The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

Cole Bridges, in an undated booking image - U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command via Fox 5 Atlanta screenshot

US Soldier Pleads Guilty for Attempting to Help ISIS and Ambush US Troops

• Cole Bridges, a U.S. Army soldier from Ohio, pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to murder U.S. military service members.

• Bridges expressed his support for ISIS and engaged in communication with an undercover FBI employee posing as an ISIS supporter.

• Bridges provided training, guidance, and instructions to purported ISIS fighters, including advice on potential targets and military combat tactics.

• Bridges sent videos of himself in his U.S. Army body armor, expressing support for ISIS and narrating a propaganda speech in anticipation of an ambush on U.S. troops. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each charge. Read More

Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Supporting ISIS

• Hawazen Sameer Mothafar, 33, an Iraqi national residing in Oregon, pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to ISIS by producing and distributing propaganda and recruiting materials online.
• Mothafar was the co-founder of the Sunni Shield Foundation, a pro-ISIS media organization that created and published violent propaganda to promote ISIS ideology and objectives. He communicated with ISIS Central Media officials, took instructions about media production, and represented the Sunni Shield in an online group with other ISIS supporter groups.
• Mothafar aided other pro-ISIS media organizations that conspired with ISIS associates, and communicated with a designated global terrorist in hopes of aiding his release. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Read More

 Baltimore Islamist Conference Featured Radical, Antisemitic Speakers

• The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Muslim American Society (MAS) held their annual conference at the Baltimore Convention Center and featured activists and clerics known for antisemitism and anti-Israel statements.
• Hatem Bazian, a panelist who is a supporter of boycotting Israel and defends designated terror organization Hamas, has a history of making inflammatory comments such as a 2004 statement, “It’s about time we have an Intifada in this country.” 
• Both ICNA and MAS have connections to radical movements, with ICNA affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami and MAS connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. Read More

NYC Antisemitic Attacker Sentenced

• Waseem Awawdeh, 24, of Brooklyn, N.Y., has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for his involvement in an attack on a Jewish man in Manhattan in May 2021.
• Awawdeh and four other assailants attacked an individual who was wearing a yarmulke as he walked to a pro-Israel rally. The group allegedly called the victim a “dirty Jew” and yelled, “F–k Israel, Hamas is going to kill all of you,” as they viciously beat him and showered him with pepper spray. The victim required hospitalization and surgery and is still recovering from the attack a year later.
• Awawdeh pleaded guilty to attempted assault in the second degree as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon. He received 12 months for assault and six months for the weapon charge, to be served consecutively.
• Three remaining defendants are set to stand trial in August, facing hate crimes charges and potential state prison time if convicted. Read More

Hezbollah Financier Released Early

• Mohamad Youssef Hammoud, a convicted terrorist financier serving a 30-year sentence, was recently released under the First Step Act after serving 23 years.
• Hammoud was convicted in 2002 for providing material support to Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organization, among other charges.
• The First Step Act, a criminal justice reform law, allowed Hammoud to request early release through the compassionate release statute.
• Despite opposition from the Biden administration, the U.S. District Court granted Hammoud's request, citing a disparity in sentencing and the application of the "terrorism enhancement." Read More

Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism

Seann Pietila, 19 - via ABC7 screenshot

Michigan Man Arrested for Planning Mass Shooting Plot

• Seann Pietila, 19, of Pickford, Mich., was arrested by the FBI for allegedly stockpiling weapons and planning a mass shooting.

• The suspect expressed explicit neo-Nazi and antisemitic ideologies online and had communicated with another user on Instagram who shared similar views. During a search of the suspect's home, authorities found weapons, a Nazi flag, a ghillie suit, gas masks, and military sniper/survival manuals.

• A message found on the suspect's phone identified a synagogue in East Lansing, a date, and a list of equipment, suggesting a potential attack plan.

• The suspect faces charges for transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure another and is awaiting a detention hearing. Read More

Neo-Nazis Rally at Disney World

• Neo-Nazis held a rally outside Walt Disney World in response to former President Donald Trump's federal indictment.
• The far-right demonstrators waving Nazi flags have been identified as the Order of the Black Sun (OBS), a small white supremacist network based in Florida.
• OBS is composed of individuals with ties to other white supremacist groups in the state and aims to intimidate communities and normalize their antisemitism and other forms of hate.
• About 15 individuals protested for two hours, holding Nazi flags and signs supporting Governor Ron DeSantis, sparking condemnation from lawmakers and individuals, including Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Walt Disney's co-founder. Read More

School Threats

Destiny Kaduce, 19 - via Globe Gazette screenshot

Iowa Teen Sentenced for School Threat

• Destiny Anne Kaduce, a 19-year-old woman from Mason City, Iowa, has been sentenced for sending a violent threat to the local school district.

• Kaduce pleaded guilty to threat of terrorism and possession of marijuana-1st offense after sending an email threatening to "shoot up the school and make sure you die first."

• She received a deferred judgment and three years of supervised probation, during which she must complete recommended substance abuse and mental health treatment. Read More

Suspects Identified After Threats to Michigan High School

• Several suspects have been identified in relation to a social media threat targeting Eastpointe High School in Michigan.

• The incident initially began with a report of a student assaulting a teacher, which was later deemed an accident.

• The school was placed on lockdown, and an investigation revealed that students took advantage of the situation to make additional threats, while a bomb threat was also called in to a local bank. Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

Photoillustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Russian Hacker Group Targets Johns Hopkins University

• A Russian hacker group known as the Cl0p ransomware syndicate is believed to be responsible for a cyberattack on Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System.

• The data breach was discovered on May 31 and potentially affects employees, students, and patients. Electronic health records were not compromised.

• The hackers targeted the MOVEit software, which is widely used for secure transfer of files, and Cl0p has claimed responsibility for a global cyberattack exploiting a vulnerability in MOVEit, affecting companies such as BBC, British Airways, and the Nova Scotia government. Read More

Confucius Institute Closing Amid Concern Over Pentagon Grant

• Alfred University in New York will end its affiliation with the Chinese Confucius Institute amid concerns over a Pentagon grant received by the university for advanced weaponry research.
• The Confucius Institute at Alfred University will be closed by June 30, 2023, according to a letter from the university's lawyer. The decision is driven by a commitment to safeguard intellectual property and enhance export control policies.
• The closure of the Confucius Institute reflects broader concerns regarding China's use of various means, including research partnerships, to gain access to sensitive research and technologies. Efforts to address intellectual property theft are being undertaken, including the examination of funding sources for research partnerships. Read More

 Research and Trends in Extremism

 WOL founder Nerdeen Kiswani protesting against Israel during the International Women’s Day rally in NYC, March 8, 2018 - Reuters/Lucas Jackson via Jerusalem Post screenshot

New Report on Within Our Lifetime Links Group to NYC Violence

• Canary Mission's latest report links violence against Jews in New York to the leadership of Within Our Lifetime (WOL) and its affiliated activists.

• WOL, a New York City-based anti-Israel group, has been banned from Instagram and its leader Nerdeen Kiswani has a history of harassing and making violent threats toward Jews.

• The report offers an interactive resource providing information about WOL, including events and affiliations associated with antisemitic violence in NYC. Read More

Study Says Twitter Algorithm Amplifies Hate

• A recent study conducted by Cornell University and the University of California, Berkeley, found that Twitter's new algorithm amplifies emotionally charged tweets, particularly those that trigger anger and animosity.

• The study revealed that political tweets in particular elicit strong responses from users and promote out-group animosity, potentially fueling divisive behavior and unfavorable sentiments toward opposing groups. Read More

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QUOTABLE 

“Among the numerous advantages promised by a well-constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.”

- James Madison, Federalist Papers #10

NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked.