News: Europe

Immigration

Germany deports Iraqi over ‘terror’ suspicion The 20-year-old was suspected of planning a 'terrorist attack' targeting a Christmas market in eastern Germany. He has been permanently banned from reentering the country.

December 16, 2023   

(Deutsche Welle) A 20-year-old Iraqi has been deported back to his home country after German authorities suspected he was planning a “terrorist attack,” Germany’s Interior Ministry announced on Saturday. The Interior Ministry of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt accused the unnamed man of […]

Legal

Man accused of terror spying trip to London claims he took video of TV station in ‘wonder’ of architecture Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 31, is on trial at the Old Bailey charged with attempting to collect information useful for terrorism. He claims he was 'in wonder' at the architecture in West London and was 'set up.'

December 14, 2023   

(Sky News) A Chechen-born man accused of being an “international terrorist” conducting hostile reconnaissance against a dissident Iranian TV station in West London has claimed he was “set up.” Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 31, is accused of conducting surveillance on Iran International at the […]

Law Enforcement

Cage director banned from entering Switzerland to address meeting at UN Muhammad Rabbani held overnight after being stopped at Geneva Airport in latest incident which he says is a consequence of France adding his name to a European no-entry database

December 13, 2023   

(Middle East Eye) Border authorities in Switzerland have stopped the director of a UK-based human rights group from entering the country to address a meeting at the United Nations office in Geneva “after a request from France.” Posting on social media on […]

Children & Teens

UK repatriates one woman and five children from northeastern Syria The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the AANES have repeatedly urged foreign countries to repatriate their citizens stuck in Syria.

December 12, 2023   

(Kurdistan 24) The Kurdish-led civilian Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES)’s Foreign Relations Department announced on Tuesday that they recently handed over a woman and five children to a delegation from the United Kingdom. In a video statement read by […]

Government & Politics

Germany’s CDU redefines stance on Islam in new manifesto Under Friedrich Merz, Germany's Christian Democratic Union is revising its manifesto, sparking controversy with its new stance on Islam and migration. The party's new direction marks a departure from the Merkel era.

December 12, 2023   

(Deutsche Welle) The new color scheme a few months back was only a cosmetic step. Now, Germany’s center-right Christian Democrats are going under the hood. For the first time since 2007, the party that ruled Germany for most of the republic’s young […]

Legal

Russian-speaking man accused of ‘hostile reconnaissance’ for TV station terror attack told police he was sightseeing in London Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev told security guards outside Iran International's former headquarters in Chiswick that he was in the area to visit a friend and to go sightseeing in London.

December 12, 2023   

(Sky News) A Russian-speaking man accused of conducting hostile reconnaissance for a terrorist attack on a dissident Iranian TV station in West London told police he was on a weekend sightseeing visit in the capital, a court has heard. Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 31, […]

Demonstrations

Denmark’s Quran-burning ban draws sharp criticism Denmark now bows to the demands of dictatorial Middle Eastern regimes, Danish People’s Party MP Mikkel Bjørn Sørensen said.

December 11, 2023   

(European Conservative) The decision taken by the left-liberal majority in the Danish parliament, the Folketing, late last week to ban public Quran burning has garnered sharp criticism from both domestic politicians and political leaders in neighboring Scandinavian countries, with many arguing the […]

Children & Teens

Austria arrests 16-year-old on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack The teenager was allegedly planning an attack against a synagogue in Vienna, authorities have said.

December 11, 2023   

(Local) Austrian authorities have arrested a 16-year-old boy from Upper Austria on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack against a synagogue in Vienna. The arrest was made last Thursday, December 7th, and the teenager is in custody. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) […]

Legal

Man ‘spied on HQ of London-based TV channel Iran International to help terror plotters’ Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 31, told security guards outside the channel's headquarters that he was in the area to visit a friend. But he was later arrested by police after he was seen filming the building on his mobile phone, a court was told.

December 11, 2023   

(Sky News) An Austrian man is on trial accused of carrying out “hostile reconnaissance” of a TV station in London that was potentially being targeted for a terrorist attack. Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev is said to have tried to covertly film security arrangements outside […]

Interfaith

Planned attack against Jews in Cyprus thwarted The recent arrest of two Iranians in [Cyprus] highlight[s] vulnerabilities and diplomatic challenges for the Republic

December 10, 2023   

(Kathimerini) The Cypriot police arrested two Iranians last month, alleging their connection to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards of Iran (IRGC), targeting Jewish citizens in Cyprus. The individuals are currently in custody, with a deportation warrant. This marks the third incident in the […]

Crime

Pro-Palestine group who confronted Starmer in Scotland praised Hamas’ 7 October atrocities Two people were charged after the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign urged activists to confront Labour leader in Glasgow on Thursday

December 8, 2023   

(Jewish News) A pro-Palestine group who confronted Keir Starmer as he arrived in Glasgow for a speaking event issued a statement on the day of the 7 October Hamas terror attacks in Israel praising them as “remarkable gains made by the Palestinian […]

Academics & Education

Paty murder trial shines a light on France’s democracy Six minors are standing trial in Paris for their alleged role in the killing of a teacher. But some feel the authorities are missing this opportunity to examine the state of freedom of expression in France.

December 7, 2023   

(Deutsche Welle) The killing of French history teacher Samuel Paty on October 16, 2020, left the country in deep shock. And yet, some feel the first court case on the alleged role of six minors in the attack is failing to bring about […]

Academics & Education

Sweden shuts down publicly funded school over jihad links The shutdown comes amid a longstanding debate on scrapping all faith-based schools in Sweden.

December 7, 2023   

(European Conservative) Swedish authorities have shut down a school in Stockholm after the Swedish security police Säpo produced evidence that the students attending the school were at risk of becoming radicalised as several staff members have ties to jihadism. The Swedish Schools […]

Citizenship

Germany: CDU fears Islamist bloc as millions of Turkish migrants to be granted voting rights Progressive plans to naturalise millions of migrants, many of them Turkish, [are] unsettling German conservatives as Turkey continues its collision course with the West.

December 7, 2023   

(European Conservative) New German citizenship laws that expand voting rights to up to 2.5 million recent migrants are unnerving even the usually complacent CDU, with one conservative lawmaker airing fears that the new arrangement could enable a potential Islamist bloc to attain […]

Children & Teens

ISIS propaganda seducing ‘new generation of teenagers’: French domestic intel Security chief warns Islamist ideology is likely to exist for a very long time to come.

December 6, 2023   

(Politico) A new generation of French teenagers is being wooed by the Islamic State terrorist group — infamous for its on-camera immolations of captives in Iraq — and seems ominously susceptible to the group’s propaganda, according to the head of France’s DGSI […]

Interfaith

Germany on guard against terrorism Against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war and one-off attacks closer to home, German authorities are confronting a 'complex threat situation.' Some observers warn against exaggerating the danger.

December 5, 2023   

(Deutsche Welle) A handful of isolated but high-profile incidents have put politically motivated crime high on Germany’s security agenda. The renewed fears follow a German tourist getting stabbed to death in Paris last weekend, allegedly by a man with a history of criminal […]

Demonstrations

MOT: Russia planned Islamophobic campaigns in Finland, Sweden to delay Nato membership The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) confirms that they were aware of the Russian intelligence service's plans to incite such demonstrations.

December 4, 2023   

(Yle) Russia made plans to disrupt Finland and Sweden’s accession to joining Nato, according to a secret intelligence report obtained by an Yle MOT investigation. The report found that a Russian intelligence service planned to organise disruption campaigns disguised as demonstrations before […]