Eye on Extremism

May 25, 2023 

CNN: Germany Intensifies Scrutiny Of Far-Right AfD, Labeling Its Youth Wing ‘Extremist’

“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

“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

“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.

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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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