Eye on Extremism
March 20, 2020
Deutsche
Welle: Germany Bans Branch Of Far-Right 'Reichsbürger'
Movement
“For the first time ever, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer
has banned a faction of the far-right “Reichsbürger” movement, a group
that denies the existence and authority of the modern-day German
government, an Interior Ministry spokesman said Thursday. “We will be
relentless in continuing the fight against right-wing extremism, even
in times of crisis,” Seehofer said. Police operations against the
group “United German Peoples and Tribes” and related group
“Osnabrücker Landmark” took place in 10 German states early Thursday
morning, spokesman Steve Alter said on Twitter. Over 400 officers
carried out simultaneous raids at the homes of 21 of the group's
leaders early Thursday. The Interior Ministry said officers uncovered
guns, baseball bats, propaganda materials, and small amounts of
narcotics. Racism and anti-Semitism will not be given “a single
millimeter” of space in our society, Seehofer said following the
raids, adding that the banned group “spread racist and anti-Semitic
texts, thereby systematically poisoning our free
society.”
WTOP
News: The Hunt: Terrorists Are Afraid Of The
Coronavirus
“The coronavirus is sweeping the world, creating fear and panic in
many places. But there is one positive thing that’s occurred as a
result. In this week’s edition of The Hunt with WTOP national security
correspondent J.J. Green, Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior adviser at
the Counter Extremism Project, said that even terrorists are terrified
of the COVID-19 virus, and they’ve taken drastic action.”
The
New York Times: Pakistani Man, Off To Join ISIS, Is Arrested At
Minneapolis Airport, U.S. Says
“A Pakistani doctor who the F.B.I. said was intent on joining the
Islamic State, either on the battlefield in Syria or as a “lone wolf”
in the United States, was arrested on Thursday before boarding a
flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. The doctor, Muhammad Masood,
28, had been en route to Los Angeles to try to travel to the Middle
East by cargo ship, the authorities said. He had initially bought a
plane ticket from Chicago to Jordan, but officials said the flight was
canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak. Mr. Masood, who most
recently worked as a research coordinator at a medical clinic in
Rochester, Minn., was charged with one count of attempting to provide
material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The
charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Mr. Masood spent
the past two years in the United States on a temporary visa, known as
a H-1B, that is issued to skilled workers from abroad, a criminal
affidavit said. Law enforcement officials said they began their
investigation of Mr. Masood in January, after he posted on an
encrypted social media platform asking for help making “hijrah,” the
Arabic word for migration. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said
the word was widely used by those seeking to join ISIS.”
United States
The
Wall Street Journal: Terrorism Agency Head Fired In Continuing U.S.
Intelligence Shakeup
“The acting chief of the National Counterterrorism Center and his
deputy were fired Wednesday, according to people familiar with the
matter, the latest in recent personnel changes that have alarmed
current and former officials worried that President Trump is
politicizing the U.S. intelligence community. Russell Travers, a
veteran counterterrorism official who took charge of NCTC last summer,
was dismissed by Richard Grenell, the acting director of national
intelligence, the people said. The White House nominated a new head of
NCTC on Wednesday, tapping Christopher Miller, a Pentagon
counterterrorism official. Mr. Grenell, formerly the ambassador to
Germany, is seen as a Trump loyalist who has scant intelligence
experience. He was named to his post after his predecessor, Joseph
Maguire, a retired Navy vice admiral, was berated by the president
over how a subordinate briefed lawmakers about Russia’s potential
goals in interfering in the 2020 election. Mr. Travers is a highly
regarded veteran of counterterrorism work, who oversaw development of
the U.S. database of known and suspected terrorists, called
TIDES.”
The
Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Man Denied Coronavirus Test Allegedly
Threatened To Bomb Hospital
“A man who allegedly threatened to bomb a Utah hospital after
learning he couldn’t receive a coronavirus test was arrested Thursday.
The man called Intermountain Medical Center the day of his arrest
seeking a test, according to a probable cause statement. “When the
employee told [they man] that they would not be able to provide him
with a test, he got upset and threatened to bring a bomb to the
hospital and put it inside the cafeteria or a conference room,” the
statement said. Murray police later arrested him. He was booked into
Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of making a terrorism threat, a
third-degree felony. He is being held in lieu of $10,000 bond. Salt
Lake County jail spokeswoman Sgt. Carrie Fisher said the man underwent
the jail’s coronavirus procedures for intake, which included having
his temperature taken.”
Syria
Al
Jazeera: Rocket Attack In Northwest Syria Kills Two Turkish
Soldiers
“Two Turkish soldiers have been killed in a rocket attack in
Syria's northwestern Idlib province, Turkey's defence ministry has
said. A ministry statement said a third soldier was wounded in
Thursday's attack, which it said was carried out by “radical groups”.
Turkey's artillery units immediately mounted a powerful retaliation,
the ministry said, but did not provide further details. The attack
comes two weeks after Turkey and Russia - which support opposing sides
in the Syrian conflict - agreed to a cease-fire in Idlib, halting a
three-month air and ground campaign by the Syrian government in the
rebel-held province. The operation killed hundreds and sent one
million people fleeing toward the Turkish border. It also resulted in
rare direct clashes between the Turkish military and Syrian government
troops. Some 60 Turkish soldiers have been killed in Idlib since the
start of February. The Turkish defence statement did not identify the
group it holds responsible for the attack.”
France
24: Syria's Baghouz, One Year After Last Is Flag Came
Down
“A year after the last black flag of the Islamic State group was
lowered in the Syrian village of Baghouz, local farmer Hamad
al-Ibrahim is trying to restore his damaged land. But traces of the
jihadist group are still all around him in this small and remote
village near the Iraqi border, where Kurdish fighters and the US-led
coalition declared the IS proto-state defeated in March 2019 after a
blistering months-long assault. At the foot of a craggy hill,
75-year-old Ibrahim spots discarded explosives belts and tattered
military vests crumpled in the dust. Nearby, an empty bullet casing
rusts and the mangled remains of charred vehicles dot the fields. “We
are fixing the wreckage so we can sow this land with wheat for bread,”
says the man who heads an extended family of 75 people. “We want to
revive this plot and plant crops we can eat,” he tells AFP. The farmer
returned to Baghouz a few months ago, having fled to other parts of
Deir Ezzor province and later to the northern province of Raqa as the
fight against IS raged. In a battered encampment on the edge of the
village, once crammed with thousands of IS jihadists and their
relatives, Ibrahim's family now works to clean up the detritus of
war.”
Afghanistan
Reuters:
Afghan Forces Ramp Up Defence Options As Taliban Attacks
Continue
“Afghanistan said on Thursday it was ordering its forces to switch
to an “active defence posture” as the Taliban continued to attack even
after the militant group signed a deal with the United States. “The
Taliban continued high level of violence despite the peace agreement,”
acting defence minister Asadullah Kalid said in a video statement. “An
active defence posture will reduce the restrictions on ANDSF (Afghan
National Defense and Security Forces) and it will allow them to carry
out operations against the Taliban plotting attacks against ANDSF,” he
added. Afghan government forces had previously been able to fight back
only when under direct attack. The United States in February signed a
deal with the Taliban aimed at paving the way for them to negotiate
with the Afghan government, including an agreement on withdrawing
foreign troops. The Taliban say they have held back from attacking
international forces since then but have continued to attack Afghan
forces, with U.S. and Afghan officials calling for a reduction in
violence. Kalid also proposed a full ceasefire with the Taliban “to
help the fight against the coronavirus.”
France
24: Taliban Should Agree Ceasefire To Stop Virus: Afghan
Minister
“The Taliban should commit to a ceasefire as a way of tackling the
novel coronavirus, Afghanistan's defence minister said Thursday, while
also vowing that security forces would respond to continued insurgent
attacks. “Our proposal is that to prevent this plague, a ceasefire
should come, so that we would be able to prevent it and treat people
in every corner of the country,” Defence Minister Asadullah Khalid
said in a televised statement. Khalid's remarks come as Afghanistan
grapples with multiple crises: an increase in Taliban violence that
has thrown a supposed peace process into turmoil, mounting coronavirus
cases, and a political feud that has seen two men claim the
presidency. Health officials have confirmed 22 cases of the novel
coronavirus, but only about 300 people have been tested in the country
of some 35 million people that neighbours Iran, where more than 1,000
people have died from the highly contagious virus. Afghanistan's
porous borders, a lack of medical facilities, a culture of hand
shaking and hugging, and large illiterate populations in urban centres
mean containing the outbreak could be a huge challenge.”
Pakistan
Business
Insider: Some Militaries And Militants See An Opportunity In The
Coronavirus Crisis
“As the coronavirus pandemic monopolizes more of the world's time,
money and attention, the latest surge of violence in Kashmir between
India and Pakistan highlights the potential for countries to act more
aggressively with less scrutiny. But state actors aren't the only ones
who will be tempted to capitalize on the current chaos. As more
governments become bogged down by the virus and the economic fallout
from containment efforts, jihadist groups and other non-state actors
will also have the opportunity to advance their positions in security
hotspots around the world. This could not only raise the risk for
military escalations in those areas in the short term, but could allow
militias to resurge once the global health crisis eventually subsides.
On March 18, Pakistan shelled positions along the Line of Control in
Jammu and Kashmir, marking the fourth such attack by the Pakistani
Army along the contested border region between Pakistan and India in
as many days. While Kashmir is a perpetual security hotspot, this
series of shellings marks a notable uptick in military activity in the
area and could highlight Pakistan's willingness to be more
risk-tolerant as both India and Pakistan (along with the rest of the
world) deal with the growing effects of the coronavirus
outbreak.”
Middle East
The
Week: Amir Al-Mawli: Who Is The New Isis Leader?
“The Counter Extremism Project reports that upon the completion of
his studying, he served as an officer in Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein’s army. But following the US-led occupation of Iraq and the
capture of Hussein in 2003, he “turned to violent extremism and
eventually took on the role of religious commissary and a general
Sharia jurist for al-Qa’eda”. In 2004 he was detained by US forces in
Camp Bucca prison in southern Iraq, which is where he is understood to
have met al-Baghdadi. Upon his release, he is thought to have rejoined
al-Qa’eda before breaking away and pledging loyalty to Isis in 2014.
In 2004 he was detained by US forces in Camp Bucca prison in southern
Iraq, which is where he is understood to have met al-Baghdadi. Upon
his release, he is thought to have rejoined al-Qa’eda before breaking
away and pledging loyalty to Isis in 2014.”
Nigeria
Punch
Nigeria: FG Demands Plans By States To Tackle
Extremism
“The Federal Government said on Thursday that it would embark on
advocacy to get the 36 states and all local government areas in the
country to develop strategies to prevent and counter violent
extremism. The office of the National Security Adviser (Major General
Babagana Monguno, retd.), disclosed this in Abuja at the “Validation
meeting of the study on preventing and responding to violent extremism
in selected states and the Federal Capital Territory.” The session was
organised in conjunction with the United Nations Development
Programme, specifically to identify the causes of violent extremism in
parts of the country and to suggest community-based solutions to
nipping them in the bud. Boko Haram insurgency is an example of
violent extremism, which has led to the loss of thousands of lives in
the North-East of the country, rendering many families homeless in the
last 10 years. Speaking at the event, the representative of the NSA’s
Office, Mrs Aisha Garba, recalled that the Federal Government launched
a policy framework and national action plan against violent extremism
in 2017.”
Somalia
Daily
Nation: KDF Troops Kill 12 Suspected Al-Shabaab In Boni Forest
Raid
“Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops on Thursday killed 12 suspected
Al-Shabaab militants in a raid at their camp inside the vast Boni
Forest in Lamu County. KDF's special operations team ambushed the
terrorists at their Korisa Kotile camp, which has been their hideout
for long. The camp is located at Nginda, between Korisa and Bargoni.
Among those killed was a notorious local commander from the Coast
region who had been providing intelligence and logistical support to
terrorists hiding in the forest. Sources told the Nation that a
suspect armed with an AK-47 rifle and four magazines was captured. The
KDF soldiers found weapons, including three AK-47 rifles, seven
magazines, more than 1,000 bullets, pouches and a water carrier. The
raid comes a week after special forces killed six militants and
captured one in Garissa County. This is a big blow to the extremist
group as militants holed up in the forest may starve for lack of food
supplies and ammunition. The camp was the group's only remaining one
in Kenya, which it used to coordinate their activities.”
Africa
Reuters:
Militant Attack Kills 29 Malian Soldiers -
Army
“Suspected Islamist militants killed 29 Malian soldiers on Thursday
in an attack on a base in the country’s northeast, the army said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the
town of Tarkint, which is about 125 km (78 miles) north of the city of
Gao. Mali’s army has repeatedly suffered heavy casualties from
jihadist fighters active in the area with links to al Qaeda and
Islamic State. The army said earlier in the day that just two soldiers
had died but tweeted later that the death toll had “heavily evolved”
to 29 killed and five wounded. Vast swathes of central and northern
Mali are effectively lawless, used by the jihadists as a base for
attacks in Mali and into neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, where
security has deteriorated markedly over the past year. Former colonial
power France has had thousands of troops across the semi-arid band
beneath the Sahara Desert known as the Sahel, but French officials
acknowledge they have failed to slow the violence. French army chief
Francois Lecointre told senators last month that the Malian, Nigerien
and Burkinabe armies were losing the equivalent of one battalion per
year to the militants’ attacks.”
United Kingdom
Evening
Standard: ‘Legal Loophole’ Could Let Jihadi Brides Dodge Justice, Says
Watchdog
“Jihadi brides who have given moral support to Islamic State
fighters could escape prosecution because of a potential gap in the
law, Britain’s terrorism watchdog warned today. Jonathan Hall QC said
the “culpability of those who travel to Syria or Iraq” to provide
“intangible” help to banned organisations such as IS was not covered
by existing terrorism legislation. He added that some, such as “girls
who are groomed in the UK and persuaded to go out to join Daesh”,
might be able to argue for lenient treatment. But he warned that their
role in helping terrorists remained “real” and that there was a
potential hole in the law that might let them avoid justice. The
warning by Mr Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation,
came in his annual report published in Parliament today. The issue of
women and girls who join extremist groups was highlighted by the case
of Shamima Begum, the former Bethnal Green schoolgirl who travelled to
Syria with two of her friends, to live under IS control and marry. She
has been stripped of her citizenship and barred from returning to
Britain. Her activities in Syria have been unknown.”
Sky
News: Miss Hitler Contestant And Her Boyfriend Convicted On Terror
Charges
“A young Yorkshire woman and her boyfriend, who worshipped Adolf
Hitler and wanted to start a race war, have been convicted on
terrorism charges. Alice Cutter, 23, from Sowerby Bridge, even entered
a Miss Hitler alternative beauty competition and shared an obsession
for guns and knives with her partner Mark Jones. The pair were found
guilty of being members of the banned far-right group National Action
after a retrial at Birmingham Crown Court. They were convicted
alongside another two young men Garry Jack, 24, from Castle Bromwich,
Birmingham and Connor Scothern, 19, from Nottingham. Alice Cutter and
Mark Jones were found guilty of being members of the banned far-right
group National Action A fifth defendant, Daniel Ward, pleaded guilty
to being a member of National Action before the trial got under way.
Sky News was given rare and exclusive access to the counter terrorism
investigation, as detectives arrested 29-year-old Ward at his family
home in Birmingham in September 2018. When told he was being arrested
under the terrorism act, he said to officers: “That's nuts.” But
authorities have described him as a dangerous individual who supported
violent action.”
Germany
The
New York Times: Germany Shuts Down Far-Right Clubs That Deny The
Modern State
“The German government on Thursday banned two clubs linked to an
anti-Semitic movement that refuses to recognize the modern German
state, with the Interior Ministry ordering raids on the homes of the
groups’ leaders in 10 states as part of a crackdown on Germany’s far
right. “We relentlessly continue the fight against right-wing
extremism even in times of crisis,” Horst Seehofer, Germany’s interior
minister, said in a statement. “We are dealing with an association
that distributes racist and anti-Semitic writings and thus
systematically poisons our liberal society,” Mr. Seehofer added. After
years of focusing on threats from Islamist extremists, the German
authorities have started to train their resources on combating
homegrown far-right extremists. There have been three major attacks in
the last nine months, including the killing of a politician, a failed
attack on a synagogue and the killing in February of nine Germans with
immigrant backgrounds, all three of which were carried out by
far-right extremists. “Far-right terror is the biggest threat to our
democracy right now,” Christine Lambrecht, the country’s justice
minister, said after the February attacks.”
Europe
The
New York Times: Greek Anti-Terrorism Squad Finds Artillery, Secret
Tunnel
“Greek anti-terrorism police found artillery and a secret tunnel
during a raid on two premises in the Greek capital Athens on Thursday,
authorities said. More than 20 people, non Greeks, were detained by
anti-terrorist police. The raids, still underway, were taking place in
the Athens neighborhood of Sepolia and in the Exarchia area of central
Athens. The operation was launched after a tip-off, a police source
said, adding that authorities were investigating possible links with a
militant organization Turkey has outlawed. In November 2017, eight men
and a woman were arrested by Greek police, days before an expected
state visit by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. A Greek court
acquitted them of any terrorism-related offences in May 2019, due to
lack of evidence.”
Asia
The
Economist: Jihad Is As Contagious As Covid-19 In The
Maldives
“The arrival of covid-19 in the Maldives was hardly surprising,
since 1.5m tourists from all around the world visit the Indian-Ocean
archipelago every year. By March 18th 13 foreigners had been declared
infected, although there have not yet been any confirmed cases among
locals. But a no less dangerous contagion—Muslim extremism—is also
afflicting the islands. On February 4th three foreigners were stabbed
in a suburb of Malé, the capital. (They survived.) Muslim militants
claimed responsibility. It was the first incident of religious
violence against foreigners since 2007, when jihadists set off a bomb
in a park in Malé, injuring 12 tourists. Days after the stabbing,
footage of a belligerent British visitor being manhandled by the
police for dressing too scantily went viral, neatly illustrating the
devoutly Muslim country’s awkward…”
Human
Rights Watch: Uneven ‘Extremism’ Justice In
Kyrgyzstan
“Each week, a young man who sells shoes at a market in southern
Kyrgyzstan loses a day of work to travel to the open prison where he
is serving a three-year sentence. But the crime for which he was
convicted, possession of “extremist” material, no longer exists. When
Kyrgyzstan overhauled its criminal code in January 2019, it
decriminalized the possession of videos, pamphlets, songs, and other
material the authorities label extremist. The charge had been widely
used to imprison people for nonviolent behavior, such as practicing
fundamentalist interpretations of Islam, or for even more innocuous
legitimate activities. Since then, possession of such material can be
treated as a crime only if the accused disseminated it or showed an
intent to do so. Kyrgyzstan has stepped up efforts to counter violent
extremism in recent years in response to hundreds of its citizens
joining extremist armed groups in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. But
its crackdown has led to serious abuses. The country’s overly broad
definition of “extremism,” for example, includes acts of “hooliganism”
and “vandalism,” allowing it to be misused against political and other
targets.”
Australia
The
Sydney Morning Herald: Police Carry Out Raids After Arrest Of Alleged
Right-Wing Terrorist Plotter
“Counter-terrorism police are conducting further raids on people
and locations associated with alleged would-be right-wing terrorist
plotter Joshua Lucas, arrested on the state's South Coast on Saturday.
Police had been observing the online and real-life actions of the
21-year-old unemployed Sanctuary Point man since February, when an
alleged sharp escalation in his behaviour online the week before
prompted the police's joint counter-terrorism team to act. It is
alleged that Mr Lucas had planned to blow up an electrical substation
on the South Coast and had planned to acquire military equipment,
including firearms and items capable of making improvised explosive
devices. He was charged with one count of planning a terrorist attack,
which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment upon conviction.
On Friday, police from the JCTT were executing warrants in relation to
his real-life associates and places connected to him. A statement from
an Australian Federal Police spokesperson said the JCTT “continue to
execute search warrants in regional NSW as part of a continuing police
investigation. There is no current or impending threat to the
community.”
Technology
NZ
Herald: Investors Up Pressure On Facebook, Google And Twitter To Stop
Sharing Of Terror Attacks
“Some of the world's biggest investors have sent an open letter to
Facebook, Twitter and Google's parent Alphabet in a bid to put more
pressure on the companies to prevent the sharing of objectionable
content across social media. It's just over a year since the
Christchurch terror attack which killed 51 people in two mosques on
March 15 with the content live-streamed and shared widely on the
internet. Soon after the event the $37 billion New Zealand
Superannuation Fund called on other big investors to join it in
pressuring the major social media companies to stop allowing the
live-streaming of objectionable content. Since then social media
companies have made some tweaks but the investors say it has not been
enough. It an open letter published today the group who represent
US$7.5 trillion in assets said they had been “dissatisfied with the
response from your senior executives and boards”. “The failure to
respond to these actions creates a significant business risk, beyond
the harm caused to the global community. You have a duty to address
that,” the letter stated. The investors said as owners of the
companies they welcome changes made to the platforms but said mass
shootings continued to be disseminated across the platforms.”
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