My Friend the Suicide Bomber: Meet the Men Recruited to Kill

Al-Shabaab targets young vulnerable men across Scandinavia, inviting them to embrace jihad and become suicide bombers in Somalia. Seeking a sense of belonging, and encouraged by preachers on online videos, a group of Danish Muslims gathers in a small Copenhagen apartment and makes plans. When one man doubts the cause and sees his friends planning carnage, can he escape the call of al-Shabaab? If so, what next?

US Security Chief Warns Shoppers After Terror Threat

BBC AMERICA: US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has urged people to be vigilant following a terror threat to Western shopping centres, including one of America's largest malls.

He said he took the threat by the Somali-based group al-Shabab seriously.

In a video, the group urged followers to carry out attacks on shopping centres in the US, Canada and the UK.

Al-Shabab was responsible for the 2013 attack on Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi that killed 67 people.

Mr Johnson told CNN that the threat was part of "a new phase" of terrorism in which attacks would increasingly come from "independent actors in their homelands".

"Anytime a terrorist organisation calls for an attack on a specific place, we've got to take that seriously," he said.

In the video, a man with a British-sounding accent and full face covering calls on supporters of al-Shabab to attack "American or Jewish-owned" Western shopping centres. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, February 22, 2015

Al Shabaab Calls for Attack on Mall of America in New Video

FOX NEWS: A new video from Al Shabaab purportedly shows the terror group calling for an attack on Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minn.

According to Fox 9, the mall is one of three similar targets the terror group specifically names, including West Edmonton Mall in Canada and the Oxford Street shopping area in London.

The video purportedly shows 6 minutes of graphic images and the terrorists celebrating the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, that killed more than 60 people.

The narrator, his face wrapped in a black-and-white kaffiyeh-type scarf and wearing a camouflage jacket, spoke with a British accent and appeared to be of Somali origin. He accused Kenyan troops in Somalia of committing abuses against Somali Muslims.

He ended the video by calling on Muslim men to attack other shopping malls in Western countries. (+ FoxNews video) » | FoxNews.com | Sunday, February 22, 2015

Al-Shabaab Calls for Attacks on Oxford Street and Westfield Centres in New Terror Threat

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Somalia-based terror group releases video threatening some of the world's busiest shopping areas

Islamist terrorists have called for attacks on London’s Oxford Street and the Westfield shopping centres in the latest jihadist threat to the UK.

A video released by the Somalia-based fanatics al-Shabaab called on its followers to “hasten to heaven” by attacking some of the country’s busiest shopping areas.

It also threatened venues in America and Canada as well as “Jewish-owned” centres.

Counter-terrorism police in the UK were assessing the video while the head of US homeland security warned shoppers to be “particularly careful”.

The video, which lasts more than an hour and was released over the weekend, centred o[n] the fall out from al-Shabaab’s attack on the Westgate shopping centre in Kenya in 2013 that left 62 people dead and more than 100 injured.

A terrorist dressed in army fatigues and his face covered then warned: “Can you imagine what a dedicated mujahideen (soldier) in the West could do to the American and Jewish-owned shopping centres across the world.” » | Tom Whitehead, and Peter Foster | Sunday, February 22, 2015

Al Shabaab Executes 28 Non-Muslims on Kenyan Bus

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: - The Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab said it had staged an attack in Kenya on Saturday in which gunmen ordered non-Muslims off a bus and shot 28 dead, while sparing Muslim passengers.

Three of the group led out to be killed saved their lives by reciting verses of the Koran for the militants, a local security official said.

Al Shabaab said its men had ambushed the Nairobi-bound bus outside the town of Mandera, near Kenya’s border with Somalia and Ethiopia, and killed the non-Muslims in retaliation for raids on mosques in the city of Mombasa. » | George Obulutsa | Nairobi | Reuters | Saturday, November 22, 2014

Kenya al-Shabaab Attack 'Was Led by White Man Speaking Fluent British English'

60 people were killed in Sunday night's attack on the
small coastal town of Mpeketoni

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: White man speaking 'fluent British English' led al-Shabaab attack in Kenya that left 60 dead, witnesses claim

A white man speaking "fluent British English" led suspected al-Shabaab commandos who ransacked towns in northern Kenya leaving 60 people dead, witnesses have said.

Several people in Mpeketoni, which was attacked by as many as 40 Islamist gunmen on Sunday, told The Telegraph that the gang's leader was pale-skinned and spoke English and Arabic.

One of the witnesses is a primary schoolteacher who speaks good English, unlike many people in the remote corner of Kenya near the Lamu archipelago that earlier this week became the country's latest terror target.

The accounts strengthened suggestions that the attackers were part of a well-trained team sent by al-Shabaab under the co-ordination of an experienced foreign jihadi now working with the Somali Islamists.

"I saw a white man who was speaking in fluent British English commanding the rest of the attackers," said Mary Gachoki, who lives in Mpeketoni. » | Mike Pflanz, Lamu | Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Hate Preacher Anjem Choudary Being Used in Al-Shabaab Recruiting Video as Terror Groups Target British Muslims Who Question Radical Islam

Anjem Choudary

MAIL ONLINE: Mohammed Ansar, 39, is British documentary film-maker and journalist / He was singled out in video and police visited him on Wednesday evening / The hour-long video is titled 'Woolwich attack: It’s an eye for an eye' / Other targets include Usama Hasan, a researcher with Quilliam Foundation / Imam and broadcaster Ajmal Masroor wrote about the threat on Facebook

Militant preacher Anjem Choudary has been identified as a leading British influence for the Al Qaeda-linked terrorists who carried out the Kenya shopping mall atrocity, it emerged yesterday.

London-based Choudary, who has been linked to dozens of terrorist suspects, is highlighted in a video issued by East African group Al-Shabaab.

The video also says 11 Britons have died waging jihad in Somalia.

One of the leading figures in Al-Shabaab – blamed for last month’s Nairobi attack which left 67 dead – is ‘white widow’ Samantha Lewthwaite. The whereabouts of Lewthwaite, former wife of 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, remains a mystery.

Counter-terrorism detectives at Scotland Yard, who have been on a heightened state of alert following the Kenyan outrage, are examining the 58-minute video by Al-Shabaab which endorses Choudary.

Called ‘Woolwich Attack: It’s an Eye for an Eye’, the English-language production urges Muslims in Britain to go to Somalia to fight jihad or carry out terror attacks in the UK if they are unable to travel.

It is the first such propaganda video to be entirely focused on recruiting Britons and inciting terror attacks in the UK. » | Jill Reilly | Friday, October 18, 2013

'Western Special Forces' Raid al-Shabaab Stronghold in Somalia

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Western special forces raided a town in southern Somalia controlled by al-Shabaab on Saturday, carrying out a strike aimed at senior commanders of the radical Islamist movement behind last month’s Kenya shopping centre massacre.

The assault took place shortly before dawn on the coastal town of Barawe, 110 miles south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

Ahmed Abdi Godane, the leader of al-Shabaab, is known to have stayed in Barawe in the past. The fishing town is in the heart of an area controlled by the al-Qaeda affiliate.

Al-Shabaab claimed that British and Turkish special forces carried out the raid and that one SAS officer was killed. However, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said that "no UK forces at all" were involved. Turkey's government made a similar denial.

France, which has carried out raids in Somalia in the past, also said that none of its soldiers was deployed.

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman George Little said: "I decline comment." » | David Blair | Saturday, October 05, 2013

Kenya Government Says All Hostages Freed

Kenyan special forces say there are no more hostages as they have seized control of most of Westgate mall on the fourth day of fighting.

Inside Story: Al-Shabab: A War of Vengeance?

As the Somali group claims responsibility for a brutal attack in Kenya, we examine the regional implications.

Terror in Somalia: Islamisten greifen Vereinte Nationen an
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Kämpfer der radikalen Shabab-Miliz haben das Gebäude der Vereinten Nationen in der somalischen Hauptstadt Mogadischu gestürmt und 15 Menschen getötet. Truppen der Afrikanischen Union schlugen die Islamisten zurück.

Mogadischu - In der somalischen Hauptstadt Mogadischu haben Islamisten das Gebäude der Vereinten Nationen angegriffen. Die Polizei berichtete, ein Attentäter habe sich am Eingang zum Uno-Entwicklungsprogramm (UNDP) in die Luft gesprengt. Anschließend hätten mehrere Männer in Militäruniformen das Gebäude gestürmt und um sich geschossen. Bei dem Angriff seien 15 Menschen getötet worden, darunter vier ausländische Mitarbeiter des UNDP und vier somalische Sicherheitskräfte, sagte Innenminister Abdikarim Husien Gulled. » | tob/dpa/Reuters/AP/AFP | Mittwoch, 19. Juni 2013

Al Shabaab Converts Christians into Jihadists
WORTHY NEWS: NAIROBI, KENYA – The militant Islamist group al Shabaab is targeting converts from Christianity to Islam to wage jihad in Kenya.

Controlling southern Somalia, al Shabaab has been launching border attacks into Kenya with poor youths from Christian backgrounds.

Godffery Ngumi, senior lecturer at the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Kenyatta University, said recent converts can be easily manipulated because they know very little about their new religion.

"It is the recent converts who (are) being used to bomb churches," said Rev. Wellington Mutiso, head of the Evangelical Alliance. "It is not members of the Somali, Boran, or Swahili communities, which have many Muslims, but the other tribes which have been known to follow Christianity …" » | Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent | Friday, October 26, 2012

Somalian Al-Shabaab Group in New Attack Threat to Britain

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Somalia's al-Qaeda-allied Islamists have threatened to "eclipse the horrors of 7/7" with an attack on Britain in revenge for the extradition of the radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza to the United States.

A High Court ruling overturning attempts to stop the Egyptian-born imam being sent to the US was “a testament to the reality of the west’s vicious war against Islam and the Muslims”, al-Shabaab said.

For this, the group said on its official Twitter feed, Britain faced another terror attack that would be deadlier than those on July 7 and July 21, 2005.

“Britain will pay the heftiest price for its brazen role in the war against Islam and endless brutality against innocent Muslims,” al-Shabaab’s press office tweeted on Monday. “We remind the British government that we’re a nation that doesn’t tolerate oppression [and] their actions will be repaid in retaliatory measure.

“The nightmare that surreptitiously looms on British shores is bound to eclipse the horrors of 7/7 and 21/7 combined, insh’allah.” Security agencies have long feared that terror cells trained in Somalia, some comprising British citizens, were planning attacks in Britain. » | Mike Pflanz, Mogadishu | Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Islam has cast a pall over the civilised world. – © Mark

Kenya: Islamic Terrorists Bomb, Terrorize Obama Ancestral Home
EXAMINER.COM: Police and security forces in President Barack Obama's ancestral home in Kenya said Sunday on a Fox News Channel broadcast that they are disappointed that they've not yet arrested suspects who perpetrated two bombings at a Nairobi neighborhood on Friday night, an Israeli counterterrorism source told the Law Enforcement Examiner.

The source, a member of the Israel National Police (INP), said that [a] two police officers were wounded in back-to-back explosions.

"Sadly, the Kenyan police have failed to capture anyone connected with the attacks. The group suspected of this terrorist action are believed to be members of the Somali-based Al Shabaab, who are notorious for planting bombs, leaving the scene, and having the explosions occur long after they are gone," said the source.

Al-Shabaab is closely tied to al-Qaeda and have been involved in cross-border attacks in Nigeria and Kenya. Ironically, Kenya is U.S. President Barack Obama's ancestral home and, during his reelection campaign, he and his minions have been touting the story that al-Qaeda is almost completely defeated. » | Monday, October 15, 2012

Somalia: Shaabab kündigt Guerillakrieg an
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die radikale islamistische Shabaab-Miliz hat sich nach dem Angriff kenianischer Streitkräfte aus ihrer letzten Bastion, der somalischen Hafenstadt Kismayo, zurückgezogen. Die Miliz will sich künftig auf die „Guerilla-Taktik“ verlegen.

Die radikale islamistische Shabaab-Miliz in Somalia hat sich nach dem Großangriff kenianischer Streitkräfte am Wochenende aus der Hafenstadt Kismayo zurückgezogen. Ein Sprecher der mit Al Qaida verbündeten Extremisten bezeichnete den Rückzug als „taktische Neuaufstellung“ und kündigte an, die Miliz werde sich künftig auf eine „Guerilla-Taktik“ verlegen. Wohin Al Shabaab ausgewichen ist, ist unklar. » | Von THOMAS SCHEEN, JOHANNESBURG |Sonntag, 30. September 2012

Al Qaeda Militants Warn of Terror Attack in Britain If Abu Qatada Is Deported

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Militant group al Shabaab has warned that Britain will face a terror attack if it deports Islamic cleric Abu Qatada.

The Al Qaeda militants warned of a “disaster” for Britain if the Government attempts to send Qatada back to Jordan.

SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors online activity from terrorist groups, said al-Shabaab had issued a warning on militant forums.

"The British public is also forewarned that it will be the British government, as a result of its imprudence, that shall be liable for any disaster that befalls them, or their national interests," the statement said, according to SITE.

It comes a week after Al-Qaeda threatened to attack Britain if it decides to extradite Qatada.

In a statement signed by Al-Qaeda’s general command and published on jihadist forums, the terror network said Abu Qatada's extradition would “open the gates of evil” on “Britain and its citizens everywhere.”

“We warn the British government against extraditing Sheikh Abu Qatada to Jordan,” where he faces terror charges, said the statement, which called on London to “act with reason and wisdom … or it will regret it.” » | Tom Whitehead and James Kirkup | Friday, April 20, 2012

Terror Group Wants Somalia Rid of Christians
CBN.COM: SOMALIA -- Somalia's Islamist terror group al Shabab wants to rid the Muslim country of all Christians and is specifically targeting Christian converts from Islam.

Al Shabab recently joined with al Qaeda and wants Sharia law implemented in the country.

An al Shabab video that swept the Internet in September 2008 shows the brutal beheading of 25-year-old aid worker Mansour Mohammed. His crime? Mohammed converted to Christianity in 2005. Blindfolded, Tortured » | Gary Lane | CBN News Sr. International Correspondent | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Somalia: Islamist Militants Behead Another Christian Convert
INSPIRE MAGAZINE: Islamist militants in Somalia have beheaded a Christian relief worker – the third Christian to be killed in this way since September, reports Release International.

It has emerged that al-Shabaab militia murdered 26-year-old Zakaria Hussein Omar in January 2012 near the capital Mogadishu.

Zakaria worked for a Christian humanitarian organisation that had been banned by the Islamist extremists. He converted to Christianity from Islam seven years ago. A close friend who identified his body said Zakaria realised his life would be in danger if he continued in his work.

Al-Shabaab has vowed to rid the country of its Christian minority.

In September the terrorist group beheaded two other Christians, including a 17-year-old boy. They have publicly flogged and paraded other converts. » | Sources: Compass Direct, Assist, ICC, Operation World | Undated

Al Qaeda's 'Morale Boost' as It Formally Joins with Somalia's Al Shabaab
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Somali militant group al Shabaab has formally joined al Qaeda, the terror network's leader Ayman al Zawahiri has announced in a new video.

The move is an apparent bid to boost morale after months of setbacks to al Qaeda - including the loss of founder Osama bin laden.

One analyst said the connection could signal that the insurgents, known as resourceful, determined and increasingly web-savvy, had al Qaeda's approval for attacks against the West.

In a video posted on Islamist forums on Thursday, al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri said: "Today, I have glad tidings for the Muslim ummah (nation) that will please the believers and disturb the disbelievers, which is the joining of the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia to Qaedat al-Jihad to support the jihadi unity against the Zionist-Crusader campaign and their assistants amongst the treacherous agent rulers.

"I appeal to our people in Somalia not to follow those who teach ill, and the weak leaders who brought the crusader rabble to the land of pure Islam." » | Friday, February 10, 2012

Foreign Office Warns of Terrorism Risk in Kenya
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Foreign Office has warned of an increased risk of terrorism in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The warning came as Kenya admitted the threat from Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab insurgents from neighbouring Somalia was not "totally neutralised."

Foreign Office officials said they believed there was a heightened threat of "terrorist attacks" in the Kenyan capital and that attacks "may be in the final stages of planning."

"Attacks could be indiscriminate and target Kenyan institutions as well as places where expatriates and foreign travellers gather, such as hotels, shopping centres and beaches. We strongly advise British Nationals to exercise extra vigilance and caution in public places and at public events," the FCO said in a statement. » | Friday, January 07, 2012