The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

Friends of shooting victims comfort each other at a makeshift memorial outside a King Soopers grocery store on March 25, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. - Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Militant-Right Extremism

A SWAT team apprehends a suspect in connection with a federal indictment against 68 white supremacist gang members in San Fernando Valley, Calif., on Oct. 2, 2024 - KABC via ABC 7 screenshot

68 White Supremacist Gang Associates Charged

• Sixty-eight defendants, including members and associates of the SFV Peckerwoods, a San Fernando Valley, Calif.-based white supremacist street gang, were charged in a comprehensive 76-count federal grand jury indictment.
• The SFV Peckerwoods, along with their affiliations like the Aryan Brotherhood, promote a neo-Nazi white supremacist ideology. This includes beliefs in white superiority and racial segregation and often involves symbols like swastikas and the number 88 (representing "Heil Hitler").
• The charges include a variety of crimes such as conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, drug trafficking (including fentanyl), illegal firearms possession, and fraud related to COVID-19 benefits and loans. Read More

Maryland Woman Sentenced for Conspiring to Destroy Baltimore Power Grid

• Sarah Beth Clendaniel was sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for conspiring to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland.
• Clendaniel planned to attack multiple power substations around Baltimore, intending to cause widespread power outages and potentially permanent damage to the city's infrastructure.
• The conspiracy was driven by white supremacist and accelerationist ideologies aimed at destabilizing society by targeting critical infrastructure.
• She collaborated with Brandon Russell, a Florida resident with neo-Nazi affiliations, to execute this plan, which involved using firearms to disable the substations. Read More

Militant-Left Extremism

Drone photo of the apartment fire started by Garrett Allen Ray Repp, in Portland, Ore. - Mike Warner via Katu 2 News screenshot

Portland Activist Convicted of Arson

• Garrett Allen Ray Repp, a 32-year-old Portland resident with radical leftist affiliations, was convicted on multiple felony charges including first-degree arson after setting fire to the May Apartments building where he lived. The fire was ignited as an act of revenge against his landlord, just before his scheduled eviction.
• The arson destroyed the 100-year-old building, leading to its demolition. Although 20 residents managed to escape, many pets perished, and the incident caused significant disruption, including the closure of nearby freeways due to smoke.
• Repp faced 28 counts of first-degree arson, among other charges, reflecting the severity of the incident, where he used an accelerant to start the fire. His sentencing is set for January. Read More

Texas Antifa Member Convicted Over Violence at Drag Show 

• Meghan Grant, a 39-year-old Dallas Antifa member, was convicted by a jury in Fort Worth, Texas, for her involvement in a violent attack on protesters outside a "family-friendly" drag show event at Fort Brewery and Pizza on April 23, 2023.
• Grant and other Antifa members attacked protesters who were peacefully praying outside the drag show, using pepper spray, leading to her arrest when police intervened.
• She was found guilty of resisting arrest and interfering with public duties. Grant received a sentence of one-year probation and a 180-day suspended jail sentence for the misdemeanor charges. Read More

Hate Crime

Reporters interview passersby in the Los Angeles Jewish neighborhood of Pico-Robertson following two recent shootings in the area on February 17, 2023 - Asaf Elia-Shalev via Times of Israel screenshot

California Man Sentenced for Shooting Two Jewish Men Leaving Synagogue

• Jaime Tran, 30, formerly of Riverside, Calif., was sentenced to 35 years in prison for shooting and wounding two Jewish men as they left religious services in Los Angeles.
  

• Tran pleaded guilty to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of firearm-related charges, reflecting the severity of his antisemitic attacks.
  

• Prior to the attack, Tran had engaged in online and offline antisemitic activities, including threats to former classmates and planning attacks based on Jewish community locations. Read More

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime

• Daniel Ferguson Jr., a 28-year-old from Norfolk, Va., was sentenced to over eight years in prison after pleading guilty to a hate crime.
  
• The incident involved Ferguson entering a backyard, pointing a rifle at a family he didn’t know, and shooting into a stranger's car. During his actions, he used racial epithets and made threats against minority groups, highlighting the hate crime aspect of his offense. Read More

School Threats

Kenneth Cartwright, 18 - Butler County Jail via Fox 19 screenshot

Ohio Teen Arrested for Snapchat Threat

• An 18-year-old student, Kenneth Cartwright, was arrested for posting a threatening message on Snapchat targeting Talawanda High School in Oxford, Ohio. The post included a caption indicating he intended to shoot up the school.

• Cartwright was charged with making terroristic threats, a third-degree felony. Read More

Teen Accused of Threatening to Shoot Up New York High School

• A 15-year-old from Clifton Park, N.Y., was apprehended on September 22 following threats against Queensbury High School.
  
• The teenager was charged with making terroristic threats, criminal impersonation, and unlawful use of social media, among other charges.
  
• The threats were posted on social media and directed at Queensbury High School, where the individual did not attend. These posts suggested a potential mass casualty scenario, leading to heightened security measures at the school. Read More

Foreign Influence Operations

A screenshot taken on Oct. 3, 2024, of a post from a spamouflage account - via VOA News screenshot

China-Connected Spamouflage Networks Spread Antisemitic Disinformation

• Recent reports have shown that Spamouflage Networks linked to China are spreading antisemitic disinformation, often disguised as grassroots movements.

• These networks are involved in an online propaganda and disinformation campaign favoring the Chinese government's narrative. 

• Recent activities have included spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories on platforms like X. These theories suggest that Jewish influence controls significant aspects of American politics, including Washington's policies and the integrity of presidential candidates, thereby casting doubt on the independence and integrity of U.S. governance.

• Such disinformation not only targets Jewish communities but also seeks to undermine faith in American democracy and its institutions, potentially exacerbating social divisions. This aligns with broader strategies of influence operations aiming to portray the U.S. as chaotic or in decline. Read More

 Three IRGC Cyber Actors Indicted for ‘Hack-and-Leak’ Operation

• Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, and Yaser Balaghi, all associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were indicted for a "hack-and-leak" operation aimed at influencing the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
  
• The operation involved hacking into accounts of current and former U.S. officials, as well as those linked to U.S. political campaigns, to steal sensitive information. The stolen material was then leaked, particularly targeting the Trump campaign, to undermine his presidential bid.
  
• The activities were part of a broader Iranian strategy to disrupt U.S. elections, sow discord, and possibly retaliate against U.S. actions, including the killing of Qasem Soleimani. The hackers sought to influence U.S. foreign policy, especially concerning the Middle East, and generally to erode trust in the U.S. electoral process. Read More

Research and Trends in Extremism

Nihad Awad, National Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations - Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Congress Seeking to Strip Tax Status of Terror-Supporting Organizations

• Congress is advancing legislation aimed at revoking the tax-exempt status of U.S. nonprofits linked to terrorism, with a specific emphasis on organizations like CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) due to its alleged ties to Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization.
  

• CAIR has been openly supportive of Hamas, with statements from its leaders praising Hamas actions and figures involved in terrorism. This includes Nihad Awad's support for Hamas and CAIR being named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a major terrorism financing trial.
  

• If passed, the legislation (HR 9495) could directly impact CAIR by stripping its 501c(3) status. Read More

QUOTABLE
“There is no force that can put an end to the human quest for freedom, and China will, in the end, become a nation ruled by law, where human rights reign supreme.”

--Liu Xiaobo, Chinese dissident

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.