Wednesday

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak condemns the Philippine-based Abu Sayyaf's beheading of a Malaysian man. Businessman Bernard Then and a woman were kidnapped in May from the Malaysia-island Sabah; the woman was released last week. Philippine Colonel Restituto Padilla said the killing followed a "failure of the negotiations about money." (ABC), (BBC), (AFP via Yahoo), (The International Business Times)

A raid by French police in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis kills at least two terror suspects, including a female suicide bomber, with eight others arrested. (CNN), (France 24)^{[permanent dead link]}, (AP), (NBC News)

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the ringleader of the Paris terrorist attacks, is killed during the raid. (The Independent), (CNN)

Three ISIS supporters stab a 56-year-old French Jew and history teacher in Marseille, France. The attackers are interrupted and flee. The teacher's wounds are not life-threatening. (The International Business Times), (Time)

A twin-suicide bombing of a mobile phone market in the northern Nigerian city of Kano kills at least fifteen people. (BBC)

Boko Haram was the world's deadliest terrorist organisation in 2014, being responsible for 6,664 deaths as compared to 6,073 for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. (BBC)

A local 15-day ceasefire between Syrian rebels and government forces in the Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus will be announced shortly. (Reuters)

A gunman inside a betting shop near army barracks in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, shoots dead two Bosnian Army soldiers. The gunman, identified as Salafi extremist Enes Omeragić, later commits suicide after police surround his house. (Reuters)

The Russian Air Force destroys around 500 fuel tanker vehicles used by ISIS and other extremist groups for transporting illegal oil from Syria to Iraq. (RT)

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant says that it has killed a Chinese hostage and a Norwegian hostage. (AP via ABC News)

Both the FBI and New York City police say they are aware of a newly released Islamic State video suggesting America's most populous city is a potential target of attacks. The agencies say that there are no specific threats, they will investigate, and they will remain at a heightened state of vigilance. (Reuters)

The United States warns travelers in Italy that St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the La Scala opera house in Milan, and the Milan Cathedral, as well as "general venues" like churches, synagogues, restaurants, theaters and hotels, have been identified as "potential targets" for terrorist attacks. The message added the Italian authorities are aware of these threats. (AP)