The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators let off a red smoke flare in Lafayette Square during the "March on Washington for Gaza" in Washington, DC - Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images

Anti-Israel Activists Attack White House

• Anti-Israel protesters gathered outside the White House, chanting "Free, Free Palestine," damaging security fencing, and hurling objects at police.

• Some fences outside the White House were temporarily damaged during the demonstration, and staff members and journalists were relocated as a precaution. President Biden was at Camp David during the protest.

• No arrests were made.  Read More

Muslim YouTuber Harasses Customers at NYC Café

• Adam Saleh, a controversial Muslim YouTuber known for street fight videos, faced backlash for posting footage of himself harassing customers in an Israeli café and a Manhattan Starbucks.

• In the video at Blue Stripes café, Saleh chanted "Free, free Palestine," pulled down the Israeli flag, and made claims about killing kids, echoing Hamas talking points.

• Saleh also confronted Starbucks customers, accusing them of "funding a genocide" and mockingly asking for signatures for a petition supporting Israel, attributing false terms and conditions.  Read More

Times Square Machete Attacker Pleads Guilty

• Trevor Bickford, 20, from Wells, Maine, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of attempting to kill NYPD officers in a jihadist attack using a machete-style knife in Times Square on New Year's Eve 2022.

• Bickford, a U.S. citizen, traveled to New York City intending to wage jihad, targeting the iconic New Year's Eve celebration. He ambushed three NYPD officers, injuring them seriously while declaring "Allahu Akbar." One officer shot Bickford in the shoulder, stopping the attack.

• Bickford admitted to planning the attack for months, consuming materials promoting radical Islamic ideology, contemplating overseas support for the Taliban, and eventually deciding to carry out an attack in the United States, aiming to kill U.S. government employees before becoming a martyr. He highlighted a passage in a book recovered from his backpack that advocated fighting in the name of Allah against non-believers.

• Bickford faces a potential aggregate sentence of 120 years in prison.  Read More

  Hate Crime

Mohammed Meah - Macomb County Jail via Macomb Daily screenshot

Michigan Man Accused of Trying to Run Over Pedestrian in Alleged Hate Crime

• Mohammed Meah, a 62-year-old man from Sterling Heights, Mich., is charged with a racially motivated hate crime for intentionally hitting a pedestrian with his vehicle.

• Meah faces charges including assault with intent to murder, ethnic intimidation, and failure to stop at the scene of a personal injury accident.

• The defendant claimed the victim was racist, and the bond was set at $500,000.  Read More

Maryland Man Sentenced for Death Threats to LGBT Group

• Adam Michael Nettina, 34, of West Friendship, Md., has been sentenced to two years in prison for making death threats and calls for violence against an LGBT advocacy group, as well as threatening Maryland and Virginia state delegates who support transgender rights.

• Nettina left a threatening voicemail for an advocacy organization, referencing a recent mass shooting and making explicit threats, including cutting throats and putting bullets in heads. He intentionally targeted the organization based on the gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation of its members.

• Additionally, Nettina sent threatening messages on social media and via email to Maryland and Virginia state delegates who expressed support for transgender rights, using derogatory language and making violent threats against them based on their gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation.  Read More

Michigan Man Charged With Making Racist Threats

• Vincent Michael Moceri, 41, from Macomb County, Mich., has been charged with a hate crime for assaulting two individuals inside a Walmart store.

• Moceri allegedly yelled racial slurs, threatened to kill the victims, and pointed knives at them, while making discriminatory remarks. The victims, both Black, were unharmed physically.

• Moceri faces two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and ethnic intimidation, with a potential prison term of up to four years for assault and two years for intimidation if convicted.  Read More

  School Threats

Jefferson High School, Lafayette, Ind. - via Google Maps screenshot

Indiana Teen Arrested for Threatening to Bring a Gun to School

• A 15-year-old male student was arrested by Lafayette, Ind., police for allegedly threatening to bring a gun to Jefferson High School.

• Concerned parents reported the threats posted on Snapchat. Another student reposted the threat on a community Snapchat affiliated with the school, informing parents.

• The student was found and arrested. Lafayette police believe the student acted alone in posting the alleged threat online.  Read More

Juvenile Arrested in Connection to Threat to Utah School

• A juvenile from out of state has been arrested in connection with a hoax threat made at Snow Canyon High School in St. George, Utah.

• The incident occurred in September 2023 when a phone call threat prompted the school to go into "secure mode," initiating a large-scale response and investigation.

• Detectives identified the suspect as part of an organized group responsible for serial swatting offenses across the country. Charges related to school threats, threats of terrorism, and false emergency reporting have been filed.  Read More

Florida 12-Year-Old Arrested for Threatening a Shooting With Replica Gun

• A 12-year-old boy was arrested at Carwise Middle School in Palm Harbor, Fla., for bringing a replica gun to school and making threats of a shooting. Upon questioning, the boy admitted he brought the gun to be "cool," according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
• The boy was charged with a false report related to planting a bomb or using firearms in a violent manner.  Read More

Florida 12-Year-Old Arrested After Threatening School Shooting on Social Media

• A 12-year-old girl was arrested in St. Petersburg, Fla., after sending Instagram messages threatening a school shooting at Azalea Middle School.
• The girl admitted to sending the messages but claimed she was not serious about the threats. She was charged with written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting and was taken to the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center.  Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

An aerial view of aircraft carriers of the U.S. Navy USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower together in the eastern Mediterranean on November 3, 2023 - U.S.Navy Janae Chambers/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

Navy Sailor Sentenced for Transmitting Sensitive Military Information to China

• U.S. Navy service member Wenheng (Thomas) Zhao has been sentenced to 27 months in prison and fined $5,500 for transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for bribes.

• Zhao pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with the intelligence officer and one count of receiving a bribe in October 2023.

• Between August 2021 and at least May 2023, Zhao received over $14,800 in bribes and transmitted sensitive U.S. military information, including plans for a maritime training exercise and critical infrastructure details.  Read More

Iran Editing Wikipedia to Downplay Its Crimes and Discredit Dissidents

• Iranian government agents or supporters reportedly have been altering Wikipedia entries to downplay the regime's crimes and discredit dissidents, according to a new report.
• The edits involve minimizing details about Iranian human rights abuses, such as mass executions in 1988, and presenting government publications as impartial sources.
• Instances include the removal of information about senior officials' involvement in ordering the hanging of political prisoners and attempts to set up a page about human rights activist Vahid Beheshti, who campaigns to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group, with the edits believed to be linked to the Iranian cyber army.  Read More

Suspected Chinese Hackers Target US Research Organization

• Suspected Chinese hackers exploited two undisclosed software vulnerabilities to breach a U.S.-based research organization, gaining "unfettered access" as part of a persistent spying campaign focused on collecting intelligence aligning with China's interests.
• The victim organization, engaged in geopolitical research, particularly on China-related issues, drew attention from state-backed hackers.
• The hackers targeted popular virtual private networking (VPN) software by Ivanti, prompting the company to develop a software update to address the vulnerabilities.  Read More

Research and Trends in Extremism

 The presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee on December 5, 2023 as part of its investigation of antisemitism on college campuses - Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Antisemitic Incidents Have Tripled Since Oct. 7

• The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. more than tripled in the three months following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, with 3,283 documented incidents between October 7, 2023, and January 7, 2023. This represents a 360 percent increase from the same period a year earlier.

• The incidents included physical assaults, harassment, and vandalism. About two-thirds of these incidents were directly related to the Israel-Hamas war.  Read More

Substack Deplatforms Neo-Nazis

• The newsletter platform Substack has removed "some" pro-Nazi publications, including five newsletters flagged by Platformer, amid growing pressure and controversy over its content moderation rules.
• The move follows Substack's previous refusal to remove publications promoting white nationalist and pro-Nazi views, which drew criticism. In November, The Atlantic reported finding numerous such newsletters on Substack, some monetized by their authors.
• Substack maintains its original stance on content moderation, emphasizing its commitment to free speech. The company is working on new moderation tools to allow users to set up and refine their own experience on the platform.  Read More

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QUOTABLE 

“Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.”

- Thomas Jefferson on the Islamic Barbary pirates

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.