to the welfare of the German capital's Muslim population. In late November, Aiman Mazyek, chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, told the German press agency DPA that "not a week goes by without an attack on a mosque or a Muslim citizen. This terror hysteria exacerbates the situation and leads to an erosion of solidarity with Muslims."

Indeed, Ehrhart Körting himself has been blasted for using the kind of rhetoric he recently condemned. In the wake of late November's terror warnings, he told Berliners in a radio interview: " If you suddenly see three somewhat strange-looking men who are new to your neighborhood, who hide their faces and who only speak Arabic, you should report them to the authorities."

But it is Germany's ongoing integration debate which has particularly inflamed tempers on both sides. It is a discussion which the country has been wrestling with for years, but a book released in August by former Berlin politician Thilo Sarrazin poured fuel on the fire.

Sarrazin, who was fired from his position on the board of the German Central Bank as a result of the book, claimed that Muslim immigrants would soon outnumber the country's ethnic German population because of their higher birth rates. He also suggested that because immigrant children are less successful in school, immigration is making the country less intelligent. His theories found tacit agreement from many in Germany, but also ignited widespread disgust.

*Stirring up Fear* 

Governor of Bavaria Horst Seehofer then one-upped Sarrazin in an October interview with the newsmagazine Focus. The powerful politician said: "It's clear that immigrants from other cultures such as Turkey and Arabic countries have more difficulties. From that I draw the conclusion that we don't need additional immigration from other cultures."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that efforts to establish a multi-cultural society in the country had "utterly failed."

While there is, as yet, no indication of a concrete connection between such comments and the attacks in Berlin, some have posited such a link. "I can only see these inhuman attacks as a consequence of the witch hunt by Sarrazin, Seehofer and co. against those Muslims they accuse of refusing to integrate," said Left Party parliamentarian Ulla Jelpke earlier this month.

Nurhan Soykan, general secretary of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, likewise blames the public debate: "Some media and politicians have stirred up targeted fear and rejection of Muslims and now we are seeing the results of this," she said. "The community is reacting and hostility towards Islam is growing."

*Intolerant Germany *

A recent survey would suggest that Soykan's comments might not be far off the mark. While Sarazzin's rhetoric was loudly rejected in the media, a recently released study by the University of Münster revealed startling levels of intolerance of Islam in Germany. The survey, which polled 1,000 people in five countries -- France, Denmark, Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany -- showed that just 34 percent of respondents in Germany had a positive view of Muslims. In each of the other four countries, the results were over 50 percent.

In addition, the study found that over 80 percent of Germans associate Islam with discrimination against women, over 70 percent with religious fanaticism and over 60 percent with a propensity to violence. Just 5 percent of Germans considered Islam to be a tolerant religion -- in contrast with a 30 percent result in the other four countries. According to Professor Detlef Pollack, who presented the study in Berlin on Dec. 2, two fifths of those polled in western Germany, and half of those polled in eastern Germany, feel that foreign cultures are a threat to the country.

The ongoing debate about Islam and integration would appear not to be helping the situation. Indeed, Soykan feels it is counterproductive. "The threshold of inhibition in politics and society has been lowered so dramatically that what would have passed for racism in the past is now an acceptable conversation topic at bourgeois parties," she said. "This is driving a wedge through society, and ultimately making integration more difficult."

Whether it is also fuelling attacks on Muslim centers in Berlin remains, for now, a matter of speculation.

======================================================================

Bombing in Athens

 Explosion Outside Courthouse Rattles Greece

12/30/2010
SPIEGEL ONLINE 

Article Link

*A bomb in front of two courthouses in central Athens on Thursday morning has caused significant damage but no injuries. Though no one has claimed responsibility, fingers are being pointed at leftist extremists.*

A bomb blast on Thursday morning in front of two courthouses in central Athens damaged cars, shattered storefronts and rattled nerves but left no one injured. 

The bomb, which was attached to a parked motor scooter, exploded during rush-hour traffic at 8:20 a.m. local time in front of two courthouses used for administrative purposes in the city's Ambelokipi district, according to the Associated Press. 

The blast, which could be heard almost everywhere in this sprawling metropolis, damaged eight cars as well as the storefronts of nearby buildings. "The explosion was like an earthquake," Theodoros Ioannidis, who lives about 200 meters (650 feet) from the courthouse, told the German news agency DPA. "There was a deep boom and then our house was shaking," he told the news agency.

*'We Got out of the the Building Fast' *

Officials have confirmed that no one was hurt by the blast, thanks in large part to anonymous calls placed to a private television station and newspaper roughly 45 minutes before the blast. The caller provided details on exactly where the scooter was parked as well as its license plate number. Police responded quickly and evacuated the buildings. "We got out of the building fast," one eyewitness told DPA.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but many are attributing it to leftist violence, which has a history in Greece stretching back decades. Such violence picked up after a police killing of a teenage boy sparked riots in December 2008. In 2010, leftist violence left one police officer killed and a civil servant severely wounded.

In November, a series of parcel bomb attacks targeted embassies in Athens as well as foreign governments abroad, including the German Chancellery, the official office of Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. A violent anarchist group calling itself the Conspiracy Nuclei of Fire claimed responsibility for the attacks. At least a dozen suspected members of the group are expected to face trial beginning January 17.

"It goes without saying that we condemn this attack," Spyros Vouyias, a deputy public works minister, told private Skai television, AP reported. "Violence does not solve anyone's problem."

jtw -- with wires


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## George Wallace (1 Jan 2011)

Egypt's president calls for unity after church bombing
1 January 2011 Last updated at 15:28 ET 
BBC News 

Article Link

The moment of the attack - Footage courtesy the al-Qiddissin Church

*President Hosni Mubarak has urged Egypt's Muslims and Christians to stand united against terrorism after a bombing outside a church in Alexandria.*

At least 21 people were killed and 70 hurt in the suspected suicide attack, which happened during a New Year's Eve service at the al-Qiddissin Church.

In a rare televised address, Mr Mubarak said it bore the hallmark of "foreign hands" seeking to destabilise Egypt.

Several hundred Christians later clashed nearby with Muslims and police.

US President Barack Obama condemned "this barbaric and heinous act" and said those behind it had to be brought to justice. 

"The perpetrators of this attack were clearly targeting Christian worshippers, and have no respect for human life and dignity," he said.

"We are continuing to gather information regarding this terrible event, and are prepared to offer any necessary assistance to the government of Egypt in responding to it," he added.

*'In this together'*

About 1,000 worshippers were attending the Mass at the al-Qiddissin (Saints) Church in the Sidi Bechr district of the Mediterranean port city.

As the service drew to a close about half an hour after midnight, a bomb went off in the street outside.

"The last thing I heard was a powerful explosion and then my ears went deaf," 17-year-old Marco Boutros told the Associated Press from his hospital bed. "All I could see were body parts scattered all over."

Another witness told the private On-TV channel that he had seen two men park a car outside the church and get out just before the blast.

Officials initially thought the cause was a car bomb, but the interior ministry later ruled it out, saying the attack was instead "carried out by a suicide bomber who died among the crowd".

A nearby mosque was also damaged by the explosion and the casualties included eight injured Muslims, the health ministry said. Three policemen and an officer guarding the church were also among the wounded. 

Hours after the attack, President Mubarak went on state television to express his shock and vow to track down those behind it.

"This act of terrorism shook the country's conscience, shocked our feelings and hurt the hearts of Muslim and Coptic Egyptians," he said.

"The blood of their martyrs in Alexandria mixed to tell us all that all Egypt is the target and that blind terrorism does not differentiate between a Copt and a Muslim.

"We are all in this together and will face up to terrorism and defeat it."

Mr Mubarak described the attack as a "terrorist operation which carries, within itself, the hallmark of foreign hands which want to turn Egypt into another scene of terrorism like elsewhere in the region and the wider world".

Egypt's top Muslim leaders also expressed their condolences and unity.

The Islamist opposition movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, said no religion in the world could condone such a crime.

*Sectarian tension*

Despite the statements, hundreds of angry Copts clashed with police and local Muslims after the bombing, reportedly throwing stones and targeting the mosque near the church. Some cars were also set ablaze.

Dozens of police rushed to the scene and used tear gas to disperse the crowd. 

The protests continued throughout Monday, with Copts marching down a street between the church and the affiliated Saints Hospital shouting, "With our soul and our blood we will redeem the Holy Cross" and "O Mubarak, the heart of the Copts is on fire".

Later, hundreds gathered at a monastery in the city for the funerals of the victims. Many demanded the resignation of Alexandria's Governor, Adel Labib. 

The top Coptic cleric in Alexandria, Archbishop Raweis, said the security services wanted to blame a suicide bomber instead of a car bomb so they could write it off as something carried out by a lone attacker.

He also denounced the "lack of protection" in front of the church.

"There were only three soldiers and an officer in front of the church. Why did they have so little security at such a sensitive time when there's so many threats coming from al-Qaeda?" he told the Associated Press.

The government said it had stepped up security measures outside churches after the Islamic State of Iraq, a militant umbrella group that includes al-Qaeda in Iraq, threatened the Copts of Egypt at the end of October.

Christians in the Coptic Orthodox Church make up about 10% of Egypt's population, most of whom are Muslims.

In recent months, Copts have complained of discrimination, while some Muslims accuse churches of holding converts to Islam against their will.

Alexandria, Egypt's second-largest city with a population of about 4 million, has seen sectarian violence in the past. 

In 2006, there were days of clashes between Copts and Muslims after a Copt was stabbed to death during a knife attack on three churches.


=========================================================================


  
 Egypt church bombing: Why some point to Al Qaeda-linked group
By Kristen Chick, Correspondent / January 1, 2011 
Christian Science Monitor

Article Link

*At least 21 were killed in a Egypt church bombing a early today that came just as 1,000 Coptic Christians were leaving a New Year's Eve mass in Alexandria.*

Cairo 

An Egypt church bombing today has raised fears that global terrorist organizations are exploiting the country's rising sectarian tension as justification for attacking Christians.

The powerful explosion took place outside a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria during a New Year's Eve mass early Saturday, killing at least 21 people and wounding more than 80. It came just as some of the worshipers, which numbered about 1,000, had begun to leave. Wrecked cars and debris were left scattered in the street.

Security authorities initially said the blast had come from a car bomb, but later said it appeared to have come from a suicide bomber, and not a car. A statement released by the Interior Ministry said the bomb was filled with nuts and bearings to kill as many as possible.

Egyptian authorities were quick to blame the attack on foreign terrorists, and denied that it was connected to sectarian tension. 

In recent months, the Al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq has repeatedly threatened to attack Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population, and has pointed to events in Egypt as justification for attacking Christians in Iraq.

*Egyptian leaders call for unity*

President Hosni Mubarak gave a televised speech Saturday calling the perpetrators “wicked terrorists” and insisting the attack bore the hallmarks of foreign hands. 

Official statements sought to portray the bombing as an attack on all Egypt, and called on Egyptians to come together in a unified response. Muslim leaders released statements condemning the attack.

But Copts gathered outside the church and the hospital where many of the wounded were being held angrily accused the government of doing little to protect them. Police reportedly used rubber bullets and tear gas against the protesters, at least one of whom held a white sheet with a cross that appeared to have been painted with blood. 

*Rising sectarian tensions*

Tension between Copts and Muslims has intensified over the past year, but sectarian attacks usually take the form of shootings, stabbings, or riots, and are far less deadly. The use of a bomb in Saturday’s attack raises the concern that it was connected to recent threats by Al Qaeda in Iraq. 

That organization threatened to attack Coptic Christians after the wives of two priests in Egypt disappeared over the summer. The women had reportedly attempted to convert to Islam in order to divorce, which is prohibited by the Coptic church. Hard-line Muslims in Egypt claimed the church had kidnapped them and held them in a monastery to prevent them from converting. 

The incident sparked angry demonstrations on both sides in Egypt, and was cited by the Islamic State of Iraq as justification for its deadly November attack on a church in Baghdad that killed at least 58 people.

The Islamic State of Iraq renewed its warning against Coptic Christians in December, demanding that the church release the women.

On Christmas Eve a year ago, seven people, including one Muslim, were shot dead as they left a Christmas Eve service at a Coptic church in the southern town of Naga Hammadi. In November of this year, Christians in a poor area of Giza rioted after security forces halted the construction of a church. Police responded forcefully, killing one person and arresting nearly 150.

Egypt has also battled Islamic terrorism, crushing a wave of attacks in the 1990s. The last major attacks, which involved suicide bombers, occurred at tourist sites from 2004-06. But at the time of those attacks, the Egyptian government strongly rejected that groups like Al Qaeda were operating in Egypt.


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## George Wallace (24 Jan 2011)

*Articles found January 24, 2011*

Moscow
 Suspected terror attack kills dozens at Moscow airport

Monday, January 24, 2011 | 4:07 PM 
CTV 

Article Link

*Russian authorities are probing a suspected terror attack on Moscow's largest airport, where an explosion killed 35 people and injured up to 145 others on Monday. *

The death toll from the carnage at Domodedovo airport rose steadily in the hours after the blast, which occurred Monday afternoon in the international arrivals hall. 

Airport spokesperson Yelena Galanova told Russia's NTV television that 35 people had died. 

Within hours of the deadly explosion, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told officials "from the preliminary information we have it was a terror attack." 

The state-owned RIA Novosti news agency reported that authorities suspect a suicide bomber may have been responsible for the carnage. Other reports said the bomb had been packed with shrapnel, screws and ball bearings. 

Mia Bloom, a fellow at Penn State University's International Center for the Study of Terrorism, said it is significant that the attack happened in the arrivals hall at the airport. 

"If you think about how many security checks you go through on the way to your plane, think about how few security checks there are when you're leaving and you're picking up your luggage," Bloom told CTV News Channel in an interview from University Park, Pa., on Monday afternoon. 

The Domodedovo attack may raise questions about whether "we need to change the way in which not only we start a flight, but also how we end a journey, in terms of security." 

Medvedev held an emergency meeting on Monday, as authorities planned how to proceed with their investigation into the Domodedovo attack. Security was immediately tightened at two other Moscow airports and other transportation facilities. 

No one claimed responsibility for the blast at Domodedovo, but Chechen militants have previously been behind a number of terror attacks in Moscow. 

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, Lawrence Cannon, called the attack on Domodedovo a "cowardly act of terrorism." U.S. President Barack Obama also condemned the "outrageous" blast. 

Powerful blast ‘shook' bystanders 

Alexei Spiridonov was standing behind the desk of a car rental agency when the airport blast occurred about 100 metres from where he was standing. 

"The explosion was so strong that it threw me against the wall," the 25-year-old Spiridonov explained in an interview with The Associated Press. 

"People were panicking, rushing out of the hall or looking for their relatives. There were people just lying in blood." 

Lufthansa official Yelena Zatserkovnaya was standing a similar distance from the blast. 

"There was lots of blood, severed legs flying around," Zatserkovnaya said. 

British Airways passenger Mark Green had just arrived at the airport when the explosion occurred. 

"Literally, it shook you," Green said in an interview with BBC television. "As we were putting the bags in the car a lot of alarms ... were going off and people started flowing out of the terminal, some of whom were covered in blood." 

"One gentleman had a pair of jeans on that was ripped and his thigh from his groin to his knee was covered in blood," he added. 

Fellow witness Sergei Lavochkin was waiting in the arrivals hall when he heard the explosion occur. 

"I heard a loud bang, saw plastic panels falling down from the ceiling and heard people screaming. Then people started running away," Lavochkin told Rossiya 24 television. 

Passengers fled the arrivals hall in droves after the blast. A report from the RT television station indicated that authorities were moving passengers out of the terminal after the blast occurred. 

The Domodedovo website indicates that is located 22 kilometres southeast of Moscow. It is considered the most up-to-date airport in the Russian capital. 

Domodedovo has been targeted by suicide bombers in the past. 

In 2004, a pair of suicide bombers bought illegal tickets from airport staff, boarded separate planes and blew themselves up while the planes were in the air. A total of 90 people died in the twin attacks. 

With files from The Associated Press

More on Link.


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## George Wallace (25 Jan 2011)

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.


> * Explosion in Russia
> *
> 
> *Presumed Terror Attack Kills Dozens at Moscow Airport
> ...



More on Link


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## The Bread Guy (25 Jan 2011)

Moscow/Domodedovo suicide bombing

Timeline: Major attacks in Russia since 1994
Reuters January 25, 2011, 5:18 am 
Link to timeline

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport
Article link
<blockquote>.... “Our Government strongly condemns today’s bomb attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport and the terrible loss of life and injuries it has caused.

“The use of violence against innocent people must never be tolerated and we condemn those responsible for this horrible act.

“On behalf of our Government and people of Canada, I extend my deepest condolences to the Russian people and, in particular, the families and friends of those killed and injured in this tragedy.

“The international community faces an ongoing threat of terrorism and must remain vigilant as we work together with our allies to prevent future attacks.

“While there are no known Canadian casualties at this time, our embassy in Moscow will continue to monitor the situation closely."</blockquote>

Two terrorists involved in Domodedovo blast, both killed - source
RIA-Novosti, 10:14 25/01/2011
Article link
<blockquote>Two terrorists were involved in a suicide bomb attack at Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport that killed 35 and injured up to 180 on Monday, a law enforcement source said.

Both died in the explosion that ripped through the international arrivals zone at 4:32 p.m. (13:32 GMT), as friends and taxi drivers were meeting arriving passengers.

The blast was equivalent to 5 kilograms of TNT and the bomb was packed with metal objects to cause maximum damage. Earlier reports said that the bomb was equivalent to 7 kg of TNT.

"The blast occurred when a suspected female terrorist opened a bag. She was accompanied by a man whose head was ripped off by the explosion," the source told RIA Novosti.

"It cannot be ruled out that the terrorists wanted to leave the explosive device in the hall but the bomb was detonated inadvertently or by a remote control device," he said ....</blockquote>

Medvedev slams intelligence services in wake of bombing
Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Jan 25, 2011, 13:17 GMT
Article link
<blockquote>Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday said the intelligence services must do their job better and criticized lapses of security at Moscow's biggest airport after at least 35 people were killed in a suicide bombing the day before.

At a meeting with leaders from the FSB intelligence service, Medvedev said the organization must learn lessons from Monday's attack, reported the Interfax news agency. The number of terrorist attacks in Russia had increased over the past year, he said.

'That's a serious sign for the FSB and other security services,' he continued. Media reports said the FSB had learned a week ago of plans for an attack.

With the 2014 Winter Olympics due to take place in the Black Sea city of Sochi, Russia needed 'maximum protection from attacks,' he said ....</blockquote>

Putin: Retribution 'inevitable' for airport attack
JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press, Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 6:03 a.m.
Article link
<blockquote>Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed "retribution is inevitable" for the suicide bombing that killed 35 people at Russia's busiest airport, while President Dmitry Medvedev demanded robust checks at all transport hubs and lashed out at the airport for lax security.

Putin has built much of his reputation on harsh statements, but he did not elaborate on what kind of retribution he had planned or against whom in his comments Tuesday carried by Russian news agencies.

No claims of responsibility have been made for the attack Monday at Domodedovo Airport, which also left 180 people injured. Suspicion is likely to fall, however, on Islamist separatist insurgents from Chechnya or elsewhere in Russia's restive Caucasus region who have been battling Russian authority for over 15 years ....</blockquote>

More on links


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## George Wallace (25 Jan 2011)

*Articles found January 25, 2011*

Moscow Terror Attack

 Russia Must Develop an Alternative to Islamism in the Caucasus

01/25/2011
A commentary by Matthias Schepp in Moscow
SPIEGEL ONLINE

Article Link

*Russian President Dmitry Medvedev wants to weaken Islamist militants in the Caucasus by building infrastructure projects worth billions. But Monday's terror attack in Moscow shows once again how hard it will be to win the hearts and minds of the population.*

Speaking on television shortly after Monday's deadly attack on Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev seemed shaken, almost helpless. "This is a terrorist act," Medvedev said, putting into words what was already obvious to observers.

The attack, which according to current figures killed 35 people and injured well over 100, puts the Russian leader under considerable political pressure. His vision of economic development for restive provinces in the Caucasus, such as Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan, as a means of combating militant Islam, seems increasingly naive. His dream of promoting tourism in the troubled region appears more unrealistic than ever.

On Wednesday, Medvedev had planned to appear before political and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos to present his vision for bringing peace to the Caucasus. His plan foresees building five major ski resorts in the region, one of which will be on the highest mountain in Russia, Mount Elbrus. Another is to be in Dagestan, where people die on an almost daily basis in skirmishes between militants and security forces. The plan, which will cost €12 billion ($16 billion), is based on an initiative by Alexander Khloponin, a former top executive and regional governor. In January 2010, Medvedev appointed Khloponin as his envoy to the North Caucasus, giving him the rank of deputy prime minister.

Although there is not yet a proven link between the Domodedovo bombers and Caucasus-based militants, media reports on Tuesday make it seem increasingly likely. Moscow-based newspapers reported that an eyewitness at the airport saw a women of Muslim appearance, dressed in a black robe, accompanied by a man. That would fit into the pattern of previous terrorist attacks in Moscow which have been committed by so-called "black widows," as female suicide bombers from the Caucasus have been dubbed.

The Domodedovo massacre has, intentionally or not, torpedoed Medvedev's planned initiative at Davos. On Monday, reacting to the attack, the Kremlin boss canceled his opening speech at the World Economic Forum. Now it will be even more difficult to make the plan, or even parts of it, a reality.

Medvedev's idea to use the Davos summit to personally secure foreign partners for the development of the Caucasus had always seemed an ambitious. The plan to increase the number of ski tourists from the current level of a few thousand to hundreds of thousands looked like an unrealistic daydream.

*Demands for Tougher Stance *

Hardliners in Moscow will now demand a tougher stance against terror and will call for even more power and personnel for Russia's already bloated intelligence agencies and corrupt police. It is a reflex that is by no means limited to Russia, a country where the desire for a strong man is especially pronounced after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the social insecurity of the 1990s. 

In Russia, the supporters of a hard line on terror point to the success of a series of anti-terrorist operations in the North Caucasus last year, the "liquidation" of the guerrilla fighters' chief ideologue, Said Buryatsky, and the capture of the underground leader Akhmed Yevloyev, also known as Magas.

The Russian security forces often operate outside the law in the Caucasus. Many police officers and intelligence agents follow an approach that Vladimir Putin formulated in 1999 after a wave of terrorist attacks. "If they're in the airport, we'll kill them there," he said. "If we find them in a toilet, we'll kill them in the outhouse."

But militant Islam in the Caucasus resembles the mythical hydra, which grows back two heads for each one that is severed. Every time a fighter is killed, another one joins the armed underground. Hence Russia needs to win the battle for the hearts and minds of the people in the Caucasus.

*Losing Faith in the State *

The appeal of the secular state is dwindling in the region, which has a mostly Muslim population of 7 million. State services are deteriorating and the government is increasingly unable to provide prosperity and security for its citizens. Corruption has undermined the reputation and authority of government institutions. Police officers stationed on the main road across the North Caucasus regularly demand expensive bribes. And the pyramid of sleaze even goes as high as officials in Moscow ministries.

The Islamists' promise of deliverance from all the evils of everyday life, not only in the afterlife but here on Earth, is not unlike the Communist rhetoric of the past. If the Russian authorities want to undermine them, they will have to come up with an attractive alternative. And that will take more than a few ski resorts.

More on Link

=====================================================================


Terrorism in Russia

 Medvedev Slams Airport Security in Attack's Aftermath

01/25/2011
SPIEGEL ONLINE

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*Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has strongly criticized security officials at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, where a terrorist attack killed 36 and injured scores on Monday afternoon. Investigators now say the attack was likely carried out by a female suicide bomber and an accomplice. World leaders have offered their condolences.*

One day after the bloody terrorist attack  at the Domodedovo Airport in Moscow, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has begun assigning blame. 

"What occurred shows that there were violations in providing security," Medvedev said in a statement released by the Kremlin. "Such a quantity of explosive material that was carried in or brought in -- that's not so easy to do. We must hold responsible those who have ties to the company that makes decisions, the management of the airport."

The explosion on Monday, which killed 35 people and injured 126, several of them foreigners, took place in the international arrivals area. While the airport had used metal detectors in the past to screen people entering the area, inspections were not being conducted on Monday. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Medvedev ordered increased security at airports and transportation hubs in Moscow. By evening, inspections had been set up for people entering the arrivals area at Domodedovo.

According to Russian officials, two Britons and a Bulgarian were killed in the blast. Reports that a German was also among the dead have not yet been confirmed. The German news agency DPA reported that a German was among the first bodies to have been identified. The German Foreign Ministry, however, has yet to confirm the report, saying only that the German Embassy in Moscow is investigating.

*A Simple Matter *

Domodedovo management has rejected Medvedev's criticism of airport security. An airport spokesman said that all security guidelines had been adhered to. The spokesman, Sergei Martirosian, also told the Interfax news agency that the transport police was responsible for inspecting those entering the arrivals area "and not our security service."

News agency RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday that, prior to Monday's attack, it was a simple matter to enter the international arrivals area with luggage. Citing witnesses, the agency reported that many of the screening devices were out of order. Furthermore, airport personnel often ignored alarms from those devices in operation, witnesses told RIA Novosti.

Investigators are focusing on the likelihood that the attack was perpetrated by a suicide bomber and an accomplice. RIA Novosti has reported that the explosion took place as a woman and her male companion opened a bag. The news agency quotes investigators as saying that the type of attack "is consistent" with previous attacks originating "in the Northern Caucasus." Interfax has reported that the head of one of the presumed attackers had been found -- a man thought to be between 30 and 35 years of age. Witnesses say that the attacker shouted "I will kill you all" just before the bomb went off.

Several terror attacks in Russia's recent past have been traced to the primarily Muslim region of the Northern Caucasus. In March 2010, 40 people were killed and 60 injured in two explosions that struck the Moscow subway system. The attacks were the work of two female suicide bombers from the unstable region of Dagestan.

*Sensitive Time for Medvedev* 

In 2009, Chechen fighters claimed responsibility for detonating a bomb on a high-speed train between St. Petersburg and Moscow. Twenty-six people died in that attack.

The latest bombing comes at a sensitive time for Medvedev. He had been scheduled to fly to Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday to address the World Economic Forum. High on his agenda was attracting investors for significant development projects in the Caucasus, including several new ski resorts. Medvedev's strategy aims at improving the region's economy as a way to combat extremism. The Russian president delayed his departure as a result of the bombing.

Russia is also preparing to host the Winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi, a ski resort in the Northern Caucasus. The country was also recently awarded the rights to host the World Cup football tournament in 2018.

*'Barbaric and Cowardly' *

World leaders reacted on Monday evening with horror and grief. Calling it a "cowardly attack," German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered Medvedev her "deeply felt sympathy" for the victims and their families.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the bombing was "deplorable" and condemned "this unjustifiable act of violence against innocents." French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that his country "assures the authorities of the Russian Federation of the entire solidarity of France in the face of this barbaric and cowardly terrorist act."

"I am deeply shocked and saddened at today's explosion," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague in a statement. "On behalf of the UK, I send condolences to all those who have lost relatives or been injured."

European Union president Herman Van Rompuy said he was "outraged by this criminal act. I call for those behind the suicide bomb to be tracked down and punished."

US President Barack Obama said through press spokesman Robert Gibbs: "I strongly condemn this outrageous act."

cgh -- with wire reports


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## George Wallace (25 Jan 2011)

Moscow Terror Attack

 Woman terrorist may be behind Moscow airport bombing
By ASSOCIATED PRESS AND JPOST.COM STAFF  
01/25/2011 18:09 


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*Video shows woman, accompanied by man, opening suitcase right prior to explosion; Officials say attack done in North Caucasus scheme.*

The terror attack that was carried out at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport Monday may have been caused by two suicide bombers, one female, a law enforcement source said to official Russian news outlet Ria Novostri. According to the source "The blast occurred when a suspected female terrorist opened a bag. She was accompanied by a man whose head was ripped off by the explosion."

Both bombers died in the explosion that ripped through the international baggage-claim at 4:32 p.m., killing 35 and wounding up to 170 people.  The blast, which was equivalent to 5 kilograms of TNT, was packed with shrapnel to cause the most possible damage. 

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"The terror attack was done according to a scheme that is used by terrorists from the North Caucasus region," the law enforcement source added. "The [2004] blasts at the Rizhskaya subway station and other explosions in the Moscow metro [2010] were carried out similarly, when the terrorists were accompanied by militants."

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday that officials of the Moscow airport where a suicide bombing killed 35 people must bear responsibility for security failures there, but airport management contend Russian transport police were in charge.

The finger-pointing could further undermine confidence in Russia's security as Medvedev prepares for an appearance at the high-profile World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to try to attract investors.

Two Britons, a German and a Bulgarian were among the those killed  in the Monday afternoon explosion at Domodedovo Airport, according to the Emergencies Ministry. A further 110 people, including nine foreigners, were hospitalized with injuries, the ministry said.

No claims of responsibility for the blast have been issued, although Islamic militants in the southern Russian region of Chechnya have been blamed for previous attacks in Moscow, including a double suicide bombing on the capital's subway system in March 2010 that resulted in 40 deaths. If Monday's attack was by Chechen insurgents, it could indicate an ominous new strategy because unlike previous attacks it targeted an area where foreign citizens were likely to be victims.

"What happened shows that obviously there were violations in guaranteeing security. And it should be answered for by those who make decisions there and by the management of the airport," Medvedev said in comments released by the Kremlin on Tuesday.


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