The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

Waseem Awawdeh - Canary Mission via JNS screenshot; original photo by Steven Hirsch, New York Post

NYC Antisemitic Attacker's Sentence Lengthened to 18 Months

• Waseem Awawdeh, 24, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty to attempted assault and criminal weapon possession and was sentenced to a year-and-a-half in prison.

• Awawdeh received a larger sentence after public outcry over a six-month plea deal offer he received from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

• Awawdeh was part of a pro-Palestinian group that attacked an individual who was wearing a yarmulke as he walked to a pro-Israel rally. The group allegedly called the victim a “dirty Jew” and yelled, “F–k Israel, Hamas is going to kill all of you,” as they viciously beat him and showered him with pepper spray. The victim required hospitalization and surgery and is still recovering from the attack a year ago.

• At his arraignment, prosecutors said Awawdeh told jailers he had no regrets and would do it again if he could. Read More

ISIS Recruiter Charged With Attempted Murder in Prison

• Mufid Elfgeeh, a New York man who is serving a 22-year prison sentence for attempting to recruit fighters for ISIS, has been federally charged with attempting to murder someone in the U.S. prison in McCreary County, according to court records.
• The Department of Justice said Elfgeeh "actively recruited and attempted to send two individuals to Syria to join and fight on behalf of ISIL" between December 2013 and May 2014.

• The DOJ said Elfgeeh also bought a laptop and camera for the recruits to take to Syria, gave them guidance to avoid detection while traveling, and prepared them for the vetting process to join ISIL. Read More

Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism

GDL leaders Robert Wilson, left, and Jon Minadeo holding signs outside the Auschwitz Memorial in Poland. This picture went viral on social media in August 2022 - via inewsource screenshot

Goyim Defense League Spokesman Arrested

• Robert Wilson, a known neo-Nazi and former San Diego County resident, has been arrested in Poland on suspicion of projecting an antisemitic message on the Anne Frank House.

• The laser projection appeared on the former home of Anne Frank claiming her diary was a hoax. It gained international attention and condemnation.

• Wilson is a spokesman for the Goyim Defense League, a network of individuals in the U.S. who spread antisemitic and white supremacist messages online and in person through flyer distributions, street demonstrations and banner drops. Read More

White Supremacist Charged With Firebombing Church

• A federal indictment was returned charging Aimenn D. Penny, a 20-year-old man from Ohio, for allegedly firebombing the Community Church of Chesterland, Ohio, because it planned to host a drag queen story time.
• The FBI claims Penny is a member of pro-Nazi group “White Lives Matter,” according to an affidavit filed in court.
• Penny faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison for the violation of the Church Arson Prevention Act. Penny also faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison for the malicious use of explosive materials charge and up to 10 years in prison for the possession of a destructive device charge. Read More

School Threats

Wilkes County Courthouse, Wilkes County, N.C. - Photo By Upstateherd - CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikipedia

North Carolina School Placed on Lockdown

• North Wilkes High School in Wilkes County, N.C., was put on lockdown after a student made threatening comments and was found in possession of a knife on campus.

• The incident took place in the school cafeteria, and the school followed previously established procedures for a lockdown. Read More

Alabama Student Expelled for Posting Threat on Snapchat

• Emmanuel Christian School in Dothan, Ala., received increased security and expelled a student after receiving what was deemed to be a credible threat.

• A police source told local news that the student posted a threatening message on Snapchat. Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers delivers a keynote address during the RSA Conference on April 22, 2009 in San Francisco - Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Iran-Linked Hackers Broke Into Election Website

• A senior military cyber official has said that hackers working for Iran broke into a U.S. city’s website ahead of the 2020 election, with the possible intention of altering the unofficial vote counts shown on election day.

• The hackers were members of a hacker group that cybersecurity company CrowdStrike calls “Pioneer Kitten” and are likely to be contractors working for Iran who specialize in gaining access to sensitive systems.

• U.S. Cyber Command worked to get the news of the attack on the U.S. city’s networks declassified specifically to present that information at the RSA Cybersecurity Conference at the end of April. Read More

Fugees Rapper Convicted for Influence Campaigns Under Obama & Trump

• Pras Michel, a member of The Fugees hip hop group, has been convicted on criminal charges of conspiring with a Malaysian financier to conduct foreign lobbying campaigns aimed at influencing the U.S. government.
• Michel was accused of plotting with Malaysian businessman Jho Low to attempt to influence the administrations of Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Low, who faces separate federal charges in New York for embezzlement, remains at large.
• Michel was charged with 10 counts of crimes, including conspiracy, acting as an agent of a foreign government, witness tampering and falsifying campaign finance records. Read More

Research and Trends in Extremism

An art installation that drew backlash from some Jewish campus organizations, at the launch of Harvard College’s 2023 annual Israeli Apartheid Week - Addison Y. Liu via The Harvard Crimson screenshot

Over 200 "Apartheid Week" Events on Campus Featured Overt Antisemitism

• A report from the Anti-Defamation League shows that a series of worldwide anti-Israel events, spearheaded by the BDS Movement, featured overt antisemitism and expressions of support for violence against Israel.

• Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was the primary organizer of Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) and organized some 202 IAW events across the country, concentrated in California, Texas and the Northeast. They included 16 "apartheid walls" and 28 screenings of anti-Israel films.

• Some events have veered into rhetoric justifying or lauding violence against Israel, including Israeli civilians, such as an apartheid wall at Rutgers University that commemorated members of terror groups Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

• Prominent anti-Israel activists and academics made appearances as speakers, including those with a history of espousing odious and antisemitic language about Israel and Zionism. Read More

QUOTABLE 

“I am exceedingly anxious that this Union, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the original idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be most happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument in the hands of the Almighty, and of this, his almost chosen people, for perpetuating the object of that great struggle.”

- Abraham Lincoln

NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked.