MS Risk Blog

IS Warns of Further Attack Against Christians in Egypt

The so-called Islamic State (IS) group’s leader in Egypt has warned Muslims to stay away from Christian gatherings as well as government, military and police facilities, suggesting that the militant group will keep up attacks on what he referred to as “legitimate targets.”

In an interview published last week in IS’ Al Naba weekly newspaper published on Telegram, the leader, who was not named, stated “we are warning you to stay away from Christian gathering, as well as the gatherings of the army and the police, and the areas that have political government facilities.”

Islamic militants have increasingly targeted religious minorities, a challenge to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s, who has promised to protect them from extremism. Last month, two IS suicide bombers killed at least 45 people at churches in the cities of Alexandria and Tanta, one of the bloodiest attacks the country has experienced in years. IS has also been turning its sights on targets outside its base in the Sinai and has recently been putting more pressure on the Egyptian government and has presented additional challenges for security services.

US Issues Travel Alert for Europe

On 1 May, the United States State Department issued a travel alert for Europe, stating that US citizens should be aware of a continued threat of terrorist attacks across the continent.

In the alert, the US State Department cited recent attacks in France, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Russia, stating that the so-called Islamic State (IS) group and al-Qaeda “have the ability to plan and execute terrorist attacks in Europe.” The alert went on to say that malls, government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, airports and other locations are all possible targets for attacks.

On Monday, a State Department official disclosed that the latest alert was not prompted by a specific threat, but rather recognition of the continuing risk of attacks, particularly ahead of the summer holidays.

The State Department’s previous travel alert for Europe, which had been issued ahead of the winter holiday season, expired in February. This latest alert expires on 1 September 2017.

UK PM Accuses EU of Seeking to Affect Result of British Election

British Prime Minister Theresa May accused European politicians and officials last week of seeking to affect the outcome of the 8 June general election by issuing threats over Brexit.

Speaking in front of her Downing Street office after vising the Queen to mark the dissolution of parliament, which is the formal start of the election campaign, Mrs May disclosed that there were some in Brussels who did not want to see Brexit talks succeed. The statement comes after a German newspaper in late April gave a damning account of talks between the British Prime Minister and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, reporting that he had told Mrs May during a dinner at Downing Street that Brexit could not be a success.

In response to this, on 3 May, Mrs May disclosed that “in the last few days we have seen just how tough these talks are likely to be. Britain’s negotiating position in Europe has been misrepresented in the continental press, the European Commission’s negotiating stance has hardened, threats against Britain have been issued by European politicians and officials,” adding that “all of these acts have been deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election.” Mrs May, whose Conservative Party have a double-digit lead in the polls, went on to say that reaching the best Brexit deal would be the overriding task for whoever wins the 8 June election. She called on voters to give her their backing to “fight for Britain,” noting that while Britain wanted to reach a deal with the European Union (EU), that view as not shared by everyone in Brussels, stating “the events of the last few days have shown that, whatever our wishes, and however reasonable the positions of Europe’s other leaders – there are some in Brussels who do not want these talks to succeed. Who do not want Britain to prosper.”

French Presidential Election: Macron Secures Win

On Sunday, 7 May, Emmanuel Macron was elected French president with a business-friendly vision of European integration, defeating Marine Le Pen, who threatened to take the country out of the European Union (EU). Mr Macron’s win will also bring huge relief to European allies who had feared another populist upheaval, following Britain’s vote last year to leave the EU.

With virtually all votes counted, Mr Macron won 66 percent of the vote against just under 34 percent for Ms Le Pen – a gap wider than the 20 or so percentage points that pre-election surveys had suggested. However it was a record performance for the National Front (FN) party of Ms Le Pen, effectively underlying the scale of the divisions that Mr Macron now faces.

Mr Macon will officially be sworn into office on Sunday 14 May.

The Middle East’s Thriving Illegal Organ Trade

“I exploit people, that’s what I do… Some of my clients would have died anyway.”

Trade in illegal organs is a booming business in Lebanon as desperate Syrian refugees resort to selling body parts to support themselves and their families, according to a report by the BBC. A trafficker who brokers deals from a coffee shop in Beirut, identified as Abu Jaafar, said while he knew his business was illegal, he saw it as helping people in need.

Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, at least 1.5 million people have moved to Lebanon, where they make up around a quarter of the country’s population. Many have no legal right to work and families are forced to find other ways to pay for food, shelter and healthcare. According to a report published in June, some 70 percent of refugees in Lebanon are living below the poverty line.

“Those who are not registered as refuges are struggling,” Jaafar said, “what can they do? They are desperate and have no other means to survive but to sell their organs.” Jaafar said in the last three years he has arranged the sale of organs from some 30 refugees. “They usually ask for kidneys, yet I can still find and facilitate other organs,” he said. “They once asked me for an eye, and I was able to acquire a client willing to sell his eye.”

The Middle East is becoming a hotspot in international organ trade, where the influx of refugees desperate to earn money is providing a new market for brokers, shifting focus from China and the Philippines, according to the BBC report. Most refugees aren’t allowed to work under Lebanese law, and many families barely get by. Among the most desperate are Palestinians who were already considered refugees in Syria, and so are not eligible to be re-registered by the UN refugee agency when they arrive in Lebanon. They live in overcrowded camps and receive very little aid.

Across the Middle East there’s a shortage of organs for transplant, because of cultural and religious objections to organ donation. Most families prefer immediate burial.

A similar story came to light from Iraq in 2016.

According to a different BBC report, gangs in the country are offering up to $10,000 US for a kidney, and have been increasingly targeted the country’s poor. Almost a quarter of the country’s population live in abject poverty – according to World Bank statistics – and some destitute families are actively seeking out organ traders.

“The phenomenon is so widespread that authorities are not capable of fighting it,” Firas al-Bayati, a human rights lawyer, told the BBC. “I have personally dealt over the past three months with 12 people who were arrested for selling their kidneys. And poverty was the reason behind their acts.”

Under Iraqi law only relatives are allowed to donate organs their organs to one and other. The trafficking of organs is strictly prohibited, with penalties ranging from three years in prison to death.

In January 2017, it was revealed that IS has been recruiting foreign doctors to harvest the internal organs from their own dead fighters and living hostages, including children abducted from minority populations in Syria and Iraq. The organs are then sold on the black market in the worldwide human organ trafficking trade in order to fund their terror operations.