Eye on Extremism
March 19, 2020
The
Guardian: Amazon Bans Sale Of Most Editions Of Adolf Hitler’s Mein
Kampf
“Amazon has banned the sale of most editions of Hitler’s Mein Kampf
and other Nazi propaganda books from its store following decades of
campaigning by Holocaust charities. Booksellers were informed in
recent days that they would no longer be allowed to sell a number of
Nazi-authored books on the website including Hitler’s autobiographical
screed and children’s books designed to spread antisemitic ideas among
children. In one email seen by the Guardian individuals selling
secondhand copies of Mein Kampf on the service have been told by
Amazon that “they can no longer offer this book” as it breaks the
website’s code of conduct. The ban impacts the main editions of Mein
Kampf produced by mainstream publishers such as London-based Random
House and India’s Jaico, for whom it has become an unlikely
bestseller. Leading Holocaust education charities and Jewish groups
have campaigned since the late 1990s to stop Amazon from selling
copies of Mein Kampf but the retailer had traditionally defended the
right of free speech and the need for students to understand Hitler’s
thinking when it comes to selling a book which is legal to publish.
Most Nazi publications are easily available to download for free from
other websites.”
The
Australian: New Leader Of ISIS Led Genocide Against
Yazidis
“Last week, Islamic State released a video claiming responsibility
for attacks in Kirkuk province that have killed dozens of Iraqi
soldiers, police and civilians. Mawli was named a specially designated
global terrorist, putting him on a list created after the September
11, 2001, attacks that makes any support to him a crime in the US.
“We’ve destroyed the caliphate and we remain committed to ISIS’s
enduring defeat no matter who they designate as their leader,” Mr
Pompeo said. Mawli, who was born into an Iraqi Turkmen family in the
town of Tal Afar, is thought to be one of the few non-Arabs among the
Islamic State leadership, and goes by the pseudonym “Haji Abdullah”,
according to monitoring groups. Having served in the Iraqi military,
he joined al-Qa’ida in Iraq after the US-led invasion that toppled
Saddam in 2003, the multi-national Counter Extremism Project said. A
year later, he was captured by US forces and jailed at Camp Bucca,
near the Iraq-Kuwait border, where he met and formed a bond with
Baghdadi and other al-Qa’ida militants who would go on to found
Islamic State. His whereabouts are unknown but it has been suggested
he followed Baghdadi to Idlib, northern Syria, the last rebel-held
province in that country, where the terrorist leader
died.”
The
New York Times: Suspected Jemaah Islamiyah Leader On Trial In
Indonesia
“The suspected leader of Indonesia's al-Qaida-linked Jemaah
Islamiyah network went on trial Wednesday on charges of terrorism that
could result in a death sentence. Prosecutors told the East Jakarta
District Court that Para Wijayanto became leader of the banned
organization in 2009. The group was blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings
that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. Wijayanto and his
wife were arrested last July by counterterrorism police at a hotel in
the Jakarta satellite city of Bekasi, following the arrest of nine
people believed to be members of his group who had returned from
fighting in Iraq and Syria. The nine other suspects were tried
separately in the same court on Wednesday. “The defendant and his
friends have been involved in an evil conspiracy to commit terrorist
crimes,” prosecutor Ade Solehudin said. “They made preparations, plans
and provided assistance for terrorist attacks.” Solehudin said
Wijayanto, a civil engineer who received military training at a jihadi
camp in the southern Philippines in 2000, also was involved in
sectarian conflict in Poso, a hotbed of Islamic militancy on
Indonesia's Sulawesi island.”
United States
The
Washington Post: Trump Nominates Special Forces Veteran To Head
Counterterrorism Center Amid Uncertainty About Its
Future
“President Trump has nominated Christopher Miller, a senior
Pentagon official in charge of Special Operations and combating
terrorism, to head the National Counterterrorism Center — the agency
set up after 9/11 to safeguard the nation from attack. Miller,
formerly the top counterterrorism official at the National Security
Council, is seen as an experienced hand and career professional who
can lead the agency at a time when its mission and effectiveness are
under review. But the move is also being seen with trepidation by some
insiders who wonder if it is part of a Trump administration effort to
purge the intelligence community of career professionals. The acting
NCTC director, Russell Travers, a respected career intelligence
officer with decades of experience, has held the line against cuts at
his agency. And though he has long been expecting to retire, he did
not learn of the nomination until Wednesday morning, according to a
person familiar with the matter. At the National Security Council,
Miller, an Army Special Forces veteran with more than 30 years of
government service, focused on pressuring the Islamic State, hostage
recovery and hunting down the remnants of al-Qaeda’s leadership.”
NBC
News: El Paso Attack Marked Year Of Rise In White Nationalism,
Watchdog Reports
“The mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, last August that
left 22 dead was “the worst carnage wrought by domestic extremists”
last year, according to a report released Wednesday that found an
increase in the number of white nationalist groups in the United
States for the second straight year. The report by Southern Poverty
Law Center reported, which tracks white nationalism, white supremacy
and hate groups, identified 155 white nationalist groups in the U.S.
last year, up from 148 in 2018 and a 55 percent increase since 2017.
Authorities say the gunman in the Aug. 3 attack in El Paso told police
that his target was “Mexicans” and that he posted a manifesto before
the attack that included anti-Latino and anti-immigrant rhetoric. The
SPLC has reported that the gunman's screed contained white nationalist
talking points “on “ethnic displacement” and “race mixing” and refers
to immigrants to the United States as “invaders.” According to the
report, “the most powerful force animating today’s radical right—and
stoking the violent backlash—is a deep fear of demographic change,”
and the idea that “white genocide” is under way. The SPLC said there
is a growing threat from a sector of white supremacists who call
themselves “accelerationists” who believe violence is the tool that
can counter increasingly pluralistic, democratic governments.”
U.S.
News & World Report: Report: Surge In White Nationalism Ramps Up
Violence Threat
“A recent surge in white nationalism in the U.S. has led to a
growing threat of violence by factions that embrace bloodshed and
advocate for a race war, according to a report released Wednesday by
an organization that tracks far-right extremists. The Southern Poverty
Law Center’s annual report on extremist groups said its count of white
nationalist groups has risen 55% over the past three years, from 100
in 2017 to 148 in 2018 to 155 in 2019. Many of these white
nationalists are embracing “accelerationism,” a fringe philosophy that
promotes mass violence to fuel society’s collapse, the law center
said. “In their view, political activity is pointless, and escalating
violence, on a broad scale, is the only way to bring down the
pluralistic, democratic society they want to destroy,” its report
says. The Montgomery, Alabama-based law center described another
faction of U.S. white nationalism as “mainstreamers,” who often call
themselves members of the “dissident right” and are trying to appeal
to a wider audience. “Much of the movement’s energy lies in the
growing accelerationist wing, which, for the most part, is organized
in informal online communities rather than formal groups,” the report
says.”
The
Daily Beast: A White Nationalist Has Rebranded Himself As Coronavirus
Expert. And People Are Flocking To Him.
“At first glance, Maine resident Tom Kawcyznski seems like just
another person talking about the coronavirus pandemic. His daily
“Coronavirus Central” podcast has consistently been in the top 20
podcasts on the Apple charts for “Health & Fitness,” and at one
point earlier this month it hit the fifth spot in the category. But
anxious listeners flocking to Kawcyznski’s podcast for more
information about the disease’s spread may not be aware of his
background. Before he rebranded himself as a coronavirus expert,
Kawcyznski was a notorious white nationalist advocating for a nearly
all-white monarchy in New England—with himself as its king.
Kawcyznski’s surprising reinvention and his success on podcast apps
demonstrate the degrees to which concerned Americans are turning to
anyone on the internet for coronavirus information, without much
consideration of the source. As rumors about coronavirus and the
government’s response circulate via text message and hoax cures
proliferate online, extremist figures like Kawcyznski have seen an
opening of their own. “I think the coronavirus is creating a brand new
world,” Kawcyznski told The Daily Beast, when asked about his new role
as a would-be coronavirus expert.”
Afghanistan
Al
Jazeera: Taliban Promises Safe Passage For Coronavirus Health
Workers
“The Taliban in Afghanistan has promised safe passage to
international healthcare organisations and humanitarian workers who
are fighting against the coronavirus. In a statement on Wednesday, the
group urged health agencies to provide medicine, send aid and the
necessary equipment to areas under their control. “Our brotherly
businessmen, in line with their Islamic and humanitarian
responsibility, must also support their fellow people in this time of
crisis,” the statement said. The Taliban claims the virus is a
God-sent scourge in response to “disobedience” and “sins of mankind”.
Afghanistan has 22 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Health concerns are
mounting in the country; every day thousands of Afghans cross the
border with Iran, the regional epicentre of the crisis. In 2019, the
Taliban banned the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and
the World Health Organization (WHO), alleging the two organisations
were conducting “suspicious” activities. The group later revoked its
bans. On Tuesday, European Union special envoy for Afghanistan Roland
Kobia called for a full ceasefire in view of the growing coronavirus
threat.”
Newsweek:
U.S. Calls For Afghanistan's 'Urgent' Release Of Taliban Prisoners Due
To Coronavirus
“The United States is urging Afghanistan to release Taliban
prisoners as committed under prospective peace talks, warning that the
detainees were at risk due to the spread of the new coronavirus. U.S.
Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad
said in a series of tweets Wednesday that Washington “would like to
see prisoner releases begin as soon as possible in line with the
U.S.-Taliban agreement.” The historic deal was reached late last month
as a planned precursor to direct negotiations between the government
and Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan but as Khalilzad said, “No
prisoners have been released to date despite the commitment to do so
expressed by both sides.”“Coronavirus makes prisoner releases urgent;
time is of the essence. We are committed to do our part and after
consultation with all relevant sides,” Khalilzad wrote, before listing
three points the U.S. “understands” moving forward. These points
included meetings between technical teams, face-to-face conversations
due to coronavirus, avoiding “provocative media statements” and that
the “Taliban commit that released prisoners will abide by the
commitments made in the peace agreement and not return to the
battlefield.”
Pakistan
The
New York Times: The Terrorist Who Got Away
“With it’s snow-capped mountains and its emerald valleys, teeming
with apple orchards and fields of saffron, India’s northernmost
province of Jammu and Kashmir can sometimes resemble an enchanted
kingdom. But for decades, this patch of ground has instead felt
cursed, as the center of a bloody and seemingly never-ending conflict
between India and Pakistan. Although 70 years have passed since the
area became a part of India, it remains a flash point between the two
nations. This August, India moved to cement Jammu and Kashmir’s place
in the Indian union by revoking the autonomy it was granted at the
time of its accession. While the change was largely welcomed in Jammu,
which is predominantly Hindu, it sparked anger in the overwhelmingly
Muslim Kashmir valley, where a separatist movement has simmered since
the late 1980s. To pre-empt large-scale protests and anticipated
violence, the Indian government enforced a security clampdown across
the valley, shutting down mobile-phone and Internet services and
placing dozens of political leaders and activists under house arrest.
Seven months on, Kashmir remains tense. Only in the last month have
restrictions on internet use been lifted and mobile internet speeds
restored to full capacity.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Pakistani Court Hears Appeal Of Man Convicted Of
Killing Wall Street Journal Reporter
“A Pakistani court is weighing the appeal of a British national
convicted and sentenced to death nearly 18 years ago in the murder of
Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, lawyers involved in the
proceedings said. The tribunal in Karachi heard arguments earlier this
month in the case of Omar Saeed Sheikh, who received death sentences
in 2002 for convictions on three separate crimes—kidnapping for
ransom, murder and terrorism. It could issue a ruling in the next few
weeks, the lawyers said. Any decision could then be appealed to
Pakistan’s Supreme Court. Mr. Pearl, the Journal’s South Asia bureau
chief, was killed while reporting on Islamic extremist circles in
Pakistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in
the U.S. and the subsequent U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in pursuit of
Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network. He was abducted on Jan. 23,
2002, and beheaded days later. Mr. Sheikh, who had communicated with
Mr. Pearl for a couple of weeks before his abduction, was arrested and
found guilty by a Pakistani antiterrorism court. Three alleged
accomplices were given life sentences. Their appeals were also heard
earlier this month.”
Yemen
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Houthi Court Orders Execution Of 17 Govt. Military Leaders,
Including Yemen VP
“A Houthi-run court in Sanaa issued 17 execution orders against
legitimate government military leaders among which was General Ali
Mohsen al-Ahmar, the vice president of Yemen, and Defense Minister
Mohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi. The court rulings follow a host of other
orders in which the Iran-backed militias indicted 35 Yemeni lawmakers
and called for their execution and the confiscation of all their
assets. In other news, the Houthis kidnapped seven school principals
in Sanaa and took them to an unknown destination. Educational sources
in Sanaa confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthi militants, led by
Nabil Al-Kamim and Muhammad Shujaa, arrested on Monday Professor Sabah
Al-Qara’i, the principal of the Al-Shaheed Al-Samawi School, and
Professor Amal Al-Qayadi, the principal of the Mayo School, in
addition to five other school directors. The government deplored the
abduction and said that the act is part of a chain of a terror
intimidation against the women in Yemen. Speaker of the Arab
Parliament Dr. Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Salami, labeling it an inhumane
crime, also condemned the kidnap and held Houthis responsible for the
safety of the principals.”
Nigeria
Council
On Foreign Relations: Nigeria Considers National DRR Agency Amid Boko
Haram Setbacks
“On February 19, 2020, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, the former governor
of Yobe State, introduced legislation to create the National Agency
for Deradicalization, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration of Repentant
Insurgents. Gaidam represents Yobe state, which borders Borno and has
been affected by the insurgency. The bill’s purpose is to encourage
and rehabilitate Boko Haram defectors and prevent violent extremism in
Nigeria. Given the recent requests for additional military force to
combat Boko Haram by Nigerian lawmakers, Senator Gaidam’s legislation
is an important step toward incorporating deradicalization,
rehabilitation, and reintegration (DRR) programs into the overall
strategy designed to defeat Boko Haram. Currently, Nigeria has three
deradicalization programs that support Boko Haram defectors. The
Prison Program works with militants convicted of violent extremist
offenses or those on or awaiting trial. During the program, Imams
teach classes on non-violent interpretations of Islam, and other
program staff provide vocational training so that, when inmates
fulfill their prison terms, they can reenter society with less risk of
reverting to terrorism. Second, the Yellow Ribbon Initiative supports
women and children associated with Boko Haram by providing
psychosocial therapy and reintegration programs.”
United Kingdom
The
Guardian: Where Is The Father Of The Manchester Arena
Bomber?
“The dissident father of the Manchester Arena bomber, who was
arrested in Libya the day after the blast alongside his other
terrorist son, was quietly released without charge and has vanished.
Ramadan Abedi, 54, fought against the Gaddafi regime in Libya with a
militant group that was designated a terrorist organisation by the US.
After his arrest, he and his son Hashem were held by the Rada Special
Deterrence Force, the most powerful of Tripoli’s militias, at its base
at Mitiga airport with dozens of other terrorist suspects and
fighters. As the jail was repeatedly attacked by rival militias trying
to free members held there, the British focused on bringing Hashem
Abedi, 22, back to the UK to face charges in relation to the bombing.
He was eventually extradited last year, but Ramadan was released
without charge and disappeared. “We don’t know [where he is], nobody
is speaking about it,” said Abdel al-Fattah, the director of the
foreign media office of Libya’s UN-backed government. “Even the local
media don’t speak about him.” There is no mention of him on Libyan
social media and a British diplomatic source said the UK had no
contact with the dual Libyan-British national.”
BBC
News: Manchester Arena Bombing: Suburb A 'Hunting Ground' For
Extremists
“When Hashem Abedi was found guilty of planning the Manchester
Arena bombing with his brother Salman, he became the latest home-grown
terrorist to be convicted in a UK court. But he was also the product
of a small area dubbed a “breeding ground” for extremists. In south
Manchester there is a small pocket of neighbourhoods, just a few
square miles wide. The suburbs here include trendy Chorlton, Rusholme,
with its curry mile, Levenshulme and Burnage, home to the Gallagher
brothers. Salman and Hashem Abedi were born in the city and grew up in
Fallowfield, one of the suburbs in an area that has produced more than
20 extremists. They are men and women who've joined terrorist
organisations, been jailed, disappeared or killed themselves. Among
them were an Islamic State group (IS) recruiter and at least two other
suicide bombers. Youth worker Ismael Lea South knows these areas well
and recognises a well-worn path. “Manchester has long been a hunting
ground for extremist groups and groomers,” he said. “You get people
who feel ostracised, dehumanised and demonised. “They don't feel 100%
British but they don't feel they belong to the country of their
parents so there's confusion.”
The
Telegraph: Manchester Bombing Victims: 'Government And Mayor
'Abandoned' Us'
“American popstars have been left to “plug the funding gap” for
“abandoned” victims of the Manchester bombing, survivors claim.
Survivors and victims’ relatives claim that funds from the One Love
Manchester benefit concert organised by Grande who drafted in fellow
pop stars - including: Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Katie Perry, Take
That and The Black Eyed Peas - is the only help they have received.
The concert, held at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, raised almost
£20million for victims and survivors. There is currently no specially
allocated government funding for victims of terror. While they can
claim money through the government’s Criminal Injuries Compensation
Authority (CICA), survivors of the Manchester terror attack say that
they are forced to wait years for funds to come through, leaving them
“feeling like a criminal”....”
Germany
The
Guardian: German Police Raid Sites Linked To Banned Far-Right
Group
“German police have raided sites across the country linked to a
banned far-right group, weeks after a suspected extremist shot dead
nine people of migrant backgrounds. An interior ministry spokesman
said raids were being carried out in 10 of Germany’s 16 states. “For
the first time, the interior minister has banned a Reichsbürger
(Citizens of the Reich) group,” the spokesman said. “Even in these
times of crisis, we will fight far-right extremism, racism and
antisemitism.” The United German Peoples and Tribes organisation
banned on Thursday belongs to the wider Citizens of the Reich
movement, which is fed by conspiracy theories. Its adherents question
the legitimacy of the modern Federal Republic of Germany and have in
the past entered into armed confrontations with police. In 2016 a man
linked to Citizens of the Reich killed an officer and wounded two more
in a shootout. He was later sentenced to life in prison. After a
racist gunman shot dead nine people of migrant backgrounds in the city
of Hanau last month, Germany’s interior minister, Horst Seehofer,
declared far-right extremism “the biggest security threat facing
Germany” and announced increased police measures.”
Southeast Asia
Eurasia
Review: Thailand: Troops Clash With Militants As Rights Groups Condemn
Bomb Attack
“International rights groups on Wednesday condemned a bomb attack
the day before on a Thai government office in Yala province, where
officials were meeting to discuss COVID-19, as clashes between
soldiers and insurgents in the Deep South claimed more lives. Thai
officials said a soldier was killed and two others were injured
Wednesday while pursuing militants near Pattani Dam in Yala province.
On Tuesday, three militants were killed hours after the attack at the
Southern Border Province Administration (SBPAC) office. “Entering the
seventh day of pursuit beginning on March 12 … a new clash resulted in
one soldier killed and two others wounded,” said Col. Watcharakorn
Oanngern, a spokesman for the military command in Thailand’s heavily
militarized southern border region, ISOC-4. Maj. Gen. Pramote Prom-in
said the militants killed Tuesday were members of a group responsible
for attacks on Nov. 5, 2019 on a village in Yala that killed 15
officials, defense volunteers and civilians. “From our initial
investigation, we can confirm that the three slain men participated in
the killing at Lampaya,” Pramote said.”
Technology
Vice:
Experts Say Neo-Nazi 'Accelerationists' Discuss Taking Advantage Of
Coronavirus Crisis
“In recent years, adherents of ultra violent brands of white
supremacism have preached ‘accelerationism,’ which holds that western
governments are currently teetering on disintegration and vulnerable
to operations sowing chaos and creating societal pandemonium. Neo-Nazi
movements have always tried to take advantage of times of great
uncertainty, and some members of far-right extremist networks see the
pressure of coronavirus as a possible trigger for the “boogaloo”; a
hypothetical second civil war. “Extreme right-wing accelerationist and
neo-Nazi Telegram chats and channels have increased their frequency of
calling for violence related to the coronavirus since the president’s
declaration of a national emergency on March 13,” said Joshua
Fisher-Birch, a research analyst at the Counter Extremism Project, a
U.S.-based terrorism watchdog. “The violent rhetoric also increased on
March 16 as economic damage from the coronavirus has increased.” In a
post captioned “ACCELERATION REMINDER,” one well known neo-Nazi
channel that provides tradecraft to evade authorities online warns
followers to beware of the possible presence of National Guard units
across the country if the pandemic worsens and the Trump
Administration deploys troops inside the U.S.”
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