Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury arrested for firebombing Wisconsin Family Action

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The Extremism Roundup
=====================


**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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*Post shared by 16-year old ISIS terror suspect - via Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Youtube screenshot*


**Radicalized Las Vegas Teen Arrested for ISIS Terrorist Threats**


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Vegas police and the FBI thwarted a potential terror plot involving a 16-year-old who expressed support for the Islamic State (ISIS).


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The teenager posted a threat on social media, indicating plans for "lone wolf operations in Las Vegas against the enemies of Allah." The post included an ISIS flag and words in Arabic.


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A multi-agency investigation was initiated, leading to the identification and arrest of the 16-year-old suspect, who had recently converted to Islam.


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Upon serving a search warrant, authorities found components for building an improvised explosive device, bomb-making instructions, terrorism propaganda, an ISIS flag, and antisemitic threats. The teenager faces felony charges related to terroristic threats, attempting to further an act of terrorism, and possession of explosive components.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**


**Protestors Turn Violent and Call for Intifada in New York**


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Anti-Israel protesters attempted a second-weekend rally at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC.


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Around 200 protesters chanted slogans such as "Free Palestine" and used antisemitic slogans like "there is only one solution, Intifada revolution."


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The group, known as Within Our Lifetime, planned to enter the museum for an "anti-colonial tour." After being turned away, they released a smoke bomb in colors representing the Palestinian flag and accused the museum's corporate patrons of supporting the "ongoing genocide of Gaza."


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The demonstration escalated downtown, targeting businesses, and eventually reached Times Square, where a confrontation at a McDonald's involved pepper spray.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**

**Disturbing Comments on Gaza at Oakland City Council Meeting**


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A video compilation exposes egregious comments made during a six-hour Oakland, California City Council meeting where speakers largely supported a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.


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The video, created by the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area, compiles false statements, including one claiming that the October 7 event was not a massacre of Jews but involved IDF killing many, including children.


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The video, posted on JCRC's Twitter account, gained significant attention, with hundreds of thousands of views and notable reposts, including by Governor Gavin Newsom.


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Councilmember Dan Kalb expressed embarrassment over speakers attempting to legitimize the terrorist attack and emphasized that the resolution passed unanimously, despite the extreme rhetoric during the public comments.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**


**Senior CIA Official Shared Anti-Israel Posts After Hamas Attack**


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Senior CIA official Amy McFadden, who oversees the approval of analyses distributed within the CIA, faced criticism for her public posting of controversial anti-Israel political statements amid the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.


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The revelation led the agency to re-issue guidelines emphasizing the need for employees to display objectivity, and anonymous intelligence officials criticized her posts, calling them "glaringly poor judgment."


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Despite the controversy, McFadden has not faced disciplinary measures, and an official claimed that her post was not intended to express a position on the Israel conflict.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**

Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism
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*Hridindu-Sankar-Roychowdhury -  via X screenshot*


**Indian-born Researcher Pleads Guilty to Firebombing Anti-Abortion Group  **


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Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, of Madison, Wisc., pleaded guilty to the May 2022 firebombing of the Madison offices of Wisconsin Family Action.


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The incident involved a mason jar filled with a clear fluid, suspected accelerant, placed under a broken window, and spray-painted symbols and messages on the building walls, including, "If abortions aren’t safe, then you aren’t either."


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Law enforcement identified Roychowdhury as a suspect through DNA evidence collected from the scene and matched to DNA obtained from food items he disposed of.


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Roychowdhury, who traveled from Madison to Portland, Maine, was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport while attempting to board a one-way flight to Guatemala City. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**


**Man Sentenced for Threats Toward Georgia Public Officials**


- Chad Christopher Stark, a 55-year-old from Leander, Texas, has been sentenced to two years in prison for posting online threats against several Georgia public officials following the 2020 election.
- Stark posted a message on Craigslist on Jan. 5, 2021, titled "Georgia Patriots it’s time to kill [Official A] the Chinese agent - $10,000," advocating violence against officials and judges. The message called for armed action and stated that it was the duty of American Patriots to use force against traitors.
- Stark's message included explicit calls for violence, urging the killing of officials and their families.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**
**Texas Man Sentenced for Synagogue Arson**


- Franklin Sechriest, 19, from San Marcos, Texas, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $470,000 in restitution for a hate crime and arson targeting the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Austin.
- Sechriest pleaded guilty to hate crime and arson charges, admitting that he targeted the synagogue due to his hatred of Jews. His journals, recovered by authorities, contained virulent antisemitic statements and talk about joining a neo-Völkisch hate group, and he possessed antisemitic decals and stickers.
- Three days before the arson, Sechriest scouted the synagogue's parking lot, and on the night of the incident, he was captured on surveillance video carrying materials toward the sanctuary. He set fire to the synagogue, and his journal entries documented the act and his monitoring of media reports about the investigation.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**
**Antisemitic Littering Charges Dropped Against GDL Founder**


- A littering charge against neo-Nazi founder of the Goyim Defense League, Jon Minadeo, in West Palm Beach has been dropped. Minadeo was accused of distributing antisemitic literature in March, and police found him and others tossing such materials from a truck.
- The charge was dropped after Minadeo's attorney presented video footage that reportedly showed Minadeo only documenting littering offenses by co-defendants, leading to a lack of evidence against him.
- Despite the dropped littering charge, Minadeo had previously been found guilty of a similar offense, resulting in a 30-day jail sentence earlier in the month.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**

  Hate Crime
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* Charles Antonio Clippard and Michael Joseph - via People.com screenshot and Richland County Sheriff Department*


**Two South Carolina Men Charged With Hate Crimes Against Hispanic Victims**


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Charles Antonio Clippard, 26, and Michael Joseph Knox, 28, both of Columbia, S.C., have been indicted on hate crime charges in connection with a series of armed robberies targeting Hispanic victims.


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The hate crime charges include three armed robberies, one carjacking, and three firearms offenses, all committed due to the victims' race and national origin while using public accommodations.


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If convicted, each defendant faces a minimum penalty of 21 years for firearms offenses, a maximum of 10 years on each hate crime count, and a maximum of 15 years for the carjacking count.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**


**Three Teens Arrested for Attacks on Jews in Brooklyn**


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NYPD arrested three teenage boys in connection with a series of assaults on Jewish individuals in Brooklyn.


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Two 14-year-olds were charged with three counts of assault as a hate crime, while a 13-year-old was charged with two counts of assault.


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The victims, including a 40-year-old man, a 15-year-old boy, and a 27-year-old man, sustained minor injuries in separate incidents. The assaults occurred amid a surge in such incidents in NYC since the October 7 Hamas terror attack.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**


**Multiple New York Synagogues Receive Bomb Threats**


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Bomb threats were made against 15 synagogues in New York State, affecting locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island, Westchester County, and other parts of upstate New York.


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The threats, sent mostly through synagogue websites' contact forms, aimed to disrupt operations by prompting law enforcement responses. No actual danger to the targets was identified.


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The campaign resembled previous bomb threats against Jewish institutions since the summer, usually sent via email. Despite investigations, these threats were consistently deemed not credible.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**


**Israeli Restaurant Targeted in Philadelphia**


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Anti-Israel demonstrators targeted Goldie, a falafel restaurant in Philadelphia owned by Israeli chef Michael Solomonov, accusing it of "genocide."


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The Philly Palestine Coalition organized the protest, chanting slogans outside the restaurant, part of their call for a boycott of "Zionist-owned" businesses in the city.


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Philadelphia lawmakers and Jewish commentators criticized the protesters for targeting a Jewish-owned business and accused them of making antisemitic threats.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**

  School Threats
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*Pittsburgh Milliones University Prep High School - via Wikipedia*


**Two Teens Arrested After Credible Threat to Pittsburgh School**


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Two teenagers were arrested in Pittsburgh after videos surfaced on social media showing one of them posing with firearms and making threats against Pittsburgh Milliones University Preparatory School.


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The investigation began on Nov. 20 when police responded to a report of a young man with a gun on campus, leading to a lockdown. The suspects were traced with the help of the ATF.


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One suspect, 18-year-old Jackiel Young, was found in possession of a pistol with a 50-round drum magazine and a fully automatic switch for a Glock. The other suspect, a 17-year-old, was found with an AK-47 and two pistols. The threat was considered credible, but the suspects were stopped in the evening before reaching the school.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**


**Iowa Teen Arrested in Connection to Social Media Threat**


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A 16-year-old in Davenport, Iowa, was arrested and charged with threats of terrorism made over social media, specifically targeting Davenport Central High School and McKinley Elementary School.


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Davenport police received information about possible threats around 1:20 p.m., leading to an investigation that determined no immediate threat but resulted in the arrest due to the seriousness of the social media threats.


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The arrested teen was taken to the juvenile detention center, and in coordination with school staff, the school day continued, and students were dismissed at the normal time.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**


**Oregon School Goes on Lockdown Following Bomb Threat**


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Madras High School in Oregon was placed on lockdown and evacuated following a telephoned bomb threat.


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Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, responded to the threat, and students were bused to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds while the school was searched and cleared.


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Law enforcement found no incendiary devices during multiple searches, and the school was deemed safe for re-entry. The threat is under investigation by the Tri-County Major Incident Team.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations
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*TrickBot is a banking Trojan malware that targets businesses and consumers for their data*


**Russian National Pleads Guilty to Malware Conspiracy**


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Russian national Vladimir Dunaev has pleaded guilty to his involvement in developing and deploying the malicious software Trickbot, which targeted American hospitals and businesses.


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Trickbot, a suite of malware tools, was designed to steal money and facilitate ransomware installation, causing millions of dollars in losses to victims, including hospitals, schools, and businesses.


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Dunaev's guilty plea follows international collaboration, including his extradition from South Korea. He faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**


**US Stops Helping Big Tech Spot Foreign Influence Campaigns**


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The U.S. government has ceased warning certain social networks about foreign disinformation campaigns, reversing efforts to prevent interference in American politics less than a year before the U.S. presidential elections.


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Meta, the world's largest social media company, no longer receives notifications of global influence campaigns from the Biden administration, impacting a long-standing practice of collaboration between federal authorities and major platforms.


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Legal actions and Republican probes against initiatives to counter disinformation, rooted in conservative legal campaigns, have led to a significant reduction in government communication about foreign meddling, raising concerns about national security and election integrity.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**

Research and Trends in Extremism
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*Youtube screenshot*


**The Well-Coordinated Anti-Israel Propaganda Machine**


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A study led by Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism reveals a significant challenge in countering the Palestinian narrative on social media, with posts spreading false information garnering about 100 million cumulative views on Twitter alone.


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The study suggests a well-coordinated propaganda machine involving national factors, extreme left-wing intellectuals, far-right parties, neo-Nazis, trolls, and Muslim believers, which impact global awareness and public opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.


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Specific influencers and groups, such as Jackson Hinkle, Maram Susli, Max Blumenthal, and the British activist Asa Winstanley, are identified as contributing to anti-Israel propaganda, using platforms like Twitter to reach large audiences.


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The lack of a coordinated Israeli advocacy effort on social media is emphasized, with calls for a more organized response to counter the influence of state-sponsored networks, bots, and disinformation campaigns.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email)**

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**]([link removed] 202312-07&utm_medium=email) under the appropriate "news tip" category.  

QUOTABLE
 
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“By re-educating his sympathies away from the traditional and the familial, the habitual and the customary, the revolutionary citizen 'liberated' himself from the very circumstances in which most ordinary citizens enjoyed their liberty.”

*- Edmund Burke*

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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