One dead as scores escape in Philippine prison break

The authorities suspect the gunmen are linked to Islamist separatist groups. Dozens of armed men stormed the jail and engaged in a shootout with guards, as prisoners fled in the chaos. One guard was killed and an inmate injured. The Philippines, which is predominantly Catholic, has battled separatists in the south for decades, amid kidnappings, […]

German Interior Minister Calls for Security Overhaul After Berlin Christmas Market Attack

Germany is attempting to bolster it’s defences against terrorism. A task that is not easy since the country’s past gets in the way -Vasilis Chronopoulos. BERLIN—Germany’s top security official on Tuesday proposed giving more power to federal authorities to fill gaps laid bare by last month’s terror attack in Berlin, outlining a strategy that sparked debate in […]

Syrian suspected of planning truck attack in Germany arrested: Prosecutors

A Syrian migrant who arrived in Germany two years ago has been arrested on suspicion of seeking funds from Islamic State to drive truck bombs into a crowd, a German state prosecutor’s office said on Monday. The arrest follows an attack two weeks ago when a Tunisian whose asylum request had been rejected rammed a […]

Big Phil’s War: Fighting ISIS (Part One)

A lot of people have been asking me about the film I made for Sky Atlantic – Big Phil’s War: Fighting ISIS – how it came about and whether there will be another one? To answer the last question first – yes, but getting these things together is hard, so you’ll have to wait a […]

Scores killed in Baghdad as militants strike with multiple car bombs

IRBIL, Iraq — Five car bombs detonated in the Iraqi capital on Monday, marking a bloody start to the year as Iraq attempts to squeeze Islamic State militants from their last remaining territory in the country. Sixty-four people were killed in the attacks, according to a security official from Baghdad Operations Command, who spoke on […]

Syrian water wars: Damascus still without water as battle for springs enters endgame

Did al-Qaeda orchestrate a mass chemical attack on Damascus’ water supply? Did the Syrian government bomb its own water station? The final battle to oust control of a key water facility from insurgents is now underway and the fog of war is thick as civilians attempt to ration this most basic element of survival. Over four million people […]

ISIS claims responsibility for deadly New Year’s Eve Istanbul attack

ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack on an Istanbul nightclub Saturday night that left thirty-nine people dead and seventy hospitalized. People from at least fourteen countries gathered in the Reina nightclub over the weekend to celebrate the coming of the new year.  Conflicting witness reports suggest that a single shooter entered the club shortly […]

Turkey ‘close to identifying Istanbul gunman’ as eight suspects detained

The latest evidence, such as fingerprints, photos taken from CCTV and probably the information provided by eight individuals detained for connection to the attack make the Turkish authorities believe, that they are close in the capture of the New Year’s nightclub attacker   -Vasilis Chronopoulos Turkish officials say they are close to identifying the gunman who killed […]

Gunman kills 39 in Istanbul nightclub, manhunt under way

A gunman opened fire on New Year revelers at a packed nightclub on the shores of Istanbul’s Bosphorus waterway on Sunday killing at least 39 people, including many foreigners, then fled the scene. Some people jumped into the Bosphorus to save themselves after the attacker began shooting at random in the Reina nightclub just over […]

Baghdad blasts kill 29 as Mosul fighting intensifies

Three bombs killed 29 people in Baghdad on Saturday as fighting intensified in the northern city of Mosul, where Iraqi government forces are trying to rout Islamic State militants from their last major stronghold in the country. Blasts, including one suicide attack, tore through a busy market in the Sinak neighborhood, police said. A pro-Islamic […]

UK minister sees threat of Islamic State chemical attack in Britain

Ben Wallace, the UK security minister, expressed his concerns about a possible chemical attack by Daesh militants in the UK in a interview he gave in Sunday Times. – Vasilis Chronopoulos. Islamic State militants have aspirations to launch mass-casualty chemical attacks on targets in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, the British security minister said in a newspaper […]