“A Pakistani citizen living in Canada was arrested on Wednesday and charged
with planning an attack in New York City in support of the Islamic State, the
Department of Justice said on Friday. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, is accused of
plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn around Oct. 7, 2024,
nearly one year after Hamas' attack in Israel. U.S. Attorney General Merrick
Garland said Khan, who is also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, aimed to kill "as many
Jewish people as possible." The Department of Justice was not able to confirm
if Khan had obtained legal counsel. Khan attempted to travel from Canada to the
United States where he intended to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to
carry out the attack, according to the indictment. The Royal Canadian Mounted
Police said in a statement Friday they arrested Khan on Wednesday in Ormstown,
Quebec, south of Montreal.”











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Eye on Extremism



September 9, 2024



Reuters: Pakistani Man Charged Over Alleged Plot To Attack New York City
Jewish Center Around Oct. 7
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“A Pakistani citizen living in Canada was arrested on Wednesday and charged
with planning an attack in New York City in support of the Islamic State, the
Department of Justice said on Friday. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, is accused of
plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn around Oct. 7, 2024,
nearly one year after Hamas' attack in Israel. U.S. Attorney General Merrick
Garland said Khan, who is also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, aimed to kill "as many
Jewish people as possible." The Department of Justice was not able to confirm
if Khan had obtained legal counsel. Khan attempted to travel from Canada to the
United States where he intended to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to
carry out the attack, according to the indictment. The Royal Canadian Mounted
Police said in a statement Friday they arrested Khan on Wednesday in Ormstown,
Quebec, south of Montreal.”



Reuters: Israeli Strikes On Syria Kill At Least 16 People, Syrian State Media
Say
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“Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people in western Syria and wounded dozens more
overnight, Syrian state media reported on Monday, the deadliest Israeli attack
reported by Syrian authorities since the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus
was hit in April. There was no immediate comment from Israel, which typically
remains silent on reports of strikes in Syria. The Syrian state news agency
SANA, citing a military source, said Israel had launched the strikes at around
11:20 p.m. (2020 GMT on Sunday and targeted "a number of military sites in the
central region", without elaborating on what was struck. Syrian air defenses
had shot down some of the missiles, the source said. SANA cited a local health
official as saying 36 people had been wounded, six of whom were in serious
condition. Two regional intelligence sources said a major military research
center for chemical arms production located near Masyaf, in Hama province near
the Mediterranean coast, had been hit several times.”




CEP Expert Analysis

* Counterpoint Brief: US Designates Nordic Resistance Movement Specially
Designated Global Terrorist Organization
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* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in March 2024
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* CEP Report: Central Syria’s ISIS Insurgency In 2023
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* CEP Statement Calling For U.S. Sanctions Against Qatar, DIMDEX Conference,
And Al Thani Royal Family
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* Extremist Content Online: The Base Calls For Members of Other White
Supremacist Groups to Join
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CEP Mentions



The Guardian: Neo-Nazi And Far-Right Groups Seize On Trump’s Anti-Immigration
Rhetoric
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“... Joshua Fisher-Birch, an analyst at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP),
has kept tabs on Blood Tribe and Patriot Front and says they are both, “seeking
to capitalize on local tension to hold rallies, recruit, generate propaganda
footage, and solicit money.” Fisher-Birch believes there’s no doubt the current
presidential election season factors into their calculus. “These groups will
continue to hold anti-immigration rallies before the November election because
they see an opportunity to recruit and gain publicity within the broader
anti-immigrant space,” he said. “These extremist groups are not popular but
frequently try to gain momentum from culture-war issues in an attempt to stay
relevant and recruit.”



The Spectator: Labour’s Early Prison Release Scheme Can’t Afford To Fail
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“Are you ready for SDS40? You might need to be if you’re unlucky enough to
live in a high-crime area. This is the anodyne descriptor for the government’s
emergency release of an estimated 5,000 offenders this month and next, having
served only 40% of their sentence in prison custody. This is the result of a
hospital pass from the outgoing Conservative government who passed laws to lock
more people up for longer without any coherent thought about where they would
be banged up. The statutory instrument to allow this release in two tranches
comes into effect on September 10th. About 2,000 prisoners are set to be
released then into community supervision by the probation service.”



Bridport Literary Festival: Escaping Britain's Prison Crisis
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“Join Ian Acheson at the Bridport Literacy Festival on November 4th to talk
about his book — Screwed: Britain’s Prison Crisis and How To Escape It. The
prison crisis is very much at the forefront of both public and political
awareness. Ian Acheson has served for 20 years as both an officer and prison
governor. In 2015, the then Secretary of State for Justice Michael Gove asked
him to lead an independent review of prison extremism which laid bare a
corporate culture of ineptitude, secrecy and arrogance that threatened national
security. Nothing has changed.Screwed is the inside story of the collapse of
His Majesty’s Prison Service told from the frontline. This hard-hitting account
looks at the politics and the operational decisions that have driven our prison
to rock bottom, where extreme violence, indolence and victimization are
normalized. Acheson also outlines how a new corporate culture and mission can
achieve a much-needed revolution in the way the service is run.”



BBC Radio 4 World At One: Thousands Of Prisoners Are To Be Freed Early To Ease
Overcrowding In England’s Prisons
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“Jonny Dymond asks Ian Acheson, former prison governor, what most concerns him
about this new scheme.”



United States



Bloomberg: US Pitches Deal To Thwart Chinese Military Base In Africa
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“The agreement will include training for Gabon’s special forces and $5
million in funding for the country’s democratic transition, according to the
people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The US
has in recent years tried to chip away at China’s role as the dominant foreign
power in Africa but has yet to match Beijing’s financial largess — including
another $50 billion pledged this week — and is widely regarded as not having
treated the continent as a strategic priority. On Thursday, at the ninth
triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, Chinese President Xi
Jinping also pledged to deepen China’s military commitment, announcing 1
billion yuan ($141 million) in military assistance to train 6,000 military
personnel and another 1,000 law-enforcement officers in Africa.”



Syria



Associated Press: Israeli Strikes In Syria Leave 14 Dead And More Than 40
Wounded, Syrian State Media Says
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“The number of people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Syria has risen
to 14 with more than 40 wounded, Syrian state media said Monday morning.
Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria late Sunday, damaging a
highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA
said. The initial death count reported by the Masyaf National Hospital in
western Hama province was four. SANA, citing hospital head Faysal Haydar, said
14 were killed and 43 wounded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a
U.K.-based war monitor, said at least four of those killed were civilians. One
of the strikes targeted a scientific research center in Maysaf and others
struck sites where “Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop
weapons in Syria,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.”



Iraq



Reuters: Turkish Soldier Killed In Clash In Northern Iraq, Defence Ministry
Says
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“A Turkish soldier was killed on Monday in a clash with militants from the
banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq and Turkish airstrikes
killed many militants, the Defence Ministry said. The airstrikes also destroyed
21 PKK targets, the ministry said in a statement without elaborating. Ankara
uses the term "neutralized" to mean killed. The soldier was killed in a clash
in Gara region and Turkish air forces targeted PKK bases in Gara, Hakurk,
Metina and Qandil, the ministry said. The PKK designated a terrorist group by
Turkey, the United States and the European Union, took up arms against the
Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the
insurgency. Turkey has conducted years of cross-border military operations
against militants that have left roughly half the Syrian territory bordering
Turkey and all of Iraqi territory bordering Turkey controlled or overseen by
Turkey's military.”



Turkey



Reuters: Turkey's Erdogan Calls For Islamic Alliance Against Israel
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“Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday Islamic countries should
form an alliance against what he called "the growing threat of expansionism"
from Israel, drawing a rebuke from the Israeli foreign minister. He made the
comment after describing what Palestinian and Turkish officials said was the
killing by Israeli troops of a Turkish-American woman taking part in a protest
on Friday against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "The
only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry, and Israeli state
terrorism is the alliance of Islamic countries," Erdogan said at an Islamic
schools' association event near Istanbul. He said recent steps that Turkey has
taken to improve ties with Egypt and Syria are aimed at "forming a line of
solidarity against the growing threat of expansionism," which he said also
threatened Lebanon and Syria.”



Yemen



Associated Press: Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Claim They Shot Down Another US MQ-9
Drone
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“Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed early Sunday they shot down another
American-made MQ-9 drone flying over the country, marking potentially the
latest downing of the multimillion-dollar surveillance aircraft. The U.S.
launched airstrikes over Houthi-controlled territory afterward, the rebels
said. The U.S. military told The Associated Press it was aware of the claim but
has “received no reports” of American military drones being downed over Yemen.
The rebels offered no pictures or video to support the claim as they have in
the past, though such material can appear in propaganda footage days later.
However, the Houthis have repeatedly downed General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones
in the years since they seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Those attacks
have exponentially increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and the
Houthis launched their campaign targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor.”



Associated Press: 14 Killed In A Car Crash In War-Torn Yemen, State Media
Report
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“A passenger bus overturned while driving Sunday in a mountainous area in
southwestern Yemen, killing at least 14 people, state-run media reported. The
vehicle was traveling on a highway overlooking a rocky area in the Maqatra
district when it suffered a mechanical failure and tumbled to the ground,
according to the state-run SABA news agency. The bus was transporting 14
passengers from the southern province of Aden, the seat of the internationally
recognized government, to the southwestern province of Taiz, the agency
reported. It said only one person survived the crash and was taken to hospital
for treatment. Deadly traffic crashes are not uncommon in Yemen, where a decade
of civil war wrecked the country’s infrastructure. The crashes claim thousands
of lives every year and are mostly caused by speeding, bad roads, or poor
enforcement of traffic laws.”



Libya



Associated Press: Libyan Authorities Order Detention Of Militia Leader Over
Killing Of UN-Sanctioned Human Trafficker
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“Libya’s chief prosecutor ordered the detention of a militia leader and one
of his aides pending an investigation into the killing of one of the country’s
most notorious human traffickers. Mohamed Bahroun, commander of the First
Support Battalion and an influential militia leader, as well as one of his
associates, handed themselves over after allegations surfaced about their role
in last week’s killing of Abdel-Rahman Milad in the capital, Tripoli. The
office of General Prosecutor al-Sediq al-Sour said in a statement late Saturday
that prosecutors ordered both men to remain detained after they were
interrogated and shown evidence of their involvement in Milad’s slaying. Milad,
sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council and imprisoned in Libya on
trafficking charges, was shot and killed on Sep. 1 while in his vehicle in the
Sayyad area, in the western part of Tripoli.”



Middle East



Reuters: Gunman Crossing From Jordan Kills Three Israelis At Border
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“A gunman from Jordan killed three Israeli civilians at the Allenby Bridge
border crossing in the occupied West Bank before security forces shot him dead
on Sunday, Israeli authorities said. It was the first attack of its kind along
the border with Jordan since Oct. 7, when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas
carried out an assault on southern Israel, sparking the war in Gaza that has
escalated throughout the region. The attack took place in a commercial cargo
area under Israeli control where Jordanian trucks offload cargo entering the
West Bank, officials said. The crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge,
lies about midway between Amman and Jerusalem just north of the Dead Sea. The
assailant was a 39-year-old truck driver who came from the influential Huwaitat
tribe in southern Jordan, according to family members.”



Reuters: UN Rights Chief Calls On States To Challenge Israel Over Occupation
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“The U.N. human rights chief said on Monday that ending the nearly year-long
war in Gaza is a priority and he asked countries to act on what he called
Israel's "blatant disregard" for international law in the occupied Palestinian
territories. Nearly 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to
Gaza health officials, since Israel unleashed a military campaign in response
to cross-border attacks by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200
people were killed and a further 250 taken hostage. "Ending that war and
averting a full-blown regional conflict is an absolute and urgent priority,"
the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a speech at the
opening of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. "States must not – cannot –
accept blatant disregard for international law, including binding decisions of
the (U.N.) Security Council and orders of the International Court of Justice,
neither in this nor any other situation."”



The Washington Post: Israeli Forces Leave Trail Of Destruction In Jenin After
Days-Long Raid
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“The Israeli military withdrew from the West Bank city of Jenin early Friday,
ending a days-long incursion that was one of the longest and deadliest in the
territory in years — and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The
withdrawal from Jenin, after more than a week of fighting, took place around
dawn, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, after which residents emerged
from their homes to assess the damage. “There is no reason for this,” Moayed
Khalifa, 65, said as he surveyed the wreckage of his smoothie bar, Choco
Banana. The military, he said, had barreled through the steel door and filled
his shop with debris, upending the livelihoods of three families who depend on
the store’s revenue. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said it killed
14 fighters, including the head of Hamas operations in Jenin, Wesam Khazem, 28.”



Nigeria



The Guardian: At Least 48 Dead In Nigeria Explosion After Fuel Tanker Collides
With Truck
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“A fuel tanker has collided head-on with another truck in Nigeria, causing an
explosion that killed at least 48 people, the country’s emergency response
agency has said. The tanker was also carrying cattle in the Agaie area in
north-central Niger state, at least 50 of which were burned alive, Abdullahi
Baba-Arab, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency,
said. He added that search and rescue operations were underway at the scene of
the accident. Baba-Arab said initially that 30 bodies were found, but in a
later statement, an additional 18 bodies of victims who were burned to death in
the collision were found. He said the dead had been given a mass burial.
Mohammed Bago, the governor of Niger state, said residents of the affected area
should remain calm and asked road users to “always be cautious and abide by
road traffic regulations to safeguard lives and property”.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: Somalia: Govt Troops Intercept Al-Shabaab Supplies
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“Security forces in Somalia have intercepted Al-Shabaab supplies in the
northern parts of the country, officials said, in the latest crackdown which
was conducted by the Somali National Army (SNA) stationed within the porous
region in the country. According to reports, security forces in the Mudug
region intercepted a vehicle destined for al-Shabab territories with supplies.
The militants have been sneaking into military-active regions where operations
are being undertaken by security forces. The vehicle, loaded with food and
fuel, was stopped on its way to Dumaye and Dabalo, key areas under al-Shabab
control. The driver and multiplesuspects were apprehended, officials said,
adding that a thorough probe has been activated. The vehicle and suspects
originated from Galkacyo, within the same region, officials added.”



France



Voice Of America: Iran's Secret Service Plots To Kill Jews In Europe, Says
France
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“A Paris court in May detained and charged a couple on accusations that they
were involved in Iranian plots to kill Jews in Germany and France, police
sources told Agence France-Presse. Authorities charged Abdelkrim S., 34, and
his partner Sabrina B., 33, on May 4 with conspiring with a criminal terrorist
organization and placed them in pretrial detention. The case, known as "Marco
Polo" and revealed Thursday by French news website Mediapart, signals a revival
in Iranian state-sponsored terrorism in Europe, according to a report by
France's General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) seen by AFP. "Since
2015, the Iranian (secret) services have resumed a targeted killing policy,"
the French security agency wrote, adding that "the threat has worsened again in
the context of the Israel-Hamas war."”



Southeast Asia



The New York Times: Struggling To Stem Extremism, Tajikistan Targets Beards
And Head Scarves
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“People in Tajikistan were expecting a government crackdown after Tajik men
were arrested and charged with a terrorist attack on a Moscow concert hall in
March. But it still seemed excessive to Nilufar, a 27-year-old education
professional, when she saw local authorities with scissors outside a K.F.C. in
Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital, trimming beards that were deemed too long.
Excessive, but not so surprising. In the span of a month, Nilufar herself had
been stopped three times by the authorities for wearing a hijab in public.
“Nowadays, as soon as you go outside, you can actually feel how the raids have
intensified,” Nilufar said in a recent interview in Dushanbe, providing only
her first name because of fear of retribution.”



Voice Of America: Kyrgyzstan Follows Regional Trend, Takes Taliban Off
Terrorist List
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“Shunned by the West for over three years, Afghanistan's Taliban scored a
diplomatic victory of sorts this week when the small Central Asian nation of
Kyrgyzstan quietly removed the group from its list of banned terrorist
organizations. The move underscores warming ties between the Taliban, in power
since August 2021, and the countries of Central Asia. While the United States
has led an international campaign to deny the Taliban government legitimacy,
over a dozen regional countries, led by China and Russia, have embraced the
self-styled "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.” "It fits with the broader trend
of governments in the region and internationally warming up to the idea of
having to work with the Taliban," said Lucas Webber, a senior threat
intelligence analyst at Tech Against Terrorism and a research fellow at the
Soufan Center.”



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