The Extremism Roundup

Research and Trends in Extremism

Protestors of the DAPL demonstrate in front of the White House on October 12, 2021 - Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Universities are Teaching Eco-Terrorism in Their Classrooms

• At least 16 state universities are incorporating "How to Blow Up A Pipeline" into their curricula, a book advocating for eco-terrorism against capitalist structures.

• This inclusion often makes the book a required reading, raising concerns about promoting violent activism and undermining legal protest methods.

• U.S. intelligence identified the book as a “developing threat” and security risk because “Malm (the author) encourages pipeline sabotage and property destruction.” Read More

Islamist Extremism

NYPD officers intervene with protesters outside the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan during a talk by Bari Weiss, editor The Free Press - Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images

Anti-Israel Protesters Harass Jerry Seinfeld and Bari Weiss

• Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was confronted by anti-Israel protesters as he left an event in Manhattan, with accusations of supporting genocide.

• The incident occurred after Seinfeld attended a talk by Bari Weiss, founder and editor of The Free Press, at the 92nd Street Y. Protesters also criticized Weiss, linking her to the death of Palestinian professor Refaat Alareer in an Israeli airstrike.

• Two protesters were arrested outside the venue. Read More

• Ironically, the subject of Bari Weiss's talk "What It Means to Choose Freedom" was the increasing level of harassment and threats faced by those who support Israel and the Jewish people.  She began her talk asking, "Do you want to live in a country in which simply giving a speech about a Jewish subject requires police protection"? Watch 

California Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Jews

• Christopher Husary, 36, from Hayward, Calif., faces three felony charges with special hate crime allegations for attacking a woman and setting an Israeli flag she was carrying on fire.

• A search of Husary’s residence yielded further evidence linking him to the crimes.

• Charges include second-degree robbery, grand theft person, and arson of property. Read More

Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism

Jewish protesters demonstrate in front of Miami Beach synagogue - via Miami Herald screenshot

Violence at Miami Temple

• A protest by far-left Jewish activists against Alan Dershowitz at Temple Emanu-El in Miami Beach escalated into violence, with video evidence showing an attendee being assaulted.

• Dershowitz was discussing the Israel-Hamas conflict; protesters, including those who oppose Israel's counterattacks in Gaza, disrupted the event. Three protesters planned to vocalize their opposition and all were escorted out, with two handcuffed and one assaulted.

• Despite efforts to engage in dialogue, the event highlighted the tensions surrounding the conflict and the challenges of peaceful protest. Read More

Cop City Protestors Arrested

• Three “Cop City” protestors were arrested after two banks in Downtown Tucson, Ariz., were vandalized.
• "Cop City" refers to the planned Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, facing violent opposition from a number of far-left groups.
• Arlene Villalobos, Gabriel Parks, and Hassan Hassan have been arrested on charges of arson, criminal damage, and rioting. Read More

Climate Activists Vandalize US Constitution Display

• Two climate activists were charged with felony destruction of government property after allegedly vandalizing the U.S. Constitution display at the National Archives.
• The activists allegedly dumped a "fine red powder" over its case. The attack, which did not damage the document itself, resulted in over $50,000 in cleanup costs and the closure of the Rotunda for four days.
• The perpetrators have pleaded not guilty. The incident is part of a series of high-visibility protests by the Declare Emergency climate group. Read More

Alabama Man and Indiana Man Arrested for Threats to Election Workers

• Brian Jerry Ogstad, 59, of Alabama, was arrested for sending threatening messages to Maricopa County Elections workers. Ogstad was charged with five counts of communicating an interstate threat and faces up to five years in prison per count. Read More

• Andrew Nickels, 37, of Carmel, Ind., admitted to interstate threat communication against a Michigan election worker, motivated by election result dissatisfaction.

• With a plea acknowledging the threat's severity, Nickels' sentencing is set for July 9. He faces a maximum of five years imprisonment. Read More

California Man Pleads Guilty to Firebombing Planned Parenthood Clinic

• Tibet Ergul, 22, of Irvine, Calif., pleaded guilty to firebombing a Planned Parenthood clinic and plotting an electrical substation attack.
• Ergul also admitted to plotting an attack on Dodger Stadium last year on a night celebrating LGBT pride.
• Ergul is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30 and faces a maximum penalty of 21 years in prison. Read More

UC Berkeley Protestors Shut Down Event, Damage Property

• A protest at U.C. Berkeley led to the cancellation of a talk by the director of the Israeli think tank The Kohelet Policy Forum, organized by pro-Israel student groups.
• Approximately 200 protesters disrupted the event, resulting in property damage but no confirmed injuries or arrests. Read More

Self-Immolating Airman Had Strong Antifa Background

• Aaron Bushnell, a U.S. airman who self-immolated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C., was revealed to be connected to Antifa and had a history of mocking deceased U.S. military personnel online.
• His online activities included posts on Reddit channels linked to Antifa, where he displayed disdain toward military losses and expressed support for movements like "Stop Cop City."
• Bushnell's act of self-immolation was a protest against the Israel-Hamas war, during which he shouted "Free Palestine!" before succumbing to his injuries at the hospital. Read More

  Hate Crime

NYPD officers warn subway riders to watch their valuables at Times Square subway station in Manhattan, January 4 - Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images

New York Subway Slashing Investigated as Hate Crime

• Police are investigating a Manhattan subway slashing as a hate crime following an attack last week by a man who made an anti-LGBT comment before he attacked his victim with a box cutter.

• The 27-year-old victim, who was attacked on a northbound A train near Penn Station, is expected to recover.

• The suspect remains at large, contributing to rising concerns about subway safety in NYC. Read More

Ohio Incel Sentenced for Plan to Kill Women

• Tres Genco, a 24-year-old self-described incel from Hillsboro, Ohio, was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison after pleading guilty to planning a hate crime against women at an Ohio university.

• Genco, arrested in July 2021, had posted extensively on incel forums and expressed intentions in a manifesto to commit mass violence.

• He conducted online searches related to sororities, purchased tactical gear, and surveyed a university. Law enforcement found weapons and ammunition at his residence, highlighting the severity of his intentions. Read More

Two Marines Charged With Hate Crime at University of Maryland

• Two Marines, Lance Cpl. Hayden Pritchard, 22, and Lance Cpl. Sergio Delgado, 21, have been charged with a hate-related crime for writing racial slurs in a University of Maryland dorm.

• The investigation began when antisemitic symbols and slurs against the Black community were discovered in a dorm last spring.

• The charges include race/religious property damage and trespassing. Read More

Two Men Shot in Virginia Hate Crime

• Two Hispanic men were critically injured in a shooting at a Sheetz convenience store in Spotsylvania County, Va., considered a hate crime.
• The suspect, Douglas Wayne Cornett, faces charges of aggravated malicious wounding and firearms violations. Read More

NYPD Searching for Teens Involved in Hate Crime Assault

• The NYPD seeks four teenagers who committed a homophobic hate crime assault in Astoria, Queens.
• Suspects made anti-LGBT statements and physically assaulted two men, both 36. Read More

  School Threats

Cape Coral Police investigate a bomb threat in front of Cape Coral High School - via Fox 4 Southwest Florida screenshot

Florida Man Threatens to Blow Up School

• A Florida man wearing camouflage and carrying a backpack was walking near Cape Coral High School and threatened a student, saying he was going to blow up the school.

• Cape Coral High School went on lockdown, and the Cape Coral Police Department said the man is being held on unrelated charges. Read More

Hawaii School Threatened

• Maui police arrested a 13-year-old girl on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening after she allegedly made a threat against Kalama Intermediate School. Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

Sailors prepare material recovered in the Atlantic Ocean from a high-altitude balloon, after U.S. fighter aircraft brought down the balloon over U.S. territorial waters on February 4, 2023 -  Ryan Seelbach/U.S. Navy via Getty Images

Alaskan Fishermen Find Suspected Spy Balloon

• Commercial fishermen in Alaska found an object suspected as a spy balloon, now headed for FBI analysis in Quantico.

• After viewing photos, the FBI believes the object resembles past surveillance balloons, warranting further investigation. Read More

Iranian National Charged for Hacking Campaign

• Alireza Shafie Nasab, 39, an Iranian national, has been charged with participating in a hacking campaign targeting U.S. defense contractors and government entities, including the Departments of the Treasury and State, from 2016 to 2021.
• Nasab was employed by an Iran-based company purportedly offering cybersecurity services. His campaign involved spear phishing in compromising over 200,000 devices, many containing sensitive defense information.
• Nasab currently remains at large. He faces multiple charges, including computer and wire fraud, with potential penalties ranging up to 20 years in prison. 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 

“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

- George Washington, Farewell Address 1796

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.