CEP Mentions
Voice Of America: Death Of Hamas Leader Brings Hope, Peril
“Sinwar's death is a "a major blow" to Hamas, said Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former senior United Nations counterterrorism official who currently serves as a senior adviser for the Counter Extremism Project. Only it is not a certain death blow for the Gaza-based terror group. "It may be that Hamas' status as top dog is less clear. But no other group is in a position to seize that position," Fitton-Brown said. "It might lead to fragmentation of Palestinian extremists with unpredictable results." That could include ongoing fighting in Gaza. "I would expect a low-level insurgency to continue," said Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research and Middle East scholar at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "There will likely be pockets of resistance by Hamas or perhaps Hamas-aligned fighters," Schanzer told VOA.”
Daily Mail: Death Of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar Will Make Hostage Negotiations ‘Extremely Difficult’ And Prolong War In The Region, Experts Warn
“The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza will make negotiations with Israel 'extremely difficult' and could prolong a drawn out war in the region, experts warn. Hamas' leader in Gaza was killed on Wednesday in an Israeli strike in the Palestinian enclave, the IDF confirmed after an extensive study of dental records. […] Edmund Fitton Brown, Senior Advisor to the Counter Extremism Project and former UK Ambassador to Yemen, told MailOnline the assassination could lead to 'fragmentation' and the 'collapse of communications, command and control'. 'It may be that Hamas' status as top dog amongst Palestinian Islamists is less clear than it was. But no other group [in Gaza] is positioned to seize that mantle,' he said. 'It's hard to see exactly how to get [to a ceasefire]. And one hesitates to express optimism.”
Tagesspiegel: Hamas Leader Killed In Gaza Strip, Who Was Jihia Sinwar, The Architect Of October 7?
“He was the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip - and is now the head of the entire organization. Jihia Sinwar, the terror group announced this week on the short message service Telegram, has been appointed head of the political office. This means that power within Hamas is concentrated on the man the Israelis have been hunting for months - and who is said to have successfully hidden in the tunnels of Gaza. […] In fact, Sinwar had the most influence within the terrorist organization, even though Haniya held the political leadership position on paper. "As a result of the attack on October 7, the Hamas leadership in Gaza took actual control of the terrorist group," explains Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the international Counter Extremism Project.”
DW News: What Is The Immediate Impact Of Sinwar’s Death?
"Israel's prime minister says the top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed in a military operation in Gaza. Israeli officials said Sinwar's body was recovered, with DNA tests confirming his identity. Sinwar is considered the chief architect behind the Hamas October 7 terror attack on Israel that left more than a thousand people dead and triggered the war in Gaza, which health officials there say has killed more than 42,000 people. Sinwar took over leadership of the Palestinian militant group after the top political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran. Hamas has not yet commented on the fate of its leader. […] Hans Jakob-Schindler, Middle East Security Expert, on implications of Sinwar’s death."
MSG For Banking: Counter Terrorism Financing, Episode 1, Risk Of Terrorist Financing In Europe
“Interview featuring CEP Senior Director, Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler on the topic of Counter Terrorism Financing”
United States
Associated Press: Judge Orders Afghan Man Accused Of Planning Election Day Attack In US To Remain In Custody
“An Afghan man who is accused of plotting an Election Day attack in the U.S. was ordered Thursday to remain in custody as officials disclosed that he had previously worked as a security guard for an American military installation in Afghanistan. U.S. Magistrate Judge Suzanne Mitchell in Oklahoma City issued her ruling after hearing testimony from an FBI special agent that Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, of Oklahoma City, and his brother-in-law, a juvenile, took steps to obtain AK-47 rifles and ammunition and planned to carry out an attack targeting large crowds on Election Day next month. Mitchell also determined there was probable cause to bind Tawhedi over for trial. FBI agent Derek Wiley testified that Tawhedi also is linked to an investigation in France that led to the arrests this month of three people, including two of Tawhedi’s brothers, who authorities say were plotting a terrorist attack in that country.”
Reuters: At 10-Year Mark, US And Allies Weigh Future Of Islamic State Mission
“Ten years to the day after the formal launch of the U.S.-led operation against the Islamic State, the United States and its NATO allies gathered in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the future of a mission facing increasing headwinds. Niger kicked out the U.S. military from its counter-terrorism base in West Africa this summer. Afghanistan has been largely off-limits since the Taliban's 2021 takeover. And Iraq wants the Pentagon to start reducing its personnel and end coalition operations there. At the same time, American officials warn the global threat from Islamic State is growing in Africa and elsewhere, even as public attention has shifted to Russia's war in Ukraine and expanding conflicts in the Middle East. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who helped launch the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State a decade ago as a four-star general, cautioned allies at NATO headquarters in Brussels that Islamic State was still a threat that required international attention.”
South America
Reuters: Venezuela Detains Three Americans, Two Others For Alleged Terrorism
“Venezuela has detained three Americans and two others for alleged terrorist activities, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Thursday, marking an increase in the count of foreign prisoners in the South American country. The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has regularly accused members of the opposition and foreign detainees of conspiring with U.S. entities such as the Central Intelligence Agency to plan terrorist attacks. Venezuela released dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, in December 2023 following months of negotiations between Caracas and Washington. In exchange, the United States released Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and close ally of Maduro. The new list of detainees, which also included one Bolivian and one Peruvian, brings the number of foreign detainees in Venezuela to at least 12. "The detained foreigners speak Spanish perfectly, a necessary requirement for them to involve themselves in communities," Cabello said on state television.”
Yemen
The New York Times: U.S. Stealth Bombers Attack Houthi Weapons Caches In Yemen
“The U.S. military struck five underground weapons facilities in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia on Wednesday, using warplanes that included B-2 stealth bombers in an attack that could also serve as a warning to Tehran. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said President Biden had ordered the strikes to “further degrade the Houthis’ capability” to attack ships and disrupt the flow of commerce in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Mr. Austin made no mention of Iran, but the rare use of the B-2, the only plane capable of striking Iran’s deeply buried nuclear facilities, against the Houthis was notable at a time of tensions between Israel and Iran that threaten to spill into full-blown war.”
Middle East
NPR: Israel Says It Killed Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar In Gaza
“Israel says it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, believed to be the mastermind behind the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack in the country. In a statement Thursday, the Israeli military said it and the Shin Bin domestic intelligence agency confirmed that on Wednesday, Israeli soldiers "eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip." Hamas has not commented publicly on the announcement. The news marks a major development — the death of Israel's most wanted man — a year into the war in Gaza after Israel vowed to crush Hamas following its attack on Israel.”
Somalia
Reuters: Seven Killed In Suicide Bombing In Somalia
“At least seven people died and six were wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a restaurant in Somalia's capital on Thursday, local police said in a statement. It was not immediately clear who had carried out the attacks, although Islamist militant group al Shabaab frequently orchestrates bombings and gun attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the fragile Horn of Africa nation. The restaurant, which was located opposite a police training station, was frequented by officers, according to a security source. "My cousin and four of his colleagues died in the blast. We are rushing to the scene to take his body," Hassan Osman, a relative of one of the victims, told Reuters. The al-Qaeda affiliate frequently attacks military outposts and state targets as part of a mission to overturn Somalia's government and establish its own rule.”
France
Politico: French Cement Company To Face Trial For Financing ISIS
“French cement-maker Lafarge will face trial in Paris on charges that it financed terrorism and breached international sanctions, investigating judges said Wednesday. Lafarge, which was purchased in 2015 by the Swiss group Holcim, is suspected of paying $5 million to Islamic State (ISIS) and other jihadist groups to keep its plant in Syria operating in 2013 and 2014. The payments were made through its Syrian subsidiary in the middle of that country’s civil war, even as ISIS was kidnapping and killing Westerners. Lafarge told POLITICO in a statement that it acknowledged the decision of the investigating judges. Along with the group, eight people including the company’s former CEO, managers and Syrian intermediaries will be tried at the end of 2025. In a separate investigation, the company pled guilty to these charges in a U.S. court in 2022, and agreed to pay $778 million as part of a plea agreement.”
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