'Truly sickening and utterly evil': Tony Abbott warns of Aussie beheadings as it's revealed Indonesian terrorists Jemaah Islamiyah has sided with ISIS killers who beheaded James Foley
- Mr Abbott said the journalist's murder highlights need to strengthen terror laws in Australia
- Warned that Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group siding with Islamic State means potential for more attacks
- The U.S. attempted to rescue Americans held hostage by jihadists in July, but the mission failed because it was the wrong location
- It has also emerged Foley made at least one attempt to escape ISIS but was caught and punished
- President Barack Obama seemed to double down on attacking ISIS after a militant beheaded Foley in a shocking video
- 'One thing we can all agree on is a group like ISIL has no place in the 21st century,' a defiant Obama said
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has labelled the murder of American photojournalist James Foley 'truly sickening and utterly evil' while warning Australia faces new threats from southeast Asian terrorist organisation Jemaah Islamiyah.
A gruesome video of Foley, 40, being beheaded by members of terrorist group ISIL, also known as ISIS, after being held hostage in Syria since 2012, emerged on Wednesday.
Mr Abbott said on Thursday that Foley's murder 'strengthens' the Australian government's resolve against terrorism.
He warned that there were links between the Indonesian terrorist organisation responsible for the Bali bombings and other attacks which have claimed more than 100 Australian lives.
Mr Abbott said Jemaah Islamiyah expressed support for the terrorists operation in Syria and Iraq, which meant there was new potential 'for terrorism in our region'.
Tony Abbott reveled militant group Jemaah Islamiyah have confirmed their support for ISIL
'Jemaah Islamiyah have pledged allegiance to the ISIL movement and that does indicate the potential for increased terrorist activity in our region,' Mr Abbott said.
Various members of Jemaah Islamiyah were convicted for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Mr Abbott reasoned this is why Australia needs new legislation 'to strengthen our powers'.
He said: 'The laws we are proposing are not targeting any particular community, they are targeting terrorism.'
His statement came after Muslim leaders across Australia rejected the proposed new terrorism laws.
More than 60 individuals and organisations said that 'there is no solid evidence' to substantiate the threat of about 150 'radicalised' Muslims returning from Iraq or Syria to Australia.
The proposed new laws were announced on August 5 and include the expansion of the definition of terrorism beyond 'terrorist activities' to threats on social media.
An extra $630 million in government spending on anti-terrorist measures is part of Mr Abbott's promise to defend Australians.
Terror: Photojournalist James Wright Foley spoke before his beheading to say ''I call on my friends, family members and loved ones to rise up against my real killers, the U.S. government.'
The laws could see Australians be arrested for travelling to certain terrorist 'hot spots' without a valid humanitarian reason, causing fears that the onus of proof will rest on Australians who visit these areas to prove they did so innocently.
'I have little doubt that the ISIL movement are masters of propaganda. They're masters of social media,' Mr Abbott told Fairfax Radio in Melbourne.
'They are probably the most effective terrorist organisation the world has yet seen. That's why it's very important we redouble our vigilance.'
Mr Abbott said the 60 or so Australians fighting with IS - also known as ISIL and ISIS - represented only a "miniscule" percentage of the country's population.
But he warned it did not take many people "to do enormous damage to countries".
Mr Abbott is adamant Australia and other Western nations will not commit combat troops to battle IS in northern Iraq.
One of the most controversial proposed measures would see the phone and internet records of all Australians held for two years.
This would apply to metadata, rather than the content of calls and emails. Metadata is information kept by telecommunications companies - such as phone numbers, email addresses and the dates, times, locations and duration of phone calls.
On Wednesday, it emerged several dozen special-operations forces attempted to rescue Americans held hostage by ISIS in Syria earlier this summer but failed.
The mission to save Foley and others was carried out in early July but failed because the hostages had been moved by the time U.S. forces arrived for the rescue, according to statements released by the White House and State Department
'This operation involved air and ground components and was focused on a particular captor network within ISIL,' the State Department statement reads. 'Unfortunately, the mission was not successful because the hostages were not present at the targeted location.'
Officially, the administration said it would not release more details on the raid, but sources told the New York Times that the mission was carried out by two dozen special-ops members, who were dropped off in Syria in early July and were met with gunfire.
'While on site, it became apparent the hostages were not there,' one of the officials said.
The sources wouldn't say where the raid was held, but that if happened in a heavily-populated area - it likely would have already made news. They also wouldn't comment on how many hostages were believed to be held captive at the location, or their names.
During the fight the ISIS forces suffered 'a good number of casualties' while only one American was slightly wounded. The American team was then able to retreat back to their helicopters and escape.
The administration kept the raid a secret until now in order to 'preserve future opportunities' for another mission.
Obama delivered a statement from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, during his vacation on Wednesday. His remarks come after 'Islamic State' insurgents released a video showing the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley, who had gone missing in Syria nearly two years ago
Dignified: Diane and John Foley talked to reporters after the death of their son, photojournalist James Foley, at the hands of ISIS
Vacation continues: Directly after the Foley press conference, Obama went to play a round of golf with businessman Glenn Hutchins (center) and Cyrus Walker (right), the cousin of White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett
Details of the mission were revealed after President Obama spoke about the execution of James Foley and promised new strikes on Isis. In a stark contrast to the somber mood of his speech, the President then returned to his vacation and the golf course where he was pictured laughing and smiling with friends.
Earlier in the day the Obama Administration revealed that they knew about an email sent to Foley's family last week, warning 'that they would execute Jim'.
Right after receiving the email, the Foley family made the White House aware, according to Philip Balboni, who founded the Global Post – a Boston news outlet that published Foley's photographs.
Balboni told reporters that the kidnappers' email was 'full of rage against the United States for the bombing' of ISIS targets.
'[We] explained to them that Jim was an innocent journalist, had done no harm to the Syrian people,' he said. 'Sadly they showed no mercy to Jim.'
He also said he was confident the federal government knew where Foley was kept – always in Syria, he told reporters. He said the government had likely made efforts to save him, but he did not know the details, as they were classified.
WCVB-TV reported that the administration did not engage in any negotiations for Foley's release, leaving Global Post and its hired-gun investigators to make contact.
It also appears that Foley was 'brutally' beaten by his captors before, for planning an escape, a former freelance journalist from France told ABC News.
Nicolas Henin was taken hostage in Syria for 10 months and was released last April. He spent seven months housed with Foley, and at some point during that time was abused for an escape plot.
'James a bit punished for a presumed attempt to escape but it had no real chance,' Henin said.
Henin and other European hostages were released earlier this year, leaving the Americans behind since the U.S. doesn't negotiate with terrorists.
'We communicated ... as quickly as we could with the captors,' he explained, 'and pleaded with them for mercy.'
On Wednesday, Obama declared that 'the entire world is appalled by the brutal murder.'
Obama didn't mention any advance warnings when he delivered five minutes of remarks Wednesday afternoon, while on vacation on Matha's Vineyeard. But he said the U.S. won't back down from ISIS , the militant terror group behind Foley's death.
'No just God would stand for what they did yesterday, and for what they do every single day,' he said.
'ISIL speaks for no religion,' he said, aiming his words at the Islamist faction that claims to have established a Muslim caliphate in portions of Syria and Iraq. 'Their victims are overwhelmingly Muslim, and no faith teaches people to massacre innocents.'
Foley stood 'in stark contrast' to his captors and executioners, he said, blaming them for a series of 'cowardly acts of violence.'
Americans 'are all heartbroken at their loss and join them in honoring Jim,' he said, somber but not wearing a necktie, as has been his practice during his extended family holiday.
But the president said the terror group has tortured and killed ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq, including women and children.
'They have rampaged across cities and villages, killing innocent civilians,' he said.
'They have murdered Muslims, both Sunni and Shia, by the thousands. They target Christians and religious minorities, driving them from their homes, murdering them when they can, for no other reason than that they practice another religion.'
He seemed to double down on the threat of airstrikes, even though Foley's executioner claimed another journalist will die if they continue.
'There has to be a common effort to expel this cancer so it does not spread,' Obama said.
Directly after the press conference, Obama went to play a round of golf where he was pictured in a good mood, laughing with ex-NBA basketball player Alonzo Mourning and fist-bumping Cyrus Walker, the cousin of White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. Businessman Glenn Hutchins was also pictured out on the course.
No mercy: Global Post President and CEO Philip Balboni revealed the Foley family had received a 'rage'-filled email from ISIS threatening to execute the journalist a week ago, and that the White House had been aware of the threat
Ex-NBA basketball player Alonzo Mourning (left) also joined the president out on the Vineyard Golf Club course
A somber Balboni said the latest email from Foley's captors was unusual in that it included only threats and no demands
Frightening: James Wright Foley tenses as his executioner addresses the camera who says this act of revenge is in responce to US airstrikes on Iraq
Difficult speech: President Barack Obama spoke in Edgartown, Massachusetts on Wednesday, but didn't mention anything about an advance warning of Foley's execution
Secretary of State John Kerry released a statement 90 minutes after Obama's press conference, saying that Foley 'was brave and bold, and no masked coward can ever steal the legacy of this courageous American.'
He noted that Foley had been held in captivity once before – in Libya – before ultimately winning his release.
'The sheer unfairness and unlikely odds that this young journalist would again find himself in captivity in another conflict was almost unimaginable,' he said.
'It is impossible to express how much we all wanted this latest horror to end with his family reunited, as it had been the first time.'
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday that Foley's killing was 'murder without any justification,' and seemed resigned to the fact that his executioner is from the UK.
'We have not identified the individual responsible,' he said from No. 10 Downing Street, 'but from what we have seen it looks increasingly likely that it is a British citizen.'
The Prime Minister condemned 'the barbaric and brutal act that has taken place.'
And 'let's be clear what this act is,' he said. 'It is an act of murder.'
'WE WILL BE VIGILANT AND WE WILL BE RELENTLESS': PRESIDENTBARACK OBAMA'S STATEMENT FROM MARTHA'S VINEYARD
'Good afternoon, everybody. Today, the entire world is appalled by the brutal murder of Jim Foley by the terrorist group, ISIL.
'Jim was a journalist, a son, a brother, and a friend. He reported from difficult and dangerous places, bearing witness to the lives of people a world away. He was taken hostage nearly two years ago in Syria, and he was courageously reporting at the time on the conflict there.
'Jim was taken from us in an act of violence that shocks the conscience of the entire world. He was 40 years old – one of five siblings, the son of a mom and dad who worked tirelessly for his release. Earlier today, I spoke to the Foleys and told them that we are all heartbroken at their loss, and join them in honoring Jim and all that he did.
'Jim Foley’s life stands in stark contrast to his killers. Let’s be clear about ISIL. They have rampaged across cities and villages – killing innocent, unarmed civilians in cowardly acts of violence. They abduct women and children, and subject them to torture and rape and slavery. They have murdered Muslims – both Sunni and Shia – by the thousands. They target Christians and religious minorities, driving them from their homes, murdering them when they can for no other reason than they practice a different religion. They declared their ambition to commit genocide against an ancient people.
'So ISIL speaks for no religion. Their victims are overwhelmingly Muslim, and no faith teaches people to massacre innocents. No just God would stand for what they did yesterday, and for what they do every single day. ISIL has no ideology of any value to human beings. Their ideology is bankrupt. They may claim out of expediency that they are at war with the United States or the West, but the fact is they terrorize their neighbors and offer them nothing but an endless slavery to their empty vision, and the collapse of any definition of civilized behavior.
'And people like this ultimately fail. They fail, because the future is won by those who build and not destroy and the world is shaped by people like Jim Foley, and the overwhelming majority of humanity who are appalled by those who killed him.
'The United States of America will continue to do what we must do to protect our people. We will be vigilant and we will be relentless. When people harm Americans, anywhere, we do what’s necessary to see that justice is done. And we act against ISIL, standing alongside others.
'The people of Iraq, who with our support are taking the fight to ISIL, must continue coming together to expel these terrorists from their communities. The people of Syria, whose story Jim Foley told, do not deserve to live under the shadow of a tyrant or terrorists. They have our support in their pursuit of a future rooted in dignity.
'From governments and peoples across the Middle East there has to be a common effort to extract this cancer, so that it does not spread. There has to be a clear rejection of these kind of nihilistic ideologies. One thing we can all agree on is that a group like ISIL has no place in the 21st century.
'Friends and allies around the world, we share a common security and a common set of values that are rooted in the opposite of what we saw yesterday. And we will continue to confront this hateful terrorism, and replace it with a sense of hope and civility. And that’s what Jim Foley stood for, a man who lived his work; who courageously told the stories of his fellow human beings; who was liked and loved by friends and family.
'Today, the American people will all say a prayer for those who loved Jim. All of us feel the ache of his absence. All of us mourn his loss. We keep in our prayers those other Americans who are separated from their families. We will do everything that we can to protect our people and the timeless values that we stand for.
'May God bless and keep Jim’s memory, and may God bless the United States of America.'
Beheaded: James Wright Foley in a grab taken from YouTube and posted online by ISIS
U.S. Secret Service and intelligence services in the United Kingdom are searching for Foley's executioner who spoke with a British accent in the video, the Guardian reported Wednesday.
The Englishman is believed to be the ringleader of a group of British fighters holding other foreign hostages in Syria.
He is reportedly from London, and one of the point-men engaged in hostage negotiations in Raqqa, Iraq, an ISIS stronghold.
One former hostage told the Guardian that the British executioner is 'intelligent, educated and a devout believer in radical Islamic teachings,' the paper reported.
The one-time captive added that prisoners referred to their three captors as 'the Beatles' because they were British.
Foley's mother and father called on ISIS militants to spare the lives of other captured hostages as the authenticity of the barbaric video of his death was confirmed by the White House on Wednesday morning.
James' mother Diane said Wednesday that ordinary Syrians her son interacted with loved him.
'He ate with them, he lived with them,' she said. 'He had this way of getting people to tell their story – how he did it I don't know, he didn't speak a word of Arabic.'
'We are all heartbroken at their loss,' Obama said moments later.
Obama's remarks came hours after UK Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his vacation to return to head his government's response.
America's military has carried out nearly a dozen new airstrikes in Iraq since Tuesday, with the attacks coming after the terror group's appalling video release.
Foley's executioner addressed President Barack Obama personally in the video, warning that his group would kill Steven Sotloff – another American journalist the group is holding – if the U.S. didn't stop a campaign of targeted attacks that Obama green-lighted on August 8.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers called on the president to cut his vacation short and return to Washington to deal with the threat to US citizens posed by ISIS.
Rogers used the example of David Cameron.
'The optics of being on vacation and not coming away from that vacation, I just think are bad,' Rogers said on Fox News.
'That is why I think Cameron is going back. He is going to show he is the prime minister and he is taking this matter seriously, and he is on the job making the decisions that you need to make to keep Britain safe.'
Disturbing footage of the execution appeared on Tuesday in a video titled 'A message to the US', in which an apparently coerced Foley, 40, recites a pre-prepared script presumably given to him by his captors which he delivers unflinchingly to the camera.
Kidnapped in Syria on Thanksgiving 2012 while working for the GlobalPost agency, Foley brands the U.S. government his real killers in the video and denounces the country of his birth, while his soon-to-be murderer stands over him dressed in black robes and armed with a small knife and gun.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit, with his head shaven, Foley's voice is strong, but he often pauses to take deep breaths and appears to struggle at times to swallow as he battles against fear.
The executioner, who speaks directly to the camera blames President Barack Obama for Foley's death before brutally beheading the reporter while the camera rolls.
0 comments:
Post a Comment