Quebec premier says Burkina Faso, Jakarta deaths strengthen resolve in terrorism fight

QUEBEC -- Nothing can explain barbaric attacks on people who were simply working to build a better world, Premier Philippe Couillard said Monday, referring to the seven Quebecers killed in recent terror attacks.

A Montreal-area man died Thursday in Jakarta while six people from the Quebec City area were slain during a siege in Ouagadougou late Friday.

The premier said the fight against terrorists must continue, all without compromising core values of freedom, democracy and tolerance.

"These actions also strengthen our resolve to fight these barbarians with all our strength, alongside our allies," Couillard said, adding the attacks were a stark reminder that violence that seemed so distant in the past can touch people at home.

"We live in a troubled world," he said. "Smaller too. Everything is now so close to us."

Flags were lowered to half-mast at the provincial legislature in honour of the seven.

Tahar Amer-Ouali, 70, a father of five and a hearing-aid specialist, was killed in Jakarta in an attack by militants tied to the Islamic State group, while six Quebecers on a humanitarian mission were killed in Burkina Faso's capital during a terrorist attack carried out by al-Qaida.

Four of the dead were from the same family: Yves Carrier, his wife Gladys Chamberland, their adult son Charlelie Carrier and Yves' adult daughter, Maude Carrier.

The others who died were their friends, Louis Chabot and Suzanne Bernier.

They were among at least 28 people killed when terrorists stormed a hotel and cafe in the African country's capital of Ouagadougou.

Couillard said there's a feeling of helplessness in the face of such heinous, gratuitous acts.

"Nothing can explain that one attacks the people who contribute by dedicating themselves to building a better world," Couillard said.

"This attack against them is also an attack on us all."

Four of the six killed in Burkina Faso were previous or current employees of a Quebec City school board, where friends and colleagues of the victims were struggling to deal with their deaths.

Classes were cancelled Monday for students at Jean-de-Brebeuf and Cardinal Roy high schools, both part of the Commission scolaire de la Capitale school board in Quebec City.

Erick Parent, the board's secretary-general, told a news conference that support was being offered to friends and colleagues of the victims.

While there were no classes, doors remained open to students. A dozen psychologists were also on hand to help staff deal with their grief and prepare to respond to students in the coming days.

"It's a tragedy," he said. "What we must do is support our employees, and also our students, who are affected by the hundreds through the teachers they've frequented in recent years."

He said the board's 5,000 employees and 28,000 students will hold a minute of silence on Tuesday before classes begin.

"I think things will have to be handled delicately," Parent said of the discussions to follow.

Yves Carrier was an assistant principal before his retirement and Bernier had been an administrator at two elementary schools before she retired.

Chamberland, a civil servant, worked for Quebec's Natural Resources Department, while Charlelie was a student.

Maude Carrier and Chabot were secondary school teachers as of Friday.

A mother of two, Maude Carrier had a twin sister and husband who both worked as teachers at the same board.

Source: Quebec premier says Burkina Faso, Jakarta deaths strengthen resolve in terrorism fight

Is The Jakarta, Indonesia, ISIS Terrorist Attack’s Death Toll The Only Reason There’s No ‘Pray For Paris’-Level Response?

A recent ISIS terrorist attack in Jakarta, Indonesia, with a death toll of eight has received a relatively subdued global response as opposed to the Paris shooting that took place in November, reported BBC News.

Social media users and some voices in the media have begun to speak out against the lack of an outpour of public support for Indonesia, with many wondering why the "Pray for Jakarta" hashtag isn't reaching the same ubiquity.

@saucybobcat is there a block in people's minds that only lets them care about something when it affects a thing theyve heard about before?

— tyler pörtner (@saucybobcat) January 14, 2016

@saucybobcat or know how to pronounce?

— tyler pörtner (@saucybobcat) January 14, 2016

Many will remember similar criticism about several terrorist attacks that had taken place in the lead-up to the tragedy in Paris. Nearly a year prior to the Indonesia incident, one particularly bloody one in Kenya suddenly became a center of international conversation — after ISIS hit Paris.

Seven months prior to the mass murder in France, a university in the African country suffered a brutal shooting and bombing that left 147 dead. While it was certainly still an international news event, it did not receive nearly the amount of public attention or international response. Many decried it as an example of a Western-centric viewpoint, one that, in this case, put a different value on human lives based on their nationality and the setting's perceived security.

A similar sentiment has started to emerge about Jakarta, one that has critics asking, "Why so much less outrage when ISIS hits Indonesia?" One possible explanation is the mere comparison in carnage. Terrorists managed to kill eight citizens in total in the Indonesian capital, leaving just under two dozen others injured. In contrast, the Islamic state's efforts in Paris had a death toll of 130 and left more than 350 injured.

Indonesia is reeling from a bloody terrorist attack claimed by ISIS with a death toll of eight, (Photo by Oscar Siagian/Getty Images)

In the comparison between the Kenya and Paris attacks, some argued that there were several reasons for the distinct responses. ISIS was a common enemy of both the United States and France, as opposed to by the Al-Shabab. Furthermore, the assault was directed toward what is perhaps the U.S.'s biggest ally and also a city Americans are familiar with. At least the former could be said for the Jakarta attack; though Indonesia is, culturally, more distant from both countries.

Still, Jakarta has just found themselves facing the same threat as the U.S. It seems an opportune moment to show support for the Asian Pacific nation, yet Judith Jacob, an expert on Indonesian extremist groups, tweeted that doing so might actually play into ISIS' intentions.

We play into IS' narrative when we write that haphazard, low casualty Jakarta attack contributed to an unstoppable global expansion project

— Judith Jacob (@judithpjacob) January 15, 2016

In Foreign Policy, Benjamin Soloway wrote that it wasn't even clear that citizens were the targets in Indonesia and that its mastermind Bahrun Naim is actually the head of Katibah Nusantara — the nation's own extremist group that is "linked" to ISIS. That led Jacob, who also spoke with FP, to caution conflating the terrorist attacks.

"This was a brazen attack in Central Jakarta during lunch hours, but the casualty figures remain astoundingly low. It didn't have the same level of indiscriminate firing that we saw in Istanbul or Paris… But it still begs the question: How much has this been an Indonesian jihadist capitalizing on events that have happened recently in Paris to further the ambitions of an inward-looking jihadist movement within Indonesia?"

Despite a higher death toll, some have wondered by Indonesia's ISIS attack has not generated the same response as terrorism in Paris. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Moreover, the publication also noted that the Jakarta terrorist attack might have had more to do with police crackdowns on extremist groups in Indonesia than the global mission of ISIS itself. Around 16 domestic terror suspects have arrested in the past month.

[Image via AP Images]

Source: Is The Jakarta, Indonesia, ISIS Terrorist Attack's Death Toll The Only Reason There's No 'Pray For Paris'-Level Response?

Jakarta Attacks: Convicted Militant Named As Attacker

"Police raided several locations in the early hours of Friday morning" and made arrests in the Jakarta suburb of Depok, NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports.

Police have said they suspect he is now in Raqqah in Syria's south.

Authorities said several accounts had been found on social networking website Facebook expressing support for Thursday's attack in Jakarta's commercial district, which killed seven people including five militants, and injured around 30 others.

The country had been on edge for weeks over the threat posed by Islamist militants, and counter-terrorism police had rounded up about 20 people with suspected links to Islamic State. State police say they suspect an Indonesian man allied with ISIS planned the attack from Syria.

The PNP raised the alert level status of its forces nationwide on Thursday, immediately after the deadly bombings in Jakarta, described by Indonesian President Joko Widodo as a terror attack.

Former Colts coach Ted Marchibroda diesHe also coached the Colts in Indianapolis from 1992 to 1995, before returning to Baltimore to coach the expansion Ravens. Marchibroda led the Baltimore Colts from 1975-79, guiding the team to three straight playoff appearances from 1975-77.

The funds were driven through Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant arrested in 2011 for illegal arms possession, the police chief told reporters.

"I am not afraid of terrorists because life is in Allah's hands, and today is Friday so, God willing, nothing bad will happen", said Toto Suhadi, 52, a gardener watering plants near the attack site. On Friday evening, police searched the home of another of the dead bombers whom they identified as Muhammad Ali.

ISIL has claimed the attack that rocked the Indonesian capital.

Experts say that while it's hard to know how much of a foothold IS has established in Indonesia, the attack achieved two things: It showed that domestic militant groups are still capable of violence despite being fragmented by the government's counterterrorism campaign; and gave at least the impression that IS now has the ability to launch attacks in Southeast Asia.

Still, police believe that an Indonesian IS fighter, Bahrum Naim, who is in Syria may have inspired and instigated the Jakarta attack.

'Harry Potter' cast, celebrities pay tribute to Alan RickmanA man of such talent, wicked charm and stunning screen & stage presence. "He will be sorely missed". Nobody could have played Snape better and it's a loss that will be hard to recover from.

The attackers were killed subsequently, either by their suicide vests or by police.

Police spokesman Anton Charliyan said another attacker, whose name was not revealed, was also a former terrorism convict.

Indonesians were shaken but refusing to be cowed a day aft...

In the course of six years without a major terrorist attack, Indonesia had grown more and more confident that it had stayed on top of any threat from Islamic militants. The group claimed responsibility for the blasts in online statements, but analysts said the attack caused significantly less damage than other coordinated attacks attributed to the group, such as the November rampage in Paris that left 130 dead. "Indonesia is a strong state".

"A large screen atop the building containing the Starbucks displayed messages that said "#prayforjakarta" and "Indonesia Unite".

U.K. Junior Doctors to Hold Talks Thursday to Avert More StrikesIf no resolution is found, there will be a 48-hour stoppage and the provision of emergency care only from 8am on 26 January. A third day of action on February 10 will see a full withdrawal of junior doctors between 8am and 5pm.

Source: Jakarta Attacks: Convicted Militant Named As Attacker

Three suspects arrested in Jakarta terror attacks

A police officer gives a hand signal to a squad mate as they search a building near the site of an explosion in Jakarta, Indonesia Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016.

The police chief said six grenades and one big bomb failed to be exploded in Thursday's attack. An additional 20 people were wounded.

It recalled comparisons of reactions to recent Paris attacks and wrote: "Like Lebanese citizens after the attacks in their capital, many Indonesians today asked themselves, 'Hey Facebook, where's our safety check?'" His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and his Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al- Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cable of condolences to the Indonesian President.

A hotline has also been established for the Vietnamese people to contact in case of emergency, according to Ambassador Tuan.

In the Paris attacks, some eight armed men killed 130 people when they struck at various public venues on November 13.

China Backs UN Security Council Response to North Korea Hydrogen Bomb TestKim is seeking to rally pride in an explosion viewed with outrage by much of the world and to boost his domestic political goals. Experts have concluded that the allegedly successful launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea was heavily edited.

An audacious bomb and gun attack on Westerners in the heart of Indonesia's capital was funded by ISIS, police said Friday after arresting three men on suspicion of links to the plot, seizing a militant flag from the home of one suspect.

But when Thursday's assault in central Jakarta was over, the death toll was much lower.

UNEP chief Achim Steiner said the organization "condemns in the strongest possible terms these senseless acts of terror". Attackers set off explosions at a Starbucks cafe in a bustling shopping... "[Thursday's] attack was a wake-up call", says Ansyaad Mbai, the former head of Indonesia's counterterrorism force.

Haiti added that while Naim is believed to be the mastermind of the attacks, police suspect a broader support apparatus in the country. Black armoured cars screeched to a halt in front of the Starbucks and sniper teams were deployed around the neighbourhood as helicopters buzzed overhead.

He was apprehended by Indonesian authorities in 2010 for illegal possession of ammunition and was brought to justice, the police chief said.

Pennsylvania girl fatally shot by constable evicting her familyMeyer was arraigned before District Judge Daniel McGuire by video. " Very kind, sweet kid ", a neighbour told WHTM . Ciara's father was taken to the Hershey Medical Center, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Islamist militants from those three countries have a record of working together and several Malaysians are known to have carried out suicide attacks in the Middle East.

Australian Attorney-General George Brandis, who was in Jakarta recently to bolster security coordination, told the Australian newspaper he had "no doubt" Islamic State was seeking to establish a "distant caliphate" in Indonesia.

The federal government updated its travel advisory for Jakarta in the aftermath of the attacks, advising Canadians to remain vigilant, follow the advice of local authorities and avoid the city's downtown area.

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, the vast majority of whom practise a moderate form of Islam.

Instead of highlighting that our region has Starbucks and McDonald's stores and its people do not live in trees, I wish the worldwide media emphasized that the world's largest Muslim country just suffered an abominable assault that may have been inspired by the Islamic State (IS) group.

Nobody Beats The Gwiz: Divisional PicksThe Pats, who started 10-0, finished on a 2-4 slide, including a Week 17 loss at Miami that cost them home-field advantage. The Panthers have the NFL's likely MVP in quarterback Cam Newton , who has accounted for 45 touchdowns this season .

The Islamic State group "is very sophisticated and professional in their militancy, in every sense of the word", said Liow.

On Tuesday, a Syrian suicide bomber killed 10 German tourists in Istanbul.

Speaking to reporters at the same hotel in London, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry echoed him.

Earlier, Bahrum Naim, an Indonesian believed to be fighting with IS in Syria, was named as the suspected co-ordinator. "This is an indication that he has been learning from the Paris attacks and he has studied the strategy", he said.

Tweets from the account of Jeremy Douglas, regional representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, described a bomb and "serious" exchanges of gunfire on the street outside his Jakarta office. "But it is a possibility".

Source: Three suspects arrested in Jakarta terror attacks

Islamic State 'definitely' behind Jakarta attack

"Islamic State fighters carried out an armed attack this morning targeting foreign nationals and the security forces charged with protecting them in the Indonesian capital", Aamaaq news agency, which is allied to the group, said on its Telegram channel.

Charliyan said that the group had earlier issued a cryptic warning, saying there would be a "concert in Indonesia", which had prompted police to beef up security ahead of New Year celebrations. Police added that around twenty people, including an Algerian, were wounded.

Witnesses to the carnage also on Thursday said a powerful explosion ripped through a branch of U.S. coffee giant Starbucks before at least one gunman emerged and began shooting at bystanders, reloading his weapon as police flooded the streets.

Suicide attackers struck the Indonesian capital on Thursday, with a series of explosions and gunfire that tore through a Starbucks cafe and shook an embassy district in the Muslim-majority nation.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Thursday's attack in central Jakarta left residents in Indonesia's capital in fear for about five hours, until police said the area was secure.

'Mad Max: Fury Road' is surprise contender for 2016 Oscars gloryGeorge Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" followed with 10 nominations, including best picture . The big film of the morning was " The Revenant " with 12 Oscar nominations.

"ISIS is behind this attack, definitely", he told reporters.

It "sounds like the Paris attack to me", Baer said.

The entire episode lasted about half an hour, Douglas said, and took place in a busy part of Jakarta's downtown that is populated with many offices, hotels and embassies.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said the attack should "strengthen our resolve to work effectively together to combat the scourge of terrorism".

The attackers responded with grenades and fired back, the police spokesman said. Later, Jakarta police spokesman Col. Muhammad Iqbal said four of the attackers were killed, and their bodies retrieved.

Bears OL Kyle Long headed to Pro BowlChicago Bears right tackle Kyle Long was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl on Thursday. Long endured a season full of ups and downs, as he moved from right guard to right tackle.

It also confirmed that all its Jakarta stores would be closed until further notice.

Jakarta police are searching for other suspects in the attack.

A candlelit protest has been held in Surabaya, Eastern Java island to condemn the attacks.

It is not yet clear what group was behind the assault, which President Joko Widodo called an "act of terror".

Gunshots were heard after the midmorning explosion in front of the Sarinah shopping mall and a police station.

Loonie Closes Below 70 Cents US For The First Time Since 2003However, it's a good time for you to purchase things in Canada as the USA dollar buys nearly a buck-70 Canadian. Howe Institute, says despite a low dollar and plummeting oil prices, there isn't "panic" in the marketplace.

"It's less than one-and-a-half kilometres to the palace, it's basically where the centre of government is", he said. "It was right across the street, kitty-corner to the office, about 100 metres", the 44-year-old told The Canadian Press. Terrorists haven't had the capacity to mount any major attacks since 2009, when suicide bombers attacked the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta.

Indonesia has been wary of the danger of Islamist militants in recent weeks.

Two alleged sympathizers of the Islamic State were arrested January 9 in Indonesia by the national police anti-terror squad.

Source: Islamic State 'definitely' behind Jakarta attack