Showing posts with label Boko Haram. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boko Haram. Show all posts

6 March 2015

Terrorism on Trial

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The week saw unsettled business take center stage with the beginning of the Boston Marathon Bombing trial along with various other worrying developments around the world.

Terrorist Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

Tackling Terrorism


We begin this week with the Boston Marathon Bombing trial which began after struggling to find jury members. The trial kicked off with opening statements with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's attorney admitting his client had carried out the attacks but tried to push the blame onto his older brother. The trial continued with testimony from survivors recounting their experience on the tragic day with the trial expected to continue for weeks to come.

In other terror related news the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram released a graphic video showing the beheading of two men believed to be spies while in the US, Twitter revealed that it had suspended over 2000 accounts used by ISIS in recruiting new members resulting in ISIS threatening Twitter staff.

Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov

Political Front Lines


Politicians were on the front line this week when a man armed with a razor attacked a US ambassador slashing his face and wrist in opposition to military drills by South Korea and the US. The military drills also received attention from North Korea who fired two short range missiles into the sea as the drills began.

In Russia a new video has surfaced of the assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov last week, showing the bridge as the attack takes place. On the topic of high profile leaders, Ex-CIA chief Petraeus, has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified material with his mistress.

Blood on the Streets


In the world of drugs it was revealed that the Bali 9 were executed on a secluded island ignoring pleas from the Australian government while in Mexico police and troops made progress capturing Zetas cartel leader, Omar Trevino Morales, in a wealthy suburb of Monterrey.

Images were released which the police say confirms the homeless man shot by LAPD had tried to take an officers weapon. Finally we end the week with a Justice Department investigation into the Ferguson police which shows excessive use of force and unjustified arrests.

16 May 2014

Need to Know - #BringBackOurGirls

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On April 15 a group of Boko Haram members, a Nigerian Terrorist Group, kidnapped 273 school girls, aged 12 - 15, from a Government Girls Secondary School in northern Nigerian town of Chibok and marched them into the jungle and have not been seen since.

Kidnapping


Even though the abductions took place on April 15 it took weeks from the Nigerian government to respond. Instead a hash tag was created on Twitter alerting the international public to the abduction sparking immediate outrage.

During the initial abduction some girls managed to escape running for their lives. Those that escaped described the ordeal as "too terrifying for words," After the first abduction another 8 girls were kidnapped just hours after U.S. President Barack Obama had promised to send officials to assist in the search.

At one point the Boko Haram leader threatened to sell the girls as bride slaves saying 'I Kidnapped Your Girls, I Will Sell Them'. Later the leader of Boko Haram claimed the girls had been converted to Islam and demanded the release of prisoners. Boko Harem then tried to negotiate a swap, the kidnapped girls for prisoners, but was rejected by the Nigerian government.

Weeks after the abduction a video was released by Boko Haram of the girls praying and wearing full length hijabs. A mother of one of the kidnapped girls managed to identify her daughter in the video footage.

International Response


The initial reports brought waves of support from celebrities like Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Emma Watson and more all the way up to First Lady Michelle Obama who pleaded for the return of the girls in her Mothers Day address. Various public protests have appeared including activists in Chicago who rallied calling for the return of the girls.

Pressure followed when U.S. President Barack Obama sent a team to search for the missing girls. Australia has since implemented bans on Boko Haram based on Australian terrorist laws.

A report by Amnesty International claims that the Nigerian army had 4 hours warning prior to the abduction but failed to act.