Muhammad Masood wanted to carry out "Lone Wolf" attacks in US

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The Extremism Roundup
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**Promoting Civil Discourse and Marginalizing the Extremes**
A weekly compilation of the most important developments in the struggle against radical ideologies

Islamist Extremism
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* Muhammad Masood, the Pakistani doctor who sought to join the Islamic State - Sherburne County Sheriffs Office via AP file, via The Indian Express screenshot*


**Mayo Clinic Researcher Sentenced for Attempting to Support ISIS**


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Muhammad Masood, formerly of Rochester, Minn., has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS.


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Masood, a licensed medical doctor in Pakistan,  was in the U.S. under a specialty occupation visa and had worked as a research assistant at Mayo Clinic for two years.


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He had pledged allegiance to the terrorist organization and had expressed a desire to conduct "lone wolf" attacks in the U.S. He used encrypted messaging to facilitate his travel overseas to join ISIS.  [Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)


**Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to ISIS-Inspired Plot**


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Rondell Henry, 32, of Germantown, Md., pleaded guilty to planning an ISIS-inspired attack at a nearby airport in Maryland.


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Henry admitted to stealing a U-Haul van and driving to Dulles International Airport with the intent to harm people by driving through a crowd, but he abandoned the plan due to insufficient crowd size.


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He has been in federal custody since his arrest four years ago.  His plea agreement could result in his release in October, with a recommended sentence of time served and lifetime supervised release, pending the judge's decision.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**

Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism
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*Identified shooter Ryan Palmeter - Jacksonville Sheriff's Office via Sky News screenshot*


**Florida Mass Shooting Kills Three**


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Ryan Palmeter, 21, killed three and then himself in a Jacksonville dollar store shooting.


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Palmeter painted a swastika on his rifle and left behind a violent, 30-page manifesto addressing his parents, the media, and authorities, detailing his hate-filled ideology.


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Palmeter had a history of mental illness, but had no criminal record and had legally obtained the guns used in the shooting.


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Victims included Angela Michelle Carr, aged 52, Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr., aged 29, and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion, aged 19.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**


**Several Arrested During Violent Migrant Crisis Protest in New York**


- An anti-migrant protest turned violent outside Gracie Mansion in Manhattan, resulting in six arrests.
- According to police, about 100 protesters and 50 counter-protesters clashed and threw punches in Carl Schurz Park, near East 88th Street and East End Avenue.
- Gracie Mansion is the official residence of the Mayor of New York.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**
**Journalist Awarded Damages From Portland Antifa Members**


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Conservative journalist Andy Ngo was awarded $300,000 in damages by an Oregon judge after he claimed he was assaulted by members of Rose City Antifa during a June 2019 protest in Portland.


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Judge Chanpone Sinlapasai directed three defendants to individually compensate Ngo with $100,000 each for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**


  Hate Crimes
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*Sierra Fletcher and Gabriel Brunson - via ABC Columbia screenshot*


**South Carolina Man and Woman Plead Guilty to Hate Crime**


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South Carolina residents Gabriel Brunson and Sierra Fletcher pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime, conspiracy, and other charges.


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From January to February 2021, the defendants conspired to target people they identified as Mexican or Hispanic at public places, robbing them at gunpoint. The victims were chosen based on their race and national origin.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**


**Oklahoma Men Sentenced for Hate Crime**


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Brandon Killian, 32, from Midwest City, Okla., has been sentenced to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $43,000 in restitution.


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The sentencing is related to the racially motivated assault of Jarric Carolina, a Black individual, in the parking lot of the Brickhouse Saloon in Shawnee in 2019.


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Killian's co-defendant, Devan Johnson, had previously been sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $68,000 in restitution for the same incident. The assault involved physical violence and racial slurs directed at Carolina, who was hospitalized as a result.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**

  School Threats
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*Union Public Schools' Ellen Ochoa Elementary School - via KTUL screenshot*


**Oklahoma Schools Receives Bomb Threats**


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Union Public Schools in Oklahoma received bomb threats targeting various locations, including schools, airports, universities, and more, but no specific threats were made to the district itself.


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Despite the threats, all Union schools will remain open with increased security measures, including thorough sweeps of each building by staff and security personnel.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**


**Three Teens Charged After TikTok Bomb Threat Challenge**


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Three Kentucky teenagers have been charged with terroristic threatening after participating in a TikTok challenge involving false claims of bombs or guns in their backpacks at Oldham County High School on multiple occasions.


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The TikTok challenge encourages students to create videos jokingly telling teachers about dangerous items in their backpacks. The school had previously warned students about serious consequences for participating in such challenges.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**


**Student Arrested for Threats to Georgia School**


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A 16-year-old student was arrested for making threats toward South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, Ga. The student posted a picture of a gun with the message "Thursday 9:30 is gonna be professional," but the threat was deemed not credible by the school district's police department.


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The student has been charged with making terroristic threats. This incident follows previous threats made at other Gwinnett County high schools earlier this month, including one involving rumors of threats at Discovery High School.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**


**Louisiana School Shuts Down After Receiving Bomb Threat**


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Livingston Parish Public Schools in Livingston Parish, La., canceled classes due to multiple bomb threats received via email, although officials believe the threats are not credible.


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Law enforcement conducted sweeps of each public school campus in Livingston Parish and found no viable threat. After-school activities were also canceled, and increased patrols at campuses were implemented as a precaution.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations
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*A news broadcast of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attending a military parade that featured Pyongyang's nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, as his defense chief warned the U.S. that nuclear war was coming, July 28, 2023 - JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images*


**US Accuses Russia and China of Covering for North Korea**


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The U.S. accused China and Russia of obstructing a unified response from the U.N. Security Council to North Korea's recent missile launches, including a spy satellite test using ballistic missile technology.


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U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield criticized China's and Russia's obstructionism, highlighting that they failed to maintain international peace and security by not addressing North Korea's growing nuclear threat.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**


**FBI Warns North Korea May Try to Cash Out Bitcoin**


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The FBI has issued a warning that North Korean hackers, including the Lazarus Group and APT38, may attempt to cash out more than $40 million worth of stolen bitcoin following a series of cryptocurrency hacks.


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The FBI identified six wallets containing a total of 1,580 bitcoin ($41 million) associated with the hacker groups and cautioned cryptocurrency companies against engaging with these wallets, while emphasizing its commitment to combating North Korea's illicit activities for revenue generation.


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U.S. authorities have said that North Korea’s thefts of cryptocurrency and laundering of the assets are used to support North Korea’s ballistic missile and Weapons of Mass Destruction programs. **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**

 Research and Trends in Extremism
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*Teenage girl looking at iPhone - Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images*


**Study Shows Teens More Likely to Fall for Online Conspiracy Theories**


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A study conducted by the Center for Countering Digital Hate involving over 1,000 U.S. adults and over 1,000 American teens (ages 13-17) found an alarming prevalence of belief in conspiracy theories among both groups.


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Sixty percent of teens agreed with four or more out of eight statements associated with various conspiracy theories, compared to 49 percent of adults.


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Teens who spent four or more hours a day on a single social media platform were even more likely to agree with conspiracy theories, with 69 percent of them supporting four or more conspiracy statements. For instance, 54 percent of heavy social media-using teens agreed that Jewish people have disproportionate control over media, politics, and the economy.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**


**Study Identifies Distinct Incel Clusters**


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A study published in the journal Psychology of Men & Masculinity has categorized self-identified incels (involuntary celibates) into three distinct clusters: "externalizers" who blame society, "hopers" seeking improvement, and "internalizers" who blame themselves and experience emotional distress.


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The study aimed to understand the psychological and ideological differences within the incel community, shedding light on the potential risk factors and challenges faced by individuals in this group.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email)**

Have You Found A Story You Think We Should Cover?
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If you see an article on violent extremism in the U.S. or hostile foreign influence that is reliable, timely, and fits into one of the six categories that we cover in this newsletter, please send us a note, either by replying directly to this email or by [**submitting a contact form**]([link removed] 202308-31&utm_medium=email) under the appropriate "news tip" category.  

QUOTABLE
 
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“How ever sugarcoated and ambiguous, every form of authoritarianism must start with a belief in some group's greater right to power, whether that right is justified by sex, race, religion or all four.”

*- Gloria Steinem*

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.

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