Puppet Masters

Sweden's domestic spy agency warns of the threat of violent Islamism and Russian meddling

RT
Fri, 15 Mar 2019 18:00 UTC

© AFP / Odd ANDERSEN
File photo: The stolen truck used by Rakhmat Akilov to plough into a crowd of shoppers in Stockholm, killing four and injuring 15 on April 7, 2017

Sweden's domestic spy agency Sapo has warned of a rise in radical nationalism within and major foreign spying operations against the country in its latest report, but still lists Islamism as the top national security threat.

The report states that violent Islamism still poses the biggest threat to Swedish national security but the threat has not grown in the past year. Adherents of the radical ideology are still plotting to carry out attacks in Sweden, however.

While the Sapo report unequivocally states it found that "no extensive influence campaigns aiming at influencing the Swedish elections," in 2018, it provided no evidence of or allusions to any attempts either.

The report mentions "around 15" foreign powers that are at least attempting to conduct espionage operations in Sweden, specifically naming Russia, Iran, and China as key figures in this regard, using data from a security survey of 100 public agencies.

CNN gives platform to alleged assassin who attempted to kill Maduro with drones

Nick Paton Walsh, Natalie Gallon, Evan Perez, et al.
CNN
Thu, 14 Mar 2019 17:19 UTC

Security forces check a nearby building after an explosion was heard during Maduro's speech.

New videos obtained by CNN provide chilling insight into a mystery drone attack against Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro last year-the world's first known attempt to kill a head of state with a retail drone, purchased online and armed by hand with military grade explosives.

One man has come forward as an organizer of the attack, saying it was perpetrated by a group of Venezuelan Army defectors and others. In an exclusive interview with CNN, he recounted how they prepared for the attack, and provided cell phone videos of their drones, explosives, and practice flights in the rural farmlands of Colombia.

"We have tried every peaceful and democratic way to bring an end to this tyranny that dresses itself as democracy," he told CNN on condition of anonymity, referring to the Maduro regime. "We have friends who are in custody, tortured. This was a hard decision."

He also acknowledged that the attack could have killed innocent civilians alongside their target. "That was the risk we had to take," he said. "We cared about that as the Venezuelan people are always the ones feeling the consequences."

The self-declared interim president of Venezuela, its opposition leader Juan Guaido, told CNN he disapproved of the attack.

"Such options are not good," he said. He added that he suspected the attack was staged. "I think this was something internal, done by the government. It ends up making them look like victims."

Rouhani's visit to Iraq is a slap in the face to Trump

Darius Shahtahmasebi
RT
Thu, 14 Mar 2019 13:05 UTC

While the US has had a strategy to contain and isolate Iran, Iran continues to seek and build friendships with its regional neighbors. There are many indications that the US will not tolerate this for much longer.

As an aspiring journalist, it is hard to keep up with which country is at the top of Donald Trump's "to-bomb" list, given the target appears to change every week or so. Since the infamous days of his campaign trail up until the present day, the US president has held a deep animosity towards Tehran. However, the government's focus appears to shift away from the Islamic Republic periodically - one minute it's North Korea, every April since his election he also decides he briefly wants to bomb Assad in Syria, and most recently, his entire administration has raved incessantly about Venezuela.

No matter how the news cycle goes, and no matter the sort of historical death-squad arming psychopath Trump appoints as Special Envoy to Venezuela, at the end of the day the media focus inevitably continues to fall back on Iran (and with it, Donald Trump's keen and hawkish eye).

Comment: Netanyahu has made it quite clear that he won't stop till he's dragged the world into a war with Iran - because Israel isn't capable of taking Iran on alone: At Trump summit Netanyahu declares "common interest of war with Iran" sparking backlash from Tehran

Also check out SOTT radio's:

'Clash of Civilizations' Arrives in New Zealand: 49 Massacred by Multiple Gunmen During Multi-Site Terror Attack in Christchurch

Niall Bradley
Sott.net
Fri, 15 Mar 2019 18:15 UTC

A sophisticated multi-site terror attack beginning at 1:40pm local time in New Zealand earlier today saw several locations in the city of Christchurch targeted by multiple gunmen, prompting a major security operation and placing much of the city on lockdown. So far, 49 people have been confirmed killed, while an additional 48 have been injured.

Media accounts have begun narrowing the focus to one individual, a 28-year-old Australian man named Brenton Tarrant, who wore a GoPro camera to livestream his part in the attack, but local police report that they have so far arrested four people. The sadistic psychopath attacked the Masjid Al Noor mosque on Deans Avenue, east of the city center, 10 minutes after noon prayers began, so it was full of worshipers as he unloaded multiple magazines from one of several weapons he brought with him. Bodies have also been found in adjacent streets so some of the victims appear to have been shot dead outside the mosque. One was that of a child, slain in the middle of Deans Avenue.

Tarrant cannot have been the only shooter, however. An eyewitness told the Christchurch Star that she was in her car near the Al Noor Mosque as the attack began. Moments after hearing gunfire, she says "four to five men came running towards her." Terrified they would spot her, she put her seat down so she could hide in place. Police had not yet arrived on the scene.

A second shooting incident began, within 5 minutes of the beginning of the Al Noor attack, at another mosque, the Linwood Masjid on Linwood Avenue. This site is 5 kms to the east of the Al Noor Mosque. So far 7 people have been reported killed there - again, some inside the building, some outside. Eyewitnesses at this location say they saw a man leave the mosque "wearing camouflage gear and a motorcycle helmet," and that some locals gave chase as the gunman fled.

McCain associate David Kramer was in contact with a dozen reporters regarding Steele dossier

Chuck Ross
The Daily Caller
Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:56 UTC

An associate of late Arizona Sen. John McCain described in detail his contacts with a dozen journalists and several government officials regarding the infamous Steele dossier, according to a transcript of a court deposition unsealed Thursday.

David Kramer, a former State Department official, said in a deposition on Dec. 13, 2017 that he provided a copy of Christopher Steele's dossier to reporters from McClatchy, NPR, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and BuzzFeed and CNN's Carl Bernstein.

He also shared the report with State Department official Victoria Nuland, Obama National Security Counsel official Celeste Wallander and Illinois GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

US & allied diplomats storm out as Venezuelan FM addresses UN drugs convention

RT
Fri, 15 Mar 2019 15:42 UTC

US officials led allied diplomats in a huffy walkout as Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza stood to address a UN convention on narcotics in Vienna, declaring that he represented an "illegitimate government."

"The members of the Venezuela delegation here today represent the illegitimate government of Nicolas Maduro, and thus cannot be considered as speaking on behalf of the Venezuelan people," a US Mission to International Organizations spokesman declared after storming out of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, trailed by officials from several Latin American countries, Canada, and a few European nations, including France.

Comment: Maybe they should just launch their own UN? They can call it the US! Oh, wait...

NATO sends forces, missiles to Russia's borders - top security official

RT
Fri, 15 Mar 2019 15:34 UTC

NATO countries are reviving Cold War-era tactics by sending troops across the Atlantic and deploying BMD weapons near Russia's borders, Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council Mikhail Popov said.

Speaking to the media Popov said that within two years the NATO Response Force has increased from 25,000 to 40,000 people, while battalion tactical groups of up to 1,000 people were deployed in the Baltic countries.

"The Cold War-era system of transatlantic deployment of troops are being revived and used to post coalition task forces to Russia's borders," he explained.

Cunningham: Germany's über hypocrisy over Venezuela

Finian Cunningham
Strategic Culture
Tue, 12 Mar 2019 12:00 UTC

Germany has taken the lead among European Union member states to back Washington's regime-change agenda for Venezuela. Berlin's hypocrisy and double-think is quite astounding.

Only a few weeks ago, German politicians and media were up in arms protesting to the Trump administration for interfering in Berlin's internal affairs. There were even outraged complaints that Washington was seeking "regime change" against Chancellor Angela Merkel's government.

Those protests were sparked when Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, warned German companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with Russia that they could be hit with American economic sanctions if they go ahead with the Baltic seabed project.

Earlier, Grenell provoked fury among Berlin's political establishment when he openly gave his backing to opposition party Alternative for Germany. That led to consternation and denunciations of Washington's perceived backing for regime change in Berlin. They were public calls for Grenell to be expelled over his apparent breach of diplomatic protocols.

Comment: It's likely there are number of factors influencing German policy, from rival factions, to the blackmail mentioned, as well as attempts to position oneself in such a way so as to benefit as much as possible during the shift in the global power structure:

US to give $5 million to terrorist propaganda outfit the White Helmets, via UN mechanism in Syria

Sputnik
Thu, 14 Mar 2019 21:41 UTC

The Trump administration intends to provide $5 million to the White Helmets and the United Nations investigating mechanism in Syria, State Department spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a statement on Thursday.

"At the direction of the President, subject to congressional approval, the United States intends to provide $5 million for the continuation of the vital, life-saving operations of the White Helmets in Syria and in support of the UN's International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism," the statement said.

This comes after earlier in the day US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey announced the US initiative to fund the White Helmets and IIIM at the third Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, according to the spokesperson.

Comment: There's nothing 'impartial' or 'independent' about the White Helmets, and what on earth they could do with $5 million is worrying. It is to be expected that, following this 'donation', we will see an uptick in terrorist activity in the areas where they operate, and perhaps this will provide the US with the much needed excuse to 'postpone' withdrawal from the region:

China vindicated in grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 8, rightfully challenges US authority in worldwide civil aviation

The Washington Post
Wed, 13 Mar 2019 08:36 UTC

When China on Monday became the first country to order all Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes grounded in the aftermath of the Ethiopian Airlines crash the previous day, its aviation regulator sent an unmistakable signal: the US Federal Aviation Administration is no longer the only authority in civil aviation worldwide.

After China ordered a dozen carriers to ground their 96 planes - about a quarter of all 737 MAX aircraft in operation globally - authorities in Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Morocco and Singapore quickly followed suit, along with carriers in Latin America and South Korea.

Despite the FAA issuing a statement backing the Boeing jet's airworthiness, the European Union grounded the model on Tuesday, as did at least 10 other countries, with authorities saying the aircraft would not be allowed to fly to or from their countries pending the investigation.

China's move, unprecedented for a government that once took cues from the FAA, was motivated by what Chinese officials and pilots said was months of equivocation from US officials and Boeing in response to safety inquiries from China after a 737 MAX 8 flight crashed in Indonesia in October.

Comment: It's notable that China - who owned a quarter of all the Boeing MAX 737s - was suspected of grounding flights because of political motivations whereas the countries with the most invested both politically and financially and so had the most to lose were those in the West, all the while gambling with peoples lives. Most nations have now grounded MAX 737 flights, banning them from their airspace, and those who were pushing the narrative that the planes were safe, particularly in the US, despite evidence to contrary, have vindicated China's initial concerns. Unsurprisingly stocks in Boeing have plummeted.

And this is not the first major project in recent years, headed by countries and companies in the West, that has overseen abject failures in safety and efficacy. What does this say about the functioning of those nations?

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Puppet Masters

Sweden's domestic spy agency warns of the threat of violent Islamism and Russian meddling

CNN gives platform to alleged assassin who attempted to kill Maduro with drones

Rouhani's visit to Iraq is a slap in the face to Trump

'Clash of Civilizations' Arrives in New Zealand: 49 Massacred by Multiple Gunmen During Multi-Site Terror Attack in Christchurch

McCain associate David Kramer was in contact with a dozen reporters regarding Steele dossier

US & allied diplomats storm out as Venezuelan FM addresses UN drugs convention

NATO sends forces, missiles to Russia's borders - top security official

Cunningham: Germany's über hypocrisy over Venezuela

US to give $5 million to terrorist propaganda outfit the White Helmets, via UN mechanism in Syria

China vindicated in grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 8, rightfully challenges US authority in worldwide civil aviation

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