War for the heart of Islam

September 25, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

President Obama has outlined a multi-level strategy to counter the urgent threat of Muslim extremism.

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Algerian extremists allied with the Islamic State group have decapitated a French hostage after France carried out airstrikes in Iraq, according to a video that appeared online Wednesday. French President Francois Hollande condemned the killing of Herve Gourdel and said France would continue its fight against the Islamic State group, which are Sunni militants that have taken over large swaths of Iraq and Syria. A group calling itself Jund al-Khilafah, or Soldiers of the Caliphate, had said they would kill the French mountaineer after abducting him Sunday unless France ended its airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq within 24 hours.

A terror suspect shot dead after he stabbed two Australian counterterrorism police officers had his passport canceled on national security grounds and had recently displayed what appeared to be a flag of the Islamic State group, top police officials said Wednesday. Some experts suspect Tuesday's attack was inspired by the Islamic State group's call to supporters to wage terrorism in their home countries.

A Jordanian court on Wednesday acquitted radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada – known for his fiery pro-Al Qaeda speeches – of involvement in a plot to target Israeli and American tourists and Western diplomats in Jordan more than a decade ago. The ruling capped a lengthy legal odyssey for the 53-year-old cleric who has been described as a one-time lieutenant to Osama bin Laden, but in recent months emerged as a harsh critic of the Islamic State militant group. Abu Qatada was deported from Britain to Jordan last year, after years of fighting extradition. The cleric's release comes at a time when Jordan views the Islamic State militants, who have seized large swaths of territory in neighboring Syria and Iraq, as a growing threat.

Protesters returned to Ferguson, Missouri streets Tuesday night, with reports of smashed windows and possible arson coming hours after a makeshift memorial for Michael Brown burned. The St. Louis suburb was the site of sometimes-violent protests and looting in the days after 18-year-old Brown was shot by a Ferguson police officer on Aug. 9. Up to 200 protesters gathered late Tuesday night. Windows were smashed at a beauty shop on West Florissant Avenue, where much of the looting happened last month. A small fire outside a custard shop appeared to be intentionally set, according to fire officials.

European police made more than 1,000 arrests in a 10-day, continent-wide sweep against organized crime this month that netted suspected people traffickers and cocaine smugglers, law enforcement officials said on Wednesday. The operation was carried out in towns, airports and harbors and involved thousands of policemen from all 28 countries of the European Union and six non-European countries. Police identified 200 victims of human trafficking and saved 30 Romanian minors from trafficking. Some faced forced worked in prostitution or begging gangs, Europol, Europe's police organization, said.

Prosecutors announced Wednesday that a grand jury had decided against bringing criminal charges against three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart in the August death of a driver at a sprint car race in upstate New York. Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo said the victim, Kevin Ward Jr., was under the influence of marijuana the night of the accident "enough to impair judgment." And he said two videos examined by investigators showed "no aberrational driving by Tony Stewart." The decision came nearly seven weeks after Stewart's car struck and killed Ward during a dirt track race on Aug. 9.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

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