The Islamic State’s media wing has released a video calling for supporters in
the United States to commit acts of arson. The 4-minute video, which was

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


July 30, 2020

 

Washington Examiner: ISIS Releases Video Calling On Supporters To Carry Out
Arson Attacks In US
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“The Islamic State’s media wing has released a video calling for supporters in
the United States to commit acts of arson. The 4-minute video, which was
released over the weekend, was produced in both Arabic and English and features
high-end video editing, according to a report by the Middle East Media Research
Center’s Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor. The narrator speaks about how ISIS
supporters should fight “fire with fire” and includes an image of a
military-style rifle while discussing how some would-be terrorists don’t have
access to certain weapons. Instead, the narrator advocates for arson attacks
and highlights the devastating effect that fires have had recently in places
such as Australia, Greece, and the U.S. “To become more convinced of this
option, try looking at the fires in the lands of the crusaders every year.
Fires in forests and fields, cities and villages completely destroyed, people
displaced, armies of firefighters and civil defense personnel working
continuously days to no avail,” the narrator says. He also instructs terrorists
to be careful to dispose of incriminating evidence. Although ISIS’s territorial
caliphate has dissolved, the terrorist group still has affiliates around the
globe.”

 

The Times: German Far-Right Buys Land For Military Training
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“Right-wing extremists are moving into property to set up bases for their
activities and anchor themselves in local communities, German intelligence
services have warned. Neo-Nazis are seeking land and buildings in rural parts
of eastern states, officials said. In Saxony the number of buildings known to
be owned by far-right groups rose by five last year to 27. Nationwide,
right-wing extremists own 146 properties, according to official estimates.
Analysts suspect the true figure is far higher. “It’s part of the Nazi ideology
of ‘blood and land’,” Nicholas Potter, an expert on right-wing extremism at the
Amadeu Antonio Foundation, said. “They’re trying to gain footholds wherever
they can.” He said that the funding was generated by a “far-right economy”
based on publishing, merchandise and hosting rock…”

 

United States

 

Business Insider: Jeff Bezos Hinted Amazon Might Split From The SPLC Over
Designation Of Extremist Groups After Pressure From A GOP Lawmaker
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“Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos folded under questioning from Rep. Matt Gaetz during
Wednesday's tech antitrust hearing. Gaetz, a Republican representative from
Florida, asked Bezos about Amazon's Smile program, which donates 0.5% of
eligible purchases to the charitable organization of a customer's choice.
Amazon relies on the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Southern
Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a nonprofit that identifies hate groups and
extremist groups in the US, to help it determine ineligible charities. Amazon
says it does not allow customers to donate to organizations that “engage in,
support, encourage, or promote intolerance, hate, terrorism, violence, money
laundering, or other illegal activities.” Gaetz questioned why certain
organizations — including Catholic Family News, American Family Association,
and Jewish Defense League — are not included as options for customers. “I'm
just wondering why you would place your confidence in a group that seems to be
so out of step and seems to take mainstream Christian doctrine and label it as
hate?” Gaetz asked Bezos.”

 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Ex-White Supremacist Gang Member Gets More Than 2
Years In Prison For Violent Fenton Attack
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“A former member of a white supremacist gang was sentenced Wednesday to 28
months in prison for violently attacking a fellow gang member in 2013. Thomas
B. Wilson, then 44, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in March
to one felony count of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering. He
admitted directing and aiding in a Nov. 9, 2013, attack at George Winter Park
in Fenton, on the banks of the Meramec River. Wilson, two other members of the
Aryan Circle gang and one aspiring member built a bonfire at the park and
brought the victim and his girlfriend there. They confronted him about “taking
sides” within gang factions, and then Wilson co-defendant Thomas Tisher hit the
victim from behind with a piece of wood, Wilson’s plea agreement said. Wilson,
Tisher and two others dragged the man to the river bank and began beating him
with rocks and sticks and their hands and feet, Wilson’s plea said. One man
tried to burn the victim’s Aryan Circle tattoos off with a flaming piece of
wood before they left him unconscious. The victim, who is identified in court
only by initials, is permanently disfigured. Charges were delayed for years
because the victim was initially uncooperative and investigators didn’t realize
the gang connection in the attack, court filings said.”

 

Iran

 

Al Monitor: Rouhani Slams US ‘Aerial Terrorism’ After Iran Plane Interception
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“This is exactly and undoubtedly an act of aerial terrorism,” Iran’s President
Hassan Rouhani said in condemnation of the US interception of an Iranian Airbus
A-310 passenger jet that was flying over Syrian airspace last week. In a
strongly worded televised speech July 29, Rouhani added that the United States
must be treated as a “terrorist state” because it “harassed passengers” on
board the plane. He urged a reaction from the UN Security Council and the
International Civil Aviation Organization against the “mischievous” and
“unacceptable” move. In its own version of the events, the US Central Command
has said two of its F-15 fighter jets conducted a “standard visual inspection”
from a safe distance of the plane that belonged to Mahan Air, an airline linked
to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Minutes into the incident,
Iran’s state television reported that several passengers on the Beirut-bound
flight had been injured as the pilot had to drop altitude by conducting a
sudden safety nosedive to avoid the two warplanes. Starting in 2011, the US
Treasury has slapped Mahan Air with multiple sanctions over its perceived
secret operations assisting the IRGC with weapons smuggling and troops
deployment to Syria, a charge that the airline has repeatedly denied.”

 

Turkey

 

Yeni Safak: Turkey Launches New Anti-Terror Operation In East
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“With 1,006 personnel, Turkey has launched a new anti-terror operation in its
eastern Tunceli province, the country's Interior Ministry announced on
Wednesday. In a statement, the ministry said Operation Yildirim-4 was launched
on Tuesday to “completely eliminate the separatist terror group from the
country's agenda and to neutralize terrorists taking shelter in the region.” A
total of 1,006 security personnel, including gendarmerie commandos, gendarmerie
special operations and police special forces as well as security guards, are
taking part in the operation, added the statement. Also, operations Yildirim,
Yildirim-2 Cilo, and Yildirim-3 Mt. Agri continue, it noted. As part of these
operations launched in July under the coordination of the Interior Ministry,
eight terrorists have been neutralized, and 24 caves, shelters, and storages
were destroyed, as well as many weapons, ammunition, and food were seized, the
statement said. Turkey’s operations against terrorists within the country
continue determinedly and successfully with the support of the public, the
statement added. In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the
PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and EU -- has been
responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children,
and infants.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Long War Journal: Taliban Tells Fighters Group Is ‘On The Threshold’ Of ‘Pure
Islamic Government’
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“In his yearly Eid-ul-Adha message, Taliban emir Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada
issued a rallying cry to his fighters, saying the Taliban is “on the threshold
of establishing an Islamic government” after two decades of fighting. The
Taliban has been adamant that the only acceptable outcome for the country is
the return of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan with Haibatullah at
its helm. In his statement, Haibatullah yet again called for the establishment
of a “pure Islamic government” and an “Islamic system” for Afghanistan. His
message was released on July 28 on Voice of Jihad, the Taliban’s official
website. Haibatullah mentioned the return of an “Islamic government,” “pure
Islamic government,” and an “Islamic system” five times in his short statement.
Now, after signing a so-called ‘peace’ deal with the U.S. that facilitates the
Americans’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, Haibatullah says the Taliban is finally
close. But contrary to the popular opinion that peace will be at hand once the
Taliban conducts “intra-Afghan negotiations,” Haibatullah says that there will
be peace once “a pure Islamic government” is established [emphasis ours].”

 

Pakistan

 

Associated Press: Pakistani Military Says Soldier Killed In Cross-Border Raid
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“Pakistan’s military said militants killed a soldier in a cross-border attack
on a security post on Wednesday near the Afghan border. The attack took place
in Bajur, a former tribal region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the country's
northwest, according to a military statement. It said insurgents attacked the
post from across the Afghan border and fled the scene. The military provided no
further details. Bajur served as a base for the Taliban and other militants
until a few years ago, when the army said it cleared the area of insurgents.
However, attacks have continued. Pakistan and Afghanistan share a
2,400-kilometer (1,500-mile) internationally recognized border known as the
Durand Line, which was drawn in the 19th century when the British dominated
South Asia. Kabul has never recognized the boundary. The two sides also often
accuse each other of turning a blind eye to militants operating along the
porous frontier.”

 

Lebanon

 

The Jerusalem Post: IDF Troops Did Not Kill Hezbollah Operatives In Order To
Reduce Tensions
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“The IDF soldiers who engaged with the Hezbollah cell that infiltrated into
Israel on Monday had been ordered not to kill them, in an attempt to reduce
tensions with the Lebanese terror group, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Sources with knowledge of the incident said that the military did not want the
terrorists killed in Israeli territory where the IDF would hold onto them,
leading to the terror group firing rockets towards the Galilee in retaliation.
“If Hezbollah would fire rockets, targeting civilians along with IDF soldiers,
we would have no choice but to respond and we would find ourselves in a war,”
the source said. According to the IDF, the Hezbollah cell, numbered between
three and five armed men, crossed a few hundred meters into Israeli territory
before IDF troops opened fire at the operatives, who were seen sprinting back
into Lebanese territory. “The terrorists, who are seen armed in the video,
crossed the border. They knew where they were,” the source said, adding that
they were meters from the IDF’s Gladiola outpost when they were engaged by
troops. The Post’s sister publication Maariv reported that the cell had been
spotted moving slowly toward Israel and had been under surveillance for several
hours before its members crossed into Israel and were engaged by IDF , who
fired in their direction to drive them back into Lebanon where they were picked
up by a waiting car.”

 

Nigeria

 

Sahara Reporters: Breaking: Boko Haram Attacks Convoy Of Borno Governor,
Zulum, In Baga
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“Boko Haram fighters on Wednesday opened fire on the convoy of Babagana Zulum,
governor of Borno State, SaharaReporters has gathered. Security sources said
that the insurgents attacked the convoy of Zulum at Baga town. The attack comes
three months after Ali Modu Sheriff, a former governor of the state, was
attacked by the sect along Maiduguri-Damaturu Highway. At least five persons
including three policemen were killed in the incident.”

 

Africa

 

The Africa Report: Mozambique: Can Cabo Delgado’s Islamist Insurgency Be
Stopped?
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“The world still has no idea what is happening because of indifference, and
because it seems that we have already become accustomed to wars. There is war
in Iraq, there is war in Syria and there is also now a war in Mozambique.” In
an interview with Club Mozambique, the bishop of Pemba, Luiz Fernando Lisboa,
recounts the constant daily struggles in the regional capital of Cabo
Delgado.Outside of the province, many people have little idea of the growing
violence taking place in Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique that is affecting
more than 700,000 people. Northern Mozambique is known for its oil-rich land
and also its growing fight against Islamist extremism. The French oil giant
Total recently noted that the insurgency will continue to wreak havoc on its
planned liquified natural gas project in the province. Since October 2017, 700
civilians have been killed in attacks, at times claimed by the Islamic State
armed group or other militants hailing from Kenya and Tanzania who have joined
a homegrown group called either Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama or Ansar al-Sunna (meaning
‘supporters of tradition’). That group is often called locally Al-Shabaab, but
it has no practical connection to the Somali rebel organisation.”

 

Europe

 

Reuters: Belarus Suspects Russian Mercenaries Preparing Acts Of Terrorism:
Security Official
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“Belarus suspects a group of more than 30 Russian mercenaries it detained of
planning “acts of terrorism” in the country, Belarusian Security Council State
Secretary Andrey Raukov said on Thursday. Up to 200 mercenaries are still in
Belarus and law enforcement agents are looking for them, Raukov told reporters.”

 

Canada

 

The Canadian Press: Canada’s Fight Against ISIS Enters New Phase Leading To
Fewer Troops In Middle East
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“Canada’s war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has quietly
entered a new phase, resulting in plans to keep fewer troops in the Middle East
even after the COVID-19 pandemic passes. The Canadian Armed Forces has had up
to 850 troops in the region in recent years, including hundreds of military
trainers who have been teaching the basics of soldiering to Iraqi forces as
part of the global fight against ISIL. The military recalled about half the
contingent to Canada in March as COVID-19 spread around the globe, forcing a
halt to many military activities. The expectation at the time was that most
would return once the threat receded. But Brig.-Gen. Michael Wright, who as
commander of Joint Task Force Impact oversees most of the Canadian military’s
anti-ISIL efforts, says that won’t be the case after allied commanders
determined the Iraqi military is now largely able to fight the militant group
on its own. “For Canada and a number of the other nations, some of the soldiers
that were retrograded in March will not be coming back because there is no
longer a requirement for them to do the more hands-on, tactical-level tasks
that they were performing,” Wright said in an interview this week.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Agence France-Presse: Student Arrests In Hong Kong Deepen 'White Terror' Fears
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“Hong Kong has fallen into an era of “white terror”, democracy campaigners
said Thursday after four students –- one aged just 16 –- were arrested for
social media posts deemed to be a threat to China's national security.
Wednesday's arrests were the first made by Hong Kong police's new national
security unit, which was set up after Beijing imposed a controversial law last
month aimed at quashing the city's democracy movement. The arrests added to a
deepening sense of dread in Hong Kong that its cherished freedoms on speech --
once thought to be guaranteed under a “One China, Two Systems” model -- are on
the way to being eviscerated. The four arrested were former members of Student
Localism, a pro-independence group that announced it was disbanding the day
before the new national security law was enacted. Police said the three males
and one female -- aged between 16 and 21 -- were arrested on suspicion of
organising and inciting secession through comments made on social media posts
after the law came in. “They wanted to unite all the independent groups in Hong
Kong for the view to promote the independence of Hong Kong,” Li Kwai-wah, from
the police's new national security unit, told reporters.”

 

Technology

 

Cointelegraph: Crypto Scammers Turn Toward Terrorism With a Japanese Bomb
Threat
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“Crypto terrorists threatened to bomb a government office on the Japanese
island of Hokkaido. They told authorities that they would only disable the
alleged explosive device if their crypto ransom was paid. According to FNN, the
terrorists sent the Numata Town Hall an email stating they had installed a bomb
in a women’s second-floor toilet. They claimed that as long as officials met
their payment demands before 03:00 UTC on June 29, the bomb would not be
detonated.  However, this appears to have been a fake threat. The deadline set
by the criminals has passed and the hall remains intact without any further
suspicious activity as of press time. Authorities stated that the email arrived
during the week of July 20. Locals and people working inside the building claim
that they did not notice any suspicious movements from strangers. This seems to
reinforce suspicions that the crypto scam relied on a terrorist threat as a way
to pressure the government into paying the ransom. In other crypto scam cases
in Japan, the ongoing pandemic forced the postponement of the Olympic Games in
Tokyo. This has triggered a series of online crypto-related scams, including an
email from alleged members of the International Olympic Committee. In these
emails, scammers ask unsuspecting victims for donations in Bitcoin (BTC) across
the country, as Cointelegraph reported on April 30.”



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