Dutch Intelligence Service Try to Crack Whatsapp and Telegram

Dick Schoof, National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism NCTV), attaches great importance for Dutch Intelligence (AIVD) to be able to crack the encryption used by messaging services such as Whatsapp and Telegram.

ANP News Agency reports main Shoff's statements. According to him if terrorists communicate through locked networks of this kind, then we want to break this encryption. It is difficult, but we do not accept that we cannot do it".

He seeks to reassure those who warn that the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) is acquiring too much power: "it is necessary for the fight against terrorism and it is subject to effective control. Every organization in this field is driven by the values of our democratic rule-of-law state."

Schoof stresses that the threat of terrorism remains. "Together with the AIVD we see that ISIL has a planning unit that remains effective and that is in a position to plan and to carry out attacks in Europe. And it is a fact that returnees can try and regain entry to Europe unnoticed."

In the coming weeks other ISIL fighters will be brought back to the Netherlands by the Military Police and will be subject to thorough investigations. "The first wave of returnees were principally the disillusioned. Those returning now have been more involved. We no longer take anybody at their word when they look us in the face and say they were just cooks for ISIL."

World Largest Cement Producer LaFarge Accused of Funding Terrorism (Part 1)

The Lafarge group, the world's largest cement producer, stands accused by NGO Sherpa of funding terrorism, according report published on France Info website. The French corporation kept a cement works in operation in Syria, at the risk of endangering its employees and funding the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (ISIL).

The Lafarge site in Syria is a cement works with a production capacity of 7,000 tonnes a day, and which cost 600 million euros.

Nine of the cement works' employees were kidnapped.

Jacob Waerness, a former police officer from Norwegian intelligence recruited by Lafarge to ensure the site's security, established contact with the kidnappers.

He feared the employees would be executed.

The negotiations lasted three weeks. Lafarge decided to pay up to secure their release.

Over 200,000 euros in cash were handed over to militias who claimed to belong to the Free Syrian Army.

Jacob Waerness recounted how he handed the money over to the militias. "We drove across the desert to the meeting point. It was around midnight. I had a group of rebels to protect me. We paid the ransom for the employees and they made off with it."

Serbian Intelligence Agencies Monitor 350 Jihadists Returnees from Iraq and Syria

Serbian Intelligence Agencies compiled a list of about 350 Jihadists from Kosovo and Metohija left to fight in Syria and Iraq, according Politika website.

Igor Becic, the chairman of the Serbian Security Services Control Committee, revealed that "11 jihadists have recently returned from Iraq and Syria".
According Igor Becic, Serbian Intelligence Agencies "have information and operational data as to where they were. They left under the pretext of attending education courses and have documents to prove it".

About 70 went from Sandzak and 17 members of the Chetnik Movement went to fight in the war in Ukraine.

Fighters from Kosovo and Metohija mostly go to fight in foreign wars for financial reasons, while those from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sandzak mostly go for ideological reasons.co

Source within Serbian Intelligence Agencies said that "it is an open secret that jihadists from Serbia are recruited for Syria and Iraq by representatives of illegal agencies that supposedly offer training services for bodyguards and security officers".

Same source revealed that "a foot soldier in Iraq and Syria makes between 1,000 and 2,000 euros. The amount depends on how high up he is in the ISIL hierarchy. If he is a member of a special unit or commands a group, he is paid several thousand euros more".

These fighters first undergo ideological indoctrination, followed by seven days of training in the use of weapons, planting of explosives, sabotage, and so on.

Kosovo Intelligence and Police Arrest ISIL linked Group Plotting Terrorist Attacks in the Balkans

Under the supervision of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency [KIA], the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, and some international Intelligence Services, the Kosovo police have arrested 19 ISIL "soldiers" of Lavdrim Muhaxheri, who were coordinated focused to carry out terrorist attacks in the Balkans, but firstly in Kosovo and specifically in Albania, were the Albania-Israel soccer match for the 2018 World Cup qualifications was played.

According Albanian newspaper Zeri the first group of the arrested persons -- Bujar Brahimi, Visar Ibishi, Liriodon Morina, Burim Istrefi, Leutrim Musliu, Kenan Plakaj, and Leotrim Vojvoda -- have been accused by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo of plotting terrorist attacks. It is suspected that all of them are part of the ISIL terrorist group. They had planned to carry out terrorist attacks initially in Kosovo and then in other Balkan countries.

Special Prosecution of Kosovo said that "there is convincing evidence that the defendants, Bujar Brahimi, Visar Ibishi, Liriodon Morina, Burim Istrefi, Leutrim Musliu, Kenan Plakaj, and Leotrim Vojvoda belong to the ISIL terrorist organization. Instructed by former leader of the Albanians in Syria, Lavdrim Muhaxheri, defendant Bujar Brahimi was willingly involved in terrorist activities of that organization during the period September-October 2016".

"Kosovo Intelligence Agency  arrested 19 ISIL soldiers linked to Lavdrim Muhaxheri"

Special Prosecution of Kosovo added that "they are suspected of having planned terrorist attacks, initially in Kosovo and then in other countries of the Balkans. They planned attacks on various facilities, including security institutions, with the aim of causing serious fear among the population, destabilization and destruction of basic political, constitutional, economic, and social structures in different countries, and then to establish in their territories the so-called ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant)".

Security experts have said that the fact that the number of arrested people on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks is so big in this case should serve as a wake-up call to the security institutions to cope with serious terrorism threats.

According to Behar Selimi, former director of the Kosovo Police, "if the security institutions' claims that we were dealing with a planned terrorist attack are corroborated, this means Kosovo is not facing a minor threat but rather a direct national security threat against the institutions and the citizens in general. So if the charges that we have seen about an ISIL cell in Kosovo will be confirmed during an investigation process, it is obvious that we are dealing with something serious".

Kosovar Irfan Haqifi Suspected to join ISIL

Albanian language newspaper Koha Ditore reported that “Irfan Haqifi, a kosovar citizen under house arrest, left Kosovo on 15 July and is suspected of having joined ISIL”. He managed to go to the conflict area from a third country during that period of time.

Irfan Haqifi is the brother of Ridvan Haqifi, one of the main commanders of Albanians in Syria, alongside Lavderim Muhaxheri, who only one month earlier threatened the Balkans that he would take vengeance against those "who humiliated the Muslims in Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina".

Another Kosovar citizens, Betim Ibrahimaj, suspected for terrorism, also managed to escape from house arrest and is suspected of being in the armed conflict zone in Syria.

In addition to Irfan Haqifi and Betim Ibrahimaj, also Egzon Iseni and Rron Emini left Kosovo, while it is not known when exactly Amir Vuniqi fled the Country.

Both Irfan Haqifi and Betim Ibrahimaj left the territory of Kosovo illegally, but the Kosovo Police have no information about the entry-exit registration system and have not proved whether the same managed to penetrate in the conflict zone in Syria or Iraq.

According to security experts, Haqifi's and Ibrahimaj's escape from house arrest proves the justice system's lack of seriousness in treating terrorism cases.

Florian Qehaja from the Kosovar Center for Security Studies said that the court's and prosecution's experience in dealing with these issues was almost inexistent or very limited.

Last May The New York Times published "How Kosovo Was Turned Into Fertile Ground for ISIS" on how "extremist clerics and secretive associations funded by Saudis and others have transformed a once-tolerant Muslim society into a font of extremism".

French Intelligence Tasked to Detect Radicalized Persons into the Army

French Intelligence has been tasked with detecting radicalized persons within the Army ranks after a dozen former French soldiers have taken up arms against the coalition in the Iraq–Syria zone. The General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) and the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) takes over in the event of a terrorist threat.

Aujourd'hui en France

L'Opinion

"All the profiles of our candidates are now scanned, including those wanting to join the reserves," one senior military source said.

According several French newspapers as Aujourd'hui en France, L'Opinion and Le Point their weapons skills and knowledge of command structures, and above all the fact that ISIL is trying to hit the West by sending recruits to their countries of origin, raises obviously security questions.

A great role for ISIL recruiting has been covered by online propaganda.

"The General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) and the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) Monitor radicalized persons into the Army"

Le Point

In January 2015 the daily L'Opinion cited the case of a soldier who served for five years in the 1st RPIMa, the elite paratroop regiment. After leaving the Army to join a company protecting oil sites, he joined the jihadist ranks.

Le Point cites the instructive story of a volunteer serving with the 1st Paratroop Infantry Regiment, shown in a video published on the Internet in April 2014 and entitled "A Day with the French Mojahedin".

Bosnian Intelligence Searching for Three ISIL Fugitive

Map has been published on Daily Mail

Bosnian Intelligence and Police are hunting for three ISIL fugitive that took off into the woods near the village of Osve, close to Maglaj, according Bosnian website Zurnal.

Among the fugitives are former members of ISIL who recently returned from Syria.

Zurnal reported that the name of one who escaped is Muhamed Tutmic, a former member of ISIL, who had been previously arrested.

Muhamed Tutmic

Bosnian Intelligence and Police searched for him in the last seven days.

Bosnian Intelligence suspect that Muhamed Tutmic joined by Adem Karamuja and Jasmin Batanovic.
Adem Karamuja is also a returnee from Syria.

Bosnian Intelligence and Police raided the countryside of Osve suspecting that Muhamed Tutmic, Adem Karamuja and Jasmin Batanovic spent the first night with Latif Talic, another former member of ISIL.

Picture of Muhamed Tutmic as published on Bosnian website Zurnal.

Macedonian Intelligence Aims to Portray Albanians as ISIL Fighters

According Macedonian newspaper Zhurnal "Macedonian Intelligence elements, supported from Russian and Serb, aim to portray Macedonian and Kosovar Albanians the attributes of ISIL fighters, denigrating and degrading political credibility of Macedonian and Kosovar Albanians".

Zhurnal reported that "this disinformation comes from Macedonian and Russian Intelligence Agencies with the target to smear Albanians as being affiliated with ISIL".

In this context President Ivanov stated that "Macedonia had been facing a danger of potential terrorist attacks that could likely be conducted by recruitees and those who had returned from Syria and Iraq. In our country, there are as many as 86 people who have returned from the wars of Syria and Iraq".

Albanian Defense Minister Luan Hajdaraga said that "a lot of Balkan Intelligence, media and think tanks spread rumors or information that has still not been confirmed. This type of information needs to be verified first".

Brazilian Intelligence is investigating more than 22,000 names of ISIL members

Brazilian Intelligence is investigating more than 22,000 names of ISIL members received from German Federal Police (BKA) last April, that are keeping in touch with persons living in the country.

According to Brazilian website O Estado de Sao Paulo Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN) are keeping under surveillance the members of Salafi and Wahhabi communities in Brazil.

Brazilian Intelligence is trying to identify persons involved in the recent announcement by a Telegram channel named Ansar al-Khilafah, which on July 18 declared allegiance to the ISIL in Brazil.

The group published a text in Arabic with the ISIL symbol on the map of the country.

Another source of concern for Brazilian Intelligence is the system are the children of Brazilians living in Europe who have been attracted by ISIL.

ABIN is keeping in contact with foreign services.

Brazilian website O Estado de Sao Paulo reported that the French Directorate General for External Security (DGSE) is allegedly on the eve of the Rio Olympics without a liaison agent in Brazil.