“The director of the National Counterterrorism Center will step down next
month, Biden administration officials said on Wednesday. The director,
Christine S. Abizaid, has served three years as the country’s top
counterterrorism official. In recent years, a resurgent China and Russia, as
well as the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza, have replaced counterterrorism as the
country’s main national security priorities. But speaking to a security
conference in Doha, Qatar, last month, Ms. Abizaid warned that the Hamas
attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, and the ensuing Gaza conflict, had energized
an increasingly diverse set of worldwide terrorist threats. The Islamic State
no longer controls vast swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, but its fighters
and groups aligned with Al Qaeda are on the march in Africa.”











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Eye on Extremism



June 6, 2024



The New York Times: U.S. Counterterrorism Chief Is Stepping Down
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“The director of the National Counterterrorism Center will step down next
month, Biden administration officials said on Wednesday. The director,
Christine S. Abizaid, has served three years as the country’s top
counterterrorism official. In recent years, a resurgent China and Russia, as
well as the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza, have replaced counterterrorism as the
country’s main national security priorities. But speaking to a security
conference in Doha, Qatar, last month, Ms. Abizaid warned that the Hamas
attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, and the ensuing Gaza conflict, had energized
an increasingly diverse set of worldwide terrorist threats. The Islamic State
no longer controls vast swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, but its fighters
and groups aligned with Al Qaeda are on the march in Africa.”



Reuters: Dozens Reported Killed In Israeli Strike On Gaza School, Israel Says
Hamas Inside
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“Israel hit a Gaza school on Thursday in an airstrike that it said targeted
and killed Hamas fighters inside, while a Hamas official said 40 people
including women and children were killed as they sheltered in the U.N. site.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, the director of the Hamas-run government media office,
rejected Israel's assertion that the U.N. school in Nuseirat, in central Gaza,
had hidden a Hamas command post. "The occupation uses ... false fabricated
stories to justify the brutal crime it conducted against dozens of displaced
people," Thawabta told Reuters. Israel's military said it had taken steps to
protect civilians before its fighter jets carried out a "precise strike",
circulating satellite photos highlighting two parts of a building where it said
the fighters were based.”



CEP Mentions



DW: Russia Rebuilding Ties With The Taliban
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[…] “Hans-Jakob Schindler, a Middle East expert at Counter Extremism Project
(CEP), believes Russia's Foreign Ministry might be expecting something in
return for delisting the Taliban as a terrorist group. But that might be easier
said than done. "The Taliban are always very willing to accept advance
concessions," said Schindler, "but things get complicated when it comes to
reciprocating them." Thomas Ruttig, co-founder of the Afghanistan Analysts
Network, interpreted the Kremlin's recent overtures as "a kind of piecemeal
tactic, advancing toward official recognition in very smalls steps — something
the Taliban is sure to be pleased about." Both Schindler and Ruttig agree the
next step following Taliban's delisting as a terrorist organization could be
its official recognition as a legitimate state power.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: Taliban Official Facing $10 Million US Bounty Makes Rare UAE
Visit
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“A senior Taliban leader in Afghanistan, wanted by the United States for
terrorism, has concluded a rare visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met
with the host country's leadership, an Afghan official said Wednesday. Interior
Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani traveled abroad for the first time since the
Taliban took over the war-torn South Asian nation nearly three years ago.
Reward for Justice, a U.S. Department of State program aimed at combating
international terrorism, offers $10 million for information that will lead to
Haqqani’s arrest. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received
Haqqani in Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital, on Tuesday. The state-run WAM news
agency reported the meeting and included a picture of them shaking hands.”



Yemen



Reuters: Yemen's Houthis Target Three Vessels In Red Sea And Arabian Sea
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“Yemen's Houthis conducted military operations targeting three vessels in the
Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, the group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree said
on Wednesday. The Houthi militia, which controls the most populous parts of
Yemen and is aligned with Iran, has attacked ships off its coast for months,
saying it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in Gaza.
Houthi militants targeted two vessels in the Red Sea, Roza and Vantage Dream,
with a number of missiles and drones, Saree added in a televised speech. The
third ship, the U.S. vessel Maersk Seletar, was targeted in the Arabian Sea
with a number of drones, Saree said.”



Associated Press: Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Unveil Solid-Fuel ‘Palestine’ Missile
That Resembles Iranian Hypersonic
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“Yemen’s Houthi rebels have unveiled a new, solid-fuel missile in their
arsenal that resembles aspects of one earlier displayed by Iran that Tehran
described as flying at hypersonic speeds. The rebels fired its new “Palestine”
missile, complete with a warhead painted like a Palestinian keffiyeh checkered
scarf, at the southern Gulf of Aqaba port of Eilat in Israel on Monday. The
attack set off air raid sirens but caused no reported damage or injuries.
Footage released by the Houthis late Wednesday showed the Palestine being
raised on what appeared to be a mobile launcher and rising quickly into the air
with plumes of white smoke coming from its engine. White smoke is common with
solid-fuel missiles. Solid-fuel missiles can be set up and fired faster than
those containing liquid fuel.”



Saudi Arabia



Bloomberg: UK Navy Reports Blast Near Vessel Off Saudi Coast, Crew Safe
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“A “significant explosion” was reported near a vessel that was located off
Saudi Arabia’s coast, the UK Navy said Wednesday, adding that the crew and ship
were safe and continuing to their next port of call. The Red Sea incident took
place 50 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia, the UK Maritime
Trade Operations (UKMTO) said. There was no immediate claim for the blast but
Houthi fighters based in Yemen have carried out multiple attacks on vessels in
the Red Sea and have escalated such incidents since the Israel-Hamas war broke
out last October. The Houthis and Hamas, which is designated a terrorist
organization by the US and Europe Union, are both Iranian-backed groups
operating in the Middle East.”



Lebanon



Fox News: US Embassy In Lebanon Attacker Was Wearing What ‘Appeared’ To Be
Isis Insignia, State Department Says
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“The State Department revealed Wednesday that the shooter accused of opening
fire on the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon earlier today was wearing what "appeared to
be an ISIS insignia." Spokesman Matthew Miller said "one member of the
embassy’s local guard force was seriously injured" and the gunman has been
arrested following the attack in Beirut that unfolded around 8:30 a.m. local
time. "We are aware that the individual who was arrested was wearing what
appeared to be an ISIS insignia, but we are conducting a full investigation
with the Lebanese authorities into the actual motivations," Miller said during
a press briefing.”



Middle East



Reuters: Diminished Hamas Switches To Full Insurgent Mode In Gaza
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“Hamas has seen about half its forces wiped out in eight months of war and is
relying on hit-and-run insurgent tactics to frustrate Israel's attempts to take
control of Gaza, U.S. and Israeli officials told Reuters. The enclave's ruling
group has been reduced to between 9,000 and 12,000 fighters, according to three
senior U.S. officials familiar with battlefield developments, down from
American estimates, opens new tab of 20,000-25,000 before the conflict. By
contrast, Israel says it has lost almost 300 troops in the Gaza campaign. Hamas
fighters are now largely avoiding sustained skirmishes with Israeli forces
closing in on the southernmost city of Rafah, instead relying on ambushes and
improvised bombs to hit targets often behind enemy lines, one of the officials
said.”



France



Politico: ‘99.99 Percent’ Sure Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Will Be On The
Seine, Top Official Says
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“A senior Paris 2024 Olympics official on Tuesday left the door fractionally
cracked open to moving the Games’ July 26 opening ceremony away from the River
Seine. “My job is to be worried, so I will be 99.99 percent sure that this is
going to happen,” said Olympic organizing committee CEO Etienne Thobois, in
response to a question from POLITICO during a visit to the Invalides venue in
central Paris, where Olympic archery events will be contested. Back in April,
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that Paris did have contingency
plans for the opening ceremony due to the increased threat of Islamist terror
attacks. France raised its terror alert warning to its highest level in March
following the concert hall shootings in Moscow where Tajik militants killed
almost 140 people.”



Reuters: France Arrests Ukraine-Russia National With Explosives On Terror
Charges
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“French police have arrested a 26-year-old Ukranian-Russian man after he blew
himself up with explosive materials in a hotel room north of Paris, a source at
the French PNAT anti-terrorism prosecutors office said on Wednesday. The man
was treated by fire-fighters after he "suffered significant burns following an
explosion," on Monday, the source said. A subsequent search of his room led to
the discovery of products and materials intended for the manufacture of
explosive devices, the source added. The source said the PNAT office, working
with France's domestic spy agency, has opened an investigation into the man,
who is suspected of participation in a terrorist conspiracy and bomb plot.
Neither the Ukrainian or Russian embassies in Paris immediately responded to a
request for comment. The Paris CDG airport, which is close to where the man was
arrested, said operations had not been affected.”



Germany



Bloomberg: Scholz Vows to Fight Surge of Political ‘Terror’ in Germany
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“Olaf Scholz promised to send migrants who commit serious crimes back to
their homelands, including Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-battered Syria, as
the German chancellor responded to mounting concerns over law and order. After
a spate of violent attacks, he labeled the recent death of a policeman
following a knife attack by an Afghan-born man as an act of “terror.” There
will be zero tolerance for such political violence, the chancellor said on
Thursday. “We will fight terror,” Scholz said in a speech to lawmakers in
Berlin. “Without security there is nothing.” Germany has faced several cases of
violence and assaults on politicians ahead of Sunday’s European Parliament
elections, which stoked a heated debate about security. With migrants involved
in some cases, it has triggered calls for stricter rules.”



Politico: AfD Politician Stabbed By Man Wielding Box Cutter
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“A politician from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was
stabbed on Tuesday by a suspect wielding a box cutter in Mannheim in the
country’s southwest, according to police. The attack comes amid a string of
violent attacks on politicians in Germany that has sparked a national debate
over rising political violence and the increasingly raw domestic political
climate. The alleged attacker had torn down and damaged several election
campaign posters before a local AfD politician “pursued the suspect and
apprehended him,” according to a police statement. The male suspect, 25, then
allegedly injured the politician with a box cutter. The victim was identified
as 62-year-old Heinrich Koch, a local candidate for the municipal council. His
injuries are not life-threatening, according to police.”



Europe



Associated Press: Spain Applies To Join South Africa’s Case At Top UN Court
Accusing Israel Of Genocide
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“Spain will ask a United Nations court for permission to join South Africa’s
case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, its foreign minister announced
Thursday. Spain is the first European country to take the step after South
Africa filed its case with the International Court of Justice late last year.
It alleged that Israel was breaching the genocide convention in its military
assault that has laid waste to large swaths of Gaza. Mexico, Colombia,
Nicaragua, Libya and the Palestinians have already requested to join the case
currently being heard at the court in The Hague, Netherlands. The court has
ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza
city of Rafah but stopped short of ordering a cease-fire for the enclave.
Israel has not complied.”



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