Eye on Extremism
August 19, 2019
The
New York Times: Terrorists Turn To Bitcoin For Funding, And They’re
Learning Fast
“Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, has been designated a
terrorist organization by Western governments and some others and has
been locked out of the traditional financial system. But this year its
military wing has developed an increasingly sophisticated campaign to
raise money using Bitcoin. In the latest version of the website set up
by the wing, known as the Qassam Brigades, every visitor is given a
unique Bitcoin address where he or she can send the digital currency,
a method that makes the donations nearly impossible for law
enforcement to track. The site, which is available in seven languages
and features the brigades’ logo, with a green flag and a machine gun,
contains a well-produced video that explains how to acquire and send
Bitcoin without tipping off the authorities. Terrorists have been slow
to join other criminal elements that have been drawn to Bitcoin and
have used it for everything from drug purchases to money laundering.
But in recent months, government authorities and organizations that
track terrorist financing have begun to raise alarms about an uptick
in the number of Islamist terrorist organizations experimenting with
Bitcoin and other digital coins. The yields from individual campaigns
appear to be modest — in the tens of thousands of dollars.”
The
Hill: Internet Infrastructure Companies Must Help Keep Extremists
Offline
“Before launching his shooting rampage at a Walmart in El Paso,
Texas, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius posted an anti-immigrant screed on
the online messaging board 8chan. 8chan has become a popular vehicle
for extremists to share hateful content and glorify mass shootings.
After the massacre in El Paso U.S. policymakers and tech companies are
finally taking notice. Last Friday, the White House hosted a meeting
with tech companies to discuss violent online extremism. President
Trump also called upon the Justice Department to work with local,
state, and federal agencies as well as tech companies to develop tools
that can help detect potential mass shooters. Additional hearings are
planned by the House Homeland Security Committee, which has asked
8chan founder Jim Watkins to testify about the proliferation of
extremist content. The El Paso attack was not the only recent
extremist incident with links to 8chan. Just prior to the March
attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, Brenton Tarrant posted his
manifesto on Twitter and 8chan. The 8chan post also reportedly
contained a link to Tarrant’s Facebook page, where he later
broadcasted the shootings using Facebook Live. A month later, John T.
Earnest posted an anti-Semitic manifesto on 8chan prior to initiating
his attack at a synagogue in Poway, Calif.”
CNN:
Andrew Cuomo: Mass Hate Shootings Should Be Treated As Domestic
Terrorism
“Two weeks ago, a gunman killed 22 people in El Paso, Texas, in
what he later told authorities was a targeted attack against Mexicans,
according to the arrest affidavit. This tragedy is the latest incident
of hate-fueled violence; it's clear our country is plagued by the
toxic cocktail of guns and hate. And while the federal government
refuses to address this violence, New York is stepping up with a
proposal to call these hateful acts exactly what they are -- domestic
terrorism. Hate is nothing new in America. Our country bears the
scars of the KKK, the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, and the Porvenir
Massacre in 1918, which led to the execution of 15 Mexicans -- just to
name a few. Many of us thought these incidents were long in the past,
but this hate remains a part of our reality today. Hate crimes have
been on the rise. In recent years, we have seen hateful acts against
African-Americans in Charleston, Jews in Pittsburgh, Muslims in New
York, Latinos in El Paso and LGBTQ people in Orlando. Many of these
targeted groups are wrongly cast as “other,” even though we are a
nation made stronger by people from different backgrounds. Since
September 11, far-right extremists carried out nearly three times as
many attacks on Americans in the US as Islamic extremists, according
to government data cited by the New York Times.”
Vice
News: Militant Neo-Nazi Group Actively Recruiting Ahead Of Alleged
Training Camp
“The Base, which is connected to extreme-right groups the
Atomwaffen Division and the Feuerkrieg Division, has been promoting
its growth on social media with photos announcing its presence in
major cities across North America, including New York, Los Angeles,
and Seattle, and in Europe, South Africa, and Australia. For Joshua
Fisher-Birch, a research analyst at the Counter Extremism Project, a
U.S.-based terrorism watchdog, The Base presents a "significant
threat" because it is attempting to build a network with "individuals
in different groups, or those with slight ideological differences."
According to Fisher-Birch, the group has "combined online recruitment
efforts with real-world efforts" including supporiting "lone-actor
violence" and "shared terrorist tactics."
Huff
Post: Trump Threatens Antifa With Terrorist Label As Portland Braces
For Far-Right Rally
“As Portland, Oregon, braced for dueling protests between
right-wing extremists and the anti-fascists who have vowed to confront
them on Saturday, President Donald Trump threw gasoline on the fire,
threatening that the far-left demonstrators could be labeled
terrorists. “Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an
‘ORGANIZATION OF TERROR,’” he tweeted, adding that the city “is being
watched very closely” and telling Mayor Ted Wheeler to ”properly do
his job.” Contrary to the president’s description, antifa is not a
singular organization, but a loose collection of groups and
individuals who confront the far right, sometimes with violent means.
Saturday’s far-right rally has been organized the Proud Boys, an
organization of self-described “western chauvinists” that has been
deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its spread
of white nationalism, misogyny and Islamophobia. Joe Biggs, formerly
of InfoWars, the website helmed by conspiracy theory-mongering radio
host Alex Jones, has helped to organize the rally. The Proud Boys also
appeared at the 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia, “Unite the Right”
rally where a neo-Nazi rammed his car into a crowd of
counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer.”
United States
Vice
News: International Neo-Nazi Extremist Group Claims Prior Knowledge Of
Vegas Bomb Plot
“An international neo-Nazi extremist group has claimed in chat
channels that it had advance knowledge of planned terrorist attacks by
an alleged member, a Las Vegas man arrested for plotting bombings
against a local synagogue. Tipped by the Counter Extremism Project, a
US-based terrorism watchdog, VICE has viewed messages by the
Feuerkrieg Division (FKD), a splinter of the violent white supremacist
extremist group Atomwaffen Division (AWD). FKD, which is based in
Europe, has claimed it not only encouraged attacks by Conor Climo, 23,
on Las Vegas’ LGBTQ and Jewish communities, but knew of his plot
before his arrest.”
Syria
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Western Countries Continue To Resist Return Of ISIS
Children
“Years after their parents left Belgium and France to join ISIS, 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 extremists. 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.”
Newsweek:
ISIS Blooper Video Posted By Al-Qaeda Proves Terrorists Can Be Petty
Too
“Terrorist group al-Qaeda has released a new video mocking its
rival, the Islamic State. Proving that fundamentalist zeal and
bloodlust are no match for pettiness, the legacy terror organization
posted a clip of a recruit in Yemen stumbling as he tries to renew his
vows to ISIS. Heroic bird relentlessly drowns out ISIS-Y's attempt to
renew allegiance to the caliph. Leader's feeble memory adds to the
woes... These bodged “takes” didn't make it into the official video of
this solemn event, released end July The video supercut shows the man
repeatedly falter as he tries to renew his allegiance to the terrorist
organization that had murdered more than 1,400 people globally as of
2018, according to data gathered by CNN. British newspaper The
Telegraph identified the absent-minded radical as Abu Muhammad
al-Adeni. Unable to remember the words, the forgetful fighter pulls
out a piece of paper to review his lines. He starts over as someone
off-camera tells him to “stay calm, keep cool” according to a
translation by The Telegraph. Then he gets distracted by a loud bird
call. To the bumbler's right, a man with his face covered occasionally
alternates between picking at the ground in front of him and looking
up at the camera, his scarf hiding his identity but not his
side-eye.”
Iraq
Iraqi
News: Iraqi Intelligence Arrest Three Islamic State Terrorists In
Nineveh
“Iraqi military intelligence forces arrested on Sunday three
Islamic State militants during a military operation in Nineveh
province. In a press release carried by Iraqi TV channel Alsumaria
News, the Iraqi Military Intelligence Directorate said its troops
arrested the three terrorists in al Sahaji village, west of Mosul. The
three terrorists, according to the statement, were implicated in
several terrorist attacks against Iraqi security forces in Mosul city.
The arrest of the Islamic State militants was based on intelligence
information, added the statement. Former Iraqi prime minister Haider
al-Abadi announced in July 2017 liberation of the second largest Iraqi
city of Mosul from IS militants, who had captured it in 2014. More
than 25,000 militants were killed throughout the campaign, which
started in October 2016. The campaign was backed by paramilitary
troops and a U.S.-led international coalition. Iraq declared the
collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in Iraq in November
2017 with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders
with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.”
The
Arab Weekly: Pentagon Sees Iraq And Syria Facing Greater Threat From
ISIS, Iran Proxies
“The death of a US Marine in Iraq serves as a reminder that the war
against the Islamic State is not over, US defence strategists said.
The Pentagon’s task in Iraq is further complicated by the presence of
pro-Iran proxies in the region. US Marine Gunnery Sergeant Scott
Koppenhafer, 35, died August 10 in northern Iraq during a mission
targeting suspected Islamic State (ISIS) members. In December, US
President Donald Trump proclaimed that ISIS had been defeated and that
the United States would be withdrawing all troops from Syria.
Following an outcry by lawmakers that ISIS was not defeated, the White
House retracted the full withdrawal in February and said it would
slowly withdraw troops and keep 200 on the ground. Despite claims that
ISIS had been defeated in December, a US Department of Defence report
released in August said the pull out of approximately 1,000 US troops
from Syria led to a resurgence of ISIS in both Syria and Iraq. The
Pentagon report said that 14,000-18,000 ISIS militants are present in
Iraq and Syria. The report noted: “Despite losing its territorial
‘caliphate,’ the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) solidified its
insurgent capabilities in Iraq and was resurging in Syria.” The ISIS
campaign of expanding throughout Syria and Iraq makes it difficult for
dwindling troops to combat.”
Turkey
The
National: Turkey Removes Three Pro-Kurdish Mayors Over Terrorism
Charges
“Turkey replaced three pro-Kurdish party mayors who were elected
this year by cities in the country’s southeast on Monday over alleged
terrorism charges. The elected mayors of Diyarbakir, Van and Mardin,
all in the predominantly Kurdish part of Turkey, were relieved of
their duties, with state-appointed governors temporarily taking over
their posts, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry.
“The mayors, who evidence shows are in contact with terrorist
organisations and support terrorist organisations, have been removed
from office,” the statement said, accusing the politicians of having
links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. “The PKK …
use municipalities for illegal purposes through some mayors,” it
said. The three mayors – Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli of Diyarbakir, Ahmet
Turk of Mardin and Van’s Bedia Ozgokce Ertan – were accused of crimes
that include membership of a terrorist organisation and spreading
terrorist group propaganda. The statement also accuses them of
changing street and park names to the names of terrorists and
attending terrorists’ funerals. They were elected to office in March
for the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), which Turkey’s
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan frequently accuses of links to the
PKK.”
Afghanistan
The
Washington Post: Afghans Voice Fears That The U.S. Is Undercutting
Them In Deal With The Taliban
“For months, Afghans have been waiting anxiously to see whether
negotiations between U.S. officials and Taliban insurgents will lead
to a lasting peace and a solid path to power-sharing or leave them
bereft, facing revived conflict and a possible Taliban takeover. Those
concerns deepened Saturday as news spread that President Trump’s top
peace negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, had presented him Friday with a
nearly finished deal that would remove thousands of U.S. troops but
had not locked in Taliban commitments to a cease-fire or political
negotiations with Afghan officials. President Ashraf Ghani, who has
been left out of the U.S.-Taliban talks at the insistence of the
insurgents, made no statements Saturday. His spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi,
said Ghani had not yet been briefed on Friday’s developments but that
his government would work with U.S. officials to achieve a “dignified
and sustainable peace.” Speaking at a news conference, Sediqqi noted
that U.S. officials had assured Ghani that a U.S. troop withdrawal
would be based on “conditions,” meaning only if the Taliban hold to
their commitments. He said that if the insurgents are ready to stop
violence and turn to political activity, “this can be a good deal for
the Afghan people.”
Associated
Press: A Look At The Islamic State Affiliate’s Rise In
Afghanistan
“A suicide bombing at a wedding party in Kabul claimed by a local
Islamic State affiliate has renewed fears about the growing threat
posed by its thousands of fighters, as well as their ability to plot
global attacks from a stronghold in the forbidding mountains of
northeastern Afghanistan. The attack came as the Taliban appear to
be nearing a deal with the U.S. to end nearly 18 years of fighting.
Now Washington hopes the Taliban can help rein in IS fighters, even as
some worry that Taliban fighters, disenchanted by a peace deal, could
join IS. The U.S. envoy in talks with the Taliban, Zalmay Khalilzad,
says the peace process must be accelerated to put Afghanistan in a
“much stronger position to defeat” the Islamic State affiliate. On
Monday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani vowed to “eliminate” all IS safe
havens. Here’s a look at IS in Afghanistan, a militant group some U.S.
officials have said could pose a greater threat to America than the
more established Taliban: The Islamic State affiliate appeared in
Afghanistan shortly after the group’s core fighters swept across Syria
and Iraq in 2014, carving out a self-styled caliphate, or Islamic
empire, in around a third of both countries.”
Reuters:
Islamic State Claims Afghan Wedding Blast As Families Bury The
Dead
“The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility on Sunday
for a suicide blast at a wedding reception in Afghanistan that killed
63 people, underlining the dangers the country faces even if the
Taliban agrees a pact with the United States. The Saturday night
attack came as the Taliban and the United States try to negotiate an
agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. forces in exchange for a Taliban
commitment on security and peace talks with Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed
government. Islamic State fighters, who first appeared in Afghanistan
in 2014 and have since made inroads in the east and north, are not
involved in the talks. They are battling government and U.S.-led
international forces and the Taliban. The U.S. special envoy for
reconciliation in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said the attack
showed the need to accelerate efforts to reach a deal with the
Taliban, to help defeat Islamic State. The Sunni Muslim group, in a
statement on the messaging website Telegram, claimed responsibility
for the attack at a west Kabul wedding hall in a minority Shi’ite
neighbourhood, saying its bomber had been able to infiltrate the
reception and detonate his explosives in the crowd of “infidels.”
Reuters:
Taliban Say Killing Of Leader's Brother Will Not Derail U.S.
Talks
“Afghan Taliban officials said on Saturday the killing of the
brother of their leader in a bomb attack would not derail talks with
the United States aimed at securing the withdrawal of U.S. troops
after 18 years of war. There was no claim of responsibility for the
bomb that killed the younger brother of Taliban leader Haibatullah
Akhundzada near the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday. It came after
both Taliban and U.S. officials have reported progress in talks on an
agreement centered on a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in
exchange for a Taliban security guarantee. ”If someone thinks
martyring our leaders would stop us from our goal they’re living in a
fool’s paradise,” a Taliban leader said by telephone from an
undisclosed location. ”We are close to our goals,” he said, referring
to the talks with the United States. He declined to be identified. The
militants have been fighting to expel foreign forces and set up an
Islamic state since they were ousted in October 2001, weeks after the
Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Both U.S. negotiators and the
Taliban have reported progress after eight rounds of talks since late
last year but the violence has not eased. The bomb at the mosque near
Quetta killed four people, and wounded 20, Pakistani police said.”
Pakistan
Radio
Free Europe: Two Pakistani Soldiers Killed In Roadside Bomb Near
Afghan Border
“Two Pakistani army soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb attack
in the country’s northwest, Pakistani intelligence officials said as
reported by AP. The bomb exploded when a security-forces vehicle was
patrolling the Ladha area of South Waziristan. No group immediately
claimed responsibility for the attack. The Pakistani Taliban has
claimed previous such attacks. The area where the attack took place
has been a stronghold of Mahsud militants. The army claims to have
cleared the area near the Afghan border of Islamic militants,
following a series of multiple offenses against them in recent years.
On August 16, the brother of the leader of the Afghan Taliban was
reported to have been among those killed in a bomb blast at a mosque
in southwest Pakistan. Police said four people were killed and more
than 20 injured in the explosion at the mosque some 25 kilometers from
the city of Quetta, the capital of the restive Balochistan Province.
Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada was not in the mosque when the
bomb went off but his younger brother, Hafiz Ahmadullah, was among
those killed, according to Afghan Islamic Press and Reuters, which
quoted two Taliban sources.”
Yemen
The
Jerusalem Post: Yemeni Houthis Claim Attack On Saudi Arabia's Shaybah
Oil Field
“Houthi forces in Yemen have made a drone attack on oil facilities
at Shaybah in Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni movement's Al Masirah
television said on Saturday. A drone attack launched by Yemen's
Houthi group on an oil field in eastern Saudi Arabia caused a “minor”
fire at a gas plant but had no impact on oil production, a Saudi
industry source said. The attack on the Shaybah oil field was carried
out “most probably” by three drones, the source said, adding that it
had caused no casualties and that the fire had been extinguished.
The facilities attacked included a refinery and oil storage, Al
Masirah said, citing a military spokesman. It did not say when the
attack took place. Shaybah, operated by state-oil company Saudi
Aramco, is located in the east of the kingdom, close to the United
Arab Emirates border. The Houthis, who control Sanaa and most of
Yemen's other populous areas, have stepped up attacks against targets
in Saudi Arabia in recent months. In response, the Saudi-led coalition
has targeted military sites belonging to the group, especially around
Sanaa.”
Lebanon
Bloomberg:
Brazil Mulls Labeling Hezbollah As Terrorists In Pivot To
U.S.
“Brazil is considering designating Lebanese group Hezbollah a
terrorist organization, as President Jair Bolsonaro increasingly
aligns his government with the U.S. on foreign policy. Officials are
reviewing their options to move forward with the idea, which is being
discussed at the highest levels of government but doesn’t have
across-the-board support, according to three people with direct
knowledge of the matter. It wouldn’t be easily implemented due to the
particularities of Brazilian law, they added, requesting anonymity
because the discussion isn’t public. The idea is part of Bolsonaro’s
efforts to forge stronger ties with Donald Trump, with whom he also
seeks a trade deal. It also fits into the world-view of Brazil’s
right-wing president and his inner-circle. During last year’s
presidential campaign, his son Eduardo, who may become the Brazilian
ambassador to the U.S., already advocated a strong stance against
Hezbollah, and Hamas. Yet the move could strain relations with Iran, a
Hezbollah ally which imports $2.5 billion of Brazilian products per
year, and displease Brazil’s influential Lebanese community. The
government also worries it could make the country a target of
terrorism, said one of the people.”
The
Times Of Israel: Netanyahu Says He’s ‘Not Impressed’ By Hezbollah
Chief’s Threats
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed boasts by Hezbollah
chief Hassan Nasrallah of the terror group’s military strength and
ability to defeat Israeli troops Saturday. In a televised speech
Friday marking the anniversary of a 2006 war between Hezbollah and
Israel, Nasrallah claimed that the conflict had helped his groups
develop “a military system to defend our villages, towns and cities.”
“If [Israel] enters southern Lebanon… you will see a live broadcast of
the destruction of Israeli brigades,” he warned. He said that the
residents of southern Lebanon were now secure and safe from attack due
to cooperation between his group, the Lebanese people and the
country’s military, though the Lebanese army official denies any
cooperation with Hezbollah’s armed wing. He also claimed Israel ”is
afraid of hitting Lebanon” due to his organization’s fierce fighting
skills. Netanyahu responded Saturday that “we are not impressed by
Nasrallah’s threats.” “He knows very well why he broadcasts them from
the depths of his bunker,” he said in a statement distributed via
WhatsApp. Nasrallah is rarely seen in public and is thought to be in
hiding out of fear of Israeli assassination attempts.”
The
National: Hezbollah's Pernicious Influence Spans The
Globe
“The message from the US administration over the past week has been
loud and clear: the menace from Iran-backed proxy Hezbollah is a
spider’s web that spans the globe. At a press conference yesterday in
Argentina, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took the opportunity to
talk of its pernicious influence from the other side of the globe.
Hezbollah might have its roots in Lebanon but its fund-raising
activities stretch from Paraguay, Brazil and Venezuela to Africa. “The
roots of these terror groups may be many miles away, but their
branches twist around the globe — raising funds, seeking recruits,
probing for our weaknesses, challenging our defences,” Mr Pompeo said.
His warning to South America came after a five-day visit from Lebanese
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who met key US officials in a bid to
protect his country’s fragile economy from the fallout of
escalating US sanctions against Hezbollah. The message he takes back
to Beirut is that Lebanon will never be free to plot a course towards
a prosperous and peaceful future while its political institutions
remain in thrall to an armed militia whose loyalty belongs not to the
Lebanese people but to its paymasters in Tehran.”
Middle East
Reuters:
Israel Fires On Militants At Gaza Border, Palestinians Say Three
Killed
“Israeli forces opened fire at a group of Palestinian gunmen as
they tried to cross the Gaza border, the military said on Sunday and
Palestinian health officials said three of the men were killed. “A
short while ago, IDF (Israel Defence Forces) troops spotted a number
of armed suspects adjacent to the security fence in the northern Gaza
Strip. An IDF attack helicopter and a tank fired towards them,” the
military said in a statement. Palestinian medics said they retrieved
three bodies from the site and Gaza hospital officials said a fourth
man was injured. The incident happened overnight between Saturday and
Sunday, shortly after three rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel,
one of them landing in a town near the border, according to the
Israeli military and police. The Israeli military released security
video footage it said showed the gunmen trying to cross the border. It
showed three figures crouching and walking between trees and rocks,
with at least one of them apparently carrying a rifle. There was no
immediate comment from any of the major armed groups in Gaza. No
Israelis were hurt. Gaza is ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, which
has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade. Israel pulled
its troops and settlers from the territory in 2005 but keeps the
enclave under a blockade, citing security concerns.”
Egypt
The
New York Times: Egyptian Sought In F.B.I. Qaeda Query Says He Has
Nothing To Hide
“An Egyptian who has been living and working in Brazil as a
furniture mover says he long ago got an inkling that he was on the
American security establishment’s radar. A few years ago, while he was
living in Istanbul, a friend told the man, Mohamed Ahmed El Sayed
Ahmed Ibrahim, that American officials wanted to meet with him, he
said. They wanted to learn, he was told, about the diaspora of
Egyptians who sought refuge in Turkey after the crackdown on Egypt’s
Islamist movement in 2013. “I didn’t have interest in speaking to
them,” Mr. Ibrahim said in a telephone interview on Saturday from São
Paulo, the teeming financial hub where he says he is happily married
and in the furniture moving business. Mr. Ibrahim said he had thought
little of the American request until last week. That is when the
F.B.I. disseminated a bulletin with his name and photograph alleging
that he is an operative of Al Qaeda who has plotted attacks against
American interests. The notice said Mr. Ibrahim, who has lived in
Brazil for a year and a half, should be considered armed and dangerous
and said the bureau wanted to question him. The bulletin, disseminated
through the bureau’s most-wanted Twitter account, came as a shock,
said Mr. Ibrahim.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: 44 Suspects Charged With Forming Terrorist ‘Cluster’ Cells
In Egypt
“Witnesses in the trial of 44 suspects in the Sinai State case
revealed Saturday that the accused funded the group out of their own
pockets in order to carry out attacks in Egypt. Their plots failed
however, due to the preemptive measures adopted by the security
forces, they added. Some plots included the targeting of the police
chief in Kfar al-Sheikh in the Egypt Delta region. Another “cluster
cell” monitored security forces in the Umm Rabih area in the
al-Qalyubia region. The suspects are held on charges of inciting
violence in Cairo, Giza, al-Qalyubia, Dakahlia, Kfar al-Sheikh, Faiyum
and North Sinai. The suspects include Aswan club football player
Hamada al-Sayyed. They are charged with forming seven cluster cells
and pledging allegiance to the so-called Sinai State terrorist group
between 2015 and 2018. They planned to commit terrorist attacks and
attacks against the police, armed forced and civilians. The suspects
had received training by the group in northern Sinai. Some members had
joined the group in Syria where they also received military training.
Saturday’s court hearing has been adjourned to September 14 to
complete witness testimonies. Security forces had launched in February
2018 an operation to crackdown on terrorist activity in the northern
Sinai region.”
Nigeria
All
Africa: Nigeria: Boko Haram - 35,000 Killed So Far In Nigeria -
UN
“An estimated 35,000 persons have lost their lives in the ongoing
Boko Haram insurgency in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States and other
parts of Nigeria since the beginning of the conflict in 2009, the
United Nations has said. “These are 35,000 too many deaths,” it said
in a statement. The agency also said 37 aid workers lost their lives
in the course of their duties in the region. This was disclosed in a
statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday by the United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in
commemoration of its humanitarian day. “In total, 37 aid workers have
lost their lives in service of humanity since the beginning of the
conflict. We are here together to honour them and their grieving
families, relatives, and children surviving them. “As I stand before
you today, my thoughts also go to the families of our colleagues who
are still being held captive by armed groups. The UN and its
humanitarian partners call for their immediate release and return to
safety. “My heart also goes out to the families of the thousands of
civilians who have been similarly abducted and whose whereabouts are
still unknown,” it said. “Today, we are here together to remind the
world that the humanitarian crisis hitting Borno, Adamawa and Yobe
states is far from over.”
Somalia
Xinhua:
2 Al-Shabaab Militants Killed, 4 Injured In Southern
Somalia
“Two al-Shabaab militants were killed and four were injuried during
an intense fighting with government army in southern Somalia on
Saturday , a military official told reporters. A fierce battle broke
out in Eel Sanini, a village 15 km from Number 50 Airstrip in Lower
Shabelle region after the militants attempted to attack a military
base, said Aden Ahmed Ali,Somali National Army ( SNA)' Unit one
commander. “We got a tip-off that al-Shabaab militants moved towards
our base and we intercepted them, there was a confrontation, but we
overpowered them,” said Ali. “We killed two of the attackers and
injured four others. Our forces are now pursuing the rest who ran
towards El Dhanane neighborhood, “he added. Residents said the
fighting caused panic in the area. “As we were on our daily business,
heavily armed forces passed by our village, and minutes later we heard
the sound of gun fire exchanges by government army and the militants,”
Hirsi Elmi, a local resident told Xinhua. The latest battle came
barely four days after government forces killed 7 al- Shabab militants
and injured ten others in a fierce fight with the militants in
Awdeegle town in the same region.”
United Kingdom
Evening
Standard: Jihadi Jack: Muslim Convert Who Travelled To Syria To Join
Islamic State 'Is Stripped Of British Citizenship'
“The Muslim convert dubbed Jihadi Jack who travelled to Syria to
join the Islamic State terror group has reportedly been stripped of
his British citizenship. Jack Letts was 18 when he left his
Oxfordshire home and joined the terrorists in 2014, marrying in Iraq
and moving to Raqqa in Syria. Captured by the Kurdish YPG forces as he
attempted to flee to Turkey in May 2017, the 24-year-old has since
been held in jail in northern Syria. According to the Mail on Sunday,
Mr Letts - who is a dual UK-Canadian national - has had his British
citizenship revoked, a move which was one of the last actions
of Theresa May's government. A Home Office spokesman said: “Decisions
on depriving a dual national of citizenship are based on substantial
advice from officials, lawyers and the intelligence agencies and all
available information. “This power is one way we can counter the
terrorist threat posed by some of the most dangerous individuals and
keep our country safe.” In an interview with ITV earlier this year, Mr
Letts said he felt British and that he wanted to return to the UK, but
admitted he did not think that would be likely. “I'm not going to say
I'm innocent. I'm not innocent. I deserve what comes to me.”
Germany
Deutsche
Welle: Germany's Jewish Council Warns Against AFD's 'Right-Wing
Extremism'
“The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef
Schuster, has accused the far-right populist Alternative for Germany
(AfD) party of having right-wing extremist tendencies. ”In my view,
the AfD is much more closely interwoven with right-wing extremism than
it appears,” Schuster told Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper. “The
party incites fears and promotes a climate of exclusion of
minorities,” he said. The AfD links attacks carried out by
Islamist-motivated perpetrators with populist propaganda “in order to
stir up hatred against minorities in general,” Schuster said, pointing
out that this “ultimately also creates a climate against Jews.”
Schuster sees right-wing extremism as posing the “greatest danger” to
Germany and Jews living in the country. The number of anti-Semitic
attacks in Germany increased by over 10% from 2017 to 2018, which has
prompted many Jews living in the country to consider emigrating.
According to official figures, the number of anti-Semitic crimes
committed increased from 1,504 in 2017 to 1,646 in 2018. The number of
cases considered violent increased from 37 to 62 over the same
period.”
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