Tag: terrorism

  • Recent writing

    After a spate of terrorist attacks in Europe, we are hearing a lot about early intervention work – particularly deradicalisation programmes. In the Autumn 2017 issue of the New Humanist,…

  • Tumultuous Britain

    Ever since the Brexit referendum result last year, Britain has been in a prolonged period of political crisis and upheaval – which, with the shock election result, shows no signs…

  • Pakistan’s educated militants

    The second part of my project for the Times, looking into support for ISIS in Pakistan, came out in the paper on 21 June. This piece focused on ISIS cells and…

  • Female jihadis in Pakistan

    My most recent trip to Pakistan (from March-April this year) was with the Times newspaper, under the auspices of the Richard Beeston Bursary. As well as covering general news, I…

  • Talking at the Barbican

    I was delighted to be invited to give a talk at the Barbican Centre’s Curve Gallery on 19th May. The talk was part of the gallery’s programme of talks around…

  • Richard Beeston Bursary 2015

    I’m thrilled to have been awarded the 2015 Richard Beeston Bursary. Set up last year, the award is for a young British journalist to spend six weeks abroad, researching and…

  • Karachi Vice

    Earlier this year, I travelled to Karachi (where I lived in 2012) to spend some time with the city’s crime reporters. This is one of the most crime-ridden cities in…

  • A deadly battle of ideas

    The full length version of my report on the violence against atheists in Bangladesh, which appeared on the cover of the Autumn New Humanist, is now online. A shorter version…

  • Recent talking

    On Friday 31st October, I appeared on BBC News Channel’s paper review, discussing the following day’s front pages. Oliver Brown of the Telegraph and I talked about Foreign Office travel…

  • “Deradicalisation” in Britain?

    Much has been made of British citizens fighting in Syria and the problems they might pose on their return. (In November last year I wrote the first interview with a British…

  • Kenya’s Westgate survivors

    The attack on Kenya’s Westgate mall by Al-Shabab militants in September 2013 left 67 people dead. While I was in Kenya earlier this year, I interviewed two survivors of the…

  • Somalia’s returning diaspora

    Earlier this year, I traveled to east Africa. One of the pieces I researched was for the National (UAE), looking at the return of Somalia’s huge global diaspora and the…

  • Kenya’s coastal terror threats

    I recently travelled to Kenya, the east African hub which is swift losing its status as a safe haven in the region thanks to a heightened terror threat from neighbouring…

  • Karachi airport under attack

    On 8 June, Taliban gunmen stormed Karachi airport, killing scores of people before they were eventually fought off by security forces. I’ve lived in Karachi and have many friends and…

  • European fighters in Syria

    My feature for the National (UAE) was published recently. It goes behind the headlines about young men from the west signing up to fight in Syria, asking how big the numbers…

  • Karachi’s “Dirty Harry”

    On 9 January, one of Karachi’s top policemen was killed by the Taliban. Chaudhry Aslam, who headed the city’s counter-terrorism operations, was a controversial figure who had faced at least…

  • The Twitter jihadis

    I’ve written a piece in the latest issue of the New Statesman about how banned organisations in Pakistan are increasingly embracing social media. It was an interesting piece to work…

  • The Twitter jihadis

    I’ve written a piece in the latest issue of the New Statesman about how banned organisations in Pakistan are increasingly embracing social media. It was an interesting piece to work…

  • Political violence in Pakistan’s election

    As the 11 May election date approaches, the campaign of violence in Pakistan has increased drastically. I’ve been speaking and writing about the subject. Here are a few links. Pakistan’s…

  • Political violence in Pakistan’s election

    As the 11 May election date approaches, the campaign of violence in Pakistan has increased drastically. I’ve been speaking and writing about the subject. Here are a few links. Pakistan’s…

  • Saving Pakistan

    I wrote a long feature for the March issue of Prospect Magazine. It looks at the shape of militancy in Pakistan – and the efforts being made to counter it.…