Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter bombings, one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s history, killed more than 260 people. After a trial lasting nearly five years, 15 men have now been convicted over the attacks, which were inspired by the Islamic State group. All those convicted are members of Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority. Ellen Gainsford reports on their sentences.
Islamic State-inspired bombings of churches and hotels in 2019 was one of the country’s worst ever attacks A court in Sri Lanka has convicted 15 men over their involvement in the 2019 Easter bombings that killed 267 people , and sentenced them each to at least 200 years in prison, meaning they will spend the rest of their lives behind bars. Nearly 600 people were wounded in the suicide bomb attacks on 21 April that targeted three churches and three hotels across the country during Easter services and celebrations. The bombings, which were inspired by the Islamic State (IS) group, were among the deadliest attacks in Sri Lanka’s history. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Associated Press17h ago
The Islamic State group-inspired attacks were among the deadliest in Sri Lanka's history, killing 42 foreigners.
NPR•The Associated Press22 Sept
The suspects were part of a group of 47 French nationals transferred last year from Syria to Iraq, where numerous suspected IS members were already being held.
Euronews21 Sept
Mohammad Sharifullah, 28, was convicted of aiding the terrorist group that took credit for the suicide bombing An Islamic State group member was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison for aiding the terrorist organization that took credit for a suicide bombing that killed 13 US service members and about 160 Afghans at the Kabul airport five years ago during the US military’s chaotic withdrawal from the country. A federal jury in Virginia had convicted Mohammad Sharifullah in April of providing material support to the IS affiliate known as Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). But jurors could not agree whether he bore some responsibility for the airport bombing on 26 August 2021. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Associated Press17 Sept
An Islamic State group member was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aiding the terrorist organization that took credit for a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and about 160 Afghans at a Kabul airport.
Twenty-five years after 9/11, figures compiled by conflict monitor underline how Sahel region has become centre of Islamist terror Islamist extremist violence in Africa’s Sahel region is set to reach historic highs after a series of sweeping offensives by groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State, according to new figures compiled by the conflict monitor Acled . As the US marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks launched by al-Qaida against targets in Washington and New York, the statistics underline the continued expansion of the veteran organisation in parts of Africa – in stark contrast with its relative weakness elsewhere. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Jason Burke International security correspondent16 Sept
Federal authorities arrested Jonathan Hunter Kramer in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, on September 12 after he allegedly acquired a semiautomatic rifle and ammunition while preparing to conduct an attack inspired by the Islamic State.
After withdrawing in 2011, U.S. troops returned three years later at Baghdad’s invitation to lead a smaller coalition against Islamic State militants who had seized wide areas of the country
Authorities in Kuwait, Israel, Turkey, and France disrupted suspected Islamic State plots or arrested the organization’s sympathizers over the past month. The incidents demonstrate the jihadist group's continued ability to recruit and radicalize individuals despite more than a decade of sustained counterterrorism pressure.
Abu Hudhayfah al Ansari, who has been the official Islamic State spokesman for three years, was reported killed in a joint Saudi-Yemeni special forces raid in Hadhramaut Governorate. The Islamic State has yet to comment on Ansari's status.
Jessica Bowie was arrested on August 19 and is accused of plotting to bomb the New York State Capitol. Her arrest marks the fifth Islamic State-linked terrorism case or incident in the United States this year.
