Paul Rusesabagina, whose bravery in saving more than 1,200 fellow Rwandans from
genocide inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” has been arrested by the

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


September 1, 2020

 

The New York Times: ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero, Paul Rusesabagina, Is Held On
Terrorism Charge
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“Paul Rusesabagina, whose bravery in saving more than 1,200 fellow Rwandans
from genocide inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” has been arrested by the
authorities in Rwanda who are holding him there on charges that include
terrorism, arson and murder. During the Rwandan genocide in 1994, Mr.
Rusesabagina, a Hutu who was working as a manager at a hotel in the capital,
Kigali, helped shelter people fleeing the violence that eventually killed as
many as one million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus. But in recent years, Mr.
Rusesabagina, 66, has become an opponent of the government of Rwanda’s
long-serving president, Paul Kagame, who has kept the country politically and
economically stable but is accused by human rights groups of brutally silencing
his critics. Mr. Kagame’s government has alleged for years that Mr.
Rusesabagina is supporting Rwandan rebels attacking the country from abroad.
The Rwanda Investigation Bureau said in a statement on Twitter on Monday that
Mr. Rusesabagina was suspected of being “the founder, leader, sponsor and
member of violent, armed, extremist terror outfits,” including the Rwanda
Movement for Democratic Change and the Party for Democracy in Rwanda, both
opposition parties.”

 

The Jerusalem Post: TikTok Announces 'Zero Tolerance' Policy On Antisemitism
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“Popular video-sharing social media platform TikTok has declared a “zero
tolerance” policy on accounts that have been linked to instances of
antisemitism, as well as other forms of bigotry. The announcement, which came
in an August 20 TikTok blog post titled “Countering Hate on TikTok,” comes as
the app has faced controversy over hate speech content on the service,
including the Holocaust challenge, which saw users attempt to portray
themselves as Holocaust victims. However, other users are still known to make
inappropriate jokes and comments of an antisemitic nature on the app, which is
used by and marketed at a primarily younger audience. In one such video that
surfaced on Monday, US Army Second Lt. Nathan Freihofer, who has nearly 3
million followers on the app, made a Holocaust joke, the Jewish News Syndicate
reported. “What’s a Jewish person’s favorite Pokémon character?” Freihofer
asked with a laugh. “Ash,” he answered, referencing the protagonist of the
Pokemon anime Ash Ketchum as well as the cremation of Jews in concentration
camps. He added “If you get offended, get the f**k out because it’s a joke.”
Speaking to JNS, Josh Lipowsky, a senior research analyst at the Counter
Extremism Project, explained that while TikTok's “comprehensive and specific
hate-speech policies … are a step in the right direction for social media,”
more steps to combat bigotry need to be taken.”

 

United States

 

Associated Press: US Vetoes UN Resolution Over Islamic State Fighters’ Return
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“The United States vetoed a U.N. resolution Monday calling for the
prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration of all those engaged in
terrorism-related activities, saying it didn’t call for the repatriation from
Syria and Iraq of foreign fighters for the Islamic State extremist group and
their families which is “the crucial first step.” U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft
said the resolution, “supposedly designed to reinforce international action on
counter-terrorism, was worse than no resolution at all.” She dismissed it as “a
cynical and willfully oblivious farce.” Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
15-member Security Council voted by email. The result was 14 countries in favor
and only the U.S. opposed. It was announced by the current council president,
Indonesia’s U.N. Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, whose country sponsored the
resolution. In her statement explaining the U.S. veto, Craft pointed to her
comments at a council meeting on counter-terrorism last week. She stressed then
that repatriation and accountability for crimes by fighters for the Islamic
State extremist group, also known as ISIS, and their family members are
essential so they “do not become the nucleus of an ISIS 2.0.”

 

Pakistan

 

Radio Free Europe: At Least Three Pakistani Soldiers Killed In Militant Attack
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“Officials say militants have killed at least three Pakistani soldiers in an
attack in the northwestern South Waziristan tribal district near the Afghan
border. The Pakistani military said the attack took place during a search
operation on August 30, adding that four others were wounded. District police
officer Shaukat Ali put the death toll at four. The attack occurred in the
Ladha area, he told RFE/RL. The banned Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed
responsibility for the attack and claimed that 11 soldiers died. South
Waziristan, located in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, had served as a
militant base until recent years. Pakistan says its operations there have
cleared the area of the Taliban and other militant groups.”

 

Lebanon

 

Reuters: Lebanon's Berri Warns Of Return To Anarchy After Shootings
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“Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, head of Lebanon’s Shi’ite Muslim Amal
Movement, warned on Monday that recent deadly shootings raised the risk of the
country sliding back into anarchy and sectarian strife. He was referring to
clashes between Lebanese Sunni Muslims and Shi’ites last week that killed two
people in the Khaldeh area south of Beirut, and an incident days earlier in the
northern village of Kaftoun in which three men were shot dead. “I warn
irresponsible politicians against continuing with this behavior because it
creates a fertile ground for a return to anarchy and awakens the sleeping
devils of terrorist cells which are waiting for the opportunity to pounce on
Lebanon’s security, unity and civil peace,” Berri said in a speech. Lebanon,
still scarred by its 1975-90 sectarian civil war, has been pushed to breaking
point by a financial meltdown and a devastating Beirut port explosion on Aug.
4. The Khaldeh violence, in which a Sunni Arab tribe accused members of the
powerful Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah of opening fire, which the
movement denied, triggered a flurry of contacts among Lebanese politicians,
including Berri, seeking to contain tensions.”

 

Agence France-Presse: Hezbollah Says Will Kill An Israeli Soldier For Each
Combatant Slain
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“Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah Sunday threatened to kill an Israeli
soldier for every one of its fighters slain by its archfoe Israel, after a
combatant was killed in Syria in July. “The Israeli needs to understand: When
you kill one of our fighters, we will kill one of your soldiers,” Hezbollah
chief Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech.  Referring to several
incidents at the border with Israel in recent weeks, he said: “All this has
been taken into account and the time for settling accounts will come.” He spoke
after a July 20 Israeli missile attack on Syrian government and allied
positions in Syria that killed five people. Damascus regime ally Hezbollah said
one of its own was among the dead. Nasrallah on Sunday said a “decisive
decision” had been taken but that Hezbollah was “not in a hurry.” Israel said
Wednesday it had launched air strikes against Hezbollah observation posts in
Lebanon after shots were fired from across the border. The incident also comes
after Hezbollah announced at the weekend it had brought down an Israeli drone
flying over the border. Israel has carried out dozens of air strikes on
Hezbollah targets in neighboring Syria where the group is fighting alongside
the government of President Bashar al-Assad.”

 

Middle East

 

The National: UAE Makes Progress In Combating Money Laundering And Terrorism
Financing, Committee Says
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“The UAE has made “significant” progress with a national plan to combat money
laundering and curb terrorism financing in the country, according to a
statement issued by the country's central bank. The Emirates has rolled out
several initiatives and is coordinating in areas such as governance and
supervision with countries that share its commitment to fight financial crime,
the National Committee for Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of
Terrorism and Illegal Organisations (NAMLCFTC), said in the statement on
Monday. “To create further awareness of financial crimes that threaten the
security and stability of the country, NAMLCFTC recently developed a new
website to assist strategic partners and stakeholders in complying with
international-standard reporting measures,” the committee said after its sixth
meeting of the year, which was held on Monday. The meeting overseen by
committee chairman and central bank governor Abdulhamid Saeed discussed the
role of technology and capacity building – both in terms of human and financial
resources. A new smart platform that uses technology to detect financial crimes
has been developed, while capacity building will strengthen the UAE’s ability
to implement targeted financial sanctions relating to the prevention and
suppression of terrorism and terrorist financing, the committee's statement
said.”

 

Agence France-Presse: Qatar Backed ‘Terrorism And Extremism’, UAE Tells UN
Court
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“The United Arab Emirates accused Qatar on Monday of backing "terrorism and
extremism" as the three-year-old Gulf diplomatic crisis returned to the UN's
top court. Abu Dhabi urged the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ)
to throw out a case brought by Doha claiming measures taken against Qatar
amounted to racial discrimination. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and several
other allies severed ties with Qatar in a shock move in 2017, accusing Doha of
backing terrorism and siding with their regional rival Iran. They imposed an
effective blockade by land, air and sea, and ordered the expulsion of Qatari
nationals. Qatar dragged the UAE to the ICJ a year later seeking to get the
measures lifted. The allies faced a "grave threat brought by Qatar's support
for terrorism and extremism," Abdallah al-Naqbi, director of the international
law department at the UAE foreign ministry, told the court via videolink. "This
has nothing to do with racial discrimination." Qatar's case at the ICJ says
that the UAE's actions breached the 1965 International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).”

 

Libya

 

The Libya Observer: Libya And Nigeria Discuss Repatriation Of Progeny Of ISIS
Fighters
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“The Minister of Justice of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Mohamed
Lamlum, held discussions with the Charge d’Affairs of the Nigerian Embassy in
Libya, Abu Bakr Musa, on a number of important issues relating to the offspring
of the defeated ISIS fighters, whose bodies were found in Sirte, subsequent to
its liberation in the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous Operation. Both sides discussed
methods for arranging the return of the offspring to Nigeria. They also covered
a number of topics of great interest to the Nigerian community in Libya, which
include the conditions of Nigerian inmates in correction and rehabilitation
institutions and methods of facilitating visiting rights for them.”

 

Nigeria

 

The Punch Nigeria: Boko Haram Killed 13 District Heads, Other Leaders – Shehu
Of Borno
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“The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Garbai Elkanemi, has lamented that 13 district
heads and several ward heads (Bulamas) have been killed in his emirate at the
peak of the ongoing crisis by the Boko Haram terrorist group. The monarch made
the disclosure in Maiduguri during a courtesy visit by a delegation of the
Senate Committee on Special Duties, led by Senator Abubakar Yusuf, who were in
Borno State to assess the performance of the North-East Development Commission.
Elkanemi lamented that the decade-old crisis had also displaced thousands of
people, who were now taking refuge in displaced persons’ camps across the
state. He claimed that the crisis started in the state in July 2009 following a
disagreement between the Izala and Yusufiya Islamic sects. Elkanemi lamented
that the crisis later snowballed into attacks on police stations and stealing
of ammunition from police formations. He said, “Gradually, they moved their
operations from Maiduguri to local government headquarters and other towns
within Borno. In the course of their operations, the emirate council lost about
13 district heads in addition to many ward heads, who were killed in their
respective domains.”

 

Somalia

 

Shabelle Media Network: Somalia: Six Militants Killed In Southern Somalia Clash
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“Somali National Army (SNA) backed by Jubaland state forces on Saturday killed
six al-Shabab extremists in a fierce clash in the southern region of Lower
Juba, an officer confirmed. Aden Mohamed Ibrahim, commander of Jubaland forces,
told journalists that members of al-Shabab militants launched an attack on a
base run by the regional state's forces in Bar Sanguni neighborhood, but they
were overpowered. “The forces prevented the militants' attempt to overrun the
base and the militants suffered severe casualties during the confrontation
between the army and the attackers,” Ibrahim said, adding that a government
soldier was killed and two others injured during the gun battle. Government
forces have intensified operations against al-Shabab militants in the southern
and central regions in recent months, but the militants are still hiding in the
rural areas of those regions, conducting ambushes and planting landmines.”

 

Daily Nation: Somalia: Al-Shabaab's Supreme Leader Replaced Due To Sickness,
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“Somalia's spy agency says Al-Shabaab has made changes to its top leadership
amid internal wrangles in the militant group with divided allegiance to global
jihadist movements. The National Intelligence and Security Agency (Nisa)
reported on Friday that Al-Shabaab's Emir (supreme leader) Ahmed Diriye Abu
Ubaidah had been replaced due to ill health. Nisa's statement on its Twitter
page said, “Because of health concerns, the power of militant group Al-Shabaab
has been temporarily transferred to Abukar Adan, his deputy leader.” “There has
been a bitter power struggle between a section led by Mahad Karate and
supporters of Abu Ubaidah on the nomination of a new leader,” Nisa added. It
did not give details of the leader's illness. A study released early in August,
by Nairobi-based think-tank Africa Policy Institute, indicated the
Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group may have been overwhelmed by Covid-19. The
report said the terror group's leadership and expansion plans were affected as
members haggled on how to handle the pandemic. Some members reportedly pledged
allegiance to the Islamic State, a terror group that arose from Iraq and Syria
before spreading its evil around the world.”

 

Mali

 

Al Jazeera: What Does The Coup Mean For Mali's Spiraling Security Crisis?
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“What began with reports of gunshots at an army barracks just outside Bamako
in the morning of August 18 ended hours later with a group of mutinous soldiers
arresting and forcing the resignation of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Mali's
embattled president.  The coup leaders swiftly declared their intervention was
meant to prevent the country from plunging into chaos, which they blamed on the
government's failure to tackle a series of overlapping crises. In the weeks
leading up to the coup, tens of thousands of opposition supporters had taken to
the streets to protest against a disputed parliamentary election, persistent
economic woes and a spiraling security crisis that erupted in 2012, when a
previous coup allowed northern Tuareg separatists, allied with an al-Qaeda
offshoot, to take advantage of the political instability and briefly seize
large swaths of land in the north. That loss of territory precipitated the
currently devolving situation, with armed groups linked to ISIL (ISIS) and
al-Qaeda capitalising on intercommunal tensions as they jockey for control of
Mali's semi-arid centre. But along with the hope of the social and political
reforms demanded during the mass anti-Keita protests, the reality of the
continuing conflicts in the country's vast north and central regions remains.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Bristol Stabbings: Second Attack In 24 Hours
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“Police are increasing patrols after a second stabbing in 24 hours in one part
of Bristol. The latest attack in the early hours in Easton left a 29-year-old
man in a critical condition in hospital. Another man, aged 28, was treated by
paramedics at the scene, near Easton Community Centre. A 19-year-old man was
arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after another stabbing on Sunday on
Easton Road. Avon and Somerset Police said the latest attack took place at
03:14 BST. The 29-year-old victim had emergency surgery after being driven to
hospital by a member of the public. He was in a “life-threatening condition”,
the force said. The second victim is also in hospital but his injuries are not
as serious. Acting Det Supt James Riccio, head of the Major Crime Investigation
Team, said the attacks were “deeply concerning” and police would be exploring
the possibility they were linked. He said: “A cordon remains in place so we can
carry out detailed inquiries at the scene and there will be an increased police
presence in the area over the next few days. “While this comes just 24 hours
after a previous incident in Easton in which a man was stabbed, it's too early
to say whether these events are linked - but clearly this will be a line of
inquiry we'll thoroughly pursue.”

 

France

 

France 24: Risk Of Terror Attacks In France Remains Extremely High, Says
Interior Minister
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“The risk of terror attacks in France remains extremely high, the interior
minister said on Monday, adding that over 8,000 people were on a national
warning list of Islamist radicalisation. The comments by Interior Minister
Gerald Darmanin came two days before 14 people are due to go on trial over
alleged involvement in attacks in January 2015 including on the Charlie Hebdo
weekly that heralded a wave of militant strikes in France. The threat “remains
extremely high in the country,” Darmanin said in a speech during a visit to
France's internal security service the DGSI. “The risk of terror of Sunni
origin is the main threat that our country is facing,” he added, promising a
fight “without let-up”. He said 8,132 individuals had been registered on
France's database of suspected Islamist radicals considered to be a potential
security threat. Fourteen alleged accomplices in the January 7-9, 2015 jihadist
attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly, a French policewoman and a
Jewish supermarket go on trial in Paris on Wednesday. All of the perpetrators
were killed in the aftermath of the assaults but lawyers for the victims and
prosecutors insist the trial will be a hugely important if potentially
traumatic moment.”

 

Germany

 

The New York Times: Far Right Germans Try To Storm Reichstag As Virus Protests
Escalate
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“It was shortly after 7 p.m. when a self-described healer got on stage outside
the German Parliament and urged the jeering crowd of protesters to storm the
building: “There is no more police!” she shouted. “We have won!” What followed
was a scene many Germans thought had been confined to their history books:
Hundreds of far-right activists waving the black, white and red flag of the
pre-1918 German Empire that once inspired the Nazis broke through a police
barrier and tried to force their way into the building. It took only a few
tense minutes before the police, though vastly outnumbered, managed to push
them back. But Saturday’s events marked an alarming escalation of the protests
against Germany’s response to the pandemic that have grown steadily bigger and
— on the fringes at least — angrier. Strikingly, that outpouring of anger comes
at a time when Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is enjoying high levels of
trust and popularity, and the great majority of Germans approve of its virus
control measures. Germany has managed the pandemic well, keeping the number of
deaths low, reopening schools and pumping billions of euros into welfare
programs that so far have kept unemployment at bay.”

 

New Zealand

 

New Zealand Herald: Christchurch Mosque Shootings: Gunman Joins ISIS And IRA
On NZ's Terrorist Entity List
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“The convicted mass murderer responsible for the March 15 terror attack has
become the first person in New Zealand history to be designated a "terrorist
entity". This afternoon, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that Brenton
Tarrant had become the 20th person to be put on this list. He joins the likes
of Isis, the IRA and a number of other high-profile terrorist groups.
"Designating the offender is an important demonstration of New Zealand's
condemnation of terrorism and violent extremism in all forms," Ardern said. She
said it was a "very significant decision in New Zealand history and law".
Previously, the list was made up of only terror groups – he is the first
individual to be put on the list. Being a "terrorist entity" means it is
illegal for people to "participate in or support his activities". Anyone who
was "financially encouraging" the terrorist would be charged, Ardern said. That
means anyone who attempts to send him money will face the full force of the
law.”



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