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Updated 12.00pm
EUROPE IS ON high alert today as the suspected mastermind of a jihadist cell in Belgium remains at large.
In the wake of the deadly attacks in France and anti-terror raids in Belgium, EU foreign ministers are to meet in Brussels to discuss ways to boost cooperation to combat the threat posed by radicalised Europeans returning home after fighting in Iraq and Syria.
Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, is attending today’s meeting, which comes as the bloc prepares for a special leaders’ summit on February 12 dedicated to fighting terrorism.
High alert
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Flanagan said
“We need strong partnership between Member States as well as cooperation between the EU and third countries and organisations in the Middle East and elsewhere. The recent appalling terrorist attacks in France and Nigeria remind us that terrorism does not respect borders.”
He said that it was important to have a policy of integration, so that people can be dissuaded from taking part in fighting abroad.
He said he is satisfied from discussions with the Minister for Justice that every effort is being made to monitor the activities of people from Ireland travelling to fight in conflict countries. He said that the Minister Frances Fitzgerald is updated on a daily basis by the gardaí.
Flanagan said that every effort is being made to ensure that “we are fully aware of any threat” but said that “obviously it is difficult to give guarantees”.
Ireland remains alert
He added that any threat to Ireland is low, but said it is important to remain on alert.
Today’s meeting will give countries the opportunity to talk about making greater improvements in co-ordination, the exchange of information and data, said Flanagan.
With tensions heightened, the second gunman in the attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine, which killed 12 people, was buried discreetly in an unmarked grave near Paris late Saturday in the hope that it would not become a pilgrimage site for radical Islamists.
Meanwhile, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, considered the brains behind the cell plotting to kill Belgian police, was still on the run days after the group was dismantled by intelligence services.
But the probe appeared to be progressing with Belgian federal prosecutors announcing they would seek the extradition of a suspect arrested in Athens on Saturday “who could be linked” to the cell.
Protests
In Germany, police banned a rally by the anti-Islamic PEGIDA movement and other open-air gatherings planned for today in the eastern city of Dresden, saying there was a “concrete threat” of an attack against its leadership.
The group claimed the threat came from the Islamic State group based in Syria and Iraq, with local media reporting that PEGIDA’s most prominent leader Lutz Bachmann was the target.
The PEGIDA marches have grown steadily since they began in October and drew a record 25,000 people last Monday in the wake of the Paris attacks that left 17 people dead.
The anti-Islamic rallies have spread to other European countries as well, with the first Danish PEGIDA march to take place in Copenhagen on today. Organisers said they were expecting some 300 people.
Separately, a French court on Sunday prevented a rally by anti-Islamist groups in Paris on the grounds that they were promoting Islamophobia.
Meanwhile in a New York Times op-ed, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen urged the government to denounce as “Islamists” the perpetrators of the Paris attacks.
“France, land of human rights and freedoms, was attacked on its own soil by a totalitarian ideology: Islamic fundamentalism,” Le Pen wrote.
Cherif Kouachi, one of two brothers who attacked satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on January 7, was buried in Gennevilliers, a day after the funeral of his older brother Said in the northeastern city of Reims.
The family, including Cherif Kouachi’s widow, kept away from the funeral, the mayor’s office said.
The brothers were shot dead by police after a three-day manhunt following their attack on Charlie Hebdo, which had enraged many Muslims around the world with its repeated publication of cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammed.
Anger erupted in a string of majority Muslim countries after the magazine responded to the attack by running another caricature last week, showing the prophet under the headline “All Is Forgiven”.
The worst unrest was in Niger, where at least 10 people were killed and several churches torched over two days of rioting.
Fresh protests broke out Sunday in Pakistan where thousands gathered in almost all major cities, including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, chanting angry slogans and burning French flags.
Charlie Hebdo
Charlie Hebdo’s chief editor has defended the cartoons.
“Every time we draw a cartoon of Mohammed, every time we draw a cartoon of prophets, every time we draw a cartoon of God, we defend the freedom of religion,” Gerard Biard told NBC’s “Meet the Press” programme.
The weekly has sold 2.7 million copies of the post-killings “survivors’ issue” in France alone and said it would extend its print run to seven million copies — exponentially more than the weekly’s normal circulation of 60,000.
French police are meanwhile still questioning nine people arrested Friday on suspicion of providing logistical support to Amedy Coulibaly, another Islamist gunman who claimed to be working with the Kouachi brothers.
Coulibaly killed four Jews in a siege at a Paris kosher supermarket on January 9 before being shot dead by police.
© – AFP 2015 Additional reporting Christina Finn
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Definitely time the banks update their systems. This is getting way too common. The fees have gone up, start using them to provide a service!
Most of the banks systems are ok. It’s just ulster bank who’s systems are outdated but will cost millions to update
Karl
Did you not hear of the Bank of Ireland problems?
THIS! Most banks still use mainframes for a lot of their nightly transactions. They need to rebuild!
Its Ulcer bank at this stage for its customers…
Perhaps if they try to FIX the problem rather than FOX it
as in your headline,the customers will be happier!
Thanks for pointing that out :) I’ve FIXED it now.
You FOX Michelle and your fixing !
Continually having computer problems, yet continually increasing fees. Left them a year ago, terrible bank to deal with.
Couldn’t have had a different experience with them myseflf. There was an issue about a year ago that was an inconvenience but I’ve never had another issue with them and always found their staff so helpful with everything. Mobile banking is down at the moment but you can still log on through normal means as well as using the full website through your mobile device. Very minor inconvenience unless you want to be offended by it.
Never took offence to them, just got fed up paying through the nose for a service they couldn’t supply. You obviously weren’t affected when their computer systems went belly up for weeks, direct debits were being taken out twice, wages not going in etc. a joke of a bank.
Yes I lost track of how much was in my account for a few days but it got sorted and they reimbursed me for two transactions that hadn’t happened! I pay no fees at all for my banking thankfully and they have branches open on a Saturday! Like I said some people go out of their way to be upset!
Ulster bank is one of the better banks surprisingly enough. They were the last to raise their fees and they’ve a good rep for business banking.
Had to leave AIB after 12 years with them – so rude and their fees were rocketing.
Believe me Ted I haven’t got time to go out of my way and get upset with a bank. Way to busy to be checking accounts all the time in case they’ve made more mistakes. That’s why they lost me and hundreds of other customers over the last year or two. I guess some people put up with bad service and some don’t. Like I said, a joke of a bank.
Thank god I’m not one of their 600 customers
Well I am a customer and I’m praying to Joe Pesci that they get it sorted soon
Call those 2 Canadian kids to sort it out.
I remember the good old days when banks used to at least pretend that they were looking after their customers,
when mobile banking was a lorry with a teller in the back.
I’m off to the credit union thanks.
No fee internet banking, direct debit, cash card facilities
run by volunteers who don’t cost us €100 billion every 20 years or so.
Feckin’ shower of bankers…!
HACKERS !
All those screenshots are from UK customers (Ulster bank in NI, RBS in UK).
Is there any proof of ROI customers affected?
NI is part of the UK. RBS in GB.
Meant to say that!
Thank god I left them after the last major F up. Their I.T section is absolutely useless
Working now – first thing I notice is the direct debits have been taken. Back to normal, or what passes for it in a nationalised bank.
Ulster Bank couldn’t find their arse with both hands and a map !
Ulster Bank still use pen and paper. I rang today told by them my loan was with collections because it was in arrears. I said it couldn’t be and it’s most likely in credit. On hold for 36 mins while some eejit worked it out manually. At the end and after telling me 3 iMessage that I was in arrears the first eejit tells me I’m in credit and my account has been removed from arrears. They are a joke of a bank and shouldn’t even be in business.
Can they please change their debit cards. Such bad quality.
have your say