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Eye on Extremism
August 27, 2020
CNN: New Zealand's Christchurch Mosque Terrorist Sentenced To Life In Prison With No Parole
“A far-right terrorist who killed 51 Muslim worshipers in New Zealand's worst mass shooting in modern history will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole, the first time such a sentence has been handed down in the country's courts. Brenton Tarrant, 29, was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty earlier this year to murdering 51 men, women and children at two Christchurch mosques on March 15, 2019. The youngest victim was just three years old. The Australian citizen also pleaded guilty to 40 counts of attempted murder and one charge of terrorism -- he is the first person in New Zealand to be convicted of that crime. Tarrant represented himself at the hearing and chose not to address the court, but instructed lawyer Pip Hall to speak on his behalf. “Mr Tarrant does not oppose the application. He should be sentenced to life in prison without parole.” Rosetta Stone has deals on one-year, two-year and even lifetime subscriptions so you can pick up a new language or two. Justice Cameron Mander turned to the convicted killer and asked him if he wanted to speak. “No. Thank you,” Tarrant quietly replied. Justice Mander read the names of every victim, both the injured and the dead, telling Tarrant about the lives he destroyed or cut short.”
Jewish News Syndicate: The Fight Against Anti-Semitism Faces A New Enemy: QAnon
“QAnon conspiracies are centered around the idea of a powerful elite secretly manipulating current events,” Counter Extremism Project senior research analyst Josh Lipowsky told JNS. “QAnon subscribers have politicized the conspiracies around an imagined Democrat-led ‘deep state’ conspiring against Donald Trump, who is heralded as the only one who can defeat this menace.” Lipowsky labeled QAnon “a modern-day version” of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which QAnon echoes in its conspiracy theories, in that “the primary goal is to shift blame.” “At the center of these conspiracies is a secretive cabal with vast political and financial power,” he explained. “Certain people want to believe that there is really an all-powerful group controlling things because it removes the onus of personal responsibility for one’s own circumstances and creates a scapegoat for larger catastrophes. The economy is crashing? A virus is spreading throughout the world? It must be because of X. And historically, X has usually meant the Jews.”
United States
Associated Press: Feds: NYPD Ambush Suspect Had Interest In Islamic Extremism
“A man who ambushed a New York City police officer in June — stabbing him in the neck and stealing his gun to shoot other officers — had an interest in violent Islamic extremism and punctuated the attack with screams of “Allahu Akbar,” prosecutors alleged in court papers filed with his indictment Thursday on state and federal charges. Days later, according to prosecutors, suspect Dzenan Camovic told a hospital worker: “My religion made me do it.” Camovic, a 21-year-old Bosnian immigrant living illegally in the U.S., faces state charges including attempted aggravated murder and federal charges including theft and unlawful possession of a firearm. Camovic’s lawyer said arraignments could be scheduled within a few weeks. The attack happened amid protests over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, leading to speculation among police and union officials that he had been inspired by anti-police rhetoric. Officer Yayonfrant Jean Pierre and the other wounded officers survived their injuries. Camovic’s lawyer, Robert Stahl, refuted the government’s assertion that his client showed support for the Islamic State or other terrorist groups. Camovic “is a troubled young man in a number of respects, as opposed to having any terrorist or Islamic leanings,” Stahl said in a telephone interview.”
“A 22-year-old Minneapolis woman who failed in her bid to join al-Qaida and subsequently tried to set a series of fires at St. Catherine University in St. Paul in 2018 pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal terrorism charges. Tnuza Jamal Hassan admitted to one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization at her former school’s campus. Hassan also faces arson charges in Ramsey County in connection with trying to set fires in six buildings on the campus. Hassan admitted setting the fires months after she tried to fly to Afghanistan to join al-Qaida. According to Hassan’s plea agreement, when she was a freshman at St. Kate’s she drafted an anonymous recruitment letter that encouraged others to join the terrorist group and delivered it to two other Muslim students at the university. In September 2017, she bought a round-trip ticket without her family’s knowledge from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Dubai and another ticket from Dubai to Kabul, Afghanistan. She said Wednesday that she had no plans to return to the United States but instead wanted to join al-Qaida in Afghanistan. However, she was stopped from continuing on to Afghanistan because she was not aware that she needed a visa to enter that country.”
Associated Press: Convicted Terrorist Arrested In California On Meth Charges
“A man who served years in prison for conspiracy to commit terrorism has been arrested in Southern California on suspicion of selling large quantities of methamphetamine, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Ahmed Binyamin Alasiri, also known as Kevin Lamar James, faces two counts of distribution of meth, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office. It wasn't immediately known if the 44-year-old Garden Grove resident has an attorney. Alasiri was on supervised release following a 2009 conviction for conspiracy to levy war against the United States through terrorism, prosecutors said. Alasiri’s co-conspirators committed armed robberies of gas stations to raise money for attacks Alasari had planned on U.S. military operations and Israeli and Jewish facilities in Southern California, prosecutors said. Alasiri completed his prison sentence in September 2019. He's been ordered detained pending the outcome of the narcotics case. Arraignment is scheduled for September 14. Alasiri allegedly sold 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) of 96% pure methamphetamine to a buyer on July 24 for $3,700, according to court papers.”
“Soldiers can now face punishment for social media posts supporting extremist groups, under a major revision to the Army’s policy guidance to its commanders. The first overhaul of Army Regulation 600-20 since 2014 includes more than 60 changes, from minor updates to a host of measures meant to ensure soldiers and civilians are treated with dignity and respect. Updates now bar online fundraising, promotion and advocacy of extremist causes or criminal gangs on social media. They follow several recent high-profile incidents of troops espousing support for such groups or taking part in their rallies. Last month, more than two dozen members of Congress asked Defense Secretary Mark Esper to review Pentagon policy on troops’ involvement in white supremacist groups after Air Force Staff Sgt. Steven Carrillo, who had ties to far-right extremists, was charged with gunning down a federal officer in Oakland, Calif., in June. The new Army regulation requires commanders to take early preventive action when they witness behavior that, while not prohibited, may be a sign of extremist sympathies. For example, while membership in a racist group alone may not be prohibited, it could be grounds for a commander to counsel a soldier or investigate further, the new regulation states.”
Syria
The New York Times: U.S. Troops Injured In Syria After Collision With Russian Vehicles
“A small number of U.S. troops were injured this week during a skirmish with Russian forces in northeastern Syria, American officials said on Wednesday, underscoring the risk of simmering tensions between the two rival powers in a hotly contested part of the country. Two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational details, said the injuries were a result of a collision between Russian and American vehicles, and not any exchange of fire. The officials said four troops were showing mild concussion-like symptoms and were receiving medical attention at their base in Syria. Videos of the encounter that emerged on Twitter on Wednesday appeared to show Russian and Americans vehicles speeding in an open field, with a Russian vehicle ramming an American vehicle, and a Russian helicopter flying low over U.S. forces. The altercation, which happened on Tuesday, is the latest clash between Russian and American ground patrols in northeastern Syria after the United States withdrew from much of that area before a Turkish cross-border offensive last fall.”
Turkey
Reuters: Turkey Gave Hamas Members Passports, Israel Says
“Turkey has given passports to a dozen Hamas members in Istanbul, a senior Israeli diplomat said on Wednesday, describing the move as “a very unfriendly step” which his government would raise with Turkish officials. Speaking days after Turkey’s president met visiting Hamas leaders, charge d’affaires Roey Gilad said Israel had already told Turkey last year that Hamas was carrying out “terror-related activity” in Istanbul, but Turkey had not taken action. The two countries have had a bitter falling out in recent years, despite strong commercial ties, expelling ambassadors in 2018. President Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly condemned Israel’s West Bank occupation and treatment of Palestinians. Gilad said Israel had proof that Turkey was providing passports and identity cards to members of Hamas, which runs Gaza and is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States, Israel and European Union. “Some are in the process, some already got (the documents), but we are talking about around a dozen,” he said. “We have already one document that we will present to the government in copy,” he said.”
Forbes: Kurdish PKK Terror Group Steps Up Improvised Drone Bomb Attacks
“A drone carrying explosives attacks a Turkish army outpost in a new video released by the Kurdish PKK group. This marks a new stage in the drone campaign by the PKK, a terrorist group which has been fighting Turkish forces for more than 40 years. The attack is claimed to have been carried out at Şeladize in the Duhok district on 20th August, and “many invading Turkish soldiers were punished, but the exact number could not be clarified,” according to the PKK statement. On the same day, local Kurdish news channel NRT carried pictures of two small bomb-carrying drones shot down by Turkish soldiers. However, these appear quite different to the one on the video, which is more of a flying bomb. The PKK armed drone program dates back four years. In February 2016 the Turkish military captured a weapon stash including drones rigged with explosives. Since then the PKK has fielded several generations of weaponized drones, including modified consumer quadcopters and fixed-wing drones resembling model aircraft from commercial kits. As with the latest strike, which may not have inflicted any casualties, the success rate has been low. But being able to strike distant targets with high precision makes these improvised attack drones a unique capability.”
Afghanistan
“A prominent Afghan movie director and actress, who also happens to be a high-ranking police officer and a critic of the Taliban, was recovering from gunshot wounds on Wednesday after an attack near her home. Saba Sahar was wounded in the attack by unknown gunmen on Tuesday morning in Kabul on her way to work, according to police and her family. “Five minutes after she left home, I heard gunfire outside my house” her husband Emal Zaki told CBS News. “When I called my wife, she said that she was injured. I rushed to the scene and found her wounded.” Sahar, one of the first women to make a name for herself in Afghanistan's conservative society as a film director, is also a 10-year veteran of the capital's police force. She was recently promoted to a senior role in the special forces, overseeing gender issues — a theme she has often spoken of as an advocate for women's rights. “I want to show that Afghan women are capable of doing anything men do,” she told The Guardian in a 2012 interview. She has earned acclaim for relying on her police training to direct compelling dramas and documentaries about Afghan society.”
Foreign Policy: A Wave Of Violence Hits Afghanistan As Hopes For Talks Fade
“Violence rips across Afghanistan as peace process stalls, Mike Pompeo headlines the second night of the RNC, and two more opposition leaders were arrested in Belarus. A series of attacks across Afghanistan over the previous few days has left 12 dead and many more wounded, straining an already fragile peace process. Tuesday’s attacks included a truck bomb in the northern Balkh province which was claimed by the Taliban, as well as an attack on a military checkpoint in the Ghor province that is believed to be the work of the Taliban, though the group hasn’t claimed responsibility. Looking for a way out. Tuesday’s attacks raise serious doubts over whether intra-Afghan talks can begin soon. Talks were supposed to start earlier this month after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced his intention to release the final 400 Taliban prisoners needed to meet a major condition of the February U.S.-Taliban peace agreement. But progress stalled again after Ghani changed course and decided to withhold the release of 320 prisoners. Pakistan steps in. A Taliban delegation met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday, who urged the group to seriously explore how to overcome the current impasse and kickstart talks with the Afghan government.”
India
The Diplomat: Islamic State’s India Dilemma
“While claiming responsibility for the Nangarhar jailbreak in eastern Afghanistan, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP)’s propaganda wing released photographs of 11 attackers, including three Indian recruits from Kerala. In six months, this is the second time that Indian radicals have been part of a high-profile attack in Afghanistan. In March, a pro-IS Indian militant from Kerala, Muhammad Anis alias Abu Khalid Al-Hindi, perpetrated the Sikh Gurdwara attack in Kabul. Later, Islamic State’s weekly newsletter, Al-Naba, carried a detailed profile of Anis. In February 2020, IS also started a monthly propaganda magazine, Voice of Hind, which exclusively focuses on India. Interestingly, the first part of the audio message released by ISKP spokesperson Sultan Aziz Azzam after the Nangarhar jailbreak is in Urdu. This indicates that the terror group is trying to target the north Indian Muslim community to fuel fresh recruitment and radicalization. Generally, IS’s propaganda aimed at India has been in local languages spoken in south India such as Malayalam and Tamil, among others.”
Lebanon
Reuters: Hezbollah Says South Lebanon Incident A 'Sensitive' Matter
“Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said what happened in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, an apparent reference to Israeli strikes overnight, was an “important and sensitive” matter. Speaking in a televised speech on Al-Manar TV on Wednesday, Nasrallah said he had nothing further to say on the incident at present, but planned to comment later, without giving further details. The Israeli military said it had struck posts belonging to Hezbollah early on Wednesday after shots were fired from the other side of the border towards its troops.”
Middle East
Modern Diplomacy: Strengthening Global Cooperation On Counter-Terrorism Must Remain A Priority
“Vladimir Voronkov, Head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, said the global coronavirus crisis underscored the challenges involved in eliminating terrorism, as he presented the UN Security Council with the latest report on ISIL’s impact on international peace and security. “This pandemic environment raises several strategic and practical challenges for counter-terrorism, which we discussed during the Virtual Counter-Terrorism Week organized by my Office last month,” he told Council members during video-teleconference briefing. Since the start of this year, the threat has grown in conflict zones, as seen by the regrouping and increased activity of ISIL and some of its affiliates in Iraq and Syria, he explained. In non-conflict areas, the threat seems to have decreased in the short term, with COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions apparently lowering the risk of attacks. However, “opportunistic propaganda efforts” by ISIL could be fueling an ongoing trend of attacks by individuals and small groups, he said. Unclear, he added, is how the pandemic is affecting ISIL’s recruitment and fundraising efforts, or whether there is a change in strategic direction under its new leader, Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla.”
Somalia
Associated Press: US Says Airstrike Kills 6 Al-Shabaab In Somalia After Ambush
“The United States military says it killed six al-Shabaab extremists with an airstrike in Somalia after the al-Qaida-linked group attacked Somali forces while U.S. forces were nearby. The U.S. Africa Command statement said Monday’s airstrike was carried out near Darasalam village in southern Somalia's Lower Shabelle region after al-Shabaab fighters attacked from a building in the area. The statement said three al-Shabaab fighters were wounded. No U.S. forces were killed or wounded, the statement said, dismissing an al-Shabaab claim of U.S. casualties. Somalia’s government in a separate statement said the U.S. forces were there to advise and assist local ones. Al-Shabab remains the most active Islamic extremist group in Africa, and the U.S. under President Donald Trump has increased the number of airstrikes against it. The U.S. Africa Command calls the group a “danger to Africa and the United States.” In January, al-Shabaab killed a U.S. service member and two U.S. contractors in an attack on a military airstrip in neighboring Kenya. It was al-Shabaab’s first attack against U.S. forces in that country, and the group quickly shared online images of masked fighters standing next to blazing aircraft.”
Africa
Reuters: Congo Army Says Islamist Militia Kills 20 In East
“Islamist militants killed at least 20 people during attacks on three villages in eastern Congo, the army and a local administrator said. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan armed group operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for more than three decades, have killed more than 1,000 civilians since the start of 2019, according to United Nations figures. The army and local authorities discovered the victims of the latest massacre on Wednesday in the villages of Mapasana, Mayitike and Sayuni, around 30km north-west of the city of Beni. The killings come just three days after a similar raid that left 13 dead. Late last year the Congo army launched a large-scale operation against the ADF, sparking a string of revenge attacks against civilians that the U.N. says may constitute war crimes. “The population is distraught and on edge,” said Rosette Kabula, deputy administrator for Beni territory. “It is a moment of mourning.” “Our ultimate mission is to protect the integrity of the national territory, but unfortunately the enemy is bypassing our troops to attack the population,” said Antony Mwalushayi, an army spokesman.”
United Kingdom
NBC News: U.K. Free To Give Evidence On ISIS 'Beatles' To U.S., British Court Rules
“Britain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday lifted a stay barring U.K. authorities from providing evidence to the U.S. in the case of two alleged ISIS execution squad members dubbed “The Beatles.” The ruling clears a critical hurdle in the American effort to prosecute the two men, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey. Elsheikh and Kotey are accused of being involved in the killing of American hostages, including the journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and the kidnapping and detention of an aid worker, Kayla Mueller. The pair of British-born ISIS militants are being held in U.S. military custody in Iraq. The U.K. Supreme Court had previously ruled that the British government could not provide evidence against the pair to the U.S. as long as the death penalty remained a possibility. The decision Wednesday came a week after Attorney General William Barr notified the British government that the U.S. will not seek the death penalty against Elsheikh and Kotey, who were captured in Syria in 2018. Relatives of the victims expressed relief over the ruling. “It has gone on for far too long,” Marsha Mueller, whose daughter Kayla was killed in 2015, said in a text message to NBC News. “These two men need to be put away, to think of what they have done for the rest of their lives and hopefully just be forgotten.”
Canada
Global News Canada: Woman Arrested In Toronto Area For Allegedly Trying To Join ISIS
“Ten months after returning to Canada from Turkey, a Toronto-area woman has been arrested for allegedly attempting to join the so-called Islamic State. Haleema Mustafa was taken into custody at around noon on Wednesday in Markham, Ont., north of Toronto, and was to appear in court Thursday to face charges. The Public Prosecution Service of Canada said Mustafa faced two terrorism counts: leaving Canada to participate in the activities of a terrorist group and participation in the activities of a terrorist group. A woman who answered the door at the family home declined to comment. Mustafa’s husband, Ikar Mao, was charged with the same two offences last December and remains in custody. The couple left Toronto together in June 2019 and were caught in a Turkish city an hour’s drive from the Syrian border. They were detained and returned to Canada separately in October. Few women have faced terrorism charges in Canada. While women have a long history of involvement in terrorist groups, Canadian authorities have charged just three women with terrorism since 2013 — and only one of them was convicted. “In Canada, there’s only been a handful of women who have been charged with terrorism offences,’’ said Jessica Davis, the author of Women in Modern Terrorism: From Liberation Wars to Global Jihad and the Islamic State.”
Australia
Associated Press: Sydney Judge Orders Restrictions On Extremist's Movements
“An Australian judge on Wednesday issued a rare order restricting the movements of an extremist when he is released from a Sydney prison after serving 12 years for a terrorism-related conviction. Police applied for the control order against former Qantas cabin cleaner and online publisher Belal Saadallah Khazaal before he is released from prison this weekend. Federal Court Justice Michael Wigney made the order, but the conditions and his reasons will not be made public until sensitive information is redacted from the judgment. Khazaal was 39 in 2008 when he was found guilty by a New South Wales state Supreme Court jury of making a document connected with assisting a terrorist act. The online book, which described itself as a “practical guide to achieving martyrdom,” included advice on assassination techniques and listed countries to be targeted, including Australia. Control orders were created under counterterrorism legislation in 2005 to protect the public from extremist acts. Orders have been issued against seven people since then. Restrictions can include a curfew at a home address, wearing an electronic monitoring device, limits to use of telecommunications and regular reporting to police.”
Southeast Asia
Agence France-Presse: Suicide Bombers In Philippine Attack Were Militants' Widows: Army
“Two female suicide attackers who carried out a double bombing in the southern Philippines were the widows of militants who had worked for the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf group, the army chief said Wednesday. Fourteen people were killed and 75 wounded, including members of the government-backed security forces and civilians, when the pair blew themselves up in a coordinated attack on Jolo island in Muslim-majority Sulu province on Monday. No group has claimed responsibility for the country's deadliest attack this year, but the military had pointed to Abu Sayyaf as the likely culprits. Army chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana identified the female bombers as Nanah and Inda Nay. In a text message to reporters, Sobejana said Nanah was the wife of Norman Lasuca, who is considered the Philippines' first homegrown suicide bomber. Lasuca and another attacker blew themselves up outside a military camp on Jolo in June 2019, killing several soldiers and civilians. Inda Nay was the wife of Talha Jumsah, also known as Abu Talha, who acted as liaison between Abu Sayyaf and the Islamic State group. He was killed in November in a shoot-out with security forces on Jolo.”
Technology
The Verge: Facebook Chose Not To Act On Militia Complaints Before Kenosha Shooting
“In the wake of an apparent double murder Tuesday night in Kenosha, Facebook has faced a wave of scrutiny over posts by a self-proclaimed militia group called Kenosha Guard, which issued a “call to arms” to in advance of the protest. Facebook took down Kenosha Guard’s Facebook page Wednesday morning, identifying the posts as violating community standards. But while the accounts were ultimately removed, new evidence suggests the platform had ample warning about the account before the shooting brought the group to prominence. At least two separate Facebook users reported the account for inciting violence prior to the shooting, The Verge has learned. In each case, the group and its counter-protest event were examined by Facebook moderators and found not to be in violation of the platform’s policies. One user, who asked not to be identified by name, said she had reported the Kenosha Guards event in advance of the protest. Facebook moderators responded that the event itself was not in violation of platform policy, but specific comments could be reported for inciting violence. She reported a specific comment threatening to put nails in the tires of protestors’ cars, but it too was found to be within the bounds of Facebook policy.”
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