Abdul-Rahman, aged 18, allegedly tested homemade bombs, researched explosive materials, and communicated with Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), and Hay’at Tahrir al Sham (HTS),

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The Extremism Roundup
=====================


**Promoting Civil Discourse and Marginalizing the Extremes**
A weekly compilation of the most important developments in the struggle against radical ideologies

Islamist Extremism
------------------

*Muhyyee-ud-din Abdul-Rahman, 18, from West Philadelphiavia - NBC Philadelphia screenshot*


**Philadelphia Teen Hoped to Make Bombs for Al-Qaeda Affiliate**


-

Muhyyee-ud-din Abdul-Rahman, an 18-year-old from West Philadelphia, was charged with planning to make bombs for terrorist organizations affiliated with Al-Qaeda and had considered attacking local targets, including the Philadelphia Pride parade.


-

Abdul-Rahman faces charges including manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy, arson, and risking catastrophe. He will be tried as an adult due to the severity of the charges.


-

Abdul-Rahman allegedly tested homemade bombs in wooded areas near his home, researched explosive materials, and was in communication with groups like Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ) and Hay’at Tahrir al Sham (HTS), expressing a desire to become a bomb-maker. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**


**Global Terrorist Pleads Guilty to Sanctions Evasion in Support of Hezbollah**


-

Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. in 2018 for his support to Hezbollah, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court to conspiracy charges for attempting to evade U.S. sanctions.


-

Bazzi conspired to have an individual in the U.S. liquidate real estate assets in Michigan and covertly transfer the proceeds, amounting to nearly $830,000, to Lebanon without the required licenses, violating U.S. sanctions aimed at Hezbollah financing.


-

Bazzi and his co-conspirator, Talal Chahine, devised various schemes to mask the true nature of the funds transfer, including using third parties in China and Lebanon and creating fictitious transactions like restaurant equipment purchases and real estate deals.


-

Bazzi faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, with the exact sentence to be determined at a later date. He also agreed to forfeit the nearly $830,000 involved in the illegal transaction. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**

  Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism
------------------------------------------

*Ant-Israel post from the Instagram page of (u)PAO - via Campus Reform screenshot*
**


**"Anti-Occupation" Group Defaces UPenn Statue**


-

Anti-Israel activists at the University of Pennsylvania defaced a statue of Benjamin Franklin by dousing it with red paint, labeling it a symbol of "imperial violence and colonialism."


-

The group "Up Against the Occupation" (uPAO) claimed responsibility, stating the act was a "visual reminder" of over 186,000 "martyrs" and accused the university of complicity in genocide.


-

The university's administration had previously banned uPAO for noncompliance with student organization policies. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**


**Self-Described Skinhead Sentenced for Race-Based Threats**


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Charles Allen Barnes, a 47-year-old man from Lewiston, Maine, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for making race-based threats via social media against a Black family living in his apartment complex.


-

Barnes sent a threatening voice message through Facebook, hurling racial slurs and threatening to kill the family.


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According to evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, Barnes harbored long-standing racist views, espoused white supremacist rhetoric online, and had described himself to an acquaintance as a racist skinhead. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**


**Alaska Man Arrested for Threats to Supreme Court Justices**


-

Panos Anastasiou, a 76-year-old man from Alaska, was arrested for allegedly sending more than 465 threatening messages to six U.S. Supreme Court Justices and their family members.


-

Between March 2023 and July 2024, Anastasiou's messages included threats of assassination and torture and contained racist and homophobic rhetoric. The threats escalated, particularly from January 2024.


-

Anastasiou faces charges including nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce.


-

If convicted, Anastasiou could face up to 10 years in prison for each count against a judge and up to 5 years for each count in interstate commerce. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**

  Hate Crime
------------

*A giant pride flag hangs from the California Tower during the 2024 San Diego Pride Parade on July 20, 2024, in San Diego, Calif. - Daniel Knighton/Getty Images*
**


**Assault at California Restaurant Over Pride Flag**


-

An altercation at Blaze Pizza in Roseville, Calif., involved a customer who reacted negatively to a Pride flag displayed in the restaurant.


-

The incident began when the customer, after picking up an order, threw the Pride flag to the ground. When confronted by staff, he used a derogatory slur and left. Later, he returned with two others, leading to a physical confrontation where two employees were assaulted. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**

  School Threats
----------------

*Screenshot of a social media threat sent to various schools across Texas - via CBS News Texas *


**Multiple Arrests Across Texas in Connection to School Threats**


-

Multiple individuals have been arrested in connection with threats against schools within Arlington ISD. This includes an 18-year-old, not a student at Arlington High School, charged with making terroristic threats after posting threatening content on social media. Additionally, a student from Gunn Junior High was arrested for verbal threats against the school.


-

The threats varied from social media posts to verbal statements, alluding to potential violence or shootings at the schools.


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Those arrested face felony charges of making terroristic threats, indicating serious legal repercussions for such actions, even if intended as pranks or not deemed credible by authorities. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**


**New Mexico Teens Arrested for School Shooting Threats**


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Two students in Las Cruces, N.M., were arrested for making online threats of school shootings. A 13-year-old boy was apprehended for threatening Camino Real Middle School, and a 15-year-old girl was arrested for threatening Centennial High School. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations
------------------------------------

*Photo illustration by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images*
**


**Meta Bans Russian Media Outlets**


- Meta, the owner of platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, has announced a global ban on Russian state media outlets, including RT and Rossiya Segodnya, for engaging in "foreign interference activity."
- The decision follows allegations that these media entities used deceptive tactics to influence social media users, aiming to amplify Moscow's propaganda.
- The move comes after the U.S. filed charges against RT employees for funding influence campaigns on social media, highlighting the broader geopolitical tensions and efforts to mitigate foreign disinformation.
- This ban will prevent these outlets from posting on Meta's platforms worldwide, marking an escalation in efforts to counter Russian covert influence operations. RT criticized the ban as an attempt to censor information flow globally. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**
**Massachusetts Nonprofit Hides Qatar Funding**


-

[Primary Source]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Watertown, Mass., has been accused of hiding its financial ties to Qatar.


-

Karen Hurvitz, a Massachusetts lawyer, highlighted these connections in 2021, pointing out that Primary Source received significant funding from Qatar while promoting educational programs that some critics argue present a biased perspective on Middle Eastern history and culture.


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The organization appeared to have scrubbed references to Qatar Foundation International (QFI), whose name used to appear in numerous places on its website. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**


**DOJ Disrupts Chinese Botnet that Infected 200,000+ Devices**


-

The U.S. Justice Department, with the FBI leading, executed a court-authorized operation to dismantle a botnet comprising over 200,000 devices globally, which was being used by hackers sponsored by the People's Republic of China (PRC). 


-

The operation involved taking control of the hackers' infrastructure to send disabling commands to the infected devices, effectively severing their connection to the botnet. This was the second such operation against PRC-backed botnets in 2024.


-

The hackers, associated with Integrity Technology Group based in Beijing, were using this botnet to conduct cyber espionage and potentially disrupt critical infrastructure. **[Read More]([link removed] 202409-26&utm_medium=email)**

QUOTABLE
 
=

“This is only the beginning of the reckoning. This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of a bitter cup which will be proffered to us year by year unless, by a supreme recovery of moral health and martial vigour, we arise again and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time.”

*- Winston Churchill - after Munich Agreement, 1938*

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.

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