Islamist Extremism |  | A ramshackle compound is seen in the desert area of Amalia on Aug. 10, 2018 - Brian Skoloff/Associated Press via Albuquerque Journal screenshot | New Mexico Jihadist Compound Kidnapping Trial Begins Jury selection has begun in the trial of two men and two women charged with kidnapping and terrorism offenses related to a 2018 raid on a squalid New Mexico compound, where the remains of a missing 3-year-old boy were found in an underground tunnel. The U.S. Department of Justice's counterterrorism section is pursuing a case against the five individuals, alleging they traveled from Georgia to New Mexico with the intent to create an army and train them to "kill people for Allah." The federal criminal charges against them include providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to murder a U.S. employee, and illegal possession of firearms. The case also involves allegations of bizarre notions of "jihad," exorcism, and "black magic." The trial is expected to last four weeks, with dozens of witnesses scheduled to testify. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Read More Professor Fired for Showing Image of Muhammad Can Proceed With Lawsuit Erika López Prater, a former adjunct art professor at Hamline University, in Minnesota, has been granted permission to proceed with her lawsuit against the institution, primarily on the basis of religious discrimination. López Prater sued the university after being dismissed following a complaint from a Muslim student who objected to her showing ancient images of the Prophet Muhammad in a global art course. While U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez dismissed several other claims made by López Prater, the claim of religious discrimination will move forward. Judge Menendez acknowledged the uniqueness of this argument and its potential difficulty to prove but declined to dismiss it entirely. Read More | | | | | Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism |  | Emergency responders outside the Tree of Life Synogague, Pittsburgh, after a mass shooter killed 11 congregants in Oct. 2018 - Jared Wickerham via The New York Times screenshot
| Man Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Tree of Life Trial West Virginia man Hardy Carroll Lloyd pleaded guilty to obstructing the due administration of justice by threatening jurors and witnesses involved in the federal hate crimes trial of Robert Bowers, the mass shooter at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Lloyd, a self-proclaimed "reverend" of a white supremacy movement, distributed threats through various online platforms during the trial, intentionally targeting the jury and government witnesses due to their Jewish religion. If the court accepts the plea agreement, Lloyd will be sentenced to 78 months in prison, which is expected to be at the highest end of the sentencing range under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Read More Florida Neo-Nazis Arrested - Two more individuals, Ronald Murray and Amanda Rains, have been arrested for hanging antisemitic banners over Interstate-4 (I-4) on June 10 in Orlando, Fla., along with two others, Jason Brown and Anthony Altick, who both have violent criminal records.
- The new arrests follow the signing of House Bill 269 by Governor Ron DeSantis, which prohibits individuals from displaying or projecting images onto a building, structure, or property without permission.
- The banners displayed swastika flags and racist messages, and the suspects have been charged with criminal mischief. Read More
Neo-Nazis Disrupt San Diego City Council Meeting - The San Diego City Council faced disruptions during its meeting as anonymous public commenters launched into antisemitic tirades and referenced figures in Nazi Germany and neo-Nazism.
- Nearly all of the disruptive commenters used fake names and made antisemitic remarks, prompting Council President Pro Tem Monica Montgomery Steppe to direct them to speak about the topic at hand or risk having their microphones cut off.
- University of San Diego law professor Miranda McGowan explained that while government meetings are considered "limited public forums," the council has the authority to regulate speech in these settings, such as limiting topics or requiring commenters to turn on their cameras. The council issued a joint statement denouncing hate speech and violent misinformation in the city. Read More
Antifa Activists Attack Women’s Rights Event - A women's event in San Francisco, organized by Women’s Declaration International U.S. chapter, was attacked by Antifa protesters. The event took place at the Chinatown Hilton conference center and discussed topics such as free speech in academia and issues affecting women, black women, lesbians, and detransitioned women.
- One protester was arrested and charged with felony vandalism and resisting arrest after allegedly attempting to escape arrest, injuring two members of the SFPD in the process.
- Antifa members outside the event attempted to attack women's rights activists K Yang and Meghan Murphy, who were standing outside with a sign. Protesters blocked intersections, held signs with messages against "TERFs" (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists), and vandalized property. A hotel manager was reportedly assaulted while trying to prevent further damage. Read More
Virginia Journalism Conference Cancels Angy Ngo Due to Antifa Threats - Multiple event venues in Virginia have canceled a journalism conference called the "Virginia Forum" after pressure and threats from a local Antifa group. The event originally was to feature journalist and author Andy Ngo, known for his reporting on Antifa.
- The Commonwealth Club in Richmond initially agreed to host the event but canceled citing "safety concerns" and "the current political climate" after alleged Antifa threats and doxxing. Read More
| | |  | Hate Crimes |  | U of Penn Hillel building - via CBS News Philadelphia screenshot | Student Arrested After Vandalizing Penn Hillel A student caused a disturbance at the University of Pennsylvania Hillel building during its Jewish morning prayer services, running into the building, shouting antisemitic comments, and knocking over furniture. No one was injured, and no students witnessed the incident. The student was quickly apprehended by Penn Police, after they witnessed him knocking down trash cans and behaving erratically outside the building. The incident occurred amid concerns about antisemitism on campus brought on by Penn’s plan to host a Palestine literature festival featuring antisemitic speakers the following day. Read More Hells Angels Indicted for Hate Crime Beating A grand jury has indicted 17 Hells Angels and associates for a hate crime beating in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, Calif. In June, the gang chased and beat three Black men, using racial epithets and telling them they "didn't belong" in the area. One of the victims was stabbed in the sternum with a pocket knife. Fourteen individuals are accused of assault likely to cause great bodily injury, with 11 also facing hate crime charges. Some could face life in prison if convicted. Additionally, 42 illegal firearms and illegal drugs were found during the investigation. Read More Man Charged in Seattle Anti-Asian Hate Crime Craig Day Milne has been charged with a felony hate crime after allegedly smashing the windows of a Wing Luke Asian American art and history museum in Seattle's Chinatown-International district with a sledgehammer and issuing a racial slur. Police response was delayed, leading to criticisms and concerns for the Asian American community's safety. Asian American leaders and residents have expressed fear for their community's safety, citing both the museum incident and recent controversies involving police interactions with Asian Americans. There's a sense that anti-Asian sentiment may continue to manifest as violence, with some attributing it to political rhetoric. However, the community has received an outpouring of support from various organizations and is uniting in response to the attack. Read More Two Puerto Rican Men Plead Guilty to Hate Crime Against Transgender Woman Two Puerto Rican men, Jordany Rafael Laboy-Garcia and Christian Yamaurie Rivera-Otero, have pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit a hate crime and obstruction of justice. The charges stem from their involvement in an assault with a dangerous weapon against a transgender woman due to her gender identity. The incident occurred on February 24, 2020, when the defendants recognized the victim from social media posts related to a prior incident at a McDonald's. They verbally harassed and later shot the victim multiple times with a paintball gun, recording the assault on their iPhones. After the assault, the defendants exchanged text messages to delete evidence of their harassment and assault, attempting to conceal their involvement. Their actions have led to federal charges, and sentencing hearings for both defendants are scheduled for November. Read More | | | | School Threats |  | Emma Hardiman, 18 - via WKOW.com screenshot | Wisconsin Teen Charged After Snapchat Threat Emma Hardiman, an 18-year-old former student of the Monona Grove School District in Wisconsin, was charged with felony terrorist threats after making alarming posts on Snapchat, including one with a photo of the school as a backdrop, suggesting the former student might become the next shooter. The threats were reported through the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Speak Up, Speak Out portal, which allows individuals to anonymously report potential school threats. The accused student claimed the threats were motivated by bullying but was arrested and had bail set at $1,500, with restrictions on being near the school's property. Read More Teen Arrested for School Shooting Threat on Social Media A 17-year-old boy in Henderson, Nev., was arrested on terroristic threat charges after making a social media post referencing a possible school shooting. Henderson police received information about the post from a neighboring law enforcement agency and, after interviewing the teenager, determined a credible threat existed. The teenager was taken into custody and booked into juvenile hall on one count of terroristic threats. Read More Multiple Alaska School Districts Receive Threats Several school districts in Alaska received threats prompting evacuations and school closures. These threats were reported to local police, the Alaska State Troopers, the FBI, and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHS&EM). While the threats led to evacuations in some districts, officials from the Alaska State Troopers stated that the threats "do not appear credible at this time." Law enforcement agencies are actively investigating the situation, which affected multiple school districts across the state. Read More | | Hostile Foreign Influence Operations |  | The MSC Tessa, currently billed the world's largest container ship - via New Atlas screenshot | How China Uses Commercial Shipping for Surveillance and Control China has significantly increased its presence in global shipping lanes and foreign ports, with ownership or operation of 96 foreign ports. Additionally, China has introduced information-gathering infrastructure at these strategic locations. Chinese regulations mandate that all Chinese companies operating overseas collect and report intelligence on foreign entities to the Chinese government. This presents substantial risks to both global shipping and information security. Read More Russian National Arrested for Illicitly Procuring U.S. Military Grade Microelectronics for Russian Elites Maxim Marchenko, a Russian citizen residing in Hong Kong, has been charged with multiple offenses related to his alleged involvement in a scheme to unlawfully procure U.S.-sourced microelectronics with significant military applications for end users in Russia. Marchenko, along with two co-conspirators, operated an illicit procurement network that fraudulently obtained dual-use, military-grade microelectronics, specifically OLED micro displays, from U.S. distributors. The conspirators used shell companies in Hong Kong and other deceptive means to conceal the true destination, which was Russia, of the OLED micro-displays from U.S. distributors. They also transshipped the micro-displays through third countries and used Hong Kong-based shell companies to hide payments coming from Russia. The total amount funneled to the U.S. in support of this smuggling operation exceeded $1.6 million. Marchenko faces charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., money laundering, smuggling goods from the U.S., conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud, with penalties ranging from 5 to 20 years in prison. Read More | | | | Research and Trends in Extremism |  | Members of Arizona Active Club and WLM CA pose together - via ADL screenshot | Research Warns of Rise of White Supremacist Active Clubs New research by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) warns that white supremacists have reportedly adopted a new strategy by forming small, loosely affiliated combat sports and fitness clubs known as Active Clubs. These clubs publicly advertise fitness, self-improvement, and brotherhood but have been linked to pushing a white supremacist narrative aimed at preparing members for a potential race war. Over 100 Active Clubs have been created since late 2020, with at least 46 currently active in 34 U.S. states. There are 46 clubs in 14 European countries and 12 clubs in Canada. Despite their proliferation, these clubs lack centralized or hierarchical leadership. Active Club members promote a fitness-focused persona, avoid overt Nazi or white supremacist symbols, and refrain from discussing sensitive topics like Jews or history. However, they seek to recruit new members actively, especially young and active individuals, and gradually indoctrinate them with skills designed for militia-like activities. Read More | | Have You Found A Story You Think We Should Cover? | 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 under the appropriate "news tip" category. | | | | | QUOTABLE “Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.”
- Thomas Jefferson
| | | 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. | | | | |
