attack

Youth suicide bomber stopped in the nick of time

Julien — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:29:57 +0200

Guardians at the Shi’ite Al-Zahra mosque in Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, managed to stop a young suicide bomber on May 1, moments before he could set his explosive belt alight during Friday’s prayer. Pictures of the intervention were then posted on the Web.

The suicide bomber, Syrian-born Ammar Afif Hamada, aged 16, was allegedly executing orders from al Qaeda’s chief in Iraq, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. According to witnesses, he fired on a guardian as he charged into the mosque shouting “Allah is great!” The other guardians, Shi’ite Turkmen, managed to immobilise him and hand him over to the police, who then defused the explosives. The young suicide bomber later told the police he had been through a training camp in the Syrian city of Homs.

Kirkuk province is home to several communities, each involved in an ongoing power struggle. While Kurds form a majority, Turkmen see themselves as the original inhabitants of the region. There are also Assyro-Chaldeans and Arabs, many of whom were newcomers under Saddam Hussein’s “Arabisation” policy.

Neither Kirkuk province nor the three neighbouring Kurdish provinces of northern Iraq took part in the country’s January 31 local elections. The authorities now fear separate polls scheduled in the provinces for July 25 will be preceded by a surge in violence.

At the heart of a suicide attack in Sri Lanka

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:55:49 +0100

A raw video of the suicide attack that killed 15 people in Sri Lanka on Wednesday has been posted online. The cameraman captured images just a few metres from the explosion. Warning, some of the footage may be disturbing.

The suicide attack took place in front of a mosque in the village of Akuressa in the south of the country. The bomber targeted a march commemorating the Prophet Mohammed's birthday, in which several government figures were taking part. Fifteen people were killed and over thirty injured, including the ministers for communication and culture.

The government blamed the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) for the kamikaze attack, describing it as a desperate attempt by the rebel movement, currently cornered in the northeast of the island by an army offensive, to get back at their aggressors.

As we mentioned in a previous post, the only images emerging from the conflict are those regulated by the Sri Lankan government. This video may also come from the same origins, broadcast via Sri Lankan television channels and the country's video sharing website, SriLankanTube. One of our Observers, a Tamil refugee who fled the country, reminds us to be wary of government manipulation.

Attack on Sri Lankan cricketers: the Indian lead

Julien — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:19:12 +0100

One of our Observers in Pakistan, Awab Alvi, has published a note by the security services warning local authorities about the probability of an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. The note, dating back to January 22, pointed to an Indian lead.

Who ordered Tuesday’s attack on the Sri Lankan national team in Lahore is anyone’s guess. The Taliban? Tamil Tigers? A document leaked to the press on Tuesday evening has opened up another lead. The memo produced by the security services of Pakistan’s Punjab province warned local authorities about the possibility of an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team masterminded by the Indian secret services (RAW). The note even mentioned the transfer from the hotel to the stadium as a possible timing for the attack: which is precisely what happened. But who might have had an interest in leaking a document that directly accuses India and underlines the negligence of the government in place?

Mumbai attacks: "We can't blame anyone yet"

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:09:38 +0100

People wait behind the barricade outside the Taj Mahal. Photo posted by Aaron.

The day after India's worst ever terrorist attacks, there are already reports of fingers being pointed. Our Observers tell us that instead of looking for someone to blame, the people of Mumbai are simply scared. Meanwhile, webusers take it upon themselves to tell the story in images.

Mumbai attacks: "The terrorists were shooting indiscriminately"

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:09:33 +0100

Photo posted on Flickr by Katie.

A night of unforeseen terrorist attacks has left Mumbai devastated. Residents of three luxury hotels, including the Taj Mahal Hotel, are still being held hostage. Meanwhile, a witness to the chaos has managed to post videos of the hotel online.

India's financial capital has been blitzed in several places. Over 100 people, including several foreigners, have been killed in explosions and crossfire. The Deccan Mujahideen group has taken responsibility for the attacks in response to the alleged persecution of Muslim Indians. The terrorists have paid particular attention to the Trident-Oberoi Hotel and the Taj Mahal by taking guests hostage - and specifically British and American passport holders.

Amidst the chaos, an eyewitness filmed police intervention at the Taj Mahal.

"We’re waiting anxiously for the Israeli backlash"

Julien — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:33:59 +0100

The school after the shooting, 6 March 08. Photo: www.juif.org

An armed man walked into a religious school on Thursday evening and opened fire leaving eight dead and several injured. Our Observers in the region - young Palestinian Rafe Jabari and Israeli Talmudic teacher Ariel Woolf - react to the killing.

"I class my friends by how afraid they are"

Julien — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:29:03 +0100

Our Observer in Israel responds to the media reaction to a suicide bombing that killed three (including two bombers) in Dimona, south Israel on Monday. The attack was the first in Israel for over a year.

31 killed in an explosion, civilians back to being targeted

Julien — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:09:51 +0100

Sri Lanka saw yet more bloodshed on Wednesday when thirty-one civilians were killed in an attack on a bus in the south-east of the country. The island is not unaccustomed to this type of violence, but this attack could prove to be a turning point in the war between the Tamil Tigers and the state army. Our Observer Kumar explains why civilian attacks - which had become a rarity in recent years - may be on the increase again. The carnage took place in the early morning of 16 January, the day that a six-year truce between the warmongers - never entirely respected - officially ended. The bus drove over a bomb, causing it to detonate. Armed men then shot at passengers who tried to flee. Nobody has taken responsibility for the attack, but the LTTE (the Tamil Tigers) are suspected; particularly a branch of the armed group who were cut off from the rest in the east of the country following a government offensive.

New amateur video of the Bhutto assassination

Julien — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 11:20:11 +0100

In the midst of growing uncertainties surrounding the cause of death of Benazir Bhutto, a new amateur video of the assassination was released by British Channel 4 yesterday. According to Bhutto's supporters, the video proves that the ex-Prime Minister was in fact killed by a bullet, and not a by fracturing her skull as she tried to protect herself; the explanation given by the Home Minister on Friday. One of our Observers, Awab Alvi, tells us how the video was first posted on the online network Orkut before it was found by the British channel.

Images broadcast by Channel 4 on 30 December 2007

Algerians react to attacks

Julien — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:21:31 +0100

The Algerian capital was rocked by two car-bomb attacks yesterday morning, leaving around sixty dead (hospital source), and the Algerian people dismayed. One of them, who now lives in France, filmed himself with a message to the terrorists which he posted on YouTube: ‘I'm Muslim, don't kill in my name!'

Post your questions to Mahi, our observer in Algeria