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Islamist terror attack in France (again)
Global Recap
December 04, 2023 • Read in: 7 minutes
Hi Global Recap readers,
A weekend steeped in terror, indeed.
Multiple Islamist terror attacks in different countries in a single weekend?
This is just too much.
🌐 Around the world:
ISIS bomb blast at a mass.
China’s sea showdown.
Ex-ambassador arrested on spy charges.
Venezuela votes to take Guyana’s oil.
Islamist terror attack in France (again)
Let’s get into today’s news.
💣 Bomb Blast at Mass
A bomb exploded during a Catholic Mass in a university gymnasium in Marawi City, Philippines, killing at least four people and injuring 50 others on Sunday.
Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the attack after the Philippine President Marcos Jr. condemned “foreign terrorists.”
Location: Marawi is a city on the island of Mindanao, where several Islamist insurgent groups operate.
History: In 2017, ISIS-affiliated militants besieged Marawi for five months.
🇨🇳 China’s Sea Showdown
China has sent over 100 militia boats to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, challenging the Philippines and the US.
Whitsun Reef: The reef is part of the Spratly Islands, claimed by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and others. It is within the internationally recognized Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Maritime Militia: The Chinese boats are civilian vessels that act as a paramilitary force. They often harass and occupy disputed waters. They ignored the Philippine Coast Guard’s radio challenges.
Vanta
🕵️♂️ Ex-Ambassador = Cuban Spy?
Manuel Rocha
A former US ambassador to Bolivia, Manuel Rocha, has been arrested for allegedly being a Cuban spy. He is accused of secretly working to advance Cuba’s interests in the US.
Diplomatic Career: Rocha served as a U.S. diplomat for 25 years in Latin America and other regions.
Controversy: Rocha intervened in Bolivia’s 2002 presidential election, threatening to pull US assistance if it voted for Evo Morales - a former coca grower and leftist leader.
Rocha’s arrest is part of a long-running FBI counterintelligence investigation.
🇻🇪 Venezuela Votes to Take Guyana’s Oil
President of Venezuela, Maduro, speaks after the National Electoral Council published the results of the referendum.
Venezuela voted on Sunday to claim a huge part of its neighboring nation of Guyana, where massive oil reserves have been discovered.
The referendum is not recognized by Guyana or the international community.
Referendum: The electoral council said 95% voted yes, but the turnout was unclear.
Essequibo: The disputed territory, known as Essequibo, covers two-thirds of Guyana and has a history of conflict dating back to colonial times.
France
Islamist Terror Attack in France (Again)
🗼 Terror Strikes Paris Again. A man with a history of terrorism and mental illness stabbed and hammered a tourist to death near the Eiffel Tower on Saturday. He shouted “Allahu Akbar” and claimed to have an explosive belt - which turned out to be a bluff.
He was arrested by the police.
🕵️♂️ Who Is the Attacker? The attacker is Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, a 26-year-old French citizen of Iranian origin.
Attacker: Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab.
In 2015: He converted to Islam and quickly became radicalized online. spiraled into radicalization through online channels.
By 2016: He planned to join ISIS in Iraq or Syria, which he didn’t follow through with.
From 2016 to 2020: He was behind bars for planning an unrealized terrorist strike in Paris’ bustling business hub, La Défense. Upon his release in 2020, he remained closely monitored by authorities.
He maintained connections with a network of jihadists, responsible for executing horrific attacks in France, including the beheading of a teacher on October 16, 2020.
He was under psychiatric treatment until April 2023.
In October 2023, his mother reported Armand to authorities regarding her son’s behavior.
👮♀️ How It Happened. The police chased down the attack who brutally murdered a 24-year-old German tourist of Filipino descent.
Victim: Collin, a 24-year-old Filipino-German tourist.
The killer savagely attacked the victim near the Eiffel Tower, striking twice with a hammer and stabbing four times with a knife.
While running away, he also wounded a Frenchman and a Brit with the hammer.
Upon police confrontation, he told the officers that he had an explosive belt, which was later debunked.
He was arrested after an officer used a stun gun on him.
🎥 Pre-Recorded Video. Senior prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard revealed that he had recorded and uploaded a video on X before the attack. In the Arabic-spoken recording, he identified himself as an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan and voiced his solidarity with jihadists globally.
This is the only copy of the video I could find on X:
Paris: Vidéo du terroriste "Français" avant son passage à l'acte dans un parfait "Français" selon nos médias
On apprend finalement que le dénommé Arman Rajabpour-Miyandoab est d'origine Iranienne et semble parler parfaitement l'arabe— Réalité Actuelle (@ReaActuelle)
1:14 AM • Dec 3, 2023