There is no evidence to support that they have not done their bit to check the spread. In 1980s and 90s the US wanted to let wahhabism spread to promote Afghan Jihad. And post that the government has actually not been severely censured for trying to stop it. Osama's attacks were never blamed on Saudis who had banned him several years before. Trying to stop the genie after it was released from the bottle is like trying to stop an earthquake- it won't happen.
Terror Attack in Sri Lanka
- Thread starter Butter Chicken
- Start date
There is no evidence to support that they have not done their bit to check the spread. In 1980s and 90s the US wanted to let wahhabism spread to promote Afghan Jihad. And post that the government has actually not been severely censured for trying to stop it. Osama's attacks were never blamed on Saudis who had banned him several years before. Trying to stop the genie after it was released from the bottle is like trying to stop an earthquake- it won't happen.
Exactly the point I was making. The Americans wanted to advance their interests without understanding the consequences of these actions. The Saudis on the other hand are no saints, they say this as an opportunity the expand their influence. They were better aware of the dangers wahhabism posed than the Americans, yet they expanded it as a means of foreign policy. The fact that they understood better is underscored by their banning of OBL before planes flying into buildings, the Americans only came to some senses only after it.
This I can agree with. But just like the Americans are to be held responsible for their foreign policy failures, Saudis are to be blamed for theirs as well.
It's probably not the Saudi Royal family spreading it but other actors in Saudi Arabia. There's nothing to be gained by throwing away money. They're more interested in reform than the rest of their country but at the same time don't want to upset the troublemakers because then holding on to power becomes problematic.
Indeed, Al-Quaeda started when Bin Laden was exiled from Saudi Arabia in the '90s.
The Saudi have a very limited idea of influence. Their primary concern is to keep the family in power and keep the big families rich. They don’t want to be a world power. Their position in Islamic world is already guaranteed by the fact that Mecca and Medina are with them. I can assure you that this is more due to mischief by rich petrodollar fueled scions than them.
Thats indianexpress for you. You can't take action against the clerics who are the origin of the hatred created in the mind of those terrorists, otherwise you are disturbing the communal peace.
It was good that those pathetic world media ignored the SL blast, now they are also not covering the aggressive stand taken by SL govt which is very good for our region. The more world media interferes, the more trouble we have in our region.
Similar order is needed in India, not that I am against muslims but I have heard some sermons and they promote violence, treason and hatred, not all of them of course.
Audio copy need to be made mandatory, people misuse religious platform to indoctrinate young minds.
But who will do it ? Bell the cat, so to speak ? Our Supreme Court doesn't have the spine for it and any major politician/political party will lose votes for it.
Use LIU(Local Intelligence Unit) to prepare reports, keep an eye for few months that will be enough to select the bad eggs, take them out of system and keep monitoring.
You don't need to harass whole community for few, can be done subtly without anyone even noticing, just don't let it grow the way it is growing.
Mobs attack mosques, Muslim-owned shops and homes in Sri Lanka’s Kurunegala District
Meera Srinivasan
COLOMBO ,May 13, 2019 21:43 IST
Updated:May 13, 2019 21:50 IST
Abbraar Masjid mosque is seen after a mob attack in Kiniyama, Sri Lanka May 13, 2019. | Photo Credit: Reuters
Police impose island-wide curfew till Tuesday morning amid fears of escalation in violence
Mobs attacked several mosques, torched dozens of shops and homes of Muslims in Kurunegala District, some 100 km north-west of capital Colombo on Monday, in the biggest incident of violence since the April 21 Easter serial bombings.
A police curfew, initially imposed in six villages in the district, was later extended to cover the entire island until Tuesday morning, amid fear of further attacks. The government blocked social media platforms including Whatsapp and Facebook following the violence. Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake told local media that troops would not hesitate to use “maximum force” to contain the tense situation.
The incidents point to an escalation of violence targeting Sri Lanka’s Muslim community, following the Easter terror attacks that the government attributed to two local Islamist radical groups. The IS, too, later claimed responsibility for the explosions that claimed over 250 lives in Colombo, in nearby Negombo and the eastern city of Batticaloa.
The cluster of villages in Kurunegala -- Kuliyapitiya, Kobeigane, Rasnayakapura, Hettipola, Bingiriya and Dummalasuriya – witnessed much destruction, according to local sources. “It began in the afternoon today. It was like they [the mobs] had planned to move from one village to the next, attacking our homes and property,” said a community leader in the area, who asked not to be named amid persisting violence, despite the curfew. “A group of men are still on motorbikes, making a big noise, while villagers are either indoors, or hiding in the nearby jungles in fear,” he told The Hindu.
At least three mosques were attacked late on Sunday in nearby Kiniyama, sources said. “One mosque has been almost fully destroyed. It will take us millions to rebuild it,” a source from the village said.
Kurunegala, an ancient royal capital, is a Sinhala-Buddhist-majority district which is home to nearly 16 lakh people. Muslims living here constitute 7.3%, according to government data. Former President and Leader of Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa represents the district in parliament.
Violence in other areas
Hours after the attacks in Kurunegala on Monday, reports of similar incidents of violence emerged from Gampaha district, less than 30 km from Colombo.
Earlier on Sunday, Chilaw town, near Colombo, witnessed dozens pelting mosques and Muslim-owned stores with stones, and a local man being beaten by a mob, prompting a police curfew.
In the wake of the ghastly Easter blasts, Muslim political leaders and activists – who had vehemently condemned the attacks, had flagged the possibility of a backlash targeting the community.
Colombo-based NGO Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) said on Monday that it was “alarmed” by the increased spate of communal violence against the Muslim community since the Easter attacks. “CPA is also concerned about reports indicating inaction and/or delays in response to this violence by the security authorities, an unfortunate trend which has repeatedly been witnessed in the past,” a statement said.
Mobs attack mosques, Muslim-owned shops and homes in Sri Lanka’s Kurunegala District
Meera Srinivasan
COLOMBO ,May 13, 2019 21:43 IST
Updated:May 13, 2019 21:50 IST
Abbraar Masjid mosque is seen after a mob attack in Kiniyama, Sri Lanka May 13, 2019. | Photo Credit: Reuters
Police impose island-wide curfew till Tuesday morning amid fears of escalation in violence
Mobs attacked several mosques, torched dozens of shops and homes of Muslims in Kurunegala District, some 100 km north-west of capital Colombo on Monday, in the biggest incident of violence since the April 21 Easter serial bombings.
A police curfew, initially imposed in six villages in the district, was later extended to cover the entire island until Tuesday morning, amid fear of further attacks. The government blocked social media platforms including Whatsapp and Facebook following the violence. Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake told local media that troops would not hesitate to use “maximum force” to contain the tense situation.
The incidents point to an escalation of violence targeting Sri Lanka’s Muslim community, following the Easter terror attacks that the government attributed to two local Islamist radical groups. The IS, too, later claimed responsibility for the explosions that claimed over 250 lives in Colombo, in nearby Negombo and the eastern city of Batticaloa.
The cluster of villages in Kurunegala -- Kuliyapitiya, Kobeigane, Rasnayakapura, Hettipola, Bingiriya and Dummalasuriya – witnessed much destruction, according to local sources. “It began in the afternoon today. It was like they [the mobs] had planned to move from one village to the next, attacking our homes and property,” said a community leader in the area, who asked not to be named amid persisting violence, despite the curfew. “A group of men are still on motorbikes, making a big noise, while villagers are either indoors, or hiding in the nearby jungles in fear,” he told The Hindu.
At least three mosques were attacked late on Sunday in nearby Kiniyama, sources said. “One mosque has been almost fully destroyed. It will take us millions to rebuild it,” a source from the village said.
Kurunegala, an ancient royal capital, is a Sinhala-Buddhist-majority district which is home to nearly 16 lakh people. Muslims living here constitute 7.3%, according to government data. Former President and Leader of Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa represents the district in parliament.
Violence in other areas
Hours after the attacks in Kurunegala on Monday, reports of similar incidents of violence emerged from Gampaha district, less than 30 km from Colombo.
Earlier on Sunday, Chilaw town, near Colombo, witnessed dozens pelting mosques and Muslim-owned stores with stones, and a local man being beaten by a mob, prompting a police curfew.
In the wake of the ghastly Easter blasts, Muslim political leaders and activists – who had vehemently condemned the attacks, had flagged the possibility of a backlash targeting the community.
Colombo-based NGO Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) said on Monday that it was “alarmed” by the increased spate of communal violence against the Muslim community since the Easter attacks. “CPA is also concerned about reports indicating inaction and/or delays in response to this violence by the security authorities, an unfortunate trend which has repeatedly been witnessed in the past,” a statement said.
Mobs attack mosques, Muslim-owned shops and homes in Sri Lanka’s Kurunegala District
Sri Lankan software engineer, under Indian surveillance, key in Easter attack
Reuters
Filed on May 14, 2019
(Reuters)
The 24-year-old suspect has been arrested and is in police custody.
Sri Lankan software engineer suspected by authorities in Sri Lanka of having provided technical and logistical support to the Easter Sunday suicide bombers was monitored by Indian intelligence agencies three years ago for links with Daesh suspects, investigators said.
Four sources in Sri Lankan investigating agencies said they believed Aadhil Ameez, a 24-year-old, was the link between two groups that carried out the attacks on churches and hotels that killed more than 250 people and wounded hundreds more.
Aadhil has been arrested and is in police custody, the sources said. His arrest has not been made public, but when asked by Reuters, Ruwan Gunasekera, the main spokesman for the Sri Lankan police, confirmed Aadhil was taken into custody on April 25, four days after the attacks.
The spokesman declined to give more details.
A police official at India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) and another police official in the western state of Gujarat said they were providing assistance to Sri Lankan authorities.
Aadhil, who describes himself on his LinkedIn profile as a senior engineer/programmer/web designer with a masters degree in computer science and a bachelors in political science from UK universities, could not be reached for comment.
He does not yet have a lawyer and under Sri Lanka's tough new emergency laws imposed after the attacks, he can be held indefinitely.
His father, M. Ameez, who lives in Aluthgama, a town south of Colombo, denied that Aadhil was involved with the plotters and said such "allegations are lies".
The Indian investigators said they had been monitoring Aadhil since 2016 and named him in two chargesheets filed in Indian courts against suspected Daesh operatives as being one of their contacts.
According to one of the chargesheets, reviewed by Reuters, he showed up in Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram chats with two of the suspects who are on trial for plotting an attack on a synagogue in the western city of Ahmedabad.
The two suspects Ubed Ahmad Mirza, a lawyer, and Stimberwala Mohamed Kasim, a hospital technician, were accused of planning "lone-wolf" attacks, according to the chargesheet.
Lawyers for both men rejected the allegations and said they were innocent. Both lawyers declined to comment on the possible role of Aadhil.
Aadhil has also been named in another chargesheet filed in court by the NIA for providing propaganda and online material to three Indians arrested in early 2016 for promoting Daesh.
The three men, Sheikh Azhar ul-Islam, Adnan Hassan and Mohammed Rafiq Sadique Shaikh are on trial in a special Delhi court facing charges of criminal conspiracy to propagate the ideology of Daesh, recruit, raise funds and facilitate the travel of people to Syria, according to the chargesheet.
Sheikh Mohammad Munawar, a cousin of ul-Islam, said the charges were fabricated and that he had no criminal record ever.
Families of the other two accused could not be reached. Their lawyers were not immediately available for comment.
Reuters was unable to determine when the Indians informed Sri Lankan authorities of the surveillance. The two officials declined to say whether they continued to keep Aadhil under surveillance after they completed investigation of the cases in India.
Indian intelligence services warned Sri Lankan authorities of a possible attack at least three times in April alone, officials have said.
Link between groups
Sri Lankan authorities have said two local militant groups - the National Tawheed Jamaath (NTJ) led by radical preacher Zahran Hashim and the Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim (JMI) - were involved in the synchronised blasts in Colombo, the island nation's capital, and two other towns. Daesh has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Two sources in Sri Lanka's police Criminal Investigation Department and two military officials said Aadhil was the link between the two groups.
The groups used the dark web and WhatsApp to communicate, they said.
However, investigators don't know yet whether Aadhil was simply a facilitator for the bombers, or if he was also one of the ring leaders involved in planning and executing the attacks.
Last week, police raided IT firm Virtusa, where Aadhil had interned in 2013, according to his profile. One current employee has been detained for questioning in connection with the attacks, police say, but no other details have been provided.
Online chats
India, with one of the world's largest populations of Muslims, has claimed success in foiling several Daesh cells, mostly in southern and western India.
Court documents reviewed by Reuters show that the online conversations between the Sri Lankan and the two Indians in western India, began in the summer of 2016 and lasted until the arrest of the two Indians in late 2017. The documents describe how Aadhil Ax, as he called himself online, asked the Indians if they had heard about the atrocities being committed against Muslims in Sri Lanka by the Buddhist community.
He talked about his own experiences: that he had been in jail, that his house had been torched and that he limped because of beatings, the documents seen by Reuters show. Investigators and neighbours in Sri Lanka say none of these were true.
The Sri Lankan investigators interviewed by Reuters say Aadhil made claims he was a journalist and a PhD candidate in some of his online postings, which also were false.
They said they believed Aadhil, operating largely from his home, was a key part of the Easter bombings plot and helped in communications and training.
"He was the main technology person for them," said one of the CID sources involved in the investigation. The source said Aadhil was helped in this by Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel, one of the eight suicide bombers who detonated his explosives at a guesthouse after failing to do so at Colombo's luxury Taj Samudra hotel.
About a week before the bombings, Aadhil met Jameel, Zahran the extremist preacher, and Inshaf Ibrahim and Ilham Ibrahim, the two brothers from a family engaged in the spice trade in Colombo, the other sources said. The latter three men blew themselves up in five-star Colombo hotels.
The CID source said that Aadhil, Zahran and the Ibrahim brothers had leased land in Wanathawilluwa town in the north and set up a training camp. Police raided the place in January this year and discovered a large amount of explosives, but did not know at the time who had leased it.
When police raided Aadhil's home four days after the bombings, all his computer files were found to have been deleted.
"He seems to have played an important role in setting up communications for the attackers, helping organise meetings and training camps," said one of the military sources.
Sri Lankan software engineer, under Indian surveillance, key in Easter attack
Reuters
Filed on May 14, 2019
(Reuters)
The 24-year-old suspect has been arrested and is in police custody.
Sri Lankan software engineer suspected by authorities in Sri Lanka of having provided technical and logistical support to the Easter Sunday suicide bombers was monitored by Indian intelligence agencies three years ago for links with Daesh suspects, investigators said.
Four sources in Sri Lankan investigating agencies said they believed Aadhil Ameez, a 24-year-old, was the link between two groups that carried out the attacks on churches and hotels that killed more than 250 people and wounded hundreds more.
Aadhil has been arrested and is in police custody, the sources said. His arrest has not been made public, but when asked by Reuters, Ruwan Gunasekera, the main spokesman for the Sri Lankan police, confirmed Aadhil was taken into custody on April 25, four days after the attacks.
The spokesman declined to give more details.
A police official at India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) and another police official in the western state of Gujarat said they were providing assistance to Sri Lankan authorities.
Aadhil, who describes himself on his LinkedIn profile as a senior engineer/programmer/web designer with a masters degree in computer science and a bachelors in political science from UK universities, could not be reached for comment.
He does not yet have a lawyer and under Sri Lanka's tough new emergency laws imposed after the attacks, he can be held indefinitely.
His father, M. Ameez, who lives in Aluthgama, a town south of Colombo, denied that Aadhil was involved with the plotters and said such "allegations are lies".
The Indian investigators said they had been monitoring Aadhil since 2016 and named him in two chargesheets filed in Indian courts against suspected Daesh operatives as being one of their contacts.
According to one of the chargesheets, reviewed by Reuters, he showed up in Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram chats with two of the suspects who are on trial for plotting an attack on a synagogue in the western city of Ahmedabad.
The two suspects Ubed Ahmad Mirza, a lawyer, and Stimberwala Mohamed Kasim, a hospital technician, were accused of planning "lone-wolf" attacks, according to the chargesheet.
Lawyers for both men rejected the allegations and said they were innocent. Both lawyers declined to comment on the possible role of Aadhil.
Aadhil has also been named in another chargesheet filed in court by the NIA for providing propaganda and online material to three Indians arrested in early 2016 for promoting Daesh.
The three men, Sheikh Azhar ul-Islam, Adnan Hassan and Mohammed Rafiq Sadique Shaikh are on trial in a special Delhi court facing charges of criminal conspiracy to propagate the ideology of Daesh, recruit, raise funds and facilitate the travel of people to Syria, according to the chargesheet.
Sheikh Mohammad Munawar, a cousin of ul-Islam, said the charges were fabricated and that he had no criminal record ever.
Families of the other two accused could not be reached. Their lawyers were not immediately available for comment.
Reuters was unable to determine when the Indians informed Sri Lankan authorities of the surveillance. The two officials declined to say whether they continued to keep Aadhil under surveillance after they completed investigation of the cases in India.
Indian intelligence services warned Sri Lankan authorities of a possible attack at least three times in April alone, officials have said.
Link between groups
Sri Lankan authorities have said two local militant groups - the National Tawheed Jamaath (NTJ) led by radical preacher Zahran Hashim and the Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim (JMI) - were involved in the synchronised blasts in Colombo, the island nation's capital, and two other towns. Daesh has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Two sources in Sri Lanka's police Criminal Investigation Department and two military officials said Aadhil was the link between the two groups.
The groups used the dark web and WhatsApp to communicate, they said.
However, investigators don't know yet whether Aadhil was simply a facilitator for the bombers, or if he was also one of the ring leaders involved in planning and executing the attacks.
Last week, police raided IT firm Virtusa, where Aadhil had interned in 2013, according to his profile. One current employee has been detained for questioning in connection with the attacks, police say, but no other details have been provided.
Online chats
India, with one of the world's largest populations of Muslims, has claimed success in foiling several Daesh cells, mostly in southern and western India.
Court documents reviewed by Reuters show that the online conversations between the Sri Lankan and the two Indians in western India, began in the summer of 2016 and lasted until the arrest of the two Indians in late 2017. The documents describe how Aadhil Ax, as he called himself online, asked the Indians if they had heard about the atrocities being committed against Muslims in Sri Lanka by the Buddhist community.
He talked about his own experiences: that he had been in jail, that his house had been torched and that he limped because of beatings, the documents seen by Reuters show. Investigators and neighbours in Sri Lanka say none of these were true.
The Sri Lankan investigators interviewed by Reuters say Aadhil made claims he was a journalist and a PhD candidate in some of his online postings, which also were false.
They said they believed Aadhil, operating largely from his home, was a key part of the Easter bombings plot and helped in communications and training.
"He was the main technology person for them," said one of the CID sources involved in the investigation. The source said Aadhil was helped in this by Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel, one of the eight suicide bombers who detonated his explosives at a guesthouse after failing to do so at Colombo's luxury Taj Samudra hotel.
About a week before the bombings, Aadhil met Jameel, Zahran the extremist preacher, and Inshaf Ibrahim and Ilham Ibrahim, the two brothers from a family engaged in the spice trade in Colombo, the other sources said. The latter three men blew themselves up in five-star Colombo hotels.
The CID source said that Aadhil, Zahran and the Ibrahim brothers had leased land in Wanathawilluwa town in the north and set up a training camp. Police raided the place in January this year and discovered a large amount of explosives, but did not know at the time who had leased it.
When police raided Aadhil's home four days after the bombings, all his computer files were found to have been deleted.
"He seems to have played an important role in setting up communications for the attackers, helping organise meetings and training camps," said one of the military sources.
Sri Lankan software engineer, under Indian surveillance, key in Easter attack