Belgium: Devout Muslim Who Murdered Three While Shouting “Allahu Akbar” Appeared in Reports on “Radicalism,” Allowed to Take a Leave From Prison

Benjamin Herman converted to Islam in prison. When Muslims are in prison, what is done to turn them away from jihad? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. On the contrary, Muslims are given the opportunity to study the Quran and pray with other inmates. Imams come into the prisons who have ties to jihad terror groups. They’re actively recruiting for jihad in prison, and prison authorities are letting it happen all over the West, because they’re still operating from antiquated notions of how religion will help a prisoner to reform.

That may be true of most religions. But Islam is different. There needs to be a thoroughgoing overhaul of how Islam is treated in our prison system. But that is not on the horizon.

And even worse, Herman was given a leave from prison even though he appeared in reports on prison “radicalization.” Why is anyone given a leave from prison? What is the point of prison, anyway? And if anyone is going to be given a leave, why is it people who are a danger to the public? Michel should resign. But his replacement wouldn’t be any better.

“Tearful police mourn slain colleagues of Belgian terrorist as it’s revealed murderer’s fourth victim was ex cellmate he clubbed to death ‘after they carried out a jewellery robbery together’ hours before Liege bloodbath,” by Julian Robinson, MailOnline, May 30, 2018:

A terrorist who slaughtered three people on the streets of Liege while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ had clubbed his ex cellmate to death a day before the bloodbath after the pair carried out a robbery, it has been claimed.

The attacker, named as Benjamin Herman, knifed police officer Lucile Garcia, 54, and her colleague Soraya Belkacemi, 45, from behind before using their guns to shoot them dead.

Herman then shot 22-year-old teacher Cyril Vangriecken and took two women hostage inside a school before being killed in a dramatic shoot-out with police. A Belgian federal magistrate said today the Liege attacks are considered ‘terrorist murder’ and the investigation now centres on whether the suspect acted alone….

Herman, 31, was on a 48-hour release from prison when he carried out the rampage on Tuesday. Having been in jail since 2003, it was the 14th occasion he had been given temporary leave ahead of his planned ‘reintegration into society’ in 2020….

Prime Minister Charles Michel has acknowledged the assailant, who had a lengthy criminal record that included theft, assault and drug offenses, had appeared indirectly in three reports on radicalism but was still allowed to take a leave from prison.

The prime minister added, however, that the reference was ‘in notes that did not primarily target him, but others or other situations,’ and he was not on a list of suspects maintained by the main OCAD anti-terror assessment group.

Justice Minister Koen Geens defended the decision to grant the attacker prison leave, saying there was no reason to suspect this time would be a different from his earlier furloughs.

‘I don’t think those are mistakes,’ he said. ‘It is not a clear cut case of radicalisation – otherwise he would have been flagged by all services.’

However, this morning, a Belgian security source told Reuters that the attacker had converted to Islam while in detention and was under suspicion of radicalisation….

The attacker shouted ‘Allahu akbar,’ the Arabic phrase for ‘God is great’, several times during spree before he was shot down by a group of police officers, magistrate Wenke Roggen said.

Ms Roggeen said the attack is being treated as terrorism given the way Herman acted, which she said resembled Islamic State calls to attack police with knives and steal their weapons.

Allied to this is the fact that he yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’, and had been in contact with radicalised people…..