A large IED exploded inside a small mosque in the Jawdara area of Haska Mena district of Nangarhar province during Friday prayers. At least 69 people were killed in the blast and 50 were wounded. Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, security officials blamed the Taliban for bombing. A Taliban spokesman denied the group’s involvement and said that according to witnesses a mortar shell fired by government forces caused the explosion.

A suspected Islamic State (IS) sympathizer armed with a knife attacked and stabbed the Security Minister Wiranto and his security detail in the town of Menes in Banten Province, located on the island of Java after attended an event at the Mathla’ul Anwar University. The former military chief and ex-presidential candidate suffered two deep stabbing wounds to his stomach. He was airlifted to a hospital in the capital, Jakarta where he was hosptlized in stable condition. Two police officers were also injured in the attack. The attacker and his wife, who was wielding scissors, were arrested at the scene. The State Intelligence Agency chief stated that according to preliminary investigation the suspects were members of the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which is linked to IS and was behind some of the worst attacks in the country.

At around 10:45 a.m. local time, a 20-year-old assailant armed with a pair of scissors stabbed a soldier in the throat in the Piazzale Duca D’Aosta square in front of Milan’s central station. The attacker, whose nationality has not been revealed, reportedly shouted Allahu Akbar’ during the attack. He was captured by police officers as he attempted to escape the scene towards the Via Vittor Pisani Boulevard. Police are investigating whether the attack was terrorism-related.

Yemen-based Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a coordinated drone attack on Saudi Aramco-owned Abqaiq oil processing facility and the Khurais oil field, located about 165 km/102 miles east of the capital Riyadh. According to a Houthi military spokesman, shortly after 4 a.m. local time, the rebels launched 10 drones laden with explosives targeting the facilities simultaneously. The explosions caused large fires and massive damage at both facilities, cutting the kingdom’s oil production by 50%, which accounts for about 5% of the global energy supplies. No casualties were reported in the attacks. While Houti’s attacks on Saudi infrastructure have increased this year, the attack is the largest in terms of financial impact and damage. Despite the Houtis claim of responsibility, some Saudi and US officials allege that Iran staged the attacks using cruise missiles and drones, which Iran denies.

A 47-year-old businessman from the city of Dwarka in the western Gujarat State was intercepted and kidnapped by three men armed with knives at the Sabalpur village as he was driving to his factory in the neighboring city of Junagadh. The trio held the man in his SUV while demanding Rs 5.50 lakh ransom from his brother. The kidnappers instructed the brother to send the money through angadia (people who act as a parallel banking system) or his sibling will be killed.  Despite the threat, the brother immediately contacted the Junagadh taluka police station that coordinated a search for the victim’s vehicle and alerted police in nighboring districts.  Officers manning the Harshad checkpost in Kalyanpur taluka (administrative division) of Devbhoomi Dwarka district intercepted the vehicle hours later rescued the man and arrested the trio. (indiatimes.com, 13 September 2019)

The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that six –year-old Amy-Lee De Jager has been released by her kidnappers in the early morning hours and was reunited with her family. According to her grandfather, her kidnappers released her near an informal settlement in Vanderbijlpark just after 2 a.m. local time. The kidnappers instructed the girl to run across the road in the dark where her mother would be waiting for her. But in fact, there was no one waiting for her and the suspects drove off. Strangers helped her and took her to the nearest police station. No ransom was paid for her safe return, despite a demand for the money. Police continue to gather information hoping to make any arrests. (sapeople.com, 3 September 2019)

A massive search is under way for kidnapped six-year-old Amy-Lee de Jager, daughter of Wynand de Jager an F1 powerboat racer, who was kidnapped from her school in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng province, earlier in the morning. Four men in a white Toyota Fortuner kidnapped the first grader from the gate of the Kollegepark Primary School at around 8 a.m. as her mother dropped her and her five-year-old brother. News of the kidnapping spread on social media with some reports stated that the kidnappers contacted the girl’s father demanding a ransom of R2 million (about US$ 132,500). Though police did not comment about the ransom reports, a family friend has confirmed it to reporters.  (news24.com, 2 September 2019 & 9news.com.au, 3 September 2019)