Review: The Power of Unreason Conspiracy Theories Extremism and Counter Terrorism

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This paper is the first in a series of policy papers on emerging themes in extremism and terrorism by Demos. These papers focus on under-researched dimensions of extremism, and do not present an exhaustive answer, but suggest new avenues of study. Future papers include the role of women and gender in extremist movements, and methods to de-glamorise al-Qaeda.

This paper examines the role of conspiracy theories in extremist groups. Numerous studies have considered a variety of factors thatencourage extremism: ideology, grievance, poverty, religion, and social networks. The role of conspiracy theories, defined as accounts  of events as the deliberate yet concealed product of a powerful few,regardless of the evidence, has been ignored. This study is the first attempt, as far as we are aware, to research this subject and should be viewed as such.

Counter-terrorism campaign launched in London

Terrorism Timeline (Photo credit: juggernautco)

13 Feb 12

One phone call to the police could save lives: that’s the message of a new counter-terrorism publicity campaign launched today by the Metropolitan Police Service.

By Brian Sims

Everyone who works, lives and visits London has a role to play in helping to counter the terrorist threat which most certainly remains real and serious.

The police service fully understands that people may be reluctant to tell them about suspicious activity or behaviour, but they stress that all calls to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline are taken by specially trained officers and that information is thoroughly analysed and researched before (and if) any action is taken.

No piece of information is considered too small or insignificant.

Now, the four-week campaign entitled: “It’s probably nothing, but …” consists of local newspaper adverts and one 40-second radio ad across London. Leaflets will also be distributed to 1.4 million households in the Capital.

Everyone must remain vigilant and aware

DAC Stuart Osborne, the senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism, said: “The terrorist threat to London, and the UK generally, remains real and serious so it’s vital that everyone continues to be vigilant and aware.”

He continued: “We at the Metropolitan Police Service have a key role to play in countering this threat, whether it’s from Al-Qaeda inspired groups or individuals or Irish Dissident Republican Groups, but we can only do this with the support of all our communities.”

Turkey’s Intelligence: “We have established an original new structure’

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  Published : 09.01.2012 19:43
  Updated : 09.01.2012 22:04

Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) is setting up an Electronic Intelligence Village on a 3,000 square meter plot of land, which will allow for the tracking of all forms of intelligence signals.

MİT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan explains that within the next two to three years, they aim to become one of the largest intelligence services in the world and that they are synthesizing the CIA-FBI model.
Yesterday, the “Meeting with the Press” portion of a series of ceremonies held to commemorate to 85th anniversary of the National Intelligence Organization, or MİTs founding, was held at the undersecretariat headquarters.
At the event, which brought together the executive editors and Ankara representatives from newspapers and television stations, MİT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan, announced their objective to become one of the top ten intelligence services, to undergo a restructuring in terms of both internal and foreign intelligence and that they are synthesizing the United States’ CIA-FBI model. Fidan stood up for the organization, which has faced intentions of being drawn into the Uludere incident, by sharing their goals for “Perfection and Competitive Pursuit.”
OBJECTIVE TO BECOME TOP TEN: “We have always been told “You are very good in your region, Turkey is a shining star.” However, we do not consider this to be enough. With the exception of a few countries in this region, this is not an area where there are first class players. We want to become players in the global realm. There are ten intelligence services in this realm, within the next two to three years; we will become one of them.”
FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM: “We are preparing a joint intelligence program. Under the headline “Security Intelligence”, we have reestablished our units dealing with terrorism doth domestically and abroad. We have created units that will primarily deal with armed terror as well as an analysis unit that will also be dealing with terrorism.”

INTELLIGENCE VILLAGE: “The General Staff Electronic Systems Command has been handed over to the MİT. A 3,000 square meter plot of land was purchased next to the Electronic Systems Command (GES) facility.
We are building an Electronic Intelligence Village there that will be befitting of the 21st century. 21. This is a historical step in terms of military-civilian collaboration. Turkey has now been saved from the wasted resources and effort as well as from duplication and has obtained the opportunity to visualize our national capacity. All signal intelligence directed towards our region will be tracked and evaluated from here.”
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE VISUALS ARE NOT OURS: “The visual intelligence obtained from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles is obtained by the General Staff and not MİT.”

Pakistani Student Arrested at Birmingham Airport for Carrying Suspected Terrorist Document

By Nicholas Edmondson | December 20, 2011 4:09 PM GMT

A student has been arrested at Birmingham airport on suspicion of carrying a terrorist document.

West Midlands police detained the 22-year-old Pakistani national on Monday evening under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 as he arrived on a flight from Dubai.

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A Student has been arrested at Birmingham airport under suspicion of carrying a terrorist document

“[The suspect] was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a document likely to be of use to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism,” a police spokesman said. 

India – Intelligence agencies have achieved significant success in terrorism battle: Chidambaram

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New Delhi, Sep 15(ANI): Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram today said that the Intelligence Bureau and the intelligence wings of state police forces must continue to do their silent and solid work.

“Because they are silent and largely invisible, little appreciation will come their way. Given the size of our population and the territory, the size of our intelligence agencies is modest. They are engaged in intelligence gathering not only in respect of terrorists. They are required to gather intelligence about infiltrators, insurgents, Left Wing Extremists and peddlers of fake Indian currency,” Chidambaram said while inaugurating the three-day DGPs/IGPs conference organized by the Intelligence Bureau in New Delhi.

India: NAM takes stand against terrorism

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Press Trust Of India
Nusa Dua, May 26, 2011

First Published: 14:21 IST(26/5/2011)
Last Updated: 14:22 IST(26/5/2011)

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) issued a declaration condemning any kind of terrorism. The commitment was made in the “Bali Commemorative Declaration” issued here yesterday in the framework of NAM’s 50th anniversary. The NAM`s foreign ministers in the declaration underlined the achievements made by

the NAM so far which should be used as a basis for promoting the NAM’s goals and principles for the next 50 years.

The ministers agreed to take a number of steps among others fight against terrorism.

UK – Residents urged to report online terrorism to prevent radicalisation

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Surrey Police are urging residents to report online terrorist material in a bid to prevent radicalisation of vulnerable people.

The warning comes after Muslim converts Andrew ‘Isa’ Ibrahim and Nicky Reilly were convicted of terrorist offences in 2008 after being radicalised via the internet.

British Foreign Office warns UK citizens about threat of terrorism in Azerbaijan

February 8, 2011 – 15:15 AMT 11:15 GMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – British Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to remind UK citizens on the undesirability of visits to certain regions of the world; however, the travel advice is updated rarely, with the last upgrade dating back several years.

As the press office of the British embassy in Yerevan told PanARMENIAN.Net new announcement posted on Baku’s British embassy’s website warns about threats of terrorism in Azerbaijan. “Attacks on civilians are possible at cites visited by foreigners,” the message stresses.

Impending Trial Puts a Melting-Pot Neighborhood to the Test

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February 3, 2011

By KARI LYDERSEN

Devon Avenue is one of Chicago’s richest melting pots, where Indian stores sell colorful saris next to Pakistani halal butcher shops and Islamic bookstores. Farther west are Orthodox synagogues, Jewish bakeries and Russian gift shops. So residents were shocked when two local men were arrested in 2009 on accusations that they had helped plot the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, India, and a never-realized assault on a Danish newspaper that had published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Federal prosecutors allege that Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 49, a Pakistani immigrant who owns an immigration-law office and a butcher shop on Devon Avenue, knew about the Mumbai attacks in advance and helped David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American, scout locations. In March, Mr. Headley, 50, pleaded guilty to charges that could carry a life sentence. Mr. Rana’s trial, which was scheduled to begin Feb. 14, was recently delayed until May 16.

Economics can fight narco-terrorism

In 1999, no less than three heavily armed drug-trafficking terrorism organizations held control of large portions of Colombia.More than 100 mayors couldn’t even work in their own cities. The murder rate hovered at about 80 per 100,000 people per year and at a higher rate of more than 100 in the city of Medellín. Corruption was rife within the Colombian government. The United States feared Colombia would become the first narco-terrorist state.

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Economics can fight narco-terrorism.