CEP Roundup

Resources And Updates From The Counter Extremism Project

 

Islamist Extremism

 

Convicted Hezbollah Financier Released From U.S. Custody
In late June, it was announced that convicted Hezbollah financier and U.S.-designated “global terrorist” Kassim Tajideen would be released from prison early by the U.S. on compassionate grounds. Despite objections from the U.S. Department of Justice, Tajideen was repatriated to Lebanon in early July. Before his March 2017 arrest, Tajideen and his two brothers—Hussain and Ali Tajideen—operated multiple Hezbollah front companies across Africa and the Middle East. The Tajideens’ African business network includes real estate, food processing, and the diamond industry. On March 7, 2017, Tajideen was charged with fraud, conspiracy, money laundering, and violating global terrorism sanctions regulations. On August 8, 2019, he was sentenced to five years in prison plus a $50 million forfeiture obligation. Media coverage: The Jerusalem Post, NBC News, Jewish News Syndicate.

 

Kata’ib Hezbollah Escalates Pressure On Iraqi Government
On June 25, Iraqi forces arrested 14 militants belonging to the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) militia. They were arrested while allegedly planning an attack on Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and other diplomatic compounds. Shortly after the arrests, a “show of force” from KH resulted in the detainees’ release. The following week, prominent Iraqi security analyst Hisham al-Hashimi was assassinated. KH had reportedly threatened Hashimi in November and again two weeks ago. The events demonstrate how the Iraqi government continues to struggle to establish authority over KH and other powerful Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, like the Badr Organization, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada (KSS) and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN). KH is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. In January 2020, its leader Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes was killed in a U.S. airstrike alongside Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force leader Major General Qasem Soleimani.

 

Resource: Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada

Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada (KSS) is a U.S. designated Iraqi militia that has fought in both Iraq and Syria and is closely connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Houthis. Its leader is Abu Mustafa al Sheibani, a U.S.-designated terrorist. The group was founded in 2013. Its first public announcements were three martyrdom notices for members killed fighting in southern Damascus alongside Syrian regime forces.

 

Resource: Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN) is an Iranian-backed, U.S.-designated militia founded by Akram al-Kaabi, co-founder of AAH. HHN is closely tied to Iran and Hezbollah. Kaabi, has long been affiliated with Iranian-backed terrorist groups operating in Iraq. He began as a commander in the Sadrist militia Jaysh al-Mahdi, where he planned and led attacks against both the Iraqi army and coalition forces. Kaabi formed HHN in 2013 in response to the rise of ISIS in Syria, calling for Iraqi Shiite militias to travel to Syria and fight on the behalf of the Assad regime.

 

Ian Acheson: “Link between mental illness and extremism is problematic but it can’t stop us acting”
In the aftermath of the Reading Park stabbing attack in the U.K., CEP Senior Advisor Ian Acheson notes the vital importance of studying the relationship between mental illness and violent extremism: “The research is contested but a study found lone-actor terrorists were more than 13 times more likely to be suffering mental illness. Mental illness can play a significant role in extremist offending. It seems obvious we need more studies and more opportunities for our mental health services to play a role in safeguarding our national security.”

 

Members Of U.S. Congress Demand Extradition Of Hamas Terrorist Ahlam Ahmad al-Tamimi
In May, seven members of the U.S. Congress wrote to the Jordanian ambassador to the United States, asking the Hashemite Kingdom to extradite wanted Hamas terrorist Ahlam Ahmad al-Tamimi to the United States. Tamimi is wanted by the FBI for coordinating and aiding the August 2001 Hamas suicide bombing of a Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem that wounded 130 people and killed 15, including two Americans. Tamimi has lived freely in Jordan since 2011 while fighting against the U.S. extradition request. Under federal law, the U.S. maintains the right and responsibility to try suspected terrorists accused of having maimed or killed U.S. citizens abroad and to impose punishment within the United States. Tamimi was the first female member of the Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and is one of the FBI’s most wanted female terrorists.

 

Central and Eastern European Activities of the Muslim Brotherhood: Mapping The Ikhwan’s Presence In The Region
The Muslim Brotherhood can be many things to different observers. Some see the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, while others accept it as a modernist movement. The group has constantly evolved and expanded across multiple countries, where it has taken on various forms. While its Western European activities have been thoroughly explored in academic literature, uncovering the group’s on-the-ground presence in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has been lacking. In their report, CEE Activities Of The Muslim Brotherhood: Mapping The Ikhwan’s Presence In The Region, CEP and Bratislava-based think tank GLOBSEC highlight the activities of the group in several CEE countries. On May 25, CEP and GLOBSEC previewed the report during a webinar and discussion that featured Annelies Pauwels, Research Fellow, Flemish Peace Institute; Viktor Szucs, Research Fellow, GLOBSEC; Egdunas Racius, Lecturer, Vytautas Magnus University Lithuania; and Dr. Martyn Frampton, Lecturer, Queen Mary University of London.

 

U.N. Report: Taliban Maintains Ties To Al-Qaeda
A new report released by the United Nations (U.N.) in early June revealed that the Taliban maintained routine consultations with al-Qaeda, despite the Taliban’s peace deal with the United States. According to the report, about 400 to 600 armed al-Qaeda operatives are stationed in Afghanistan. The February 29 peace agreement saw the Taliban agree to prevent al-Qaeda from operating in Afghanistan in order for U.S. troops to gradually withdraw from the country. Despite the conditions of the negotiations, the two extremist groups reportedly exchanged guarantees to honor their historic ties. Such an agreement would run counter to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1988, which demands the Taliban break ties with al-Qaeda, accept the Afghan constitution and renounce violence.

 

Security Deteriorating In West Africa As Terror Groups End Alliance
Recent attacks by Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara—local affiliates of al-Qaeda and ISIS—against one another is punctuating a security breakdown in West Africa, a region already challenged by ongoing violence. More than one million people in the region have fled their homes due to the worsening violence. The majority are in Burkina Faso, which the U.N. says is home to one of the “fastest-growing humanitarian crises in Africa.” In Mali, which has been operating under a state of emergency since November 2015, rising ethnic and jihadist-backed violence has the country poised to surpass the total number of civilians killed in all of 2019.

 

Virginia Man Indicted For Conspiring With Somali Terror Group
In late May, former Northern Virginia resident and FBI most-wanted terrorist, Liban Haji Mohamed, was indicted in federal court on charges of conspiring to provide material support to the Somalia-based terrorist group, al-Shabab. The complaint alleges that after fleeing the United States in 2012, Mohamed reportedly planned to join al-Shabab and use his media skills to promote online propaganda for the terrorist organization. While al-Shabab’s recruitment efforts are primarily focused on Somalia and Kenya, the group’s use of social media for propaganda has attracted recruits from around the world, including the United States.

 

ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency
In May, CEP introduced “ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency,” a monthly update that details the ongoing resurgence of the terrorist group ISIS in central Syria. Each update is accompanied by an interactive map indicating the exact location and nature of major attacks carried out by ISIS or Syrian forces. The update covering the month of June can be read here. The May update can be read here, and the April update, here. A full background and analysis of ISIS’s resurgence can be explored here.

 

Tech and Terrorism

 

Industry Faces Criticism On Capitol Hill For Promoting Divisive Content
On June 24, CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid, a professor at University of California, Berkeley, testified before a joint subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Energy & Commerce on the effects of online disinformation. In his testimony, Dr. Farid criticized tech firms, including Facebook and Google/YouTube, for their unwillingness to effectively moderate harmful content on their respective platforms. Tech firms have an incentive to amplify divisive content, which increases user engagement and drives revenue. Dr. Farid told members of the subcommittee: “The point is that social media has learned that outrageous, divisive, and conspiratorial content increases engagement … The vast majority of delivered content is actively promoted by content providers based on their algorithms that are designed in large part to maximize engagement and revenue … Many want to frame the issue of content moderation as an issue of freedom of speech. It is not.” In late May, the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook executives deliberately “weakened or blocked” efforts to address and correct systematic software flaws after discovering its algorithms were facilitating the growth of extremist groups on the platform. Media coverage: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Sociable, Stamford Advocate, Quartz.

 

CEP Applauds Justice Department’s Move To Limit Section 230 Legal Protections For Tech Industry
On June 17, CEP Executive Director David Ibsen and CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid applauded proposed changes announced by the U.S. Department of Justice to narrow tech companies’ broad legal protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). The Justice Department’s proposal would, among other things, remove companies’ immunity in cases involving terrorist content: “CEP has long called for the removal of tech companies’ blanket protections from liability for harmful content posted by third parties … The ongoing presence of extremist content online continues to prove that tech companies are unwilling or unable to effectively control the horrific and dangerous content that continues to the legal framework that ensures both a functioning Internet environment and the safety and proliferate on their sites … This action by the Justice Department is a necessary step to update the legal framework that ensures both a functioning Internet environment and the safety and well-being of society.”

 

David Ibsen: “Tech Companies Continue Evading Accountability for Violent Content”
CEP Executive Director David Ibsen argues that the Internet has become a repository for violent content of all kinds and government needs to act: “At the political level, governments should stop relying on self-regulation and force the tech industry to face their responsibilities. New legislation approved in Australia last year is a welcome step forward: the law holds social media companies, websites and internet service providers liable for fines of up to 10% of their annual global turnover if they fail to promptly remove offending material.”

 

Dr. Hany Farid: “Congress Needs to Make Silicon Valley EARN IT”
CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid discusses the need for pending legislation that would force tech giants to stop prioritizing profits over safety: “Frustratingly, for the past decade, the technology sector has been largely obstructionist and full of naysayers when it comes to deploying new technologies to protect us. As a result of this deliberate neglect, the internet is overrun with child sexual abuse material, illegal sex trade, nonconsensual pornography, hate and terrorism, illegal drugs, illegal weapons, and rampant misinformation designed to sow civil unrest and interfere with democratic elections.”

 

David Ibsen and Lara Pham: “An Undeserving Legal Shield”
CEP Executive Director David Ibsen and Deputy Director Lara Pham argue that big tech companies have misused the liability protection afforded to them by Congress: “Rather than properly enforcing their terms of service under the protection afforded by Section 230, tech companies have done little to rein in dangerous content. They have, instead, used Section 230 to fend off lawsuits from victims of terrorism and other real-world harms that have links to content on these sites. Given tech’s ongoing inability to comply with the spirit of Section 230, the Department of Justice has rightfully proposed a legislative plan to revise these broad legal protections — including removing immunity when it comes to terrorist content.”
 

Regulating Against Extremist Content Online – Discussion on The Upcoming EU Digital Services Act
On July 14, CEP conducted a webinar devoted to the upcoming European regulation of extremist content online in the context of the Digital Services Act (DSA). In early June, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the DSA to update the e-Commerce Directive for the digital age. The webinar discussion featured concrete suggestions on how to increase the effectiveness of content moderation systems to tackle illegal extremist content more effectively. Recently, European Union (EU) digital-policy and antitrust czar Margrethe Vestager took sharp aim at U.S. tech companies, detailing a comprehensive plan to regulate tech companies, including proposals to curb their anticompetitive behavior. The new measures aim to compel tech firms to pay more taxes and take more responsibility for illegal content on their platforms and would allow EU member states to impose fines on tech firms of up to four percent of annual revenue for failure to consistently remove extremist content within one hour of receiving notice from public authorities.

 

Far-Right Extremism

 

U.S. Demonstrators Contend With Uptick In Vehicular Attacks
Demonstrations across the U.S. have been marred by at least 19 cases of individuals associated with far-right groups allegedly using vehicles as weapons to drive into crowds, according to witnesses and police. In at least eight of these cases, drivers face charges over what prosecutors have claimed to be deliberate acts. In a Virginia court filing, the Commonwealth alleges a driver who hit a demonstrator’s bicycle and threatened the protesting crowd nearby with his truck told police he was a high-ranking official of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Messages on social media platforms also seem to encourage these attacks, frequently using phrases such as “all lives splatter” or “run them over.” In its report, Vehicles as Weapons of Terror, CEP documented at least 50 vehicular attacks by terrorists since 2006, collectively resulting in the deaths of at least 197 people and the injury of at least 1,101 others. Extremists have carried out car-ramming attacks for more than a decade, in locations ranging from North Carolina to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Quebec, Dijon, Nantes, the West Bank, Graz, and Xinjiang. Media coverage: The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post.

 

White Supremacist Accelerationists And Neo-Nazis Celebrate Violence in Minneapolis
CEP reports regularly on the ways extremists exploit the Internet and social media platforms to recruit followers and incite violence. On June 1, CEP researchers reported that white supremacist accelerationists and neo-Nazis were celebrating violence between Minneapolis police and protesters on several Telegram channels. CEP also located a new website dedicated to glorifying and spreading the work of neo-Nazi James Mason. On June 8, CEP reported that white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups were using their Telegram channels to capitalize on the ongoing U.S. protests and civil disorder, encouraging users to incite violence against protesters and advocating for attacks on infrastructure, including power grids. On June 17, numerous white supremacist Telegram channels and chan users celebrated the five year anniversary of the murder of nine people by white supremacist Dylann Roof at Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina. Propaganda was spread on Telegram, including Roof’s manifesto, and drawings and songs glorifying Roof were viewed thousands of times by users. Media Coverage: VOA, News.com.au, New Zealand Herald, Archer News Network.

 

Russian Imperial Movement Provides Weapons & Combat Training To German Neo-Nazis
German neo-Nazis are training with the far-right Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) to gain proficiency in more advanced military-style tactics, according to a report by German news magazine Focus. The RIM, recently designated by the U.S. as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, is said to have hosted extremists who belonged to the youth wings of two German political parties considered to be neo-Nazi movements, the National Democratic Party and The Third Path. The training reportedly took place at a camp known as Partizan near Saint Petersburg, where former Russian military members instructed on bombmaking, marksmanship, combat medicine, and small-group tactics. Additionally, the RIM has supported the efforts of neo-Nazi groups in Scandinavia. Media Coverage: Vice News.

 

Policy & Analysis

 

Regulating Cryptocurrencies To Mitigate Risks Of Misuse For Terrorism Financing
CEP, in conjunction with Berlin Risk, conducted a webinar on June 10 on the risk of cryptocurrencies being misused for the financing of terrorism and other nefarious purposes, which has intensified during the past few years. Both the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the European Union have been developing the regulatory framework for this new asset class. The webinar was accompanied by the release of a new CEP/Berlin Risk report on the challenges posed by the proliferation of cryptocurrencies, Cryptocurrencies as Threats to Public Security and Counter-Terrorism: Risk Analysis and Regulatory Challenges. Media Coverage: The National, The Sun, CoinList, News Chastin, Decrypt.

 

Can Convicted Terrorists Be Rehabilitated?
Many terrorist offenders imprisoned in the European Union and the United States will be released in the coming years. On June 3, CEP, in cooperation with the Radicalization Awareness Network (RAN) of the European Commission, conducted a webinar to probe the complex challenges facing governments, prison authorities, and rehabilitation professionals. Webinar speakers included Mitchell D. Silber, former Director of Intelligence Analysis at the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and Jesse Morton, former recruiter for al-Qaeda, and founder of the counter-radicalization organization Parallel Networks. Silber and Morton co-authored the CEP report When Terrorists Come Home. Other expert speakers included Maarten van de Donk, Senior Advisor of the RAN, and Dr. Robert Pelzer, Senior Researcher at the Technical University Berlin and co-author of the study commissioned by CEP on Islamist terrorist rehabilitation programs in Germany. Media Coverage: WTOP-The Hunt.

 

On The Threat of Deep Fakes To Democracy And Society
For years, the influence of fake news and the manipulation of public and political perception have been a threat to political systems. During the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories have risen to new heights. On June 29, CEP, in cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, conducted a webinar to probe the phenomenon of seemingly real synthesized videos, or deep fakes. The event featured CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid, a global leader in forensic technology and the leading authority on the detection of deep fakes, and CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler. The study by Drs. Farid and Schindler, On the Threat of Deep Fakes to Democracy and Society, explains the technology of creating deep fakes, the technical opportunities for their detection, and ways to counter the threat. Media Coverage: The National.

 

Marco Macori: “The Cyber Terrorism Risk: Overblown?”
CEP Research Fellow Marco Macori explores the likelihood of a terrorist group launching a cyberattack against targets in America: “Paradoxically, success in the ‘fight against terrorism’ is likely to make terrorist groups turn increasingly to unconventional weapons, such as cyberattacks. For terrorist groups, cyber-based attacks have some distinct advantages over physical attacks as they can be conducted remotely, anonymously, and relatively cheaply. The effects can be widespread and profound. Thus, incidents of cyber terrorism are likely to increase in the future.”

 

Lara Maassen: “Bioterrorism: A Clear and Imminent Threat”
CEP Research Intern Lara Maassen explores the threat from bioterrorism and ways to prevent it: “The expansion of large corporate biotech companies have made genome editing tools available, even to those without any scientific knowledge or laboratory training. Moving forward, regulations on their products will need to be implemented. Companies as well as research institutions must be expected to carry part of the burden of ensuring that these technologies do not fall into the hands of future bioterrorists.”

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