Jihadi John unmasked, terrorists target subways and attacks on Muslim
A PLOT to attack subways around the world has emerged, and Australian Defence personnel are being warned for their safety. But Jihadi John has been unmasked.
THE FBI has made a huge breakthrough, uncovering the identity of the masked British militant who features in the brutal videos showing the killing of two US journalists and an aid worker.
‘Jihadi John’s’ unmasking come as the Iraq’s Prime Minister said his country uncovered a plot for an attack on subways in the US and Paris by foreign fighters from the Islamic State and had warned the US government, while closer to home a string of suspected attacks have been taken out across Australia targeting Muslim schools and places of worship.
And if we weren’t panicked enough, sirens are about to ring out in Sydney’s transport hubs in the first major emergency alarm test since the terror alert was raised.
Here’s everything you need to know about how the world is dealing with the terror threat.
DEFENCE FORCE WARNED
Australian Defence personnel have been warned to exercise caution in public after a member of the Navy was allegedly attacked outside his Sydney home.
A 41-year-old officer told police he was in full uniform when he was allegedly assaulted by two men of Middle Eastern appearance on Thursday morning.
Air chief Marshal Michael Binskin told News Corp Australia he urged Defence members to be diligent and to look out for each other as the risk grew of reprisal attacks by Islamic militants and their supporters angered by Australia’s involvement in Iraq.
“Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to return,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Try to park in high traffic, well lit areas with good visibility and lock your car when it’s unattended, even if it’s in the garage.”
The attempted attack on Defence officials follows the stabbing of two police officers in Melbourne by terror suspect Numan Haider, who was shot dead.
The incident came only days after a video released by ISIS addressed Australian followers urging them to target police and authorities.
ALERT AND ALARMED
Our biggest city will get its first taste of how an emergency situation might go down with close to a hundred sirens set to sound at transport hubs around the CBD today.
The testing of the Sydney CBD Emergency Warning Sydney will be conducted for the first time since the terror alert was raised over a fortnight ago.
“Members of the public who reside, work or travel through the Sydney CBD need to be aware of the warning system, what it sounds like and what it is used for,” police have advised.
“The system is in line with similar warning systems overseas where monthly tests are conducted to educate and remind the people of the existence of the warning system, and to ensure the system works.”
Today’s test will be conducted at 12.15pm at selected sites within the Sydney CBD.
BACKLASH FOLLOWS TERROR SUSPECT SHOOTINGS
Angry members of the Muslim community have lashed out at media and police following the shooting of terror suspect Numan Haider who stabbed two police officers.
A man threw rocks at media waiting at the Doveton mosque after earlier being seen at Numan Haider’s family home, the Herald Sun reports.
Others grieving the loss of Haider lashed out at police for shooting him.
Friends of the teen said they were concerned that he would be remembered for how he died instead of how he lived. They were also concerned women in Islamic scarfs would now be subjected to racist attacks.
Police are on high alert for revenge attacks against more officers following the fatal shooting of Haider.
MUSLIM SCHOOL TARGETED
Police are searching for the man who entered Al-Faisal College in Minto just after 2pm on Thursday, asked if it was a “Muslim school” and threatened a female teacher and student with a knife. Primary school students hid under their desks while those from the high school were gathered in a prayer hall as the school went into lockdown, one mother told AAP.
Mariam Veiszadeh, spokesman for Islamophobia Register Australia, said parents were left distressed.
“[They] arrived at the school earlier today and found it surrounded by police officers and the SWAT team,” Ms Veiszadeh said in a statement.
Police say the man was last seen in Kitson Road, Minto.
Officers searched the area but couldn’t find the man, described as being an obese 20 to 25-year-old of Pacific Islander appearance. He was wearing brown khaki pants and a green shirt.
Vandals target Rocklea #mosque in Brisbane @abcnews police investigating pic.twitter.com/BQFBbpB0Di
— Alyse Edwards (@Alyse_Edwards) September 24, 2014
In Brisbane, a was charged overnight after a mosque was vandalised with a hate message earlier in the week.
Police were called to the prayer centre in Rocklea about 7pm on Wednesday night after members discovered the damage.
“Muslims are evil and have no respect for our ways” and the word “die” had been sprayed on the entrance. The incident is the second defacing of a Queensland mosque in less than a week.
The 34-year-old is due to face court next month on charges of wilful damage, trespass, public nuiasnce and possessing a graffiti instrument.
SUBWAY ATTACKS
Overnight, Iraq’s PM said his country uncovered a plot for an attack on subways in the US and Paris by foreign fighters from the Islamic State and had warned the US government.
However the Obama administration said no one was aware of such a plot, saying it had never come up in talks with Iraqi officials this week.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said officials in Baghdad had told him of the purported plot that is thought to be the work of foreign fighters from France and the US who had joined the Islamic State.
He made the remarks at a meeting at the UN General Assembly but declined to say exactly where such a plot might occur
New York is the home to America’s largest subway system. New York Police Department’s top counter terror official John Miller said they were aware of the statements “and we are in close contact with the FBI and other federal partners as we assess this particular threat stream.”
JIHADI JOHN IDENTIFIED BY FBI
The masked British militant who features in the brutal videos showing the killing of two US journalists and an aid worker has been identified, the FBI claims.
FBI Director James Comey would not reveal the name or nationality of the man known as “Jihadi John”.
He also wouldn’t say whether the US believes he carried out the killings himself.
In the videos, the man speaks in English with a British accent, holds a long knife and appears to cut the three men: Journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as aid worker David Haines.
It’s been reported that the executioner is 23-year-old rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, who has released music videos under the name L Jinny and even had songs played on BBC radio.
OIL REFINERIES TARGETED
The US and allied countries have taken aim at oil refineries in a third night of air strikes in Iraq and Syria.
ISIS has been using refineries to generate up to $2.2 million a day to fund terror activities. American, Saudi and Emirati planes hit areas in eastern Syria as they broadened their campaign beyond military to economic assets
The strikes against the oil refineries killed 14 jihadists but also left five civilians dead, including a child, according to Britain-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
LEADERS CONVENE AT UN
Prime Minister Tony Abbot has used his address at the UN General Assembly to speak about Australia’s place in the world.
“We’re strong enough to be useful but pragmatic enough to know our limits,” he told the chamber.
“We have never believed that we can save the world single-handedly; but nor have we shrunk from shouldering our responsibilities.”
It comes a day after he spoke alongside US President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron about the terrorist threat posed by Islamic State fighters, saying Australia would be “utterly unflinching” when it comes to facing down enemies who want to harm the country.
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