“Germany’s intelligence services already have the right to monitor the
far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD), the first time the authorities
have taken such a step against a political party since the Nazi era. Now, they
have taken aim at the AfD’s youth faction, whose members are as young as 14.
CNN has been taking a closer look at the group. Germany’s domestic intelligence
agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), in
April labeled the group as ‘extremist’ after four years of investigation. In a
statement in April, the intelligence agency deemed the AfD’s youth wing, the
Young Alternative for Germany or Junge Alternative für Deutschland (JA), as
‘clearly xenophobic’ and ‘propagating a racial concept of society based on
basic biological assumptions.’ It deemed the group was likely to adopt
‘non-peaceful behavior” towards people perceived as foreign.’











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Eye on Extremism



May 25, 2023



CNN: Germany Intensifies Scrutiny Of Far-Right AfD, Labeling Its Youth Wing
‘Extremist’
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“Germany’s intelligence services already have the right to monitor the
far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD), the first time the authorities
have taken such a step against a political party since the Nazi era. Now, they
have taken aim at the AfD’s youth faction, whose members are as young as 14.
CNN has been taking a closer look at the group. Germany’s domestic intelligence
agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), in
April labeled the group as ‘extremist’ after four years of investigation. In a
statement in April, the intelligence agency deemed the AfD’s youth wing, the
Young Alternative for Germany or Junge Alternative für Deutschland (JA), as
‘clearly xenophobic’ and ‘propagating a racial concept of society based on
basic biological assumptions.’ It deemed the group was likely to adopt
‘non-peaceful behavior” towards people perceived as foreign.’



Garowe Online: Kenya Foils Al-Shabaab Attack
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“Security forces in Kenya foiled a deadly Al-Shabaab raid, authorities
confirmed, just a few days after top officials from Kenya and Somalia signed a
joint agreement that would foster the opening of the porous border between the
two countries, which had been closed for several years. According to police in
Kenya, the security forces have been carrying out operations in northeastern
Kenya where the militants often carry out attacks, in what is definitely geared
towards stabilizing the region. Al-Shabaab has been a menace to the people of
northern Kenya. A security team seized six AK47 rifles, two Rocket PIpelled
Grenades, two grenades, and other items during an operation on Monday in
Garissa County, police spokesperson Resila Onyango said. The security team
consequently, raided an al-Shabaab camp in the wake of reports that the
terrorist group has been sending their members to Kenya over the past month to
launch attacks. The coordination is done in neighboring Somalia before
attackers are dispatched across the border to target innocent civilians.”



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United States



ABC News: Texas Mall Shooting Suspect's Alleged Extremism Part Of Growing
Trend In US: DHS Bulletin
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“The suspect accused of shooting and killing eight people at a mall in Allen,
Texas, earlier this month ‘fixated on mass shootings and held views consistent
with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist ... ideologies,’
according to a new bulletin released Wednesday by the Department of Homeland
Security. ABC News has previously reported the suspect in the Allen, Texas,
mall shooting had tattoos of Nazi symbols on his body, and on a call with
reporters, senior DHS officials told ABC News the shooter in Texas had a
‘neo-Nazi ideology.’ ‘Recent tragic events highlight the continued heightened
threat environment our nation faces, and these threats are driven by violent
extremists who seek to further their ideological beliefs and personal
grievances,’ said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Officials said it is a
pattern they have seen in the United States and internationally. ‘It is
something unfortunately that we are seeing with greater frequency,’ a senior
official said. ‘And not just here in the United States, but it's something that
seems to be gaining frequency internationally as well.’”



Urdu Point: US Sanctions 26 People, Entities Connected To Al-Shabaab Terror
Group - Treasury Dept.
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“The United States sanctioned 26 individuals and entities allegedly connected
to Somalia's al-Shabaab terror group (linked to al-Qaeda, banned in Russia),
the US Treasury Department said on Wednesday. ‘Today, the US Department of the
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted 26 individuals and
entities connected with the terrorist group al-Shabaab, including 15 financial
facilitators and operatives, four charcoal smugglers, and seven of their
associated companies,’ the Treasury Department said in a statement. The
designations highlight al-Shabaab's reliance on networks of regional and
international actors who provide funds, direct attacks and enable the group's
malign activities, US Under Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial
Intelligence Brian Nelson said in the statement. The US remains committed to
leveraging its authorities in support of the Somalian government and its
efforts to counter terrorist threats, Nelson added.”



Pakistan



Dawn: 6 Terrorists Killed In South Waziristan IBO: ISPR
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“According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations
(ISPR), an intense exchange of fire took place between security personnel and
terrorists during the operation conducted on May 23. ‘Weapons and ammunition
were also recovered from the killed terrorists who remained actively involved
in terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion and
targeted killing of innocent citizens,’ it said. The ISPR further stated that
sanitisation of the area was being carried out to eliminate any other
terrorists found in the area. ‘Locals of the area appreciated the operation and
expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism,’ the
military’s statement added.”



Middle East



i24 News: 3 Gaza Palestinians Given Death For Allegedly Collaborating With
Israel
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“Appealed death sentences for three Palestinians accused of collaborating
with Israel were upheld on Tuesday by a Hamas court, while a fourth man was
given life imprisonment on the same charge. The names of the three Gaza
residents convicted of ‘communicating with hostile foreign entities’ – in
violation of the Palestinian Revolutionary Penal Code of 1979 – have not been
revealed. However, it was specified that two of the condemned will be hanged,
while the third will be put to death by a firing squad. The date of their
executions was not announced. One of the convicted men, 67 years old and
arrested in 2001, was allegedly recruited by Israel in 1997.”



The Times Of Israel: Shin Bet Says It Foiled Hadera Bus Bombing By Umm Al-Fahm
Man Recruited By Hamas
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“The Shin Bet security agency on Wednesday said it had foiled an attempt by
the Gaza Strip-ruling Hamas terror group to carry out a bombing attack on a bus
in the north, using an Israeli man to plant the device. In the early hours of
April 2, Muhammed Nadir Mahajneh, 20, a resident of the Arab city of Umm
al-Fahm, was detained by the elite police Unit 33, also known as Gideonim, over
his alleged involvement in the plot. According to the Shin Bet, Mahajneh was
recruited by the military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades,
several months ago, to carry out a bombing against civilians on a bus in
Hadera. The agency said the suspect, due to financial pressure and mental
distress, began to ‘adopt the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, and later
decided that he wanted to commit jihad.’ Mahajneh was found to be in possession
of ‘media used to communicate with Hamas in the Gaza Strip,’ the Shin Bet and
police said.”



Southeast Asia



Manila Times: Militant Group Declares Total War Versus MILF
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“Local Islamic State (IS) fighters have declared a total war on the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which signed a peace deal with the Philippine
government in 2014. The recent attack by the militants on the former
secessionist group in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao del Sur
is not the first. Members of the Islamic State East Asia Province (Iseap)
branded the MILF as ‘apostate Moro militia’ and considered the once-powerful
rebel group as a rival, according to a report by the Middle East Media Research
Institute (Memri), which monitors, tracks, translates, researches and analyzes
cyber jihad originating from the Middle East, Iran, South Asia, and North and
West Africa. Iseap has also attacked various MILF positions since 2021,
according to Memri, which cited the IS weekly Al-Naba'.”



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