The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

Trevor Bickford, 20, on his way to his sentencing hearing - via NBC New York screenshot

Times Square Machete Attacker Sentenced to 27 Years

• Trevor Bickford, 20, of Wells, Maine, was sentenced for traveling to the Times Square New Year’s Eve Celebration in 2022 and using a machete-style knife to attack three NYPD officers in the name of radical Islamic jihad.

• Bickford consumed materials espousing radical Islamic ideology and devoted himself to violent Islamic extremism and pursuit of jihad.

• Bickford was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison. Read More

Drivers Attempt to Breach Quantico Marine Corps Base

• Two men attempted to breach the main gate at Quantico Marine Corps Base, claiming to be contractors but lacking proper credentials.
• Multiple sources report one of the individuals inside the truck was a Jordanian foreign national who recently crossed the southern border into the U.S., and the other occupant is on the U.S. terrorist watch list. Read More

Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism

 Graffiti painted on a map next to a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Washington in Seattle, May 12, 2024 - Jason Redmond / AFP via Getty Images

Antifa Members Assault Journalist

• Journalist Johnathan Choe was attacked by alleged Antifa members at the University of Washington.

• Choe claimed he recognized some of his attackers from the Black Lives Matter riots four years ago. Read More

Pro-Palestinian Antifa Group Sets Fire to Portland Police Vehicles

• An Antifa anarchist movement-associated anti-Israel militant group claimed responsibility for the arson of 15 Portland Police Bureau training vehicles.
• A group calling itself Rachel Corrie’s Ghost Brigade issued a statement on the Antifa-affiliated Rose City Counter-Info blog, in which it called for an escalation in violence on behalf of Palestinians. Read More

  Hate Crime

NYPD Assistant Chief James McCarthy is assisted after being affected by a chemical irritant as police arrest pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocking traffic on the Manhattan Bridge a National Day of Action protest on May 11, 2024 - Alex Kent/Getty Images

New York Synagogues Receive Bomb Threats

• At least four synagogues and a museum in both Manhattan and Brooklyn received bomb threats, but none were deemed credible by the New York Police Department.

• All incidents continue to be investigated by NYPD. Read More

Illinois Man Charged With Hate Crime After Shooting Neighbor

• John Shadbar, 70, of Lockport Township, is facing nine felony charges, including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, felony possession of a firearm, and a hate crime after he allegedly shot his neighbor.
• The victim’s family said that they have been subject to harassment and racial slurs from Shadbar since around the time they moved to the area 10 years ago. Read More

New York Man Charged With Hate Crime

• Zachary Hoffman Kowatch, 22, of Arkville, N.Y., is accused of trying to hit two people with his vehicle, including a teen, while yelling antisemitic comments.
• Hoffman Kowatch is charged with reckless endangerment in the first degree, a felony, endangering the welfare of a child, and aggravated unlicensed operation, both misdemeanors. Read More

  School Threats

Police investigating Fowler (Calif.) High School after shooting call - via ABC 30 Action News screenshot

Teen Arrested Over Swatting Call 

• A 17-year-old has been arrested for allegedly making a swatting call about an active shooter at Fowler High School in Fowler, Calif.

• The suspect was arrested on two felony charges and is currently in a juvenile detention facility. Read More

Florida Student Arrested for Bomb Threat

• A 15-year-old Ridge Community High School student In Haines City, Fla., was arrested for sending a bomb threat to the school. 

• The student responsible for this false report and additional crimes was located and interviewed, and he subsequently confessed to sending the threat. 

• He was arrested and faces four felony charges and one misdemeanor charge. Read More

Texas Teen Charged for Bomb Threat

• A 13-year-old has been charged after reportedly making a bomb threat at Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas.  
• The teen admitted to police that he had made the call and was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with making a false alarm and tampering with evidence. Read More

Long Island Teen Arrested Over Threat

• A 13-year-old East Northport, N.Y., student was arrested for allegedly making threats of mass harm to several students at the East Northport Middle School in New York.
• The teen was arrested and taken to Suffolk Police’s Second Precinct before she was released to her parents. Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

Trump supporters gather for a weekend rally on the Jersey Shore beachfront on May 11, 2024, in Wildwood, N.J. - Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

FBI Warns About Foreign Adversaries' Use of AI to Interfere in US Elections

• The FBI is alerting that foreign adversaries might use AI to interfere in U.S. elections, specifically through creating deepfakes and robocalls.
• Examples include manipulated audio in Slovakia's elections and deceptive robocalls in the U.S., posing significant challenges to election security.
• The FBI is closely monitoring activities from countries like Russia, Iran, and China, each with different tactics and motives for influencing U.S. political outcomes. Read More

Research and Trends in Extremism

Pro-Palestinian students continue protesting at the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University - Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images

New Lawsuit Against Students for Justice in Palestine

• A major U.S. law firm has filed a lawsuit against National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) and its parent organization for allegedly supporting Hamas.

• The lawsuit accuses NSJP of acting as propagandists for Hamas, spreading its agenda and recruiting supporters under the guise of political advocacy.

• The legal action seeks damages for alleged activities that aid and abet Hamas's terrorist operations, as highlighted during recent campus protests. Read More

CCP Influence on Campus

• A new report from the Network Contagion Research Institute analyzes the activities of the Shut It Down for Palestine (SID4P) movement.

• The report details the movement's links to entities associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that fund anti-establishment media and activist groups, highlighting concerns about potential destabilization of U.S. societal and political structures.

• The report also discusses the regulatory loopholes that allow significant financial flows to these groups, which actively fuel social unrest. Read More

QUOTABLE 

“Once the primary bonds which gave security to the individual are severed, two courses are open to him. By one course he can progress to 'positive freedom;' he can relate himself to the world in work and love without giving up the independence and integrity of his individual self. The other course open to him is to fall back and give up his freedom to try to overcome his aloneness.”

- Erich Fromm, "Escape from Freedom"

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.