From CEP's Eye on Extremism <[email protected]>
Subject Warning Of 'Increased Risk' Of ISIS Terror Attacks Across Europe On New Year's Eve
Date December 27, 2023 2:38 PM
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“These arrests demonstrate once again that ISIS remains a serious threat to the
West,” Counter Extremism Project chief executive Ambassador Mark Wallace said.
“ISIS is not only trying to take advantage of Hamas’s war against Israel to
motivate its supporters and sympathisers but is also attempting to organise
terror attacks in Europe to demonstrate its continued relevance within the
terrorist milieu. “Authorities must continue to increase their co-operation to
ensure the futility of these efforts.” Austria on Sunday said three people were
detained for suspected involvement in an “Islamist network”. However, the
interior minister said there was “no immediate threat” of an attack in Vienna.
“Terrorist actors across Europe are calling for attacks on Christian events,”
Vienna police said. One person has been arrested in Germany and the country's
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has pledged a firm response to any extremist
threat. “We all love our Christmas traditions and won't allow ourselves to be
intimidated or have our way of life hemmed in,” she said. “Our security
authorities have their sights on the Islamist scene and are acting decisively
as the current measures show.””











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Eye on Extremism



December 27, 2023



The National: Warning Of 'Increased Risk' Of ISIS Terror Attacks Across Europe
On New Year's Eve
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“... “These arrests demonstrate once again that ISIS remains a serious threat
to the West,” Counter Extremism Project chief executive Ambassador Mark Wallace
said. “ISIS is not only trying to take advantage of Hamas’s war against Israel
to motivate its supporters and sympathisers but is also attempting to organise
terror attacks in Europe to demonstrate its continued relevance within the
terrorist milieu. “Authorities must continue to increase their co-operation to
ensure the futility of these efforts.” Austria on Sunday said three people were
detained for suspected involvement in an “Islamist network”. However, the
interior minister said there was “no immediate threat” of an attack in Vienna.
“Terrorist actors across Europe are calling for attacks on Christian events,”
Vienna police said. One person has been arrested in Germany and the country's
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has pledged a firm response to any extremist
threat. “We all love our Christmas traditions and won't allow ourselves to be
intimidated or have our way of life hemmed in,” she said. “Our security
authorities have their sights on the Islamist scene and are acting decisively
as the current measures show.””



Associated Press: Kuwaiti And Saudi Hunters Killed By A Leftover Islamic State
Group Explosive In Iraq, Officials Say
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“The bodies of a Kuwaiti citizen and a Saudi with Kuwaiti residency who had
disappeared in Iraq were found Tuesday, Kuwait’s minister of foreign affairs
said in a statement. Iraqi security officials said the men, who had reportedly
come to Iraq on a hunting trip, were killed by an explosive left behind by the
Islamic State group. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Salem Abdullah al-Sabah said the
two men had “recently disappeared” in Iraq’s Anbar province. He said that his
ministry had “followed up around the clock with Iraqi authorities, who made
great efforts to find them as quickly as possible.” The statement didn’t
elaborate on the circumstances of the men’s disappearance or death, but said
that Kuwaiti and Iraqi authorities were coordinating in the investigation.
Iraq’s security media office said in a statement that Saudi citizen Anwar
al-Dhafiri and Kuwaiti citizen Faisal al-Mutairi, who had entered Iraq on
tourist visas and didn’t have hunting permits, were in a remote desert area
when their vehicle set off an old explosive device left behind by IS and caught
fire.”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

* CEP – KAS: Sahel Monitoring November 2023
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* Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: Rusich - Part 2
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* Reflecting on Two Months of War Against Hamas
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* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in November 2023
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* Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: Rusich - Part 1
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United States



CBS: NYPD Preparing For Israel-Hamas War Protesters To Attempt To Disrupt New
Year's Eve In Times Square, Mayor Adams Says
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“Mayor Eric Adams spoke Tuesday about increased security for the New Year's
Eve celebration in Times Square. The mayor said there have been nearly 500
protests in New York City since the Israel-Hamas war began and City Hall is
bracing for at least one more before the year is out. Combine that with
thousands of tourists gathering in Times Square to watch the ball drop and the
NYPD will have a big challenge on its hands. With "2024" now nestled on its
perch in the Crossroads of the World, police are counting down to New Year's
Eve. "It's a real Herculean task to manage that number of people without being
heavy handed but being protective," Adams said. The mayor said he is bracing
for the possibility of protests on New Year's Eve, especially considering that
pro-Palestinian demonstrators interrupted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
and attempted to interrupt the Rockefeller Center tree lighting in the wake of
Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7. "And we're sure there's gonna be some type
of attempt this year," Adams said. He said the NYPD will rely on different
forms of technology to patrol the crowds. But even before the regular protests
began, last year in Times Square three police officers were attacked by a
machete-wielding tourist on New Year's Eve. That suspect has since been charged
with attempted murder.”



Washington Examiner: Waltz Says Biden Must Focus On Iran Or 'Terrorism Is
Going To Come Back'
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“Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) warned that "terrorism is going to come back" if
President Joe Biden doesn't focus on Iran. Waltz expanded on congressional
Republicans' allegations that Biden has been weak on foreign policy,
particularly regarding the war in Gaza. The Florida Republican suggested that
Biden could enable a resurgence in terrorism if he didn't change course. “The
biggest thing the administration could do to help Israel is do a 180 [degree]
reverse course on its Iran policy, go back to maximum pressure, and dry up
their coffers that are fueling terrorism across the region,” Waltz said in an
appearance on Fox News. “Israel is just going to be mowing the grass in Gaza,”
he continued, referring to a controversial metaphor often used by Israeli
officials to describe armed operations in Gaza. “It’s going to grow back.
Terrorism is going to come back as long as Iran is flush with cash.”
Iran-linked militias have attacked U.S. forces on numerous occasions since the
beginning of the war, striking American bases in Iraq and Syria. The United
States has responded with retaliatory strikes, recently hitting a group of
Kataib Hezbollah militants in Iraq.”



Middle East



New York Times: Skepticism Grows Over Israel’s Ability To Dismantle Hamas
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“Standing before a gray backdrop decorated with Hamas logos and emblems of a
gunman that commemorate the bloody Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Osama Hamdan, the
organization’s representative in Lebanon, professed no concern about his
Palestinian faction being dislodged from Gaza. “We are not worried about the
future of the Gaza Strip,” he recently told a crowded news conference in his
offices in Beirut’s southern suburbs. “The decision maker is the Palestinian
people alone.” Mr. Hamdan thus dismissed one of Israel’s key objectives since
the beginning of its assault on Gaza: to dismantle the Islamist political and
military organization that was behind the massacre of about 1,200 people,
according to Israeli officials, and which still holds more than 100 hostages.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has repeatedly emphasized that
objective even while facing mounting international pressure to scale back
military operations. The Biden administration has dispatched senior envoys to
Israel to push for a new phase of the war focused on more targeted operations
rather than sweeping destruction.”



New York Times: Israel Will Not Soon End Its War With Hamas, Officials Say
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“Israel insisted on Tuesday that its war in Gaza would not end soon and
pledged to complete its mission of dismantling Hamas no matter how long it
took, despite widespread international calls for a cease-fire. Israeli forces
were “striking continuously” in the Gaza Strip, said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the
military’s chief of staff. The fighting, he added, would continue “whether it
takes a week or months.” “We are very, very determined,” General Halevi said in
a televised statement filmed along the Gaza border. “Everywhere our forces
operate, they are accompanied by heavy fire from the air, sea and land.” His
comments came after a defiant statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
of Israel, who visited the front line on Monday, and they preceded a meeting on
Tuesday in Washington between a close adviser of the prime minister and members
of the Biden administration. The adviser, Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister of
strategic affairs and a member of Mr. Netanyahu’s war cabinet, was scheduled to
meet Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and President Biden’s national
security adviser, Jake Sullivan, on Tuesday afternoon. “



Associated Press: Israeli Military Says Gaza Ground Offensive Has Expanded
Into Urban Refugee Camps
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“Israeli forces on Tuesday expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee
camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and
ordering residents to evacuate. Gaza’s main telecom provider announced another
“complete interruption” of services in the besieged territory. The military’s
announcement of the new battle zone threatens further destruction in a war that
Israel says will last for “many months” as it vows to crush the ruling Hamas
militant group after its Oct. 7 attack. Israeli forces have been engaged in
heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis,
driving Palestinians into ever-smaller areas in search of refuge. The U.S. said
Israel’s minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, was meeting with Secretary
of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss
topics including transitioning to a different phase of the war to maximize
focus on high-value Hamas targets, improving the humanitarian situation, and
planning for governance and security in Gaza after the war. Despite U.S. calls
for Israel to curb civilian casualties and international pressure for a
cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was
deepening the fighting. “We say to the Hamas terrorists: We see you and we will
get to you,” Netanyahu said.”



Bloomberg: How The Israel-Hamas War Sparks Wider Violence In The Middle East
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“In the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, each side’s most
powerful ally has aligned behind it. To support Israel, the US moved additional
warships, aircraft and troops into the Middle East and expedited shipments of
munitions. Iran, which backs Hamas, has said that Israel’s military operation
against the group would be answered by the anti-Israeli and anti-Western groups
it supports — the so-called axis of resistance. Already, the war between Israel
and Hamas, considered a terrorist group by the US and European Union, has
stoked violence in other parts of the Middle East and raised concerns of a
wider conflagration. These are some areas of concern: After Hamas militants
massacred 1,200 people in Israel on Oct. 7 and set off the war, the Lebanese
militia Hezbollah began launching missile, mortar and rocket strikes on
northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas. Cross-border fire between Israel and
Hezbollah — which is influenced heavily by Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps — has become a daily occurrence, threatening to open a second front
of the war. Both Hamas and Hezbollah receive funding, weapons and training from
Iran. Hezbollah has a bigger, more professional fighting force than Hamas and,
Israeli authorities estimate, almost 10 times the number of missiles. Israel
and Hezbollah have fought repeated battles, including a war in 2006.”



Egypt



Reuters: What Is Egypt's Proposal For Gaza?
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“Egypt has held talks between Hamas and its allied Islamic Jihad to try and
broker a permanent ceasefire in Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, which has
killed tens of thousands, laid waste to the Hamas-governed territory, and
displaced the majority of the 2.3 million Palestinian residents. Here are the
various proposals Egypt is presenting: Egypt is proposing that Hamas and
Islamic Jihad relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent
ceasefire, said two Egyptian security sources. Hamas and Islamic Jihad
officials have rejected such a proposal, the Egyptian sources said. Officials
of the two groups denied publicly what the sources said. Leaders of the two
groups have repeatedly insisted a post-Gaza war future should be decided by the
Palestinians themselves and not according to foreign dictation. Israel has
demanded the destruction of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with aides to Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying this would entail the dismantling of all of
their military and governance capabilities and a deradicalising of the Gaza
population. It was not immediate clear if the proposed removal of the militant
groups from power would satisfy those demands. Egypt is suggesting a
multi-stage ceasefire, with an initial temporary ceasefire lasting for a period
of one or two weeks, said two Egyptian security sources.”



Nigeria



The Telegraph: Nigeria Massacres See At Least 160 People Killed Across Tens Of
Villages
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"Armed groups have killed at least 160 people in central Nigeria in a series
of attacks on villages, local government officials said on Monday. The attacks
took place in Plateau state, a region plagued for several years by religious
and ethnic tensions. “As I am talking to you, in Mangu local government alone,
we buried 15 people. As of this morning, in Bokkos, we are counting not less
than 100 corpses. I am yet to take stock of [the deaths in] Barkin Ladi,”
Governer Caleb Mutfwang said. “It has been a very terrifying Christmas for us
here in Plateau.”



Africa



Reuters: Uganda Says Islamic State-Allied Rebels Kill Three In Village Attack
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“Militants from an Islamic State-allied rebel group killed three people in an
attack on a village in western Uganda, a military spokesman said on Tuesday.
The assailants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked the village in
Kamwenge district late on Monday, killing a 75-year-old woman and her two
grandchildren before burning the bodies, Felix Kulayigye, the military
spokesman said in an audio statement sent to journalists. The ADF was
originally an anti-Kampala rebel group that fought the government of President
Yoweri Museveni from its bases in the Rwenzori mountains. After it was routed
by the military in the late 1990s, the remnants fled across the border into the
jungles of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where they established new
bases. From there they have continued to carry out attacks both in Uganda and
Congo against military and civilian targets, including one in June that left
dozens of students dead and another that killed a tourist couple and their
guide in October. Kulayigye said the Ugandan military would hunt down those
responsible for the latest killings.”



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