United States
CNN: Massachusetts Teen Arrested For Allegedly Trying To Raise Money For ISIS With Gift Card Scheme
“An 18-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested Thursday for orchestrating an alleged gift card scheme to raise money for terrorist group ISIS, federal authorities said. Mateo Ventura, a resident of Wakefield, knowingly provided gift cards to a man he believed to be an ISIS supporter so they could be sold on the dark web for ‘a little less than face value’ to raise money for ISIS, the US Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts announced in a news release. Ventura was charged Thursday with one count of knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization. Ventura appeared in federal court in Worcester on Thursday afternoon. He is being held without bail pending his detention hearing next week, according to CNN affiliate WCVB. CNN has reached out to Ventura’s attorney for comment.”
The College Fix: FBI Seeks Info On Pro-Abortion Threat Against Campus Catholics
“…The pro-abortion group Jane’s Revenge has “claimed responsibility for acts of vandalism and fire bombings of anti-abortion offices and clinic,” according to the Counter Extremism Project. “On May 8, [2022], the Madison, Wisconsin, office of the anti-abortion Wisconsin Family Action was set on fire after a Molotov cocktail thrown through a window failed to ignite,” Counter Extremism wrote. “Police also found graffiti that read, “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either.’”
Iraq
Iraqi News: US Troops Launched 38 Missions Against ISIS In Iraq, Syria In May
“US troops conducted a total of 38 missions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria during May, according to US Central Command. 21 of those missions took place in Iraq, and 17 were conducted in Syria, all with partner forces, Task & Purpose reported. 31 suspected ISIS operatives were detained, and another eight were killed, according to a news release issued by the US Central Command. 20 suspected ISIS operatives detained and two killed as a result of operations in Syria and 11 operatives detained and six killed in Iraq, Task & Purpose mentioned. The commander of the Combined Joint Task Force, Army Major General Matthew McFarlane, explained that the coalition continues to advise, assist, and enable partners to keep pressure on ISIS and prevent them from re-establishing any type of network or effective military effort, the American publication illustrated.”
Afghanistan
Dunya News: Hardcore Terrorist Involved In Attacks In Pakistan Killed In Afghanistan
“A hardcore terrorist, who masterminded several militant attacks in Pakistan and other countries, was mysteriously killed in Afghanistan. Sanaullah Ghafari, who had been leading the operations of the ISIS-Khorasan since 2020, was also wanted to the United States which has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest. Ghafari, also known as Shahab al-Muhajir, was killed in northeastern province of Kunar in Afghanistan. He and his family had migrated to Afghanistan from India and he got his education at Ghafari seminary in Kabul. He had been involved in attacks in Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. He was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by United Nations, US and European Union in December 2021. The ISIS-K lead was also involved in attack on Pakistani embassy in Kabul, Imam Bargar Qisa Khawani Bazar, Peshawar, and others while in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, he carried out rocket attacks. He had also played role in the August 26, 2021, terrorist attack at the Kabul airport.”
Middle East
Reuters: US, Saudi Top Diplomats Urge Repatriation Of Detained IS Recruits
“The United States and Saudi Arabia urged countries to take back citizens captured in the fight against Islamic State, with the kingdom's top diplomat saying it was ‘absolutely unacceptable’ that wealthy countries skirted that responsibility. ‘I would say to those countries, you must step up,’ Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a meeting of the U.S.-led coalition in Riyadh. Speaking at the same conference, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said repatriation was key to ensuring the lasting defeat of Islamic State. He said detention centers were holding nearly 10,000 Islamic State fighters, 2,000 of whom are from countries other than Syria and Iraq. ‘Failure to repatriate foreign terrorist fighters risks the possibility that they could again take up arms and attempt to restore ISIS’s so-called caliphate,’ Blinken said.”
The National: Annecy Stabbing Provokes Surge Of Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Online
“…Speaking to The National, senior research analyst at the Counter Extremism Project Sofia Koller said it was important for the public to stay well-informed during and after an attack to ensure they have all the facts before making judgments. ‘It's very early to speak about it being a terror attack because the motivation is not clear yet,’ she said. ‘Some media and parts of the public are quick to judge when they see it was a foreign-looking man with a knife, and assume it was a terror attack.’ There are continuing debates and discussions in France and Europe on asylum seekers and immigration, said Ms Koller, speaking from Germany.”
WTOP News: The Hunt: ISIS Remains A Major Threat Despite No Longer Making Big Headlines
“In this week’s edition of ‘The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent J.J. Green,’ Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, explains why ISIS is still a major threat even though it hasn’t been making big headlines.”
The National: Where Does ISIS Have A Presence Now? Group's Reign Of Terror Wanes In Middle East
“ISIS has suffered significant blows over the past five years and the terrorist group’s threat remains low in the Middle East yet is growing in sub-Saharan Africa, experts told The National on Thursday. The staying power of the group was in the spotlight when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, a cohort of 80 countries, in Riyadh on Thursday. Sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as the global epicentre of terrorism as the region has accounted for nearly 50 per cent of terrorism deaths, according to the 2022 Global Terrorism Index. ISIS’s expansion in sub-Saharan Africa is a bigger concern than in the Middle East, Aymenn Al Timimi, an expert on terrorism and fellow at the Middle East Forum, told The National.”
United Kingdom
Daily Mail: Terrorist Who Hatched A Bomb Plot Alongside London Bridge Attacker Usman Khan Could Walk Free From Prison Within WEEKS
“A terrorist who hatched a bomb plot alongside London Bridge attacker Usman Khan could walk free from prison within weeks. The Parole Board said Nazam Hussain, who was jailed in 2012 for his part in plans to blow up the London Stock Exchange, was suitable to be released. Hussain, 35, and his gang were behind an al-Queda-inspired plot to blow up the stock exchange on Christmas Eve. The plans involved a coordinated bomb-and-gun attack similar to the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, which killed 175 people and injured more than 300. Hussain was initially freed from prison in 2019 but put back behind bars just months later when police found two knives taped together inside a suitcase at his house, in the wake of Khan's Fishmonger's Hall attack.”
Evening Standard: Far-Right Convicts Soar In New Sign Of Rising Threat Posed By Neo-Nazi Extremism
“The number of far-right terror convicts in prison has risen to a record high in a new sign of the rising threat posed by neo-Nazi and similar forms of extremism, official figures revealed on Thursday. The Home Office statistics show that 65 inmates in custody at the end of March were being held for crimes motivated by ‘extreme right-wing’ ideology. The new total was eight higher than the equivalent figure 12 months earlier and represents a huge leap on the four far-right inmates recorded in March 2016. The figures – which also show that most terror convicts jailed last year will be released within the next decade – will heighten concern about the increased numbers of Britons being drawn into far-right extremism.”
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