Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2014 Part 17-17-The Deep Battle against the West

By Capt (Ret) C de Waart, feel free to share: in Confidence

"This is what will cause the battle to be transported to the hearts of your own homes; because Muslims will not stand idly by and watch Muslims be bombed and killed in their countries, while you are safe on your countries. The price of war will not be paid by your

leaders alone1…

The attack's goal was to "send a message to states, particularly those who are part of the international coalition fighting groups like IS, that they are now vulnerable," said Lina Khatib, director of the Carnegie Middle East Centre think-tank.. "The fact that the attackers chose a central area in Paris is very symbolic... the invoking of vengeance for the prophet is just an excuse," she added. Both ISIS and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the jihadist network's powerful branch in Yemen, have called on followers to target France specifically. In September, ISIS spokesperson Abu Mohamed al-Adnani singled out France in a message urging followers to kill "disbelievers". And AQAP's Inspire magazine both urged attacks against France and put Charlie Hebdo editor-in-chief Stephane Charbonnier, who was killed Wednesday, on a "Most Wanted" list. If AQAP was involved, even indirectly, in Wednesday’s attack, it would be the group’s biggest success outside the Middle East in quite a while. And coming at a time when international attention has shifted to al-Qaida’s hostile erstwhile allies ISIS—with that group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, directly challenging Zawahiri’s leadership of the international jihadist movement— If involved, it’s a sign that al-Qaida is still far from contained. Jihadist sympathisers have expressed their approval of the attack online. Max Abrahms, a political science professor at Northeastern University, said jihadists would rally around it regardless. "This attack will be seen as successful and when terrorist groups give the appearance that they're successful, it means an easier time for them in terms of attracting volunteers and recruiting".

Paris attack highlights Europe's struggle with Islamism. (BBC 7 Jan) The battle within Islam itself between Sunni and Shia, so evident in the wars of the Middle East, and the fight between extremist interpretations of Islam such as those of Islamic State and Muslims who wish to practice their religion in peace, is now being played out on the streets of Europe with potentially devastating consequences for social cohesion. These latest shootings may be the work of "lone wolves" but their consequences will ripple across Europe and provoke much soul-searching about the failure of integration over the past decades. France has already seen much more violence on its streets carried out in the name of religion over the past decades, although it has tried to write off most of its recent "lone wolf" attacks as the acts of mentally-unhinged individuals. Today, mainstream Muslim organisations in the UK and France have unequivocally condemned the killings, saying that terrorism is an affront to Islam. But the potential backlash, including support for far right parties and groups, may well hurt ordinary Muslims more than anyone else, leaving the authorities and religious leaders in western

1 28 Sep 2014, The leader of Al Qaeda’s Syria affiliate vowed Sunday that his group would “use all possible means” to fight back against airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition and warned that the conflict would reach Western countries joining the alliance. In a 25-minute audio recording, Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani warned Western countries against taking part in the alliance in words that echoed those of the late founder of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. “This is what will cause the battle to be transported to the hearts of your own homes; because Muslims will not stand idly by and watch Muslims be bombed and killed in their countries while you are safe on your countries,” he said. “The price of war will not be paid by your leaders alone. You will pay the biggest price.” He also portrayed the U.S.-led coalition as a “Crusader alliance” against Sunni Muslims and vowed to fight back.

Europe wondering how to confront violence in the name of religion without victimizing minorities or being accused of 'Islamophobia'. "This attack was designed to cause shock in the international community," said Lina Khatib, director of the Carnegie Middle East Centre think-tank. "The 'spectacular' manner in which it was executed is intended to show the influence of jihadist movements in Europe," she said. It remains unclear whether the attackers who killed 12 people on Wednesday have direct ties to groups like the Islamic State organisation in Iraq and Syria or al-Qaeda. No jihadist group has yet claimed responsibility for masterminding the assault. But Max Abrahms, a political science professor at Northeastern University, said jihadists would rally around it regardless. "There is no question that ISIS and other jihadist groups will tout this attack as a success that should be replicated," he said.

(SITE) The reported January 7, 2014 attack by three unidentified gunmen2 on the office of "Charlie Hebdo," a French satirical newspaper known for publishing material mocking radical Islamists, has triggered widespread celebration across the online jihadist community—particularly on Twitter. The pro-Islamic State (IS) Afriqiyah Media praised the gunmen involved in the deadly attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France, and lauded their "highly professional degree". After the deadly assault by gunmen on the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, jihadists redistributed a November 2014 video from the Islamic State (IS) inciting for lone-wolf attacks in France.

7 Jan 2015, Gunmen have attacked the Paris office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing (12) people and injuring seven, French officials say. Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly has drawn repeated threats for its caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, among other controversial sketches. At least two masked attackers opened fire with assault rifles in the office and exchanged shots with police in the street outside before escaping by car. President Francois Hollande said there was no doubt it had been a terrorist attack "of exceptional barbarity". A major police operation is under way in the Paris area to catch the killers. The latest tweet on Charlie Hebdo's account was a cartoon of the Islamic State militant group leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. An eyewitness, Benoit Bringer, told French TV channel Itele: "Two black-hooded men entered the building with Kalashnikovs. "A few minutes later we heard lots of shots." The men were then seen fleeing the building.

LWJ, THOMAS JOSCELYN January 7, 20153 The identities and backgrounds of the terrorists who assaulted Charlie Hebdo, a French magazine, are still unknown. The Long War Journal cautions against drawing conclusions at this early stage. Al Qaeda has taken notice of the magazine, arguing that members of its staff should be targeted for their role in publishing controversial material. The tenth issue of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's Inspire magazine, for example, includes a "Wanted" poster that is headlined, "Dead or Alive For Crimes Against Islam." The poster is intended to encourage followers to shoot eleven people, all of whom have supposedly offended Islam. One of the men listed is Stephane Charbonnier, the editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo. According to news accounts, Charbonnier was killed during today's attack. He had been living under police protection because of previous threats against his life. Citing a witness to the terrorist attack, the Telegraph (UK) reports that the terrorists responsible said they were from al Qaeda in Yemen. In October 2012, al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn mentioned the magazine in an audio message. The SITE Intelligence Group points out that jihadists from other groups, including Ansar Bayt al

2 http://pamelageller.com/2015/01/heres-what-we-know-about-the-terrorist-background-of-the-paris-jihad-mass-murders.html/3 http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/01/al_qaeda_and_other_j.php

Maqdis (ABM) and Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab, have also taken note of the French magazine. A faction of ABM in the Sinai has sworn loyalty to the Islamic State's Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, while other parts of the group reportedly are loyal to al Qaeda. Again, it is too early to tell if the terrorists were members or followers of al Qaeda, the Islamic State, or completely separate from those two groups. The Long War Journal is not drawing any conclusions based on previous threats. More evidence is needed to firmly establish the terrorists' identities. // Gunmen armed with assault rifles shouted "'we have avenged the prophet" and "Allahu akbar 4," or God is greatest, as they stormed the headquarters of the magazine that has in the past published irreverent cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed and the emir of the Islamic State. Two independent witnesses said the attackers claimed to be from al Qaeda. Witness claims that the attackers were armed with a rocket-launcher and said they were from the terror group Corinne Rey, a cartoonist who was forced to let the attackers into the building, said that "[t]hey spoke French perfectly; they said they we're al Qaeda," The London Evening Standard reported. Cédric Le Béchec, another witness, stated that one of the attackers said "Tell the media that this is al Qaeda in the Yemen," a reference to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, according to The Telegraph. // Debkafile: This act of terror raised a whole new set of concerns. The gunmen conducted themselves in the calm, deliberate manner of trained professional soldiers, rather than crazed suicidal jihadis. Their combat experience was evident, whether from fighting in the Islamic State’s battles in Iraq and Syria or other Islamist arenas. DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources note that this attack was the first instance in the war of terror, that Islamists murdered Western journalists for their views on religion in the heart of a West European capital. Shouting "Allahu Akhbar!" and “We have avenged the Prophet’s honor!” they left the building and sped past a police force in the street, shooting accurately at the windscreens of their vehicles. // If the attackers are confirmed as Islamist extremists, it will be the latest tragic example of the growing threat posed by radical Islam in Europe. Nearly 400 French extremists are fighting alongside jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, according to French officials last month, with more on their way. Meanwhile, 234 have left the conflict zone, with 185 now back in France. // Stéphane Charbonnier, the Charlie Hebdo publishing director and cartoonist, was on an al Qaeda "wanted" list and lived under police protection. // The bearing of the gunmen who stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo suggested they had received at least some military training, according to security analysts. They appeared calm throughout the attack, fired single or double shots rather than panicked bursts of automatic fire, and the careful pattern of bullet holes in the windscreen of the police car shot at during the attack hinted at training. Some of the analysts said the way they conducted themselves, their refusal to panic when the police arrived and their successful getaway indicated they had rehearsed the attack. “They were very professional, very organised. It was well-timed. You can’t pull off something like this without military training,” said former US army lieutenant-colonel Tony Shaffer, who was CIA-trained and worked as an intelligence officer with special forces in Afghanistan. // Investigators were on Wednesday night examining statements from two witnesses claiming the men who launched the attack had said they were from “core” al-Qaida, founded by the late 1980s and operating from Pakistan, or one of its more recently created affiliates.

4 http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/01/jihadists_who_attack.php

8 Jan, Officials remained worried about the growing strength of hardline, ultra-conservative forms of Islamic practice in France, particularly in poorer areas and in prisons. As elsewhere in Europe, French counter-terrorist agencies have struggled to contain apparently random “lone wolf” attackers. Brothers Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi, both in their 30s, and Hamyd Mourad, 18, are believed to be behind the attack. Mourad is reported to have surrendered following anti-terror raids in Reims, but two men remain at large. Reports in France have claimed one of the brothers had previously been tried on terrorism charges. They are believed to be linked to a Yemeni terrorist network, backed up by the testimony of one witness who told reporters he heard the gunmen shouting: "You can tell the media that it's al Qaeda in Yemen". // Police in France have made seven arrests as they hunt for two named suspects over the deadly attack in Paris on staff at a satirical magazine. The seven, thought to be associates or family of the suspects, were detained in the towns of Reims and Charleville-Mezieres, as well as in the Paris area. // BBC, There has been much media focus on the last tweet sent from the @Charlie_Hebdo_ account before the attack which killed 12 and left several more seriously injured. The tweet showed a cartoon image of the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and came with a puzzling caption: "Best wishes. To you too, Al-Baghdadi." To which the al-Baghdadi is depicted as replying: "And especially good health." As we reported earlier, the tweet was time stamped Wednesday morning, Paris time. It's not clear whether it was sent before or just after the attack began, but it was posted before news of the shootings broke. // DEBKAfile Special Report Jan 8, 2015, Two French brothers of Algerian origin, Said, 34, and Cherfi, Kouachi, 32, are still at large after murdering 12 people at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris Wednesday, Jan. 7. The third and youngest of the three wanted Islamist killers, Hamyd Mourad, 18, turned himself in to the police at the Charleville Mezieres station, 230 km northwest of Paris. The police quickly identified the gunmen by an identity card left in their getaway car. The two men, armed and dangerous, are feared heading to continue their murderous campaign in France or neighboring European countries.

8 Jan, NATO, which was at loggerheads with Russia over the Ukrainian crisis, will be seeking ‘a more cooperative and constructive relationship’ with Moscow in the fight against terror, the block’s chief said after Wednesday’s deadly attack in Paris. Russia “should be an ally in the fight against terrorism,” Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, stated during his visit to the Bavarian town of Kreuth. “That’s why we still strive for a more cooperative and constructive relationship with Russia. We think it is important that Russia, which is our biggest neighbor in Europe, and NATO are working together on important issues like fighting terror,” the NATO head is cited as saying by Bloomberg. He also labeled the killing of 12 people by Islamist gunmen at the French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, as “an attack on the free press, on free opinion and on our open societies.”

Cees: 31 January 2013 5 Al Qaeda has issued a new threat to carry out 'earth-shattering, shocking and terrifying' attacks on the U.S. and Europe. In a posting on a jihadist website, the terror group said the 'coming strikes' would target the 'heart of the land of non-belief' as well as countries aiding France in its crackdown on rebels in Mali. The message, posted on the Ansar al Mujahideen network carried the headline: 'Map of Al Qaeda and its future strikes'. It says: 'Where will the next strike by al Qaeda be? 'The answer for it, in short: The coming strikes by al Qaeda, with God’s Might, will be in the heart of the land of nonbelief, America, and in France, Denmark, other countries in Europe, in the countries that helped and are helping France, and in other places that shall be named by al Qaeda at other times.' The

5 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2271146/Al-Qaeda-issues-new-threat-carry-earth-shattering-terrifying-attacks-U-S-Europe.html

message, translated by The Washington Times, says the attacks will be 'strong, serious, alarming, earth-shattering, shocking and terrifying.' Two months ago, a group of French members of Islamic State put out a video 6 calling on Muslims to conduct terror attacks on French soil and offering them direct operational support. This morning, their calls were answered. Obviously, the attack coming so soon after the video may be coincidental. But surely one focus of the coming investigation will have to be on the question of whether the attackers took IS up on its offers of direct assistance. “If you are unable to come to Syria or Iraq, then pledge allegiance in your place -- pledge allegiance in France ,” a French jihadi identified as Abu Salman al-Faranci says in the video. “Operate within France. Terrorize them and do not allow them to sleep due to fear and horror.” “What Are You Waiting For?” Do you not look around you?”

Middle East Dec. 20, 2014 | ISIS has executed 100 foreigners trying to quit: reportLONDON: ISIS has executed 100 of its own foreign fighters who tried to flee their headquarters in the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Financial Times newspaper said Saturday.An activist opposed to both ISIS and the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is well-known to the British business broadsheet, said he had "verified 100 executions" of foreign ISIS fighters trying to leave the jihadist group's de facto capital. ISIS fighters in Raqqa said the group had created a military police to clamp down on foreign fighters who do not report for duty. Dozens of homes have been raided and many jihadists have been arrested, the FT reported. Some jihadists have become disillusioned with the realities of fighting in Syria, reports have said.

-Crisis response is not a contingency plan in the global war on terrorism. -- Today, transnational terrorist groups (Iran:Hezbollah:AlQaeda) are now partnering with cartels, as a support vehicle for the sleeper cell and lone wolf terrorist level across the globe. -- Transnational Threats: National Security: HRI:H-II OPSEC. 2 December 2014. 15,000 terrorists from 80 countries (White House), trained in WMD terrorism, have established (1) sleeper cells in home countries, with lone wolf capabilities, (2) CBRNE weapons support by transnational crime networks (counterfeit goods, drug, human trafficking, wildlife crime), and (3) chemical weapons production capabilities. World leaders focus on Senate Minority Report (PDF) and the CIA Rebuttal (PDF) were released on December 9th\

The violent conclusion to Monday's Dec 15, 20147, Australian hostage taking terrorist siege was inevitable. The terrorist Man Haron Monis was killed as the Sydney police S.W.A.T. team stormed the café where he was holed up. Last month, Monis pledged his allegiance to ISIS and renounced his Shiite heritage in an online posting that since has been taken down. Our organization, the Investigative Project on Terrorism, retrieved the page and translated it. Monis wrote: Pledge of allegiance [to ISIS] of Sheikh Haron“Allegiance with Allah and His Messenger, and the Commander of the Faithful – I pledge allegiance to Allah and His Messenger and the Caliph of the Muslims”“Praise be to Allah and prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and all his companions, and those who follow them and peace be upon the Commander of the Faithful, the Caliph of the Muslims, the Imam of our current era, and praise be to  Allah, who made for us a Caliph of the Earth and an imam who summons us to Islam and holds fast to the Rope of Allah Almighty and praise be to Allah  that I have had the honor to pledge allegiance to the  Imam of our time. Those who swear allegiance to the Caliph of the Muslims are just swearing allegiance to Allah and His Messenger….”His website also contained rants against the Australian government for their involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.6 http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-01-07/did-this-islamic-state-video-inspire-the-paris-attacks7 http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/12/15/sydney-hostage-crisis-coming-to-theater-near-america/

Flag used in Sydney cafe siege8 used by Syrian extremist group Jabhat al-Nusra and linked to terror group Al Qaeda has message 'There is no God but Allah' According to Australian National Security guidelines issued by the Federal Government, Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) sent operatives to Syria in late 2011 for the purpose of establishing Jabhat al-Nusra to fight the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.  The group publicly announced its presence in Syria in a January 2012 video statement. In early April 2013, Jabhat al-Nusra pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and confirmed the group has received funding and operatives from AQI. The stated aims of Jabhat al-Nusra, or JN, are to remove the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and once this is achieved, to replace it with a Sunni Islamic state. Although the group is affiliated with Al Qaeda, JN has previously not emphasised an attack Western targets or global jihad, focusing instead on the ‘near enemy’ of the Syrian state.   The Australian Government says the group has received direct endorsement from online extremist forums aligned with Al Qaeda and leading jihadist figures, but that previously JN had attempted to play down its extremist ideology and conceal its links to AQI to avoid alienating the Syrian population.  Jabhat al-Nusra releases videos of its attacks and operations through its media network al-Manara al-Bayda (the White Minaret).  Jabhat al-Nusra also intends to establish an Islamist caliphate across the Levantine region (the Middle East). It believes the fight against the Syrian regime is supported by religious texts, and its fighters hope to fulfill 'God's wish' for an 'Islamic caliphate'. Through the experiences of its members who have fought in Iraq and the group's close links to AQI's leadership, Jabhat al-Nusra has reportedly been careful to avoid the most brutal practices of other extremist groups such as al-Qa'ida and ISIS - beheadings, sectarian violence and indiscriminate civilian casualties. Abu-Muhammad al-Jawlani (an alias) is the leader of JN and has links to AQI. He was injured in Syria in April last year. Despite efforts by AQI leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Husseini al-Qurashi to merge with JN, al-Jawlanihas resisted.

Reports indicate that a gunman dressed in Al Qaeda or “Islamic State” (ISIS) attire has taken hostages in a cafe in the Australian city of Sydney9. Demands made by the gunman include being allowed to contact Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and bringing him the Al Qaeda/ISIS flag.  The latest incident should be examined in the context of ISIS’ genesis and the source of its ability to seemingly menace the entire planet with violence and acts of terrorism with seemingly inexhaustible resources. The United States, Saudi Arabia, Israel and several other European and Middle Eastern partners openly conspired to use Al Qaeda as a regional mercenary force in a proxy war against Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah in Lebanon as far back as 2007. Having then materialized this force in 2011 and having openly trained, armed, funded, equipped, and harbored this terrorist force since then – up to and including today – the “Sydney Siege” is but the latest, predictable fallout from the West’s global state-sponsored terrorism. The so-called “Islamic State” – neither “Islamic” nor a “state” – is in reality simply a rebrand of Al Qaeda – Al Qaeda itself the terrorist front created by US and Saudi intelligence agencies as part of another covert, proxy war – then, against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. At least half of Australia’s Muslims live in Sydney’s western suburbs, which were transformed in the mid-1970s from white working-class enclaves into majority-Muslim outposts by a surge of immigration from Lebanon. As evidence of this “rebrand,” nearly all organizations from North Africa, across the Middle East, and their affiliates in southern Russia, Central Asia, and even China which had previously operated either affiliated to or directly under the banner of Al Qaeda have seamlessly realigned themselves with

8 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2873959/Flag-used-Martin-Place-cafe-siege-belongs-Syrian-extremist-group-Jabhat-al-Nusra-preaches-jihad-links-terror-groups-ISIS-Al-Qaeda.html9 http://www.globalresearch.ca/al-qaeda-in-australia-americas-terrorist-mercenaries-wreck-havoc-in-sydney/5419930

ISIS. These groups include Libyan terrorist organizations such as the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) – both of whom received NATO air cover, weapons, and cash during the West’s 2011 bid to reorder the nation of Libya. In all, from attempting to directly overthrow the Syrian government with a massive, regional armed terrorist front, to using this front as a pretext for direct military intervention, the story of ISIS’ rise is also the story of America’s hegemonic designs across the greater Middle East. The campaign of destruction across Syria and in neighboring countries is but one Western objective ISIS helps serve – the other is manipulating public perception through staged terror threats worldwide to create a climate of fear across the West and build support for expanding direct military intervention in both Syria and Iraq. One must ask themselves, who truly possesses the ability – financially, strategically, tactically, and logistically – to conduct a regional war spanning three nations all while planning and carrying out terror attacks globally from the US to Australia?  The answer is, the same interests that plotted to destroy US civilian airliners to provoke a war with Cuba in the 1960′s and carried out an extensive terrorist campaign across Europe during the Cold War to frame the Soviet Union and its sympathizers while advancing its own political agenda among member nations. The answer is the US, NATO, and their allies.Sydney is ISIS Heaven – and the Government Knew for Decades; A torrent of fighters in Syria have streamed into the country from Sydney, Australia. Reuters would explain why in an article titled, “Crime and gangs: the path to battle for Australia’s Islamist radicals,” stating that: And among these “outposts” have come many fighters eagerly seeking to join US-backed violence in Syria. Clearly within Sydney exists networks for indoctrinating and recruiting fighters – a network not only well known to Australian security agencies for literally decades, but most likely run directly by them and their American and British counterparts. The infiltration of mosques across the West and their use in co-opting and directing operations to advance foreign and domestic policy is a matter of documented fact. British MI5 regularly infiltrates and co-opts Muslim leaders, cultivating and then co-opting radicals. The BBC would report in its article, “Abu Hamza trial: Defence claims radical worked with MI5,” that: Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri acted as a secret intermediary with MI5, his lawyers have claimed. The Egyptian-born preacher, on trial in New York charged with terror offences, claims he was tasked to “keep the streets of London safe”. It is not the first time he has made the claim, having previously said that MI5 first contacted him in 1997. Evidence to prove Abu Hamza’s defense was predictably ruled “inadmissible,” For Australia, as early as 2005, then Prime Minister John Howard would openly advocate similar infiltrations. In a Bloomberg report titled, “Australia’s Howard Says Govt May Infiltrate Mosques, Schools,” it stated: Australian Prime Minister John Howard [right] said the government may infiltrate mosques, prayer halls and schools to detect any teaching of the “virtues of terrorism.” “We have a right to know whether there is, within any section of the Islamic community, a preaching of the virtues of terrorism,” Howard told Radio 6PR in Perth when asked if the government was prepared to “get inside” mosques, prayer halls and schools. Or, “whether any comfort or harbor is given to terrorism within that community.” : In 2005, then PM John Howard wanted Australia’s mosques infiltrated. In the US and UK, most “radicals” are approached and manipulated for months or even years by handlers from security agencies. After extensive police raids netting numerous suspects in September 2014, and with Australia both supportive and complicit in the West’s growing surveillance grid, global audiences are

expected to believe this latest event was spontaneous, unpredictable, and unpreventable, rather than a product of a radical community first scoured for recruits for the West’s proxy

war, and now being used to stir up support for direct Western military intervention in that failed war.

Previously Staged “Sting” Operations May Shed Light on “Sydney Siege”  US  terror operations literally engineered by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) bear a striking resemblance to the terror event in Sydney and may offer clues as to how it was really planned, by whom, and for what purpose. It was also in September of this year that the FBI “foiled” its own “ISIS” terror attack. The FBI’s own official press release stated (emphasis added): According to court records, Elfgeeh attempted to provide material support to ISIS in the form of personnel, namely three individuals, two of whom were cooperating with the FBI. Elfgeeh attempted to assist all three individuals in traveling to Syria to join and fight on behalf of ISIS. Elfgeeh also plotted to shoot and kill members of the United States military who had returned from Iraq. As part of the plan to kill soldiers, Elfgeeh purchased two handguns equipped with firearm silencers and ammunition from a confidential source. The handguns were made inoperable by the FBI before the confidential source gave them to Elfgeeh. A recent “ISIS” attack in Canada also included a suspect already known to both US and Canadian security agencies, who by all accounts should have already been arrested. His successful execution of a terror shooting appears to simply have been an entrapment operation where he received a functional weapon and a green light instead of a weapon made inoperable before being arrested.

December 08, 2014 The German authorities are concerned about the radicalization of the country's Chechen diaspora population, according to local media reports. Around 500 Germans are thought to be fighting in Syria with the Islamic State (IS) group. According to Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, many of the Germans in Syria have an immigrant background.  Social-media accounts belonging to Russian-speaking militants in Syria have revealed that a number of Chechens from diaspora communities in Germany and Austria are fighting in Syria, including with the IS group, as well as with Chechen-led factions. At least one of Germany's Chechen diaspora, a Russian-speaking militant who goes by the name Adam al-Almani ("the German") is fighting with Islamic State in Kobani as part of the Chechen-led Al-Aqsa Brigade. Among the ethnic Chechen militants known to have come to Syria via Austria are Abu Abdullakh al-Shishani (real name Khamzat Achishvili). Originally from Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, Achishvili spent most of his life in Austria before going to Syria. In Syria, Achishvili reportedly married the daughter of Chechnya's Federal Migration Service, Seda Dudurkayeva, before his death last summer.  However, German news reports say the authorities are particularly concerned about Chechens from the diaspora in Germany fighting with the Junud al-Sham faction in Latakia. That faction is led by an ethnic Chechen from the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia, Muslim Abu Walid al-Shishani (Murad Margoshvili). Muslim al-Shishani is a veteran jihadi who fought in the second Russo-Chechen war alongside prominent Arab foreign fighters Ibn al-Khattab and Abu al-Walid. German news reports, based on the December 7 edition of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine" newspaper, say that an ethnic Chechen from Bavaria had been killed fighting alongside Junud al-Sham, but did not say when or give the man's name. The reports quoted an anonymous source in the German domestic security agency as saying that Muslim al-Shishani is an "idol for the Islamist scene in Germany." The reports also claimed that around a quarter of the approximately 40 cases brought against German nationals for support of jihadist groups in Syria are related to support for Junud al-Sham. A 31-year-old German man arrested in the Cologne area in November was suspected of helping recruit Germans to fight with militant groups in Syria, including the Islamic State

group and Junud al-Sham.  Until recently, German-speaking supporters of Muslim al-Shishani and Junud al-Sham published propaganda material about the group in German. These supporters also produced a German-language version of a biographical video that told the story of Muslim al-Shishani's past life as a militant in the North Caucasus, where he was affiliated to the Caucasus Emirate. In September, the U.S. State Department designated Junud al-Sham leader Muslim al-Shishani a foreign terrorist fighter. The State Department announced that Muslim al-Shishani is "a well-known Chechen leader in Syria who built a terrorist training base in Syria near the Turkish border, where newly arrived foreign fighters received combat training. He is also the leader of Junud al-Sham, a militant group that fights alongside other extremist groups in Syria." It is likely that the designation was at least in part a result of the influence of Muslim al-Shishani and his group in Germany and Austria. Muslim al-Shishani has also served time in prison in Ingushetia in the North Caucasus on charges of involvement in an illegal armed group. He was arrested in 2003, sentenced in 2004, and released in 2006.

Al Nusrah Front claims use of UN vehicle in suicide bombingBy CALEB WEISSDecember 7, 2014 The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, has released photos purporting to show its fighters using a United Nations armored personnel carrier as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED). The photos were released today on the official Twitter account for Al Nusrah's southern Syria operations. The photos show Al Nusrah fighters operating the South African-made RG-31 armored personnel carrier, as well as the vehicle being driven to its destination by a fighter named Abu Khattab al Muhajir ("the Emigrant"). The last photo shows a massive explosion as the vehicle detonates on regime positions in the city of Sheikh Miskeen in Daraa province. In late August, the Al Nusrah Front, along with fighters from Ahrar al Sham and te Western-backed Syrian Revolutionaries Front, took over the Quneitra border crossing with the Israeli-held Golan Heights. During the offensive, 43 Fijian UN peacekeepers were captured by Al Nusrah. The peacekeepers were eventually released, but it is likely that Al Nusrah took UN vehicles when the peacekeepers were taken captive.

Canadian ISIS member calls for attacks against his countryPublished time: December 08, 2014 An Ottawa native-turned-extremist appeared in a video where he rebukes the Canadian government for participating in the fight against the Islamic State, while calling on Muslims to carry out attacks on Canadian soil.In the six-minute video, a young man who identifies himself as Abu Anwar al-Canadi is seen standing before the ruins of a building, with a mosque in the background. He proceeds to tell his fellow Canadians that they have “absolutely no right to live in a state of safety and security” when the Canadian government is presently “carrying out atrocities” against the adherents of the Islamic faith, he said, in comments reprinted by the National Post. Attacks on Canadian soil “where it hurts you the most” should not come as a surprise to Canadians, the video states. The man in the video has been identified as John Maguire, 24, who reportedly converted to Islam before leaving his homeland sometime last year. Maguire, who reportedly left the University of Ottawa before graduation, speaks perfect English in the brief declamation. The video – like so many others before it - was picked up by the SITE Intelligence Group, a private agency co-founded by Rita Katz that tracks extremist website activity. The piece was reportedly produced by a “propaganda group” connected to Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL], although SITE does not provide the name of the group. Abu Anwar al-Canadi, one of the dozens of Canadians thought to have joined extremist groups in Iraq and Syria, called on Canadians to “follow the example” of the attackers who struck in Ottawa and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, in October. On October 22, 2014, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau fatally shot a sentry at the Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa. He then drove to the parliament building where members of the Parliament of Canada were in session. Zehaf-Bibeau ran inside the building and was killed by the Commons Sergeant at Arms. Two days earlier, a man used his car to run over two Canadian soldiers in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, killing one. Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, who had seen the video, said terrorism continues to be a threat to Canadians. “That is why we are taking part in the coalition that is currently conducting air strikes,” Blaney said, as quoted by Reuters "Terrorism remains a real and serious threat to Canadians, which is why we must remain vigilant." Canada has sent six fighter jets to Kuwait to participate in airstrikes against the IS in Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, the Canadian Embassy in Cairo announced it would be closed until further notice due to security concerns.

A message on the embassy's website read, "The ability to provide consular services may occasionally be limited for short periods due to unsettled security conditions."