Many social media users in the Middle East and North Africa region reacted to
Facebook's selection of Karmanc with confusion and derision as the Yemen

 

 


<[link removed]>
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Eye on Extremism


May 11, 2020

 

The Arab Weekly: Facebook Sparks Controversy By Naming Brotherhood Figure To
Oversight Board
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“Many social media users in the Middle East and North Africa region reacted to
Facebook's selection of Karmanc with confusion and derision as the Yemeni
writer is more known for her Islamist activism and divisive stances than for
public service commitment. According to experts, Facebook is mainly driven by a
desire to influence politicians and decision makers in the West so as to avoid
regulatory restrictions that could impact its revenue. “Facebook continues to
push specious arguments to create confusion and fear among lawmakers in an
effort to maintain the status quo and limit the tech industry’s liability and
responsibility,” said Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Executive Director David
Ibsen. “Rather than dictating to public officials on how to keep the public
safe, Zuckerberg and his company should instead halt their lobbying efforts and
focus on keeping extremist and terrorist content off their platforms," he said.
The choice of Karman to Facebook's advisory board will add to suspicions about
the social media body's political leanings and is unlikely to enhance the
company's credibility in the Arab world, experts say.”

 

Daily Mail: Counter Terrorism Police Fear ISIS Cells Are Being Reactivated To
Plot Attacks Across Europe After Second Terror Arrest In Spain
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“Counter terrorism police are investigating whether sleepers from Islamic
State have been reactivated to carry out attacks around Europe. Spanish police
have made two terror arrests in the past two weeks. The first was Britain's
most wanted IS fugitive, Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary. This week police in Barcelona
arrested an unnamed Moroccan who, according to The Mirror, was suspected of
plotting to carry out a 'lone wolf' attack this weekend. The Mirror quoted
Spain's Civil guard as saying the suspect was seen moving around Barcelona and
'appearing to search for possible objectives'. Bary, who has been linked to
dead British ISIS executioner Jihadi John, is thought to have reached Spain by
boat from Algeria and come ashore unnoticed just five days before his arrest.
The 29-year-old once shared sickening social media images of himself holding a
decapitated head in Syria in 2014 after becoming a Muslim extremist and leaving
his London home. It has been reported Bary took advantage of Spain's
coronavirus lockdown to hide behind a face mask on the rare occasions he left
the property. On Friday Spain's Civil Guard said: 'The arrested man's
radicalisation and affinity for Daesh (ISIS) dates back at least four years.”

 

United States

 

ABC News: Georgia Man's Death Raises Echoes Of US Racial Terror Legacy
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“Many people saw more than the last moments of Ahmaud Arbery's life when a
video emerged this week of white men armed with guns confronting the black man,
a struggle with punches thrown, three shots fired and Arbery collapsing dead.
The Feb. 23 shooting in coastal Georgia is drawing comparisons to a much darker
period of U.S. history — when extrajudicial killings of black people, almost
exclusively at the hands of white male vigilantes, inflicted racial terror on
African Americans. It frequently happened with law enforcement complicity or
feigned ignorance. The footage of Arbery’s death was not the only thing that
rattled the nation’s conscience. It took more than two months for his pursuers
— who told police they suspected he was a burglar — to be arrested and taken
into custody. That is fueling calls for the resignation of local authorities
who initially investigated the case and reforms of Georgia's criminal justice
system. “The modern-day lynching of Mr. Arbery is yet another reminder of the
vile and wicked racism that persists in parts of our country,” said the Rev.
James Woodall, state president of the Georgia NAACP. “The slothfulness and
inaction of the judicial system, in this case, is a gross testament to the
blatant white racial privileges that permeates throughout our country and our
institutions.”

 

New York Daily News: Staten Island Man Convicted Of Lying To Feds About Jihad
Plans Wants To Get Out Of Prison To Avoid Coronavirus
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“A Staten Island man convicted of lying to the feds about his plans to engage
in violent jihad abroad wants to get out of his Pennsylvania prison to avoid
coronavirus — but prosecutors say he’s not worthy of early release. Abdel
Hameed Shehadeh, 30, wrote to a Brooklyn federal judge in late April that he
was a changed man who feared he might die from the disease. “I was a naive,
gullible 18-year-old at the time of my indicted actions,” he wrote in a
handwritten application. “Arrested at 20 years young, I am now 30 years old —
45 weeks away from potential release and COVID-19 is proving to be a dangerous
and potentially fatal obstacle.” But federal prosecutors noted Friday that only
six inmates at Federal Correctional Institution, McKean in Lewis Run, Pa. had
tested positive for COVID-19, and that none of those cases were currently
“active.” They also argued that Shehaded’s pulmonary embolism did not put him
at higher risk if he were to contract the virus. Shehaded flew to Pakistan in
2008, hoping to join al Qaeda or the Taliban. But when he denied entry, he told
FBI investigators he was simply heading there to study at an Islamic school and
attend a friend’s wedding, authorities said.”

 

Syria

 

ABC News: Militants Attack Syrian Troops On Edge Of Rebel Stronghold
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“Al-Qaida-linked fighters attacked Syrian government positions Sunday on the
edge of the country's last rebel stronghold, triggering intense clashes that
killed nearly three dozen combatants across both sides, opposition activists
said. The fighting was among the worst since early March, when an agreement
between Turkey and Russia halted the Syrian government's three-month air and
ground campaign into rebel-held northwestern Idlib province. Sunday's clashes
took place in neighboring Hama province, parts of which are still under rebel
control.Russia is a main backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey
backs opposition fighters trying to remove him from power. Russia and Turkey
have become the main power brokers in war-torn Syria in recent years. The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said members of the
al-Qaida-linked group known as Horas al-Din attacked government forces in the
Ghab plain area. It said the fighting left 21 troops and 13 Horas al-Din
members dead. The Observatory and an Idlib-based activist, Taher al-Omar, said
insurgents also took control of the village of Tanjara, and that Syrian
government forces were heavily shelling the area in an apparent preparation for
a counteroffensive.”

 

France 24: NW Syria Clashes Kill 22 In Highest Toll Since Truce: Monitor
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“Clashes in northwest Syria killed 22 regime fighters and jihadists Sunday in
the highest such death toll since the start of a two-month-old ceasefire there,
a monitor said. A truce since March 6 had largely stemmed fighting in Syria's
last major rebel bastion of Idlib after a months-long regime assault that
killed hundreds of civilians and forced almost a million to flee. But before
dawn on Sunday rebels attacked the positions of pro-regime fighters on the
western flank of the jihadist-dominated region, the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights. The clashes in the Sahl al-Ghab area killed 15 regime fighters as
well as seven jihadists including from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Deen
group, the Britain-based monitor said. “It's the highest death toll for
fighters since the truce came into force,” said Observatory chief Rami Abdel
Rahman, who relies on sources inside Syria. “There had been intermittent
clashes and mutual bombardment between both sides before, but this is the most
violent attack yet.” The Idlib region of some three million people is dominated
by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, but
other jihadists such as Hurras al-Deen and rebel groups are also present.”

 

Al Monitor: Civilian Killings In Syria Are A ‘Ticking Time Bomb,’ UN
Commissioner Says
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“The coronavirus pandemic has created an opening for the Islamic State (IS)
and other armed groups to carry out more attacks on Syrian civilians, the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said today.  “We are
receiving more reports every day of targeted killings and bombings from one end
of the country to the other, with many such attacks taking place in populated
areas,” Michelle Bachelet said in a news release. “The deteriorating situation
is a ticking time-bomb that must not be ignored.” “Various parties to the
conflict in Syria, including [IS], appear to view the global focus on the
COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to regroup and inflict violence on the
population,” she said. The UN Human Rights Office has documented an uptick in
civilian killings across Syria during the month of April, with at least at
least 35 deaths due to attacks involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs),
compared with seven the month prior. Since the beginning of March, the UN
office recorded 33 IED attacks, 26 of which occured in residential areas and
seven in markets. A truck bombing in Afrin killed dozens, including at least 29
civilians, at a market in late April.”

 

Turkey

 

Daily Sabah: Over 1,300 Terrorists Killed In 2020, Defense Minister Says
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“Turkish security forces have killed over 1,300 terrorists across five
different operational areas since the beginning of 2020, the country's national
defense minister said. In activities on Friday, a total of 17 terrorists in
various regions were killed. The number of total terrorists eliminated in
operational areas since Jan. 1 reached 1,359, Hulusi Akar said on Friday in a
meeting with high-ranking commanders. While anti-terror measures are ongoing,
the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is also fighting the novel coronavirus, Akar
underlined. “It is very important for us to continue these operations. At the
same time, these areas where our soldiers are present should not be affected by
this virus in any way. Extraordinary efforts are being made for this,” he
added. Though the statement did not mention a specific terrorist group, Turkey
has long been conducting operations against the YPG/PKK in the region. Turkish
security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern
and southeastern provinces of Turkey where the PKK has attempted to establish a
strong presence and bases. The TSK also carries out cross-border activities in
northern Iraq, a region where PKK terrorists have hideouts from which to carry
out attacks in Turkey, with particular attention paid to the targeting of
high-level terrorists.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Associated Press: Afghan Officials: Taliban Attack On Army Checkpoint Kills 6
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“The Taliban attacked an Afghan army checkpoint in eastern Laghman province,
killing six soldiers and wounding five, the government said Monday. The
insurgents claimed responsibility for the assault, which took place on Sunday
night, just days after U.S. special envoy in new talks with the Taliban in
Qatar reemphasized the need for a reduction in violence. The statement from the
Afghan Defense Ministry said the troops pushed back the attackers, adding that
the Taliban also suffered casualties but without providing specific figures.
Last week, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with Taliban representatives
in Doha, the capital of the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, where the insurgents
maintain a political office. He stressed the need for a cease-fire, and after
Doha, Khalilzad also visited Islamabad and New Delhi to discuss the Afghan
peace process with Pakistani and Indian officials. On Monday, four bombs, one
placed under a garbage bin and the other three by the roadside, went off in
northern Kabul, wounding four civilians, including a child, Afghan officials
said. The roadside bombs were spaced within 10-20 meters (yards) of one
another, said Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz.”

 

The New York Times: This Afghan General Fought The Taliban For Years. Now He
Has Joined Them.
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“As a onetime police chief of the restive province of Farah in western
Afghanistan, Gen. Abdul Jalil Bakhtawar was a dogged enemy of the Taliban. Even
when he faded into retirement, he always had a foot in the war. The insurgents
sent suicide bombers after him. His sons, one growing to lead the local
assembly and another serving as deputy governor, were on the front lines. ٍWhen
the assembly chief son died in a helicopter crash in a Taliban area, the
insurgents took his body hostage for days. Despite that, in a shocking turn
that officials say could hurt the security of Farah Province, the retired
general switched sides on Sunday, joining the Taliban. The defection fits right
into the Taliban’s propaganda push, as they focus on chipping away at the
legitimacy of the Afghan government after signing a deal with the United States
that has started the withdrawal of the American forces. It is also one of the
highest-profile cases yet of how the two-decade war is splitting families,
sometimes pitting fathers against sons. “We regret that the retired general has
joined the enemies of peace and stability in Afghanistan, and has chosen
violence over a life of dignity,” said Tariq Aryan, the spokesman for
Afghanistan’s interior ministry.”

 

Reuters: Taliban Blow Up Police Chief In Latest Afghanistan Attack
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“Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents killed a provincial police chief and two
others in a roadside bomb attack, the local governor said on Friday, in the
latest violence hindering a U.S.-brokered peace process. The blast took place
late on Thursday in the southeastern province of Khost, killing police chief
Sayed Ahmad Babazai, his secretary and another officer, as well as wounding
another person, said governor Halim Fidai in a statement. Taliban spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter the militants claimed responsibility for the
attack. The United States, which ousted the Taliban from power in 2001 and
wants to withdraw its forces and broker peace talks with the Afghan government,
condemned the attack via its Embassy in Kabul. Since signing the deal with
Washington in late February that paves the way for a U.S. troop withdrawal, the
emboldened Taliban have mounted thousands of attacks and inflicted heavy
casualties on Afghan security forces who now have less American support.”

 

ABC News: Family Of American Kidnapped In Afghanistan Fears US Leaving Him
Behind; With Taliban Deal Stalled, Violence Surging
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“The family of an American kidnapped in Afghanistan weeks before the U.S. and
the Taliban signed a peace deal in late February is voicing fears that he will
be left behind as the Trump administration pushes ahead with its implementation
of an agreement to end the 18-year war. Their concerns come amid growing
pressure from Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the administration to do
more to ensure the release of Mark Frerichs, 57, of Lombard, Illinois, and to
halt a dramatic increase in violence between the Taliban and the U.S.-backed
Afghan government. President Donald Trump has touted the deal for bringing
American troops home. But even as the first few thousand U.S. troops leave, key
conditions of the deal have not been met. Two months after the deal, peace
negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban still haven't
started, and the 80% reduction in violence that the U.S. Forces in Afghanistan
spokesperson said the militants agreed to has been jettisoned, even as the
novel coronavirus threatens to overtake the country. Frerichs is a longtime
commercial contractor in Afghanistan who was abducted on Jan. 31.”

 

France 24: Afghan Capital Rocked By Four Bomb Blasts
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“Four roadside bombs detonated in less than 90 minutes Monday in a northern
district of Afghanistan's capital, wounding four civilians including a child,
police said. Militants have carried out several roadside bombings and rocket
attacks in Kabul and other parts of the country in recent weeks, but Monday
morning's blasts appeared to be the first coordinated effort for some months.
Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said a clearance team was at the site
of the blasts, which had not yet been claimed by any group. The bombings were
in an area where Afghanistan's intelligence agency recently busted a joint
Islamic State-Haqqani network cell accused of carrying out several attacks. The
Taliban has not carried out large attacks in Afghan cities since February, they
signed a landmark withdrawal deal with the US meant to pave the way for peace.
Under the agreement, the Taliban promised not to target forces from the US-led
coalition, but made no such pledge toward Afghan troops. The insurgents have
stepped up attacks in the provinces, however, as they seek to press their
advantage amid stalled talks with the Afghan government.”

 

Voice Of America: Taliban Says It Is Unaware Of Missing US Contractor
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“The Taliban said Friday it has conveyed to the United States the insurgent
group is not holding an American hostage missing in Afghanistan. U.S. envoy for
Afghan peace and reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, has confirmed he called for
the release of Mark Frerichs, a Navy veteran-turned contractor, in his meeting
Wednesday with Qatar-based Taliban leaders. Meanwhile, Afghan officials said an
insurgent-planted roadside bomb explosion in eastern Khost province killed the
provincial police chief and his three security guards. The Taliban claimed
responsibility for plotting the deadly attack. U.S. officials and family
members say Frerichs was abducted in late January. No group in Afghanistan has
since claimed responsibility in a country ravaged and mired by years of
violence. “Yes, Dr. Khalilzad asked for his release and he has made similar
requests in our previous meetings with him,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen
told VOA Friday. “But from our side, it has again been conveyed to him that
Mark Frerichs is not with us, nor did we capture him,” said the insurgent
official from the group’s political office in the Qatari capital of Doha.”

 

Voice Of America: Congressmen Question Taliban Commitment To February Agreement

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“The top members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee say an increase
in violence in Afghanistan has raised questions about the Taliban’s commitment
to an agreement they signed with the United States in February. Representatives
Eliot Engel, a Democrat from New York, chairman of the committee, and Michael
McCaul, a Republican from Texas, said the “dramatic increase” in violence in
Afghanistan is an “unacceptable violation” of the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement
signed February 29. “The Taliban’s continued attacks on Afghan forces make us
question whether the Taliban will uphold its commitments, jeopardize progress
towards peace and prevent negotiations from moving forward,” Engel and McCaul
said in a joint statement Friday. The violence has coincided with the rapid
spread of the coronavirus, and Engel and McCaul said that it has prevented
Afghans from focusing on the health crisis. Engel and McCaul called on all
parties to stop attacks immediately, agree to a cease-fire and support the road
to peace. Their comments followed U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper's statement
Tuesday that the Taliban were not living up to their commitments, adding that
he also believed the Afghan government was not living up to its commitment.”

 

Pakistan

 

Associated Press: Pakistan Army: Roadside Bomb In Remote Area Kills 6 Troops
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“A roadside bombing in a remote area in southwestern Pakistan, close to the
border with Iran, struck a patrol vehicle on Friday, killing six soldiers,
including an army major, the military said. A statement from the military said
the attack happened as the troops, assigned to look for smuggling routes and
militants, were returning to camp from a mountainous border district of
Baluchistan province. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the
bombing in the Keck district, but such attacks are common across Baluchistan
and in its capital, Quetta. The province has for years been the scene of a
low-level insurgency by separatists who complain of discrimination and demand a
fairer share of the province’s resources and wealth. Militants also have a
presence in the province.”

 

Libya

 

Al Jazeera: Libya: Tripoli Sustains Massive Rocket Attack; Planes Ablaze
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“Shelling of Tripoli's airport hit fuel tanks and damaged passenger planes
after forces loyal to Libya's renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar fired
dozens of rockets into Tripoli. Six people were killed and dozens of others
wounded in the attacks, the interior ministry said in a statement, which
included as many as 80 rocket strikes. The transport ministry said one of the
damaged planes was preparing to fly to Spain to retrieve Libyans stranded in
Europe by the coronavirus lockdown. Video shared by an airport worker showed
black smoke billowing over the apron. Photographs showed shrapnel damage
sprayed across the nose of a passenger plane. The attack on Saturday was the
latest to target Mitiga International Airport in Libya's capital, the seat of
the country's internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).
Haftar's eastern-based forces have been trying to seize Tripoli since April
last year. Al Jazeera's Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tripoli, said plumes
of black smoke were seen billowing over the airport.”

 

Africa

 

Associated Press: Militants Increasing Attacks On Burkina Faso Mines
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“Jihadists burst into the gold mine where Moussa Tambura worked in Burkina
Faso, forbidding everyone from smoking and drinking. It wasn’t long before the
men returned and leveled the place to the ground. “They attacked the site,
killed people and burned houses,” said Tambura, 29, clenching his fists. He was
able to find work again after fleeing to Bouda, another town in country’s north
that still has small-scale mining. Still, he struggles to provide for his
family since his new job isn’t as lucrative as his old one. Jihadists linked to
al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization have been overrunning gold mines
like Tambura’s one by one as they try to gain control of Burkina Faso’s most
lucrative industry. The extremists are then collecting a “protection tax” from
communities living around the gold mines and also forcing the miners to sell
them the gold exclusively, which is then smuggled and sold across the border in
places like Benin, Ghana or Togo. The violence already has shuttered many small
mines across the volatile north and the government also has tried to shut down
other small-scale mines in the east so that they can’t be used by extremists to
finance more attacks. Mining Minister Oumarou Idani has called the measure a
necessary step in the “fight against terrorism.”

 

Long War Journal: Analysis: Islamic State Claims Al-Qaeda Started A War In
West Africa
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“The Islamic State claims in the latest edition of its weekly Al-Naba
newsletter that al-Qaeda started a “war” against the so-called caliphate’s men
in West Africa. Independent reporting confirms that the two sides have clashed
in recent weeks. Al-Naba’s editors say that al-Qaeda’s men “never miss the
chance for treachery,” as they recently “started a war against” the caliphate’s
men in the middle of a “raging Crusader campaign.” In other words, the Islamic
State accuses al-Qaeda of launching attacks on its fighters as they were
battling the “Crusader” France and its allies. Al-Qaeda’s branch in West
Africa, the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (or “JNIM”), has a
significant presence in Mali and the surrounding countries. JNIM grew out of an
al-Qaeda effort to embed the jihadist’s cause within the fabric of local
movements and organizations. And Al-Naba’s authors accuse JNIM of working with
local parties to get the upper hand in the intra-jihadist rivalry. Al-Naba’s
authors write that al-Qaeda’s men “organized their armed movements and fronts
in northern Mali” from “all kinds” of groups, including both those who are
opposed to the “apostate government” and those who are “loyal to it.”

 

The Trumpet: Oil Price Crash Destabilizes Africa, Middle East
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“Terrorists are poised on the southern and eastern borders, ready to take
advantage of internal chaos. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has posed a
persistent threat since 2007, carrying out over 600 terrorist attacks to date.
“Algeria has a long history of combating domestic violent extremism,” wrote the
Counter Extremism Project. “Beginning with the outbreak of the Algerian Civil
War in 1992, the government has worked to quash militant Islamist groups
operating within in its borders, including the Armed Islamic Group (gia) and
the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (gspc), among others.” After the
Arab Spring, Algeria once again began to experience an increase in violence,
proving that the forces of radical Islam never went away. A cash-starved
government, unable to maintain a level of social spending that the population
is used to, could leave the door open to an Islamist revival. Nigeria is
Africa’s largest oil producer. This accounts for 9 percent of its gross
domestic product, 60 percent of its revenue, and 90 percent of its foreign
exchange. It now faces an “existential threat,” according to the Wall Street
Journal.”

 

Germany

 

Al Jazeera: German ISIL Supporter Targeted Turkish Businesses
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“Authorities in southern Germany say a 25-year-old man arrested on suspicion
of attacking Turkish-owned grocery stores told investigators he considers
himself a supporter of the armed group ISIL (ISIS). Prosecutor Georg
Freutsmiedl said on Sunday the suspect declared he acted out of “hatred for
Turks”. He is suspected of carrying out four attacks since April in the town of
Waldkraiburg, about 60km (25 miles) east of Munich. Six people were injured in
the firebombing of a grocery store, while the other attacks involved stones
being thrown through shop windows. He smashed the windows of a barbershop, a
restaurant, and a snack bar in the town. Freutsmiedl said the man, who was
arrested on Friday, will be charged with 27 cases of attempted murder, serious
arson, and serious bodily harm. The suspect was detained by chance after being
caught without a valid public transportation ticket. Police said they found 10
pipe bombs in his luggage and evacuated the station. According to Freutsmiedl,
the man called himself a follower of ISIL and had tried to join the group. He
was planning further attacks on Turkish institutions. Investigators later found
13 more pipe bombs in a car at a garage and 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds) of a
chemical substance that could be used to make bombs.”

 

Deutsche Welle: Germany: Politicians Worry About Radicalization At
Anti-Lockdown Protests
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“German lawmakers from across the political spectrum on Monday warned that the
growing wave of anti-lockdown protests could provide fertile ground for
radicalization, including from the far-right. Over the weekend, thousands of
people gathered in cities across Germany to demand an end to restrictions put
in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. “Looking away and
silence do not help,” said Saskia Eskens, leader of the center-left Social
Democrats (SPD), the junior coalition partners to Chancellor Angela Merkel's
conservative Christian Democrats (CDU). Speaking with the Funke Mediengruppe
newspaper consortium, Eskens said now was the time to actively resist
conspiracy theorists and extremist groups trying to capitalize on lockdown
cabin fever. “We have to show ourselves to be pugnacious democrats,” she said.
The CDU also spoke out about the possibility radical ideologies were being
promoted through the demonstrations. “We will not let extremists misuse the
coronavirus crisis as a platform for their anti-democratic propaganda,” CDU
General Secretary Paul Ziemiak told the Augsburger Allgeimeine daily.”

 

Europe

 

The Independent: Norway Terror Suspect ‘Regrets’ Not Killing More People In
Attack On Mosque
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“A Norwegian man suspected of murdering his ethnic Chinese stepsister before
opening fire in an Oslo mosque has said he was “ashamed” he did not cause more
harm. Philip Manshaus told his trial, which began on Thursday, that the attack
was an act of “emergency justice”. The 22-year-old denied the charges of murder
and terror read to him by a prosecutor, reported Norwegian news agency NTB.
Manshaus acknowledged the facts but denied the accusation. He reiterated his
far-right beliefs, including opposing non-western immigration and claiming that
white Europeans are subjected to genocide and “will end up as a minority in
their own home countries”. As he entered the court, Manshaus held up a hand to
signal the “OK” sign, a gesture appropriated by far-right white supremacists as
a way to signify “white power”. Manshaus also said he was inspired by a number
of terrorists, including New Zealand terrorist Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51
people in attacks on two mosques last March, and Anders Breivik, who murdered
77 people in the 2011 Norway attacks. Swedish-language newspaper Aftenposten
reported he also cited Adolf Hitler as a “role model” for himself. Manshaus
described in his testimony how he killed his 17-year-old stepsister, Johanne
Zhangjia Ihle-Hansen, who was adopted by his family from China when she was
two.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Deccan Chronicle: ISIS Magazine Tries To Instigate Indian Muslims On CAA-NRC
<[link removed]>

 

“While ISIS has vast plans in South Asian region, it has thus far not had much
influence in India except for a few stray individual cases of radicalization
and formation of some modules, which were quickly busted by the security
agencies. However, this is the first time that an online ISIS publication with
specific focus on India has surfaced, for which an organization called
Al-Qitaal Media Centre by Junudul Khilafaah al-Hind, identifying itself as a
pro-ISIS group, has taken credit. The propaganda has been tracked by security
agencies on various platforms like Rocket Chat, pdfhost, Internet Archive,
Mediafire and Nextcloud. “Indian Muslims are the target audience for Voice of
Hind magazine, of which there are currently three issues. The magazine attempts
to appeal to Indian Muslims by trying to make a case for ISIS, comparing
violence against Muslims in India to the losses suffered by ISIS in Iraq and
Syria, and portraying Indian governmental policy as anti-Muslim. The magazine
seeks to inculcate a sense of injustice that can be rectified through
violence,” a researcher at the Counter Extremism Project which tracks
extremists in South Asia told this newspaper. The first two issues of Voice of
Hind, released on February 24 and March 25, had focused on the Jammu & Kashmir
issue and violence against Muslims in other parts of India.”

 

Technology

 

The Brussels Times: Extremist Groups Are Using Coronavirus To Push Fake News
On Social Media, Report Warns
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“Extremist organisations in Belgium are leveraging the coronavirus pandemic to
flood social media with fake news to turn populations against each other, the
intelligence agency warned. A report published by Belgium’s State Security
Service (VSSE) warns of a slew of disinformation, inflammatory rhetoric about
the pandemic posted online by extremist groups or individuals who shared a
clear anti-immigration stance. The VSSE and the military intelligence agency
ADIV/SGRS identified “various right-wing extremist individuals and groups”
which were “spreading conspiracy theories via social media and using the
Covid-19 crisis to set populations against each other.” Several right-wing
organisations such as the Knights of Flanders and the Francophone far-right
party NATION are cited by the report dated 21 April. The agencies warned that
the groups used a “mixture of facts and fake news and a far-right framing” to
bolster messages charged with anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric and
also aimed at undermining the government and the medical community. The report
cited the example of an anti-vax conspiracy theory being spread by the Kings of
Flanders, according to which the virus causing the current pandemic could be
traced back to the flu vaccine.”



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