The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed after his capture in 2003 -  via Wikipedia 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Overturns 9/11 Mastermind Plea Deal

• Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a surprise decision to throw out a plea deal with accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two of his co-defendants.

• The plea deal would have eliminated the possibility death penalty sentences in exchange for guilty pleas.

• The disruption caused by the unexpected override of the plea deal was just the latest to hit the special U.S. military-run commissions and their more than decadelong effort to bring the men accused of killing nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001, to trial. Read More

Fuad Shakr Had a $5 Million Bounty on His Head For 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing

• Hezbollah confirmed the death of its "No. 2" commander, Fuad Shakr, in a targetted Israeli strike in Beirut on July 30th.

• Shukr "played a central role" in the October 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, which killed more than 240 American service members.

• The State Department offered a reward of $5 million for credible information on Shukr, who was marked a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" in 2019.

• Most recently, Shukr was the Hezbollah commander responsible for the rocket barrage that killed 12 children in the Golan Heights a few days before his elimination. Read More

New York Family Fly Taliban Flag Outside Their Home

• A Muslim family in New York City faced backlash for flying a Taliban flag outside their home, leading to accusations of supporting terrorism.

• The flag display drew criticism from neighbors and sparked discussions about free speech and public safety.

• The family removed the flag, stating it was intended to show cultural pride rather than political support.

• Authorities are monitoring the situation but have not reported any legal violations by the family. Read More

CAIR Leader Mourns Death of Hamas Leader

• Zahra Billoo, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in San Francisco, publicly mourned the assassination of a senior Hamas leader, describing his death as "martyrdom."

• The Hamas leader was killed in an Israeli airstrike, and his death has been a subject of controversy.

• This expression of mourning sparked political debate and criticism due to Hamas's designation as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government and Billoo’s close connection to Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Read More

Hamas Demonstrators in Time Square

• A protest in Times Square, New York City, saw an American flag burned and Hamas flags waved.

• The demonstration was led by the group "Within Our Lifetime" and included accusations of violence by pro-Israel activists against pro-Palestinian protesters.

• The protest followed the reported assassination of a Hamas leader, which was mourned by some participants. Read More

Illegal Jordanian Migrants Who Tried to Breach Marine Base Freed on Bail

• Two illegal Jordanian migrants who are charged with trying to breach Marine Corps Base Quantico in May posted thousands of dollars in bail and were allowed to leave federal custody.

• Hasan Yousef Hamdan, 32, and Mohammad Khair Dabous, 28, were released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention despite their illegal immigration status.

• They were arrested on May 3 for trespassing onto the military installation and handed over to ICE officers because of their immigration statuses. Read More

Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism

Video frames from a neo-Nazi gang attack against a mixed-race family in show gang members punching the victims - via Texas Observer screenshot

Neo-Nazis Attack Family in Texas

• A video shows several members of the neo-Nazi Aryan Brotherhood of Texas attacking a mixed-race family in Martindale, Texas.

• The attack took place during a tubing trip on the San Marcos River, where the family was physically assaulted and verbally abused with racial slurs.

• Only one arrest has been made despite the involvement of multiple attackers in the incident. Read More

Antisemitic Fliers Found in Charleston Hotels

• Antisemitic flyers were found at several hotels in Charleston, W. Va., leading to community concern.

• Jeremy Harris, 27, of Davin, is charged with disorderly conduct after giving police a Nazi salute when questioned about the flyers. Read More

  Hate Crime

 Austin Schoemann in a Sedgwick County Jail photo - via Kake.com screenshot

Kansas Man Pleads Guilty to Racially Motivated Threats

• Austin Schoemann, 30, from Wichita, Ks., pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes for brandishing a gun and using racial slurs against two Black children and an adult.

• He also threatened a white woman and her family, vowing to shoot any Black visitors to her home.

• Schoemann faces 63 to 84 months in prison. Read More

Woman Charged With Hate Crime After Vandalizing Jewish Museum Director’s Home

• Taylor Pelton, 28, was arrested and charged with a hate crime in connection with splattering red paint on the home of the Jewish director of the Brooklyn Museum. Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

 Asia policy expert and former CIA analyst Sue Mi Terry, pictured in September 2023 - Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for ABA

Former CIA Analyst Faces Charges for Working as Unregistered Foreign Agent

• Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst and National Security Council official, faces an indictment for allegedly working as an unregistered agent for South Korea.
• Terry is accused of receiving money and gifts to influence U.S. policy in favor of South Korea. Her defense claims she was engaged in legitimate consultancy work and did not violate any laws.
• Terry, the wife of Washington Post columnist Max Boot, has been charged with two felony counts of serving as an unregistered agent for a foreign power. Read More

Amicus Brief Filed on TikTok Case

• The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) filed an amicus brief supporting a U.S. law requiring TikTok's sale to non-Chinese owners or face a ban.

• The brief claims TikTok enables the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to access Americans' data and influence U.S. politics.

• The FDD argues that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, is linked to China's military-intelligence complex. Read More

QUOTABLE 

“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend."

- Thomas Jefferson

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.