Man Screams "Allahu Akbar!" at Croatian Easter Vigil Mass in Munich - 24 Injured in Panic

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A "dark-skinned" man or "person of African descent" screamed "Allah Akbar" at a Croatian Easter Vigil Mass at St. Paul's Church in Munich on Saturday evening. He attempted to make his way to the altar before being apprehended. At least twenty-four people were lightly injured in the ensuing confusion and panic.

St. Paul's Church is one of the larger churches in the city.

One German source claims the man hurled firecrackers:

Strongly drunken man, dark-skinned and with a beard, enters St. Paul's Church in Munich at the Theresienwiese during the Croatian Mass (Easter blessing), with a bottle of alcohol in his hand, lights a firecracker and throws it into the middle of the church and shouts "Allahu Akbar", everyone panics and throws the baskets where the Easter meal was in, runs out and screams. Children and adults were injured. The police and their squad came and arrested the man. They are shocking pictures that must be spread and not hidden. There were some injured. Many children in a state of shock. Merkur Online reports that 24 people were injured (from PolitikStube, translated by Allah's Willing Executioners, h/t Jihad Watch). 

However a Croatia news outlet reports that the man merely threw "stones". The Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs also claimed that the man was mentally-ill.

ZAGREB, April 21, 2019 - The person of African descent who disrupted Mass in St Peter's Church in the Croatian Catholic parish in Munich on Saturday evening by shouting "Allahu Akbar" and throwing stones, is mentally ill and not connected with terrorism, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said on Sunday. 

The man was shouting and throwing stones at the congregation and around the church, and the people fled in panic. Twenty-five Croatian nationals were slightly injured in the confusion, the ministry told Hina, adding that police said that the man did not use firecrackers as some media reported. 

Croatian media at home and abroad said that it was a middle-aged man who was shouting "Allahu Akbar", which led many of the believers to think that it was a terrorist attack. 

Fenix magazine, the Croatian-language news website based in Frankfurt, said that several people had managed to overpower the man and stop him on his way to the altar before the police came in force. 

The Croatian ministry quoted the Munich police as saying that the incident had nothing to do with terrorism and that it was caused by a mentally ill person, who has been hospitalised after being arrested. 

Police stepped up security around the churches where Mass was celebrated in Croatian, notably around St Michael's Church.

Christchurch Mosque Linked to Two al-Qaida Members Killed in Drone Strike

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The Al-Noor Mosque in 2014

Below is a full reprint of one of a number of articles from 2014 linking the Al-Noor mosque in greater Christchurch, New Zealand - the main target of the recent anti-Islam terror attack that killed at least fifty - with organized Islamist terrorism.

In news stories of the recent terrorist attack, the Al-Noor mosque is listed as located in the suburb of Riccarton. But in some of the 2014 articles it is described as being in the suburb of Addington, just south. However, it is clearly the same mosque.   

New Zealander Daryl Jones and Australian Christopher Havard were converts to Islam who, according to their parents and others, met at and were radicalized at the Al-Noor mosque. They would subsequently travel to the Middle East where they joined al-Qaida, with Havard allegedly becoming involved in the kidnapping of Westerners. Later, they would both be killed in Yemen in a U.S. launched drone strike on November 19, 2013.

Here is an excerpt from another 2014 article in Stuff.cp.nz: 

Mosque leaders confirmed Havard stayed there and studied in 2011, but denied radical teaching took place. But a man who attended a converts' weekend at the mosque 10 years ago said a visiting speaker from Indonesia talked about violent jihad and plenty [?] shared his views. "Most of the men were angry with the moral weakness of New Zealand. I would say they were radical."

Of course none of this justifies the calculated mass murder of innocent children, women and men - many of them coldly and sadistically shot and shot again while attempting to flee, hide, protect loved ones and so on.

The full horror of what occurred on Friday is currently being censored by the New Zealand government and the American tech-media oligopoly. But one can well imagine it.

(You can read stories on the Christchurch mosque attack at the Newshub site, based in Auckland - the same media source from which the 2014 story, below, was taken.)

But the massacre, by a self-described "Eco-Fascist" or white pagan nationalist, should also not be allowed to bury the facts of what actually happens at mosques like Al-Noor.

From Newshub, 6 April, 2014:

A Christchurch mosque has been linked to the drone killing of New Zealand al-Qaida suspect Daryl Jones. 

The parents of an Australian killed alongside Jones say their son was taught radical Islam in Christchurch, where he also met Mr Jones. 

Christopher Havard was killed alongside Mr Jones by a US drone in Yemen last year. 

His parents, Neill and Bronwyn Dowrick, say their son told them he was first taught radical Islam at the Al Noor mosque in Addington. 

Mr Havard moved from Australia to New Zealand in 2010. He's remembered at the mosque by the name of Saleem Khattab. 

"[He was] no different than other people," says mosque president Mohamed Jama. "He was a normal man." 

Mr Havard's parents say it's at the mosque he met fellow convert Mr Jones, who was known at Muslim Bin John. 

But the mosque can't remember Mr Jones, and denies teaching radical Islam. 

It seems Kiwi spies may have had the mosque under surveillance. 

"I'm not going to go into the individual entities or the operations that the SIS or the GCSB conducted," says Prime Minister John Key. 

Australian Federal Police (AFP) began an investigation into Mr Havard's possible involvement in an alleged al-Qaida kidnapping of three westerners in Yemen. 

Documents show, "Mr Havard and Mr Nin John were of long-standing interest to the AFP due to their assessed activities in Yemen liked to al-Qaida". 

All that's known of Mr Jones is that he was 31 years old, a joint New Zealand-Australian citizen, and his family are still here.

BREAKING: At least 19 Dead, 48 Injured in Twin Blasts at Philippines Cathedral (WARNING: GRAPHIC)

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The bombings occurred at approximately 8:40 AM (6:40 PM CST) during Sunday morning Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Jolo Island, southwest of the major Philippine island of Mindanao. It is part of the newly created Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

From RT News:

At least 19 people have been killed and dozens more injured after two bombs exploded during a Sunday Mass near a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Philippine island of Mindanao. 

According to authorities the first bomb exploded inside the Jolo cathedral, while the second blast targeted first responders near the entrance, Rappler reports. 

Earlier police said at least 10 civilians and five troops are among those killed. Some 48 others were reportedly injured, including at least 33 civilians. 

No one has immediately claimed responsibility, but the island has in the past been targeted by bombings, kidnappings and beheadings perpetrated by Abu Sayyaf Islamists terrorists.

"Allah Akbar de merde!" Fearless Woman Taunts Liege Terrorist From Window

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From a fourth or fifth story window, a woman captures 50 seconds of video of the Liege terrorist calmly walking down the street, brandishing two stolen handguns. At the same time, she shouts a series of taunts at the man, who presumably could have shot towards the window at any time. Oddly, he doesn't seem to hear her or care.

The attacker, a Muslim convert, killed two police officers and one 22-year old civilian, yesterday, in the Belgian city of Liege. A number of other police were injured before the man was shot dead.

This video was put up on Twitter by Loopsider, and it was then picked up by the French patriotic website Fdesouche. It appears that Loopsider has not yet made it available on YouTube.

For now, you can watch the video at Fdesouche here:

EDIT (5:30 PM CST, 5/30/18): For whatever reason, the video now only seems available on the Loopsider Twitter account, though other video clips and photographs of the attack appear to contain some of its footage. Click either of the Loopsider links to go directly to the video.    

The attacker walks back and forth along a crosswalk.

Woman: Abattez-le! Abattez-le! Shoot him! Shoot him! 

Holding a gun in each hand, the attacker turns and begins walking down the sidewalk, directly under the woman taunting him from the window.

Woman: Tu as de la chance: je ne suis pas armee! Tu aurais déjà un pied dans la tombe, connard! You're lucky I'm unarmed! You already have one foot in the grave, you bastard!

The attacker raises his gun and starts walking across street.

Unidentified Man: Attention! Watch out!

The attacker shoots at something across the street. The camera wobbles and the woman presumably ducks.

Attacker: Allah Akbar!

Woman: Allah Akbar de merde, va! Fuck your Allah Akbar,* get out!

The attacker walks back under the window and then continues down the street.

Woman: Fous-moi le camp, connard! Get out you bastard! Allez, foutez le camp! Come on, get the hell out! Foutez le camp! Get out!


*Yes, according to two French speakers, this is the most accurate translation.

Muslim Terror Attack in Belgium Kills Three

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The alleged attacker and two of his victims (source: HLN.be)

This morning's Muslim terror attack in Belgium, the seventh such attack in that country in four years, is notable for a number of reasons:

The attacker appears to have been a "white" Muslim convert.

He was "radicalized" in prison where it is estimated that 35% of the inmates are Muslim.

He attacked two police officers with a knife, disabling them, before stealing their firearms and shooting them both dead.

He then appears to have shot a civilian dead, apparently at random, as the victim sat in a parked car. 

News articles report the man was either on "day-release" from prison or had just been paroled the previous day.

For some recent background on Islam in Belgium, see "Belgium: First Islamic State in Europe?" published last month by the Gatestone Institute.

From the Daily Mail:

Attacker shouting 'Allahu Akbar' kills two policewomen and a man, then takes a school cleaner hostage before being shot dead in Belgium while on DAY-release from prison

• Attacker stabbed two policewomen, took their guns and shot them and a civilian dead in Liege, Belgium
• He then took a female cleaner hostage inside a nearby high school, before he was killed by special forces
• Belgian prosecutors say the attacker 'came out firing' from the school and was shot dead outside 
• The incident in the eastern Belgian city on Tuesday morning is being treated as a terror attack 
• The male attacker had reportedly been released from prison the day before the attack
• Belgian broadcaster named attacker as Benjamin Herman, 36, who they say had been 'radicalised' in jail

By Sara Malm In London and Peter Allen In Paris for MailOnline 

PUBLISHED: 05:16 EDT, 29 May 2018 | UPDATED: 09:11 EDT, 29 May 2018 

Two female police officers and a civilian have been shot dead by a man shouting Allahu Akbar, which led to a hostage situation at a high school in Liege, east Belgium. 

The attacker, who is understood to have been released from prison yesterday, approached the two female officers from behind, and stabbed them several times with a knife at around 10.30am local time. 

Belgian prosecutors say the attacker then disarmed the officers and used their own guns to kill them, before shooting dead a 22-year-old man in a nearby vehicle. 

The alleged terrorist then reportedly fled to a nearby secondary school and took a female cleaner hostage inside, before being shot dead by an elite police unit. 

He was later named by Belgian broadcaster RTBF as Benjamin Herman, 36, a violent drug dealer let out on day-release from a local prison on Monday, and who they claim had been 'radicalized' in prison. 

Local news website DHnet.be reported that he had shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as he fired on on Liege's central Boulevard d'Avroy, citing police sources. 

The civilian shot dead in his car has since been named by local media as 22-year-old Cyril Vangriecken, a 22-year-old from the nearby town of Vottem. 

Videos posted on social media showed people scurrying for safety on Liege's central boulevard d'Avroy with shots and sirens being heard in the background. 

One video show emergency services and police officers in body armour moving into position, another sees the two police officers shot dead in the street. 

Minutes later, anti-terrorist special forces police could be seen surrounding the area, which went into lock down. 

Philippe Dulieu, spokesman for the Liege prosecutor's office, told reporters the man had come out firing from the high school, before he was 'neutralised'. 

'Armed with a knife, the suspect followed and attacked two police officers, and used their own firearms to kill them,' Mr Dulieu told a news conference. 

'He continued on foot, attacking a parked vehicle where he opened fire on a 22-year-old man in the passenger seat. The young man died. 

'He then continued and entered the Leonie de Waha school. He took a woman working there as hostage. Police intervened, he came out firing on the police officers, wounding a number of them, notably in the legs, before he was killed.' 

All students in the school were successfully evacuated, and the female hostage released without being caused any harm. 

Officials say they are now considering the attack on Tuesday morning to have been an act of terrorism. 

Catherine Collignon, a spokesman for Liege prosecutors, confirmed 'four deaths in total', with two other police officers seriously wounded. 

She confirmed that 'terrorism' was currently considered the principal motivation for the attack by those leading the judicial enquiry. 

Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon said Belgium's Federal Crisis Centre was monitoring the situation. 

'Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrible act. We are in the process of establishing an overview of exactly what happened,' Jambon wrote on Twitter. 

The crisis centre said a security cordon had been set up around the area and urged people to stay away. 

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the 'terrible' suspected terror attack and expressed the 'solidarity of the French people with the Belgian people' after hosting an international peace conference on Libya. 

British Prime Minister Theresa May also expressed her sympathies in a tweet posted on Tuesday afternoon, saying: 'My thoughts are with the victims of today's cowardly attack in Belgium and their grieving families. The UK stands resolute with our Belgian allies against terror.' 

Liege, an industrial city close to the German border in the French-speaking Wallonia region, was also the scene of a shooting in 2011. 

A gunman killed four people and wounded over 100 before turning the gun on himself. 

Belgium has been on high alert since a Brussels-based ISIS terror cell was involved in attacks on Paris in 2015 that killed 130 people, and Brussels in 2016 in which 32 died. 

The UK Foreign Office advises British citizens that 'terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Belgium.' 

The Foreign Office's travel advice website adds that 'attacks could happen anywhere, including on public transport and transport hubs and in other places visited by foreigners'.

Sixth Man Arrested in Leicester Explosion: Yes, the Named Suspects are Muslim

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The mysterious explosion that destroyed a grocery store on February 25 in Leicester, UK, and killed five people brought out the predictable responses on social media.

The growing anti-Islam contingent suspected terrorism or perhaps the accidental explosion of a bomb factory. The pro-Islam crowd cried bigotry. Why not wait until all the facts are in, before tarring Muslims and our wonderful diverse city?

I assumed that it was caused by a gas leak, partly because there was little direct evidence to suggest otherwise and no terrorist claim of responsibility. Yes, sometimes fatal but accidental gas explosions still do happen, even in heavily Muslim urban areas.

Since then, the police have charged six men - three of them identified - with "manslaughter" and "arson."

They all have Muslim names - Aram Kurd, 33, Hawkar Hassan, 32, and Arkan Ali, 37 - though, curiously, one of them was the owner of the "Polish" grocery store. Interestingly, some of them are residents of other cities.

But the lack of other information given by the police has only deepened the mystery. Since the charges include manslaughter, it wouldn't appear to be terrorism. There could have been a bomb or weapons depot or factory in the store, or it might have been an insurance scam or similar.

I assume the truth will eventually come out, though given the typical M.O. of the Islam-friendly British authorities, one can count on it to emerge in dribs and drabs, perhaps mainly through non-official channels. The mainstream British media, though strongly pro-Muslim, still likes a good story.

Read the latest stories in the DailyMail, Leicester Mercury and Coventry Telegraph.

Dearborn Church Vandal Not a Muslim - Suspect David Cerne is Iraq War Vet with "Mental Issues," Was Charged in Previous ANTI-MUSLIM Incident

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Catholic chapel fireworks attack suspect David Cerne in January, 2017 (inset: crude swastika graffiti he painted on the car of a Muslim man)

Four days ago I reported on the fireworks attack incident at the Adoration chapel of the Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn, Michigan.

A surveillance camera recorded the incident. I wrote that the man was "Arab-looking."

At the time, a suspect was in custody but his name had not been released.

Yesterday, police charged David Cerne, 42 or 43, of Inkster, Michigan with the attack. He is also charged with setting a Dearborn home on fire and is linked with recent vandalism incidents at local businesses.

My post implied that he might well be Muslim.

In fact, it turns out that the reality is largely opposite. A few months ago, Cern, an Iraq War veteran living on permanent disability with his father, had been charged with "ethnic intimidation," among other things, drawing swastikas and scrawling "Ni***r" on a car owned by a Muslim man. He also slashed his tires.

He wrote graffiti using the word, "Ni***r" in at least two other locations.

At the time (January, 2017), Cern's lawyer told a reporter:

He is addressing issues he may have regarding mental health. Hopefully we can put these allegations to rest and get him the help that he needs.

Obviously, he didn't get that help.

Cern would move on from anti-Muslim vandalism to anti-Catholic vandalism, with mischief at a party-goods store, a liquor store and old-fashioned arson thrown in for good measure.

Are these "hate crimes"? According to a detective:

"He is not targeting anyone specific or special," said Shafer. "This is just something he randomly went through."

Make of that what you will.

Of course, the fact that he seems to be an equal-opportunity targeter doesn't make things any better for those whom he targeted.

It appears to me that he's angry at people or life in general, and can't help himself from taking that anger out in malicious and physical ways (though in fairness to Cern, his attacks seem never to have progressed to outright assault).

As always, I could be wrong, just as I was wrong a few days ago.

Here is yesterday's report from Fox2Detroit, followed by a story on the earlier charges:

(WJBK) - Video inside the Divine Child church chapel in Dearborn led to fear and outrage after a man set off fireworks inside, burning a bible.

Police say the suspect, 42-year-old David Cerne, has a troubled history.

"He has 100 percent disability from the military," said Det. Brian Shafer, Inkster police. "We believe he's got some mental issues that are being dealt with right now."

Inkster police first came into contact with the Iraq war veteran last year in October. Cerne has been charged with third degree arson, malicious destruction of personal property and assault.

"In my interactions with him, he's always been very timid," Shafer said. "He appears to be maybe like an older child but he's very timid."

Records show Cerne in December was charged with 14 counts including ethnic intimidation and malicious destruction of personal property for spray painting cars with racial slurs and swastikas.

"He is not targeting anyone specific or special," said Shafer. "This is just something he randomly went through."

The court ordered a competency evaluation and Cerne was found competent and was released on bond.

"I know on that particular instance they were also trying to seek some help from the VA down at Third Circuit Court," Shafer said.

Neighbors in his west side Detroit neighborhood say Cerne lives there with his father.

One neighbor said he's seen Cerne throwing bullets into a neighbor's pool and another neighbor who doesn't want to be shown, says Cerne lit her garage on fire. Other neighbors are not surprised to hear about the recent incident.

"He didn't seem too friendly, he would just look at you kind of weird," said one neighbor.

Inkster police said last week on the same day he was seen in Dearborn, Cerne was also charged for attempting to set a home on fire near Spring Hill and Beach.

Police say a witness discovered what he was doing and Cerne was cooperative.
Now in custody back in court Wednesday, Inkster police say they're working with Dearborn and Detroit investigators.

"I don't want him to be a harm to people," Shafer said. "Nor do I want anyone to harm him. He served our country well and I think we should take care of him."

From Steve Neavling at Motor City Muckraker (January 9, 2017):

An Iraq war veteran accused of painting swastikas and racial slurs on a car, van and wall in Inkster was charged Monday with ethic intimidation and malicious destruction of property.

Prosecutors said David Cerne, 42, targeted Muslims living in an apartment building in Inkster. In one case, Cerne is accused of slashing tires and painting swastikas and the n-word on a car belonging to a Muslim man of Asian descent last week.

He’s also accused of scrawling, “Fuck you, N***er,” on a van.

Carne was in jail early Monday because he couldn’t afford the $150,000 bond.

His attorney Roman Ficaj suggested his client is mentally ill.

“He is addressing issues he may have regarding mental health,” Ficaj told Fox 2. “Hopefully we can put these allegations to rest and get him the help that he needs.”:

Surveillance Video of Arab-Looking Man Setting Off Commercial-Grade Firecracker in Dearborn Adoration Chapel

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Surveillance video caught the moment when a man entered the Adoration Chapel of the Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn, Michigan, took a bible from a shelf next to the door and set off on it what has been described as a "commercial-grade" firecracker, causing an explosion which must have seemed like bomb; two female parishioners run out in fear.

An as yet identified suspect in the incident has been arrested on other charges and is currently being interviewed by police.

The man in the video has been described as "white," which seems true, as far as it goes - he doesn't appear to be black.

But (to me, at least), he does look Arab-American.

Or maybe he's simply a balding atheist who likes wearing dark glasses and sandals.

Dearborn has a Muslim and/or Arab population of close to 50%. The police chief, Ronald Haddad, is a Christian Arab-American.

Here are two videos. The first is from surveillance cameras. The second is a report including a short interview with Church of the Divine Child Pastor James Bilot.

Tipoff from Spain Leads Police to Evacuate Rotterdam Rock Concert - Van with Spanish Plates, Loaded with Gas Canisters, Found Outside

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Wednesday's Muslim terrorist incident of the day, in which casualties were avoided, has many elements of farce.

Rotterdam is known by some as one of the "Muslim capitals" of Europe, with a Muslim population of perhaps 25% or more, though some analysts suggest it may top 50% within the next few years.

The city has a Muslim mayor, though he appears to be relatively pro-Western. After the Charlie Hebdo attacks he said on live television that Muslim immigrants who do not appreciate Western freedoms can "pack your bags and f*** off." Confusingly, the mayor's last name is similar (to an English reader) to that of the terrorist driver in the recent Barcelona attacks.

The American Rock band playing the Maassilo venue, tonight, is named "Allah-Las," and, due to its name, has apparently come under criticism from Muslims in the past. (According to band members the name is an affectionate tribute to its music's Eastern influences.)

There seems to be a connection with Muslim terrorists in Spain, although authorities appear to differ on whether there is any link to the Barcelona attacks.

From the Daily Mail:

Spanish tip-off sparks Dutch terror alert: Rotterdam police cancel rock gig and arrest one man as van filled with GAS CANISTERS is found near concert venue

• Allah-Las were due to perform at Maassilo venue in Rotterdam on Wednesday
• But gig was canceled after tip-off from Spanish police about a terror attack
• Officers swooped on the venue and found a van with Spanish licence plates filled with gas canisters sitting outside before arresting the driver
• It comes six days after terrorists in Spain killed 15 in two vehicle attacks when their plan to build bombs out of gas canisters failed

A rock gig in Rotterdam has been canceled after a tip-off from Spanish police about a potential terror attack. 

Armed officers swooped on the Maassilo concert venue around 7pm and found a van with Spanish licence plates filled with gas canisters outside. 

The driver of the vehicle has been arrested, though Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutalebsaid it isn't yet clear whether the threat and the van were connected. 

It comes just under a week after terrorists in Spain killed 15 in two vehicle attacks after an attempt to create bombs using gas canisters failed. 

Police have since said the incident is not directly connected to the Spain attacks. The venue was cordoned off as a bomb squad was brought in to search the van.

A video from the scene shows several officers inside the back of the vehicle examining objects with flashlights.

It is not clear why the venue was targeted, but California band Allah-Las were due to play that evening. Their name has caused offense to Muslims in the past. 

A venue owner Turkey once called off a gig because he did not feel comfortable with the moniker which uses the Arabic word for God.

In an interview with The Guardian last year, the band said they chose the name simply because they wanted something 'holy sounding' and did not realise it would provoke such a strong reaction.

'We get emails from Muslims, here in the US and around the world, saying they’re offended, but that absolutely wasn’t our intention,' singer Miles Michaud said.

Images from outside the venue show officers surrounding the concert hall which has been taped off, as bemused members of the public leave the scene.

Allah-Las were escorted from the venue after the gig was called off, and guarded by officers on motorbikes as they drove away in van, it is reported.

The band said in a statement: 'In response to the police, we are forced to cancel the concert of Allah-Las tonight in the Maassilo.

'It does not make sense to come to the Maassilo. Sorry for the inconvenience, more information follows.'

The building has a total capacity of around 1,000 people. Allah-Las were supposed to share the bill with Dutch-Turkish group Altin Gün.

Thirteen people were crushed to death and more than 100 injured when terrorist Younes Abouyaquob drove a van down Las Ramblas in Barcelona last Thursday.

Abouyaaquob then stabbed another man to death as he stole his car and fled the scene, while a second attack by five more jihadis killed one woman and wounded another 16 people in the town of Cambrils.

All five Cambrils attackers were shot dead by police at the scene, while Abouyaaquob was shot dead in Subirats on Monday. Four more suspects were arrested and appeared in court on Tuesday.

In court documents, a judge said the dead men launched their attack after a bomb factory filled with gas canisters in the town of Alcanar exploded, killed the alleged plot mastermind and his assistant.

Police video released the same day showed officers searching the homes of the arrested suspects, where more gas canisters were found.

A chilling message posted by a pro-ISIS account later the same day warned of further attacks by terror cells still embedded inside Europe.

12 Propositions on the Afghanistan War

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Farah City, Afghanistan

The only long-term solution to the problem of Islamic terrorism is to de-Islamicize the Middle-East (and, thus, I suppose, the rest of the world) - in the same way that we de-Nazified Germany after World War Two. Obviously, there is currently no political will to do this on the part of any Western government.

Short of that, there are still some things that we can do, although precisely which things we can do are by no means obvious. Clearly, what happens in Afghanistan is important. It is a sort of test case for fighting Islamic terrorism without targeting Islam. The only thing that is obvious (to me) is that the right policy on Afghanistan is not obvious.

President Trump's recent commitment to renew and continue the military fight in Afghanistan, involving a change in military strategy as well as a probable (small) troop surge, seems reasonable to me. But I could be wrong.

Here are twelve propositions on the Afghanistan War. Let me know if you agree/disagree with them.

• "Winning" in Afghanistan means being able to leave without the country becoming a base for Islamic terrorism.
• We will never be able to win in that sense.
• This is because aggressive Islam - which is the soil that nourishes contemporary terrorism - remains the religion of the vast majority of the population, and we explicitly have no intention or plan to change that.
• Though secularism appeared to be on the rise in Afghanistan, a few generations ago, there is no evidence that this trend will return again to any segment of the Islamic world, at least in the foreseeable future. In the 21st century, it's more likely that Western Europe will go de facto Muslim than that secularist momentum will return to the Islamic world.
• Even though an Afghanistan victory in the conventional sense is impossible, that doesn't mean that military involvement is useless or inadvisable. As George Bush famously claimed, "it's better to fight them over there than to face them here." While this dictum may be misapplied, it is not false.
• A corollary of the above is that a relatively low-level military commitment may be the best option. Just because more troops won't enable us to win doesn't mean that continuing to invest in a fight involving a relatively small number of troops - minimizing lives and materiel lost - is a bad idea.
• That indefinite military involvement with no possible victory may still be in the national interest cannot be stated publicly by political leaders, (though many Americans may nevertheless understand and agree with it), or, at least, no American leader has tried to state it.
• This is another reason why low-level involvement may be preferable - involvement on a larger scale will be more likely to lead to calls for withdrawal.
• That continuing involvement in a small-scale war may actually be healthy for a military force as a whole - in terms of tactics, training and so on - is a reasonable proposition.
• This also cannot be stated publicly by political leaders.
• American withdrawal from Afghanistan will probably mean that Iran, Russia and/or Pakistan will attempt to fill the vacuum.
• This might be, on net, in our national interest (they would be doing the fighting for us). Or it might not.

Muslim Bomb and Stabbing Attack in Siberian City Leaves 8 Injured, 2 Critically

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A lone policeman calls for help over the body of a man who went on a  bomb and stabbing rampage in Surgut, Russia

Only 24 hours after the Muslim stabbing attack in Turku, Finland, there was another Muslim stabbing incident in a far-north European city.

In Surgut, Russia, a man detonated a molotov-cocktail-like device in a shopping mall and then went on a stabbing spree before being shot dead by police. Eight people were injured, including two who are "fighting for their lives."

The attacker is believed to be a Muslim from the Russian republic of Dagestan. ISIS allegedly took credit for the attack, though Russian authorities are skeptical of the link.

Surgut is a city of approximately 350,000 located in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug of Siberia. Ironically, the administrative area is roughly the size of Finland and its latitude of 61 degrees North is almost precisely that of Turku.

Russia has a Muslim population of at least 12%, many of them concentrated in a few republics in the Caucasus. Mahound's Paradise has no idea what the figure is for the proportion of Muslims in Surgut or west-central Siberia.

From the Daily Mail (the CCTV video is accessible on the site):

CCTV ‘shows Russian knifeman planting and igniting explosive device in shopping mall moments before going on a stabbing spree which killed eight’

• Siberian knifeman, was named locally as 19-year-old Artur Gadzhiev
• He is believed to be from Dagestan, a strongly Muslim region of Russia
• He was shot dead by armed police in a busy street in Surgut, central Russia
• At least two people fighting for their lives while another five were hospitalised
• New video has emerged appearing to show him igniting device in shopping mall

A new video of the Russian teenage knifeman, appearing to plant and ignite an explosive device in a shopping mall before going on a stabbing spree, has emerged today.

The footage showing an explosion in Surgut shopping mall will raise fears that the incident was a terrorist attack, as the Islamic State has claimed.

The man, believed to be 19-year-old Artur Gadzhiev is shown clearly from a CCTV camera. He is also accused of stabbing at least eight people in city streets.

An explosion is seen on the footage, matching witness statements about the incident.

Russian officials on Saturday gave minimal details about the attack in the Siberian oil city, and initially played down a terrorism incident.

The attacker, named locally as Gadzhiev, was shot dead by police in a busy main street in Surgut, central Russia, at about 11.20am local time.

He is believed to be from Dagestan, a strongly Muslim region of Russia in the Caucasus.

Gadzhiev's father Lametulakh was reported to be registered with Russian police as an 'extremist' and 'supporter' of radical Islam.

Shocking CCTV shows people fleeing for their lives as the attacker rampaged outside shops in the city.

Footage shows him running by a pavilion and throwing something away before he was shot dead.

At least two people are fighting for their lives, while another five were hospitalised in the stabbing spree, authorities said.

However witnesses claimed that the number of victims could be much higher.

The attacker was originally named as Bobichel Abdurakhmanov but his 'real name' was later reported by Mash, a media seen as close to law enforcement sources, and quickly reported by mainstream Russian news sources, including state media.

There was no immediate separate confirmation from the authorities. Gadzhiev was from Khasavyurt town, and it was unclear why he was in Surgut.

He was reported to be a supporter of Zenit St Petersburg and Manchester United football clubs.

His behaviour was sometimes described as 'strange' but he was not registered as a person with 'mental problems', according to unidentified locals.

Earlier the Russian Investigative Committee said it was looking into 'his possible psychiatric disorders'.

But local news agency, Surgut Inter Novosti, suggested the violent attack was larger than the authorities had initially revealed.

'According to witnesses, unknown people threw a Molotov cocktail bottle inside 'Severny' shop, then they attacked a woman with an axe near a cash machine.

'More than 10 people with injuries have been taken into emergency care.'

But there was no immediate official confirmation of this claim.

The knifeman 'carried out attacks on passers-by, causing stab wounds to eight,' Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes said.

The spokesman added that armed police 'liquidated' the attacker.

Nobody was killed in the assault but victims needed immediate medical treatment, said officers.

At least two of the victims were fighting for their lives while five more were in a stable condition, the government of the Khanty-Mansi region said in a statement.

There were reports that more than one attacker was involved and that the number of victims was higher than officials have disclosed, but these claims have not been verified.

The attacker may have suffered from a psychiatric disorder, the interior ministry said.

'The version that the attack was a terrorist one is not the main one,' the interior ministry added.

'In the interests of public calm and also of the investigation, citizens and media are recommended to use reliable information in assessing the situation until all the circumstances are established.'

Surgut is the largest city of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area region with a population of around 350,000.

It is a major centre for oil and gas production in the country.