Latest news with #ShiaMuslim
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bargain Hunt expert jailed for selling art to suspected Hezbollah financier
A former Bargain Hunt art expert has been jailed for two years and six months for failing to declare art he sold to a suspected financier of Hezbollah. In the first prosecution of its kind, Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, admitted eight counts under the Terrorism Act 2000 of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business before his sentencing at the Old Bailey on Friday. Hezbollah is a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK. Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Ojiri had been aware the art he had sold was to Nazem Ahmad, who had been sanctioned in 2019 by the US authorities. "These offences are so severe that only a custodial sentence can be justified," she said. The judge said: "You knew about Ahmad's suspected involvement in financing terrorism and the way the art market can be exploited by people like him." "Your hard work, talent and charisma has brought you a great deal of success... you knew you should not have been dealing with that man," she told the court. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said there was no evidence Ojiri supported any form of extremism but that his conduct undermined the detection of terrorist financing. Gavin Irwin, representing Ojiri, said the art expert's "humiliation is complete" with the star losing "his good name" and the "work he loves." "He'd like to apologise for undermining trust" in the art market, Mr Irwin said, adding Ojiri had been naïve. Profiting from an individual who funds terrorism is an extremely serious matter, said Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command. "Raising money for terrorism is a core part of how terrorist groups are then able to cause harm around the world," he added. Ojiri's motivation appeared "to be financial along with a broader desire to boost his gallery's reputation within the art market by dealing with such a well-known collector," said Bethan David, head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division. "This prosecution is believed to be the first of its kind, and the CPS will not hesitate to bring criminal charges against individuals who flout the law in this way." So how did an art expert, famous for appearing on UK daytime television get mixed up in funding Hezbollah? Financial investigators working in a specialised counter-terrorism unit at Scotland Yard had been tracking a series of suspicious transactions between the Middle East and London. Working with HMRC and colleagues in the Metropolitan Police's art and antiques unit, they focused on nine payments made in 2020 and 2021 by a man called Nazem Ahmad. He was sanctioned in 2019 by US authorities because he is believed to be a top donor to Lebanon-based Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim political and military group, which is backed by Iran and banned as a terrorist organisation by the US and UK. Hezbollah used Ahmad, who has joint Lebanese-Belgian nationality, "to launder substantial amounts of money bound for the terrorist group", according to the US Treasury department. It claims Ahmad has longstanding ties with the illegal trade in "blood diamonds", a reference to how diamonds are sometimes used to fund armed conflict and insurgencies. US authorities are offering a $10m reward for information about Ahmad, who is thought to still be in Lebanon. Authorities in the US claim Ahmad, 60, who has a vast art collection worth millions of pounds, opened an art gallery in his home city Beirut as a front to launder money. Transactions uncovered by UK police showed that Ahmad paid nearly £140,000 for works, which he had shipped from London to Dubai and Beirut. He bought them from Ojiri, including a £20,000 painting by Icelandic artist Baldur Helgason. Ojiri founded Ramp Gallery, now known as the Ojiri Gallery, based in east London. He came to public prominence with appearances in the BBC series Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, before hitting the big time on Bargain Hunt, in 2019. He has also appeared on Channel 5's Storage: Flog the Lot! In 2021, he joined Antiques Road Trip where he scoured antique shops for treasures, competing to make the most money at auction and always wearing one of his trademark hats. By this time, he had made several secret sales of art to the Hezbollah financier. Although he was careful to keep Ahmad's name off the paperwork, officers in the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit tracked the money to Ojiri and, in April 2023, police arrested him. On the same day the Treasury sanctioned Ahmad and banned him from travelling to the UK. The US authorities also charged Ahmad with defrauding the US and foreign governments, money laundering and sanctions evasion, claiming companies connected to him had been engaged in more than $400m worth of financial transactions between 2020 and 2022. As part of the American case, the Met police arrested a man living in Hayes, west London, for extradition to the US. Sundar Nagarajan is now awaiting trial in New York, accused of acting as Ahmad's accountant and advisor. At first, Ochuko Ojiri refused to answer police questions, but in a prepared statement he said he had no reason to believe Ahmad was a terrorist and money launderer. But evidence seized from his phone showed he had researched who Ahmad was and knew he had been sanctioned by the US. A colleague had even messaged to warn him against doing business with Ahmad. His arrest came after people working in the art market were brought into the regulated sector in 2019, meaning they were bound by anti-money laundering and terrorist financing measures to report suspicious transactions or face prosecution. Presented with such damning evidence, Ojiri said he was sorry for what he had done and told police he had wanted to grow his business. He denied being motivated by greed and said it was the kudos of dealing with a name in the collecting world. Ahmad's Instagram account had 200,000 followers at that time and he was seen as a social media influencer in the art world. Ojiri was charged under a section of the Terrorism Act 2000 that has never been used before. Police hope it will send a clear message to those doing business in the art world. "You will need to make sure you are doing your due diligence," Cdr Murphy said. Last year, the National Crime Agency issued an amber alert warning that storage facilities for artwork could be used by criminals "seeking a capital asset that can be safely stored, that appreciates in value over time, and that can be liquidated if and when required". It followed the seizure of 23 paintings, worth almost £1m, from a warehouse and an auction house in London. The art, which included work by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, belonged to Ahmad. It will soon be sold off at auction as the proceeds of crime and the money raised will go to the Home Office to be used in the fight against crime.
Mint
28-05-2025
- Mint
Wadi al-Salam: World's largest graveyard that looks like a living city
A video shared by Indian travel influencer Ankita Kumar, known by her Instagram handle has brought renewed attention to the world's largest cemetery — Wadi Al-Salam, or the 'Valley of Peace' - located in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq. In the striking video, a sprawling sea of beige box-like structures fills the frame, resembling an urban skyline. This video opens to show a vast, tightly packed landscape that, at first glance, resembles a dense urban settlement — rows upon rows of boxy, beige structures crammed closely together under a clear blue sky. But a closer look reveals that it's not a residential area at all — it's a graveyard,' she shared with her followers. What appears to be a labyrinthine cityscape is, in fact, a necropolis of monumental scale — the final resting place of over six million people, and one of the most sacred sites in the Shia Muslim world. Read | Broken bones, eating in cemetery: Researchers discover ancient human skeletons, revealing mysteries of Medieval women Located in Najaf, one of Islam's holiest cities, Wadi Al-Salam spans more than 917 hectares, or over 1,700 football fields, making it the largest burial ground in the world, a title formally recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records. The cemetery occupies nearly 13 per cent of Najaf's land and is expanding steadily, with a 2021 Reuters report noting that it is growing at twice its usual rate. Wadi Al-Salam is deeply significant both culturally and spiritually. According to UNESCO, it is home to the graves of dozens of prophets, scientists, kings and royals, some dating back to antiquity. The cemetery's origins precede the Middle Ages, and among those buried here are rulers of the Al-Hira kingdom, leaders from the Al-Sassani era, and sultans and princes from historic Islamic dynasties such as the Hamdania, Fatimia, Al-Buwayhyia, Saffawayia, Qajar, and Jalairiyah. Central to its religious importance is the tomb of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Mohammad and a revered figure in Shia Islam. His burial here elevates the site to a place of global pilgrimage. Every year, nearly 50,000 people from across the Shia Muslim world are laid to rest in Wadi Al-Salam. UNESCO describes the site as a 'unique example of a cultural tradition' and a 'traditional method of land use'. Its vast expanse of tombs and mausoleums stands as a testament to centuries of religious devotion, architectural tradition, and funerary practice. From above, the cemetery appears almost surreal. Rows of beige stone structures, tightly packed and uniform, give the illusion of a densely populated city — an impression vividly illustrated in Kumar's viral video. On the ground, it feels even more like a maze. The cemetery features a mix of lower graves dug directly into the earth and high graves, also known as towers, contributing to its architectural density and disorienting scale. Despite its spiritual and historical grandeur, burial in Wadi Al-Salam remains relatively affordable. A report by AFP noted that the cost of digging a grave is about $100, while tombstones typically range between $170 and $200.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kneecap member charged with terror offence
A member of Irish language hip-hop group Kneecap has been charged with a terror offence after allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, has been charged by the Metropolitan Police after an incident on 21 November 2024 at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London. Mr Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday 18 June. Officers from the Met's counter terrorism command were made aware on 22 April of an online video from the event. Belfast man Mr Ó hAnnaidh has been charged under the name Liam O'Hanna. An investigation was carried out, which led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising charge. Earlier this month, the Met said it would investigate online videos allegedly showing the group calling for the death of British MPs and shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah". Both Hamas and Hezbollah are banned in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them. Hezbollah is a Shia Muslim political and military group in Lebanon which has been involved in a series of violent conflicts. Kneecap say they have never supported Hamas or Hezbollah and would not incite violence against any individual. They say the video in question has been taken out of context. A number of gigs featuring the band have been called off since the videos emerged. They are currently scheduled to headline Wide Awake festival in Brockwell Park, south London, on Friday. Kneecap are an Irish-speaking rap trio who have courted controversy with their provocative lyrics and merchandise. The group was formed in 2017 by three friends who go by the stage names of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí. Their rise to fame inspired a semi-fictionalised film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender. The film won a British Academy of Film Award (Bafta) in February 2025. In April, the group faced criticism and commercial consequences after displaying messages about the war in Gaza during their set at US music festival Coachella last month. They were dropped by their sponsor and booking agent Independent Artist Group (IAG) and former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne called for Kneecap's US work visas to be revoked. Following this, footage emerged from previous gigs, which were investigation by counter-terrorism officers. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch shared one of the videos and renewed her criticism of the Labour government for last year settling a legal case brought by the group. It related to a decision Badenoch made when she was a minister to withdraw an arts grant. Kneecap 'kill MP' footage being assessed by police Kneecap say statement at Coachella 'not aggressive' after criticism We like people to get riled up - Kneecap
New York Post
08-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Inside Yemen's Houthi militants: What they believe and how they threaten the West as part of Iran's ‘axis of resistance'
When President Trump announced Yemen's Houthi militants had agreed to lay down their arms and would no longer disrupt shipping in the Red Sea earlier this week, the terrorist group was quick to point out the ceasefire did not include their arch enemy, Israel. The Islamic fundamentalist group, said to number 20,000 fighters, have been amassing weapons and learning tactics – largely through their main backers, Iran – which have pulled them from a small regional faction into striking international targets. The group is more powerful than most people realize, having launched more than 100 attacks in the Red Sea Since November 2023 on both military and commercial vessels off the coast of Yemen, significantly disrupting global trade. Advertisement 6 Houthi terrorists fired a missile that hit just outside the Ben Gurion International Airport on the outskirts of Tel Aviv earlier this week. Israel responded with strikes against the Sanaa airport in the Yemeni capital as well as the country's Hodeidah port. Xinhua/Shutterstock After barrages of missile and drone attacks, earlier this week the Houthis fired a missile which landed near Israel's main civilian airport on the outskirts of Tel Aviv — an attack over a distance of 1,500 miles. It prompted retaliatory airstrikes on the airport in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, 'fully disabling' it, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Three people died in the attack, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV. Airstrikes by the UK and US militaries against the Houthis have taken place since 2024, with renewed and more intense operations since March 15 this year, hitting over 1,000 targets including facilities where drones are manufactured, fuel depots and supply chains. Among the Houthis targets in the red sea have been the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. Tensions have been high between Israel and the Houthis since the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks on Israel that left 1,200 Israelis dead. The Houthis claim they target any ship linked to Israel and its allies, including those of the US and UK, but in practice have targeted many vessels not associated with the country. Advertisement Also known as 'Ansar Allah' (supporters of God), the Houthis are a Zaidi Shia Muslim sect which emerged in the 1990s. They only gained international notoriety in September 2014 when they took over Sanaa by force. 6 Yemenis brandish weapons during a demonstration ordered by Houthi terrorists last month. AFP via Getty Images They now control swaths of territory in the northern part of the country although 'a very weak Yemeni government' – backed by regional Sunni Muslim allies, including Saudi Arabia – is still in place in the south, a military analyst said. Advertisement Yemen is roughly 65 percent Sunni Muslim, while the rest is a mixture of different Shia Muslim cults, backed by Iran, the region's Shia superpower. 'They are a terrorist state within a state,' said John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, comparing the Houthis hold in Yemen to Hezbollah's control over parts of Lebanon. Zaidi Shia, a practice almost exclusively practiced in Yemen, subscribes to the belief that the imam, the top religious leader, obtains leadership through religious learning rather than through a divine designation. The Houthis are fiercely anti-American and anti-Israeli and very hardline in their beliefs. 'They want to bring back the caliphate,' Spencer told The Post, referring to an Islamic form of government. Among their slogans is 'God is great, death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory to Islam.' Advertisement The group has aligned itself with Iran's Axis of Resistance, a web of terrorist groups that includes Hezbollah and Hamas. 6 Houthis have mobilized child soldiers — some as young as 13 — in the battle against the Yemeni government. AFP via Getty Images The Houthis have a military edge in terms of their geographic position near important ports and shipping routes and use of Iranian-made weapons to 'threaten everyone's shipping' in the Red Sea — a major route connecting Asia and Europe, Spencer said. 'They've been punching above their weight in the alliance of terror proxies,' said Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. 'They are the only Iranian proxy to have anti-ship ballistic missiles and have moved to the front of the line of the Islamic Republic's proxies, especially after the collapse of [Bashir] Assad in Syria and the neutering of Hezbollah and Hamas [in Lebanon and Gaza respectively].' 6 The ongoing civil war in Yemen has resulted in a humanitarian emergency with a collapsed economy and an estimated 17 million people on the verge of starvation, according to the UN. Getty Images In addition to their control of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the Houthis have waged a military campaign against Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen to the north. The battle has been raging since the Houthis first accused the Saudis of backing the government in Sanaa during Yemen's civil war, which turned into a national conflict when the Houthis laid siege to the capital a decade ago. Advertisement The armed struggle has resulted in dire economic and humanitarian crises that have left nearly 400,000 dead, and 4.5 million displaced from their homes, according to United Nations statistics. More than 17 million in the country live with 'acute hunger,' according to the UN's World Food Program. In 2022, a UN-brokered truce with Oman ended most of the fighting between the Houthis and Saudis, but Houthi terrorists have continued to attack ships on the Red Sea, according to reports. 6 Houthi fighters inspect the area of a US air strike in the Yemeni capital Sanaa in March. AFP via Getty Images In March, the US State Department designated the Houthis a terrorist organization — after various flip-flopping about their designation during the Biden administration. Advertisement 'The Islamic Republic free rides on grievances in the Muslim world,' said Ben Taleblu, adding that Iranian leaders used the civil war in Yemen to recruit the Houthis as proxies. For their part, the Houthis are using the conflict in Gaza in order to strike out against Israel, he said. 'I don't think the Houthis think much of the Palestinians but it's a convenient excuse to attack Israel,' said Spencer. 6 Houthi supporters raise an image of their leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi. He took over the movement after the death of his brother, who was killed by Yemeni security forces in 2004. Getty Images Advertisement Like other Iranian proxies, the Houthis have recruited children as young as 13 to be soldiers — a war crime, according to Human Rights Watch. Although they have actively recruited children since 2009, the practice grew exponentially since October 7, the human rights group said. The group is led by Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the brother of the group's founder Hussein al-Houthi, who was killed by Yemeni security forces in 2004. And they talk out of two sides of their mouth, analysts say. When President Trump announced the Houthis 'just don't want to fight' anymore, leaders immediately took to Al Jazeera to say they will still be on the attack against Israel. 'It's a way for the Islamic Republic to divide the US from Israel,' said Ben Taleblu, adding that the Saudis have 'real doubts' about the US commitment to them. 'It's part of their [Iran's] playbook to put distance between America and its partners in the Persian Gulf.'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump mulls renaming Persian Gulf as Gulf of Arabia
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he's considering trying to change the name of the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Arabia or the Arabian Gulf. Trump said he's going to make a final decision on the issue after a briefing by advisers and before leaving on a three-day trip to the Middle East next week. 'They're going to ask me about that when I get there and I'll have to make a decision,' Trump told reporters at an unrelated White House event. The Associated Press reported that Trump would announce the U.S. is making the change, citing two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. Any effort to rename the body of water would likely deeply anger Iran, which was historically called Persia, and perhaps other Middle Eastern states as well. It could also throw a monkey wrench into sensitive talks between the U.S. and Tehran over its nuclear program. 'Politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned,' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media. 'It will only bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the U.S. and across the world.' The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of 'Gulf of Arabia' and 'Arabian Gulf' is common in many countries in the Middle East. The U.S. military for years has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf. Trump can change the name that the U.S. uses to refer to the gulf, which separates Iran from Saudi Arabia and other state, but he can't dictate what the rest of the world calls it. The International Hydrographic Organization is mandated with ensuring all the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly The move comes as Trump seeks to bolster ties with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in the Gulf region, which are Sunni Muslim nations and strong historic rivals to Shia Muslim Iran. Trump plans to leave Monday on the trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. He is reportedly considering adding a stop in Israel. The decision comes months after Trump proclaimed that the U.S. would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. He has sought to force news outlets to also use his preferred name and Republicans in Congress are seeking to pass a law enforcing that switch. _____
