The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

Photo illustration of the Islamic State flag displayed on a mobile phone with the U.S.flag in the background - Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

 New Jersey School District Apologizes for Calling ISIS a Terror Group

• A New Jersey school district apologized for a quiz question at Schuyler-Colfax Middle School that labeled ISIS as a terrorist organization, following a complaint from the group "Teaching While Muslim" (TWM).

• TWM condemned the question as offensive and called for action against anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian sentiments in schools. Read More

DHS Says 400+ Migrants Were Smuggled Into US by ISIS-affiliates

• The Department of Homeland Security has identified over 400 immigrants from Central Asia and elsewhere who crossed into the U.S. in the past three years as “subjects of concern” because they were brought by an ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network.
• Over 150 have been arrested, but the whereabouts of over 50 remain unknown, officials said. 
• Many of the 400+ migrants crossed the southern border and were released into the U.S. by Customs and Border Protection because they were not on the government’s terrorism watchlist. Read More

Anti-Israel Violence Continues to Sweep the Country

• Anti-Israel protesters turned violent during a rally outside Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles, attacking visibly Jewish individuals. Read More
• Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan was vandalized with “Palestine” graffiti. Read More
• A Jewish family was violently attacked at their child’s fifth grade graduation ceremony in New York City. Police are investigating this as a hate crime. One arrest was made. Read More
• Protesters at Hunter College, in New York, waved Hezbollah and Hamas flags and chanted for violent “resistance” against Israel. No arrests were made. Read More
• Anti-Israel vandals targeted Rep. Gregory Meeks’ (D-NY) Queens home, writing that he had “blood” on his hands. Read More
• Charges were dropped against 30 students involved in the anti-Israel occupation of Columbia University's Hamilton Hall, while 13 others were offered an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal. Read More
• Seattle's Holocaust Center for Humanity was defaced with antisemitic and anti-Israel graffiti, prompting a hate crime investigation. Read More

Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism

Donavon Parish, Forrest County mugshot, 2022 - via Southern Jewish Life screenshot

Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty to Threats to Synagogues

• Donavon Parish, 29, of Hattiesburg, Miss., pleaded guilty to cyberstalking and making antisemitic threats targeting synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses.

• Parish used a voiceover internet protocol service to make threatening calls referencing the Holocaust and expressing violent antisemitic sentiments, stating, among other things, Heil Hitler,” “all Jews must die,” “we will put you in work camps,” “gas the Jews” and “Hitler should have finished the job.”

• He faces a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1.5 million fine. Read More

Florida Dentist Arrested for Threats

• Tampa dentist Richard Kantwill was arrested for making online threats against former President Trump and the FBI.

• Kantwill posted threatening messages on social media, expressing intent to harm Trump and FBI agents.

• The FBI traced the threats to Kantwill, who admitted to posting them but claimed he did not plan to act on them.

• Kantwill faces federal charges for making threats, with potential legal consequences if convicted. Read More

Justice Department Sues Pro-Life Protesters

• The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against five individuals who blocked an abortion clinic for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act in Ft. Myers, Fla.
• The defendants, Calvin Zastrow, Kenneth Scott, Chester Gallagher, Eva Zastrow, and Katelyn Sims, allegedly trespassed on a reproductive health center’s property and blocked entrances, halting operations. Read More

Mass Shooter Sentenced

• Anderson Lee Aldrich, 24, was sentenced to 55 concurrent life sentences plus 190 years for the 2022 mass shooting at Club Q, an LGBT venue in Colorado Springs.

• Aldrich pled guilty to 74 hate crimes and firearms charges, admitting to murdering five people, injuring 19, and attempting to murder 26 more, motivated by the victims' actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.

• Aldrich, who identifies as nonbinary and uses the pronouns they and them, administered an obscure website that included what has been described as a “neo-Nazi white supremacist” shooting training video glorifying mass shooting. Read More

  Hate Crime

Elizabeth Wolf, in an undated police booking photo - Euless (Texas) Police Department/Handout/Reuters via Jerusalem Post screenshot

Texas Woman Accused of Hate Crime Attempted Murder  

• Elizabeth Wolf, a Texas woman, is accused of attempting to drown a 3-year-old girl in what authorities are calling a hate crime.

• The incident occurred at a San Antonio park, where the woman allegedly attacked the child because she’s Muslim. Read More

  Mass Shooting Threats

Trevin Wayne Michael Boone, 19 via San Antonio Express-News screenshot

19-Year-Old Threatens Mass Shooting

• Trevin Wayne Michael Boone, 19, posted a threatening message in a Kik chatroom, leading the FBI to his home.

• Boone admitted to making the threat while high but claimed he did not own a gun or intend to harm anyone.

• Despite his statement, Boone attempted to purchase a rifle and magazines a month later, which led to his arrest and charges for interstate communication of a threat.

• Boone had a history of legal issues, including previous charges for narcotics possession and carrying ballistics armor. Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

Yale students protests for Palestine during a football game on November 18, 2023 - Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Yale Fails to Disclose $375 Million in Qatari Funding

• Yale University failed to disclose over $375 million in donations from Qatar, violating federal law, according to a new study.
• The study reveals that Yale did not report these contributions as required by the Higher Education Act, which mandates transparency for foreign gifts over $250,000.
• The undisclosed funds raise concerns about potential foreign influence on academic freedom and university operations. Read More

Foreign Assassination Plot Foiled

• Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, was extradited to the U.S. from the Czech Republic for charges related to a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City.

• Gupta allegedly conspired with an Indian government employee to hire a hitman, facilitated by a DEA undercover operation.

• The targeted victim is a U.S.-based leader of the Sikh separatist movement, advocating for Punjab's secession from India.

• Gupta faces charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Read More

Employee of Tehran's Interests Section in US Threatens Iranian-American

• Ramezan Soltan-Mohammadi, an employee of Iran's Interests Section in Washington D.C., threatened Iranian protesters in the U.S., making a death gesture at a rally.

• A U.S. court issued a temporary order against Soltan-Mohammadi, prohibiting contact or threats against activist Siamak Aram.

• This incident highlights concerns over Iran's transnational repression efforts and the use of diplomatic cover for such actions. Read More

Research & Trends in Extremism

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrest illegal asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border on June 8, 2024 in Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif. - Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images

New Research in Terrorism Sentencing Disparities

• Research by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) found significant sentencing disparities between domestic and international terrorism cases in the U.S.
• Domestic terrorism defendants are 10 times more likely to be acquitted and twice as likely to receive non-custodial sentences compared to international defendants.
  
• International terrorism cases resulted in prison sentences more than double the length of those given to domestic extremists.
• Prosecutors are four times more likely to pursue a terrorism enhancement in international cases than in domestic cases. Read More

QUOTABLE 

“A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral.”

- Alexander Hamilton, 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.