Homeland Security News

The majority of Europe's jihadist foreign fighters have criminal backgrounds, said a report published on Tuesday by the International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR) at King's College in London.

"The presence of former criminals in terrorist groups is neither new nor unprecedented. But with Islamic State and the ongoing mobilization of European jihadists, the phenomenon has become more pronounced, more visible and more relevant to the ways in which jihadist groups operate," the report said.

The study, which compiled a database of 79 known jihadists with criminal pasts, showed that 57 percent of them had served prison sentences prior to radicalization, with 27 percent of those having radicalized while incarcerated, "although the process often continued and intensified after their release."

Read more: Deutsche Welle

The man accused of multiple bombings last month in New York and New Jersey that injured more than 30 people is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Thursday since his Sept. 19 arrest.

Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, is expected to appear in a New Jersey state court via video link from a hospital where he has been recovering from gunshot wounds he suffered in a shootout with police before his arrest.

The hearing in Elizabeth, New Jersey, concerns state charges against him stemming from that gun battle, including attempted murder of police officers and weapons charges.

Read more: Reuters

A gang member used armor piercing-bullets and an assault rifle to kill two police officers in a planned "ambush," Riverside County's district attorney said Wednesday.

John Felix, 26, shot an AR-15 through the front door of his Palm Springs house Saturday, killing Officers Jose "Gil" Vega and Lesley Zerebny and wounding a third officer — all of whom were wearing bulletproof vests, District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a press conference. Felix was captured early Sunday after a 12-hour standoff with police and SWAT teams.

Felix has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder with enhancement filed on each charge for the use of body armor and armor-piercing bullets. Felix also was charged with illegal possession of an assault weapon and possession of a stolen firearm.

Felix’s weapon was an AR-15 rifle with a scratched-off serial number, according to the DA's office. This kind of rifle can be legally owned in California, but not by Felix, who was already a convicted felon.

Felix also possessed several illegal high-capacity magazines.

Read more:  USA Today

Boko Haram Islamist have released 21 of more than 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram Islamists in 2014 in the northern town of Chibok, the Nigerian government said on Thursday.  "The release of the girls ... is the outcome of negotiations between the administration and the Boko Haram brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government," a presidency statement said. "The negotiations will continue."

Around 270 girls were taken from their school in Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped in the initial melee, but more than 200 are still missing.  The kidnapping triggered worldwide outrage promoted by a Twitter hashtag #bringbackourgirls.

The presidency gave no details on the deal, saying only that the 21 girls were very tired and would first rest in the custody of the national security agency.  Afterwards the girls would be handed over to Vice President Yemi Obinsajo, the statement said. President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to Germany on Thursday.

Authorities said in May that one of the missing girls had been found and President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to rescue the others.

Boko Haram's seven-year insurgency to create an Islamic state in the northeast has led to the deaths of 15,000 people and displaced more than two million.

Read more:  Reuters

Police in Australia have alleged that two teenagers arrested on Wednesday were about to commit an attack inspired by the so-called Islamic State (IS).  The 16-year-old boys were arrested by a counter-terrorism team in a laneway behind a Muslim prayer hall.  They were allegedly carrying two bayonet-style knives purchased that day and notes pledging allegiance to IS.

At a news conference, police said the boys had been charged with terror-related offences.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp is reporting that one of the boys is the son of a convicted terrorist. Police declined to comment on that report.

Read more:  BBC News