Jihadi's Father Regrets Co-Operating With Police

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 11 Desember 2014 | 12.27

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

By Adele Robinson, Midlands Correspondent

The father of a British jihadi jailed for nearly 13 years after travelling to Syria says parents with children who do the same will be "too scared to tell police".

Mohammed Nahin Ahmed's father spoke to Sky News exclusively on the condition that neither his name nor face were shown.

His son was sentenced alongside his friend, Yusuf Sarwar, at Woolwich Crown Court last week for terrorism offences.

Childhood friends Sarwar and Ahmed, both 22, were given 12 years eight months in prison each, plus another five years on licence.

Ahmed's father says his family co-operated with the police and helped persuade the pair to return home to Handsworth in Birmingham.

1/11

Gallery: Terror Pair Left Trail On Computer

Two British men who travelled to Syria to fight alongside rebels have pleaded guilty to terrorism offences. All photos from West Midlands Police.

Mohammed Nahin Ahmed and Yusuf Zubair Sarwar spent eight months in Syria last year after contacting Islamist extremists from the UK. This email was sent to Ahmed by a Danish extremist.

]]>

Nahin and Sarwar leaving the Heathrow Premier Inn for the airport terminal.

]]>

"We told the police, we went to them for help but we didn't get any. We surrendered them for justice but the police didn't help at all.

"If anyone's children go to Syria now, no one will tell the police because they will be too scared to tell them this.

"My son lives in jail so what did I gain from going to the police? People go to the police for justice and help. No, I wouldn't go again."

Ahmed and Sarwar admitted engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorism acts in July.

They became the first Britons to be convicted in the UK of Syria-related terrorism offences.

Upon sentencing the judge said it made no difference that their offences were abroad and described them as "fundamentalists committed to violent extremism".

Ahmed's father, however, says his son made a mistake and returned to the UK because he feared for his life.

"No, he is normal. His life was normal. He prayed just the way we do. I think maybe it was the internet that brought those kinds of thoughts to him, the internet brainwashes people these days.

"But going to war without telling us was wrong. Going to war is wrong."

Both families have said they will appeal against what they see as excessive and unfair sentences.

Ahmed's father said a similar case a week before saw two brothers from East London jailed for less than half of his son's sentence.

Mohommod Nawaz and Hamza Nawaz were given four and a half years and three and a half years respectively.

They had admitted conspiracy to attend a terrorism training camp in Syria.

Ahmed's father said he had communicated with his son in prison recently, who had expected a five or six year jail term.

"I have spoken to him over the phone. He is feeling very bad. He knew that he will be sentenced but he didn't think it would be this long. If he had known he wouldn't have come back from Syria."

Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 10 Desember 2014 | 12.27

Mexico's drug cartels have existed for several decades, but saw their power increase dramatically following the decline of Columbia's dominant Cali and Medellin cartels in the 1990s.

Their growing influence in the region has been matched by an escalation in the brutal battles between the various and diverse groups.

But who are the main cartels, how long have they been operating, who are they led by - and which of them are locked in violent struggles with rival criminal organisations?

Los Zetas

Established: 1999

Leader: Omar "Z-42" Treviño Morales

Considered "the most technologically advanced, sophisticated and dangerous cartel" by the US government.

Mexico's largest drug cartel in terms of geographical presence - dominating vast swathes of the country's east - but drug trafficking makes up only half of the group's revenues.

Tijuana Cartel

Established: 1980s

Leader: Luis Fernando "El Ingeniero" Sanchez Arellano

While the cartel remains one of the main drug smugglers into the US, its operations have been limited by the spread of the Sinaloa Federation.

The group's leader, Luis "El Ingeniero" Arellano, nephew of the group's founders, was captured by the army in May 2014.

Juarez Cartel

Established: 1970s

Leader: Alberto Carrillo Fuentes, AKA "Betty La Fea" (Ugly Betty)

Locked in a violent battle over territory with the Sinaloa Federation, cartel founder Amada Carrillo Fuentes died following botched plastic surgery in 1997.

His brother Alberto Carrillo Fuentes, the group's current leader, was caught in September 2013.

Beltran-Leyva Cartel

Established: 2008

Leader: Hector "El General" Beltran-Leyva

While it was declared "extinct" by the Mexican authorities in 2011, the group lives on in factions across the country.

It once controlled smuggling operations at airports across the country; but its factions are now largely seen as enforcement units for other cartels.

Sinaloa Federation

Established: 1989

Leader: Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera

Called "the most powerful drug trafficking organisation in the world" by the US Intelligence Community, Sinaloa has an established presence in 47 countries.

Leader Joaquin Guzman Loera - aka "El Chapo" - was once included in the Forbes Rich List. He escaped from prison in 2001, remaining at large until February 2014.

Gulf Cartel

Established: 1930s

Leader: Jorge Eduardo "El Coss" Costilla Sanchez

The oldest organised crime group in Mexico, the Gulf Cartel has partnerships around the world and is a primary target for law enforcement due to the political connections of former allies Los Zetas.

Its "supreme leader", Jorge Costilla Sanchez, was arrested in 2012.

Knights Templar

Established: 2011

Leader: Servando "El Profe" Gomez Martinez

Formed from the remnants of La Familia Michoacana, members are indoctrinated to "fight and die" against their Los Zetas rivals.

The group is aligned with the Sinaloa Federation, but locked in an escalating conflict with Sinaloa allies Jalisco New Generation as they move into Knights Templar territory.

Jalisco New Generation Cartel

Established 2009

Leader: Nemesio Oseguera "El Mencho" Cervantes

Mexico's newest and fastest-growing criminal group, it is allied with the Sinaloa Federation but fighting Sinaloa allies the Knights Templar.

Expanded its operation network from coast to coast in just six months, the group seeks society's approval by posing as righteous nationalists.

:: You can watch an extended special report from Sky's Stuart Ramsay on the drugs cartels that are tearing Mexico apart, Narco State: Mexico's Drugs War, at 7.30pm on Friday, 5.30am and 4.30pm on Saturday, and 3.30am, 2.30pm and 8.30pm on Sunday.

:: Watch the report on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mexican Hitmen Held In Vigilantes' Illegal Jail

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Mexico

Sky News has gained access to an illegal prison where hitmen for Mexico's drug gangs have been jailed by vigilantes who snatched them off the streets.

High in Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains our guides are leading us to this much rumoured, but never before seen, prison.

In this part of Mexico, vigilante groups are fighting back against the drug cartels and their low-level gunmen who have terrorised small communities for decades.

The prison is their prize and a mark, they claim, of the success of their "revolution" against organised crime.

The inmates hang out of the barred windows of a converted municipal building, watched by shotgun-toting men dressed in matching green T-shirts and trousers.

There is no proper court of law up here. The prisoners have been snatched off the streets by vigilante gangs and locked up. It is a clean-up operation as unique as it is illegal.

The Mexican government writ doesn't run here. The law of the gun does.

The supervisor agrees to let us inside the "cells".

Inside we are introduced to a group of men in their early 20s. Among them is Leonardo. He is 22, although he seems much younger. He has been in the prison for a year, he says.

His youthful looks hide a horrendous history of violence for the Knights Templar drug cartel.

Leonardo has killed 19 people in the past three years.

He says he tried to run away from the cartel but was tracked down and "grassed up" to the community police.

"They planted three bags of Mota (marijuana) on me and that was my problem... they used a girl to plant the drugs, and that girl they have since killed," he tells me, his head bobbing and eyes shifting nervously from side to side.

"I don't want to talk about it in here. My integrity is in danger, my life is in danger," he adds.

Leonardo says he was under the control of the cartel and could do nothing to avoid their demands to carry out murders. He admits to the murders and being part of the gang.

"What's the point of lying to you? It is true they arrested me with evidence and all. When they caught me I had drugs, shotguns and other weapons."

While cartels would usually pay for hits, it seems Leonardo was exploited with shocking ruthlessness. He was told to kill or be killed himself. He did it for free.

Miguel, a sort of self-styled vigilante social worker who is trying to rehabilitate the inmates, says this is not uncommon.

"Many start this way," he says.

"Then they become contaminated and it becomes natural for them to do it (kill).

"We have investigated him. His life is a life of poverty. It's a very miserable life, very, very poor. Their way of paying him was the life of another in exchange for his life."

The inmates are not all cartel gang members, but they have been identified as anti-social troublemakers and criminals.

Certainly this prison is unsuitable for proper rehabilitation - or proper punishment for that matter. Mixing murderers with drunks could hardly be described as sensible care-for-the-community policing.

But the vigilantes are unrepentant. Locking these men up in cells with mats on the floor and almost no recreational or exercise time is a fitting return for the fear they have brought to their communities.

They want this message to get out.

Across Mexico people are beginning to ask questions of the government and are questioning its future.

But the conclusion one has to reach is that with the profits from drugs so high, the money distributed among the most powerful and influential and a financially poor population almost inured to such violence over so many years, that bringing about change is impossible - except perhaps by the vigilantes.

They have weapons. The cycle starts all over again.

:: Stuart Ramsay will be taking part in a Twitter Q&A at 10am on Wednesday. Tweet your questions to @ramsaysky.

:: You can watch an extended special report on the drugs cartels that are tearing Mexico apart, Narco State: Mexico's Drugs War, at 7.30pm on Friday, 5.30am and 4.30pm on Saturday, and 3.30am, 2.30pm and 8.30pm on Sunday.

:: Watch the report on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shrien Dewani Prepares To Leave South Africa

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 09 Desember 2014 | 12.27

British businessman Shrien Dewani is expected to leave South Africa today after he was cleared by a judge of plotting to murder his wife.

The case against the 34-year-old was dismissed by Judge Jeanette Traverso, who ruled that prosecution arguments fell "far below" the level needed for a conviction.

Mr Dewani, of Westbury-on-Trym, had denied any involvement in the murder of his 28-year-old wife Anni.

He said she was killed during a botched carjacking during their Cape Town honeymoon in November 2010.

The dismissal of the case led to angry scenes outside court as Mrs Dewani's family criticised the South African justice system.

In a statement read outside the court, the Hindocha family said: "The knowledge of not knowing is going to haunt us for the rest of our lives."

Mrs Dewani's sister Ami Denborg told Sky's Alex Crawford: "The justice system has failed us."

The family say they will review the case with their lawyers to see if they can file a lawsuit against Mr Dewani in the UK.

Mr Dewani is now free to return to Britain. He breathed a sigh of relief as the judge dismissed the case against him.

Members of Mr Dewani's family wept and embraced as he quickly left the dock.

Mrs Dewani's family bowed their heads as shouting was heard from the public gallery.

Three men - Tongo, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and gunman Xolile Mngeni - have already been convicted over Mrs Dewani's murder.

Qwabe is currently serving a 25-year sentence. Mngeni was serving life for firing the shot that killed Mrs Dewani, but died from a brain tumour in October.

The murder took place when the Dewanis' chauffeur-driven tour of a township was hijacked.

Prosecutors claimed Dewani, who is bisexual, wanted to leave the relationship and arranged the carjacking during the couple's honeymoon.

But Dewani's defence team said the case against him was weak.

Giving her ruling on the application to dismiss the case, Judge Traverso said the evidence from the men was "so improbable, with so many mistakes, lies and inconsistencies you cannot see where the lies ended and the truth begins".

She added that the only reason not to grant the application would be in the hope that Mr Dewani would implicate himself during his testimony.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Spotlight On Homosexuality In Asian Community

By Ashish Joshi, Sky News Correspondent

The Shrien Dewani case has put a spotlight on a subject Britain's Asian community has struggled to address.

Homosexuality is one of the last taboos.

The subject is rarely talked about and coming out is extremely difficult in most cases, and impossible in others.

In extreme cases gay Asian men and women face violence, or even death.

'H' comes from a wealthy, middle class family from a big town in Pakistan.

While he was still at college he was outed by a member of his extended family.

The reaction was predictably violent. 'H' was given a choice: exorcism or death.

"They take a stick and they burn it on your hands and parts of your body," he said.

"And you scream. And they think the demons are leaving your body. That happened to me several times."

'H' lied to live. He said the painful exorcisms had "cured" him, but his lover refused to renounce his homosexuality.

He was beaten to death by his own father. 'H' heard the screams for help.

Seeking refuge in Britain, 'H' thought attitudes here would be different.

But instead the same prejudices that exist in the subcontinent have been transferred to successive generations born and raised in this country.

Jasvir Ginday, a bank worker from Walsall, is serving a life sentence for murdering his wife, Varkha Rani.

The two were married in a lavish arranged marriage in Punjab, India. It was a marriage that Ginday had himself helped to arrange.

But on her arrival in this country Varkha Rani discovered her husband was gay.

Detective Superintendent Sab Johal investigated the murder and soon discovered Gindal was active on Birmingham's gay scene and did little to hide his sexuality.

"We know for a fact that his friends knew he was visiting the gay quarter," he said.

"He came here with his friends. So he was more than happy to be a gay man here, but yet he still played the part of somebody that was prepared to get married.

"He went to India and duped a young girl to come over here. That makes his crime even more malicious."

Some Asian parents force their gay sons and daughters into marriages in the mistaken belief that heterosexual sex will "cure" them.

Detective Sergeant Trudi Runham is one of West Midlands Police's most experienced officers dealing with the issue.

Her Team Sentinel unit has rescued gay men from forced marriages. She says the number of cases is increasing.

"Nationally 20% of referrals for forced marriages are men. And we know that some of those are gay men," she said.

But there are some signs of change.

Yatin Mistry is from an orthodox Hindu family. Telling his parents he was gay was the most difficult thing he has ever had to do.

"My dad's initial reaction was 'look son, I'm not happy. But I love you, you're still my son'.

"What's going to be difficult is how society is going to react and how your mum will react.

"My mum cried. She blamed herself, saying 'what have I done? I must have done something wrong'. The whole coming out process took over a year."

But now the IT analyst is planning to marry his boyfriend. And he has his parents blessing.

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

David Haines' Widow Brands IS Killers 'Cowards'

Written By Unknown on Senin, 08 Desember 2014 | 12.27

By Katie Stallard, in Sisak, Croatia

The widow of murdered aid worker David Haines has told Sky News the militants who killed her husband are cowards.

Speaking at their home in Sisak, Croatia, in her first television interview, Dragana Haines said: "They consider themselves brave, but that's not bravery.

"It's a cowardly act to behead someone who has his hands tied behind his back, who is kneeling.

"You are a coward if you are going to behead someone who is helpless. You're not even a human being.

"You must be a monster to do something like that."

Mr Haines grew up in Scotland and served as an aircraft engineer in the RAF, but he found his calling in humanitarian work.

He met Dragana, his second wife, in post-war Yugoslavia.

He was working for a German reconstruction charity, and she was a translator for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

They married in 2010 and settled in Croatia, where their daughter, Athea, was born.

In March 2013, he was kidnapped while working for a French aid agency in Syria.

"Every day was a challenge," Mrs Haines said.

"Waking up in the morning and thinking OK should I be hopeful? Will it be a day when they will call me, or he will call me and say 'OK I'm free, I'm coming back'?

"Or will it be a day when they will call me and say something bad has happened?"

In June, Islamic State released a video showing Mr Haines, and warning he would be next to be killed.

"I saw him in the video," Mrs Haines said through tears.

1/6

Gallery: Profile: David Haines

David Haines was born in Holderness, East Yorkshire in 1970. He was raised in Scotland, where his parents still live

He studied at Perth Academy. After school he worked for Royal Mail before becoming an RAF engineer

]]>

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alex Salmond Will Donate Pay If Elected As MP

Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has said he will donate one of his salaries to charity if he is elected as an MP next May.

The ex-SNP leader has formally announced that he will join the contest for the seat in the UK parliamentary constituency of Gordon.

It is currently held by Sir Malcolm Bruce, the long-serving Liberal Democrat MP who is retiring in May 2015.

Mr Salmond resigned as SNP leader and First Minister last month, having signalled his intention to do so just hours after the Yes campaign lost the independence referendum, and speculation over his political future has continued ever since.

He is currently the MSP for the Aberdeenshire East constituency, which covers some of the same areas as the Gordon seat. If elected in May, he will also continue to serve at Holyrood.

Mr Salmond set out his plans in a speech in Ellon, Aberdeenshire.

"If elected with a dual mandate for Holyrood and Westminster I will do as I have done previously and donate one of the salaries to support youth causes in the North East of Scotland."

Mr Salmond told those gathered that he does not expect there to be an overall majority at the next election and that as a result, Scotland could emerge in a "commanding position".

He said that there is the "prospect of real power for Scotland" if the SNP wins a significant number of seats at Westminster.

He added that if "real power" cannot be exerted, Scotland faces the "bleak prospect" of further austerity.

"What has struck me more than anything else, is that in the weeks since the referendum the people of Scotland have refused to give up on the hope," Mr Salmond said.

"For those who voted Yes the referendum offered the possibility of real change. For many who voted No they insist on the vow being properly redeemed.

"Therefore it is incumbent on all of us to step up to the plate - to match the spirit being shown by the people. Therefore I can tell the constituency today that I am a candidate for the SNP nomination for Gordon."

1/5

Gallery: Alex Salmond Tries Football

Waiting for a Scottish Cabinet meeting in Rutherglen, Alex Salmond enjoyed a kickabout with Scotland's under-21 midfielder Kenny McLean.

It is unclear whether the pointy-footed Mr Salmond connected with the ball.

]]>

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hostages Killed By Captors During Rescue Bid

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 07 Desember 2014 | 12.27

American photojournalist Luke Somers and South African teacher Pierre Korkie have been killed during a rescue attempt by US and Yemeni forces.

The pair were murdered by their al Qaeda captors - 10 of whom were also killed - during the raid in the Shabwah region of Yemen, the US said.

It has been revealed Mr Korkie, 56, was due to be released on Sunday, but President Barack Obama authorised the raid because information "indicated that Luke's life was in imminent danger".

Yemen's national security chief, Ali al Ahmadi, said the militants planned to "execute" Mr Somers - who was born in Britain - on Saturday.

His sister Lucy, who had posted a YouTube video pleading for her brother's release hours before his death, paid tribute to a "loving creative and curious person".

She said: "He found a way of life and a people that he loved in Yemen, and worked tirelessly to raise awareness of people's plight, join people together, and help change situations for the better."

Penny Bearman, a family friend, said Mr Somers was a "well-loved and respected".

She added: "I think Luke would have wanted issues of extremism and terrorism to be addressed by stepping up the dialogue instead of resorting to conflict between nations."

The death of Mr Korkie was confirmed by the disaster relief group Gift of the Givers, who revealed his wife Yolande was told this morning: "The wait is almost over".

Mr and Mrs Korkie were taken hostage by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in May 2013 - though Mrs Korkie was released earlier this year.

Mr Somers was captured in September 2013 in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a.

Militants released a video on Wednesday threatening to kill him within three days if their demands were not met. The 33-year-old appeared in the footage saying he feared for his life.

A total of 40 US special operations forces were involved in the rescue attempt, according to US officials.

The troops, who were backed by Yemeni forces, got within 100 metres of the compound when they were spotted. A firefight ensued, during which US officials believe the pair were shot.

Officials cited by Reuters said the men were shot a number of times by at least one of their retreating guards, and not in crossfire.

American forces then pulled them from the compound and put them on an aircraft. Medical teams operated on them during a flight to the USS Makin Island, a Navy ship in the region.

Mr Korkie is believed to have died during the flight, while Mr Somers died on board the ship.

The raid was the second attempt to free Mr Somers in 10 days, and Mr Obama condemned his murder as "barbaric" and "more proof of the depths of AQAP's depravity".

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond condemned the killing. He said: "Luke had close links with the UK and his family have spoken about Luke's life and his work, and that is how he should be remembered."

"I salute the forces involved, who showed great courage in carrying out this mission."

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Archbishop Welby Warns Hunger Stalks The UK

The Archbishop of Canterbury says he was left more shocked at the plight of poor families in the UK being forced to rely on food banks than the suffering in African refugee camps.

Hunger "stalks large parts of the country" while the scale of waste was "astonishing", said the Most Rev Justin Welby.

His made his comments ahead of the publication on Monday of a parliamentary report he has backed that sets out a series of proposals aimed at preventing people going hungry, and urges swift action by the Government and food industry.

In an article in The Mail on Sunday Archbishop Welby said, although less "serious", the situation of a family having to turn to food bank in the UK had shocked him more than terrible suffering in Africa because it was so unexpected.

He wrote: "In one corner of a refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo was a large marquee.

"Inside were children, all ill. They had been separated from family, friends, those who looked after them.

"Perhaps, mostly having disabilities, they had been abandoned in the panic of the militia attack that drove them from their homes. Now they were hungry.

"It was deeply shocking but, tragically, expected.

"A few weeks later in England, I was talking to some people - a mum, dad and one child - in a food bank.

"They were ashamed to be there. The dad talked miserably.

"He said they had each been skipping a day's meals once a week in order to have more for the child, but then they needed new tyres for the car so they could get to work at night, and just could not make ends meet.

"So they had to come to a food bank. They were treated with respect, love even, by the volunteers from local churches. But they were hungry, and ashamed to be hungry.

" I found their plight more shocking. It was less serious, but it was here.

"And they weren't careless with what they had - they were just up against it. It shocked me that being up against it at the wrong time brought them to this stage. There are many like them. But we can do something about it."

The sharp increase in the number of food banks across the country in recent years has proved politically divisive.

Earlier this year, ministers were accused of "taking food from the mouths of children" after blocking millions of pounds of European funding agreed for British food banks.

Cash to help people suffering extreme poverty across the EU was backed in a vote at the European Parliament but the Government said food aid was better decided nationally rather than by Brussels.

Archbishop Welby has called for changes to allow food companies to pass on goods they could no longer sell.

Under the current system it costs retailers to give away surplus food to the the hungry.

He added: "At least some of the food being sent to the incinerator should be used as a force for good to help (the poor) out of the rut in which they find themselves.

"We need to make it easier for food companies to give edible surplus food to charities and still encourage them to send inedible food for energy production.

"The big names in the food business know they have a moral obligation to they communities they work in.

"We need to make sure that the financial incentives in their industry don't act against their moral instincts."

12.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Juara Pageone

Mengenai Saya

Popular Posts Today