Law & Paneir

Introduction Last Sunday, Sri Lanka was under siege. Following a highly coordinated series of terrorist attacks targeting churches and hotels, more than 300 people were killed leaving nearly 500 injured. This is the worst terrorist attack aimed at civilians following the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war in 2009. In a span of 60 days two deadly terrorist attacks have transpired at places of worship….New Zealand and Sri Lanka, totalling hundreds of people. The striking parallel between these two attacks is the timing and location coupled with the lack of coordination between intelligence and security agencies. The perpetrators in both attacks chose a significant day for these religions to carry out their attacks. As I continue to emphasise, terrorists are elusive by intent. They are unpredictable and dangerous. They will find the means to execute their ‘mission’ in any way. According to US intelligence agencies, more terrorist attacks are believed to follow in the near future. I...

By  Gerald Pillai and R.Paneir Selvam The Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris which took place in January of 2015 placed France under siege for three days. The attacks were carried out by the Islamic fundamentalist group branding themselves as the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). It was regarded as the vilest paroxysm of terrorism on French soil since the Algerian War and was promptly labelled as France’s 9/11. AQAP’s magazine  ‘Inspire’  had explicitly listed  Charlie Hebdo  and its editor in chief as targets. There were documented reports on the brothers who had visited Yemen, a breeding ground for terrorists highlighted by National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The inaction of relevant agencies to monitor and detain them had led to the siege. In November that same year, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks occurred in Paris, where suicide bombers and gunmen killed and seriously injured some 500 people, ecli...