The Extremism Roundup

Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism

Robert Rundo, founder of white supremacist group Rise Above Movement, punches a counter-protester at a political rally in Huntington Beach, Calif., March 25, 2017 - Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG via Orange County Register screenshot

Urgent Court Motion to Keep White Supremacist Chief in Jail

• Federal prosecutors have filed an emergency order to keep the leader of the white supremacist group Rise Above Movement (RAM), Robert Rundo, in prison after a judge dismissed their case.

• Judge Cormac Carney tossed out the case against Rundo and two other members of RAM, citing selective prosecution, which he deemed constitutionally impermissible, and comparing their actions to those of far-left extremist groups like Antifa, which he claimed were not prosecuted despite engaging in similar violent acts.

• This dismissal marks the second time Judge Carney has thrown out a case against Rundo and his co-defendants. Read More

California Man Arrested for Threats to Arizona Election Official

• William Hyde, 52, of San Diego, Calif., was arrested for leaving a violent threat via voicemail on the personal cell phone of a Maricopa County Recorder’s Office election official in Phoenix, Ariz.
• The threat was made the day after Maricopa County officials certified the 2022 election results, accusing the official of cheating in the election.
• The man is charged with one count of communicating an interstate threat, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted. Read More

Trans Activist Arrested After Charging Into Abortion Protesters

• Noah Cleveland, a 42-year-old transgender activist, was arrested after he was caught on camera charging into a group of students protesting against abortion in Richmond, Va.
• Cleveland has been charged with one count of disorderly conduct after he pushed into the crowd, knocking off one protester’s glasses and pushing people aside. Read More

Islamist Extremism

Jeffrey Stevens, 41 - Twitter/X via The Algemeiner screenshot

Indiana Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Jews

• Indiana man Jeffrey Stevens, 41, was arrested for threatening to "kill every Jew" in Fort Wayne.

• Stevens admitted to posting violent antisemitic threats on the CIA and Fort Wayne Police Department websites and boasted of having “strong Palestinian, Hezbollah and Iranian contacts.”

• Stevens is a freelance reporter for the Dearborn-based Arab American News.

• Stevens is charged with posting threats using interstate communications, which carries a maximum of five years in federal prison. Read More

Two Foreign Nationals Charged for Trafficking Iranian Oil to Fund Islamic Terrorism

• Shaoyun Wang, of China, and Mahmood Rashid Amur Al Habsi, of Oman, were charged with money laundering and with facilitating the export of over $100 million worth of Iranian oil to Chinese government-owned refineries, with the profits intended to support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), a designated terrorist organization.

• The indictment sheds light on the elaborate tactics employed by Wang and Al Habsi, including the use of fraudulent documents and shell corporations to disguise the origin of the oil and deceive U.S. financial institutions. 

• Despite the high-profile nature of this case and the serious charges levied against Shaoyun Wang and Mahmood Rashid Amur Al Habsi, no U.S. agency or news outlet has appeared to release any photographs of the alleged terrorists.  Read More

  Hate Crime

Daqua Lameek Ritter (L) was convicted of murdering his transgender lover (R) in August 2019 - via New York Post screenshot

South Carolina Man Found Guilty of Hate Crime Killing of Transgender Person

• In an historic verdict, South Carolina man, Daqua Lameek Ritter, 26, was found guilty of a hate crime for killing a transgender individual, Dime Doe, in 2019. Ritter is the first person to be convicted of a federal hate crime based on gender identity.

• Ritter was also found guilty on federal firearms and obstruction counts. Ritter faces life in prison, with sentencing to be scheduled. Read More

New York Man Sentenced for Hate Crime Assault on Asian Woman

• Brandon Elliot, 43, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a hate crime attack in New York City.

• Elliot, who “viciously and repeatedly” assaulted a 65-year-old Asian woman in New York City in 2021, pleaded guilty to one count of assault in the first degree as a hate crime and one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. Read More

  School Threats

Beauclerc Elementary School, Jacksonville, Fla., where an 11-year-old was arrested after bringing a gun with intent to kill another student - Google Maps Street View via ABC News screenshot

Florida Child Arrested After Bringing Gun to School

• An 11-year-old boy in Jacksonville, Fla., has been arrested and charged after he allegedly brought a loaded gun to school and wanted to kill another student.

• He has been charged with possession and concealing a firearm on school property and sending a written threat to kill. Read More

Michigan Student Arrested for Making Violent Threat

• An 18-year-old student's violent threat led to the lockdown of Onekama Schools in Manistee County, Mich.

• The Michigan Intelligence Operations Center alerted Manistee County Central Dispatch about the potential threat, prompting immediate action. The student was arrested at her residence for threatening to commit violence with a firearm and was lodged at the Manistee County Jail. Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

Yakuza gangsters proudly display their tattoos during the the Sanja Matsuri Festival in Tokyo Asakusa - Jiangang Wang/Getty Images

DOJ Charges Yakuza Leader for Attempted Sale of Nuclear Materials to Iran

• The Justice Department has announced nuclear materials trafficking charges against Japanese Yakuza leader Takeshi Ebisawa.

• Ebisawa is accused of trafficking nuclear materials, including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, from Burma to other countries.

• According to the allegations, Ebisawa was caught attempting to sell the material to a DEA agent posing as an Iranian general. Read More

US and UK Disrupt Ransomware Group, Charge Two Russian Nationals

• The U.S. and U.K. governments have collaborated to disrupt the LockBit ransomware variant. Authorities have seized the infrastructure associated with the LockBit ransomware group.
• Two Russian nationals have been charged in connection with the LockBit ransomware attacks. Officials have developed decryption capabilities to assist victims of the LockBit ransomware. Read More

Pentagon Tracking Unidentified Balloon

• The Pentagon is tracking an unidentified balloon over the western U.S. This follows approximately a year after an incident involving a Chinese spy balloon.
• American fighter planes intercepted the balloon over Utah, assessing it. It was determined to pose no threat to national security and not maneuverable, thus not a hazard to flight safety. Read More

Research and Trends in Extremism

 Scientist Rebellion climate activists hold a banner during a demonstration at the Hague in February - Charles M. Vella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Scientists Increasingly Engage in Civil Disobedience to Protest Climate Change

• Surveys indicate that an increasing number of scientists are engaging in activism and civil disobedience to protest the lack of action on climate change.

• Some researchers have been arrested during protests, highlighting their commitment to raising awareness about climate issues. This marks a significant shift as scientists move beyond traditional roles of research and education into direct action. Read More

US Army Survey Reveals Struggle to Stop Extremism

• An internal U.S. Army survey indicates Army personnel can’t always identify extremist behavior, and almost half the time they don't know to whom they are supposed to report such activity.

• The audit, completed in July 2023, was obtained by the Project on Government Oversight under the Freedom of Information Act.

• Auditors found Army leaders had held “stand-downs” and counseling on extremism, had discussed extremism in training, and “took the topic seriously.” But despite the training, Army personnel couldn’t always identify extremist activity. Read More

Have You Found A Story You Think We Should Cover?

If you see an article on violent extremism in the U.S. or hostile foreign influence that is reliable, timely, and fits into one of the six categories that we cover in this newsletter, please send us a note, either by replying directly to this email or by submitting a contact form under the appropriate "news tip" category.  

QUOTABLE 

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- Andrew Jackson

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.