Don't be surprised: 50 ISIS supporters work as baggage handlers in Brussels
This may come as a surprise to some of you, but for reasons I will explain later in this post, it doesn't surprise me at all. Quoting Brussels police, London's Daily Mail report that there
at least 50 ISIS supporters working as baggage handlers at Brussels Airport.
In an astonishing open letter, the officers said they have warned about the terrorist sympathisers whose security badges give them access to planes, but they remain employed.
The airport police, who are threatening to go on strike because of security deficiencies, also said they have raised the issue of terrorists scouting the airport to plan possible attacks.
The extraordinary claims come after the Mail reported how the family of two of the bombers involved in the attacks last week said they had worked as cleaners at the airport.
‘Some people suspected of having fought in Syria came to the airport as “false tourists”.
We reported their presence but we do not know if anything was done with that information,’ the airport police wrote in their letter.
The officers said they had raised suspicions about certain staff members including those who apparently celebrated after the Paris attacks in November that killed 130 people.
‘When we checked these people, we were surprised more than once. It was men with a radical ideology and a long police history,’ the officers continued.
‘Even today, there are at least 50 supporters of the Islamic state who work at the airport. They have a security badge and have access to the cockpit of a plane.
‘In the past, a number of people had their badges revoked because they had IS sympathies. But clearly not everyone, especially in store personnel, cleaning services and baggage where we find the most suspicious people.’
Police raised concerns about inadequate security at the airport just four days before the attack took place.
The Belgian police union, NSPV, told the interior ministry on Friday 18 March that they would go on strike unless it was improved.
A disaster waiting to happen, God Forbid. So why am I not surprised at it? Long time readers may remember this story. I've mentioned many times on this blog my
July 2003 conversation
with an El Al security person at London's Heathrow Airport, who told me
that since Heathrow employees were involved in a suicide bombing at
Mike's Place in Tel Aviv in April 2003, El Al no longer trusts Heathrow security.
It's not just Heathrow. Until recently - and they may yet go back to it - if you arrived in Europe from the US on an American or European airline and you were connecting to El Al to go to Israel, you had to go down to the tarmac, claim your bags, open them and confirm to the security people that nothing had changed since you checked them in.
Two days after the Brussels attacks, I flew home to Israel from San Francisco. I won't say where I changed on the way, but I had about four hours in a European airport before boarding an El Al flight. I happened to sit down near my flight's gate before it was even posted, and I could hear El Al security speaking very conspicuously in Hebrew to someone down on the tarmac before the equipment arrived. It was clear to me that El Al is still doing its own security in Europe. I did not have to claim my bags in Europe.
So why do the Europeans tolerate the Islamists?
Victor Davis Hanson explains.
Many Westerners are more scared of being labeled as illiberal or
nativist than they are of being unsafe.
Islamic terrorists sense that Westerners are increasingly materialist
rather than spiritual. Europeans in particular are becoming more
secular. Their birthrates are declining. And they seem to believe more
in satisfying their appetites than in finding transcendence through
children and religion.
As a result, jihadists trust that they can cull a handful of
Westerners every few weeks from an otherwise indifferent herd. Their
only challenge is to keep the harvest of Westerners down to a few dozen
and not to get greedy in their bloodlust.
Terrorists seem to believe that as long as they avoid another 9/11-like
massacre, they can continue to take lives and insidiously weaken the
West without awakening it from its morally indifferent slumber.
And they may be right.
And the American elites are similar to the European ones. 'Westerners' includes both Americans and Europeans.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: airport security, Brussels terror attacks, El Al, Europe, Islamic terrorism, multi-culturalism, Victor Davis Hanson
Belgium not cooperating with US over terror attacks
It's come to this: Belgium is
refusing to cooperate with the United States counter-terror efforts against Islamic State.
Several US officials say that security cooperation has been hampered by patchy intelligence-sharing by Brussels and wide differences in the willingness of different agencies to work with foreign countries, even close allies.
One US government source said that when American investigators try to contact Belgian agencies for information, they often struggle to find which agency or part of an agency might have relevant information.
Belgium has ordered a sharp increase in security budgets following the Paris attacks, despite being under steady pressure to limit its debt levels under euro zone rules. The government has promised to recruit around 2,500 more federal police, who pursue major crimes, to make up for a shortfall of close to a fifth of the full-strength force of 12,500.
It also says it thwarted a major attack in January 2015, and is eager to cooperate with European and US counterparts.
"These attacks show that more coordination with the United States is clearly desirable," Guy Rapaille, the president of the committee that provides oversight of Belgium's security and intelligence services, told Belgium's state broadcaster RTBF.
"But you have to remember that big powers guard their intelligence very closely."
US officials acknowledge the recent Belgian efforts to step up funding and recruitment.
Yet they say Belgian security services are outmatched by the threat in a country that, per capita, has supplied the highest number of foreign fighters to Syria of any European nation.
"They're way behind the ball and they're paying a terrible price," Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told Reuters.
Asked on Wednesday whether Belgium was too complacent over the threat posed by Islamic militancy, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said:
"I want to stay clear of saying that Belgium was somehow caught by surprise or not aware. You know, we collaborate, we work with Belgium closely."
But Belgium had specific warnings about Monday's attacks and failed to prevent them. Why? Here's one possible reason.
Some US counter-terrorism officials say much of the gap between Washington and Belgium - and some other European countries - is cultural. Europeans' deeper commitment to personal privacy sometimes prevents or delays sharing of information such as travel data -- that is taken for granted in the United States.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the US government radically reshaped its counter-terrorism agencies. It broke down walls between law enforcement and intelligence authorities, and created new coordinating institutions such as the Director of National Intelligence and National Counterterrorism Center.
Belgium, by contrast, is a patchwork country divided between French and Dutch speakers and with multiple levels of government.
Belgian security chiefs have repeatedly complained that they cannot handle up to 900 home-grown Islamist militants, among the highest per-capita rates in Europe. Belgium does not divulge the exact number of personnel in its security services and military intelligence, but security experts say they appear under-resourced compared to European counterparts.
"Add to that the problem of two languages (French and Flemish), lack of Arabic speakers, and weak coordination between national and local government, you have a huge discrepancy between threat and response," said former CIA official and White House advisor Bruce Riedel, now at the Brookings Institution.
You can choose to give up a little privacy or to die in private. Many Europeans apparently prefer to die. That's why in Belgium, I am told, there are no terror raids after 9:00 pm. Surreal.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Belgium, Brussels terror attacks, Islamic terrorism
Hmmm.... Erdogan claims Turkey deported Brussels attacker, Belgium set him free
The Europeans are even bigger idiots than we give them credit for being....
By the way, Belgium doesn't do terror raids after 9:00 pm. They don't want to disturb the terrorists' sleep (yes, that's true).
Unbelievable.
Labels: Belgium, Brussels terror attacks, Islamic terrorism, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey
Always helpful US State Department says 'Avoid Europe'
Greetings from a plane somewhere over flyover country. I left San Francisco this morning and am now heading for an East Coast stop where I'll board a plane to Europe. The US State Department doesn't want me to do that. Now they tell me. Just got this notice a few moments ago from the always helpful US Consulate in Jerusalem.
Europe Travel Alert
Last Updated: March 22, 2016
The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to potential risks of travel to and throughout Europe following several terrorist attacks, including the March 22 attacks in Brussels claimed by ISIL. Terrorist groups continue to plan near-term attacks throughout Europe, targeting sporting events, tourist sites, restaurants, and transportation. This Travel Alert expires on June 20, 2016.
U.S. citizens should exercise vigilance when in public places or using mass transportation. Be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid crowded places. Exercise particular caution during religious holidays and at large festivals or events.
U.S. citizens should also:
- Follow the instructions of local authorities, especially in an emergency.
- Monitor media and local information sources and factor updated information into personal travel plans and activities.
- Be prepared for additional security screening and unexpected disruptions.
- Stay in touch with your family members and ensure they know how to reach you in the event of an emergency.
- Register in our Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
European governments continue to guard against terrorist attacks and conduct raids to disrupt plots. We work closely with our allies and will continue to share information with our European partners that will help identify and counter terrorist threats.
For further information:
Now if only these idiots would get out of Fantasyland and start fighting Islamic terrorism....
So for now, I will only tell you in general terms where I am changing planes and I won't give names of cities until after I leave them. Yes, it's come to this. #ThanksObama #DankeMerkel.
And a freilichen (Happy) Purim to those of you for whom it's already begun. Fortunately, since I'm a Jerusalemite and I am heading home, my Purim is tomorrow night.
Labels: Angela Merkel, Barack Hussein Obama, Belgium, Brussels terror attacks, Europe, Islamic terrorism, Purim
Belgian ISIS members can travel to the US and Israel without visas
Greetings from Oakland, California, where I have been staying with relatives since Sunday while having meetings all day in San Francisco. I am leaving Wednesday morning back to Israel (for those wondering about Purim, because I live in Jerusalem, Purim is on Friday for me).
I've been
warning for years that the citizens of all those Muslim terrorist-infested European countries may enter the United States (and Israel as well, although I trust Israel to do a much better job of
screening and to
keep out whomever should be kept out) without visas. In light of
Monday's terror attacks in Brussels,
that reality is sinking in.
Leading lawmakers identified Belgium as a hotspot for terrorism
months ago and are warning that many of the radicalized individuals
living there are still able to travel to the United States without first
obtaining a visa and undergoing thorough security checks.
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Washington Free Beacon Tuesday
afternoon that current flaws in the U.S. visa waiver program—which
facilities travel to the United States from partner nations including
Belgium—have created a loophole that could permit radicalized
individuals to legally enter the United States with minimal background
checks.
DeSantis is warning of these flaws on the heels of deadly mass
terrorist attack in Brussels on Tuesday that has killed at least 30 and
wounded hundreds more.
“The visa waiver reform, this is something we have been perusing and
the [Obama] administration has brushed us off at every turn,” DeSantis
said, explaining that current policy does not mandate more strenuous
checks on individuals identified as coming from terrorist hotspots, such
as the small Belgian town of Molenbeek, which has emerged as a principal training site for jihadists.
“It’s the case that if those folks are citizens of Belgium they
qualify for the visa waiver program and can hop on a plane and get
here,” he added. “Clearly, that is not adequate given what happened.”
The Obama administration “even takes the position it’s safer to allow
someone to come in on a visa waiver than make them get one, it’s kind
of crazy,” DeSantis said. You’re not going to be able to have
intelligence on everyone there because there are so many potential
recruits. It’s a clear vulnerability.”
What is worse, DeSantis said, is that the Obama administration has
been lax about deporting individuals who overstay their visas, meaning
that a radicalized person could disappear in America as they plan a
potential attack.
“There’s no enforcement once they get here,” DeSantis said. “Hundreds
of thousands of people come over and then overstay” their visas. “You
are not going to be removed under current policy under this
administration.”
DeSantis and other lawmakers first labeled Belgium as a hotspot for
ISIS terrorists in the aftermath of the 2015 attacks in Paris. At least
five of the Paris attackers were French nationals, two of whom had been
living in Belgium. Another one of the terrorists was a Belgian national.
Citizens from both countries are still able to freely travel to the
United States under the visa waiver program, which facilitates travel
between the American and a host of foreign countries.
“At least six of the Paris attackers could have attempted to enter
the country under this program,” DeSantis said in December, during a
congressional hearing on the visa waiver program’s flaws.
What could go wrong?
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Belgium, Brussels terror attacks, European anti-Semitism, European support for terrorism, France, Islamic terrorism, travel visas, visa waivers
