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Excerpts: EU to tighten screws on terror financing. Follow-up
Excerpts: EU to tighten screws on terror financing. Follow-up suspected
terrorists in Karak December 21, 2016
+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon)21 Dec.’16:”EU to Tighten Screws on Terror
Financing”,by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:EU to tighten screws on terror financing
FULL TEXT:The European Union on Wednesday[21 Dec] proposed tighter checks on
cash and gold transfers as part of a crackdown on terrorist financing across
a bloc grappling with a wave of terrorism.
EU officials put forward greater powers to freeze or seize assets of
suspected terrorists, crack down on money laundering and stop the flow of
terror funds.
“With today’s proposals, we strengthen our legal means to disrupt and cut
off the financial sources of terrorists and criminals,” the European
Commission’s First Vice President Frans Timmermans said.
“We must ensure we have the right tools in place to detect and stop
suspicious financial flows.”
Timmermans said the plan will boost cooperation between law enforcement
authorities across the bloc as Berlin became the latest terror-hit city when
a truck ploughed through a Christmas market, killing 12 people.
“We meet again in this press room today in the shadow of the tragic events
in Berlin Monday[19 Dec] night, which have deeply shocked and saddened us
all,” commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told a news conference to unveil
the proposals.
The proposals aim to establish minimum rules for defining criminal offences
and sanctions on money laundering, and prevent criminals from exploiting
loopholes among different national rules.
They aim to set up common EU rules to improve cross-border probes into money
laundering, and call for tighter cash controls on people entering or leaving
the bloc with 10,000 euros or more in cash.
The proposals call for extending “customs checks to cash sent in postal
parcels or freight shipments and to precious commodities such as gold”.
The checks would for the first time cover prepaid payment cards.
The proposals call for one single legal instrument for orders to freeze and
seize assets in other EU countries, with immediate application in all member
states.
They would widen the scope of existing rules by allowing assets to be seized
from people linked to a suspect and permit confiscation in cases where a
suspect has fled or died.
They also envisage faster orders to freeze or confiscate assets based on a
standard document and better cross-border communications.
The EU announced Tuesday it had reached agreement on tightening rules on
firearms but fell short of demands to ban AK-47 semi-automatic rifles
outright.
+++SOURCE:Jordan Times 21 Dec.’16:”Authorities crack down on suspected
terrorists in Karak, other areas”,by Rana Husseini
SUBJECT: Follow-up suspected terrorists in Karak
QUOTE”King Abdullah oversees a security operation targeting suspected
terrorists holed up in a Karak village from a crisis management centre in
Amman on Tuesday[20 Dec]”
FULL TEXT: AMMAN — Four security officers were killed during a raid on a
suspected terrorist hideout in a Karak village, which also resulted in the
death of one wanted man, a senior official announced, stressing that
anti-terror efforts will continue.
The operation was concluded late Tuesday[20 Dec], he said, adding that the
killed suspect and the others who were with him in the hideout were
connected to Sunday’s[18 Dec]attacks in the southern governorate.
His Majesty King Abdullah was following up on the operation in person at the
National Centre for Security and Crisis Management, where he held a meeting
of concerned officials and commanders.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson
Mohammad Momani held a press conference at the same venue, upon directives
by His Majesty, who wanted the public to be updated on the events as they
unfolded from the official channels.
He said that security officers were searching the house where “the
terrorists took refuge” in the village of Qreifelleh.
Three gendarmerie officers and a policeman were killed and 11 others were
injured in the operation, according to a Public Security Department
statement.
Momani said the incident started when the security agencies summoned a man
suspected to be connected with the terrorist cell that was eliminated on
Sunday at Karak Castle.
“The man confessed that he was part of the cell and that he had stashed
weapons and other material at his house,” he said.
When he reached the house with a security force, he ran inside the house,
grabbed a machine gun and fired at the officers, killing one and injuring
another, according to Momani.
“Other suspects joined him and fired at officers that rushed to the scene,
and were able to kill three others.”
The security forces responded by killing one suspect and injuring another,
he added. He did not specify the number of militants who were in the
hideout.
Momani underlined the issue of public awareness and its significance in the
fight against terrorists.
He told reporters that the government sent 56,000 text messages to residents
in the area urging them to stay home.
The media minister urged all citizens to refrain from sending any videos or
information regarding any security operation “because it will hinder our
work and put our officers in jeopardy”.
“The time now is for all of us to express solidarity with our security
forces and leadership by listening to their instructions,” Momani stressed.
He added that there are ongoing operations in Karak and other parts of the
Kingdom.
“We will overcome this crisis. We will not rest until we extract this dark
terrorism that aims at hijacking our safety and stability.”
Tuesday’s[20 Dec] incident comes less than 48 hours after seven police
officers, two Jordanians and a Canadian tourist were killed by four
terrorists who were later shot dead by security officers following a
five-hour standoff in Karak Castle.
Thirty-four civilians and police officers were injured during the Sunday[18
Dec] terror attack that started around 2:30pm in Qatraneh town, around 40km
to the north of Karak, and ended around midnight in the castle.
In a related development, Jordan Media Commission (JMC) Director General
Mohammad Qteishat announced that the commission would block the transmission
of any unlicensed media outlet that publishes any news, data or comments
about the Kingdom’s internal or foreign affairs, citing powers vested in the
agency under the relevant law.
He told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the JMC will notify the
prosecution of any violations that some media outlets may commit, prior to
blocking them.
=============
Sue Lerner – Associate, IMRA
Source: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=71916
