“A deadly, fiery crash that occurred outside an entertainment venue in upstate
New York early New Year's Day is being investigated as possible terrorism, a
law enforcement source briefed on the case told ABC News. Two people were
killed and five others injured after a Ford Expedition struck a Mitsubishi
Outlander that was exiting a parking lot near the Kodak Center in Rochester,
according to the city's police chief, David Smith. The collision occurred
around 12:50 a.m. on Monday near a crosswalk, as concertgoers were leaving the
venue, Smith said. "The force of the collision caused the two vehicles to go
through a group of pedestrians that were in the crosswalk, and then into two
other vehicles," Smith said at a press briefing on Monday. "There was a large
fire associated with the crash that took the Rochester Fire Department almost
one hour to extinguish." Two occupants of the Mitsubishi Outlander were killed
and the driver was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening
injuries, the chief said. The driver of the Ford Expedition was hospitalized
with life-threatening injuries, he said.”











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



Eye on Extremism



January 2, 2024



ABC: Deadly New Year's Collision Near Rochester, NY, Venue Being Investigated
As Possible Terrorism
<[link removed]>



“A deadly, fiery crash that occurred outside an entertainment venue in upstate
New York early New Year's Day is being investigated as possible terrorism, a
law enforcement source briefed on the case told ABC News. Two people were
killed and five others injured after a Ford Expedition struck a Mitsubishi
Outlander that was exiting a parking lot near the Kodak Center in Rochester,
according to the city's police chief, David Smith. The collision occurred
around 12:50 a.m. on Monday near a crosswalk, as concertgoers were leaving the
venue, Smith said. "The force of the collision caused the two vehicles to go
through a group of pedestrians that were in the crosswalk, and then into two
other vehicles," Smith said at a press briefing on Monday. "There was a large
fire associated with the crash that took the Rochester Fire Department almost
one hour to extinguish." Two occupants of the Mitsubishi Outlander were killed
and the driver was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening
injuries, the chief said. The driver of the Ford Expedition was hospitalized
with life-threatening injuries, he said.”



Associated Press: Houthis Show No Sign Of Ending ‘Reckless’ Red Sea Attacks As
Trade Traffic Picks Up, Commander Says
<[link removed]>



“Yemen’s Houthi rebels show no signs of ending their “reckless” attacks on
commercial ships in the Red Sea, the top commander of U.S. naval forces in the
Middle East says, even as more nations join the international maritime mission
to protect vessels in the vital waterway and trade traffic begins to pick up.
Since Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced just over 10 days ago, 1,200
merchant ships have traveled through the Red Sea region, and none had been hit
by drone or missile strikes, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said in an Associated Press
interview, although the U.S. military said that one ship reported being struck
by a missile late Saturday. Cooper said earlier that day that additional
countries are expected to sign on to the mission. Denmark was the latest,
announcing Friday it plans to send a frigate to the mission that Defense
Secretary Lloyd Austin announced during a visit to Bahrain, where the Navy’s
5th Fleet is based, saying that “this is an international challenge that
demands collective action.”

<[link removed]>



CEP Mentions



The Mirror: France On High Alert For New Year's Eve 'Terrorist Threat' As ISIS
Plots Foiled
<[link removed]>



“...It comes as Counter Extremism Project chief executive Ambassador Mark
Wallace said: "These arrests demonstrate once again that ISIS remains a serious
threat to the West. 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. He added: “Authorities must continue to
increase their cooperation to ensure the futility of these efforts.” His
comments come after three people were detained in Austria for suspected
involvement in an “Islamist network” in the build-up to December 25 but the
interior minister said there was “no immediate threat” of an attack in Vienna.
One person was arrested in Germany and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: “We
all love our Christmas traditions and won't allow ourselves to be intimidated
or have our way of life hemmed in. Our security authorities have their sights
on the Islamist scene and are acting decisively as the current measures show.””



The Mirror: Exclusive: Anti-Semitism, Conspiracy Theories And Hate On Demand
On Site Used By Russell Brand
<[link removed]>



“... It seeks to force platforms to take more responsibility for content. Sir
Ivor Roberts, a Counter Extremism Project group advisor and ex-Foreign Office
head of counter-terrorism, said: “It is inexcusable that an online platform is
unwilling or unable to stop giving a voice to extremist organisations. “If the
Bill cannot prevent tech giants allowing extremists to broadcast propaganda, it
isn’t fit for purpose. And if Rumble won’t stop acting as a cheerleader for
dangerous organisations and individuals it should be shut down.” Greater
Manchester Police has revealed a worrying rise in hate crime reports. It
recorded 74 anti-Semitic offences in the month after the Hamas attack on Israel
compared with 15 for the same period in 2022 and 14 in 2021. West Yorkshire
police recorded 53, against 10 in 2022 and 14 in 2021. The British Transport
police logged 87 anti-Semitic offences in the month after the massacre, up from
eight in the same period in 2022 and 11 in 2021. And Islamaphobic offences also
leaped – with 22 this year up from two in 2022 and eight in 2021.”



United States



The New York Times: The U.S. And Israel: An Embrace Shows Signs Of Strain
After Oct. 7
<[link removed]>



“President Biden was getting ready to leave the White House for an audacious
flight to Israel to demonstrate solidarity after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack
when suddenly the trip seemed to be falling apart before it even began. An
explosion at a Gaza hospital had reportedly killed or wounded hundreds, the
Palestinians were blaming Israel, and Arab leaders were refusing to meet with
Mr. Biden when he arrived in the region. The president summoned advisers to the
Treaty Room on the second floor of the White House family quarters to answer
the question: Should he still go? A robust debate broke out between his
national security and political advisers. Some in the room urged Mr. Biden to
scrap the trip. It was not clear what could be accomplished. It might not even
be safe. What if Hamas launched rockets at Ben-Gurion International Airport
when Air Force One approached? Where would the president land then? Others
argued that he needed to go anyway. He had already announced the visit. They
should not lurch from one decision to another. And preliminary U.S.
intelligence indicated that Israel was not responsible for the hospital
explosion.”



Reuters: US Man Charged For Attempt To Aid Al Shabaab After Oct 7 Attack On
Israel
<[link removed]>



“A New Jersey man arrested in Kenya has been charged for trying to aid
militant Islamist group al Shabaab, the U.S. Justice Department said, alleging
he was motivated by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel to wage violence. The arrest
comes amid heightened incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the wake of
the Israel-Gaza war, which have raised terror threat levels in the United
States. Karrem Nasr, a U.S. citizen who moved from New Jersey to Egypt around
July, was taken into custody in Nairobi on Dec. 14 and brought to the United
States on Thursday, the Justice Department said in a statement on Friday. The
23-year-old has been charged with "attempting to provide material support to a
designated foreign terrorist organization," which carries a maximum sentence of
20 years in prison, according to prosecutors. The United States designates al
Shabaab as a "foreign terrorist organization." "As alleged, Karrem Nasr,
motivated by the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7,
devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies," U.S.
Attorney Damian Williams said.”



Syria



Fox News: Attack In Syria Kills 11 Senior Iranian Military Officers, Injures
Top Advisor To Damascus
<[link removed]>



“An Israeli airstrike on the Damascus airport has reportedly killed nearly a
dozen senior Iranian military officials, which one expert told Fox News Digital
would prove Israel’s ability to maintain a multi-faceted defense of the region.
"While there is no independent confirmation of Guard Corps names or ranks, the
IRGC has long seen Syria as a critical regional hub to project power into the
Eastern Mediterranean and connect its constellation of proxies called the ‘Axis
of Resistance,’" Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for
Defense of Democracies, said. "It should come as a shock to no one that Guard
Corps elite are operating there, especially amid a regional war, which they are
directing far away from their own soil," he added. "Similarly, should the
strike be independently verified, it would be more proof of Israel being able
to hold back and deter elements of the Axis of Resistance in other geographies
while fighting to defeat Hamas in Gaza," Taleblu stressed. Syrian media claimed
that Israel had targeted sites in southern Syria and near Damascus in waves
that aimed to disrupt and Iran’s operations in the country.”



Turkey



Associated Press: Turkey Reportedly Detains 32 IS Militants And Foils Possible
Attacks On Synagogues And Churches
<[link removed]>



“Turkish security forces have detained 32 people suspected of links to the
Islamic State extremist group who were allegedly planning to carry out attacks
on synagogues and churches as well as the Iraqi Embassy, Turkey’s state-run
news agency reported Friday. The suspects, including three alleged senior IS
militants, were detained in raids carried out at dawn in nine provinces across
Turkey, Anadolu Agency reported, citing unnamed security sources. They were
detained in a joint operation by the country’s intelligence agency and police,
the agency said. The arrests come a week after police rounded up 304 suspected
IS militants in simultaneous raids across Turkey in what appeared to be a
security sweep leading up to the New Year festivities. The Islamic State group
has carried out a string of deadly attacks in Turkey, including a shooting at
an Istanbul night club on Jan. 1, 2017, that killed 39 people during New Year
celebrations.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: Taliban Say Security Forces Killed Dozens Of Tajiks,
Pakistanis Involved In Attacks In Afghanistan
<[link removed]>



“Security forces in Afghanistan killed a number of Tajik and Pakistani
nationals and arrested scores others involved in attacks against religious
clerics, the public, and mosques, a senior Taliban official said Sunday.
Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, Taliban’s appointed defense minister, during a press
conference in the capital, Kabul, said dozens of Tajiks and more than 20
Pakistanis were killed in the past 12 months “in operations by security
forces.” He said scores of Tajiks and hundreds of Pakistanis involved in
various incidents were also arrested during that period. Mujahid called on
neighboring and regional countries to strictly monitor their borders. Tensions
between Kabul and Islamabad spiked as hundreds of thousands of Afghans left
Pakistan after authorities started pursuing foreigners they said were in the
country illegally, going door-to-door to check migrants’ documentation,
following an Oct.31 deadline. Mujahid also said there has been a 90% decrease
in attacks by an Islamic State group affiliate in the past year.”



Pakistan



Voice Of America: Report: Terrorist Attacks Kill Nearly 1,000 Pakistanis In
2023
<[link removed]>



“Militant attacks across Pakistan killed around 500 civilians and a similar
number of security forces in 2023, the highest number of fatalities the country
has experienced in six years, according to a new report released Sunday.
Northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Baluchistan provinces
bordering Afghanistan accounted for most of the terror attacks and the
resulting casualties, the report by the Islamabad-based independent Center for
Research and Security Studies, or CRSS, said. It noted that 2023 was the
deadliest year for Pakistani police and military forces in a decade,
collectively losing more than 500 personnel in terrorist bombings and ambushes.
Anti-state groups, such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, Tehreek-e-Jihad
Pakistan, or TJP, separate Baloch insurgents, and a regional affiliate of
Islamic State, known as the Islamic State Khorasan, often claim or are blamed
for the violence. The Pakistani military has reported the deaths of at least
265 officers and soldiers in nationwide militant attacks and counterinsurgency
operations in 2023. In December, militants raided an army base in a
northwestern district and killed at least 23 soldiers in the deadliest attack
in the country’s recent history.”



Associated Press: Gunmen Kill 6 Barbers In A Former Stronghold Of The
Pakistani Taliban Near The Afghan Border
<[link removed]>



“Unidentified gunmen shot and killed six barbers before dawn on Tuesday in a
former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the country’s northwest near the
Afghanistan border, police said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for
the killings in Mir Ali, a town in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,
said Jamal Khan, a local police chief. The incident shocked residents, who said
the slain men all worked at various barbershops. Javed Ali, a local resident,
said he met one of the slain men last month when he went to a barbershop for a
haircut. Mir Ali served as a base for the Pakistani Taliban — who are known as
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP — for years until the military cleared the
area of insurgents. TTP is a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan
Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and
NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20
years of war. Pakistani militants years ago had banned the trimming of beards
and haircuts in Western styles.”



Associated Press: Pakistan Arrests 21 Members Of Outlawed Pakistani Taliban
Militant Group Linked To Deadly Attacks
<[link removed]>



“Pakistan’s counterterrorism police said Monday they arrested 21 members of
outlawed militant group the Pakistani Taliban, which has been behind several
deadly attacks across the country. Acting on intelligence information, the
arrests were made in the eastern Punjab province over the past two weeks, the
provincial Counterterrorism Department said in a statement. The Pakistani
Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, is a separate group but
allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as U.S.
and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country
after 20 years of war. The Counterterrorism Department provided a list of the
suspects, the cases against them and their alleged affiliation. But the list
did not give details about the attacks the militants were allegedly involved
in, including the number of casualties. The statement said that Mohammad
Arshad, an alleged chief commander of the banned Baluch Nationalist Army which
mostly operates in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province, was also
arrested.”



Lebanon



Voice Of America: Hezbollah Says Three Of Its Fighters Killed In Southern
Lebanon
<[link removed]>



“Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group said on its Telegram account on Monday
that three of its fighters were killed in southern Lebanon. The statement gave
no details about how the three were killed but said they "were martyred on the
road to [liberate] Jerusalem." Security sources said they were killed in an
Israeli raid on two houses in the Lebanese village of Kafr Kila near the border
where Hezbollah maintains security control. Hezbollah, an ally of Palestinian
Islamist group Hamas, has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israel across
Lebanon's southern frontier since the eruption of the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza
in early October. The Israeli military said on Monday it struck a series of
targets in Lebanon, including "military sites" where Hezbollah was operating.
Israeli airstrikes and shelling have killed more than 100 Hezbollah fighters
and nearly two dozen civilians, including children, elderly and several
journalists, according to Hezbollah and security sources.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Netanyahu Says Gaza War On Hamas Will Go On For ‘Many More
Months,’ Thanks US For New Weapons Sales
<[link removed]>



“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel’s war on Hamas in
Gaza will continue for “many more months,” pushing back against persistent
international cease-fire calls after mounting civilian deaths, hunger and mass
displacement in the besieged enclave. Netanyahu thanked the Biden
administration for its continued backing, including approval for a new
emergency weapons sale, the second this month, and prevention of a U.N.
Security Council resolution seeking an immediate cease-fire. Israel argues that
ending the war now would mean victory for Hamas, a stance shared by the Biden
administration, which at the same time urged Israel to do more to avoid harm to
Palestinian civilians. In new fighting, Israeli warplanes struck the urban
refugee camps of Nuseirat and Bureij in the center of the territory Saturday as
ground forces pushed deeper into the southern city of Khan Younis.”



Somalia



Reuters: Somalia Says Ethiopia-Somaliland Port Deal Null And Recalls Ambassador

<[link removed]>



“Somalia's cabinet said on Tuesday that a pact its breakaway region of
Somaliland had signed with Ethiopia allowing it to use the Red Sea port of
Berbera was null and void, adding that it endangered the region's stability.
Somalia also recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia for deliberations over the
Somaliland port agreement. Landlocked Ethiopia relies on neighbouring Djibouti
for most of its maritime trade. Monday's agreement, signed in Addis Ababa by
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi,
would clear the way for Ethiopia to set up commercial marine operations giving
it access to a leased military base on the Red Sea, Abiy's National Security
adviser Redwan Hussien said. The agreement also included recognising Somaliland
as an independent nation in due course. "Ethiopia's step ... endangers the
stability and peace of the region," Somalia's cabinet said in a statement after
an emergency meeting. Somaliland has not gained widespread international
recognition, despite declaring autonomy from Somalia in 1991. Somalia says
Somaliland is part of its territory.”



Mali



Reuters: UN Peacekeeping Mission In Mali Completes Its Withdrawal
<[link removed]>



“The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, is poised to complete its
withdrawal from the country on Sunday, the United Nations said in a statement.
Security experts warn the area could now become the focus of a struggle in the
north as rebel groups and the army seek to take areas that the U.N. has left,
further destabilising Mali, where Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda and
Islamic State also roam. Violence in Mali has spiked since June when the
military junta which took power in a 2021 coup ordered the U.N.'s decade-old
peacekeeping mission to leave. The U.N. said only a small team will stay behind
to oversee the transportation of assets and disposal of U.N.-owned equipment.
"U.N. funds, agencies and programmes were in Mali well before the deployment of
MINUSMA and will stay in Mali well after the withdrawal," MINUSMA chief
El-Ghassum Wane said. The peacekeeping mission in Mali was launched in 2013
following a violent insurrection by separatist rebels attempting to take
control of the north of the country and a subsequent military-led coup.”



Germany



Reuters: German Police Arrest Three More Over Alleged Cologne Cathedral Attack
Plot
<[link removed]>



“Police on Sunday detained three further suspects in an alleged Islamist plot
to attack Germany's famed Cologne Cathedral on New Year's Eve, authorities
said. The alleged attackers had planned to use a car to attack the 800-year-old
Gothic edifice by the Rhine river, Cologne police director Frank Wissbaum told
a news conference. The method of the planned attack was unclear, but an
underground car park below the cathedral had been searched with explosives
sniffer dogs overnight, he told reporters. "The three people are now securely
in custody, which we are very glad about since they can no longer communicate
with each other," he said. Wissbaum said investigators had found evidence late
on Saturday that linked the three to a 30-year-old Tajik man with alleged ties
to the Islamic State militant movement, who has been in custody since Dec. 24.
Federal authorities were continuing their investigation into what he termed a
"network of individuals" from Central Asia with links to several German states
and European countries. No details were given on the identity or background of
the people now in custody.”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.

DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>
 




Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>