Eye on Extremism
August 16, 2019
New
York Daily News: Connecticut Man Admits Helping Fund Syria Trip For
Wannabe ISIS Fighter From Brooklyn
“An Uzbek citizen living in Connecticut admitted aiding a wannabe
ISIS fighter from Brooklyn by plotting to help cover his travel and
weaponry costs. Azizjon Rakhmatov, 32, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn
federal court Thursday to conspiring to provide material support to a
designated foreign terrorist organization — a charge that could land
him behind bars for up to 15 years. Prosecutors say two of the New
Haven resident’s accomplices, Brooklyn roommates Akhror Saidakhmetov
and Abdurasul Juraboev, planned to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS.
Rakhmatov and another man, Abror Habibov, talked about paying for
Saidakhmetov’s travel expenses and helping him buy a gun once he got
to Syria, prosecutors said. Rakhmatov even went as far as putting $400
into the bank account of another accomplice, Akmal Zakirov, with the
understanding that it would go toward Saidakhmetov’s mission.
Saidakhmetov was busted at Kennedy Airport in February 2015 as he was
about to board a flight to Istanbul. Federal authorities caught wind
of the conspiracy when Juraboev wrote on a pro-ISIS Uzbek-language
website that he wanted to martyr himself by planting a bomb on Coney
Island or shooting then-President Obama.”
The
New York Times: New York Moves To Classify Killings Fueled By White
Supremacy As Domestic Terrorism
“Expressing deep concern about violence tied to white supremacy and
other forms of bigotry, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo proposed on Thursday to
make New York the first state to classify “hate-fueled” killings as
domestic terrorism. Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, unveiled the proposal in a
speech, almost two weeks after back-to-back massacres in El Paso,
Tex., and Dayton, Ohio, prompted all-too-familiar cries for action
from both political parties. Describing the need to address the “new
violent epidemic” of “hate-fueled, American-on-American terrorism,”
Mr. Cuomo called for raising the penalties for violence motivated by
race, gender, sexual orientation or other protected classes by making
them punishable by up to life in prison without parole. “Today, our
people are three times more likely to suffer a terrorist attack
launched by an American than one launched by a foreigner,” he said.
“Now this is not just repulsive. This is not just immoral. This is not
just anti-American. It is illegal. And we must confront it by enacting
a new law to fit the crime.” While the governor’s office has not
shared any bill language, it said mass casualties would be defined as
any death of at least one person and the attempted murder of at least
two more.”
The
New York Times: European Fears Hinder Plans To Rescue ISIS Children
From Syria
“Years after their parents left Belgium and France to join the
Islamic State, 18 children were taken from squalid refugee camps in
Syria and flown recently to new lives in Belgium and France, drawing
widespread attention in those countries as examples of Europe
grudgingly accepting the children of its jihadis. But they were the
exceptions, not the rule; estimates vary, but 1,300 or more children
of European fighters and followers of the self-professed caliphate
remain trapped in Syria and Iraq. While some European governments have
softened their stands on repatriation, marginally, it is still unclear
when — or even whether — the children might be able to leave. The
recent airlifts, which took place only after months of negotiation and
vetting of the children, illustrate how resistant Western countries
still are. On those flights in June, France and Belgium received only
children whose extremist parents were dead; most are orphans, and some
were taken to ISIS lands by their fathers, who were killed there,
while their mothers remained in Europe. Days earlier, a Belgian team
had set up a makeshift clinic in the overcrowded Al Hol camp in
northeastern Syria, which holds thousands of current and former ISIS
adherents and their family members, providing medical care and
psychiatric assessments for the children of Belgian nationals.”
The
Washington Post: The Islamic State Is Building Caliphate 2.0 In A
Syrian Camp
“The Islamic State has largely taken over control of a huge camp in
northeast Syria, and there’s no plan for what to do with the 70,000
people there (including more than 50,000 children). The United States
and Europe must immediately address this urgent national security and
humanitarian crisis, before a new caliphate is established while we
watch. After the fall of Raqqa and the coalition defeat of the Islamic
State’s strongholds, President Trump announced that “100 percent” of
the caliphate had been destroyed. But the tens of thousands of Islamic
State fighters and family members left over were herded into massive
fenced internally displaced persons (IDP) camps with little aid,
security or supervision. Separate from the IDP camps, which house
mostly women and children, more than 2,000 Islamic State fighters sit
in a network of makeshift prisons. The entire system is managed by the
Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who are under-resourced,
understaffed and allied with a United States that is eyeing the exits.
In the largest IDP camp, called al-Hol, the Islamic State now exerts
more influence and control than the few dozen SDF guards stationed
there, according to U.S. officials, lawmakers and experts.”
United States
CBS
Denver: Eco-Terrorism Possible Motivation Behind Water Supply
Vandalism
“Investigators with the Grand County Sheriff’s Office are examining
whether damage to a municipal water system was intentional and the
work of activists intent on curbing the sell-off of mountain water to
Front Range cities. Four headgates of the Northglenn Ditch that
originates on Berthoud Pass were damaged August 1. Temporary repairs
were completed within days and there was no service disruption to
water users in metro Denver. Investigators are considering
‘eco-terrorism’ as a possible cause. “These four gates are pretty
remote and (are located) within about a half mile, quarter mile
(area),” said GCSO Lt. Dan Mayer. “They (whoever damaged them) had to
work. They had to know what they were doing. Somebody knows that
system.” That system belongs to the Denver Water Department. The
Northglenn Ditch is primarly operated and maintained by the city of
Northglenn, but the four damaged headgates divert water to the city of
Golden. Northglenn spokesperson Heather Grady said permanently fixing
the headgates would cost $100,000-150,000. Initial estimates of the
water lost by the city of Golden were $900,000, but Golden Water
Resource Specialist Will Stambaugh said the city does not have firm
numbers on its loss at this time.”
Syria
Voice
Of America: Medical Workers Of US-Based Group Killed In Syria's
Idlib
“Two medical workers affiliated with a U.S.-based medical group
were killed Wednesday in an attack in northwestern Syria, the medical
relief group said. A third medical volunteer was killed in the same
attack. Six airstrikes targeted an ambulance center in the town of
Ma’aret Hurmeh in Idlib province, said the Syrian American Medical
Society (SAMS) in a statement. The facility and the ambulance were
completely destroyed, the group added. “These blatant crimes and
violations of [international humanitarian law] must be investigated to
hold perpetrators accountable,” said Mufaddal Hamadeh, SAMS President.
Local reports said the airstrikes that targeted the medical facility
in Idlib were carried out by Russian warplanes. The medical workers
“were killed in the airstrikes as they were trying to rescue civilians
wounded in the ongoing aerial bombardment,” Horrya Press, an
opposition website said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a
war monitor that has researchers throughout the war-torn country, said
at least seven people were killed in Wednesday’s attacks on Idlib.
SAMS is a Syrian-American non-profit organization that is dedicated to
providing medical relief to victims of Syria’s civil war.”
Iraq
Military
Times: Iraq Takes Security Measures Following Mysterious
Blasts
“Iraq on Thursday banned unauthorized flights and ordered all
military camps and munitions warehouses to be moved outside Iraqi
cities following a massive explosion at a munitions depot southwest of
Baghdad that killed one civilian and wounded 13 earlier this week. The
exact cause of Monday night's explosion at the al-Saqr military base
is still unknown. The blast shook the Iraqi capital and sent
explosives and mortar shells shooting into the sky, damaging nearby
homes and terrifying residents who ran into the streets with their
cellphones. Black smoke billowed over the city for hours afterward.
The federal police base houses a weapons depot belonging to a militia
group under the umbrella of the mainly Iran-backed militias known as
the Popular Mobilization Forces. The state-sanctioned PMF militias
have fought alongside Iraq’s regular armed forces against the Islamic
State group. Some officials blamed the explosion at the base, also
known as Falcon Camp, on faulty storage that caused overheating amid
typically high temperatures in Baghdad. But the blast has also given
rise to a host of theories, including that Israel may have conducted
an airstrike. Israel has struck Iranian bases in neighboring Syria on
numerous occasions, and there has been speculation that it might be
expanding its campaign to target Iranian bases to Iraq.”
Turkey
Long
War Journal: Wanted Al Qaeda Leader Warns Of Turkish Influence On
Jihad In Syria
“Yesterday, a jihadist Telegram channel published a short statement
(seen below) attributed to Saif al-Adel, a wanted terrorist who has
worked for al Qaeda since the 1990s. The message addresses the
jihadist scene in Syria, specifically dealing with the controversies
surrounding relations with Turkey and Turkish-backed rebel groups.
Various pieces of evidence indicate that al-Adel has had a hand in
events in Syria, most likely from afar, but he rarely issues public
statements. It is for this reason, among others, that the purported
statement is noteworthy. “The battle in Syria is clear to any” who
“have experience,” al-Adel writes. He expresses some skepticism with
respect to the mujahideen’s ability to devise a plan to merge the
factions. Al-Adel asserts that the “clear goal” of the jihadists’
enemies “is to exterminate any organization working to return Islam to
its fundamentals and Turkey and others will not accept anything other
than that.” Al-Adel advises the mujahideen that they “must once again
change the military theory to one that fits the situation and will
succeed against the conspiracies of the enemies and against the
Turkish program that the factions have agreed with.”
The
Economist: How Turkey Deals With Returning Islamic State
Fighters
“Suheyla remembers the day clearly. She had invited her children
for dinner and was preparing her youngest son’s favourite stew. He
never showed up. Neither did her four daughters. When none of them
picked up the phone, she and her husband Lutfu understood what was
happening. They rushed to a police station to ask the authorities to
track down their children: they were headed south. A month later one
of Suheyla’s daughters called. She and her siblings, the youngest 18
and the eldest 27, along with her brother’s wife and their infant son,
had smuggled themselves into Syria and joined Islamic State (is). That
was in late 2015. Today, three of the daughters are behind bars in
Baghdad, having been captured by Iraqi forces two years ago. The
fourth died in jail, two months after giving birth to a boy. Their
brother, Yasin, has not been heard from in two years. Earlier this
summer, Suheyla and Lutfu (not their real names) were united with two
of their grandchildren, aged one and two, who were repatriated from
Iraq. The toddlers were ill when they arrived. One was covered with
sores, having caught scabies in the squalid prison in which he was
born. He survived on his aunt’s milk.”
Afghanistan
The
New York Times: U.S. Seeks To Reassure Afghan Military Amid
Uncertainty Over A Peace Deal
“The top American commander in Afghanistan sought to reassure
Afghan forces on Thursday that they still had the full backing of the
United States, after a report that the support was being dialed back
in preparation for an imminent peace deal with the Taliban. The
fighting in Afghanistan has intensified as United States diplomats and
the insurgents have worked through eight rounds of negotiations in
Qatar. Afghan forces and the Taliban have both sought to increase
their political leverage through violence, with both sides suffering
heavy casualties and civilians bearing the brunt of the attacks. But
on Monday, Newsweek magazine, citing anonymous sources in Washington,
said that United States personnel had been ordered to limit offensive
operations against the Taliban and to stop advising Afghan forces.Gen.
Austin S. Miller, who leads the American and NATO missions in
Afghanistan, brushed aside such reports as “false.” “We will continue
to provide the same support we are providing today to the Afghan
forces,” he told reporters in Kabul, with Afghanistan’s defense
minister, Asadullah Khalid, standing at his side. General Miller
added, however, that the future of the United States presence in
Afghanistan would be decided by political work, in which officials are
talking to both the Taliban and the Afghan government.”
The
Washington Post: Uncertainty Over Election And U.S.-Taliban Peace
Talks Leaves Afghanistan In Limbo
“With Taliban-U.S. peace talks failing to reach a hoped-for
breakthrough this week, and the insurgents threatening to attack
Afghan presidential elections next month, Afghans fear that one or
both efforts will fail, leaving the country in political limbo. As
the Muslim society emerges from Eid al-Adha, a period of religious
celebration and animal sacrifice that ended Wednesday, new doubts
about the peace negotiations and the election have dampened the
national mood and intensified debate about whether the Sept. 28 polls
should be postponed to give priority to the push for peace. President
Ashraf Ghani, whose chances for reelection surged last week when his
strongest competitor quit the race, declared in an Eid speech Sunday
that the election is “vital” to the nation. He listed his government’s
achievements, including a three-day cease-fire with the Taliban 14
months ago, and assured the public that “peace with dignity” would
soon be theirs. But on Monday, the top U.S. negotiator, Zalmay
Khalilzad, said the latest talks with Taliban officials in Qatar had
ended and that he was returning to Washington for consultations.
Khalilzad’s terse statement contrasted with previous upbeat
tweets hinting that a deal was imminent.”
Reuters:
Taliban, U.S. Pact In Afghanistan Could Boost Islamic
State
“A deal between the Taliban and the United States for U.S. forces
to withdraw from their longest-ever war in Afghanistan could drive
some diehard Taliban fighters into the arms of the Islamic State
militant group, Afghan officials and militants say. Such a deal is
expected to see the United States agree to withdraw its forces in
exchange for a Taliban promise they will not let Afghanistan be used
to plot international militant attacks. As part of the pact, the
Taliban are expected to make a commitment to power-sharing talks with
the U.S.-backed government and work out a ceasefire. The Afghan
affiliate of Islamic State, known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K),
after an old name for the region, first appeared in eastern
Afghanistan in 2014, and has since made inroads into other areas,
particularly the north. The U.S. military estimates their strength at
2,000 fighters. Some Afghan officials estimated the number is higher,
and could be about to get a boost. ”It’s a big opportunity for Daesh
to recruit fighters from the Taliban, and, no doubt, many Taliban
fighters will happily join,” said Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the
provincial council in Nangarhar province on the border with Pakistan,
referring to IS.”
CNN:
Trump To Meet Security Officials On Afghanistan As Concerns Mount
About US Withdrawal
“President Trump is expected to meet with his top national security
advisers on Friday to review a US-Taliban peace plan that could end
America's longest running war -- but could also trigger a surrender
for the US and a betrayal of the Afghan government, critics say. Trump
is expected to meet at his Bedminster golf resort with Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, according
to two sources familiar with the planning. Several defense officials
tell CNN that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford are expected to be
present. The major topic will be Afghanistan and the plan that Taliban
negotiator, Zalmay Khalilizad, has been working on for months to end
the conflict there, according to two sources familiar with the
planning. The peace plan is expected to formalize a significant
withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan -- from about 15,000 troops
to 8,000 or 9,000 troops -- and enshrine official commitments by the
Taliban to counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan, according to the
multiple sources familiar with the plan.”
Xinhua:
Afghan Forces Kill 60 Militants, Recapture Villages In Afghanistan:
Official
“Security forces have killed 60 militants and recaptured more than
100 villages from Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's Ghor province
over the past nearly one month, deputy provincial Police Chief
Wahidullah Nizami said Friday. “The security forces during constant
crackdowns on the Taliban rebels over the past nearly one month have
killed at least 60 armed insurgents, injured more than 100 and
recaptured 108 villages in areas and districts around the provincial
capital of Firoz Koh,” Nizami told Xinhua. Without providing
information on the possible casualties of security personnel, the
official added that the operations would last until the militants are
wiped out from the restive province. At the meantime, Zabiullah
Majahid who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit, in contact with
media has confirmed fighting in Ghor province but rejected the claim
made by Nizami. Majahid in coutner-claim, said that the Taliban
militants had gained ground in the troubled Ghor province over the
past couple of months.”
Pakistan
Deutsche
Welle: Kashmir Crisis: India-Pakistan Border Clashes 'Kill Several
Soldiers'
“Cross-border skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani armies have
killed at least five people, the Pakistani military said on Thursday.
Pakistan said a number of its troops died in the Indian attack,
whereas a counterattack by the Pakistani border forces also killed
Indian soldiers. There was no immediate confirmation of the attacks
from Indian officials. Tensions in the Himalayan region are high due
to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to strip the
India-administered Jammu & Kashmir region of a special autonomous
status on August 5. Pakistan and India both rule the disputed
Himalayan territory of Kashmir in part, but claim it in full. The
restive region is a flash point between the nuclear-armed archrivals.
The latest border clashes invoke fears of a larger military conflict
between the two South Asian neighbors. The Pakistani military said in
a statement that the Indian border attacks were part of New Delhi's
tactics to “divert attention” from the crisis in Kashmir. In his
annual independence on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi justified his
decision to revoke Kashmir's partial autonomy, saying that his “fresh
thinking” would help ensure harmony in South Asia. “We do not believe
in creating problems or prolonging them,” Modi told the nation.”
Yemen
The
Telegraph: Al Qaeda Releases 'Blooper Reel' Of Islamic State Videos
Amid Jihadi Spat
“Al-Qaeda has released embarrassing outtakes from an Islamic State
propaganda video of fighters in Yemen, in an attempt to undermine its
bitter rival. The blooper reel, released by Al-Qaeda in the Arab
Peninsula’s Hidayah Media Productions, shows a kneeling militant
trying to renew his pledge of allegiance to Isil leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi but repeatedly being interrupted by a squawking bird in
the tree above. The jihadi, identified as Abu Muhammad al-Adeni,
appears to be distracted by the chirping, causing him to forget his
lines. He takes out notes from his pocket, while another fighter can
be heard telling him to “stay calm, keep cool”. The media group does
not reveal how it got hold of the unedited version of the video, but
it could have been handed over by an Isil defector or taken from a
captured base. Analysts said the video, which Al-Qaeda’s titled “The
Hollywood reality of al-Baghdadi group - Part 2” was produced by
Islamic State’s branch in Yemen in 2017, when the group was growing in
strength. Elizabeth Kendall, a Middle East expert at Oxford
University, who first shared the video on Twitter wrote: “Heroic bird
relentlessly drowns out ISIS-Y's attempt to renew allegiance to the
caliph,” in reference to the Yemeni affiliate of Isil.”
Lebanon
The
National: Hezbollah A Threat To Lebanon, Pompeo Tells Visiting
Hariri
“Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, ending a five-day trip to
Washington, on Thursday met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who
pledged continued support for Lebanon's state institutions and said
Hezbollah and its backer Iran were threats. The two had a 40-minute
meeting, their second in less than six months. Speaking later
alongside Mr Hariri, Mr Pompeo said the US would continue to support
the “credible state institutions inside Lebanon. They are essential to
preserving Lebanese security, stability and sovereignty”. “This is a
region that is threatened by Iran, and a nation that is threatened by
its proxy Hezbollah,” he said. Mr Pompeo thanked Lebanon for hosting
more than one million Syrian refugees and hoped the country would make
necessary reforms to unlock international economic help. Mr Hariri
called Mr Pompeo a great friend of Lebanon and thanked him for the
support to the armed forces, which is estimated at $70 million a year.
“I reaffirmed our joint commitment to the fight against terrorism,” he
said. Mr Hariri also added his support to the continuing negotiation
process with Israel, led by the US, on the maritime border.”
Middle East
The
Federalist: It’s Time To Officially Acknowledge That Qatar Is A State
Sponsor Of Terrorism
“Qatar boasts the world’s second-largest gross domestic product per
capita. The wealthy oil emirate operates Qatar Airways, one of the
world’s largest airlines. It hosts one of the world’s most influential
state-sponsored news sources, Al Jazeera, and maintains significant
influence in higher American education, donating more than $1.5
billion to some of America’s most well-known universities: the
University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina,
Northwestern, Texas A&M, and Cornell. For all its “contributions,”
however, Qatar also has a dark side. It openly supports and harbors
terrorists to a disproportionate and unparalleled degree for its size.
Qatar’s actions prompted President Trump to recognize Qatar’s terror
funding as being “on [a] very high level.” Despite this recognition,
American administrations, even those as critical as Trump’s, have
sidestepped the truth about this terrorism-sponsoring country.
Instead, they have tended to celebrate the tens of billions of
dollars that Qatar spends on American military and commercial
equipment, as well as Qatar’s hospitality in allowing the stationing
of thousands of U.S. troops.”
Nigeria
The
Defense Post: ‘Boko Haram’ Attacks Nigeria Military Base In Molai,
Near Maiduguri
“Three Nigerian soldiers were killed during a gun battle with
insurgents in a village on the outskirts of Borno state capital
Maiduguri early on Thursday, August 15, according to reports. The
Daily Post reported that militants believed to be from the Islamic
State West Africa Province faction of Boko Haram attacked a military
location in Molai village, near Mammanti, around five km (three miles)
south of Maiduguri. A local vigilante told Daily Post that three
soldiers were killed and others injured in the firefight. “Boko Haram
sacked the military base until fighter aeroplane came and cleared
them. We saw the military evacuating their people both killed and
wounded early this morning,” he said. Channels TV reported that
fighting ended at around 2:30 a.m. The Nigerian Army has not yet
commented on the incident. It is unclear which faction of Boko Haram
attacked the base. Boko Haram split into two factions in mid-2016.
One, led by long-time leader Abubakar Shekau, is notorious for suicide
bombings and indiscriminate killings of civilians. Shekau pledged
allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in March 2015, but ISIS
central only gives formal backing to the other faction, which it
calls Islamic State West Africa Province. Both factions are active in
the region south of Maiduguri.”
Foreign
Policy: Nigeria’s Child Veterans Are Still Living A
Nightmare
“Kellumi was abducted by Boko Haram fighters when he was 14. Among
the killings he committed after being pressed into the ranks of the
infamously brutal Islamist militant insurgency, there is one victim he
cannot bear to think about—his own mother. He turned himself in to
Nigeria’s army two years ago. When I spoke to Kellumi in October 2018,
whose name has been changed for safety reasons, he was 10 months into
a deradicalization program at Operation Safe Corridor, the Nigerian
government’s offering for former Boko Haram members. He was still
plagued by nightmares from the three years he spent fighting. He asked
a staff member at the camp, “Would God forgive me?” Boko Haram’s
exploitation of young people is infamous. Kellumi is just one of at
least 8,000 children and teenagers abducted by the group since they
started menacing the Lake Chad Basin. They have taken the lives of
almost 4,000 more, and beyond that, they have left almost double that
number with serious injuries. Although the group often
targets children, it was undoubtedly the abduction of 276 schoolgirls
in Chibok in 2014 that catapulted the Salafi jihadi group into the
international spotlight, with the likes of America’s then-first lady
Michelle Obama and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby calling for
action and prayers.”
Somalia
Voice
Of America: Somalia Assesses Al-Shabab Moles' Infiltration Of
Government
“The July 24 suicide bombing that killed the mayor of Somalia's
capital was disturbing on multiple levels, security experts say.
Abdirahman Omar Osman was slain by one of his own aides, who was
female and blind, and who acted in concert with another one of his
employees, also female. Besides those unsettling facts, Osman's death
highlighted a cold, hard reality: militant group al-Shabab had again
infiltrated an important Somali government entity. The government's
long-running battle to subdue the al-Qaida-linked militants has been
hobbled by al-Shabab's infiltration of government agencies, offices
and security teams. In April this year, authorities arrested the
commissioner of Mahaas, a town in central Somalia, for facilitating an
al-Shabab suicide bombing that killed the commissioner's deputy. In
2016, a court convicted Abdiweli Mohamed Maow, the head of Mogadishu
airport security, for helping to smuggle a laptop computer bomb onto a
outbound flight. The bomb exploded 15 minutes after takeoff but
miraculously failed to bring down the plane, which safely returned to
the Mogadishu airport.”
Europe
ABC
News: Man In Sweden Suspected Of Conspiracy To Commit
Terror
“Swedish prosecutors say a man arrested in northern Sweden who
initially was suspected of planning a murder is now suspected of
conspiracy to commit terrorism. In a statement, the Swedish
Prosecution Authority said Thursday no further details were available
pending the investigation but added the man, who was not identified,
is to face a pre-trial custody hearing later in the day or Friday. He
was arrested Wednesday in downtown Ostersund, a town of 50,000 some
475 kilometers (295 miles), northwest of Stockholm. Swedish
broadcaster SVT said the man was arrested when he drove into a large
flower pot and items found in his car made police suspicious.”
New Zealand
The
Wall Street Journal: Letter From Jailed New Zealand Shooter Was Posted
Online
“The white supremacist charged in the New Zealand mosque attacks
that killed 51 people was permitted to send letters to supporters from
jail, authorities in the country said, including one that was posted
to a forum that has been a home for racist and violent views. Brenton
Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian accused of shooting attacks at two
Christchurch mosques, sent a number of letters from his cell in the
country’s only maximum-security jail, New Zealand Corrections Minister
Kelvin Davis said Thursday, in violation of rules meant to limit his
ability to inspire fresh violence. One, addressed to an admirer in
Russia, was shared on an online forum called 4chan that has long been
a home for people who want to discuss racist or violent views. “There
is a process, and in this case the process failed,” Mr. Davis told New
Zealand radio. “I’ve asked the question: Are our laws as they stand
actually fit for purpose?” Following the March 15 massacre, the
deadliest terrorist attack in New Zealand history, Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern pledged to counter the spread of terrorist content
online. The shooter detailed his growing radicalization on social
media, and parts of the attacks were live-streamed on sites including
Facebook.”
Southeast Asia
The
Jakarta Post: Tempering Fear Of Returning Foreign Terrorist
Fighters
“Indonesia has an imminent returning foreign terrorist fighter
(FTF) challenge. The latest data from Indonesia’s Countering Foreign
Terrorist Fighters Task Force showed that the state has received more
than 600 deportees and returnees, while still needing to deal with
around 630 Indonesian citizens still in Syria and Iraq. Indonesia
should acknowledge that statistical and qualitative assessments of the
threat of returning FTFs conclude mixed and nuanced results. While the
state should not ignore their threat, they should not exaggerate it
either. Returning FTFs is not a new phenomenon. During the
Afghan-Soviet War of 1978 to 1992, between 5,000 to 10,000 individuals
flocked to the conflict zone to assist local Afghan fighters.”
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