Six unarmed men prevented “veritable carnage”, as France’s president put it, by tackling a Kalashnikov-wielding terrorist on a European train last week. They overpowered the 25-year-old Moroccan, Ayoub El Khazzani, who had already shot one passenger. They disarmed him and trussed him up like an oven-ready chicken.
One of the men, an off-duty US airman, nearly lost a thumb. All of them – American, British, French – risked their lives. They were lavished with French medals and much praise in America and European capitals and made headlines around the world. Everyone agreed that something significant had occurred that Friday and that it went beyond the heart-warming fact of extraordinary, death-defying, selfless heroism by ordinary people.
It is being read as an important lesson in how to live in an age of ever-present and escalating security alerts. In the sense that everyone must now accept that they are a conscript in what has been called the “forever war on terror”. In the popular idiom, everyone must be psychologically prepared to have a go at a presumed “bad guy” in a world in which freelance operatives are on the loose.
This is mostly because of the mutation of the extremist threat. In The New Threat, published today, British journalist and author Jason Burke describes the unpredictable, low-tech, self-starting atrocities that can happen anywhere as a "leaderless jihad". It is a different entity from the better defined, more centred movement of the 1990s and early 21st century, he says, and is difficult to properly identify, prevent or stamp out because it is less organised and more sporadic.
He has a point. The leaderless jihad can never really be fought by professional militaries because the ongoing conflict has no defined frontline and no particular rules of engagement. It is often waged in the chaos of big cities, which sociologist Saskia Sassen described after the 2008 Mumbai attacks as the location for “a new kind of multi-sited war” that is asymmetric, partial, intermittent and will have no armistice to mark its end.
Or as French former field intelligence agent Claude Moniquet soberly stressed after the train incident: “Our societies must accept the very fact that we are at war with an enemy which counts dozens of thousands of ‘soldiers’, has an international presence (including inside our own borders), could at any moment attack any target in any country and is not afraid to shed innocent blood.”
Every week brings new warnings about the imminence of violence and it is in this context that a mass conscription mindset becomes an inevitable, if disturbing development with profound implications for social cohesiveness and stereotyping.
Just last week, Belgian Abdellah Noumane who has been in Syria for two years, declared on WhatsApp that “libraries, schools, hospitals, shopping centres and even nightclubs” in his home country were the new targets because “we no longer care about all the discussions regarding innocent victims”.
And security experts in Spain, where El Khazzani had lived for years, now say they believe that roughly 800 potential terrorists have returned to Europe after fighting or training with ISIL in Syria and Iraq. They are “not especially well trained”, the Spanish said, but “they are prepared to do anything and once they have been indoctrinated, they receive minimal training in the use of weapons”.
This is chilling stuff and the lack of training provides no comfort. Those who thwarted El Khazzani said he did not seem to be particularly well-trained in using his firearms. The terrorists who attacked tourists in Tunisia’s Bardo Museum and on the beach in Sousse were similarly bumbling.
According to intelligence estimates, about 6,000 Europeans are, or were involved in the fighting in Syria, which is to say they are known to have headed there. Some may have been killed in action, some still may be with their comrades in arms and some could be in transit to or from Europe. That makes for a relatively large number of active ISIL-supporters with ties to Europe, and then there are those who provide logistics.
Obviously governments cannot monitor all of them or even low-life vagrants like El Khazzani, who was on the authorities’ radar in three countries because it was suspected that he had been radicalised. Belgian interior minister Jan Jambon freely admits as much. Belgian intelligence, he said, had kept an eye on El Khazzani, but he was not “shadowed around the clock”, as there were just too many targets to track. As is customary after an incident, the French government has promised tighter security and improved vigilance, but in truth, it is already on a high terror alert.
This is why a people’s fightback – individuals making a stand against freelance extremists – assumes significance. “The lesson would be to do something … don’t just stand by and watch,” US student Anthony Sadler, one of the six men who disarmed El Khazzani, later said.
It is a message that governments may be increasingly anxious to promote. The BBC’s longtime Paris correspondent, Hugh Schofield, explained after the drama on the train that Mr Hollande’s extravagant praise for the six men was an attempt to shift individual behaviour away from passive fear. Standing up to fight “will shift the psychological battle in favour of our societies (and) governments know this”, Schofield said.
Perhaps. This would fundamentally change citizens’ post-9/11 responsibility from “see something, say something” to “see something, do something”. With all the inherent risks of any call to vigilantism.
Rashmee Roshan Lall is an itinerant writer on world affairs
On Twitter: @rashmeerl
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
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Rating: 5/5
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The%20specs%3A%20Taycan%20Turbo%20GT
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
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About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
