Muslims Push Back Against Extreme IS Brutality

The sophisticated way Islamic State has used social media strategies to promote its brutal campaign of terror has been seen as one of the defining hallmarks of the new threat facing the West.

Twitter, YouTube and a host of lesser known apps have been used to spread the group's propaganda - dominated by the ruthless beheadings of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning.

Yet the group's mastery of modern technology as a means to communicate with potential followers is now threatening to undermine it.

Mr Henning was captured by IS in Syria

The first videos posted by the terror group earlier this year showed them as freedom fighters riding tanks and pick-up trucks through the desert.

But later posts depicted the group in a much darker light, murdering hundreds of locals in Syria and Iraq as fighters advanced through large tracts of land, taking over towns and villages, killing anyone who refused to convert to Islam, or who opposed their ideology.

Video: Henning Murder 'Backfired' On IS

As shocking as those events undoubtedly were, for many in the West the true horror of the terror group only hit home after it began beheading its Western hostages and posting those videos online.

Each death attracted global condemnation, but it was the plight of Salford taxi driver Alan Henning that captured most attention.

All sections of society, all colours, all religions united to appeal for Mr Henning's release.

Video: Social Media Aiding Terrorists

Nowhere were those voices louder, than in Britain's Muslim communities, an uncompromising assertion that Alan Henning was a force for good and that Islamic State should show him mercy.

Sulaimaan Samuel, a safeguarding mentor for the Government's anti-extremism programme, says Islamic State's decision to murder the charity worker was a turning point, a realisation that the this terror group had no redeeming qualities.

It will in turn he says, deter many young people, who may have considered heading off to Syria, to think twice - the taxi driver's death he says, may have saved thousands of lives.

Video: How Is Islamic State Funded?

No one doubts Islamic State's tech-savvy young jihadists and their new media expertise have helped attract hundreds to their cause.

But their eagerness to broadcast their extreme brutality has also had an unintended consequence for IS - triggering a significant push back from the wider Muslim community.

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GCHQ Chief Says Social Media Aids Terrorists

The new head of GCHQ has accused social media websites of helping terror groups and called for closer ties with intelligence agencies.

Robert Hannigan, who began his new role at the UK's eavesdropping agency on Monday, said US technology companies must work more closely with intelligence agencies to prevent terrorists from misusing their services to avoid surveillance.

In an article in the Financial Times, he said: "However much they [tech companies] may dislike it, they have become the command and control networks of choice for terrorists and criminals, who find their services as transformational as the rest of us."

Robert Hannigan wants closer ties between tech firms and security agencies

He added that GCHQ, MI5 and SIS "cannot tackle these challenges at scale without greater support ... including [from] the largest US tech companies which dominate the web".

Islamic State militants have been using the likes of Twitter and YouTube to post material online, including videos of the murders of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning and US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in Syria.

Video: How Is Islamic State Funded?

Mr Hannigan said that smartphone and other mobile technologies increased the opportunities for terrorist activity to be concealed in the wake of the exposing of secret cables and documents collected by US and UK authorities by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

He called for better arrangements to allow security and intelligence agencies to police online traffic.

Jamie Bartlett, author of the book The Dark Net: Inside The Digital Underworld, said it was a difficult issue for internet service providers.

He told Sky News: "It is incredibly difficult for them [intelligence agencies] and the police and indeed on the big internet service providers to actually get a handle on just how much propaganda, how much material is being produced and shared by Islamic State and other terrorist groups on these platforms.

"What we've seen with Islamic State and indeed every other terrorist group is quite a sophisticated way of avoiding censorship.

"Islamic State has been really very good at creating hundreds of different accounts on Twitter and Facebook and every time they're closed down, they simply start again."

Emma Carr, director of Big Brother Watch, denied internet companies were failing to assist in investigations.

She said: "The Government and agencies have consistently failed to provide evidence that internet companies are being actively obstructive.

"These companies have consistently proved through their own transparency reports that they help the intelligence agencies when it is appropriate for them to do so, which is in the vast majority of cases."

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Henning Murder 'Turned Tide' On IS Recruitment

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

The beheading by Islamic State of British aid worker Alan Henning may have led to thousands of lives being saved because it has deterred young Muslims from joining the jihad, a member of the government's top anti-radicalisation programme has claimed.

So brutal and callous was the murder of the Salford taxi driver that it has "turned the tide" of British people looking to join the fight in Syria and Iraq, Sky News has been told.  

In an exclusive interview, Sulaimaan Samuel, who works as a National Safeguarding Mentor for Channel, a Home Office scheme to tackle people judged to be at risk of radicalisation, told Sky News that IS propaganda tactics had "backfired".

It is the first time anyone who works as part of the project has given a detailed insight into IS tactics and the threat the group poses online.

Mr Henning was murdered by IS in October

Mr Samuel said the "grotesque" beheading of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in August and September led the Muslim community to start to seriously question IS.

British aid worker David Haines was also beheaded later that month. But it was the murder of Mr Henning in October that was the "turning point", Mr Samuel said.

Video: IS Propaganda 'Backfiring'

"I would personally say to Alan Henning's family: do not think his death has been some type of waste because it hasn't, because his death at the hands of IS is the very thing that has caused the Muslim community to realise that what IS stands for is wrong and can never be condoned.

"In Alan's death he has managed to save thousands of lives now and in the future of people who might potentially have been drawn into going out. He will be saving lives in the future.

"What IS has done has backfired."

Security Minister James Brokenshire said he believed the relative effectiveness of the terror group's own brutal propaganda machine had opened people's eyes to the true nature of IS.

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1. Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

   Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

2. He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

3. He worked as a self-employed taxi driver

4. Mr Henning saw the plight of Syrian people and volunteered with a Muslim charity. He had been to the region at least three times

5. He drove life-saving medical equipment from the UK to Syria in old ambulances. He left in December 2013 to make the 4,000-mile trip

6. He was kidnapped by IS in Syria by masked men. He may have been held in Ad Dana near Aleppo, then Raqqa

He said: "I think some of the shocking videos that we have seen, of brutalising murder, has underlined simply what IS is about and why it has prompted British Muslims to go online, post their own videos to underline their absolute abhorrence to this appalling violence and brutality."              

A senior Government security source has also highlighted a "discernible change in attitude" from mainstream Muslim society.

The source said: "What IS has done is demonstrate very clearly to everyone that this is no longer an unambiguous struggle to topple Assad, involving freedom fighters and people whose motive is simply to help Syrian people, and that terrorist groups have made the environment much more complicated and in turn have made it less clear cut for people as to whether they should travel or not."

Mr Samuel - who counsels those thought to be at risk of radicalisation - said the majority of his work is now dealing with young people being attracted to travelling to Syria and Iraq via the internet.

Video: Social Media Aiding Terrorists

He said: "The days where the baddie, the super villain was in a cave, in a dark lair somewhere sat in a corner, stroking a cat - those days are finished.

"With the advent of technology, the internet, people can promote any idea they have. You don't need to be Michael Moore or a Spike Lee to reach a wide audience.

"Initially it may be a curiosity to see something shocking, but very quickly you can find yourself with a string of related videos which might lead you down a path which half an hour ago wasn't your destination."

Since Channel was set up in 2006, concerns have been raised about a total of 3,934 people - including 1,450 children.

Video: Sept 15: Special Report UK Jihadis

Of these, 777 people have been formally assessed as being vulnerable to radicalisation and referred to the project for formal help.

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Search Called Off For Two Missing Fishermen

Rescuers have called off the search for two fishermen who went missing after their trawler got into difficulty in the North Sea.

Three of the Ocean Way crew were rescued from the water and airlifted to hospital, but one later died.

The search for the remaining two men was called off on Sunday night, and the coastguard said unless further information was received it is unlikely to resume early today.

It said the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been informed.

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1. Gallery: Trawler Goes Astray Off North-East Coast Of England

   A search was launched on Sunday afternoon for the missing skipper and crew of a fishing trawler off England's north-east coast. Pic: Steve Elwood

2. An RAF rescue helicopter was dispatched to help HM Coastguard Humber. Pic: Steve Elwood

3. The Ocean Way vessel began transmitting an emergency beacon earlier on Sunday. Pic: www.shipphotos.co.uk

4. The vessel was last heard from about 100 miles east of the Farne Islands

A rescue mission was launched for the skipper and crew of the vessel after it began transmitting an emergency beacon about 100 miles east of the Farne Islands.

Helicopters from the UK and Norway were involved in the hunt for the British skipper and his four Filipino crew.

Scotland's Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead said: "I am very sorry to hear about the loss of the Fraserburgh registered fishing vessel the Ocean Way that has tragically resulted in fatalities.

"This is a terrible tragedy and my thoughts are with the loved ones and friends of the crew.

"This tragedy will be felt by all fishing communities and is a horrible reminder of the dangers our fishermen face day in, day out to bring fish to our tables, with many paying the ultimate sacrifice.

"I would like to pay tribute to all the personnel involved in the rescue operation."

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Paedophiles Grooming Women To Bear Children

By Hannah Tallett, Sky News Presenter

Paedophiles are grooming women to bear their children, giving them easy access to victims, according to a child abuse charity.

MOSAC - a charity which supports the non-abusing parents and carers of abused children - says a third of all calls to its helpline are from women who believe they have been groomed into conceiving a child.

Director Nigel Newton Sawyerr said: "Paedophiles who are very devious will go to any lengths to access children. Who's more vulnerable than their own children?"

Sky News spoke to "Susan", a mother-of-two who believes her youngest was bred for the purpose.

Her ex-partner was convicted and sentenced to five years in jail for abuses against her eldest daughter, from a previous relationship.

The offences included nine counts of sexual assault.

Video: Oct 30: Exploitation A 'New Norm'

Since that abuse was disclosed, Susan's youngest daughter has admitted that she is also a victim of the same man, her own father.

"When my youngest daughter turned round and said to me that he had abused her from the moment she could remember ... when she was in nappies ... that's when I was convinced that he had had her to abuse her," Susan said.

Susan believes she was deliberately targeted.

"He was very persuasive about me coming off the pill. So, I was groomed in many ways I think to produce a child for him," she said.

Sixteen years and £30,000 later, Susan is preparing for yet another court battle to keep her former partner away from her children.

"It's shocking. I would never have believed in a million years how set in stone his rights are, despite the conviction."

In the majority of cases a family court judge will reject the requests of a parent to gain access to their child, where that parent has already been convicted of sexual offences against that child.

But campaigners say that does not stop a paedophile parent's right to make repeated requests for access - a heavy financial and emotional burden to bear for the victim and the non-abusive parent.

Barrister Sophia Cannon says the law under the Children's Act will always take into consideration the wellbeing of a child in each case.

But she adds that it is "skewed towards the idea that all mothers and fathers who want to be involved in a child's life, can be involved."

"What it doesn't look at are the parents to whom responsibility has certainly fallen short," she said.

MOSAC is now lobbying the Government for change and campaigners recently met Justice Minister Simon Hughes MP.

He is sympathetic to their cause, insisting the Government is committed to eradicating the "abhorrent crime" of child sexual exploitation.

"We are absolutely clear that no child should be put at risk of abuse and the courts will always make the wellbeing of children their key consideration in reaching decisions on contact with parents.

"Robust protective orders already exist to remove or restrict parental responsibility in order to protect children.

"But we continue to keep this issue under close scrutiny to see if further measures are needed."

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Hong Kong Murders: British Banker In Court

A British investment banker charged with the murder of two women in Hong Kong has been remanded in custody.

Banker Rurik Jutting, 29, was arrested after the women's bodies were discovered at an apartment in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district.

During his appearance he wore black trousers and a black T-shirt. He was remanded in custody and will return to court on 10 November.

A policeman at the scene of the double murder in Hong Kong

Police placed him on a holding charge ahead of today's court appearance.

Mr Jutting had recently quit his job with Bank of America Merrill Lynch and reportedly left an out of office email message urging correspondents  to contact someone "who is not an insane psychopath".

Video: Victims' Friend Talks To Sky News

The message, which has not been verified by the bank, read: "I am out of the office. Indefinitely. For urgent enquiries, or indeed any enquiries, please contact someone who is not an insane psychopath.

"For escalation, please contact God, though suspect the devil will have custody (Last line only really worked if I had followed through)."

Last Monday he posted a Facebook photo of his balcony in the high-rise J Residence, which has a gym, clubhouse and rooftop pool, and said he was starting a "new journey".

He wrote: "Stepping down from the ledge. Burden lifted; new journey begins. Scared and anxious but also excited. The first step is always the hardest."

Officers arrived at the 31st floor flat early on Saturday after receiving a call from the suspect.

They discovered the body of a woman, aged between 25 and 30, lying naked in the living room with knife wounds to her neck and backside.

Police also found a small amount of cocaine and a 12-inch knife in the flat.

Assistant Commander Wan Siu-hung told reporters: "We believe the death was caused by a sharp object which cut the throat of the deceased.

"This led to copious bleeding. When the police found her, she was lying in the living room. The room was messy."

Eight hours later, at about noon on Saturday, police widened the forensic examination of the apartment and made the second discovery.

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1. Gallery: Suitcase Murder: Briton Appears In Hong Kong Court

   Rurik Jutting recently left his banking job. Pic: Facebook

2. Police have been searching the flat where the women's bodies were found

3. One of the bodies was found hiden in a suitcase on the balcony

4. Assistant Commander Wan Siu-hung said both victims had injuries to the neck

The body of the second woman, named in a court document as Sumarti Ningsih, was found wrapped in a blanket inside a brown suitcase on a balcony at the apartment.

She too had wounds to the neck. Police say the victim died on 27 October.

Police sources have told local media they believe the women worked in the sex industry.

A police spokesman added: "From what we can see it was intentionally hidden because it was put in a travel suitcase."

Both of the women are believed to be from Indonesia. One has been named locally as 25-year-old Sumarti Ningsih.

Mr Jutting studied history and law at Cambridge University and was a member of the prestigious rowing club and the history society, which is called Clio.

He had worked for Merrill Lynch from 2010 until only a couple of days ago, spending three years at their offices in London before moving to Hong Kong in July last year. Prior to that he worked at Barclays in London.

The neighbourhood of Wan Chai is effectively Hong Kong's red light district. A large number of women from southeast Asia spend time in the district's many bars and clubs.

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed a British national had been arrested in Hong Kong, although did not specify the nature of the crime.

"We are in touch with the local police and stand ready to provide consular assistance," she said.

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Father-Of-Three Shot Dead Tackling Robbers

A father of three young children has been shot and killed as he tackled two robbers who attacked him as he closed up his shop for the night.

Pragaret Singh, 35, was hit in the chest and abdomen as he tried to grapple with one of the men outside his store in Openshaw, Greater Manchester.

The shopkeeper, from Swinton, was just leaving Manchester Food Traders off Wood Street when he encountered the pair and confronted them, detectives said.

Mr Singh, known to family and friends as Charlie, died later in hospital.

His brother Toggy told the Manchester Evening News he was a hard-working family man with a wife, Sukhwinder, and children aged two, five and seven.

He said: "He was robbed of his life. He was happy, jolly and full of life - he never said anything bad about anyone. He was the kind of person who'd go out of his way to help anyone in need."

Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick said: "Although this investigation remains in its infancy, at this stage we believe Charlie's death was the result of simply trying to protect his business from armed robbers, during which he was shot at least twice."

It is thought that the robbers may have made off with a "large amount of money".

Police arrived at the scene at 6.20pm on Friday and found Mr Singh nearby.

Officers have launched a murder investigation into his death and are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

One of the assailants was described as black, in his 20s or 30s, with spiky knotted hair, clean shaven, of a tall, slim build and wearing a jacket with the sleeves rolled up.

Police are also appealing to anyone with information about a small silver car, possibly a Vauxhall, which may have been used by the offenders and drove off towards Ashton Old Road after the shooting.

Det Supt Chadwick added: "At this stage of our inquiry we believe this is the tragic death of an innocent businessman and father-of-three who was simply trying to protect his livelihood from criminals.

"As a result, Charlie's entire family have suffered an unimaginable loss.

"Their lives have been shattered and specially-trained officers will be providing as much support as the family need over the coming days and weeks."

:: Anyone with information should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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RAF Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Bombers

Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept Russian military 'Bear' bombers for the second time in a week, it has emerged.

The Typhoons were sent up from RAF Lossiemouth on Friday to escort the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-95 aircraft, just two days after UK jets intercepted another two Russian bombers over the North Sea.

It comes amid what NATO described as an "unusual" increase in activity from Russian military jets over European airspace ranging from the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

An RAF spokeswoman said the Russian aircraft had been picked up by the RAF Control and Reporting Centre at Boulmer in Northumberland, which scrambled the Typhoons.

She said: "Following a similar incident on Wednesday 29 October, the RAF Typhoon pilots visually identified the Russian aircraft and escorted them through the UK flight information region."

Video: PM On 'Nerve-Wracking' Plane Drama

Air Vice-Marshal Gary Waterfall, who is in charge of UK air defence, said: "The Royal Air Force was formed to secure the skies over the UK, and it remains our main task.

"This week's news has shown yet again that the RAF's quick reaction alert is an essential element of our nation's security."

The increased Russian activity in the air comes against a backdrop of months of heightened tensions between Moscow and the West following Russia's annexation of Crimea and military incursion into Ukraine.

Analysts say it appears to be a "show of force" by President Vladimir Putin.

Video: Listen To The Sonic Boom

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has said the alliance "remains vigilant and ready to respond" to any Russian threat.

On Wednesday, two Typhoons from RAF Coningsby were sent to escort a suspicious plane to Stansted Airport in Essex.

A sonic boom was heard as the jets made their way to the location of the plane, which turned out to be a civilian Latvian cargo aircraft heading for Birmingham with car parts.

The Prime Minister was overheard on Thursday referring to the incident as "nerve-wracking", saying the RAF were "busy over the skies".

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Call For More Parents To Adopt Siblings

By Gemma Morris, Sky News Reporter

A shortage of people willing to adopt more than one child means some brothers and sisters are being split up.

Each year in the UK some 6,000 children need adopting and nearly half of them have siblings, according to research by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF).

But matching a pair or group of siblings to a new family is not always easy.

John Simmonds, director of policy, research and development for BAAF, told Sky News part of the reason could be that many prospective adopters get used to the idea of raising just one child.

"The expectation is: 'That's what I can manage, that's what I have in mind when I'm thinking about having children of my own'," he said.

Mr Simmonds says many parents are unwilling to take on siblings

He added that apart from cases where placing siblings together is not appropriate, keeping brothers and sisters with each other is important, particularly as many of the children will have had a difficult start to life.

"Someone doesn't want to add to the trauma of separating children from their birth parents to also separate siblings from each other."

Brothers and sisters are also among the children who wait longest to be matched with a family.

During next week's National Adoption Week the BAAF is hoping to encourage more people to consider adopting siblings.

Karen Goodman, a social worker with 30 years' experience in children's services, told Sky News there is a need for as many potential adopters as possible.

"Social workers and the adoption panels will always try to find prospective adopters who can take sibling groups, but it's a challenge and it's a tall order.

Siblings Frasier and Brandon say living alone would have been 'really hard'

"Also boys are harder to place than girls and the older the children are, the harder they are to place."

Civil partners Scott and Tristan Casson-Rennie adopted two young brothers, Frasier and Brandon, seven years ago.

Scott said: "When they came to live with us and we had some tricky times people would say, 'Well wouldn't it have been better if you just had one of them?'... No."

The boys - who have four siblings elsewhere - are now 15 and 16, and told Sky News they were lucky to have been able to stay with each other.

"I was on my own so I didn't have any other siblings around but when Brandon come along I felt happy again. I felt like I can move on with another person beside me."

Brandon said: "I think it would have been really, really hard to live by myself."

Despite some challenges, their parents hope others will consider the positives of adopting siblings.

Tristan said: "We have two amazing boys that have gone on to do some wonderful things in their teenage years and they will go on now to be amazing adults.

"I firmly believe that is a part of keeping them together, so that they can bounce off each other."

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Child Abuse Inquiry Controversy At-A-Glance

The resignation of the head of the inquiry into historical child sex abuse allegations is the latest in a string of controversies that have dogged the investigation before it has even started.

Here is an at-a-glance background to the most recent development in the saga:

:: City lawyer Fiona Woolf was appointed in September to chair the panel inquiring into UK institutions' handling of historical child sex abuse allegations.

:: The original nominee, Lady Butler-Sloss, stepped down because her late brother, Lord Havers, was attorney general during much of the period in question.

:: Then came the criticism of Mrs Woolf's appointment because of her social links with former home secretary Lord Brittan and his wife.

Video: 'Most Extraordinary' Situation

:: Her connection with Lord Brittan was under the spotlight because he is likely to be called to give evidence to the inquiry about his handling of child abuse allegations.

:: He denies failing to act on a dossier of paedophilia allegations he received while in office in the 1980s.

:: Mrs Woolf has lived in the same street as the Brittans for the last decade, and not only has she invited the couple to dinner at her house three times, she has also dined at their home twice, met Lady Brittan for coffee, sat on a prize-giving panel with her, and sponsored her £50 for a fun run.

Video: Victims Have No Confidence In Woolf

:: With doubts about whether Mrs Woolf could have the confidence of victims, a photograph surfaced showing her chatting to Lady Brittan at a prize-giving event last October - after she told Home Secretary Theresa May that she had had "no social contact with Lord and Lady Brittan since April 23 2013".

:: Mrs Woolf faced intensified calls to quit after documents were published showing a letter setting out Mrs Woolf's contacts with Lord Brittan and his wife was redrafted seven times, with guidance from Home Office officials, before being sent to Mrs May.

:: Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz said Mrs Woolf's appointment had been "chaotic" and that she should decide whether she wishes to remain as chair of the inquiry.

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1. Gallery: The Redrafted Letter At Centre Of Woolf Row

   A letter from Fiona Woolf to the Home Secretary referring to her links to Leon Brittan went through several drafts.

2. Chair of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz criticised Mrs Woolf, saying the final version showed a more "detached" relationship with the Brittans than the first one. For example, it stressed there were a number of other people present at dinner parties.

3. Mr Vaz had said Mrs Woolf's appointment had been "chaotic" and she should decide whether she wishes to remain as chair of the inquiry. It was confirmed on Friday afternoon that she would be stepping down

:: A solicitor for victims told Sky News they had no confidence in Mrs Woolf, and called for the inquiry "to start again".

:: The Home Office had given its backing to Mrs Woolf and her panel, expressing confidence they could carry out their duties "to the highest standards of impartiality and integrity."

:: She has now quit after mounting pressure over her role. As she stepped down, Mrs Woolf said it was concerns expressed by victims that had "turned the tide" and prompted her to give up the post.

Video: Abuse Inquiry Head 'Not Suitable'

Video: 'An Ordinary Citizen'

Video: July: Sex Abuse Inquiry Judge Quits

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