Mohammed Alqaysi provided his computer expertise to develop and post logos for a media arm of the ISIS group known as the Kalachnikov team.

Clarion Project ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

View in browser ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

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

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A Word From the CEO
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Dear Reader,

Recent weeks spotlight extremism’s reach: a Virginia man convicted for a planned church shooting, Tesla sites ablaze amid Musk’s political ascent, and a New Jersey ISIS supporter busted with bomb blueprints. Radical threats, from digital shadows to fiery chaos, keep striking American soil.

Foreign influence weaves a quieter web: Qatar skews K-12 lessons against Israel and Russian propaganda infects AI like ChatGPT. Subtle yet pervasive, these moves test the nation’s vigilance.

Sincerely,

-------------------
A Word From the CEO
-------------------

Dear Reader,

Recent weeks spotlight extremism’s reach: a Virginia man convicted for a planned church shooting, Tesla sites ablaze amid Musk’s political ascent, and a New Jersey ISIS supporter busted with bomb blueprints. Radical threats, from digital shadows to fiery chaos, keep striking American soil.

Foreign influence weaves a quieter web: Qatar skews K-12 lessons against Israel and Russian propaganda infects AI like ChatGPT. Subtle yet pervasive, these moves test the nation’s vigilance.

Sincerely,

RIchard Green

CEO, Co-Founder

Clarionproject.org

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Islamist Extremism
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Vice President JD Vance discusses President Donald Trump's executive order on temporarily halting refugee resettlement with a CBS news anchor on ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

Vice President JD Vance discusses President Donald Trump's executive order on temporarily halting refugee resettlement with a CBS news anchor on "Face the Nation" - via Fox News screenshot
( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

*Former Iraqi Refugee Pleads Guilty to Helping ISIS*
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*

Abdulrahman Mohammed Hafedh Alqaysi, 28, a former Iraqi refugee and legal permanent resident of Richmond, Texas, has entered a guilty plea to providing material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

*

From 2015 to 2020, Alqaysi provided his computer expertise to develop and post logos for a media arm of the ISIS group known as the Kalachnikov team.

*

Alqaysi faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

*New Jersey Man Admits to Helping ISIS*
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*

Kyse S. Abushanab, a 27-year-old from Budd Lake, N.J., pleaded guilty to concealing material support and resources to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

*

Between March 2021 and January 2022, Abushanab compiled resources, including instructions on manufacturing weapons of mass destruction like suicide belts, detonators, and improvised bombs, to assist ISIS and its supporters.

*

To evade law enforcement detection, he used encrypted applications, untraceable email accounts, and secured cloud storage to gather and store the information.

*

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, with sentencing scheduled for September 24, 2025. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

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Militant-Right and Militant-Left Extremism
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A Tesla Supercharger station is vandalized with the words Elon is a Nazi scum on January 31, 2025, in San Diego, Calif. - Kevin Carter/Getty Images ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

A Tesla Supercharger station is vandalized with the words "Elon is a Nazi scum" on January 31, 2025, in San Diego, Calif. - Kevin Carter/Getty Images

*Tesla Facilities Face Attacks*
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* Tesla facilities across the U.S., including showrooms and charging stations, have faced a series of attacks involving Molotov cocktails, arson, and graffiti, amid Elon Musk's increasing political involvement as co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Trump.
* A notable incident involved a 40-year-old woman in Colorado accused of vandalizing a Tesla dealership five times, including hurling Molotov cocktails and spray-painting "nazi cars," with police linking the attacks to Musk’s political actions and controversial statements.
* The violence has coincided with a significant drop in Musk’s net worth—over $100 billion since mid-December 2024—driven by a Tesla stock sell-off, raising concerns among investors and analysts about the impact on the company’s brand and sales.
* President Trump and Republican lawmakers have labeled the attacks as "domestic terrorism," with calls for federal investigations, while Musk has publicly condemned the vandalism, distinguishing it from free speech. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

*Man Charged Over Neo-Nazi Vandalism*
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* Michael Beaudry, a 32-year-old from Bridgewater, Mass., was arrested and charged with vandalism after placing neo-Nazi and anti-immigrant stickers on a bus stop and other locations at Bridgewater State University.
* Surveillance video captured Beaudry affixing the stickers and giving a Nazi salute, leading to his identification and arrest on March 7, 2025, following a joint investigation by university police, local police, and the Massachusetts State Police Hate Crimes Unit.
* A search of Beaudry’s white pickup truck uncovered additional antisemitic and white nationalist stickers, as well as a “Hitler Youth” knife with a swastika, strengthening the case against him. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

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Hate Crime
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The Jewish Museum of Maryland - via WBAL TV 11 screenshot ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

The Jewish Museum of Maryland - via WBAL TV 11 screenshot

*Man Charged With Arson Outside Jewish Museum of Maryland*
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*

Baltimore police arrested 66-year-old Assadollah Hashemi on August 10, 2024, in connection with a fire set outside the Jewish Museum of Maryland on August 4, 2024, which is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

*

Surveillance video captured a man matching Hashemi’s description igniting objects at the museum’s front gate and fleeing in a silver Chrysler 300; the license plate was linked to him despite being registered to a different vehicle and an outdated address.

*

Hashemi, who has a history of fire-related crimes, was apprehended by SWAT officers at his residence, following a prior incident on July 24, 2024, where police intervened in a behavioral crisis involving him burning a trash container.

*

He faces charges of second-degree arson and first-degree attempted malicious burning, with damages to the museum exceeding $1,000; federal agents are assisting in the investigation. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

*Virginia Man Convicted of Hate Crime Attempted Shooting*
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* Rui Jiang, a 36-year-old from Falls Church, Va., was convicted of a hate crime for attempting to shoot up Park Valley Church on March 6, 2025.
* Jiang was arrested on September 24, 2023, during a Sunday service at the church, carrying a loaded handgun, after posting online threats the previous night and being reported by a former girlfriend to police, who coordinated with multiple agencies to apprehend him.
* Jiang faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison, with sentencing scheduled for June 18, 2025. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

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School Threats
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Howland (Ohio) Middle School - via Homes.com screenshot ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

Howland (Ohio) Middle School - via Homes.com screenshot

*Ohio Teen Arrested After Online Threat*
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*

Police in Howland Township, Ohio, arrested one person on March 16, 2025, following an online threat made against Howland Middle School via TikTok.

*

The police became aware of the threat around 2 p.m. and launched an investigation. However, no further details about the suspect or the nature of the threat were immediately released. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

*Two Teens Arrested for School Shooting Threats*
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* A 17-year-old boy from Sanford, Fla., was arrested on March 9, 2025, after posting a video online threatening to "shoot up" Seminole High School, with police finding airsoft guns at his home but no real firearms.
* A 13-year-old girl from New York was arrested on March 5, 2025, for making threats against Ichabod Crane Middle School in Valatie, leading to her being charged with making a terroristic threat. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

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Foreign Influence Operations
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A phone screen displaying a picture of rescuers working on a residential building destroyed after a missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, on January 16, 2023, with the WarOnFakes.com website displaying a fake video of the same residential building shown in the background - OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

A phone screen displaying a picture of rescuers working on a residential building destroyed after a missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, on January 16, 2023, with the WarOnFakes.com website displaying a fake video of the same residential building shown in the background - OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

*Russian Disinformation Has Infiltrated AI Chatbots*
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*

A NewsGuard study revealed that a Moscow-based disinformation network, "Pravda," has infiltrated Western AI chatbots, causing them to spread Russian propaganda by flooding the web with 3.6 million pro-Kremlin articles in 2024 alone.

*

The audit tested 10 major AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini, finding they repeated Pravda’s false narratives 33 percent of the time, with seven directly citing Pravda sites as credible sources.

*

Pravda employs "LLM grooming," manipulating AI training datasets with disinformation, such as false claims about Ukraine’s President Zelensky banning Trump’s Truth Social app, which six chatbots echoed.

*

Researchers warn this subtle manipulation, amplified by AI’s scale, poses a widespread threat to information integrity, as chatbots fail to distinguish propaganda from fact. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

*Report Reveals Qatari Fueled Anti-Israel Bias in K-12*
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*

The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) released a report uncovering foreign influence, particularly from Qatar Foundation International (QFI), and anti-Israel bias in the Choices Program at Brown University, a curriculum used by over 8,000 K-12 schools across all 50 states, reaching more than one million students.

*

The report details a decade-long shift in the Choices Program’s curriculum, including the removal of key historical documents, misrepresentation of Israel’s capital on maps, and exclusion of balanced perspectives on Israeli history, allegedly to delegitimize Israel, with undisclosed QFI involvement in shaping content and teacher training. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

*Three New Congressional Bills Introduced to Curb China's US influence*
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*

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., led the introduction of three bills aimed at curbing Chinese influence this week.

*

The Countering Adversarial and Malicious Partnerships at Universities and Schools Act (CAMPUS) would prohibit joint research between U.S. universities and those in China connected to its military and bar federal funds from going to schools that partner with entities linked to it.

*

The Belt & Road Oversight Act is designed to monitor China's predatory lending practices and counter any economic coercion. The measure would establish officers at all worldwide embassies who would be charged with tracking its investments in critical infrastructure.

*

The third bill would conduct oversight into any purchases of U.S. agricultural land that could pose a national security threat. Named the Security and Oversight of International Landholdings (SOIL) Act, the measure specifically bans any federal assistance for certain real estate holdings that are owned by foreign entities and expands disclosure requirements for land purchases made by any such entities. Read More ( [link removed] 202503-20&utm_medium=email )

QUOTABLE
“I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people.”

-- Thomas Jefferson

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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