Brain scans show social exclusion creates jihadists, say researchers

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Admin

International studies of young Muslim men show that radicalisation follows a sense of isolation from society

For years western policymakers have tried to establish what causes individuals to be radicalised. Now a pioneering study has used medical science to gain fresh insight into the process – in the brains of potential jihadists.

University College London (UCL) researchers were part of an international team that used neuroimaging techniques to map how the brains of radicalised individuals respond to being socially marginalised. The findings, they claim, confirm that exclusion is a leading factor in creating violent jihadists.

Two British special forces soldiers injured by Isis in Syria

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Admin

Attack comes after Trump said he would withdraw US troops as ‘we have defeated Isis’

Two British special forces soldiers have been seriously injured in a missile attack by the Islamic State (Isis) in Syria. The incident is thought to have happened on Saturday morning and the soldiers were airlifted by US forces for medical treatment.

Rudaw, a Kurdish news outlet, reported that the British soldiers were hurt in an attack on a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) base in the town of Deir ez-Zor, in the east of the country.

Terror plotter had 16 meetings with Prevent officers, court hears

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Admin

Lewis Ludlow, who pleaded guilty to planning Oxford Street attack, faces sentencing

A Muslim convert plotted a terror attack on Oxford Street despite repeated attempts by authorities to deradicalise him, a court has heard.

The former Royal Mail worker Lewis Ludlow, 27, of Rochester, Kent, said he was filled with “animosity and hatred” when he swore allegiance to Islamic State, the Old Bailey heard.

Mali attack: 37 civilians killed in armed raid on village

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Admin

Children among victims in area hit by ethnic violence in which hundreds died last year

Armed men killed 37 Fulani civilians on Tuesday in central Mali, where ethnic violence cost hundreds of lives last year, the government said.

Violence between Fulani and rival communities has compounded an already dire security situation in Mali’s semi-arid and desert regions, which are used as a base by jihadist groups with ties to al-Qaida and Islamic State.