April 16, 2020

NBC News: Massachusetts Man Charged With Trying To Blow Up Jewish Nursing Home <[link removed]>

“Federal agents arrested a western Massachusetts man and accused of him trying to blow up a Jewish assisted living facility — but he instead left his DNA on the failed explosive, authorities alleged Wednesday. John Michael Rathbun, 36, of East Longmeadow was charged with two counts of attempted arson after local police found a 5-gallon plastic gas container with burned paper placed in the nozzle of the canister outside the assisted living home on April 2, according to a criminal complaint. The burned paper was a Christian religious pamphlet, and blood was on the side of the gas canister and the paper, the FBI said. The blood is alleged to have matched Rathbun's DNA, which had been stored in a federal database because of his 2011 arrests on charges of breaking and entering and receiving stolen property. Investigators discovered a white supremacist organization on a social media platform in March targeting “the jew nursing home in longmeadow massachsusetts,” according to the complaint written by Special Agent Ryan McGonigle, assigned to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. The FBI didn't name Rathbun specifically as the person who made the posts. Court papers did note that the online user who discussed the nursing home, identified in court papers as Ruth's House on Converse Street, also said April 3 would be “jew killing day.”

Eurasia Review: Suspected Bangladeshi Islamic State Member Caught In Afghanistan <[link removed]>

“Afghan authorities have arrested a suspected pro-Islamic State Bangladeshi militant who is wanted in Dhaka for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to bomb an event attended by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2017, police here confirmed on Wednesday. Mohammad Tanvir, whom Afghan authorities have identified as a senior leader of the Islamic State terror group, was arrested recently with another suspected IS leader in northwestern Afghanistan, according to Khaama Press, which cited a statement from the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS). The outlet describes itself as Afghanistan’s largest English news service. “Yes, we have received confirmation that Tanvir has been arrested in Afghanistan,” Saiful Islam, a deputy commissioner of the Bangladeshi police’s counter-terrorism and transnational crimes unit, told BenarNews. Islam told BenarNews that a “foreign” intelligence agency called Bangladeshi police seven days ago seeking information about Tanvir, whose name is spelled as Tanweer (alias Omran, Ahmad or Nasir) in Afghanistan. “We provided them the information,” Islam said, without elaborating. “Later, the agency confirmed to us that Tanvir was genuinely arrested in Afghanistan.”

Iraq

The Jerusalem Post: Turkey Bombs Refugees In Iraq Amid Coronavirus Pandemic <[link removed]>

“Turkish drones and warplanes flew into Iraq airspace and bombed near a refugee camp near Makhmour on Wednesday, killing and wounding several people. Iraq’s top security cell for media reporting that its air defense monitored a Turkish violation of Iraqi airspace and that at least two women “residents of the camp were victims of the bombardment.” Iraqi media reported in the evening of April 15 that the death toll at the refugee camp had risen to three. It is not the first time Turkey has carried out airstrikes against refugees and in areas where minorities, such as Yazidis, live in northern Iraq. Ankara claims it is striking “terrorists” but has never presented any evidence that its airstrikes have eliminated anyone involved in recent terror attacks against Turkey. The day was a somber one in Iraq where people are in lockdowns due to the coronavirus. Iraq’s strained health care system has made it difficult for the country to confront the virus threat. In areas in northern Iraq people are recovering from the ISIS war. In Makhmour refugee camp which is near the border line between the Kurdistan autonomous regional government and Iraqi Security forces the refugees and internally displaced people face daily hardships and difficulty transiting checkpoints to find work.”

Turkey

Daily Sabah: Turkey Persists In Fight Against Terrorism Despite Coronavirus Challenge <[link removed]>

“As the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across the globe, including Turkey, the country persists in its fight against terrorist organizations. It has killed 230 terrorists in nearly 22,000 counterterrorism operations so far this year. Different terrorist organizations, the PKK, in particular, do not refrain from targeting innocent civilians and children to disturb peace and security in Turkey. The PKK carried out its latest attack on civilians in Diyarbakır's Kulp district last week. Five people were killed died when a roadside bomb hit a minibus carrying villagers. “We have carried out 22,000 operations in the fight against terrorism since New Year’s,” Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on April 9. The minister explained that teams are trying to destroy shelters and hiding places while intelligence units, counterterrorism teams and the gendarmerie in rural areas are working in coordination. Within this scope, Turkey has eliminated at least 230 terrorists, including high-ranking leaders, in the first three months of the year. Turkish security forces continue their fight against terrorism with determination both in cities and rural areas and in cross-border operations. Ramping up its fight against terrorists, Turkey launched Operation Kapan in the country’s southeast in January after it had completed the stages of Operation Kıran that was launched last August.”

Yemen

Al Monitor: Yemen’s Houthis Seek Regional Role As Part Of Axis Of Resistance <[link removed]>

“As the war in Yemen enters its fifth year, faint hope for an end to the continuing carnage can be felt in large part because of the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic. On April 12, United Nations envoys to Syria, Iraq and Yemen, among others, called on warring parties in the region to end hostilities and allow access to medical facilities where needed. “We call on all parties to engage, in good faith and without preconditions, in negotiating immediate halts to ongoing hostilities, sustaining existing cease-fires, putting in place more durable and comprehensive cease-fires, and achieving longer-term resolutions to the persistent conflicts across the region,” the envoys said in a joint statement. Yemen recorded its first COVID-19 case April 10. The prospect of the coronavirus spreading is horrifying in a country where the health care system is already in horrific shape. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have been battling the Houthi rebels in Yemen, reacted positively to the call. They announced a cease-fire to help prevent an outbreak, Col. Turki al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-UAE coalition, told the Saudi national news agency. The agency noted that the cease-fire gives the Houthis an opportunity to join UN-sponsored talks to end the conflict.”

Lebanon

The New York Times: Hezbollah Says Members Escape Israeli Drone Attack In Syria <[link removed]>

“Two missiles from an Israeli drone targeted a four-wheel-drive vehicle carrying two members of Lebanon's Hezbollah on Wednesday near the Syria-Lebanon border, but neither person was hurt, a member of the militant group said. The Hezbollah official said one missile blew up near the vehicle as it traveled in rural Damascus near a border crossing with Lebanon. The second missile hit after the driver managed to get out of the vehicle. The Hezbollah official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He didn't identify the passengers but said no one was hurt. The border crossing is officially closed, except for commercial transit, as part of the measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Syria state media also reported the attack, saying it targeted a civilian car and left material damage only. It did not elaborate. There was no immediate comment from Israel, which rarely confirms individual attacks targeting Iranian and allied forces inside Syria. The drone attack near the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing came a week after Israel’s military released a video it said shows Syrian officers and Hezbollah members working together on the edge of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.”

Egypt

Egypt Today: Jordan Voices Support For Egypt Against Terrorism As Officer Killed In Cairo <[link removed]>

“The Jordanian Foreign Ministry affirmed full support of Egypt in the face of terrorism, after a police officer was killed while raiding a terrorist hideout in the capital Cairo. Seven targeted elements were also killed. The only victim in the raid was Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Al-Houfi, a father of three children, the oldest of whom is seven years old. He was part of a raid on the terrorist hideout in Cairo’s crowd district of Amiriya.  Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi condemned the “coward” terrorist act in Cairo, according to the Egyptian state’s news agency MENA, affirming that Egypt is “stronger” than terrorism and is able to defend its security. “May God have mercy on the officer who rose (died) while confronting terrorists and may [God] bless the injured [officers] with recovery,” Safadi said, according to the Jordan News Agency (Petra). After the incident, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior said on a statement Tuesday that its forces eliminated a terrorist cell that practiced extremism and was located in the east of Cairo before plotting attacks against the Egyptian Copts. The statement revealed that the terrorist elements timed their attacks to coincide with Christian religious holidays, adding that 7 terrorists were killed during a fire exchange with counter-terrorism forces.”

Nigeria

Punch Nigeria: 58 Boko Haram Members To Appear In Court Thursday <[link removed]>

“Fifty-eight suspected Islamists, who were rounded up in a Chadian operation against Boko Haram, will be heard by a criminal court from Thursday, Justice Minister Djimet Arabi told AFP. President Idriss Deby Itno asserted that Boko Haram militants were chased out of the country in the operation carried out between March 31 and April 8. A Chadian army spokesman said at least 52 soldiers and 1,000 jihadists were killed during the operation, which was launched after a massive attack on an army base near Lake Chad that claimed the lives of around 100 soldiers. Idriss warned his allies in the region that Chad’s army would no longer take part in operations outside the country. The force, considered one of the best in the region, has fought Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region as part of the Joint Multinational Force with Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger.”

Somalia

Military.com: Reports Of Civilian Killed In US Airstrike Are Al-Shabaab Propaganda, DoD Says <[link removed]>

“Officials with U.S. Africa Command are disputing news reports that a civilian was killed during a “precision airstrike” near Jamaame, Somalia, this month, saying the reports are based on propaganda from a terrorist group. The strike took place April 10 and killed one terrorist, according to a release from AFRICOM: “an al-Shabaab member complicit in the murder of at least six innocent Somalis.” Al-Shabaab is an al-Qaida-linked militant group based in East Africa. Its aims include the overthrow of the Somali government. Two news outlets falsely reported civilian casualties in the recent strike, officials said in the release. One, they said, was the al-Shabaab-linked network SomaliMemo. The April 10 airstrike was conducted in coordination with the Somali government and took place after the al-Shabaab target had terrorized a nearby village, laying out the murdered corpses of soldiers from the Somali National Army, AFRICOM officials said. The militant was killed, they said, after departing the village with other fighters and entering “a remote and secluded area.” “This was no innocent civilian. This was a purposeful and heinous act. It was a war crime by an al-Shabaab terrorist who desecrated bodies to scare and intimidate innocent Somalis into submission,” Army Maj. Gen. William Gayler, U.S. Africa Command director of operations, said in a statement.”

Africa

Al Jazeera: More Than Two Dozen Killed In DR Congo Armed Attack <[link removed]>

“More than two dozen people were killed in two separate attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a region in the grip of militia violence, officials said on Wednesday. “CODECO assailants attacked the people of the village of Koli while they were asleep, killing 22 civilians,” said Adel Alingi, head of the Djugu administrative region in Ituri province, referring to an armed group targeting the Hema ethnic community. The raid took place overnight from Saturday to Sunday. “All [of the dead] were from the Hema community,” Alingi told AFP news agency, adding the motive for the attack remained unclear. “The people of the village have fled for their lives,” he said. In the second attack on Tuesday, two soldiers, a civilian and five members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia were killed in Beni, in neighbouring North Kivu province, said the army's regional spokesman Anthony Mualushayi. CODECO - whose official name is Cooperative for the Development of Congo - is an armed political-religious sect in Ituri drawn from the Lendu ethnic group. Conflict between the Lendu, mainly farmers, and the Hema, herders and traders, has a long history in the gold and oil-rich province.”

Europe

The National: European Terror Investigations Rise By 14 Per Cent <[link removed]>

“The number of EU terror investigations has risen by 14 per cent. It comes as the bloc's crime agency has exposed thousands of cases of Isis propaganda. Crime agency Eurojust has revealed it dealt with 222 terror cases last year compared with 191 in 2018. In its annual report, the agency says its number of new cases has risen to almost 100 and it is continuing work on a further 128 from previous years. In one case its work with security services in Belgium and Hungary resulted in the apprehension of an Isis extremist who was charged with multiple murders. It has also worked with 12 member states to disrupt the spread of online terror propaganda. It led to the arrest in Spain of an extremist suspected of being one of the “core disseminators” of Isis terrorist propaganda online in November. “The growing complexity for judicial authorities dealing with terrorism is reflected in a steady number of new terrorist cases coordinated through Eurojust’s National Members and Liaison Prosecutors in recent years, rising from 84 to 94 new cases in 2019.” the report said. “In 2019, ongoing investigations coordinated through Eurojust focused on achieving justice for the victims of terrorist acts, cracking down on extremist propaganda or following up on individuals suspected of preparing or attempting to commit a terrorist crime, being members of a terrorist group or financing terrorism.”

Southeast Asia

The New York Times: Indonesian Police Kill 2 Suspected In Attack On Policeman <[link removed]>

“Indonesian security forces on Wednesday shot and killed two alleged members of an Islamic militant group suspected of involvement in attack on a policeman on Sulawesi island earlier in the day. The two men, believed to be members of the East Indonesia Mujahideen militant group, were killed in a gunfight in Kayamanya village in Poso, a mountainous district considered an extremist hotbed in Central Sulawesi province, local police spokesman Didik Supranoto said. Supranoto said a security video led police and military to a house in the village while they were searching for two gunmen who critically wounded a police officer in an attack in front of a bank on Wednesday afternoon. The video showed two attackers wearing helmets shooting the policeman and then fleeing on a motorbike when the injured officer tried to resist with a gun. Supranoto said the suspects refused to surrender and shot at police during the raid on the house. “They were the planners and were directly involved in the attack,” Supranoto said. Police seized weapons and the motorbike used in the attack, and defused at least two bombs found in the house, he said. Security operations have been intensified in the past months in Poso to try to capture the group’s members.”



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The Counter Extremism Project - United States
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