Islamic State 'is plotting Christmas terror attacks in UK and Europe

Aimen Dean, who spent eight years spying on al-Qaeda, claimed plots were being hatched in jihadi-held areas of northern Syria and Libya to terrorise Europeans this winter

 The so-called Islamic State is plotting Christmas terror attacks in Britain and European countries in revenge for the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in France, a former MI6 spy has warned.

Aimen Dean, who spent eight years spying on al-Qaeda before his cover was blown by a US intelligence leak, claimed plots were being hatched in jihadi-held areas of northern Syria and Libya to terrorise Europeans this winter. 

He told a security conference in London that Abu Omar al-Shishani, an Isis commander who is thought to have survived a US strike in 2016, is planning to send extremists to the West via Turkey and across the Mediterranean from North Africa.

They will then carry out a series of terror atrocities in Britain, France and Germany as their governments lift coronavirus restrictions ahead of Christmas, Dean said.

Home Secretary Priti Patel moved Britain to its second-highest terror threat level of 'severe' after a series of horrifying attacks in France and Austria, where an Isis sympathiser killed four people during a gun rampage in Vienna.

In France, schoolteacher Samuel Paty was beheaded in October for showing a classroom Mohammed cartoons in a lesson on free speech. Three Christians were killed in a mass stabbing by a Tunisian migrant in Nice just two weeks later. 

The French government vowed to clamp down on religious extremism by closing nearly 80 mosques accused of 'separatism' and expelling 66 undocumented migrants suspected of radicalisation from the country.

Dean told the International Security Week conference: 'The worry is that, according to people who know him, [Shishani] is planning to avenge the Prophet Mohammed cartoons in places like Germany, UK, France and all around Christmas time. 

A member of a special police unit stands guard near the site of a terrorist attack in Vienna

'I'm afraid I'm not bearing good news but we need to be worried about the wave of terror that is coming from northern Syria and Libya for Christmas this year.'

He added: 'This promise of no lockdown at Christmas has made it a more attractive timeframe for targeting. Already they have been thinking about it, already they have been looking at it and I feel this will be the next target.'  

The former al-Qaeda bombmaker claimed that Shishani is planning to infiltrate attacks from the remaining outposts of Isis activity following the republication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed by the French satirical Charlie Hebdo.

Extremists are thought to be planning terror atrocities in Britain, France and Germany as their governments lift coronavirus restrictions ahead of Christmas.

Emmanuel Macron had warned against 'Islamist separatism' in France and promised to place mosques under greater state control as he called Islam a religion in crisis 

Emmanuel Macron has warned against 'Islamist separatism' in France and promised to place mosques under greater state control as he called Islam a religion in crisis. 

After the New York Times accused Mr Macron of racism and Islamophobia, the French President criticised the paper's English-language coverage of France's stance on Islamic extremism in the wake of recent attacks in the country and suggesting that the Anglo-US press was legitimising terrorism in France. 

France's fiercely secular state was founded on the concept of laicite, which separates state institutions – including schools – from the influence of religion.  

However, this policy chafes with France's multicultural population, particularly Muslims, some of whom feel they have been unfairly targeted by secular policies including a ban on the wearing of some forms of Islamic dress in public spaces. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9016179/Islamic-State-plotting-Christmas-terror-attacks-UK-Europe-ex-MI6-spy-warns.html?ito=push-notification&ci=57235&si=12789690

Royal Navy bomb disposal experts detonate 770lb WWII mine after it was caught by startled fishermen off the Clyde

 

The WWII mine was dropped by a German submarine off Aisla Craig more than 80 years ago. According to the Royal Navy, the mine, pictured, was in 'remarkable condition' and was still full of high explosives

Scottish fishermen were forced to call in Royal Navy divers after they hauled a 770lb German WWII mine in their nets on board their trawler near the Isle of Bute. 

The fishermen were rescued by the Troon Lifeboat and Rothesay Coastguard Rescue Team while the trawler travelled to rendezvous with the Northern Diving Group off based at Faslane. 

The mine, which was laid by a German submarine, was deployed off the island of Aisla Craig and snagged in the fishing boat's nets. 

The seven crew onboard the vessel were taken to safety before Royal Navy experts inspected the 770lb device. 

The naval bomb squad decided the device was in 'pristine condition' and should detonated in a controlled explosion. 

Navy divers carefully lowered the mine to the sea bed off Ettrick Beach where it was safely detonated sending a large tower of mud and water into the air.  

Lieutenant Commander Mark Shaw, Commanding Officer of Northern Diving Group said: Considering it had been in the water for around 80 years, the mine’s condition was remarkable. 

'From the initial pictures we were able to easily identify the mine type and, importantly, determine that the explosive fill was intact and therefore presented a significant hazard.

'The vessel was diverted to Ettrick Bay and met by my team, led by Petty Officer (Diver) Robert McCann who safely dealt with the situation.'

He continued: 'Items of this size are relatively uncommon, however, the group are approaching 100 call-outs this year supporting civil authorities with all types of Explosive Ordnance Disposal, ranging from mines and torpedoes to hand grenades and improvised devices.

'On average, across the UK, Royal Navy Clearance Divers are tasked once a day for EOD assistance. This highlights the remaining presence of historic ordnance. Even small items can be unstable and present an explosive hazard; carrying-out a controlled explosion is the only safe way of dealing with them and neutralising the hazard.' 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9011313/Royal-Navy-bomb-disposal-experts-detonate-770lb-WWII-mine.html?ito=push-notification&ci=56841&si=12789690

Baby girl who was thrown from her pram is among four killed and 15 hurt in German 'terror attack': Car ploughs through pedestrian zone that usually hosts Christmas market in city of Trier

 At least four people are dead, including a baby girl, and up to 15 others injured after a car drove into pedestrians in the German city of Trier today in what police say was a deliberate attack. 

A 51-year-old German man was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after the car drove more than half a mile through the city's main pedestrian area, which usually hosts a popular Christmas market. 

Trier mayor Wolfram Leibe told regional broadcaster SWR that the driver had gone on 'a rampage' that had killed several people, but the motive for the attack was not yet clear.   

While authorities have not described it as a terror act, and security sources said they had no evidence of a 'political backdrop' to the attack, the incident has brought back memories of the 2016 Christmas market rampage in Berlin in which 12 people were killed. 

Describing today's attack, a witness told local paper Trierische Volksfreund that a dark grey Range Rover had driven at high speed into pedestrians, sending some people 'flying into the air'.  

His voice breaking with emotion, the mayor said a young girl was among the dead, saying he had seen one of her discarded shoes at the scene - while another witness described seeing a child's pram flung off the ground.   

Leibe said some of the injured people were seriously hurt and in hospital, saying he was hoping for their survival, but German media says the death toll has already risen from two to four.    

The driver is pinned to the ground next to the Range Rover believed to have run over pedestrians in Trier today, killing at least four people in what police say was a deliberate attack 

The car was stopped near the Porta Nigra, an old Roman gate, and the driver arrested at the scene - with footage showing him being pinned to the ground next to his damaged vehicle.   

Police spokesman Karl-Peter Jochem said the driver had 'indiscriminately' run people down after turning into the pedestrian area. 

The suspect, who lives locally, was being questioned in custody on Monday evening but authorities would not be drawn on a possible motive. 

One witness who watched the 'rampage' from a shop on the pedestrian street described seeing a children's buggy being flung into the air, saying people had run indoors in panic. 

The numbers of dead and injured were still becoming clear on Monday evening, but the death toll was already higher than the two that was first announced. 

In addition to the injured people, there were many other 'traumatised' pedestrians who were in shock after witnessing what had happened, the mayor said. 

'We often see pictures like this on television and think that can't happen here. Now it's happened in Trier,' the mayor told reporters near the Porta Nigra.  

Police said there was no further danger to Trier residents after the driver's arrest, suggesting that he had acted alone. He was arrested four minutes after the first emergency call, authorities said. .  

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman called today's news 'shocking' and said the government's thoughts were with the injured people and relatives of victims. 

Regional premier Malu Dreyer, who arrived at the scene on Tuesday evening, said she was deeply shaken by the events in the historic city which she described as her home town.   

At least two people were killed and several injured in Trier in south-western Germany today

After the driver's arrest, officers warned people to avoid the scene, and said they were on the scene alongside ambulance crews while helicopters were also hovering over the city. 

Footage showed police vans and other emergency vehicles parked on a wide shopping street in Trier, a large section of which appeared to have been cleared. 

Shoppers were seen huddling outside stores festooned with Christmas decorations, while sirens could be heard in the distance. Emergency services from nearby Luxembourg were also said to be on the scene. 

While Trier is usually home to one of Germany's most popular Christmas markets, the event was cancelled this year because of the pandemic. 

While bars and restaurants have closed under a so-called 'lockdown light' to bring down infections, shops and schools have remained open, unlike during the spring.  

The incident brought back memories of the 2016 truck rampage at a Berlin Christmas market that left 12 people dead.

The driver on that occasion, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker, was a supporter of the Islamic State jihadist group.

In August 2019, six people were injured in a series of motorway accidents in Berlin in what prosecutors described as a suspected Islamist attack. 

A square is blocked by police and fire engines following the incident in Trier on Tuesday

A square is blocked by police and fire engines following the incident in Trier on Tuesday