The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

ISIS supporte screenshot r Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic - Grayson County Detention Center via Fox17 Nashville

ISIS Supporter From Kentucky Planned to Shoot Down Planes

• A federal jury in Bowling Green, Ky., convicted a Kentucky man yesterday of providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and receiving military-type training from ISIS.
• After joining ISIS, Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 34, and two co-conspirators attended an ISIS training camp in Syria, where he received military-type training.
• Ramic and his co-conspirators remained in contact with each other and discussed, among other things, his use of an anti-aircraft weapon to shoot at planes. Read More

Anti-Israel Protester Wears Bloody Biden Face Mask Outside White House

• An anti-Israel protester wearing a Hamas headband displayed a bloodied mask of President Biden outside the White House.

• Protesters, some wearing Hamas and PFLP headbands, shouted anti-occupation slogans, burned an American flag, and flew Palestinian flags.

• Demonstrators targeted a National Park Service ranger with objects and defaced statues near the White House. Read More

Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism

Christopher "Hammer" Pohlhaus leads a rally with neo-Nazi groups Blood Tribe and Goyim Defense League on September 2, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. - Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Neo-Nazis March Through South Dakota

• A neo-Nazi group known as the Blood Tribe marched in Pierre, S.D., prompting widespread condemnation from Governor Kristi Noem and local leaders.

• The march, which displayed swastikas and white supremacist symbols, aimed to spread extremist ideology and intimidate the community. Read More

Neo-Nazi Sentenced for Conspiracy and Defacing Synagogue

• Nathan Weeden, from Michigan, was sentenced to 26 months in prison for conspiring with white supremacist group The Base to target Black and Jewish people.

• Weeden and his co-conspirators defaced Temple Jacob synagogue in Hancock, Mich., with swastikas and neo-Nazi symbols as part of "Operation Kristallnacht."

• Co-conspirators Richard Tobin and Yousef Barasneh had previously pleaded guilty to related federal conspiracy charges. Read More

California Man Found Guilty of Sending Threats to FBI

• Mark William Anten, 52, of Sun Valley, Calif., was found guilty of sending threatening emails to the FBI, including threats to bomb the FBI Los Angeles Field Office.
• Anten's emails referenced the "Unabomber" and included threats of mass murder, as well as a search for "how to make a dirty bomb."
• Despite being admonished by FBI agents, Anten's threatening behavior escalated, leading to his arrest and conviction on two counts of threats by interstate communication.
• Anten faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count, with sentencing scheduled for September 13. Read More

  Hate Crime

Members of the Indianapolis Sikh community gather during a vigil held for the victims of a mass shooting at a FedEx facility on April 15, 2021 - Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Texas Man Charged With Hate Crime for Threats to Sikh Organization

• Bhushan Athale, 48, of Dallas, was charged with federal hate crime and interstate threats for making violent and threatening voicemails against employees of a Sikh nonprofit organization.

• Athale left seven voicemails expressing extreme hatred and threats of physical harm toward Sikh individuals, including threats to shave their hair forcibly and harm them with a razor.

• If convicted, Athale faces up to 10 years in prison for interfering with federally protected activities and up to 5 years for transmitting an interstate threat, along with fines up to $250,000. Read More

San Diego Man Convicted of Hate Crime After Attack on Police Officer

• John Richards, from San Diego, was convicted of a hate crime and battery after pleading guilty in court.
• The incident occurred on August 26, 2022, when Richards, found intoxicated and exposing himself on a sidewalk, directed racial insults and threats toward an Asian American police officer.
• Richards escalated the situation by hitting and attempting to kick the officer while being handcuffed.
• Richards was sentenced to 141 days in custody, with 60 days in an in-patient residential treatment program, and one year of probation. Read More

  School Threats

Plainfield (Connecticut) High School - via NBC Connecticut screenshot

Connecticut Schools Go on Lockdown

• Two Plainfield, Conn., schools were locked down following a gun threat.

• Plainfield High School and Plainfield Central School implemented lockdown procedures after police were notified of the threat. Read More

Florida Teens Arrested for School Threats

• Two teens were arrested for making separate threats against two Broward County, Fla., schools.

• One teen threatened a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, leading to an increased police presence and investigation.

• The other teen made a bomb threat against Coral Glades High School, prompting an evacuation and search of the premises.

• Both teens face charges related to making threats and have been taken into custody by the Broward Sheriff's Office. Read More

Rwandan Refugee Threatens School Shooting

• A Rwandan refugee was arrested for threatening to shoot up Brownsburg (Indiana) High School and kill a police officer.
• The suspect, identified as 19-year-old Moise Murengezi, allegedly made threats on social media expressing a desire to kill 1,000 students.
• Authorities discovered Murengezi’s threats after being alerted by a concerned citizen.
• Murengezi faces multiple charges, including intimidation and criminal recklessness, and is being held in the Hendricks County Jail. Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, U.S. Department of State Nathaniel Fick delivers a speech during the Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum on February 7, 2024 - Vladimir Shtanko/Anadolu via Getty Images

Americans Don't Realize How Much Their Social Media Content is Influenced by Foreign Actors

• The State Department’s top digital and cyber policy official stated that most Americans are unaware of the extensive scope of foreign intelligence operations on social media.
• Countries like Russia, China, and Iran are identified as major players in these influence campaigns, using sophisticated techniques to amplify their reach.
• The official emphasized the need for increased public awareness and better defenses against these operations to protect national security. Read More

Man Pleads Guilty to Sending Weapon Components to Russia

• Dimitry Timashev, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act by exporting firearm parts and ammunition to Russia without authorization.
• Timashev coordinated with an associate in Russia who paid for his daughter's tuition and apartment rent in exchange for weapon components.
• After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Timashev sent components to Kazakhstan, knowing they would be forwarded to Russia, and concealed the exports by misrepresenting the shipments' contents.
• Timashev faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and will be sentenced on November 8. Read More

QUOTABLE 

“They accomplished a revolution which has no parallel in the annals of human society. They reared the fabrics of governments which have no model on the face of the globe. They formed the design of a great Confederacy, which it is incumbent on their successors to improve and perpetuate.”

- James Madison, The Federalist Papers

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.