Short training videos made by START about ISIL. Recommended to watch!

START has released the 2017 dataset for the Global Terrorism Database (GTD).

The State Government of Berlin is creating a new counterterrorism centre by 2020 as a reaction to severe internal problems while and after the 2016 Christmas market terror attack.

I think this is a positive step in the right direction and I’ll follow the further developments regarding these plans!

Update: The Berlin Senate approved in June 2018 the financing of EUR 125 million for the new counterterrorism centre. Current problems regarding the new building are concerning mainly the safety and security of the staff that is supposed to work there from 2020 onwards.

Russia Today is reporting that “Any foreigner suspected of aiding terrorist or extremist groups will be banned from entering Russia, according to a new bill prepared by lawmakers representing parliamentary majority party United Russia. “. It is to hope that other countries will adopt similiar laws.

In Germany we are unluckily going into the opposite direction:

German newspapers and television started calling terrorist groups rebels or insurgents! As an example Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Al-Nusra Front which is nothing else but al-Qaeda in Syria) is one of the main terror groups active in East Ghuta, near Damascus.

Just as a reminder: al-Qaeda is one of the major and most ruthless terror groups in the world. They were responsible for the January 2015 attack in Paris killing 17 and wounding 22 and the March 2004 attack in Madrid killing 191 and injuring more than 1800.

Could you imagine the news calling these terror attacks “Islamic rebels attack Paris” or “Islamic insurgents uprising in Madrid” ? I cannot!