Spain: 4 Juvenile Moroccans Arrested for Planning Attack on Basilica

Santa Maria Basilica, Elche (Alicante), Spain

The jihadist target

The news has just been released this week in Spain that on December 19, Spanish police arrested four Moroccans between the ages of 14-17 for planning to carry out a terrorist attack against a basilica in the town of Elche (Alicante). 

The below article from OK Diario España, dated 12-31-2024 is translated by Fousesquawk.

Terrorism

Four  Moroccan minors detained, accused of preparing a jihadist attack on the Basilica of Elche

The detained minors, born in Morocco, are between 14 and 17 years of age.

By Paula Gonzalves, journalist and editor. Trained in criminology,  editorial marketing, and film.

12-31-2024 at 11:57. Updated 12-31-2024 at 12:42

Caption: Basilica of Santa Maria in Elche

The National Police have detained four minors, born in Morocco, for planning a terrorist attack on the Basilica of Elche. The youths were arrested on December 19 in a police operation against jihadist terrorism. The alleged terrorists had been living for some time in the Alicante town. They are between 14-17 years of age, and one of them was taken into custody in the secondary institute in which he was studying.

The officers of the operation decided to proceed with the detention of the minors, whom they had been tracking for some time, for fear they would act, taking advantage of Christmas and the crowds of people on the streets and at places of leisure. The Basilica of Santa Maria in Elche was not the only possible target; all (were) in the same area of the Mediterranean coast.

Following their arrest, the National Court- charged with terrorism cases-ordered their placement in the Teresa de Calcutta Juvenile Center in the community of Madrid, per the request of the Office of Juvenile Prosecutor. While the authorities further the investigation, the youths will remain confined in a closed regimen* in the Madrid center. They are accused of terrorist crimes although, given their ages, the charge will have to stick to the confines of the Law on Minors, which punishes the above crime with a maximum of 5 years imprisonment in a closed regimen in a center for minors, with another three years of supervised release.

* Translator: Closed regimen (most restricted regimen for the most dangerous prisoners).

The penalties increase when those convicted are 17 years of age-in this case, they are between 14 and 17- and can go up to 8 years imprisonment. 

Despite the penalties imposed by law, data indicates that the majority of minors sentenced for similar acts face only one year. This short period of time incarcerated is one of the principal obstacles facing security forces in combating terrorism. Partial secrecy of the proceedings has been ordered, according to information published by El Confidencial (newspaper). 

Presence of minors

The presence of minors among the suspects in relation to jihadist terrorism is increasingly common, according to police sources, especially among adolescents of 14 and 15 years of age. Without going further, last October, a young Syrian 17 was sentenced to 4-1/2 years imprisonment in a closed regimen by the Central Juvenile Court of the National Court. He was planning to commit a jihadist attack with explosives prepared in his house in Montellano (Sevilla). Previosly, he had appeared on social media as a "cyber soldier" of Daesh (ISIS), "tremendously homophobic and anti-Semitic" and on Telegram claimed that he would attack a police station: "I will be a martyr if Allah wants".

At the end of November, the Civil Guard arrested a man in Ceuta for his alleged connection with jihadist terrorism.  This was the 5th person arrested in the zone in only one week in anti-terrorist operations.

Four days previous, the National Police dismantled a jihadist group in Spain and Morocco, connected to the DAESH terrorist organization that constituted a "real threat", with the intention of carrying out violent actions. Six arrests were made in Spain- four in Ceuta, one in Ibiza, another in Madrid, and three in Morocco.

Italy: Matteo Salvini to Arab New Year's Eve Miscreants: "Go Home, We Don't Need You"

 Earlier we posted a report on the disrespectful behavior of young, mostly North African (and other Arab) migrants in Milan on New Year's Eve. Italy's Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, has a message for those people. If they don't like it in Italy, they should go back home.

I completely agree with Salvini's sentiment. Thank God there are people in Italy who are not afraid to say it. 

Hat tip to RAIR Foundation USA for this video. Subtitling by Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes. Translation by Fousesquawk.

Sweden: Three Afghans Charged for Gang Rape

Another heartwarming success story about three Afghan men who are now sitting in jail on charges of gang rape, among other things. The incident allegedly happened in Kristianstad, in southernmost Sweden. The below article from the conservative Swedish news site, Samnytt, is translated by Fousesquawk.

Kristianstad (Scania County)

Three Afghans detained for gang rape in Skåne

Published 13:37

Three young Afghan men, ages 18, 19 and 23 respectively, have been detained by a Kristianstad court for suspicion of rape, assault, and unlawful detention of a 20-year-old woman this weekend. The local Kristianstadsbladet  (newspaper) that reported on the incident is misleading the readers with the claim that the perpetrators "are natives of Kristianstad."

According to court documents obtained by Samnytt, the crime was committed in a residence in Kristianstad Saturday night-Sunday morning. The three foreign suspected gang rapists were arrested at 01:30 the same night, booked into jail early Sunday morning, and remanded to custody on Monday by the district court in Kristianstad.

"The three prisoners are acquainted with each other. I know nothing about the relationship between them and the woman," says Anja Steiber, press spokesperson for the prosecutor's (office) in a press statement.

Kristianstadsbladet misleads

According to Kristiananstadsbladet, which is reporting on the incident, the three men are "natives of Kristianstad'. However, that is not true. Instead, all of them are natives of Afghanistan.

The 19-year-old  and the 23-year-old have been previously convicted for crimes in Sweden, including assault, vandalism, and drug crimes, but have been allowed to remain in Sweden. That decision became the misfortune of the gang rape victim on Sunday.

Prosecutor  reticent

Formally, the Afghan trio are in custody for rape, assault, and unlawful detention. The arrest is based on probable cause, which is the higher grade of suspicion, and which is used when the prosecutor and the court view the evidence as strong.

Prosecutor Magdalena Petersson, who is handling the case, is at this time, reticent as to further information about the gang rape.

"They are all three in custody. I can't say much more than that," she says to Kristianstadsbladet.

Italy: New Year's Eve in Milan

As in other major European cities, it was the New Year's Eve Milan has come to expect. Some 20,000 people gathered in front of the city's famous cathedral (Duomo), and around midnight, fights broke out between groups of immigrant youths. The below article in Il Giornale is translated by Fousesquawk.

The article also has two videos of the miscreants in action. Not much is intelligible, but in the second video, you can hear shouts of  "F--- Italy" in Italian.

-Il Giornale

"F----- Italy". Foreigners New Year's Eve in Milan amid fights and insults

Insults at Italy and fights breaking out by second-generation  immigrants: Violent New Year's Eve in Milan's red zones

Francesca Galici    January 1, 2025- 15:20

Caption: Attack on the statue of Vittorio Emanuele at Duomo Square on New Year's Eve.

New Year's Eve in Milan without any events for the 5th consecutive year, but despite this, at Duomo (Cathedral)  Square at midnight, an estimated 20,000 people were celebrating the arrival of the new year. Numerous police officers were deployed to protect public safety and order, but this did not stop the development of fights. A big argument developed around midnight in the heart of Duomo Square among the thousands of attendees, probably as a result of disagreements between two groups of youths of foreign origin. 

And it was they who animated the evening, also passing the barriers put up for security and to protect the artistic heritage of the square. Groups of North African migrants were seen climbing onto one of the statues of Duomo Square, where they showed the flags of their countries with a lot of "F--- Italy" shouted in loud voices with the raised middle finger turned to the camera, accompanied by "shitty police". There were no serious injuries reported in the city, but the episodes of violence were not lacking, like the wall of fire that was lit in the San Siro quarter to impede access to law enforcement, burning household items. Bottles were also thrown at police. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries among the police officers who responded. 

What ended tonight was the first New Year's Eve with the establishment of red zones in Milan and in the other large cities on the order of the Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi. In Milan, there were altogether 50 removals out of a total of 2,079 people searched.

In addition to the 50, there were another 93 held for identification and checks, of which 3 were for violation of immigration law. In addition, at the task force forward post in the Ex-Reale Square, there were more than 20 interventions for first aid with 17 cases taken to the hospital.

New Year's Eve in Europe.....and America

 

Strasbourg, France

-DNA

Paris

FDesouche

Brussels

Nieuwsblad

Antwerp

La Libre (Be)

Berlin

Berliner Zeitung

Milan

Il Giornale

Rome

Il Messaggero

Vienna

Heute

Malmo, Sweden

Expressen

Gothenburg, Sweden

-Gothenburg Post

Alphen aan den Rijn (Netherlands)

-NOS

And of course, here at home....

New Orleans

CBS News

The New Orleans Attack

Shamsud-Din Jabbar

At this stage, there is little I can add to the horrible news coming out of New Orleans. It is confirmed that 10 people are dead and 35 injured, and the number of dead may rise. The attacker has been identified as Shamsud -Din Jabbar, 42, a US citizen, US Army veteran, born and residing in Texas. The FBI has reason to believe he did not act alone. They also confirmed that an ISIS flag was found in his vehicle, and this is being handled as a terrorist act. Even though some news sources are saying that the motive is unknown, I think we can safely assume that this was an act of jihad-Islamist terrorism.

Italy: 4 Stabbed by Egyptian-Attacker Shot Dead by Police

In the Italian town of Rimini, 4 persons (possibly 5) were attacked on New Year's Eve by a knife wielding Egyptian man who was shot dead by Carabinieri who responded to the scene. There are conflicting reports as to whether 4 or 5 people were stabbed (none fatally). In the below article, the first paragraph describes the victims as an 18-year-old boy, an older couple, and a girl. Later in the article, citing another news outlet, it quotes one of the boys who was attacked as saying his two male friends were stabbed. A separate article counts the number of injured as 4 then 5 in the same article.

The first article (from Il Giornale) is translated by Fousesquawk.

Terror in Rimini. Egyptian stabs 4 persons: Carabinieri shoots and kills him

The foreigner, after wounding passersby, threw himself at the Carabinieri and tried to stab one. The (officer) fired a shot and killed him.

-By Luca Sablone  January 1, 2025-12:43 

He grabbed a knife, wounded 4 persons on the street, and lashed out at a patrolling Carabiniero who intervened to stop him. The situation was getting out of hand: Thus, an officer drew his pistol and shot and killed the Egyptian. The acts occurred yesterday evening, around 10:30, at Villa Verucchio (in the Riminese). The foreigner, without any apparent motive, attacked an 18-year-old  young man who was buying cigarettes at an automatic vending machine and struck him with the knife; about an hour later, he returned to the scene and threw himself at three other persons (an older couple and a girl). 

The Carabinieri from the Villa Verucchio station promptly intervened at the scene. One of the officers reportedly fired a warning shot into the air, but the Egyptian lost his head and went after him. He then reportedly continued to approach in a threatening manner, brandishing the knife. At that point, the Carabiniero reportedly fired the fatal shot to defend himself and to avoid the blows. The non-commissioned officer who fired is described as an expert and rigorous. The deputy prime minister,  Matteo Salvini, said this about the case: "Honor to the Carabiniere."

According to Agi (Agenzia Giornalistica Italia), the Egyptian was reportedly the protagonist of threats to passersby in the Emilia-Romagna locale in the past few days. In the vicinity of the incident, there is a health facility for persons with mental problems. It is being verified as to whether the man was a guest. Fortunately, none of the 4 injured persons, treated by medics of 118 who responded to the scene, were in life-threatening condition. Three were taken to the Bufalini di Cesena Hospital, while the other was taken to the Infermi Hospital in Rimini.

Adnkronos (news) reported the account of one of the boys who was attacked by the Egyptian: "He followed us with the knife in his hand, struck one of my friends in the stomach and another in the side.  We ran away and he chased after us. We ran towards the square, but crossed the street to turn around, not wanting him to follow us into the crowd. It would have been a disaster."

--------------------------------------

*Update: January 3. Il Giornale identifies the attacker as Muhammad Sitta, 23, from Egypt, who arrived Italy illegally in 2022.