12-year-old boy carries out suicide attack in a market in Nigeria, kills at least 10

#bokoharam #chibokgirls #nigeria #suicidebomber It was market day and a 12-year-old boy blew himself up in a suicide attack in a market in northeast Nigeria - at least 10 people have been killed in the attack. The attack took place in the grain section, which is at the edge of the market. This is the latest bloodshed to hit the region, which is plagued by Islamist violence.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 29 January 2016.

The blast happened at around midday in the crowded market in Gombi in Adamawa state and this attack is believed to be one of the worst-hit in the seven-year Boko Haram insurgency. This blast came after three suicide bombers had killed at least 14 people in town of Chibok. It was the place from where Islamist gunmen had kidnapped more than 200 girls in April 2014.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari had declared last month that the Islamic State group affiliate had been "technically" defeated. However, there has not been any let-up in suicide and bomb attacks.
Gombi is situated about 120-Km from the state capital Yola and has been hit a number of times by Boko Haram attacks. It was market day in Gombi and the market attracts thousands of people from the district.
Boko Haram has killed at least 17,000 people since its campaign began in 2009 while more than 2.6 million others have fled their homes. Some 2.0 million have been displaced within Nigeria, with the others have fled into neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.


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President Obama says US will counter terrorists anywhere in the world

#BarackObama #ISIS #libya #NationalSecurityCouncil #terrorists President Barack Obama is determined to root out the evils of terrorism and has said that the US will continue to counter terror plotters of Islamic State militant group where ever they may be. He said this while directing his national security team to intensify its ongoing counter-terrorism campaign in order to destroy the terror outfit.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 29 January 2016.

He made his position clear in the course of a meeting with his National Security Council. His idea of the US campaign is to degrade and destroy Islamic State (ISIS). The White House has confirmed that the President has emphasized that the US will continue to counter ISIL (another name of ISIS) terrorist plotters in any country where it is necessary.
Since the ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) affiliates and other violent extremists keep trying to identify safe havens, especially in areas that have limited or poor governance, the Resident has directed his national security team to continue efforts to strengthen governance in those areas and extend support to ongoing counter-terrorism efforts in Libya and other such countries.


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Jordanian border guards kill 12 Syrian smugglerrs who had 2 million narcotics pills

Jordanian border guards opened fire on a group of three dozen suspected infiltrators from Syria, killing 12 and wounding several others. These were smugglers and the border guards confiscated more than 2 million narcotics pills during the incident. Some of these people were armed and several of them returned to Syria.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 24 January 2016.

The border command has informed that it frequently intercepts smugglers who are trying to cross into Jordan and this latest incident was the deadliest in the border area in recent memory. Jordan shares much of the border with Syria and it runs through remote desert. The eastern part is the main crossing route for Syrian refugees.
Incidentally, nearly 17,000 Syrians are stranded in the border area, waiting to enter Jordan.
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has remarked that Turkey has a porous border and foreign fighters going in both directions take advantage of that.

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At lesst 44 migrants die and dozens missin while crossing over from Turkey to Greece

It was yet another case of death at sea while trying to flee from the hell of the troubled Middle East, especially Syria and Iraq. At least 44 migrants have lost their lives and dozens are reported as missing after their boats sank on their way from Turkey to Greece. 20 0f the dead are children. This is as per reports of coast guard officials of Greece and Turkey.
This has also been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 22 January 2016.

The Greek coastguard have rescued 74 people after two boats ran into trouble off the Greek Aegean islands of Farmakonisi and Kalolimnos. They have recovered the bodies of 17 children, 17 women and 10 men. The search operation was supported by a helicopter from EU border agency Frontex. Search was continuing for dozens of people still missing from the boat that capsized off Kalolimnos.
In addition, the Turkish coastguard have indicated that they had found the bodies of three children after a third boat sank near the seaside resort of Didim.
These people were fleeing from the war and misery in the Middle East and elsewhere and, many of them are Syrian refugees. They keep arriving in thousands from Turkey in flimsy boats braving the harsh conditions and dangers. In the process, at least 113 migrants have died in the Aegean already this year, as revealed by the International Organization for Migration. It has estimated that some 37,000 migrants have reached Greece by sea so far this year - they hope to begin life afresh in Germany, Sweden and elsewhere in the European Union.

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Bomb attack kills 9 persons in Cairo near road leading to Egyptian pyramids

#cairo #egypt #AlHaram #pyramids A bomb attack in Cairo on a road leading to the pyramids has killed nine people - six of them were police officers. It has also injured 10 others. The bomb exploded when a team of officers raided an apartment in the suburb of Giza. It seems the building was booby-trapped and the device went off when the police attempted to defuse it.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 22 January 2016.

Police have blamed the blast in the Al-Haram district on the blacklisted Islamist Muslim Brotherhood movement of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. It seems a group of Muslim Brotherhood members were preparing to carry out aggressive acts in the coming days and would be using explosives and crude bombs and wee making use of an apartment in a Cairo building. The police raided the apartment and discovered a number of crude bombs. However, when the bomb squad expert was dealing with one of the bombs, it went off.
Islamist militants have stepped up attacks on Egyptian soldiers and police since the army toppled Morsi in 2013 which came after mass protests against his rule and the neighborhood of Al-Haram has witnessed a number of attacks and gunfights since the overthrow.
The building housed many of Morsi's sympathizers and used to be a regular venue for clashes between his supporters and security forces in the aftermath of his ouster by then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Moreover, the district also houses hotels that are frequented by tourists who come to visit Cairo, given its proximity to the pyramids.
The explosion came ahead of the anniversary of the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak and security forces have interrogated residents and searched more than 5,000 homes in central Cairo as a 'precautionary measure' in order to prevent street protests on the anniversary.

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At least 19 killed in attack on Bacha Khan University in Pakistan - Taliban claims responsibility

#bachakhanuniversity #pakistan #taliban At least 19 persons have been killed in an attack on Bacha Khan University in Pakistan - a Taliban commander has claimed responsibility for the attack. Four of the attackers are believed to have been killed at the campus building situated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in northwest Pakistan.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 20 January 2016.

It seems the militants were wielding AK-47s and used the cover of a thick, wintry fog to scale the walls of the University in the town of Charsadda, located about 30-Km from the city of Peshawar. Once inside, they began indiscriminate firing on teachers and students in classrooms before engaging in a three-hour gun-battle with police and soldiers.
There were explosions from inside the campus and female students ran for their lives while relatives waited at the gates. Most of the victims were shot dead at a hostel for male students on the campus site and, as per official figures, around 50 had been wounded and the number of dead could rise to as high as 40. At least one lecturer of chemistry is among those who lost their lives. He had tried to shoot back at the militants.
There are more than 3,000 students in the University and it was hosting an extra 600 visitors for a poetry recital.

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ISIS is reportedly holding 3500 women and children as slaves in Iraq

#ISIS #yazidis #iraq As per UN reports released in Geneva, the ISIS is holding nearly 3500 women and children as slaves in Iraq - most of them belong to the Yazidi community, but there are many others from other ethnic and religious minority groups. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the UN's human rights office have documented innumerable instances of abuses which in some cases would be treated as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possibly genocide.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 19 January 2016.

The revelation goes on to indicate that the ISIS militants have imposed a harsh rule marked by gruesome public executions that include shooting, beheading, bulldozing, burning people alive and throwing them off the top of buildings. Moreover, there are verified reports on child soldiers - nearly 800 - 900 youngsters had been abducted in the Iraqi city of Mosul for military and religious training.
Other shocking statistics are - between the beginning of 2014 and the end of October 2015, at least 18,802 civilians had been killed in Iraq, and another 36,245 wounded.
It may be recalled that the Islamic State had made its main incursion into Iraq in the summer of 2014 and had swept across the northern and western areas.
The casualty figures are only for those who were killed or maimed by overt violence, but there are countless others who have died from the lack of access to basic amenities like food, water or medical care.

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More than 23 killed in Splendid Hotel, Burkina Faso, by al-Qaeda

#Ouagadougou #SplendidHotel It has been confirmed by Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré that 23 people were killed when an al-Qaeda affiliated terror group seized an upscale hotel in the capital of Ouagadougou. Subsequently, the Internal Affairs Minister Simon Compaore has announced that the siege was over and that 126 hostages had been freed.
Three jihadist gunmen were killed in the encounter as forces regained control of the Splendid Hotel. He has also added that at least 10 bodies were discovered in the Cappuccino Café, located next to the hotel. Moreover, a fourth gunman had been killed and that two of the extremists were women.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 16 January 2016.

Al Qaeda of Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, has claimed responsibility for the attacks as understood from SITE Intelligence Group which monitors jihadist activity.
There was an exchange of gunfire and French forces arrived in Ouagadougou from neighboring Mali to aid the effort. Soldiers of Burkina had already had stormed the building and, at one point, had set a part of the building ablaze with their explosives. Cars in front of the hotel had also been set on fire by the attackers who had stormed the bustling area downtown.


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Japanese tour bus on its way to a ski resort crashes in the mountains - 14 killed

A Japanese tour bus that was on its way to a ski resort in central Japan crashed in the mountains - 14 killed, 27 injured. There were 41 people in the chartered bus including two drivers and 39 passengers and, it crashed at the Usui mountain pass heading to the popular Kita Shiga ski area. The drivers, who were taking turns to drive, were among the dead.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 14 January 2016.

It seems the bus had veered into the opposite lane near the famous resort town of Karuizawa, in Nagano prefecture, and then rammed through a guardrail and slid down the mountainside coming to rest on its side against some trees. The bus was bent in the middle. There was no snow or ice on the road surface in the area which is situated about 110 miles northwest of Tokyo.
Most passengers were ski enthusiasts aged 18 into their early 20s. The packaged ski tours come with overnight bus rides, lodging and lift tickets for around 12,000 yen ($100) and are very popular choice among college students.

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At least seven killed in Jakarta suicide attacks near Starbucks cafe

#ISIS #suicidebomber #parisattack Suicide attacks in Jakarta have taken at lest seven lives - militants had carried out coordinated bomb and gun assault on the Indonesian capital Jakarta which, in the opinion of the police, had similarities with the Paris terror attack. The police have said that seven people were killed - five of them we the attackers.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 14 January 2016.

It was unclear as to how many of the attackers were shot dead by the police or blew themselves up. The remaining dead were a policeman and a Canadian while a Dutchman was among the 17 injured. Officers have arrested four people who are suspected of being involved in the assault, and have confirmed that none of the assailants had escaped.
There were several large explosions across the city in the course of the three-hour siege. The suicide bombers had targeted multiple locations, including a Starbucks cafe at a busy shopping center, near the presidential palace.
Reports of other blasts were there from the Cikini, Silpi and Kuningan neighborhoods, near the Pakistan and Turkish embassies. A United Nations building near the scene was in lockdown, and high-rise buildings in the area were evacuated.
The police feel that the attackers had tried to "imitate the terror attacks in Paris", and Islamic State fighters were "definitely" responsible. Aamaaq, a news agency allied to the terror group, has apparently claimed IS had carried out the attacks "targeting foreign nationals and the security forces charged with protecting them in the Indonesian capital".

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Oregon folk singer James Twyman to sing songs to ISIS militants to reform them

#JamesTwyman #ISIS #Oregon James Twyman, of Portland, Oregon, has plans to sing songs to ISIS militants in Syria to reform them. He plans to leave next week to serenade the Islamic State, and his fond wish is to bring the black-clad barbarians a prayerful message of peace. He wants to go ahead with his plans in spite of a warning from the State Department that his life could be in danger.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 13 January 2016.

In his opinion, he feels a "calling" and believes that he can soften the hearts of the Islamist army who are known for atrocities like beheading Westerners, throwing gays off off buildings and summarily executing innocent women and children.
Twyman would leave on Jan. 20 and halt in Italy before heading to Israel from where he would cross over the northern border shared with Syria and end up in a small Druze village. That village, Majdal Shams, is occupied by Israel and, Twyman has contacts there who would be trying to set up a venue in ISIS-controlled territory - his show is set for Jan. 31.
James Twyman, the author and self-styled “Peace Troubadour”, has put traditional prayers from various faiths to song. Incidentally, he is not new to such activities. He had performed in Baghdad in the late 1990s after Operation Desert Storm, in Bosnia and Croatia during the Balkan War in 1995 and has even performed earlier in Syria to spread his message of peace through song.

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Syrian suicide bomber kills 10 and injures at least 15 near Blue Mosque, Istanbul

#bluemosque #istanbul #ISIS #suicidebomber A 28-year-old Syrian national blew himself up in a popular tourist district near Blue Mosque of Istanbul and 10 people were killed in the blast while at least 15 more were injured. The injured included at least six Germans, one Norwegian and one Peruvian. Seoul's Foreign Ministry has added that one South Korean had a minor injury. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry has, likewise, informed that the Norwegian tourist was slightly hurt and was being treated in a local hospital.
This has been reported in foxnews.com darted 12 January 2016.

Authorities in Germany and Denmark have warned its citizens visiting Turkey to avoid crowds outside tourist attractions in Istanbul. German officials have indicated that further violent clashes and "terrorist attacks" are expected across Turkey and has urged travelers to stay away from demonstrations and gatherings, particularly in large cities.
The suicide attack happened was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk hardly 25 yards away from the historic Blue Mosque.
It may be recalled that Turkey had suffered two major bombing attacks last year. One was in July the town of Suruc when more than 30 people were killed in an ISIS suicide attack - Suruc is near Turkey's border with Syria. Later, in October, two suicide bombs went off outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally - more than 100 were killed. This was Turkey's deadliest attack.

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18 killed in Baghdad mall attack - ISIS claims responsibiity

18 killed in Baghdad mall attack - ISIS claims responsibility #isis #baghdadmall #suicidebomber At least 18 persons were killed in an attack in a mall in Baghdad and the Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack which targeted a crowded mall. The group has admitted that four of its suicide bombers carried out the attack on a gathering of Shia crowds at al-Jawhara Mall in Baghdad.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 12 January 2016.

It seems three of the suicide bombers blew up themselves among the Shias while the fourth one detonated his explosive-laden car by charging it into a security force that had been ordered to secure the scene. However, the commander of Baghdad Operations Command's version is that the evening attack was carried out by two suicide bombers who stormed the mall building after a car bomb explosion at the entrance of the shopping center.
The suicide bombers had opened fire as they ran into the mall. The security guards shot one of them hen his suicide vest blew up and the second assailant was forced to detonate himself. Obviously, these attackers could not have taken civilians as hostages because they were killed within the vicinity of the mall entrance.
This is at a variance of what had been indicated by an interior ministry source who had said that the attackers entered the shopping center and held a number of civilians as hostages in which at least seven people were killed and another 20 were injured during the attack.

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Mastermind of Paris terror attacks entered Britain through Dover easily

#paristerrorattack #jihadists #syria Mastermind of Paris terror attacks had entered Britain through Dover easily and fresh fears have been raised over the existing border controls at Britain's ferry ports. The terrorist was the ringleader of the terror cell which slaughtered 130 people in the French capital in November and he was subsequently killed in a police raid on his hideout.
But the fact remains that French investigators have found that he had traveled to the UK earlier last year and had photos of British landmarks on his mobile phone. The apparent ease with which the he entered the UK - in spite of being the subject of an arrest warrant by Belgian authorities - has led to criticism of Britain's border guards and security services. Belgium had, in July last year, sentenced him in absentia to 20 years in prison for recruiting jihadists to fight in Syria.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 11 January 2016.

Britain would need to conduct an urgent review of border security at ferry terminals and, simultaneously, provide urgent reassurance that passports are being properly checked on exit and arrival in the UK. The terrorist is supposed to have gained entry into Britain through the port of Dover in Kent. The dates of his arrival and departure have not been given.
It may be recalled that during the attacks in Paris in November, he had killed up to 20 people in cafes and bars with an automatic rifle before he went to the Bataclan concert hall. Once there, he directed the murders of another 89 men and women. CCTV images showed him calmly making his way around the city while the carnage unfolded.

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Holiday-makers who were on board a British Airways flight due to leave Ibiza for London were left scared and stunned after it was revealed that a woman holding a fake passport was in the aircraft - the cabin staff dismantled a passenger's seat in front of the panic stricken passengers.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 9 January 2016.

Bomb squad officers searched the plane three times following an emergency alert and, the tourists traveling home were left worried and bewildered after police boarded the plane on the tarmac just when it was due to take off. The pilot told the passengers that they would have to evacuate because there was a problem with a passenger who had a fake passport.
The British Airways flight was packed with holiday-makers who had been due to leave at 11am but eventually departed three and a half hours later. It is understood that the Civil Guard were called on to the plane once the crew became suspicious about a woman, probably Iranian, who appeared to be very nervous. Once her passport was found to be fake, she was escorted off the plane and bomb experts came on the scene.

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USAF prepares to strike secret targets of ISIS in Persian Gulf

#ISIS #predatordrone #hellfiremissiles #Mosul The Unites States Air Force is getting ready to launch air strikes on ISIS targets at a secret military base in the Persian Gulf even as news emerged that a leader of the extremist group has been injured in an attack.
Right now, the United States is leading a 60-plus member coalition and targeting the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria. In order to meet its objective, it has been carrying out frequent warplane and drone raids for more than a year.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 8 January 2016.

The MQ-1B Predator armed drones loaded with Hellfire air-to-surface missiles have been one of the most powerful weapons used by the USAF in the airstrikes against ISIS jihadists. In one of the latest casualties, ISIS leader and chief spokesman was injured in an airstrike in the Iraqi town of Barwanah, in Anbar province. This has been revealed by Iraq's Joint Operations Command.
This individual was being chased by the USAF for more than a month before the attack was launched. The injured ISIS leader was taken for medical treatment in the city of Hit after losing 'a large amount of blood' before he was shifted to Mosul amidst tight security.
Earlier, on January 5, the U.S. led coalition had carried out 36 strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria in its latest series of attacks against the extremist groups. A bomb factory was one of the successful targets in Iraq while 14 strikes near Manbij in Syria hit multiple targets. On the same day, construction diggers used by Islamic State terrorists to build defences were destroyed in airstrikes.
On January 1, among the targets destroyed were ISIS machine-gun positions and a team of jihadis armed with RPGs. Subsequently, two days later, British RAF Typhoon fighter jets bombed more mortar teams, snipers and machine-gunners, while Tornado jets dropped missiles on a truck-bomb and ISIS mortar and machine guns.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Motorcycle riding gunmen open fire upon tourists as they boarded bus in Cairo

Motorcycle riding gunmen opened fire on tourists as they boarded a bus in Cairo. The attack happened at a hotel on a road that leads to the pyramids. Police succeeded in nabbing both the gunmen - there were no casualties. One gunman was arrested at the scene and the other one, who wore a mask, in another part of Cairo.
The incident has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 7 January 2016.

Among the tourists were two Israelis and, the incident took place in front of the Three Pyramids Hotel which was sprayed with bullets.
Incidentally, Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christians are celebrating Christmas today in the predominantly Muslim country and tourism is the mainstay of the Egyptian economy. It has been struggling to recover from political turmoil that had been triggered by the 2011 uprising in which Hosni Mubarak was toppled from power.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has already declared an all-out war on Islamist militants, who are trying to destabilize the country through suicide bombings and shooting attacks. On October 31, Islamic State's Egypt affiliate had planted a bomb on a Russian passenger plane that crashed in the Sinai killing all 224 people on board. As a result, Russia put a stop to all Russian flights to and from Egypt, while Britain has suspended air links with Sharm el-Sheikh, where the plane took off.
Incidentally, millions of tourists, mostly Britons and Russians, flock to the Red Sea resort which has the attractions of year-round pristine beaches, warm weather and dive sites.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Residents of Madaya surviving on grass, cats and dogs

Residents of a besieged Syrian town of Madaya, situated just 15 miles from Damascus, and less than seven miles from the border with Lebanon, have no other go but to eat cats and dogs and grass to survive even as thousands of people face starving to death. The city of Madaya was, once upon a time, a popular holiday resort for Syrians. It is now under siege by forces who are loyal to the government of President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 7 January 2016.

Thousands of people who are trapped have no food, water or electricity. Rice is sold in grammes because one kilogramme can cost up to £170 which they cannot afford. It has been confirmed by an unnamed aid worker that some residents were eating cats and dogs to survive, while others ate leaves and grass and drank water flavored with jam or spices.
Dr Mohamad Youssef, who acts as the manager of the medical council in Madaya, has informed that every day, there are two or three starvation deaths. Such deaths are mostly the elderly, the women and children.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hopes that it can get aid to all three villages in the next few days. It may be recalled that in mid-October, more than 20 lorries were allowed to deliver medical and humanitarian supplies but, since then, the situation has worsened.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has revealed that 10 people had died because of lack of food in recent weeks while 13 others had been shot by pro-government forces or blown up by mines while trying to find food. In the opinion of the UN, the apparent use of siege warfare has been used in clear breach of international laws.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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German police hunting for seven suicide bombers who planned to blow up Munich railway stations

#ISIS #suicidebomber #munich #Hauptbahnhof #terrorthreats German police are on the hunt for seven suspected suicide bombers who had drawn up plans to blow themselves up in Munich train stations during the New Year's Eve celebrations. The targeted railway stations are believed to have been the central Hauptbahnhof station and western Pasing station. These were shut down and special police units with automatic weapons were deployed to guard the entrances.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 1 January 2016.

It seems information had been furnished by French and US intelligence agencies - they had even named the seven Iraqis who lived in Munich as the potential attackers, with possible links to ISIS.
Police have evacuated two Munich stations at around midnight following a tip off about a 'serious, imminent threat'. Teams of more than 500 officers were deployed to hunt the terrorists down but no arrests have been made.
The existence of a potential jihadi cell consisting of seven Iraqis had been reported by Bavarian state broadcaster BR citing anonymous sources. Munich police have refused to confirm the nationalities of the suspects or details of where they lived or whether a manhunt was underway.

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