“The teenager accused of murdering three children at a Taylor Swift-themed
dance class in the U.K. earlier this year now faces an additional
terror-related charge, British prosecutors announced Tuesday. Axel Rudakubana,
18, has already been charged with the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe
King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, in an attack on the class in the English
town of Southport in July. The killing was followed by widespread far-right
rioting in the U.K. over the summer. The Crown Prosecution Service announced
Tuesday that Rudakubana has now been charged with production of a biological
toxin — ricin — contrary to the U.K.’s Biological Weapons Act. He has also been
charged with possessing an Al-Qaeda training manual in contravention of
anti-terror law.”











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Eye on Extremism



October 30, 2024



Politico: Man Accused Of Taylor Swift Dance Class Murders Now Faces UK Terror
Charge
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“The teenager accused of murdering three children at a Taylor Swift-themed
dance class in the U.K. earlier this year now faces an additional
terror-related charge, British prosecutors announced Tuesday. Axel Rudakubana,
18, has already been charged with the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe
King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, in an attack on the class in the English
town of Southport in July. The killing was followed by widespread far-right
rioting in the U.K. over the summer. The Crown Prosecution Service announced
Tuesday that Rudakubana has now been charged with production of a biological
toxin — ricin — contrary to the U.K.’s Biological Weapons Act. He has also been
charged with possessing an Al-Qaeda training manual in contravention of
anti-terror law.”



The Wall Street Journal: How The Houthis Went From Ragtag Rebels To Global
Threat
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“Iran’s “axis of resistance” has suffered a series of blows delivered by
Israel over the past month, including operations targeting the leadership of
Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah, and a strike last week on Iran’s missile-making
facilities used, in part, to supply the groups. That hasn’t stopped Yemen’s
Houthis from targeting more ships this week in the Red Sea with drones and
missiles, the latest demonstration of how an escalating regional war appears to
be boosting a once minor Iran-backed player in the region. The Houthis have so
far avoided the type of Israeli strikes that killed Hassan Nasrallah, the
charismatic Hezbollah leader who turned the Lebanon-based militant group into
the world’s most powerful nonstate armed force. A few weeks after his death,
Israel killed Hamas leaderYahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the Gaza-based
militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency In September 2024
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* One Year On: Remembering October 7 In London
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* Al-Qaeda’s Brazen Attacks In Mali’s Capital Bamako
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* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency In August 2024
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* CounterPoint Brief: EU Arrests Members Of Newly-Designated Terrorist Group
The Base
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CEP Mentions



Jewish Chronicle: Eradicate Hate Follows The Money Of Extremist Groups
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“... Moderated by Laura Ellsworth, summit founder and board co-chair, the
panel included Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism
Project; Mark Dwyer, extremism funding investigator at the Anti-Defamation
League; and Alexander Ritzmann, senior advisor of the Counter Extremism
Project. While hate groups were once self-funded organizations where a few
people fronted the costs of printing flyers, creating pamphlets or burning CDs
— often through donations or ticket sales at white power concerts — that
dynamic has shifted, professionalizing the finances of many hate groups that
embrace the newest technological trends. “Through the use of cryptocurrencies,”
Schindler said, “we are already in the online sphere.””



Tagesspiegel: How Does Germany React To The Execution?
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“There was no shortage of strong words immediately after the news broke. For
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the execution of German-Iranian dual citizen Jamshid
Sharmahd is a "scandal". According to Annalena Baerbock, her Foreign Office
campaigned "tirelessly" for the businessman, who was kidnapped in Dubai in
2020, and sent high-ranking teams to Iran to prevent the execution of the death
sentence: "We have repeatedly made it unmistakably clear to Tehran that the
execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences." […] According to
Hans-Jakob Schindler, it is possible but not certain that "Tondar" was actually
responsible. "After the attack, the German embassy in Tehran assumed that
Islamists were more likely to be the perpetrators," says the senior director of
the international Counter Extremism Project.”



BR 24: Fight Against Terror: Does Germany Rely Too Much On US Help?
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“The slim man with short hair looks at the judge with a stern expression. For
weeks, Moaaz A. has had to answer to the Higher Regional Court in Munich - 26
years old, born in Syria. […] Hans-Jakob Schindler from the international
non-profit organization "Counter Extremism Project", which, among other things,
evaluates court proceedings and monitors the social media activities of
extremists worldwide, emphasizes that the USA has much greater capacity to
investigate terrorism and many more legal options: "All of this, of course,
allows the Americans to repeatedly give Germany information that is of key
importance. And attacks have been prevented time and again over the last two
decades."”



Syria



Associated Press: Kurdish Leader In Syria Calls For Diplomatic Solutions To
Conflict With Turkey
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“The leader of the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northeast Syria in an
interview with The Associated Press called for international mediators to
continue pushing for diplomatic solutions to the complex web of conflicts in
the Middle Eastern country, including the escalating Turkish bombardment of
Kurdish areas. Turkey has intensified its airstrikes in northern Iraq and
northeastern Syria following an Oct. 23 attack on a defense company in Ankara
that killed five people and wounded more than 20. Turkish airstrikes targeted
dozens of sites believed to be linked to or affiliated with the Kurdistan’s
Workers’ Party (PKK), which claimed responsibility for the attack. Mazloum
Abdi, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said that the
attack in Ankara served as an excuse for a long-planned Turkish operation in
Syria.”



Iran



Associated Press: Satellite Photos Show Israeli Strike Likely Hit Important
Iran Revolutionary Guard Missile Base
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“Israel’s attack on Iran likely damaged a base run by the paramilitary
Revolutionary Guard that builds ballistic missiles and launches rockets as part
of its own space program, satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press on
Tuesday showed. The damage at the base in Shahroud raises new questions about
Israel’s attack early Saturday, particularly as it took place in an area
previously unacknowledged by Tehran and involved the Guard, a powerful force
within Iran’s theocracy that so far has remained silent about any possible
damage it suffered from the assault. Iran only has identified Israeli attacks
as taking place in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces — not in rural Semnan
province where the base is located. It also potentially further restrains the
Guard’s ability to manufacture the solid-fuel ballistic missiles it needs to
stockpile as a deterrent against Israel.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: Taliban Publicly Flog Afghan Woman, 3 Men Amid UN Outcry
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“Taliban judicial officials said Tuesday that four people, including a woman,
were publicly flogged in eastern Afghanistan for allegedly committing offenses
such as "illicit relations" and "running away from home.” The United Nations
has condemned such punishment being increasingly inflicted on Afghans under
Taliban rule. The Supreme Court of the de facto radical Afghan rulers announced
the latest punishments Tuesday, saying they were done in Nangarhar province
after a local court sentenced the four "criminals" to 39 lashes each. The
Taliban’s top court reported earlier this week that five Afghans, including a
woman, were flogged in public 39 times each in Parwan and Faryab provinces for
committing acts that are considered crimes in Afghanistan, including adultery
and homosexuality.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Attack On A Health Center Used In An Anti-Polio Campaign In
Pakistan Kills 2 Police Officers
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“Militants attacked a health center used in an ongoing anti-polio campaign in
northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, triggering a shootout that left two police
officers dead, local authorities said. Three of the attackers were also killed
in the exchange of fire. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the
attack in Orakzai, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and a former
stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban. Local police officer Adnan Khan said the
attack happened in the morning as health workers were gathering ahead of
leaving for the door-to-door campaign along with police, who escort polio teams
for their safety. No polio worker was harmed in Tuesday’s attack but another
police officer who was wounded later died at a hospital, Khan added. The attack
drew condemnation from the country’s top political leadership, including
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who paid tributes
to the slain officers for bravely responding to the attack.”



Yemen



Reuters: Yemen's Houthis Target One Ship In Red Sea, Strikes Miss, Source Says
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“Yemen's Houthis targeted a Greek-operated, Liberia-flagged bulker but all
three strikes against it missed, a maritime security source told Reuters on
Tuesday. The Oct. 28 attack was the first against a commercial vessel in weeks
following an escalation in Israel's campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon this month.
The military spokesperson of the Iran-aligned Houthi militants, Yahya Sarea,
said on Monday that the attack on the vessel, identified as Motaro, was part of
their efforts to enforce a naval blockade on Israel. The vessel's manager was
not immediately available for comment. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations
agency said on Monday it had received information about three explosions
related to an incident 25 nautical miles south of Yemen’s port of Mokha. It
added that the ship and crew were safe and proceeding to their next port of
call.”



Lebanon



Politico: Christian Leader Sees Lebanon’s Moment To Defang Hezbollah
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“There’s no love lost between Lebanese Christian leader Samir Geagea and
Hezbollah. Geagea’s escaped his fair share of probable assassination attempts
by the Shiite militant group over the years, with an extraordinarily close
shave in 2012 when a sniper just missed him — because he abruptly bent over to
pluck a flower. Since 1986, he has been the leader of the Lebanese Forces, a
right-wing Christian political party. The 72-year-old is now a key player in
Lebanon’s behind-the-scenes political moves to set a new course and haul the
country out of another colossal crisis. Following an invasion by Israel aimed
at smashing Hezbollah, the civil war-era militia commander is something of an
outlier among Lebanese party chiefs when it comes to what should happen next.
His views are heavily influenced by his hostility to Hezbollah and the
militia’s paymasters in Tehran.”



Middle East



Bloomberg: Israel Eyes Deal To End Lebanon Combat After Weakening Hezbollah
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“Israel is considering a deal to end the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon
that would see the militant group’s fighters move away from the Israeli border,
after assessing its rocket arsenal has been mostly expended or destroyed. Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met top aides late on Tuesday to discuss a
US-shepherded cease-fire proposal, his spokesperson said. The White House is
sending two of President Joe Biden’s most senior Middle East envoys, Brett
McGurk and Amos Hochstein, to Israel on Thursday, another Israeli official
said. The plan, if agreed, will lead to a 60-day suspension of hostilities
while mediators craft a lasting peace deal to remove Hezbollah from the border
area and bolster the number of United Nations peacekeepers there, Israel’s
Channel 12 TV reported. Many obstacles still need to be overcome, however, as
myriad failed attempts to secure a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza
have demonstrated.”



Reuters: Hamas Open To Discussing New Deal Securing End To Gaza War, Israeli
Pull-Out, Group Official Says
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“A senior Hamas official said on Tuesday the Palestinian militant group was
studying new proposals from mediators to end the Gaza war but reiterated that
these should entail a complete Israeli military withdrawal from the enclave.
"The movement has confirmed it is open to any deal or ideas that ends the
suffering of our people in Gaza and achieve a permanent ceasefire, and the
occupation's withdrawal from all of Gaza Strip," Sami Abu Zuhri said in a
televised speech. He also said an agreement must end the Israeli-led blockade
of the coastal enclave, allow unrestricted relief aid and a reconstruction of
Gaza, and achieve a swap of Israeli hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners
in Israel. Abu Zuhri's statement signalled no change to the faction's
outstanding conditions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war
can only end when Hamas is eradicated.”



Reuters: Israeli Strike Kills Dozens In North Gaza Residential Block, US Calls
Incident 'Horrifying'
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“At least 93 Palestinians were killed or missing and dozens wounded in an
Israeli strike on a residential building in the northern Gaza town of Beit
Lahiya on Tuesday, the Gaza health ministry said, and the U.S. called the
incident "horrifying". Medics said at least 20 children were among the dead. "A
number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance
and civil defence crews cannot reach them," the territory's health ministry
said in a statement. Later on Tuesday, Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza
government media office, put the number of fatalities at 93. There was no
immediate Israeli comment. The Israeli military has frequently questioned
figures on death toll published by the Hamas-run media office, saying they were
often exaggerated. Israel's main ally the United States said it was concerned
by the high casualty toll, with State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller
calling it a "horrifying incident with a horrifying result".”



Africa



Voice Of America: Chad President Launches Operation To Fight Boko Haram After
Attack Kills Over 40 Troops
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“Chad's President Mahama Idriss Deby has launched a security operation to
track and neutralize several hundred Boko Haram fighters who attacked and
killed on Sunday more than 40 Chad government troops in the Lake Chad Basin,
shared by Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger and Chad. Deby visited the area on Monday
and assisted in the burial of his soldiers. Chad state TV reports that
President Mhamat Idriss Deby has ordered that flags be flown at half-mast and
that all radio and tv stations in the central African states should play only
religious music for three days from October 28 at midnight. Deby announced on
Monday the three days of national mourning after visiting Ngouboua, a western
village in Lake Chad, on the island of Bakaram, near the border with Nigeria
where Boko Haram fighters killed at least 40 Chad government troops on Sunday
night, according to Chad state TV.”



United Kingdom



Reuters: Southport Stabbings: Teen Suspect Faces Ricin, Terrorism Charges
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“A teenager accused of murdering three young girls in a knife attack in
northern England in July has been further charged with a terrorism offence and
the production of deadly poison ricin, police and prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, is accused of killing the girls aged between six and nine
at a Taylor Swift dance event in Southport, murders which shocked Britain and
provoked days of rioting. Police said the incident was still not being treated
as terrorist-related but said after searches of his home that Rudakubana had
now been charged with production of the lethal biological toxin ricin, and the
possession of an al Qaeda training manual. "We have worked extensively with
partners to establish that there was a low to very low risk to the public – and
I want to make that reassurance clear today," said Merseyside Chief Constable
Serena Kennedy.”



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