News: Europe – Page 79 – Eye on Islamism

Humza Yousaf’s absence from key vote on gay marriage being ‘dragged up’ for political reasons, SNP leadership candidate says Regarding religious concerns about homosexuality, Humza Yousaf tells Sky News that while he 'can't change what's in scripture,' he will not allow 'personal faith to be the basis of legislation.'

February 26, 2023 Andy Hayes

(Sky News) One of three candidates vying to take over from Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP says his absence from a key vote on gay marriage is being “dragged up” for political reasons. Humza Yousaf told Sky News that his […]

Cyprus court detains Syrian suspected of migrant trafficking

February 25, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) A Cyprus court on Saturday ordered the detention for six days of a Syrian man suspected of illegally bringing 21 Syrian migrants to the east Mediterranean island nation aboard a boat. Police said the suspect was arrested after the migrants identified […]

Scotland leader: Muslim contender allegedly skipped gay marriage vote under ‘pressure’ from mosque

February 25, 2023 Jack Montgomery

(Breitbart) Leftist Humza Yousaf, frontrunner to become Scotland’s new first minister, allegedly caved to “pressure” from a mosque to skip a vote on same-sex marriage — but he has faced little scrutiny of his religious views compared to Christian rival Kate Forbes. […]

Italy impounds MSF charity rescue ship

February 24, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Italian authorities have detained a migrant rescue vessel run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for allegedly breaking new government rules on life-saving missions in the Mediterranean, the charity said Friday. The Geo Barents ship was impounded late Thursday for 20 days […]

SNP leadership: Yousaf defends decision to miss gay marriage vote

February 24, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) SNP leadership candidate Humza Yousaf has defended his decision to miss the final vote on Scotland’s equal marriage legislation. Former minister Alex [Neil] said Mr Yousaf arranged a meeting in February 2014 as cover. But the health secretary said he had […]

France strips citizenship of two people convicted of terrorist offenses

February 24, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Radio France) Two bi-nationals convicted of planning terrorist attacks in France have been stripped of their French nationality, a rare decision by the state. A Franco-Moroccan man and a Franco-Turkish woman have been stripped of their nationalities, according to notices published in […]

Dozens of bomb manuals found in crackdown on terrorist groups Police across Europe target extremists planning to use chemical warfare

February 24, 2023 Nicky Harley

(National-UAE) Police forces across Europe have discovered dozens of bomb manuals for creating chemical weapons. Special counter-terrorism units from 17 countries worked together with Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre to restrict access to instructions online on how to use high-risk chemicals for […]

EU states call for stronger borders, migrant return deals

February 24, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Fifteen EU states on the migration front line on Friday called for stronger borders and agreements to be struck with third-party countries to accept migrants. “It is worthwhile exploring the possibility of, and where relevant legally enabling, safe third-country arrangements with […]

Authorities: Key Hezbollah financier arrested in Bucharest

February 24, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) A Lebanese and Belgian citizen considered a key financier of the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah was arrested Friday in Bucharest, Romania’s capital, federal authorities said. Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, 58, who was labeled a “global terrorist” by the United States in 2018 […]

Four Wakefield pupils suspended after Quran damaged at school

February 24, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) Four pupils have been suspended from a West Yorkshire secondary school after a copy of the Quran was damaged by students. Wednesday’s incident at Wakefield’s Kettlethorpe High School happened when a copy of the Islamic text was brought in by a […]

Italy approves clampdown on migrant rescue ships

February 23, 2023 Angelo Amante

(Reuters) Italy’s parliament on Thursday passed into law a government decree establishing a code of conduct for migrant charity ships, despite criticism from the United Nations and humanitarian groups that it will imperil lives. The new set of rules is part of […]

Czechia passes law to stop spreading terrorist content online The new law implements [an] EU directive meant to prevent people from spreading images of attacks or executions.

February 23, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Expats.cz) President Miloš Zeman signed a bill against spreading terrorist content online into law yesterday, the Presidential Office reported. Under the new law, the police will be able to order Czech and European internet service providers (ISPs) to block terrorist content, such […]

Shamima Begum: Labour’s Starmer says court was right to reject citizenship appeal Opposition leader says judgment was 'the right decision,' having previously described removal of Begum's citizenship in 2019 as 'the wrong decision'

February 23, 2023 Areeb Ullah

(Middle East Eye) Labour leader Keir Starmer on Thursday said he supported a court ruling dismissing an appeal by Shamima Begum challenging the UK government over the removal of her British citizenship. The Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) on Wednesday rejected Begum’s […]

German court convicts man over deadly 2014 attack in Syria

February 23, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) A German court on Thursday convicted a Palestinian man from Syria of a war crime and murder for launching a grenade into a crowd of civilians waiting for food in Damascus in 2014. He was sentenced to life in prison. The […]

UK to fast-track Syrian and Yemeni asylum claims to cut backlog London launches quicker process for claimants as numbers waiting on decisions continue to rise

February 22, 2023 Soraya Ebrahimi

(National-UAE) The Home Office plans to fast-track thousands of asylum cases from a handful of countries, including Syria and Yemen, as the backlog of people waiting for an initial decision climbs to almost 161,000. About 12,000 asylum seekers from nations that have […]

Nearly 1 million asylum requests in the EU in 2022

February 22, 2023 Renata Brito

(AP) Nearly 1 million people applied for international protection in the European Union in 2022, according to data published Wednesday, bringing the number of asylum requests to a level not seen since the refugee crisis of 2015-2016. The EU Agency for Asylum […]

Shamima Begum bid to regain UK citizenship rejected

February 22, 2023 Dominic Casciani and Sean Seddon

(BBC) Shamima Begum has lost her challenge over the decision to deprive her of British citizenship despite a “credible” case she was trafficked. Mr Justice Jay told the semi-secret court dealing with her case that her appeal had been fully dismissed. The […]

Spain police arrest father of 2 women killed in Pakistan

February 22, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Police on Wednesday arrested the father of two Pakistani sisters living in Spain who were lured back to their homeland last year and killed by family members in a suspected honour killing. The man, whose identity was not given, was arrested […]

Court acquits Amsterdam suspect in 2015 Paris, Brussels attacks

February 22, 2023 Unlisted Author

(NL Times) A Rotterdam court acquitted 33-year-old Annas A. on Wednesday for his alleged role in the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015. A., who is from Amsterdam, was suspected of being a middleman who helped supply weapons that were used in […]

Muslim minister is a front-runner to become Scotland’s first minister after Sturgeon’s resignation

February 21, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Arab News) Scotland’s Health Minister Humza Yousaf has emerged as a front-runner in the contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the Scottish National Party and the country’s first minister. Sturgeon, 52, shocked many in British politics last week when she […]

Top French court annuls presidential challenger Zemmour’s hate acquittal

February 21, 2023 Juliette Jabkhiro

(Reuters) French appeal court judges made errors when overturning an anti-Muslim hate conviction against former French far-right presidential challenger Eric Zemmour and the trial should be held again, the country’s highest court ruled on Tuesday. Zemmour, who won 7% in the first […]

University of Bristol professor’s anger at Islamophobia claim

February 21, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) A university professor falsely accused of Islamophobia said the experience had been “terrifying.” A student society complained about Professor Steven Greer when he worked at the University of Bristol. In October 2021 the university said its investigation into a module taught […]

Immigration court to rule on Shamima Begum British citizenship case Begum is seeking to reverse the 2019 decision to strip her of British citizenship

February 21, 2023 Areeb Ullah

(Middle East Eye) An immigration court in London will rule this week on whether Shamima Begum, who fled Britain to join the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria aged 15, has won her appeal against the UK government who revoked her British citizenship. […]

Sweden: Afghan who slashed throat of prostitute has sentence reduced

February 21, 2023 Chris Tomlinson

(Breitbart) A Swedish court has reduced the sentence for an Afghan migrant found guilty of slashing the throat of a Russian prostitute in a hotel room and leaving the woman for dead. An appeals court has ruled to reduce the 16-year prison […]

Brussels terror trial: Judge rules against strip searches, genuflections

February 20, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Brussels Times) The daily body searches that defendants had to undergo at the 22 March 2016 terror trial are now banned, the Brussels interim relief judge has ruled. The information, shared by VRT Nieuws, was confirmed to Belga News Agency on Thursday […]

UK summons Iranian diplomat after threats force TV channel to close in London Britain's foreign secretary also announced further sanctions on Iranian officials linked to human rights abuses

February 20, 2023 Laura O'Callaghan

(National-UAE) Britain summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat on Monday to make clear that threats to journalists on UK soil “will never go unchallenged” after a Persian-language TV channel was forced to close its London newsroom. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said he was […]

Bulgaria: 43 migrants found in van days after 18 found dead

February 20, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) Bulgarian police discovered 43 migrants, including ten children, hidden in a van in the west of the country, officials said Monday, just days after authorities found the bodies of 18 migrants concealed in a lumber truck. Prosecutor Natalia Nikolova said the […]

Manchester Arena attack: 1,000 staff take counter-terrorism training

February 20, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) More than 1,000 staff in Manchester have taken counter-terrorism training ahead of new legislation to tighten venue security after the Arena bomb. The Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) course aims to equip staff to identify, mitigate and respond to terror attacks. It […]

Conservative MP Lee Anderson says aid workers ‘as bad as people smugglers’ Charity says it provides refugees with 'dignity' not 'encouragement' to cross English Channel

February 19, 2023 Simon Rushton

(National-UAE) Refugee charities that work with migrants in northern France are “just as bad as people smugglers” who ferry people across the English Channel in search of new lives, the new Conservative deputy chairman Lee Anderson has said. The MP, who was […]

Evros border fence extension to finish within 10 months once court approves it, minister says

February 19, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Kathimerini) The 35-kilometer extension of the border fence between Greece and Turkey at Evros will be completed in the next 10 months, Citizen Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos told Skai on Sunday. The contractor for the extension has already been selected and the […]

Daesh extremist’s British mother fears ‘liberal’ parenting may have led to radicalization

February 19, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Arab News) The mother of a Daesh extremist known as “Jihadi Jack” has said that she has “guilty thoughts” about whether his “chaotic” childhood led him to join the terrorists as a teenager. In an autobiography, Sally Lane says her “over-liberal” parenting […]

Child asylum-seekers missing in UK trafficked and coerced into Manchester’s gangs: the Observer

February 19, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Arab News) Currently, 200 children who arrived in Britain as asylum-seekers are missing from hotels run by the Home Office. Some of the refugees abducted from outside hotels on the south coast have been trafficked and coerced into organized crime groups 260 […]

Syrian appeals conviction for raping and impregnating eight-year-old

February 18, 2023 Chris Tomlinson

(Breitbart) A Syrian asylum seeker appeared in an appeals court in Belgium this week after being convicted of raping an eight-year-old and getting her pregnant, forcing the girl to have an abortion. The 27-year-old Syrian, who was indicted for raping his eight-year-old […]

Bulgaria charges six over migrants found dead in truck

February 18, 2023 Vessela Sergueva

(AFP) Bulgarian prosecutors indicted six people on Saturday over the deaths of 18 Afghans who suffocated in a truck later left abandoned outside the capital Sofia. The discovery Friday was the deadliest incident linked to people smuggling in Bulgaria as the country […]

Iran International: Channel leaves UK after regime threats

February 18, 2023 George Wright

(BBC) Independent TV network Iran International is suspending its operations in the UK because of threats against its London-based journalists. The Persian-language TV channel said that the decision was due to a “significant escalation in state-backed threats from Iran.” “Threats had grown […]

Stockholm police refuses second Quran burning application

February 17, 2023 Charles Szumski

(Euractiv) An application to burn a Quran outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm has been processed and refused by the police on Thursday as tensions with Turkey over Sweden’s NATO applications are still high. Stockholm police have, for the second time in […]

Bulgaria finds 18 dead migrants suffocated in truck

February 17, 2023 Nikolay Doychinov and Vessela Sergueva

(AFP) Bulgarian authorities on Friday found the bodies of 18 people who suffocated in a truck smuggling them through the country. Bulgaria’s deadliest such incident comes as the Balkan nation struggles with an increase in illicit border crossings. The truck was transporting […]

Hyde Park: Man denies Speaker’s Corner terror attack plot

February 17, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) A man has pleaded not guilty to plotting a terror attack at Speaker’s Corner in London’s Hyde Park. Edward Little is accused of researching intended targets to attack, including a Christian preacher, on or before his arrest on 23 September 2022. […]

Brussels terror trial: The questioning of investigators comes to a close

February 16, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Brussels Times) The questioning of investigators at the Brussels Assise Court, charged with judging the attacks of 22 March 2016, came to a close on Thursday evening with a single question from Mr. Xavier Carrette, attorney for Ibrahim Farisi. Earlier, investigation coordinator […]

UK terrorist police investigations ‘quadruple’ with Iran behind 15 plots 'Close calls' saw would-be attackers picking targets and gathering weapons when officers intervened

February 16, 2023 Simon Rushton

(National-UAE) The number of investigations by UK counter-terrorism police into state threats has quadrupled in the past two years, with several “close calls,” a senior officer has said. Matt Jukes, head of counter-terrorism policing, described the workload as “unprecedented” and said it […]

Brussels terror trial: Defence attorney claims Oussama Atar was released to serve as an informer

February 16, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Brussels Times) Sebastien Courtoy, lawyer for Smail Farisi, argued in the Brussels Court of Assizes on Thursday that Oussama Atar, who led the terrorist cell responsible for the 22 March 2016 attacks from Syria, had been released by the authorities to become […]

Man shot in French migrant camp believed to be Kurdish smuggler

February 16, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Arab News) A man believed to be involved in smuggling migrants across the English Channel from France is in critical condition in the hospital after being shot. The man, thought to be Kurdish and in his 30s, is believed to have been […]

Germany: Afghan brothers jailed for life for killing sister

February 16, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) A court in Germany convicted two Afghan men Thursday of killing their 34-year-old elder sister because they didn’t agree with her lifestyle. The Berlin regional court found the men, aged 28 and 24, guilty of murder for killing the mother of […]

Man accused of sharing suicide bombings video link

February 16, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) A man accused of posting a link to a video of suicide bombings on Instagram has appeared in court. Shafi Saleem, 32, is alleged to have shared terrorist material via the app last year. He was arrested on Tuesday at Heathrow […]

Jihadi extremist arrested for at least five rapes in Swedish care home

February 16, 2023 Chris Tomlinson

(Breitbart) A 30-year-old suspected Islamic radical has been arrested in Sweden after allegedly carrying out at least five rapes at a care home while working at the facility last autumn. The man is said to have been employed at the care home, […]

Brussels terror trial: Salah Abdeslam was to have blown himself up

February 15, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Brussels Times) The defence team of Salah Abdeslam took the floor at the Brussels Assise Court on Tuesday afternoon to question investigators and examining magistrates about their investigation into the Brussels attacks of 22 March 2016. In her first questions to the […]

Migrant who allegedly stabbed five in train attack should have already been deported, minister admits

February 15, 2023 Peter Caddle

(Breitbart) A migrant accused of a stabbing spree which saw two killed in Germany should have already been deported by authorities, a minister in the country has admitted. Nancy Faeser, Germany’s Antifa-linked interior minister, has admitted that the migrant thought to be […]

Slovak citizen linked to ISIS facing terror charges Renáta D. was brought back to Slovakia on secret government flight.

February 15, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Slovak Spectator) A Slovak woman linked to Islamic terrorist group ISIS has been charged with terror offences after she was secretly transported back to Slovakia from Kurdistan. The woman, who has been identified as 44-year-old Renáta D., arrived in Slovakia on a […]

Terror suspect arrested near Iran International HQ pleads not guilty

February 14, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Iran International) A man arrested in the vicinity of Iran International’s headquarters and charged with a terrorism offence pleaded not guilty in a court session on Tuesday. Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev (Mohammad-Hussein Dovtaev), 30, an Austrian national, was detained at Chiswick Business Park on […]

Burkini permitted in Geneva city swimming pools

February 14, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Swiss Info) Geneva’s city council has amended its regulations for public sports facilities to allow people to wear burkinis in the city’s swimming pools. The change had been pushed by the political left. In the end, 38 votes were in favour of […]