Iranian Agents Charged to Attempted Assasination of Trump and Others

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


**Focused on Evidence Instead of Narratives**
A weekly compilation of the most important developments in the struggle against radical ideologies

A Word From the CEO
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Dear Reader,

Over the past two weeks, our nation has faced several alarming incidents of extremism. From a former military member's alleged Hamas support to a man convicted of plotting an ISIS-inspired attack, these events reveal the ongoing threats within our borders.
 
Additionally, foreign influence in American politics has come to light, with a political pundit tied to Qatar. These stories underscore the need for vigilance against both homegrown extremism and foreign manipulation, crucial for protecting our democratic integrity and community safety.

Sincerely,


**RICHARD GREEN
=============**

**CEO, CO-FOUNDER**

**CLARIONPROJECT.ORG**

Islamist Extremism
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*Video screenshot of father choking his daughter in an attempted honor killing outside her high school in Lacey, Wash. - via Fox 13 screenshot*


###**Parents Charged in Attempted Honor Killing of Their 17-Year-Old Daughter**

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Ihsan Ali, 44, and Zahraa Subhi Mohsin Ali, 40, were charged with attempting to murder their daughter in what is described as an honor killing attempt in Lacey, Wash.


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The incident occurred near Timberline High School, where the 17-year-old daughter had gone for safety after her parents tried to choke her to death for refusing an arranged marriage in Iraq.


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Ihsan faces charges including attempted murder and kidnapping, while Zahraa faces assault and burglary charges, with both ordered not to contact their daughter or each other if released. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)


###**Man Convicted for Conspiring to Assist Al Shabaab**

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Cholo Abdi Abdullah, 34, was convicted on all six counts in his indictment, which included plotting a 9/11-style attack directed by terror organization Al Shabaab.


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Abdullah trained with Al Shabaab in Somalia using AK-47s and explosives, then pursued flight training in the Philippines, planning to hijack a plane to conduct an attack reminiscent of 9/11.


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Abdullah faces up to life in prison.


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Al Shabaab is a Salafi Jihadist militia headquartered in Sudan and very active in English on social media. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)


###**New York Man Arrested for Attempting to Support ISIS**

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Syed Aman, a U.S. citizen from Nassau County, N.Y., was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport for attempting to provide material support to ISIS.


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Aman planned to travel from New York to Doha, Qatar, and then to Syria to join ISIS, but was apprehended before boarding his flight.


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Aman expressed support for ISIS online, sent money he believed would fund ISIS, and discussed his plans with an FBI confidential source.


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Aman faces charges of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, with a potential sentence of up to 20 years if convicted. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)


###**FBI Arrests Texas Man for Ties to ISIS**

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Anas Said, 28, from Houston, was arrested by the FBI for allegedly having ties to ISIS and planning a terror attack on U.S. soil.


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Said admitted to researching attacks on military recruiting centers, offering his home as a refuge for ISIS operatives, and expressing a desire to commit a "9/11-style" attack if he had the resources. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)

Militant-Right and Militant-Left Extremism
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*Eugene, Ore., man caught before striking the glass door entry to Temple Beth Israel synagogue preschool with a hammer on Jan. 14, 2024 – FBI via Oregon Live screenshot*


###**Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Defacing Synagogue**

- Adam Edward Braun, 34, from Eugene, Ore., pleaded guilty to three counts related to hate crimes for defacing Temple Beth Israel, a Jewish synagogue.
- Between September 2023 and January 2024, Braun defaced the synagogue with white supremacist graffiti, including the number "1377" (a nod to the white supremacist code "1488") and the phrase "WHITE POWER."
- Braun faces up to one year in prison per count, with sentencing scheduled for February 18, 2025. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)

###**White Supremacist Sentenced for Plot to Destroy Energy Facility**

- Skyler Philippi, 24, from Columbia, Tenn., was arrested for plotting to attack a Nashville energy facility with an explosive-laden drone, charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy an energy facility.
- Philippi's actions were driven by a white supremacist ideology, with intentions to "shock the system" by attacking the power grid.
- If convicted, Philippi faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)

Hate Crime
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*Selfie of self-described “Hamas operative” Mohamad Hamad - United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania via New York Post screenshot*
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###**Hamas Operative Arrested for Hate Crime Plot Against Jews**

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Mohamad Hamad, a Pittsburgh resident and former Pennsylvania Air National Guard member who self-identified as a "Hamas operative," was arrested for hate crimes involving the vandalism of Jewish buildings.


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Hamad allegedly purchased explosives and tested them, planning for a future attack. Along with accomplice Talya Lubit, he vandalized Jewish institutions with pro-Hamas graffiti in July. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)


###**Hate Criminal Sentenced to Life After Murdering Jewish Man in Manhattan**

- Samuel Woodward, 27, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2018 hate crime murder of Blaze Bernstein, a gay University of Pennsylvania student.
- The murder was deemed a hate crime, with Bernstein targeted because he was gay and Jewish. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)

School Threats
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*Fremont Middle School, Mundelein, Ill., where police thwarted a potential school shooting after receiving tips from students - via CBS News Chicago screenshot*
**


###**Chicago Area Middle School Student Faces Charges**

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A middle school student from a Chicago north suburb was charged after making a threat against the school.


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Police seized two weapons and filed charges against the student for making threats against classmates.


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The student faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and aggravated assault. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)


###**New Orleans Police Arrest Students in Connection to School Threats**

- The New Orleans Police Department has arrested two more students connected to citywide school threats, bringing the total to five.
- The two arrested were between the ages of 11 and 16 years old. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)

Foreign Influence Operations
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*Iran national Farhad Shakeri was tasked by the IRGC with plotting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump -  Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC*


###**Iranian Agents Charged to Attempted Assasination of Trump and Others**

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Farhad Shakeri of Iran, along with Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt of New York, were charged in a murder-for-hire plot against a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin who criticized the Iranian regime.


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Shakeri was also tasked by the IRGC with surveilling and plotting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, surveilling Jewish Americans in NYC, and targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka.


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The defendants face charges including murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, money laundering conspiracy, and in Shakeri's case, material support to a foreign terrorist organization. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)


###**NBC Election Night Pundit Exposed as Foreign Agent for Qatar**

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Garrett Ventry, who was due to appear as a Republican pundit on NBC's Election Night, is a registered foreign agent for Qatar.


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Ventry earns $960,000 annually for PR work from Qatar's media office. [Read More]([link removed] 202411-21&utm_medium=email)

QUOTABLE

“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.”
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*-- George Washington*

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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