The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

Pro-Palestinian supporters gather outside of the U.S. Capitol to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress in Washington D.C., on July 24, 2024 - Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images

Pro-Hamas Demonstrators Clash with Capitol Police While Netanyahu Speaks to Congress

• Hundreds of pro-Hamas demonstrators descended on Washington, D.C., to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress.

• The U.S. Capitol Police noted that part of the crowd became "violent" and failed to obey orders. Officers deployed pepper spray, and social media videos show clashes between officers and agitators.

• Agitators burned American flags, burned Israeli flags, ripped American flags down and replaced them with Palestinian flags. They were heard chanting "Allahu Akbar." Read More

Palestinians With Terror Ties Illegally Cross US Border

• Border agents detained three Palestinian migrants who illegally crossed the southern border after they were found to have possible ties to terrorist organizations.

• One of the migrants had “salacious photos” on their phone — including a picture of a masked man holding an AK-47 rifle.

• Border agents in San Diego have been warned to keep a lookout for people possibly tied to Palestinian terror groups following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. Read More

Judge Adds 11 Years to Man Involved in Bomb Plot

• Adel Daoud, convicted in a 2012 bomb plot to detonate a car bomb outside a Chicago bar, had 11 years added to his sentence.

• The judge ruled that Daoud's recent assaults on federal prison guards warranted the additional time. Daoud's total sentence now extends to 27 years.

• He had initially pleaded guilty in 2018 to the bomb plot along with separate charges for soliciting the murder of an FBI agent while in custody, and attacking a prison mate with a shank fashioned from a toothbrush after the person drew a picture of the prophet Muhammad. Read More

Philadelphia Man Indicted for Trying to Join ISIS

• Kamal Fataliev, 19, a resident of Philadelphia, was arrested and is accused of planning to join ISIS.

• Authorities allege Fataliev, a former Penn State Abington student, made false statements to the FBI about his intentions and contacts.

• He reportedly sought to travel to the Middle East to join ISIS and communicated with others involved in terrorism.

• Fataliev faces charges that could result in a lengthy prison sentence if convicted. Read More

New Jersey Man Charged With Terrorism for Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie

• Hadi Matar, 26, of Fairview, N.J., was charged with terrorism offenses for attempting to murder Salman Rushdie.

• Matar allegedly acted to support Hezbollah, following a fatwa (religious death sentence) calling for Rushdie's death issued by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989.

• He faces charges including providing material support to terrorists and committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Matar could face a maximum penalty of life in prison. Read More

Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism

Three men were convicted of a white supremacist-linked scheme to blow up a power grid in northwestern United States - Houston Chronicle via Getty Images via New York Post screenshot

Defendants Who Plotted to Destroy Energy Facilities Sentenced

• Paul James Kryscuk, Liam Collins, and Justin Wade Hermanson were sentenced for conspiracy and firearms offenses related to a plot to destroy energy facilities.

• Kryscuk received six years and six months, Collins 10 years, and Hermanson one year and nine months in prison.

• The defendants were members of and made multiple posts on the “Iron March” forum, a gathering point for young neo-Nazis to organize and recruit for extremist organizations. Read More

Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Threats to Election Officials

• Brian Jerry Ogstad, 60, from Cullman, Ala., pleaded guilty to making death threats to Maricopa County election workers during the August 2022 primary elections.

• Ogstad sent multiple threatening messages via Instagram, stating intentions to kill the workers for alleged election fraud.

• He faces up to five years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for October 21. Read More

Ohio Man Sentenced for Threats to Planned Parenthood

• Mohamed Waes, 33, of Ohio, was sentenced to 66 months in prison for threatening to burn down a Planned Parenthood clinic and for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
• The threats aimed to intimidate clinic employees from providing reproductive health services.
• Waes also laundered nearly $274,000 through business email compromise fraud schemes. Read More

Jane’s Revenge Vandals Plead Guilty to Attacking Pregancy Centers

• Vandals associated with "Jane's Revenge" pleaded guilty to felony charges for attacking pregnancy resource centers.

• The attacks involved significant property damage and were motivated by opposition to the centers' anti-abortion stance.

• The defendants face serious legal consequences, including potential prison time. Read More

  Hate Crime

 Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt speaks during 2023 National Action Network Triumph Awards at Jazz at Lincoln Center - Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Indiana Man Sentenced for Violent Antisemitic Threats to ADL

• Andrezj Boryga, 67, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 24 months in prison for sending violent antisemitic threats to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

• Between July and December 2022, Boryga left threatening voicemails at ADL offices in multiple states.

• His threats included antisemitic slurs and death threats, causing genuine fear among the recipients. Read More

Man Arrested for Threats to Palestinian American

• Melvin P. Litteral III, a Kentucky man, was charged with federal hate crime and firearm offenses for threatening a Palestinian American with a loaded gun.

• The incident occurred on March 28, and involved intimidation due to the victim's race, color, religion, and national origin.

• If convicted, Litteral faces up to 10 years for the hate crime and a mandatory minimum of seven years for the firearms charge. Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

John Chen at a pro-Beijing event he organized at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse in San Gabriel, Calif., October 2016 - Liu Fei/The Epoch Times via NTD screenshot

Two Men Plead Guilty to Bribery on Behalf of China

• Los Angeles residents John Chen, 71, and Lin Feng, 44, pleaded guilty to acting as unregistered agents of the Chinese government and bribing an IRS official.
• The two men aimed to strip the tax-exempt status of a Falun Gong entity by manipulating the IRS's Whistleblower Program.
• The People’s Republic of China designated the Falun Gong as one of the “Five Poisons,” or one of the top five threats to its rule. In China, Falun Gong adherents face a range of repressive and punitive measures from the Chinese government, including imprisonment.
• The scheme involved bribing an undercover officer, posing as an IRS agent, with $5,000 in cash. Both defendants face up to 25 years in prison. Read More

North Korean Government Hacker Charged

• Rim Jong Hyok, a North Korean hacker, was charged with ransomware attacks on U.S. hospitals and health care providers.

• He and his co-conspirators, part of the "Andariel" hacking group, laundered ransom payments through China.

• The ransomware attacks disrupted hospital operations and endangered patient care. The Justice Department and FBI seized $114,000 in virtual currency linked to these attacks and continue to investigate the group. Read More

QUOTABLE 

“Liberty does not exist in the absence of morality."

- Edmund Burke

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.