A widening jihad plot. "UK police arrest 3 more men in soldier's slaying," by Sylvia Hui for the Associated Press, May 25 (thanks to Kenneth):

LONDON — British police investigating the savage killing of an off-duty soldier in London have arrested three more suspects.

Scotland Yard said counter-terrorism officers arrested two men, aged 24 and 28, at a residential address in southeast London.

A third man, 21, was arrested separately on a London street at the same time.

Police said Saturday they used a stun gun on two of the suspects. All three were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

Officers have already detained four others in connection with the murder of 25-year-old soldier Lee Rigby, who was stabbed to death while walking outside the Royal Artillery Barracks in the Woolwich, south London, on Wednesday afternoon.

Counterterrorism police on Saturday were questioning Abu Nusaybah, a friend of Michael Adebolajo, one of two suspects in the killing of Rigby. Nusaybah was arrested immediately after he gave a television interview telling his story about how Adebolajo came to be radicalized.

In the interview, Nusaybah said Adebolajo became withdrawn after returning from a visit to study in Kenya, where he claimed he had been physically and sexually abused in detention. Nusaybah also alleged that the U.K.'s security services tried to recruit Adebolajo after he returned to Britain.

Adebolajo and another man are suspected of killing Rigby, hacking at his body with knives and a meat cleaver, on a London street in front of dozens of passersby on Wednesday afternoon. Both suspects were shot by police at the scene and are hospitalized under guard in stable condition.

The BBC said Nusaybah was arrested by police outside its studios Friday night immediately after recording the interview.

"This interviewee had important background information that sheds light on this horrific event," the broadcaster said in a statement. "And when we asked him to appear and interviewed him, we were not aware he was wanted for questioning by the police."

Metropolitan Police confirmed that a 31-year-old man was arrested Friday night in London on suspicion of "the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism." He is in custody at a London police station, police said, adding that the arrest was not directly related to the killing of Rigby....

"When you meet the unbelievers, strike at their necks..." -- Qur'an 47:4

"French soldier stabbed while on patrol near Paris," by Nicolas Bertin for Reuters, May 25 (thanks to all who sent this in):

(Reuters) - A French soldier patrolling a business neighborhood west of Paris was stabbed in the neck and injured on Saturday by a man who fled the scene and is being sought by police, President Francois Hollande said.

The 23-year-old was patrolling in uniform with two other soldiers as part of France's Vigipirate anti-terror surveillance plan when he was approached from behind around 6 p.m. and attacked with a knife or a box-cutter.

A police union spokesman said surveillance footage of the attacker showed him as tall and bearded, aged about 35, possibly of North African origin and wearing a white Arab-style tunic.

Hollande, in the Ethiopian city of Addis Ababa, commented on the stabbing to say police were hunting for the attacker but did not provide any details about his identity or any possible motivation for the attack.

"We still don't know the exact circumstances of the attack or the identity of the attacker, but we are exploring all options," Hollande told journalists.

Three days after a British soldier was killed in a London street by two men who said they acted to avenge violence against Muslims, the attack near Paris raised questions about a possible copycat attempt to kill a French soldier.

Interior Minister Manuel Valls noted the similarity in an interview on France 2 TV saying the attacker was clearly trying to murder his victim, but he added that it was too early to offer any theories.

"Let's be prudent for now," Valls said of the attacker's identity and motivations. "Everything is being done to arrest this individual."

Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told journalists near the site of the attack: "The soldier was attacked because he is a soldier."...

Hasan was in contact with Anwar al-Awlaki, but that doesn't make it "international terrorism." One wonders what would make it international terrorism -- maybe Hasan would have had to have displayed an al-Qaeda membership card before screaming "Allahu akbar" and opening fire. In any case, these distinctions are stupid. Hasan's act was jihad, but jihad is the one thing that our government and intelligence apparatus appears determined to ignore. "DOD: Ft. Hood Massacre Likely 'Criminal Act of Single Individual,' Not International Terror," by Ned Berkowitz for ABC News, May 23 (thanks to Block Ness):

It took just hours for England's Prime Minister to say a gruesome knife and cleaver attack on a serviceman in London was likely an act of terrorism. In the U.S., more than three years since a much deadlier domestic assault on American troops -- the 2009 Fort Hood massacre that claimed 13 lives, including that of a pregnant soldier -- a top Army attorney maintains that incident was likely a "criminal act of a single individual."

"...[T]he available evidence in this case does not, at this time, support a finding that the shooting at Fort Hood was an act of international terrorism," Lt. Gen. Dana Chipman said this week in a letter to Rep. Thomas Rooney (R-Fla.) on behalf of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

The letter, obtained by ABC News, was apparently written in response to an inquiry from Rooney, Rep. Chaka Fatta (D-Penn.), and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Virg.) sent to Hagel on May 6, which questioned whether concerns of "political correctness" informed the Army's decision to refer to the Fort Hood attack as an act of "workplace violence." Victims of the shooting have long maintained that calling the attack "workplace violence" instead of "combat related" or an act of terrorism has had a massive impact on the benefits and treatment they've received.

In the case of the London attack, two men armed with a handgun, a meat cleaver and a knife are suspected of brutally murdering a lone serviceman, who was out of uniform, in broad daylight Wednesday. They stuck around after the attack and one of the suspects was caught on video telling a passerby he did what he did "because Muslims are dying by British soldiers every day."

In the Fort Hood attack, Maj. Nidal Hasan stands accused of gunning down 13 soldiers and injuring 32 others in November 2009. After the assault, investigators uncovered evidence that Hasan was in communication with al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki prior to the attack. Al-Awlaki was apparently such a threat that he has been the only American citizen ever targeted for a drone strike -- though three others have been collateral damage, according to President Obama.

In both cases, witnesses reportedly said the alleged attackers shouted "Allahu Akbar," "God is Great" in Arabic, amid the chaos.

As reflected in Chipman's letter, the Department of Defense has consistently said that in addition to a supposed lack of evidence, it would be irresponsible to call the Fort Hood attack "terrorism" because it "may have a negative impact on the ongoing judicial process" for Hasan.

The letter also denied that the Defense Department had made a decision to classify the attack as "workplace violence" and said, "[N]o benefit has been denied to any of the victims based on any such classification" -- two claims to which the survivors object stringently.

Kimberly Munley, a police officer who was hailed as a hero for her role in stopping the alleged Fort Hood shooter, told ABC News Chipman's letter is "disgraceful" and "another direct slap in the face." Attorneys for Munley and most of the other Fort Hood victims called the letter's claims "counterfactual" and an "insult."

An attorney for several of the victims, Reed Rubinstein, said the Army's new letter is "worse than word games."

"The 'workplace violence' classification has been out there for years, and [the Army] has never walked it back," he said.

In 2010, part of then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' response to the shooting was to "strengthen [the department's] policies, programs and procedures in... workplace violence." In October 2011, the Defense Department said it was reviewing the attack "in the context of a broader threat of workplace violence."

Rubinstein and his partner, Neil Sher, also said calling the attack "an alleged criminal act by a single individual" "rewrites history, consigning the government's admissions of Hasan's al-Qaeda ties… down a bureaucratic memory hole."

Munley said, "It is clear that the Army and the government will continue to not take responsibility for allowing a known terrorist to slip through the ranks while having multiple associations with the now-deceased Anwar al-Awlaki and has complete disregard for those injured on that horrifying day."...

Yes.

His mother took him there to keep him from being "radicalized," and he returned more "radical" than ever. Is this mosque being investigated? If not, why not? "Woolwich attack: Michael Adebowale's mother 'tried to prevent radicalisation,'" by Josie Ensor, Edward Malnick and Martin Evans in the Telegraph, May 24 (thanks to Kamala):

The mother of a suspected Islamic terrorist who allegedly hacked a British soldier to death tried desperately to turn him away from extremism but “could not get through”, according to friends.

Michael Adebowale, the 22-year-old son of a Christian probation officer and a member of staff at the Nigerian High Commission, was filmed holding a bloodied cleaver in his hand after Drummer Lee Rigby was butchered in a London street.

Friends said he had been a “lovely boy” but became involved in some “serious trouble” as a teenager and then turned to Islam. He started mixing with some “bad people” and became increasingly extreme in his views.

His mother Juliet Obasuyi, a 43-year-old probation officer, went to her friend and neighbour, a 62-year-old security officer, for help about nine months ago after her son dropped out of university.

She told him: “Michael is not listening any more. His older sister is a good Christian with a degree but Michael is rebelling as he has no father figure, dropping out of university and handing out leaflets in Woolwich town centre.

“He is from a strong Christian family but he is turning to Islam and turning against the family. He is preaching in the streets. He needs spiritual guidance before he radicalises himself.”

Another friend, Steve Adebiyi, who started a company with Mrs Obasuyi, said she was often left in tears after speaking to him on the phone. “The boy was giving the mother problems,” he said. “She said he was in with some bad group and causing a lot of trouble. They brainwashed him.”

He and Michael Adebolajo, the other suspected terrorist, are thought to have met at Greenwich University.

His mother was advised by a neighbour to take him to the head of the Woolwich mosque for spiritual guidance. He was converted to Islam by the head Imam, and taken for weeks of "further training" at a centre near Cambridge.

When he returned, however, he was even more "radicalised" and his mother could no longer "get through to him". A spokesman for the mosque said they did not know if he attended or been converted there.

She subsequently returned to Nigeria, where she is pursuing a career in politics.

Neighbours in Greenwich said he had been a "lovely boy" who was a keen Manchester United fan, but as a teenager became "angry at a lot of things".

Magdalene Edwards told Channel 4 News: "He was a lovely boy. Very gentle natured, very respectful to elderly people.

"He was angry at a lot of things like a lot of young people are. About a year ago is when I saw him with this whole Muslim dress.

"I said to him are you a Muslim. And he said yes, he's gone that way now. I said just be careful, I'm aware that there are some that ride on the coat tales of Islam and they're really not serving their cause."...

Well, that all depends on your point of view.

The Tsarnaev brothers lived in this area for years. "Suicide car bombing in Russia's Dagestan injures 11," from Reuters, May 25 (thanks to Lookmann):

(Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew herself up in car near a police building in Russia's Dagestan region on Saturday, injuring 11 policemen and passers-by, Russian media reported.

Dagestan, an ethnically mixed, mostly Muslim region between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea, has become the most violent province in the North Caucasus, where insurgents say they are fighting to carve out an Islamic state out of southern Russia.

The bomb was detonated after police stopped the car to check the driver's documents, some 100 meters from the regional police ministry in the center of Makhachkala, the regional capital.

Police sources told local media the only person killed was the bomber, whom they identified as the former wife of two militants. It is not unusual for women to carry out suicide bombings in the region. They are often the widows of militants.

Two policemen injured in the blast were in a critical condition, police said, with nine other people requiring hospital treatment....

As the pioneering historian Bat Ye'or has called for, Christians and Jews need to unite against a supremacist oppressor who would subjugate both of them (and has done so throughout its history). Instead, "Palestinian" Christians largely side with their chief oppressors. "Op-Ed: Christians Beatify Their Palestinian Nightmare," by Giulio Meotti for Israel National News, May 22:

Palestinian Arab Christians have chosen to support the side that wants to destroy Christianity. Hating Jews forges a bond between enemies.

The movie “The Stones Cry Out” by the Italian filmaker Yasmine Perni “gives a detailed account of the historical, cultural, and political place occupied by Christians in the recent history of the Palestinian nation, and in its struggle against colonialism”.

The movie is one of the most powerful propaganda tools of the Palestinian Arab Christians. The documentary is supported by Sabeel, the Christian organization based in Jerusalem which foments anti-Semitism through the Scriptures, while Catholic authories and PLO propagandista such as Hanan Ashrawi “blessed” the movie.

Ashrawi and her Christian friends have taken over the role of beautifying the Palestinian Arab nightmare. The problem of these Christians is not the security fence, but the ideological fence which always placed them on the other side,against the Jews. These Palestinian Christians believe that they are the beneficiary of Islamic cultural superiority and they can save themselves by throwing Judaism (Israel) and Christianity (the West) into the dustbin of history.

Last winter a muezzin in Bethlehem was heard for the first time saying “after Saturday comes Sunday”. It means that after they’re done with the Jews, they’ll be coming after the Christians. And the Christians will have only themselves to blame.

While claiming that they are innocent victims resisting “the occupation” and aspiring only to “security, justice, and peace”, these Palestinian Arab Christians accept the vandalism of synagogues and cemeteries, the burning of Jewish schools and the killing of innocent Jewish civilians, and above all the mantra chanted to the world that the state of Israel is an entity to be destroyed.

Miftah, the NGO founded by Hanan Ashrawi, recently published an article claiming that Jews use the blood of Christians for Passover rituals.

There is a long tradition of anti-Semitism from the Palestinian Christian establishment. In 1989, Jerusalem’s Roman Catholic patriarch Michel Sabbah supported the Intifada as he celebrated a Christmas Mass at Jesus’ birthplace. “Despite all that is happening to you, you will win, in the end you will win,” declared Patriarch Michel Sabbah, appointed by Pope John Paul II. Off Manger Square, Muslims chanted: “The Zionist is God’s enemy!” and “Jews, Mohammed is coming back!”.

But it is not just Ashrawi’s fault. It is an entire Christian establishment, including Christian mayors of Bethlehem, Christian prelates and bishops appointed by Rome, Christians intellectuals such as Edward Said and Christian ordinary men like those interviewed for movies such as “The Stones Cry Out”.

Palestinian Christians have manipulated Western public opinion so well that on the very rare occasion that Western media do cover the real plight of Christians in the Palestinian Authority areas, it is only to denounce Israel and its barrier or checkpoints.

Last year veteran CBS News anchor Bob Simon reported on the Palestinian Arab Christians, indicting Israel’s “occupation” as responsible for their dramatic disappearance. The 60 Minutes story caused Israel tremendous PR damage. As in the case of “The Stones Cry Out”, the CBS video doesn’t mention forced marriages, conversions, beatings, land thefts, fire bombings, commercial boycott, torture, kidnapping, sexual harassment, and extortion which Arab Christians suffer under the horrible PLO dictatorship.

A report in 2002, based on Israeli intelligence gathered during Operatio Defensive Shield, explained that “Arafat’s intelligence network intimidated the Christian population in Bethlehem. They extorted money from them, confiscated land and property and left them to the mercy of street gangs and other criminal activity, with no protection”.

Christian graves, crosses, and statues were desecrated and Christians suffered physical abuse, beatings, and Molotov attacks.

But it would be a mistake to depict these Christians as mere victims of Muslim Arab violence. They are also guilty, since they choose to demonize Israel as the human rights violator.

After the 1948 war, Christian communities suffered most in Judea, not under “Israel’s occupation”, but because Muslim refugees were settled in their midst by the corrupted PLO leadership. According to veteran journalist Danny Rubinstein, who has been writing about Palestinian Arabs for the last 46 years, “Bethlehem saw an influx of thousands of Muslim refugees from the villages in the southern part of Jerusalem, and three refugee camps were erected”.

Until Palestinian terrorists turned Bethlehem into a safe haven for suicide bombers and Jews’ assassins, the Christian Arab Bethlehemites were free to enter IJerusalem, just as many Israelis visited the "little town" in Judea.

The horrible Arafat gang turned Bethlehem and its holy places into the town which exported a string of deadly terror attacks into Jerusalem during the Intifada. In Beit Jala, the Christian town on the outskirts of Bethlehem, Islamic sharpshooters established their firing positions next to churches and Christian institutions and aimed. The target was the southern Jerusalem residential Jewish neighborhood of Gilo, but ultimately they also wanted to cleanse any Christians from the area. The result is that 25,000 Christians left Beit Jala and only 6,000 Christians still live in that town.

The Jews have always challenged any kind of totalitarianism and today are the first in line to challenge a political Islam that wants to destroy their soul: the State of Israel.

The Palestinian Christians stand today at the opposite side of the barricade. One day they may realize the strategic mistake they made by embracing Palestinian fascism, but it will be too late for all of them.

These are the kinds of laws that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) wants to impose on the U.S., with willing aid from American "journalists" such as Eric Posner, Sarah Chayes, and a man whose mainstream acceptance is emblematic of the decay of our public square: the Travis Bickle of jihad enablers, the egregious bottom feeder, gutter thug and stalker Nathan Lean (aka "Garibaldi"), Reza Aslan's gunsel.

"Turkish-Armenian blogger sentenced to Turkish prison for blasphemy," by Ivan Watson and Gul Tuysuz for CNN, May 23 (thanks to Lookmann):

Istanbul (CNN) -- A Turkish-Armenian blogger vowed to appeal a day after an Istanbul court sentenced him to more than a year in prison for blasphemy.

In a phone interview with CNN, Sevan Nisanyan accused Turkey's Islamic-rooted government of politically persecuting him.

"When I attacked the Islamist establishment they felt I overstepped my boundaries," said Nisanyan, who is a member of Turkey's tiny Armenian ethnic minority. "Here I am an Armenian doing something no Armenian has done in a Muslim country. This is really the height of boldness, of impudence. This is something you are not supposed to do."

According to Turkey's semi-official Anatolian Agency, Nisanyan received a one year and 45-day jail sentence for "openly denigrating the religious values held by a certain portion of the population."

Anatolian reported that Nisanyan's initial nine-month jail sentence was extended because "the crime was committed through the press."

Turkey is a majority Muslim country.

Nisanyan said the court cited a passage in his blog published last September that referred to the international uproar triggered by cheaply made Hollywood film called the "Innocence of Muslims." The film, which ridiculed the most revered figure in Islam, the Prophet Mohammed, sparked violent protests in Egypt and Libya. The Turkish prime minister also denounced the movie as "Islamophobic," though protests on Turkish streets were small and peaceful.

On Wednesday, Nisanyan published an English translation of the passage in question from his September 2012 blog post:

"It is not 'hate crime' to poke fun at some Arab leader who, many hundred years ago, claimed to have established contact with Deity and made political, economic and sexual profit as a result. It is almost a kindergarten-level case of what we call freedom of expression," Nisanyan wrote.

Since the blog was published last year, Nisanyan said, prosecutors have taken him to court simultaneously for this passage in three separate courts across Turkey.

Nisanyan said he represented himself at the criminal court in Istanbul, without the help of an attorney. He acknowledged that he took a confrontational approach in his statement to the court, arguing that no one should be prosecuted for discussing the historical background of a religious figure.

"In consequence of his claim to have established contact with Deity, this Muhammed, who was a lowly merchant, acquired political dominion over all Arabian and gained the financial means to raise 30-thousand-strong armies," Nisanyan wrote, citing his statement to the court.

"It is an incontrovertible historical fact that this person made political, economic and sexual profit from his alleged contact with Deity."

In his interview with CNN, Nisanyan recognized that he was deliberately throwing fuel on the fire regarding his conviction.

"I'm hoping to contribute to the ongoing debate in this country on freedom of expression and freedom of religion," Nisanyan said. "I think I'm performing a useful public service."...

Short-sighted electoral politics. "Temples vandalised, Hindus under siege in Bengal," by Sandhya Jain for Niti Central, May 22 (thanks to Amit):

Amidst tensions over attempts to encroach land belonging to a temple in Balagarh, Hooghly, West Bengal, prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been imposed, even as the mainstream media abides by an informal diktat to black out the news. Aggrieved Hindus say the trouble arose when members of one community sought to extend a nearby graveyard into the temple space, and attacked the temple deities, triggering violence. The administration, in a display of blatant partisanship, has arrested six persons from the wronged community only.

The Lakshmi Narayan temple possesses 48 decimal area as devottar property, and lays adjacent to a graveyard (kabristan). The State Government allotted Rs 10.5 lakh to construct a boundary wall for the graveyard. But when construction began, the Hindus objected that it was encroaching upon the devottar area.

According to volunteers of the Hindu Samhati that monitors Hindu grievances in the State, on the night of May 19, some miscreants entered the temple and damaged the principal deity. The next day, angry Hindus blockaded the road, but calmed down when the block development officer came to the village and made some assurances. But on the morning of May 21, the deities were thrown out of the temple, triggering high tension in the village.

The administration has taken a blatantly pro-minority stand and arrested six persons from the Hindu community only. Four of the arrested persons are being held at Balagarh police station, but two have been shifted to Chinsurah police station. The arrested persons include the BJP block president Subhash Khan, who was produced in the Chinsurah court today. Another person, Samir Singha, was badly beaten in the course of protests against the iconoclasm, and is currently in a hospital.

The forthcoming panchayat election – scheduled to be held in three phases on July 4, 6 and 9 respectively, is widely believed to be the cause of the administration’s laxity (or indulgence) of the belligerence of the minority community that has been increasingly assertive in recent times.

Ironically, while neighbouring Bangladesh is convulsed in a struggle against Islamic fundamentalism and is demanding punishment for Jamaat-i-Islami cadres who participated in war crimes during the bloody conflict that led to independence from Pakistan in 1971, in West Bengal, the Jamiat Ulama-E-Hind organised a massive rally in support of Bangladesh’s criminals, and denounced the Sheikh Hasina Government.

As Muslims comprise approximately 27 per cent of the population, their vote determines the outcome of every election. Hence, few parties care to confront or even contain the assertiveness of the community. In a tripartite contest between the CPM, the Congress, and the ruling Trinamool Congress, the winner is decided by the Muslim vote.

Under the first-past-the-post system, a party needs only around 33 per cent of the vote to win. Once the Muslim vote is assured, there is no need to woo the 63 per cent Hindu majority as only about 10 per cent additional vote is needed to beat one’s rivals to the victory post. That much is available from the cadre base of each party, caste of the individual candidate, and so on.

This is a backdrop against which incidents have been taking place in West Bengal in recent days. On May 20, Hindus of Malancha, a village under Diamond Harbour police station in 24 Paraganas South district, prevented radicals from the neighbouring Muslim-dominated village of Kamalpur from hooking (stealing) electricity in their village. Thanks to the local police and administration turning a blind eye, hooking electricity from Hindu-dominated villages by Islamists in 24 Paraganas South is a routine affair.

Matters came to a head on May 17, when Hindus disconnected a number of electric wires. Previously, a freak thunderstorm had ripped a number of electric wires from the lampposts and almost electrocuted some Hindus. To prevent electrocutions, the Hindus disconnected the wires and this annoyed the Muslims who descended on the village in large numbers. This triggered a scuffle between the two communities.

Thereafter, on the evening of May 20, around 7.30 pm, some miscreants attacked Hindus with lethal weapons to restore the connections. The Hindus did not react but telephoned local Trinamool leaders Jayanta Ghosh, Aman Sanpui, Razzaq Sheikh and warned them about the fast-deteriorating situation in the village. Although Jayanta Ghosh reportedly promised to send a police contingent to the village, this did not happen according to the locals.

This incident closely follows an attack on a Kali temple in Keranitola, Medinipur town, West Midnapore District, on May 12, by a large crowd of fundamentalists. In protest, the Bajrang Dal and other youth clubs blocked roads and observed a bandh in some areas of the town.

Tensions rose when a Hindu, riding a motorcycle, collided with a Muslim bicycle rider and was caught and held for a ransom of Rs 25,000. However, he was rescued by members of his community without paying ransom. In revenge, the local Kali Temple was attacked and the icon of the deity damaged.

To prevent the situation from getting out of hand, the Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) descended on the area to pacify the crowds. Three Hindu boys were detained and later another six were arrested even though it was a temple that had been desecrated.

Recently, on the morning of May 20, a Bajrangbali (Hanuman) temple near Kansai Bridge, near Midnapore, was desecrated and the murtis damaged. The local MLA rushed to the spot, supervised removal of the debris, and promised early installation of a new icon.

Communal tensions are simmering in Bengal on account of the myriad concessions the Trinamool regime has showered upon the minorities. These include grants to Imams and Muezzins, distribution of cycles among Muslim girl students, and special advantages to others under schemes to improve the lot of OBCs. No commensurate scheme has been invoked to benefit any Hindu group so far.

With nearly seven weeks to go for the Panchayat poll, Hindus in the State are a nervous lot as they have few choices between the CPM and the Trinamool, and neither party protects them.

It's the same story the world over.

Watch this entire video. Here is a man who is justly concerned for his country and determined to defend it -- and for that he is vilified, defamed, and persecuted by his countrymen.

And still the media persists in denying and obfuscating who is rioting and what the root cause of the riots really is. "Stockholm riots spread west on sixth night," from The Local, May 25 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

Stockholm experienced a sixth straight night of riots early Saturday, with cars torched in several immigrant-dominated suburbs, as Britain and the United States warned against travelling to the hotspots.

Nearly a week of unrest, which spread briefly Friday night to the medium-sized city of Örebro 160 kilometres west of Stockholm, have put Sweden's reputation as an oasis of peace and harmony at risk.

The unrest has also sparked a debate among Swedes over the integration of immigrants, many of whom arrived under the country's generous asylum policies,
and who now make up about 15 percent of the population.

An AFP photographer witnessed a car engulfed in flames before firefighters arrived in the Stockholm district of Tensta. Cars were incinerated in three other areas of the capital as well, according to the Swedish news agency TT.

"I've never before taken part in anything that lasted so long and was spread over such a wide area," police spokesman Lars Byström told TT.

Another police official said earlier that Stockholm police were about to receive reinforcements from Gothenburg and Malmö, the country's second- and third-largest cities, but declined to disclose how many would arrive.

In the city of Örebro, police reported a fire at a school as well as several cars ablaze, but quiet had returned around midnight. The unrest in Stockholm had "rubbed off", police told TT.

About 200 right-wing extremists were reported to cruise around Stockholm suburbs in their cars late Friday, but intense police surveillance apparently prevented any kind of serious violence.

The nightly riots have prompted Britain's Foreign Office and the US embassy in Stockholm to issue warnings to their nationals, urging them to avoid the affected suburbs.

Firefighters were dispatched to 70 fires the night between Thursday and Friday, extinguishing torched cars, dumpsters and buildings, including three schools and a police station, the fire department wrote on Twitter. This was down from 90 blazes the night before.

Parents and volunteer organisations who have patrolled the streets in recent nights have helped decrease the intensity of the unrest, police have said.

Police, who have so far concentrated on putting out fires, are beginning to round up people suspected of criminal acts, so far arresting at least 29.

"Even if we don't intervene, we regularly make video recordings and get information from the public. That way we can get people a couple of days later," police spokesman Byström told TT.

The troubles had begun in the suburb of Husby, where 80 percent of inhabitants are immigrants, triggered by the fatal police shooting of a 69-year-old Husby resident last week after the man wielded a machete in public.

Local activists said the shooting sparked anger among youths who claim to have suffered from police brutality and racism.

One of the rioters in Husby told Sveriges Radio that racism was rampant where he lived, and that violence was his only way of being noticed.

"We burned cars, threw rocks at police, at police cars. But it's good, because now people know what Husby is... This is the only way to be heard," said the rioter, identified only by the pseudonym Kim.

Stockholm county police chief Mats Löfving said Friday the rioters were local youths with and without criminal records.

In addition, "in the midst of all this there is a small group of professional criminals, who are taking advantage of the situation to commit crimes like this," he told Sveriges Radio.

A 25-year-old who grew up in Husby said he didn't think the riots had anything to do with the shooting.

"I'm not saying there are no problems... but people are glorifying this a little bit," said the man, who declined to be named, adding that the rioters were often aged 12 to 17.

"I can imagine they get a big kick out of seeing themselves on TV," he said.

Due to its liberal immigration policy, Sweden has in recent decades become one of Europe's top destinations for immigrants, both in absolute numbers and relative to its size.

But many of those who have arrived struggle to learn the language and find employment, despite numerous government programmes.

Official data show unemployment was 8.8 percent in Husby in 2012, compared to 3.3 percent in Stockholm as a whole.

Eric Zemmour, a right-wing French commentator known for his controversial views, meanwhile told RTL radio the riots showed that the Swedish "kingdom of social democracy and of political correctness" was little different from countries like Britain and France.

Yep.

Tightening the Sharia noose in rapidly desecularizing Turkey. "Parliament passes bill limiting sale of alcohol, banning ads," by İbrahim Asalıoğlu for Today's Zaman, May 24 (thanks to Joshua):

A bill proposed by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government seeking limitations on the consumption of alcoholic beverages and tobacco was approved by Parliament on Friday, bringing in strict restrictions on the sale of alcoholic drinks and sanctions for those violating the law.

The government drafted the bill in order to protect children and young people from the harmful effects of alcoholic beverages. The bill was adopted following a 17-hour debate in Parliament, during which tensions sometimes rose among deputies.

Some deputies from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) stayed in Parliament until the early hours of Friday in an attempt to prevent the passage of the bill.

A fight erupted between CHP deputy Levent Gök and AK Party deputies. CHP deputies accused the AK Party of acting like Murat IV, an Ottoman sultan who banned alcohol and tobacco, and said that the AK Party is interfering in people's lifestyle choices. The bill received the support of 193 AK Party deputies. Four Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputies voted against it.

The newly approved bill, which will go into effect once approved by President Abdullah Gül, will also ban the advertising of alcoholic beverages and all forms of their promotion.

Campaigns, promotions or events that aim to encourage the use or sale of these products will not be allowed. Companies that produce, import or market alcoholic beverages will not be permitted to sponsor events using the brand or logo of their products. These companies will also not be allowed to offer free alcoholic beverages as a promotion or giveaway. Violation of this bill will incur a fine of between TL 5,000 and TL 200,000. No images of alcoholic beverages will be allowed in TV series, movies or music clips, and any that do appear will be blurred.

In addition, the sale of alcoholic beverages will be banned between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Those who violate this law will incur a fine of between TL 20,000 and TL 100,000.

According to the bill, alcoholic beverages will not be sold to individuals under the age of 18 for them to consume on the premises or take with them. Violation of this could lead to a fine of between TL 10,000 and TL 500,000. If a minor's health is placed at risk, the offender will be given a prison sentence from six months to one year.

Individuals who are under the age of 18 will not be allowed to be employed in the production, sale and marketing of alcoholic beverages. If there are individuals already working in this sector under the age of 18, they will be allowed to continue working for one more year.

Alcoholic beverages will not be sold in vending machines. Signboards advertising alcoholic beverages will be removed within a year.

Health warnings will be included on the bottles or other packaging of alcoholic drinks. Any bottles or packages that do not carry a warning message cannot be sold.

If a beverage includes any quantity of alcohol, this quantity must be written on the bottle in a way that is easily visible to consumers.

The sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages will not be allowed at facilities along highways. In addition, the sale of alcoholic beverages will be banned at the restaurants of student dormitories, medical facilities, stadiums, closed sports halls, all kinds of educational facilities, coffee houses, pastry shops and restaurants of gas stations. Violation of this law will warrant a fine between TL 10,000 and TL 100,000.

Shops selling alcoholic beverages will need to be at least 100 meters away from schools, university preparation course facilities, student dormitories and places of worship. The 100-meter obligation will not apply to facilities that have a tourism certificate. Shops that already have a license to sell alcoholic beverages will be exempted from this 100-meter obligation.

According to the bill, drivers who register a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05 will be given a fine of TL 700 and their driver's licenses taken away for six months. Drivers who refuse to take the blood alcohol test will be taken to the nearest hospital or forensic medical council where they will give blood, saliva or urine samples.

Drivers who register a BAC of more than 0.1 will face a jail sentence of up to two years.

If a driver's license has been suspended for drunk driving and the driver commits the same crime within a five-year period, they will face a fine of TL 877 and their driver's licenses will be taken away for two years.

The bill also bans smoking in the driver's seat of private vehicles.
PM defends alcohol ban

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday defended the bill limiting the sale and advertising of alcoholic beverages across the country, saying the government does not want a “wasted” generation.

“We do not want a generation that drinks day and night and that is wasted. They [young people] should be awake and equipped with knowledge. We want such a generation and we are taking steps in this regard,” Erdoğan said.

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ also commented on the newly approved bill on Friday, saying that the bill brings European and US standards to Turkey with regards to the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

“The amendments are not aimed at banning the consumption of alcohol,” he said.

He also said that Article 58 of the Constitution says that the state has a responsibility to protect young people from alcohol addiction, adding: “When you look at Europe and the US, you see that there are advertising bans there. But Turkey was not in compliance with the standards in these countries to this effect. These amendments aim to maintain a harmony with their standards. In many countries, shops selling alcoholic beverages cannot sell them after a certain hour at night.”...

Islamic supremacists have taken over the Central African Republic, and the Christians there are suffering for it. "'Reign of terror' against Christians in Central African Republic," from Barnabas Aid, May 20 (thanks to Liam):

Christians in the Central African Republic (CAR) are being targeted by Islamist militants who seized control of the country in March; they are being tied up, beaten and forced to hand over money to save their lives.

A pastor in CAR said that “a reign of terror” is being conducted against Christians by the Seleka rebels who took over the country in a bloody coup on 24 March. A number of Christians have been killed or wounded.

The church leader said that the rebels have a hit list of pastors and other Christian workers, and that places of worship are being attacked. Christian property is being looted. In one incident towards the end of last month, Seleka troops seized all the collection money given at a gathering of church leaders.

Many Christians have fled their homes to the countryside and are too fearful to return. More than 200,000 people are internally displaced, while 49,000 refugees have been registered in neighbouring countries.

On 10 May, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report citing “grave violations” committed by the Seleka rebels against civilians, including pillage, summary executions, rape and torture.

Among the incidents described was a raid on a church in the capital Bangui. HRW said that this was one of Seleka’s first targets upon entering the city. The rebels fired into the air and robbed the worshippers.

HRW also recounted an attack on a funeral procession on the Ngaragba Bridge in Bangui on 13 April. As Seleka forces opened fire on the crowd, a church leader was killed as he appealed for calm. An eyewitness said:

[He] walked toward the Seleka elements on their pick-up raising a Bible in his hand and calling to stop shooting… [he] was shot dead by two Seleka fighters.

The crisis in CAR has largely slipped under the radar of the world’s media, and the predominantly Christian population feels abandoned by the international community....

What a surprise.

Why not? Like all Muslims as far as Western authorities are concerned, Adebolajo was a moderate who abhorred jihad terror -- right up until the moment he sank his meat cleaver in Lee Rigby's neck. This is yet another example of how the Western willful blindness about Islam and jihad leads to disastrous errors, large and small. Keystone Kops Alert: "Woolwich attack: MI5 'offered job to suspect,'" from the BBC, May 24:

MI5 asked Woolwich murder suspect Michael Adebolajo if he wanted to work for them about six months before the killing, a childhood friend has said.

Abu Nusaybah told BBC Newsnight his friend - one of two men arrested after Drummer Lee Rigby's murder in south-east London on Wednesday - had rejected the approach from the security service.

The BBC could not obtain any confirmation from Whitehall sources.

Abu Nusaybah was arrested at the BBC after giving the interview.

The Met Police said a 31-year-old man had been arrested at 21:30 BST on Friday in relation to suspected terrorism offences and search warrants were being executed at two homes in east London.

The arrest was not directly related to the murder of Drummer Rigby, it said.

'Bugging me'

In his Newsnight interview, Abu Nusaybah said he thought "a change" had taken place in his friend after his detention by security forces on a trip to Kenya last year.

Abu Nusaybah said Mr Adebolajo suggested he had been physically and sexually abused during an interrogation in a prison cell in the African country.

After this, he became withdrawn "and less talkative - he wasn't his bubbly self", Abu Nusaybah added.

He said Mr Adebolajo also told him that, upon his return, he was "followed up by MI5" who were "knocking on his door".

He was "basically being harassed", Abu Nusaybah said.

He added: "His wording was, 'They are bugging me - they won't leave me alone.'
Michael Adebolajo in street in Woolwich Michael Adebolajo was filmed after the attack

"He mentioned initially they wanted to ask him if he knew certain individuals.

"But after him saying that he didn't know these individuals, what he said was they asked him if he would be interested in working for them.

"He was explicit in that he refused to work for them but he did confirm he didn't know the individuals."

Newsnight reporter Richard Watson said that, in general terms, it was not out of the ordinary for the security service to approach people for information or even to act as covert sources.

Mr Adebolajo, 28, originally from Romford, east London, and fellow suspect Michael Adebowale, 22, of Greenwich, south-east London, had been known to MI5 for eight years, Whitehall sources told the BBC on Thursday....

The Guardian is deeply impressed that Muslim groups in the U.K. are condemning the jihad murder of a British soldier on a London street yesterday -- so impressed, in fact, that it insists that "Muslim groups are doing all they can to counter the divisive intent of the killers." But what, exactly, are these Muslim groups doing? Do any of them have any kind of program to teach young Muslims why they should reject the understanding of Islam that the jihadist enunciated yesterday? Why, no, they do not. No one, however, seems to notice or care.

"Woolwich attack: 'these poor idiots have nothing to do with Islam,'" by Peter Walker and Matthew Taylor in The Guardian, May 24:

...If there is a wider message from the reaction in south-east London and more widely around Britain since Rigby's death it is that Muslim groups are doing all they can to counter the divisive intent of the killers.

Perhaps the biggest single expression of solidarity came at the East London mosque, in Tower Hamlets, as leaders of the Christian, Jewish and Buddhist faiths joined around 6,000 Muslims for Friday prayers.

The group included the Bishop of Stepney, Adrian Newman, and Leon Silver from the East London central synagogue. Speaking before prayers started they said they had come to condemn the Woolwich attacks and show that the various faith communities were standing shoulder to shoulder with their Muslim neighbours....

The first rule after an Islamic jihad attack: do not insult Islam! British authorities appear to have a death wish. A jihadist murders a soldier in cold blood and they're cracking down not on jihadists, but on those who dare to express anything less than fulsome respect for the Islamic ideology that led the murderer to kill. "Man charged with making 'racist or anti-religious' Facebook comments about British soldier’s death," from the Daily Mail, May 24 (thanks to Howard):

A 22-year-old man has been charged on suspicion of making malicious comments on Facebook following the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby.

Benjamin Flatters, from Lincoln, was arrested last night after complaints were made to Lincolnshire Police about comments made on Facebook, which were allegedly of a racist or anti-religious nature.

He was charged with an offence of malicious communications this afternoon in relation to the comments, a Lincolnshire Police spokesman said.

A second man was visited by officers and warned about his activity on social media, the spokesman added.

It comes after 25-year-old Drummer Rigby was brutally murdered on a street in Woolwich, south east London, on Wednesday.

The father-of-one, from Manchester, had fought in Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Flatters has been remanded in police custody and will appear before magistrates in Lincoln tomorrow.

The charge comes after two men were earlier released on bail following their arrest for making alleged offensive comments on Twitter about the murder.

Complaints were made to Avon and Somerset Police about remarks that appeared on the social networking website, which were allegedly of a racist or anti-religious nature.

A 23-year-old and a 22-year-old, both from Bristol, were held under the Public Order Act on suspicion of inciting racial or religious hatred.

Detective Inspector Ed Yaxley, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: 'On Wednesday evening, we were contacted by people concerned about comments made on social media accounts.

'We began inquiries into the comments and at around 3.20am two men, aged 23 and 22, were detained at two addresses in Bristol.

'The men were arrested under the Public Order Act on suspicion of inciting racial or religious hatred. Our inquiries into these comments continue.

'These comments were directed against a section of our community. Comments such as these are completely unacceptable and only cause more harm to our community in Bristol.

'People should stop and think about what they say on social media before making statements as the consequences could be serious.'...

Almost as serious as if you behead a soldier on a London street.

Many Muslim organizations have condemned the attack. However, they have no programs in place to teach young Muslims against Bakri's understanding of Islam. "Exiled cleric who taught UK knifeman praises 'courage,'" by Dominic Evans for Reuters, May 24 (thanks to Block Ness):

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - A Syrian-born Islamist cleric who taught one of the men accused of hacking to death an off-duty British soldier on a London street praised the attack for its "courage" and said Muslims would see it as a strike on a military target.

In an interview in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, where he has lived since being banished from Britain in 2005, Omar Bakri, founder of banned British Islamist group Al Muhajiroun, said he knew suspect Michael Adebolajo from his lectures a decade ago.

"When I saw the footage I recognized the face immediately," Bakri told Reuters. "I used to know him. A quiet man, very shy, asking lots of questions about Islam."

"What surprised me (is) the quiet man, the man who is very shy, decided to carry out an attack against a British soldier in the middle of the day in the middle of a street in the UK. In east London. It's incredible.

"When I saw that, honestly I was very surprised - standing firm, courageous, brave. Not running away. Rather, he said why he carried (it out) and he wanted the whole world to hear it."

The attack has been vociferously condemned by Muslim organizations across Britain.

Adebolajo, 28, a British-born convert from a Christian Nigerian immigrant family, went by the nickname Mujahid - warrior - after taking up Islam as a teenager in a suburb on the northeast outskirts of London.

He was filmed with his hands still covered with the blood of Afghan war veteran Lee Rigby, 25, after the attack. Clutching a butcher's knife and meat cleaver, he said the killing was revenge for British participation in wars in foreign countries.

He and a second knife-wielding attacker, Nigerian-born naturalized British citizen Michael Adebowale, 22, are in hospital after being shot by police during their arrest. They have yet to be charged. Police have also arrested another man and a woman under suspicion of conspiracy to murder.

"WE DON'T SLEEP ON OUR GRIEVANCES"

The interview with Bakri in his flat in the Abu Samra district of Tripoli was twice interrupted by his infant son Osama, who broke into the room playing with a plastic toy. The boy was named after slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

"He is supposed to go fight (U.S. President Barack) Obama in the future, and maybe to deal with the Obama of his times. We called him after... Sheikh Osama," Bakri said, smiling often as he spoke but lacing light-hearted comments with hints of menace.

After a photographer took his picture, the bearded Bakri, wearing a black cloak over white trousers and white leather shoes, mockingly adopted a threatening pose.

"We know the media, they just want evil pictures," he said. "But we are going to be in power soon... Don't think that we sleep on our grievances. That Michael, after 10 years, he killed (the soldier) in front of everyone ... Was he a man or not?"

"The prophet (Mohammad) said an infidel and his killer will not meet in Hell. That's a beautiful saying," he said. "May God reward (Adebolajo) for his actions."...

Yesterday Obama said: "The best way to prevent violent extremism is to work with the Muslim American community – which has consistently rejected terrorism – to identify signs of radicalization, and partner with law enforcement when an individual is drifting towards violence."

So today Hasmas-linked CAIR's Zahra Billoo tweeted this:

is doing the outreach gig: reminding Bay Area masjid attendees that they can call CAIR for free legal aid if they are contacted by the FBI.

— Zahra Billoo (@ZahraBilloo) May 24, 2013

Why not just counsel them to cooperate freely and openly with the FBI? What do they have to hide? After all, the Muslim American community "has consistently rejected terrorism," so what's the problem?

Our suicidal policies in Afghanistan continue amid the carnage. "Policeman, five gunmen killed in Kabul Taliban attack," by Usman Sharifi for AFP, May 24 (thanks to Lookmann):

KABUL — Explosions rocked central Kabul for several hours on Friday after Taliban gunmen launched a major suicide and gun attack centred on a compound of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

One police officer was killed and five militants were shot dead as security forces hunted down the attackers, with prolonged bursts of gunfire and grenade blasts heard across the Afghan capital.

A United Nations building and several other official premises were caught up in the coordinated assault that started when a suicide car bomb sent a plume of dark smoke into the sky.

Commandos shot dead five gunmen who were firing and throwing grenades from a building, interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told AFP.

One policeman was killed by the suicide car bomb and at least five local civilians and two police officers were injured, he said.

No other fatalities were immediately reported, but an Italian woman working for IOM was seriously wounded by a grenade explosion.

"I strongly condemn today's terrorist attack centred on a compound of the International Organization for Migration," Jan Kubis, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said in a statement.

"Three IOM staff members were injured, one seriously. A staff member from the International Labour Organization was also injured."

The Geneva-based IOM, which is affiliated with the UN, works across the world to improve management of cross-border migration.

IOM spokesman Chris Lom confirmed to AFP that the badly wounded employee was an Italian woman.

Friday's attack comes a week after another suicide car bomb in Kabul targeted a foreign military convoy, killing 15 people including five Americans.

The Taliban announced their annual "spring offensive" on April 27, opening a crucial period as local security forces take the lead in the fight against the insurgents.

The blasts hit the centre of Kabul at about 4:00 pm (1130 GMT) on Friday -- Afghanistan's weekly day off -- and fighting continued into the night.

Norwegian soldiers were among the security forces involved in the response operation, an AFP photographer witnessed, but the NATO-led military coalition gave no further details.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told AFP that his group was responsible and that the main target was a guesthouse allegedly used by Afghan and US intelligence staff.

"A group of mujahideen armed with heavy and light weapons took position in a building and are firing on several targets," he said.

"The main target was a guesthouse where foreigners, including members of the CIA who train members of the Afghan spy agency stay."...

I just received this message from the free speech fighter Imran Firasat:

Imran Firasat: I am going to be killed soon
(The Spanish government approves Imran Firasat´s extradition to an Islamic country)

I am going to die, or I should better say that I am going to be killed soon. The enemy who is going to kill me is not any Muslim but he is a powerful man of the Spanish government who is persecuting me nonstop since last several months and now he is going to kill me any time by abusing his diplomatic power.

Revealing the danger of radical Islam to our free and modern society has become a curse for my life. Before it were only Muslims who used to threaten me of killing but now it is the minister of interior of the Spanish government who is taking all the aggressive, unjust and unnecessary steps to eliminate me.

First he revoked my refugee status without taking in consideration my arguments in defence. Then the minister used his political influence and made the judicial authorities to prosecute me for the hate crime. But the truth was with me, that is why I won that case. Even a single hearing didn´t take place and the judge said there has been no crime committed.

The minister found no other way to persecute me in order to appease Muslims, and then today he has approved my extradition to Indonesia, the biggest Muslim population on earth which 3 years ago fabricated false murder charges against me and asked for my extradition to the Spanish authorities.

It is very important to note here that Indonesia never had intention to prosecute me for that alleged crime but they charged me in absentia just after 8 days of deporting me by themselves back to Spain. Even though my extradition to Indonesia was refused but the Spanish high court judges provided Indonesia an opportunity to prosecute me in Spain. But no surprise, Indonesian authorities never appeared again. They never even appealed the decision of high court to refuse my extradition.

“The international covenant on civil and political rights” was violated by the Indonesian authorities by not giving me a fair chance to defend myself, by trying me in absentia without waiting for a proper time period and by not respecting my right of “Presumption of innocence”. Even a single physical proof was not provided against me such as fingerprint or DNA proof. They did all this with the hidden motives of wanting to kill me for my critics on Islam.

Since the Spanish minister has approved my extradition to Indonesia, I don´t know how long I am going to be alive more. I may be detained soon, I may be extradited soon or I may be killed soon within Spain as the Spanish Minister of interior can´t bear my existence in Spain anymore. For him respecting my right to freedom expression is not that important as it is important to keep happy the Muslims who make riots, burn embassies, kill innocent soldiers etc. in order to intimidate the western world and depriving us from our rights and freedom.

In the moment when my government should have stood beside me for protecting me, they are preparing to handover me to the death by Islamic hands. In the time when I needed the support of my country, the Minister has stabbed me on my back.

I have proven my innocence in past. All the signs show that the Indonesian authorities never respected the law and they are simply looking for a chance to execute me for blasphemy. But why should the Spanish minister care about it? For him it is important to eliminate all those who oppose Islam so that he can give a free way to those who want to convert Spain in “Al Andalus” and then go forward to capture whole Europe.

I know that the countdown of my life has begun. But I let you all know that if I get hurt or killed, the responsible will be the Spanish minister of interior and the stains of my blood will remain forever on the national flag of Spain. You will only remember me when Islam will finally rule on Spain. Then some people may say that we have lost a brave soldier who could play an important role in the fight against radicalism and terrorism of Islam.

As long as there are people like the Spanish interior minister, we can´t get rid of the Islamic terrorists. Because people like him encourage the Islamic terrorists by stopping people like me who dare to fight against Islamic Jihad.

Thank you very much. Hope to see you again if I stay alive. Please keep fighting against the violent teachings of Muhammad and never give up. Thanks for all the love and support. Good bye.

Yours sincerely
Imran Firasat
(A proud ex Muslim)

The jihad in Britain is by no means over. It has hardly even begun. "Britain braces for possible copycat attacks," by Paisley Dodds for The Associated Press, May 24 (thanks to Kenneth):

LONDON — Britain is bracing for clashes with right-wing extremists and possible copycat terror attacks after the brutal slaying of a young soldier.

London's Metropolitan Police said more than 1,000 officers will be sent to potential trouble spots with armed response units. Only a fraction of Britain's police officers are armed.

Wednesday's bloody attack was captured on video by passersby and made for gruesome viewing — one man is seen with his hands stained red and holding two butcher's knives as he angrily complained about the British government and troops in foreign lands. A lifeless body is seen on the street behind him.

Terror analysts say the attackers wanted the publicity to inspire copycat attacks, and that they are already seeing an increase in chatter on extremist sites calling for such attacks....

A British government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the ongoing investigation, confirmed the increase in chatter since Wednesday's attack but said no specific or credible plots had been detected at this point.

Britain's terror threat level has remained unchanged at "substantial" — the middle of five possible rankings....