The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

 Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters hold a “No Xmas as Usual In a Genocide” rally and march from Fifth Avenue to Union Square in New York on December 23 - Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images

Hamas Supporters Try to Cancel Christmas

• Anti-Israel protests occurred in multiple U.S. cities just before Christmas, with demonstrators blocking traffic heading into Chicago's biggest airport.

• Demonstrators in New York City chanted "No Christmas as Usual," carried giant Palestinian flags, and displayed banners demanding the U.S. cut off aid to Israel.

• The protests were in response to Israel's counteroffensive against Hamas, with some activists suggesting the holiday shouldn't be celebrated due to the conflict in Gaza.  Read More

Colorado Man Arrested for Attempting to Join ISIS

• Humzah Mashkoor, 18, of Westminster, Col., was charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS.

• According to court documents, Mashkoor was arrested at the Denver International Airport before he could board a flight for the first leg of an overseas trip, where he intended to stay until he continued on to either Afghanistan or Syria to serve as a fighter for ISIS.  Read More

Justice Department Announces Terrorism Charges Against Hezbollah Member

• The Justice Department announced terrorism charges against Samuel Salman El Reda, an operative with Hezbollah, for his alleged involvement in planning the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina that killed 85 people and injured hundreds.

• El Reda, a dual Colombian-Lebanese citizen, is accused of coordinating Hezbollah's activities in South America, Asia, and Lebanon since 1993. The indictment alleges that he relayed information to Hezbollah operatives on the day of the Buenos Aires bombing and has been involved in recruiting, training, and managing operatives worldwide.

• El Reda faces charges including providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, conspiring to provide material support, aiding and abetting the receipt of military-type training, and conspiring to receive military-type training. He remains at large.  Read More

Lincoln Memorial Vandalized With Anti-Israel Graffiti

• The Lincoln Memorial in Washington was vandalized overnight with graffiti, including phrases like "Free Gaza" and "Free Palestine."

• U.S. Park Police confirmed the vandalism and stated that National Park Service conservators started the process of removing the paint on the memorial's steps.  Read More

Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy campaigns in Iowa n December 19 - Scott Olson/Getty Images

Man Indicted for Death Threats to GOP Candidates

• Tyler Anderson, 30, of Dover, N.H., has been indicted for sending threatening text messages targeting three GOP U.S. presidential candidates, suggesting mass shootings at campaign events.  

• Anderson was initially arrested on allegations that he’d sent threatening messages to GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Further investigation revealed that he sent disturbing messages to two other candidates, including Chris Christie and an unnamed candidate.

• Each charge against Anderson carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.  Read More

California Activist Accused of Assault

• Edin Alex Enamorado, a left-wing community activist in Southern California, pleaded not guilty to felony charges, including assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and conspiracy, related to a violent protest in Victorville, Calif.
• Enamorado and seven others were arrested in connection with a September 24 protest responding to an alleged excessive use-of-force incident by a deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department on a teenage girl.
• The charges stem from an incident where protesters surrounded a vehicle, allegedly assaulting and using pepper spray on the occupants. Enamorado's attorney claims the arrest is an attempt to criminalize the right to protest and criticize elected officials.  Read More

Former Proud Boy Leader Sentenced for January 6 Conspiracy

• Charles Donohoe, a former North Carolina leader of the Proud Boys, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for participating in the conspiracy to violently overthrow the government on January 6, 2021.
• Donohoe was the first Proud Boys leader to take a guilty plea, avoiding a trial, and cooperated with the government, leading to a reduced sentence. He pleaded guilty to two counts for conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.  Read More

Nick Fuentes Calls for Holy War Against Jews

• Nick Fuentes, founder of the far-right organization America First, called for a holy war against Jews during a rally, making virulent antisemitic remarks.
• Fuentes, a known Holocaust denier, questioned the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust and accused Jews of having a malicious influence on U.S. policy. He also expressed concerns about individuals he claimed run banks and make movies, suggesting they believe "all Christians must die."
• Fuentes, banned from Twitter in 2021 for his extremist views, declared that a holy war is underway and asserted that those opposing his views have no future in America, claiming to have God on his side in this "holy war."  Read More

Arizona Man Charged Over Threats to Federal Agents

• Michael Lee Tomasi, 37, of Rio Verde, Ariz., has been charged with making threats against federal officials, including FBI agents, a judge, and elected officials.
• Tomasi allegedly made derogatory remarks in an online right-wing forum, “www.patriots.win,” expressing his desire to torture, kill, and rape federal officials. The comments were detailed in a redacted copy of the indictment against him.
• Tomasi entered a plea of not guilty and could face decades in prison and substantial fines if convicted.  Read More

  Hate Crime

 The city’s appointed leader of its new Commission on Racial Equity has repeatedly posted antisemitic messages on social media - via X post from @LindaTigani via NY Post screenshot

New Head of NYC’s Racial Equity Commission Has a History of Antisemitic Rhetoric

• Mayor Eric Adams' new appointee to lead the city's Commission on Racial Equity, Linda Tigani, has posted numerous antisemitic messages over a number of years.

• “FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA! PALESTINE WILL BE FREE!!” Tigani wrote in a July 1, 2020, post, which also included a clip from the “Day of Rage” rally in Brooklyn, where protesters reportedly chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”

• Tigani has also championed Palestinians in the Middle Eastern conflict on her Facebook page, with her banner image currently reading “Free Gaza!!! Ethiopian for Palestine.”

• In response to the exposure of Tigani’s antisemitic social media posts, the mayor’s office said in a statement, “Hate has no place in our city. Ms. Tigani underwent a standard vet, however, the team conducting the vet was unaware of the context of the language used in these social media posts before her appointment was announced.”  Read More

Florida Man Indicted for Hate Crime in Missouri

• Sean Walter Tonkin, a Florida man, has been charged with a federal hate crime for a racially motivated murder committed in the Kansas City, Mo., area.

• The indictment alleges that Tonkin, armed with a knife with knuckles, approached a Black man on July 4, directing racial epithets and threats before stabbing him twice in the chest and abdomen, resulting in the victim’s death.  Read More

Hindu Temple Vandalized

• Anti-India graffiti at a Hindu place of worship in Newark, Calif., is being investigated as a hate crime, according to police.

• Leaders of the SMVS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple reported the vandalism, stating it was intended to intimidate them.  Read More

Police Identify Man Who Vandalized BLM Mural

• Santa Cruz Police Chief has announced that the arrest of the suspect responsible for vandalizing a Black Lives Matter mural in July is imminent.

• The suspect, identified as a Santa Cruz County man, was caught on camera dumping blue paint on the mural and fleeing on a red Vespa-type scooter.

• Investigators have located the scooter and evidence at the suspect's residence, and they are examining the motivation and intent to determine whether the act qualifies as a hate crime.  Read More

  School Threats

Grandville (Mich.) High School - Joel Bissell via MLive.com screenshot

Michigan Juvenile Arrested for Shooting Threat

• A juvenile faces felony and misdemeanor charges for allegedly making threats of a shooting at Grandville High School, in Grandville, Mich.

• The charges include falsely reporting a terrorism threat and intentionally threatening to commit a violent act against the school or students.

• The incident involved a student leaving a note in a school bathroom and posting a threatening photograph on social media, leading to the removal of the student from the school.  Read More

New York Teen Arrested for Mass Shooting Threat

• A 17-year-old juvenile was arrested in Holtsville, N.Y., for sending an anonymous email threatening to "shoot up" Sequoya High School.

• The threat prompted an immediate lockdown of the school, leading to an investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD). The juvenile, traced to a residence in Centereach, admitted to sending the threat when SCPD officers responded on December 16.

• While charged with “making a threat of mass harm,” the case will be referred to Family Court due to the juvenile's age. No firearms or weapons were found during a search of the residence.  Read More

Florida Teen Arrested For Shooting Threat

• A 13-year-old in Pinellas County, Fla., was placed in custody and faces charges for written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting.

• The teenage boy sent the messages to another student about conducting a shooting at Osceola Middle School.

• After deputies reached the 13-year-old and his mother, the teen reportedly admitted to sending the threat out of emotion.  Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military personnel carrying handheld anti-tank grenade launchers during a military rally in Tehran, Iran, November 24, 2023 - Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Iranian National Charged With Unlawful Procurement of UAV Parts for Iran

• The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Iranian national Hossein Hatefi Ardakani and co-defendant Gary Lam with crimes related to the procurement of U.S.-manufactured dual-use microelectronics for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force UAV program.

• The indictment alleges Ardakani and Lam illegally purchased and exported dual-use microelectronics from the U.S. to Iran between 2014 and 2015, including components subject to U.S. export controls for national security reasons.

• The indictment further alleges that on four separate occasions Ardakani and his co-conspirators used a web of foreign companies to accomplish their obfuscation and evasion efforts.  Read More

Kansas Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Illegal Avionics Export Scheme to Russia

• Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, owner of KanRus Trading Company, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to smuggle U.S.-origin avionics equipment to Russia and continued such activities after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

• Buyanovsky admitted to filing false export forms, lying about export values, end users, and destinations, and using deceptive methods to hide the smuggling activities, including shipping goods through intermediary companies and using foreign bank accounts.

• The guilty plea includes consent to the forfeiture of over $450,000 worth of avionics equipment and accessories, as well as a $50,000 personal forfeiture judgment. Buyanovsky faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.  Read More

Joint Assessment on Impact of Foreign Interference During 2022 U.S. Midterm Election

• The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security released a declassified joint report addressing the impact of foreign governments on the security and integrity of U.S. federal elections in 2022.

• The report, developed pursuant to Executive Order 13848, found no evidence that any foreign government-affiliated actor compromised the security or integrity of election infrastructure during the 2022 federal elections.

• While some foreign government-affiliated and criminal cyber activity was detected, including by actors from China and Russia, there is no evidence that this activity influenced voting, changed votes, or compromised the integrity of voter registration information or ballots cast during the elections.  Read More

Research and Trends in Extremism

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) introduces the Restrict Act, new legislation that would allow the Commerce Department to take action on suspected foreign spying risks in artificial intelligence, fintech, quantum computing and e-commerce - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

New Study Shows TikTok Promotes Chinese Government Propaganda

• A new report from Rutgers University’s Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) analyzed hashtag ratios between Instagram and TikTok across topics sensitive to the Chinese government.

• NCRI assesses a strong possibility that TikTok systematically promotes or demotes content on the basis of whether it is aligned with or opposed to the interests of the Chinese government.  Read More

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QUOTABLE 

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- James Madison

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.