United States
New York Post: US Soldier Pleads Guilty In Botched Plot To Help ISIS Attack 9/11 Memorial
“A US soldier pleaded guilty Wednesday in an attempted plot to try and help ISIS launch terror attacks on a 9/11 memorial in Manhattan and on American fighters abroad, prosecutors announced. Army Pfc. Cole Bridges began communicating with people he believed were various members of the terrorist organization ISIS in October 2019 and told them that the Ground Zero memorial was ‘a key target,’ for a ‘sniper kill,’ according to prosecutors. Bridges, a 22-year-old calvary scout from Ohio who had joined the army just months earlier, soon learned that a single undercover FBI agent was posing as phony ISIS fighters, prosecutors said. The turncoat — who also went by the alias ‘Cole Gonzalez — tried to help the phony plotters kill his fellow soldiers in the Middle East by giving them parts of an Army training manual and a combat training video, officials claimed. Bridges — who was based out of the Third Infantry Division in Fort Stewart in Georgia — pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court Wednesday to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempted to murder US military service members. He faces up to 20 years behind bars at his Nov. 2 sentencing.”
The National: UN Adopts Resolution Acknowledging Effect Of Extremism And Hate Speech On Global Peace
“The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Wednesday acknowledging the role of hate speech, racism and other forms of intolerance in fuelling conflicts. Jointly drafted by the UAE and the UK, the resolution also highlighted the adverse effects of gender discrimination and acts of extremism on global peace and stability. Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of State, who headed the ministerial-level Security Council session on the values of human fraternity in promoting and sustaining peace, noted that no nation or region is immune to the growing threat of hate speech. She added that the ‘clear challenges’ posed by hate speech and extremism cannot be ‘overlooked’. ‘Our approach and initiatives are based on the challenges experienced by the Arab region, including the spread of hate speech and its role in inciting, exacerbating and prolonging conflicts,’ she said.”
Daily Mail: Bodycam Footage Shows Shocking Moment Female ISIS Supporter Threatens To DECAPITATE Indiana Cops After Burning American Flag
“Shocking body camera footage shows the moment an Indiana woman threatened to decapitate local police officers as she claimed she was a member of the Islamic State terrorist group. 'If y'all don't get fired, f****** toast, ISIS will cut your f****** heads off,' Sierra Justice Malloy, 43, could be heard telling officers who responded to reports of arson outside a Spectrum cable store on Old Business Road in Evansville Sunday night. Malloy went on to tell officers at the scene they do not know who they were dealing with as she allegedly admitted to tearing down the business' American flag, setting it on fire and replacing it with a green ISIS flag. 'You've been hit by terrorists at the worst time, you just don't know it yet,' she tells the police — whom she accuses of 'selling my children to pedophiles' and keeping children under government buildings to drink their blood. Malloy was charged with flag desecration, intimidation, criminal mischief and trespassing. She is being held a the Vanderburgh County Jail on a $1,500 bond.”
Syria
France24 The Observers: Interview: Why The Islamic State Group Is 'Returning To Its Roots' In The Syrian Desert
“…Our team spoke to terrorism expert Gregory Waters, who documents the Islamic State group’s activities for the Counter Extremism Project. Our interview with him has been transcribed below and lightly edited for clarity and length.”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America News: UN Report Warns Al-Qaida, Islamic State Growing In Afghanistan
“…Fitton-Brown, now an adviser to the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project, said that even if there are disagreements over the extent to which al-Qaida or IS-Khorasan have grown their footprints in Afghanistan, the larger point remains. The report “makes it very clear why the Taliban cannot, will not, live up to their responsibilities under the Doha accords,” he said, citing intelligence in the U.N. report that some Afghan Ministry of Defense courses now feature some al-Qaida training manuals.”
Pakistan
Dunya: CTD Pips Four Terrorists In Balochistan
“The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday pipped four terrorists including a suicide bomber in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) near Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The CTD spokesperson said the authorities raided terrorists’ hideout in Gohri Kol near Afghan border and surrounded the terrorists. In response, terrorists opened fire which was countered by the authorities. The four terrorists were killed during the operation, said the spokesperson. The authorities also recovered modern weapon, hand-grenade, and car being used for terrorism. They were also involved in attacks on security forces, CTD spokesperson said.”
Lebanon
Al Arabiya: US Releases And Deports Alleged Hezbollah Financier To Lebanon
“‘I would be proud to send money to Hezbollah,’ Hammoud said in one video, sitting in front of a portrait of Iran’s supreme leader, Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, and the slain Qassem Soleimani. The US has released an alleged Hezbollah financier 23 years after he was sentenced to life in prison for funneling money to the Iran-backed group and leading a cigarette smuggling ring throughout the United States and Canada. Mohamad Youssef Hammoud, initially sentenced to 155 years, was serving a 30-year prison term. It is unclear why he was released ahead of schedule. Al Arabiya English has contacted the US Justice Department and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment. He was seen being carried on the shoulders of friends and family upon arriving in Beirut on Wednesday. Shortly after landing, Hammoud had multiple interviews with Hezbollah-affiliated media outlets.”
Africa
Al Arabiya: Eight Kenyan Police Officers Killed In Suspected Al-Shabaab Blast
“Eight Kenyan police officers were killed when their vehicle was blown up by an improvised explosive device in a suspected attack by Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabaab, police said. The incident took place on Tuesday in Garissa county in eastern Kenya, a region on the border with Somalia, where al-Shabaab has been waging a bloody insurgency against the fragile government in Mogadishu for more than 15 years. ‘We lost eight police officers in this attack,’ North Eastern Regional Commissioner John Otieno said. ‘We suspect the work of al-Shabaab who are now targeting security forces and passenger vehicles.’ Kenya first sent troops into Somalia in 2011 to combat the al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist militants and is now a major contributor of troops to an African Union military operation against the group.”
News Ghana: Cameroon Army Kills Two Boko Haram Militants
“The fighting began when several Boko Haram militants armed with guns and heavy weapons stormed a military base in Amchide town on the border with Nigeria. Security forces repelled the terrorists and managed to clear Amchide from Boko Haram militants, an official who declined to be named told Xinhua over the phone. Cameroon is facing protracted armed conflict in Far North Region, where Boko Haram continues to attack soldiers and civilians. Founded in Nigeria, Boko Haram has been a security challenge to the most populous country in Africa since 2009 when the Nigerian government launched an investigation into the group’s activities following reports that its members were arming themselves.”
France
WTOP: The Hunt: 4 Children Were Stabbed In France. Was It Terrorism?
“On this week’s episode of ‘The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent J.J. Green,’ Hans-Jacob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, discusses the how propaganda from terror groups works.”
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