The arrival of European Union leaders in Brussels on Thursday for a key economic summit which would also effectively mark the end of the French presidency of the EU coincided with the arrest of fourteen suspected al-Qaida members, including a man who was thought to have been in the last stages of organising a terrorist attack. Amongst those arrested was also a woman who writes jihadist screeds on the internet and three men who are reported to have recently returned from training camps along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.
Sign up to receive toD's daily security briefings via email by clicking here
The toD verdict: Thursday's arrests were made following sixteen raids in Brussels and one in Liège, and mark the most serious anti-terrorism operation in Belgium to date. The men taken into custody are linked to a home-grown Islamist group who are involved in the training of militants and fighting which takes place on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan and who are associated with important members of al-Qaeda. Investigations into the group started a year ago, when around twelve people were arrested after a tip-off from the US that an attack on the Belgian capital could be expected. However, little solid evidence could be found against those reportedly involved and so the men were released the following day.
Whilst it was unsure where and when the expected suicide attack was supposed to take place this time, Europe was not ruled out as a target. The Belgian justice and interior ministers said: "It is now clear to all that we were dealing with a real risk. It is more than likely that an attack in Brussels has been prevented". The fact that the threat coincided with an EU summit undoubtedly made the situation more alarming, despte the fact that this link was played down by authorities. Claude Moniquet, president of the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center in Brussels, has said that an attack on Europe would be a logical move for Islamist insurgents due to the mounting pressure being put on European countries by the US to increase the number of troops in Afghanisan.
The arrests come as it was revealed, on Wednesday, that a group of "pseudo-terrorists" were arrested last month when a group of three men dressed as members of the Taliban broke down in a car outside the NATO headquarters in Brussels. The men, who were laden with explosives, were part of a Dutch group demonstrating against the dangers of fireworks.
Suicide attack targets dining families
At least 55 people died in a suicide bomb attack in a restaurant on Thursday near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The explosion, which also injured over 100 people, occurred during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha whilst the restaurant was full of people. Whole families were counted among the victims of the blast, the exact motivations of which remain unclear. Kirkuk is an oil-rich city at the heart of a simmering dispute between Iraqi Kurds, Arabs and Turkomen.
Thousands gather in Manila for anti-government protest
Friday saw the assembly of thousands of demonstrators in the Phillipines' capital Manila who were protesting against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's moves to revise the country's constitution to allow her to extend her presidency beyond 2010. Despite her unpopularity, Arroyo has retained control thus far because of a weak and divided opposition and her tactical dealings with the military, judiciary and local officials. Her government has survived at least three attempted coups and four impeachment attempts on charges of corruption, human rights abuse and vote fraud.
UN resolution to fight pirates could violate international law
The US government has drawn up a draft United Nations Security Council resolution which was circulated on Wednesday and proposes that international authorisation should be granted to hunt Somali pirates by taking "all necessary measures ashore in Somalia". Many coastal villages and towns give sanctuary and support to the pirates who currently hold at least fourteen ships, including the oil tanker Sirius Star. The resolution would also include Somali airspace. Each operation would require approval from the weak, UN-backed Somali government but concerns still remain over whether this draft proposal would breach international law.
Government troops dealt heavy losses in clashes with Tamil Tigers
Battles against Tamil Tiger separatists on Wednesday and Thursday resulted in great losses for government forces. The Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapakse, has said that he will not rest until the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam declare their complete surrender. Clashes near the de facto LTTE capital, Kilinochchi, on Thursday, left 60 soldiers dead and many more wounded, just a day after a battle which killed 29 and injured at least sixty. However, accurate figures are difficult to gauge because of restricted access into the restive areas and Sri Lanka's defence ministry has set the total number of deaths at less than fifty.
Fatal US air attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan
A US drone fired a missile into a house on Thursday in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan, killing six people who the authorities say were insurgents. The attack, which does not seem to have killed any high-ranking Taliban militants, was one of many unilateral strikes that the US military has carried out on the country and which have been denounced by the government in Islamabad for ignoring Pakistani sovereignty.
Across the border in Afghanistan, the US bombing of a police station killed six Afghan policemen and a civilian on Wednesday, injuring thirteen others. The bombing, which occurred in the province of Zavbul, was targetting Taliban fighters but a statement from the US military has indicated that the attack was a "tragic case of mistaken identity on both parts", and a lack of communication led to confusion over the bombing.
