A Saudi aviation student who killed three people last year at a naval base in
Florida had extensive ties to al Qaeda, top U.S. law-enforcement officia

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


May 19, 2020

 

The Wall Street Journal: FBI Discovers Al Qaeda Ties In Pensacola Shooter’s
Iphones
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“A Saudi aviation student who killed three people last year at a naval base in
Florida had extensive ties to al Qaeda, top U.S. law-enforcement officials said
on Monday as they accused Apple Inc. of stalling the probe by refusing to help
unlock the shooter’s phones. The gunman, Second Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani, a
member of the Saudi air force, had been communicating with a number of al Qaeda
in the Arabian Peninsula operatives for years, even before he began training
with the U.S. military, officials said, a discovery that was made based on
information recovered from his two locked iPhones. “We received effectively no
help from Apple” to access the phones, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director
Christopher Wray said. The struggle to unlock the encrypted phones delayed the
probe for months and potentially jeopardized public safety, he said. The FBI,
bypassing Apple’s security features, was ultimately able to access information
on both phones belonging to the gunman, but there is no guarantee that law
enforcement could do that in a future case, Attorney General William Barr said.
The information on the devices led to a counterterrorism operation against an
associate of Alshamrani in Yemen, Abdullah al-Maliki, Mr. Barr said.”

 

The National: Fears Missing ISIS Millions Are Hidden In Cryptocurrency Ready
For Use As War Chest
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“ISIS is using cryptocurrency platforms to conceal donations and get around
financial security measures, experts have revealed after a surge in advertising
for donations. They fear the terrorist group’s missing $300 million (Dh1.1
billion) war chest could have been transferred into a digital currency to hide
it from the authorities. Last year ISIS used cryptocurrency to fund the Easter
Sunday terrorist attack in Sri Lanka, which killed more than 250 people when
suicide bombers attacked churches and hotels in quick succession. The Counter
Extremism Project, a think tank, tracked the trend in a new report,
Cryptocurrencies and Financing of Terrorism: Threat Assessment and Regulatory
Challenges, launched in an online seminar on Monday. Its director, Hans-Jakob
Schindler, who has worked in the UN’s security council monitoring unit for ISIS
and Al Qaeda, told The National the authorities have searched for the group’s
missing war chest since 2017. “I’m wondering if from 2017 to 2020 there has
been $300m that we have not found and that’s why I’m thinking this might have
been one of the ways it might have been used,” Mr Schindler said. “This would
be an ideal storage mechanism until it is needed. If done right, it would be
unfindable and unseizable for most governments.”

 

Associated Press: UN Team Reports New Evidence Against Islamic State In Iraq
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“A U.N. investigative team says it has made “significant progress” in
collecting new sources of evidence in Iraq against Islamic State extremists,
including over 2 million call records that should strengthen cases against
perpetrators of crimes against the Yazidi minority in 2014. The team also
reported progress in its investigations of the mass killings of unarmed cadets
and military personnel from the Tikrit Air Academy in June 2014 and crimes
committed by Islamic State extremists in Mosul from 2014 to 2016. In a report
to the U.N. Security Council obtained by The Associated Press, the
investigative team said it is continuing to engage with the Iraqi government on
pending legislation that would allow the country to prosecute war crimes,
crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed by the Islamic State,
also known as ISIL. “In the coming six months, the team will continue its work
with the government of Iraq in order to capitalize on this opportunity, with a
view to securing the commencement of domestic proceedings based on evidence
collected by the team,” the report said. The Islamic State group’s
self-declared “caliphate” that once spanned a third of both Iraq and Syria, has
been defeated on the ground but its fighters are still staging insurgent
attacks.”

 

United States

 

The Jerusalem Post: ADL: 50% Increase In US Arrests 'Linked To Domestic
Islamist Extremism'
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“There was a 50% increase in “arrests and plots linked to domestic Islamist
extremism” in the United States throughout the year of 2019, according to data
compiled by the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) Center on Extremism. Thirty of
those arrests were connected to domestic Islamist extremism, nine of which were
designated as “terror plots.” The ADL reports that seven of the “terror plots”
were being devised by home-bred United States citizens. According to the ADL, a
portion of the 2019 terror plots focused on targeting religious institutions
such as churches, synagogues, mosques and community centers. “In the last
several years, America has experienced an increase in targeted violence against
our faith-based communities and organizations,” Department of Homeland Security
Acting Secretary Chad Wolf said in December 2019. The ADL added: “While there
has been a significant uptick in white supremacist attacks targeting places of
worship, including the Charleston church shooting, Pittsburgh Tree of Life
Synagogue shooting, and the Poway synagogue shooting, Islamist extremists have
also targeted religious institutions.” The so-called Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) has shown affinity for these types of attacks in the past.”

 

Iraq

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Iraqi Army Launches Operation To Track ISIS Militants Near
Syria Border
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“The Iraqi army launched operation Desert Lions to pursue ISIS remnants across
the Jazirah desert north of the Anbar, south of the Nineveh and west of the
Salaheddine provinces all the way to the border with Syria. The Joint
Operations Command is overseeing the operation that is aimed at pursuing
terrorists and detaining fugitives in order to boost the security and stability
of these regions. Commander of the operations, Major General Qassim Mohammed
Saleh said the mission seeks to ensure that the “enemy does not have an
opportunity to attack our forces and hide in these vast deserts,” which span
over 200 square kilometers. Defense Ministry spokesman, Major General Tahsen
al-Khafaji announced that the operation is being conducted without the
participation of the international coalition forces. Recent terrorist attacks
in Diyala and Salaheddine were possible because terrorists were able to
infiltrate Iraq through the Syrian border, he said. “The operations have
searched more than 150,000 kilometers along the Iraqi-Syrian border and in
Baiji [north of Baghdad],” he added. Spokesman for the Salaheddine Council,
Marwan al-Jubara, told Asharq Al-Awsat that ISIS has always been active in the
province.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Voice Of America: Taliban Spring Offensive Launched, According To Afghan
Officials
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“A car bomb attack on an intelligence base in central Ghazni province in
Afghanistan early Monday morning killed at least seven members of the security
forces and wounded 40 others. Dr. Baser Ramaki, head of the Ghazni provincial
hospital that received both the bodies and the wounded, confirmed the number to
VOA. Provincial officials say the number of casualties may increase.  Tariq
Aryan, a spokesman for the ministry of interior confirmed the attack. Ahmad
Khan Serat, a spokesman for Ghazni provincial police headquarters told VOA the
bomb targeted the 703 contingent of the National Directorate of Security,
Afghanistan’s intelligence agency. An Islamic culture center was located near
the site of the attack, Serat added. Locals living near the site complained of
damage to their houses including shattered glass. Taking responsibility for the
attack, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement the attack was
in response to the enemy declaring war as well as attacks on civilians in areas
under Taliban control. He named the suicide bomber as Zayd Kandahari and said
the attacker used a Humvee.”

 

Agence France-Presse: Afghan Forces Repel Taliban Attack On Key City: Officials

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“Afghan security forces on Tuesday repelled a fierce Taliban attack on Kunduz,
officials said, a strategic city in northern Afghanistan that had briefly
fallen to the militants twice in the past. Taliban fighters attacked several
outposts of Afghan forces on the outskirts of the city at around 1:00 am,
triggering fierce fighting, a defence ministry statement said. “With the
support of air force their attack was repelled. Eleven Taliban were killed and
eight wounded,” it said, adding that the fighting lasted for several hours.
Both sides have repeatedly clashed in rural areas in recent months, but an
attempt to enter a city like Kunduz is seen as a serious escalation. It follows
a declaration by President Ashraf Ghani last week to resume offensive strikes
against the insurgents, after a string of brutal attacks. The Taliban responded
to the order by vowing to increase attacks against Afghan security forces.
During Tuesday's fighting, the insurgents managed to briefly capture an Afghan
army post, killing one soldier, but it was quickly retaken by security forces,
Hadi Jamal, an army spokesman in northern Afghanistan told AFP. The Taliban
were not immediately available for comment.”

 

Pakistan

 

Associated Press: Officials: Roadside Bombs, Shootout Kill 8 Pakistani Troops
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“Separate attacks in Pakistan's restive southwestern Baluchistan province
killed seven troops, officials said Tuesday. An eight soldier was killed in a
roadside bombing in the country's northwest. In one of the Baluchistan attacks,
gunmen used a remotely-detonated bomb to ambush a convoy of Pakistani troops
assigned to protect an oil and gas facility on Monday night. The attack, in a
remote area of the town of Pir Ghaib, killed six soldiers and wounded four,
intelligence and security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. The casualties were
brought to a military hospital in Quetta, the capital of impoverished
Baluchistan province. Pakistan's military said in a statement the attack
happened as troops were returning to camp. It said that later a separate
incident in Baluchistan, an exchange of fire with militants killed one soldier.
Hours after the first attack, Mureed Baloch, a spokesman for the separatist
United Baluch Army, claimed responsibility. In a statement, he said the group
targeted Pakistani soldiers assigned to protect engineers of an oil and gas
facility in the region. Earlier this month, another separatist group targeted
troops with a roadside bomb in an area of Baluchistan near Iran's border,
killing six soldiers, including an army major.”

 

Middle East

 

Associated Press: Jewish Extremist Convicted In Arson That Killed Arab Toddler
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“An Israeli district court on Monday convicted a Jewish extremist of murder in
a 2015 arson attack that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents, a case
that had sent shock waves through Israel and helped fuel months of
Israeli-Palestinian violence. The court ruled that the Jewish settler Amiram
Ben-Uliel hurled firebombs late one night into a West Bank home in July 2015 as
a family slept, killing 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh. His mother, Riham, and
father, Saad, later died of their wounds. Ali’s 4-year-old brother Ahmad
survived. “This trial won’t bring my family back,” Hussein Dawabsheh, the
toddler’s grandfather, said outside the courtroom in central Israel. “But I
don’t want another family to go through the trauma that I have.” At the time of
the arson killing, Israel was dealing with a wave of vigilante-style attacks by
suspected Jewish extremists. But the deadly firebombing in the West Bank
village of Duma touched a particularly sensitive nerve. The attack was
condemned across the Israeli political spectrum, and Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu pledged “zero tolerance” in the fight to bring the assailants to
justice.”

 

Nigeria

 

Associated Press: Authorities: Boko Haram Attacks Nigerian Village, Killing 20
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“Islamic extremists stormed a village just as people were preparing to break
their Ramadan fast after sundown, killing at least 20 people in the first
attack of its kind in northeastern Nigeria since the Muslim holy month began,
authorities said Monday. Witnesses said fighters from the extremist group Boko
Haram carried out the attack in Gajigana, where they entered the opposite side
of the village from where Nigerian soldiers were posted. “The shootings were
sudden and intense; people began to flee in all directions,” said Ba'an Bukar,
a member of a local civilian defense group. Many of the victims were too weak
to flee after several weeks of fasting, and temperatures had soared to 42
degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday, he added. Audu Mustapha, a
member of the Borno state House of Assembly, said 25 others were wounded in the
attack about 47 kilometers (29 miles) north of the state capital, Maiduguri.
Boko Haram has now been waging its insurgency for more than a decade in
northeastern Nigeria. Their rebellion has claimed more than 20,000 lives and
left more than 7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.”

 

Somalia

 

All Africa: Kenya: Three Al Shabaab Militants Shot Dead In Fierce Gun Fight
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“Police officers in Wajir on Saturday afternoon trailed a group of Al Shabaab
militants and killed three of them in a fierce shootout. Police believe the
militants are responsible for the recent attack on Khorof Harar police post in
Wajir. Nairobi News has established that the killing of the three following a
led to the recovering of three AK47 rifles. Police officers privy to the
mission told Nairobi News that a fight ensued but the suspected terrorists were
overpowered, leading to the death of the three. “Our security officers
overpowered them thereby killing three of them while unknown number escaped
with serious injuries, three AK rifles recovered so far,” a police source told
Nairobi News. In an earlier report on the same, Wajir Police boss Thomas
Ngeiywa confirmed the incident saying that the militant also destroyed a
Safaricom mast in the area. He further stated that the militants did not make
away with the armoury as it had been reported earlier. For the last one year
militants have turned the vast North Eastern into their playing ground with a
series of attacks. These incidents have attracted the attention of Interior
Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i who visited the area and asked chiefs get a
solution to the menace.”

 

Africa

 

The New York Times: Sudan Must Pay Billions To Terrorism Victims, Supreme
Court Rules
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“The Supreme Court on Monday unanimously reinstated as much as $4.3 billion in
punitive damages awarded against Sudan to victims of truck bombs detonated in
1998 outside United States Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The attacks,
conducted by Qaeda operatives, killed hundreds and wounded thousands. Starting
in 2001, many of the victims and their family members sued Sudan in federal
court, arguing that it had helped Al Qaeda in carrying out the bombings. After
a trial in which Sudan did not participate, Judge John D. Bates of the Federal
District Court in Washington found in 2011 that Sudan had provided crucial
assistance to Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, its leader. “Sudan harbored and
provided sanctuary to terrorists and their operational and logistical supply
network,” Judge Bates wrote. “Bin Laden and Al Qaeda received the support and
protection of the Sudanese intelligence and military from foreign intelligence
services and rival militants. Sudan provided bin Laden and Al Qaeda hundreds of
Sudanese passports. The Sudanese intelligence service allowed Al Qaeda to
travel over the Sudan-Kenya border without restriction.” Judge Bates awarded
the plaintiffs about $10.2 billion in damages, including roughly $4.3 billion
in punitive damages.”

 

Fox News: What It Is Like To Be A Christian Activist Jailed With ISIS
Operatives In Sudan
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“It was the kind of calling that Petr Jasek simply could not turn away from.
For more than 28 years, the Czech Republic native and global ambassador for
international nonprofit The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) had traveled the world
in support of persecuted Christians. And then what was supposed to be a
four-day trip to aid a badly beaten, young Christian convert in the
Islam-dominant nation of Sudan in December 2015 turned into 445 days of torment
and torture –  and Jasek learned first hand what it felt like to be hunted and
oppressed for his faith. While preparing to board a flight home from the
country’s capital Khartoum, the Christian leader was detained on charges of
espionage and purporting to “wage war against the country of Sudan.” He was
informed he was facing the death penalty and thrown into a filthy cell.
Although it was seemingly designed for just one person, Jasek was caged with
six other cellmates – who he quickly learned were members of ISIS. “They asked
me to tell them some news from the outside world, and a few weeks earlier was
the series of coordinated terrorist attacks across Paris,” Jasek, who has
documented a haunting chronology of his experiences in a new book, “Imprisoned
with ISIS: Faith in the Face of Evil,” told Fox News.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Bath Student Denies Neo-Nazi Terrorism Offences
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“A student has appeared in court to deny a string of terror and hate offences.
Andrew Dymock, 23, is alleged to have promoted the neo-Nazi System Resistance
Network (SRN) group through his Twitter account and website. He appeared at the
Old Bailey via video link on Monday to plead not guilty to 14 of the 15 charges
he faces. He has yet to enter a plea for the other. The Bath resident's next
scheduled hearing is on 29 May and a provisional trial date has been set for 6
July. Mr Dymock was first arrested at Gatwick Airport on his way to the US in
June 2019. In December, he was charged with 12 terror offences and three
charges of publishing material in a bid to stir up hatred based on race and
sexual orientation. At Monday's hearing he pleaded not guilty to five counts of
encouraging terrorism, four counts of disseminating terrorist publications, two
counts of terrorist fundraising, and three charges under the Public Order Act.
He is yet to enter a plea to one count of possessing material that is of use to
a terrorist. Mr Dymock was studying politics at Aberystwyth University at the
time of his first arrest.”

 

Germany

 

The New York Times: Germany’s Coronavirus Protests: Anti-Vaxxers,
Anticapitalists, Neo-Nazis
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“Outside Germany’s Parliament building, a vegan celebrity cook grabbed the mic
and shouted that he was “ready to die” to stop self-serving elites from using
the pandemic to topple the world order. Some distance away, a group of women
discussed how Bill Gates was plotting to force immunization on the population.
Youngsters sporting cardboard cutouts of the German constitution chanted: “End
the corona dictatorship!” Few wore masks, and those that did came with slogans
like “Merkel’s muzzle.” Even as Germany is celebrated as Europe’s foremost
example of pandemic management, an eclectic protest movement that began last
month with a few dozen people marching against coronavirus restrictions has
ballooned into more than 10,000 demonstrators in cities across the country. The
one driving force behind the mobilization is the country’s far right,
particularly the Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, which had been
marginalized by the pandemic. Now, the AfD’s leaders see the protests as a
first step toward moving back into the national conversation, using them to
position their message for the months ahead, when Germany must confront job
losses and a battered economy.”

 

Europe

 

BBC News: Cardiff Man Jailed In Spain For Terror Offences
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“A web designer from Cardiff has been jailed for seven years in Spain for
financing and supporting terrorism. Spain's national court in Madrid heard
Ataul Haque and his brother Siful Sujan transferred funds and hi-tech equipment
to the so called Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq and Syria. Haque fled to
Spain in 2015 after Sujan was killed in a drone strike in Syria. Haque was
found guilty of financing and supporting terrorism but cleared of being a
member of a terrorist group. The 37-year-old was sentenced on 10 May after a
three-day trial at the Audiencia Nacional on 27 April. Haque, who was
originally from Bangladesh, was arrested in 2017 after his home in Merida, in
western Spain, was raided by police. Police found evidence of large money
transfers, Salafist and jihadi propaganda, and spreadsheets on drone technology
during the raid. Haque was listed as a director of the now dissolved
Cardiff-based company Ibacstel. In August 2017, an FBI investigation in the
United States alleged Sujan used Ibacstel as a front to finance terrorism and
supply IS with military-grade scanners and surveillance equipment. Siful Sujan,
was a computer hacker for IS and was regarded by the group as an IT mastermind.
He was killed in a US-led coalition air strike near the Syrian city of Raqqah
in 2015.”

 

Technology

 

The Verge: Supreme Court Rejects Lawsuit Against Facebook For Hosting
Terrorists
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“The Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit claiming Facebook provided “material
support” to terrorists by hosting their content. It declined to hear Force v.
Facebook, a case brought by the families of five Americans who were hurt or
killed by Palestinian attacks in Israel. The suit had already been dealt a
serious blow last year, strengthening a legal precedent against suing social
media platforms over terrorist attacks. The 2016 lawsuit Force v. Facebook
argued that Facebook knowingly hosted accounts belonging to Hamas, which the US
classifies as a terrorist organization. Websites generally can’t be sued for
user-created content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, but
the complaint contended Facebook’s algorithm promoted terrorist content to
people who liked similar pages or posts, saying that should reduce its
immunity. The Second Circuit appeals court found that logic unconvincing. It
shot down the complaint last year, saying there was “no basis” for making
Facebook liable because it arranged content with algorithms. Rather than being
a unique property of Facebook’s recommendation system, displaying material that
specific users want to click on “has been a fundamental result of publishing
third‐party content on the Internet since its beginning.”



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