“Austrian authorities on Friday announced a third arrest in connection with the
foiled conspiracy to attack three now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts, even as
disappointed fans charmed Vienna by trading friendship bracelets and singing
the pop star’s songs in the streets. The main suspect, a 19-year-old, planned
to target onlookers gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium — up to 30,000 each
night, with another 65,000 inside the venue — with knives or homemade
explosives during the concert on Thursday or Friday. The suspect hoped to “kill
as many people as possible,” authorities said. The 19-year-old main suspect was
taken into custody on Tuesday, along with a 17-year-old, officials said. Both
are Austrian citizens. The third suspect, an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen, was
arrested Thursday evening, the interior minister said at an unrelated news
conference Friday.”











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>





Eye on Extremism



August 9, 2024



Associated Press: 3rd Person In Custody Over Foiled Plot Targeting
Now-Canceled Taylor Swift Shows In Vienna
<[link removed]>



“Austrian authorities on Friday announced a third arrest in connection with
the foiled conspiracy to attack three now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts, even
as disappointed fans charmed Vienna by trading friendship bracelets and singing
the pop star’s songs in the streets. The main suspect, a 19-year-old, planned
to target onlookers gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium — up to 30,000 each
night, with another 65,000 inside the venue — with knives or homemade
explosives during the concert on Thursday or Friday. The suspect hoped to “kill
as many people as possible,” authorities said. The 19-year-old main suspect was
taken into custody on Tuesday, along with a 17-year-old, officials said. Both
are Austrian citizens. The third suspect, an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen, was
arrested Thursday evening, the interior minister said at an unrelated news
conference Friday.”



BBC: Far-Right Extremist Convicted Of Terrorism Offences
<[link removed]>



“A far-right extremist has been convicted of terrorism offences after he
shared videos online related to the making of explosives. Police seized books,
masks and memorabilia of an extreme right-wing nature, as well as a 3D-printed
firearm, from Gabriel Budasz's accommodation in August 2023. The 24-year-old,
of Drove Road in Weston-Super-Mare, was found guilty of various terror offences
at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday. Police said content shared by Budasz
online was "incredibly dangerous to those vulnerable to radicalisation". After
a search warrant was executed at Budasz's house, he was asked to turn off his
computer with his leg while he was handcuffed, but he refused. Prosecutors
seized Budasz's mobile and computer devices and found he used a number of
social media sites under different usernames to post extreme right-wing
material.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

* Counterpoint Brief: Hamas Names Yahoo Sinwar as New Leader
<[link removed]>
* Extremist Content Online: Nordic Resistance Movement Telegram Channel Still
Has Advertisements Enabled Following State Department SDGT Listing
<[link removed]>
* Counterpoint Brief: US Designates Nordic Resistance Movement As Specially
Designated Global Terrorist Organization
<[link removed]>
* CEP Applauds U.S. Designation Of Nordic Resistance Movement As A Specially
Designated Terrorist Organization
<[link removed]>
* Extremist Content Online: Extreme Right Telegram Channel Promote
Homophobia, Transphobia, And Violence In Response To LGBTQ Pride Month
<[link removed]>



CEP Mentions



Voice Of America: Houthis Undeterred Despite US Action To Protect Red Sea
Shipping
<[link removed]>



“...The U.S.-led responses have been “meticulously proportionate,” said
Fitton-Brown, now a senior adviser for the New York and Berlin-based Counter
Extremism Project. “We need to be more determined and creative about what to do
about this,” he said. “We are looking at a de facto authority, and a de facto
authority has fixed points you can attack “They have military bases that were
previously in the hands of the government. They have intelligence headquarters.
They have security deployments in [the port city of] Hodeidah,” Fitton-Brown
told VOA. “Significant escalation of targeting is possible without changing the
legal status of the conflict.”



ElDiario.Es: Hans-Jakob Schindler, Terrorism Expert: “The Enormous Success Of
ISIS And Al Qaeda In Africa Will Have Consequences For Europe”
<[link removed]>



“Austrian police arrested two suspected terrorists on Wednesday who were
planning to attack Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna, scheduled for August
8-10, and other events in the city. One of them had sworn allegiance to the
Islamic State and the artist has had to cancel her concerts. Meanwhile, Paris
has sealed off during the Olympic Games to prevent any possible terrorist
incident. To gauge the level of threat, elDiario.es spoke to one of the leading
experts on the subject: Hans-Jakob Schindler, founder and current director of
the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) –based in New York and Berlin– and former
head of the UN Security Council Sanctions Monitoring Team against the Islamic
State (Daesh), Al Qaeda and the Taliban.A diplomat and expert in intelligence
and security, Schindler has been studying the evolution and development of
organisations considered strategic threats by a large part of the international
community since the 1990s.”



NTV: Expert Assesses Terror Threat In Europe
<[link removed]>



“After the cancellation of the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna because of an
Islamist attack plan, concerns are growing about a further terrorist threat in
Europe. But how great is the threat from Islamists? ntv speaks to terrorism
expert Hans-Jakob Schindler.”



Welt: “They Are Being Recruited Online And Are Getting Younger And Younger”
<[link removed]>



“Fearing terrorist attacks, the organizers have canceled the three upcoming
concerts of US pop star Taylor Swift in Vienna. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob
Schindler says that we must not give in to the pressure of terrorists.”



Big Issue: Prisons Are Full To Bursting – And The UK Riots Have Thrown Their
Usefulness Back In The Spotlight
<[link removed]>



“The spasm of violent disorder that has gripped England and Northern Ireland
over the last week has thrown the issue of prison capability back into the
spotlight. Before the brutal murders of three children in Southport, it looked
just about possible for our national jail service, running at 99% capacity, to
stagger over the line in September when the reduction in time served by the
incoming government from 50% to 40% took hold and gave some respite. Now after
days of violent disorder from Plymouth to Sunderland, egged on by social media
misinformation, hundreds of people are being pushed through the criminal
justice system by a government determined to make an example of them. That
example will include jail time, sometimes years of it, for the orgy of
criminality that has hijacked the grief of families devastated by loss and
grief.”



Deutschlandfunk Kultur: Attack On Taylor Swift Concert Would Have Been A Clear
Signal
<[link removed]>



“Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna cancelled - this has put the "Islamic State"
in the headlines around the world. This is "a clear signal to sympathizers and
donors that we are still active," says Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter
Extremism Project.”



United States



Reuters: US, Qatar And Egypt Push Urgent Talks With Israel And Hamas On Aug 15
<[link removed]>



“Leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar on Thursday called on Israel
and Hamas to meet for negotiations on Aug. 15 in order to finalize a Gaza
ceasefire and hostage release deal. The three countries, which have been trying
to mediate a deal, said in a joint statement the talks could take place in
either Doha or Cairo. "A framework agreement is now on the table with only the
details of implementation left to conclude," they said. "There is no further
time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay. It is time to
release the hostages, begin the ceasefire, and implement this agreement." The
leaders also offered to present "a final bridging proposal" resolving the
remaining issues. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli negotiators
would be there. The aim, he said, was "to finalize the details and implement
the framework agreement." There was no immediate comment from Hamas.”



Associated Press: US And Other Frustrated Mediators Call On Israel, Hamas To
Resume Gaza Talks, Saying, ‘No Excuses’
<[link removed]>



“Leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar jointly demanded Israel and
Hamas return to stalled talks on the war in Gaza next week, saying that “only
the details” of carrying out a cease-fire and hostage release remain to be
negotiated. “There is no further time to waste, nor excuses from any party for
further delay,” they said in a joint statement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s office said Thursday, “Pursuant to the proposal by the U.S. and the
mediators, Israel will — on 15 August — send the negotiations team to a place
to be determined in order to finalize the details of the implementation of the
framework agreement.” President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah
el-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim al-Thani, mediators in indirect negotiations to
end 10 months of devastating war in Gaza, set the talks for Aug. 15, to take
place in either Doha, Qatar, or Cairo.”



Turkey



Reuters: Somalia, Ethiopia To Resume Talks On Port Deal Under Turkish
Mediation, Ankara Says
<[link removed]>



“The foreign ministers of Somalia and Ethiopia will meet in Ankara next week
to discuss disagreements over a port deal Addis Ababa signed with the breakaway
region of Somaliland earlier this year, Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan
said. Turkey is now mediating talks between the east African neighbours, whose
ties became strained in January when Ethiopia agreed to lease 20 km (12 miles)
of coastline from Somaliland, in exchange for recognition of its independence.
Mogadishu called the agreement illegal and retaliated by expelling the
Ethiopian ambassador and threatening to kick out thousands of Ethiopian troops
stationed in the country helping battle Islamist insurgents. Somali and
Ethiopian foreign ministers met in Ankara last month along with Fidan to
discuss their disagreements, and agreed to hold another round of talks. At a
news conference in Istanbul, Fidan said a second round of talks between Somalia
and Ethiopia will take place in Ankara next week.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: UN Sees Rising Threat Of IS-Khorasan Attacks Outside
Afghanistan
<[link removed]>



“The head of the United Nations counterterrorism office warned Thursday that
there is a risk of the Afghanistan-based Islamic State affiliate IS-Khorasan
carrying out attacks abroad. “ISIL-K has improved its financial and logistical
capabilities in the past six months, including by tapping into Afghan and
Central Asian diasporas for support,” Vladimir Voronkov said, referring to the
terror organization by an acronym. “The group has also intensified its
recruitment efforts.” He told a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the
threat of terrorism that the activity of the self-styled Islamic State and
other terrorist groups in Afghanistan “remains a significant concern.” “We must
unite to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a hotbed of terrorism,”
Voronkov said, urging Afghanistan’s neighbors to counter and prevent the threat
from IS-K from spreading.”



Voice Of America: Afghan Refugees Worry As Iran Continues Forced Deportation
<[link removed]>



“When the Taliban overran the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif in
August 2021, Aminullah Ranjbar, a police officer, says he had "no option" but
to flee with his family to Iran. The Ranjbars have been living in Tehran as
undocumented refugees for the past three years, fearing deportation to
Afghanistan, where Aminullah’s life is in danger. "We know that many [former
Afghan security officials] were killed by the ruling group in Afghanistan,"
Ranjbar said. Thousands of former Afghan security forces fled to Iran after the
Taliban’s takeover in August 2021 for fear of reprisals. The United Nations
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan says it documented "at least 60 instances of
arbitrary arrest and detention, at least 10 instances of torture and
ill-treatment, verbal threats and at least five killings of former government
officials and former ANDSF members" between April 1 and June 30, 2024.”



Pakistan



Reuters: Pakistan Says It Will Support All Efforts To Prevent Middle East
Escalation
<[link removed]>



“Pakistan would support all efforts to prevent war escalating in the Middle
East, its foreign ministry said on Friday, as fears grow of a wider conflict
involving Israel and Iran. The Middle East is bracing for a possible new wave
of attacks by Iran and its allies following last week's killing of senior
members of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Tehran has blamed the death of
Hamas's political leader on Iranian soil on Israel, which has not confirmed
involvement. The United States has been carrying out round-the-clock diplomacy,
urging other countries through diplomatic channels to tell Iran that escalation
in the Middle East is not in their interest, according to the state department.
"Pakistan will support all efforts to prevent a war in the Middle East," said
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch at a media briefing. She did
not comment on whether Pakistan had been in contact with Washington over the
issue. She denied reports by the Jerusalem Post newspaper that Pakistan was
planning to provide Shaheen-III medium-range ballistic missiles to Iran.”



Yemen



Associated Press: 3 Suspected Houthi Attacks Target A Ship Off Yemen,
Authorities Say
<[link removed]>



“Three suspected attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the
strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait linking the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea,
including one that saw private security guards shoot and destroy a bomb-loaded
drone boat, authorities said Friday. The Houthis didn’t immediately claim the
assaults, though they follow a monthslong campaign by the rebels targeting
shipping through the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza
Strip. Since November, Houthi attacks have disrupted the $1 trillion of goods
that flow annually through the region, while also sparking the most intense
combat the U.S. Navy has seen since World War II. After a recent two-week
pause, their attacks resumed following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail
Haniyeh in Iran, amid concerns of a wider regional war. Iran backs the Houthis
as part of what it calls a regional “Axis of Resistance.””



United Kingdom



Politico: Britain’s Far Right Enjoys Unparalleled Impunity On Telegram
<[link removed]>



“As riots swept the U.K. in recent days, far-right groups plotted attacks on
immigration centers and swapped manuals for making petrol bombs on the fringe
social network Telegram. Social media platforms have faced intense criticism
for hosting extremist rhetoric that has inflamed violent disorder since the
killing of three children in Southport in a stabbing attack late July. But
while Elon Musk’s provocations on X (formerly Twitter) have grabbed the
limelight, right-wing agitators have long enjoyed an unparalleled level of
impunity on Telegram. “The far right, fascists and neo-Nazis have long regarded
Telegram as a safe space for the exchange of their views,” said Matthew
Feldman, a specialist on right-wing extremism who teaches at the University of
York. Channels set up on Telegram following the killings in Southport amassed
tens of thousands of members and were used to mobilize far-right rioters.”



Europe



Associated Press: Suspects In Foiled Attack On Taylor Swift Shows Were
Inspired By Islamic State Group, Officials Say
<[link removed]>



“Both suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna
appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, Austrian
authorities said Thursday, and investigators found bomb-making materials at one
of their homes. Officials said one of the two confessed to planning to “kill as
many people as possible outside the concert venue.” Three sold-out concerts
were canceled Wednesday because of the plot, devastating Swifties from across
the globe. Many of them had dropped thousands of euros (dollars) on travel and
lodging in Austria’s expensive capital city to attend the Eras Tour shows at
the Ernst Happel Stadium, which sat empty Thursday morning. Europe is enamored
with the American superstar: The German town of Gelsenkirchen renamed itself
“Swiftkirchen” before its mid-July concerts. Concert organizers in Austria said
they had expected up to 65,000 fans inside the stadium at each concert and as
many as 30,000 onlookers outside, where authorities said the suspects planned
to strike.”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.

DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>
 




Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>