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Written by Rashmi Rajput | Mumbai | Updated: March 11, 2017 4:48 am Tabrez Tambe

THE BROTHER of an alleged Islamic State (IS) recruit from Maharashtra has written to the Indian ambassador in Libya, seeking help in locating and rescuing his brother from the war-torn country. In an email sent in January, Saud Tambe said his brother Tabrez, 28, who had been booked by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) last December under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, had moved to Egypt and later Libya for a job.

On January 26, I sent an email to the Indian ambassador in Libya stating that my brother had moved to Egypt in January last year for a job. Ali, a Saudi Arabian national, had helped him land the job. Subsequently, Ali took him to Libya for training. However, in December, we got a call from Tabrez, saying he was stuck in a war-torn region and that we should seek help from the authorities to get him back to India, he told The Indian Express.

While Saud claimed he didnt know the name of the company where Tabrez was employed in Libya, he said his brother called in March to inform the family that he was moving to Libya for training. After that, said Saud, calls from Tabrez dropped until December, when he made the last call for help.

However, the ATS probe has revealed that while Tabrez left India in January, claiming to have bagged a job in Egypt, he moved to Libya within a month. While the probe confirmed that Tabrez called his mother in March 2016, investigators say it wasnt to tell the family that he was moving to Libya for training but to inform them that he had joined the IS and that they shouldnt check on him. However, they say, he did call in December to say he was stuck and needed help.

After his graduation from Mumbai University, Tabrez did a diploma course in air cargo management. He has two brothers, besides Saud, and a sister. The family, which is from Harnai in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, moved to Mumbra near Mumbai in 2009 and has been staying on rent.

The ATS probe has also revealed that Tabrez had booked a return ticket to India, allegedly to avoid suspicion. Tambe made a booking through an online travel portal. We interrogated the Delhi-based representative who made the bookings. The investigation has revealed that he booked a return ticket just to show that he intended to return to India. However, our investigation has revealed that the plan to go to Egypt for employment was an alibi; the real purpose was to leave India to join the IS, said an ATS officer, adding that the investigators were combing Tabrezs social media profile and questioning his friends.

In Mumbra, Saud said he doesnt believe his brother could have joined the IS. We cannot speak about the ATSs investigations. My brother has been cheated with the promise of a job. There is an FIR against him and we want the courts to decide if he is really a terrorist. But we believe that he has nothing to do with the IS and that he is stuck in Libya and needs to be rescued, he said.

Originally posted here:
Brother of 'IS recruit' seeks help from Indian envoy in Libya - The Indian Express

A general view of an oil refinery in Libyas northern town of Ras Lanuf. Photograph: Abdullah Doma/AFP/Getty Images

Militias have captured a string of key Libyan oil ports in the fight against eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar, sharply escalating the countrys civil war and throwing international peacemaking efforts into doubt.

The Islamist Benghazi militia struck at al-Sidra, Libyas biggest oil port, and Ras Lanuf, its biggest refinery, overnight on Friday, forcing Haftars Libyan National Army to retreat.

Army spokesman Col Ahmad al-Mismari said the militias had overrun the main airfield at Ras Lanuf, with the army pulling back to avoid damage to oil facilities.

He said the Benghazi defence brigades, militias originally from Benghazi who were driven out of the city by Haftars forces last year, attacked the ports from four directions on Friday.

Airstrikes failed to halt the drive, in which militia units entered the ports in fighting that has left at least nine dead. Renewed strikes were launched against the militias on Saturday morning, while army reinforcements massed for a counter-attack in what has become a see-saw struggle to control Libyas vast oil wealth.

The attackers were armed with modern tanks and a radar to neutralise our air force, Mismari said. But the battle is ongoing. The situation in the oil crescent remains under control.

Haftars forces seized al-Sidra and Ras Lanuf, together with nearby ports Brega and Zueitina in an offensive last September that dealt a major blow to the UN-backed Gvernment of National Accord, whose militias had controlled them.

Haftar supports Libyas parliament, based in the eastern town of Tobruk, which opposes the GNA in Tripoli, and both sides have made gaining control of the ports their priority.

The Tripoli government denied involvement in the attack, condemning it as a military escalation and called for all sides to cease fighting.

Britains ambassador to Libya, Peter Millet, tweeted his concern that the battle may shatter the countrys oil industry. I follow with great concern fighting in the oil crescent which threatens Libyas oil and the lives of civilians, he said.

The oil ports have been the focus of months of fighting, with the Benghazi defence brigades launching offensives against them in December and February that were broken up by airstrikes.

Exports from the ports are the main source of hard currency for a country whose economy is in tatters after enduring chaos and violence ever since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The fighting also risks opening a divide among outside powers, with Haftar backed by neighbouring Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia, while the GNA has support from the United States, Britain and most European Union powers.

In recent weeks Russia has been trying to broker talks between the two governments to form a power-sharing administration with a prominent role for Haftar.

The move was backed last month by the British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, who said: Thats the crucial question: how to make sure that Haftar is in some way integrated into the government of Libya.

The United Nations has also been mediating a plan to restructure the GNA to incorporated Haftar, while the GNA itself is struggling in Tripoli, with its forces fighting street battles against militias from a third would-be administration, the salvation government, for control of the capital.

With reinforcements pouring into the oil ports fighting on Saturday, hopes of a peace deal may be vanishing. No room for political negotiations in the near future, tweeted Libyan analyst Mohamed Eljarh. Todays developments make political solutions even more difficult to achieve.

The rest is here:
Libyan militias capture key oil ports and refinery - The Guardian

Police in Stockton, California, claim to have arrested 12 people at a Black Lives Matter protest earlier this week,including three individuals who allegedly assaulted a homeless man.

Black Lives Matter affiliated protesters demonstrated at a Stockton City Council meeting on Tuesday, demanding the police answer questions about the death of Colby Friday, who was allegedly shot by a police officer back in August.

The demonstrators urged the council to look into the shooting, which isbeing investigated by the San Joaquin County District Attorneys office. The protest, which started out peacefully, later turned violent.

According to the police post on Facebook, five suspects attacked a homeless man, despite him not being involved in the demonstration. Police said the alleged Black Lives Matter supporters kicked and punched the man as he was on the ground, and officers intervened to stop the assault.

Three people were arrested while two suspects escaped the crime scene with the help of protesters who charged the scene and interfered with officers, police said.

Police chargedChristian Lorena, 22, and Gabriel Mendez, 18, with battery and resisting arrest. Another suspect, Joseph Pino,18, was charged with battery.

Following the alleged assault on a homeless man, Black Lives Matter protesters blocked the streets, which led to nineadditional arrests for allegedlyresisting arrest and blocking a public right of way.

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Police Arrest Three Black Lives Matter Supporters for Allegedly Beating Up Homeless Man - Heat Street

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A young adult book dealing with the Black Lives Matter movement led the New York Times best seller list Friday.

The Hate U Give, written by Angie Thomas, led the best sellers list for young adult hardcover books, reports the International Business Times.

The book features 16-year-oldStarr Carter who sees a police officer shoot down her friendKhalil. Khalils death gets national attention and various people begin to degrade his character, calling him a thug and a drug-dealer.

The author celebrated her books top spot on the list in a flurry of rave reviews.

This story is necessary. This story is important, Kirkus Review said of the novel, while Publishers Weekly called it heartbreakingly topical.

The book is already being considered for a film. Fox 2000 recently gained the rights to the book and reached out to Amandla Stenberg to play the lead role.

The Black Lives Matter movement came about after the shooting of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of his shooter, George Zimmerman. Started by three black women, the movement purports to fight for freedom and justice for all black lives.

Themovement often calls for diversity, globalism and the affirming of transgender, gay and black female lives.

We are committed to building a black women affirming space free from sexism, misogyny and male centeredness, the movement claims.

The Hate U Give $10.89 Hardcover, $8.49 Paperback, $9.99 Kindle

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The Latest Best-Selling Teen Book Is About Black Lives Matter - Daily Caller

BEVERLY A new Black Lives Matter banner will be hung on the side of First Parish Church on Sunday, a symbol of the congregations commitment to racial equality, according to its pastor, the Rev. Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson.

The banner will be dedicated Sunday at 2 p.m.

It comes out of our goal of a world of justice and peace, Asprooth-Jackson said.

Nationally, Unitarian Universalist churches like First Parish have shown support for the movement; a resolution passed by the 2015 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association encouraged this.Since then, many UU churches have decided to hang banners to show their support.

Asprooth-Jackson said the congregations decision was sparked by horror and grief at how endangered the lives of black people are.

Ward 2 City Councilor Estelle Rand, who will speak at the dedication, called the move by the church timely.

There has been a lot of public activity that encourages dialogue and kind of supports our identity as an inclusive community, she said. I definitely support them putting the banner up.

First Parish has few black members, according to Asprooth-Jackson, and most of them are children, which impacted the congregations decision. They want to make sure the kids know they are loved and valued, he said.

This is not just speaking up on behalf of members, he said. This is us being committed to justice for all people.

The congregation recognizes that the banner could be subject to vandalism; a church in Reno, Nevada, has had to replace its banner multiple times.But its the message behind the banner thats significant, Asprooth-Jackson said.

The banner is a statement that reflects a commitment, he said, adding that the church will replace it if need be. The commitment is what matters to us.

How long the banner will stay up is uncertain. The easiest explanation, Asprooth-Jackson said, is when there is racial justice, but added that thats big changes.

The banner installation comes just after the citys School Committee adopted a resolution to take on a sanctuary designation.

For Rand, the recent conversations around the city are part of Beverlys identity as an inclusive community.

I think in Beverly we have a lot of thoughtful people that are willing to commit to open conversations, she said, and thats what Ive been most proud of over the last month or so.

Arianna MacNeill can be reached at 978-338-2527 or at amacneill@salemnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SN_AMacNeill.

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Beverly church to install 'Black Lives Matter' banner - The Salem News