Terrorism expert on Copenhagen attack
The death of the Danish gunman who attacked a free-speech seminar and a synagogue in Copenhagen has led to questions about the motivations of the suspect and whether the country's security services do enough to monitor suspicious radical behaviors.
In the suburb of Hvidovre where Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein attended the VUC vocational school, Headmaster Peter Zinkernagel told Danmarks Radio he was a very skilled and clever student who did well.
Yet court documents showed he had been in and out of prison since 2011 after being convicted of violence and other offenses.
El-Hussein is known to have had loose connections with the Blood and Brothers gang and is known to have practised Thai boxing at the Copenhagen Muay Thai club.
Lars Erslev Anders is a terrorism expert who believes El-Hussein's profile is more that of a troubled youth, than a religious extremist.
I think it's more of a behaviour of a young desperate man with a lot of social problems and conflicts with the system, Anders said.
Anders is skeptical of the efficiency of the current Danish system to monitor radical behaviour.
Whilst he was awaiting trial for the random stabbing attack on a train passenger, jail authorities alerted the PET, Denmark's counter terrorism agency, to a change in his behaviour last summer.
This did not stop him being released from prison two weeks ago.
I think some alarm bells should have flashed at least, said Anders. Because due to their own parameters, it was an obvious case.
El-Hussein was nicknamed Little Hussein from the Square, an ironic reference to his 6-foot 2-inch (188-centimetre) height and Blaagaardsplads, a square in the district that was a hangout for a gang of immigrant boys who turned criminal.
In the days after the attack, the square remains empty and quiet.
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Expanding Jihad How Al Qaeda and Islamic State find new battlefields
Wednesday 27 September, 14.00-17.00
DIIS ∙ Danish Institute for International Studies
See programme and direct links to the presentations below...
The video contains most of the event.
Background
Although the Islamic State (IS) movement has been pushed back militarily in Iraq and Syria, it is simultaneously popping up in parts of Asia, the Sahel, and North and East Africa. The pattern of dispersal that we see today resembles what we saw when some members of the Al-Qaeda (AQ) central leadership were killed by the US-led NATO alliance in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Comparing developments in different regions and asking why AQ and IS are emerging in some places and not others, the seminar addresses the question of how and why AQ and IS are expanding: what are the circumstances under which AQ and IS are able to establish themselves in new places?
The seminar will also launch a new DIIS book ”Expanding Jihad – how al-Qaeda and Islamic State find new battlefields” on the dynamics behind AQ/IS expansion. The book features keynote talks by Graeme Wood, the author of “The Way of the Strangers – Encounters with the Islamic State”, and Professor Isak Svensson, who directs an international project on “Resolving Jihadist conflicts Religion, Civil War, and Prospects for Peace”, based at Uppsala University.
On the cover of ”Expanding Jihad – how al-Qaeda and Islamic State find new battlefields” is original artwork by Lebanese-born street artist Elbohly, based on one of his graffiti works in the streets of Copenhagen. Calligraffitti is an art form born In the Middle East and rapidly spreading all over the globe. DIIS is proud to present other recent works by Elbohly at the book launch.
On the occasion of the book launch, the seminar will be followed by a wine reception.
Speakers
Graeme Wood, Lecturer at Yale University, journalist and author of ”The Way of the Strangers –Encounters with the Islamic State”
Isak Svensson, Professor at Uppsala University, and leader of the research project “Resolving Jihadist Conflicts? Religion, Civil War, and Prospects for Peace”
Manni Crone, Senior Researcher, DIIS
Lars Erslev Andersen, Senior Researcher, DIIS
Maria-Louise Clausen, Postdoc, DIIS
Mona Kanwal Sheikh, Senior Researcher, DIIS
Programme
0:00-2:19 Welcome and introduction, Mona Kanwal Sheikh
2:30-22:50 What we know about how to end jihadi militancy, Isak Svensson
26:47-39:34 Intro: the patterns across the different regions, Mona Kanwal Sheikh
39:44-53:56 The rise of Jihadi Militancy in Burkina Faso, Manni Crone
54:20-1:08:44 Is Lebanon the next battlefield?, Lars Erslev Andersen
1:09:03-1:21:30 The struggle for Islam’s heartland: the case of Saudi Arabia, Maria-Louise Clausen
1:21:36-1:34:54 Al Qaeda and the Islamic State finds Bangladesh, Mona Kanwal Sheikh
1:34:54-1:52:27 Q&A
On the strategy and theology of Islamic State vs Al-Qaeda (live only), Graeme Wood
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