“A unanimous Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Google and Twitter in a pair
of cases that had alleged social media liability in terror attacks overseas.
Justice Clarence Thomas in an opinion for the Twitter case said that families
of victims of a 2017 ISIS attack on the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey,
did not adequately show that the online platforms had "aided and abetted" the
terrorists in violation of federal law. "Plaintiffs have failed to allege that
defendants intentionally provided any substantial aid to the Reina attack or
otherwise consciously participating in the Reina attack -- much less that
defendants so pervasively and systemically assisted ISIS as to render them
liable for every ISIS attack," Thomas wrote."
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Eye on Extremism
May 19, 2023
ABC News: Supreme Court Sides With Twitter, Google In High-Stakes Cases On
Social Media, Terrorism
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“A unanimous Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Google and Twitter in a pair
of cases that had alleged social media liability in terror attacks overseas.
Justice Clarence Thomas in an opinion for the Twitter case said that families
of victims of a 2017 ISIS attack on the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey,
did not adequately show that the online platforms had "aided and abetted" the
terrorists in violation of federal law. "Plaintiffs have failed to allege that
defendants intentionally provided any substantial aid to the Reina attack or
otherwise consciously participating in the Reina attack -- much less that
defendants so pervasively and systemically assisted ISIS as to render them
liable for every ISIS attack," Thomas wrote.”
Washington Post: U.S. Officials Walk Back Claim Drone Strike Killed Senior
Al-Qaeda Leader
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“U.S. military officials are walking back claims that a recent strike in
Syria killed an influential al-Qaeda figure, following assertions by the dead
man’s family that he had no ties to terrorists but was a father of 10 tending
to his sheep when he was slain by an American missile. Lotfi Hassan Misto, 56,
whose family identified him as the victim of a Hellfire missile attack on May
3, was a former bricklayer who lived quietly in this town in northwest Syria,
according to interviews with his brother, son and six others who knew him. They
described a kind, hard-working man whose “whole life was spent poor.” The
operation was overseen by U.S. Central Command, which claimed hours after the
strike, without citing evidence or naming a suspect, that the Predator drone
strike had targeted a “senior Al Qaeda leader.” But now there is doubt inside
the Pentagon about who was killed, two U.S. defense officials told The
Washington Post.”
Recent CEP Press Releases
* Ahead Of Presidential Runoff Election, Turkish Stance On Authoritarianism
And Extremism In The Balance
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* New CEP Report: Extremism In Erdoğan’s AKP
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* Nigeria Continues To Battle Islamist Extremists Despite Large-Scale
Defections And Deradicalization Efforts
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* Policy Brief: Islamist Groups Thriving In Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan
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* Extremist Content Online: Instagram Accounts Used To Promote Far-Right
Groups And Spread Pro-ISIS Content
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Syria
Malta Today: ISIS, Al-Qaeda Footage Shared By Syrian Men Charged With
Terrorism Acts Presented In Court
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“Seven Syrian men charged with terrorism last month had been regularly posting
videos of ISIS and Al-Qaeda leaders on social media, according to documents
exhibited in court. The court hearing against the seven Syrian men continued in
court on Thursday before Magistrate Nadine Lia. Two police sergeants exhibited
social media posts in court belonging to the online accounts of the accused.
These posts included videos of Jihadi fighters, ISIS leaders, and Osama bin
Laden giving a speech. Other videos glorified terrorist activities, including
suicide attacks.”
Afghanistan
CNN: ‘No One Feels Safe’: The Taliban Promised To Provide Security To Afghans.
New Data Shows Threat From ISIS Is Growing
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“…“In 2021, ISIS-K was reduced to a couple of cells in the country and a very
tiny, small stronghold in Kunar Province, and that was it. However, in the less
than stellar handover procedure, in that chaos, the Taliban opened the prisons,
including Bagram, which was a big mistake … they underestimated that there were
also a couple of thousand ISIS-K members, who, once freed, just walked off,”
said Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project,
who served as a member and then as coordinator of the UN Security Council’s
ISIL, al Qaeda and Taliban Monitoring Team. “The organization was very
diligently able to reestablish itself.”
Pakistan
Indian Express: Pak Anti-Terrorism Court Grants Pre-Arrest Bail To Imran Khan
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“An anti-terrorism court here on Friday approved pre-arrest bail for Imran
Khan in three cases filed against Pakistan’s former prime minister after his
arrest on May 9. While granting him bail till June 2, the Lahore anti-terrorism
court (ATC) court also directed the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
chief to become a part of the investigation. One of the cases registered
against Khan pertains to the attack on Corps Commander House in Lahore.
Addressing reporters at the ATC courtroom, Khan said he has never seen such a
“crackdown” in the last 35 years.”
Dawn: Over 1,720 Held In Police Swoop Across KP
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With its prominent leaders still in hiding, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police
arrested over 1,720 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers across the province
allegedly involved in violent protests on May 9 and 10, a senior police
official told Dawn. The figure, according to a senior KP police official, is
likely to go up to 3,000 since raids were being carried out in order to
arrested all those nominated in FIRs. He added that some of the protesters were
arrested after having been charged under different sections of the law, whereas
many others were arrested under Section 3 of the Maintained of Public Order.
“The leadership including former members of the national and provincial
assemblies is still in hiding and is using VPN or Wi-Fi for contacting the
party members and families,” the official said. On May 12, besides arresting
people under 3 MPO, police in the provincial capital nominated 29 PTI former
members of the National and KP assemblies on murder, attempted murder and
terrorism charges.
Africa
BBC: Ken Elliott: Australian Hostage, 88, Freed By Al-Qaeda Militants
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“An 88-year-old Australian doctor held captive in West Africa by al-Qaeda
militants for more than seven years has been released. Dr Kenneth Elliott is
safe and well and has been reunited with his family, Australia's foreign
minister said. He and his wife were seized in 2016 near the border between Mali
and Burkina Faso, where they operated a clinic for over 40 years. Al-Qaeda in
the Islamic Maghreb said at the time it had kidnapped the couple.”
India
The Express Tribune: Punjab Hands Evidence Of ‘PTI’s Terrorism’ To ECP
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“The caretaker Punjab government on Thursday handed “proofs” of involvement
of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in “terrorist attacks” on sensitive
military installations last week to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
According to an official handout, the interim government arranged a briefing
for the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and the ECP members at
the Chief Minister House regarding the violence in the province on May 9. “The
chief election commissioner and the ECP members were presented solid proofs
about the involvement of a political party in the 9th May terrorist incidents,”
the handout issued by the provincial government after the meeting said. “The
chief election commissioner and the ECP members were presented proofs of
pictures, videos, and messaging,” it said. “Proofs of contacts between the
attackers and the present political leadership in Zaman Park surfaced through
geo-fencing,” it added.”
Technology
The New York Times: Extremism Finds Fertile Ground In Chat Rooms For Gamers
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“There are rules people must agree to before joining Unloved, a private
discussion group on Discord, the messaging service popular among players of
video games. One rule: “Do not respect women.” For those inside, Unloved serves
as a forum where about 150 people embrace a misogynistic subculture in which
the members call themselves “incels,” a term that describes those who identify
as involuntarily celibate. They share some harmless memes but also joke about
school shootings and debate the attractiveness of women of different races.
Users in the group — known as a server on Discord — can enter smaller rooms for
voice or text chats. The name for one of the rooms refers to rape. In the vast
and growing world of gaming, views like these have become easy to come across,
both within some games themselves and on social media services and other sites,
like Discord and Steam, used by many gamers.”
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