Far-right groups in America such as the anti-government Boogaloo Boys have long
used a host of tactics and platforms to incite violence, including

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


September 17, 2020

 

The Associated Press: Minnesota Man Faces Terror Charge For Allegedly Joining
IS
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“A Minnesota man accused of joining the Islamic State group has been returned
to the United States and faces a terrorism charge after spending more than a
year in Syrian custody with alleged IS fighters, according to documents
unsealed Wednesday. Abdelhamid Al-Madioum, 23, made his first appearance in
U.S. District Court in Minnesota, appearing via video from a cell. Authorities
say he was vacationing with his family in Morocco in 2015 when he secretly
booked a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, and then traveled to Iraq and Syria, where
he joined IS. He was indicted last week on one count of providing support to a
foreign terrorist organization. In court documents unsealed Wednesday,
authorities allege that Al-Madioum was a soldier for IS, and that at one point
he was assigned to a battalion that was responsible for training and preparing
foreign fighters to carry out suicide attacks in Europe. He surrendered to
Syrian Democratic Forces in March 2019. His attorney, Manny Atwal, said
Wednesday that she was still looking into the case and was meeting with
Al-Madioum and his family. Al-Madioum, who was 18 when he left for Syria, is a
native of Morocco and a naturalized U.S. citizen.”

 

Voice Of America: Anarchist Groups Tied To Riots In 4 US Cities
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“Far-right groups in America such as the anti-government Boogaloo Boys have
long used a host of tactics and platforms to incite violence, including
dehumanizing memes, online forums and organized militias. Now, left-wing groups
are employing many of the same tactics against police and other targets during
the social justice protests since the death of George Floyd, according to a new
report by researchers affiliated with Rutgers University. “Many of the features
of anarcho-socialist extremism seem to parallel the key tactical structures
documented in libertarian-anarchist and Jihadi extremism,” says the 24-page
report, entitled “Network Enabled Anarchy.”… Josh Lipowsky, a senior research
analyst with the Counter-Extremism Project, said the decentralized antifa
movement poses a lesser threat than the better organized groups on the far
right. While far-left extremists boast groups such as the John Brown Gun Club,
they don’t actively promote violent attacks, Lipowsky said. “On the far right,
we do see more active networks calling for organized attacks on synagogues and
other religious institutions, as well as individuals that are deemed the enemy
of that ideology,” Lipowsky said.

 

The New York Times: 29 Officers Suspected Of Sharing Hitler Images Are
Suspended In Germany
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“A police force in Germany on Wednesday suspended 29 officers suspected of
sharing images of Hitler and violent neo-Nazi propaganda in at least five
online chat groups, adding to concerns about far-right infiltration in
Germany’s police and military. Herbert Reul, the interior minister of the
western state of North-Rhine Westphalia, where the chats were discovered,
called them a “disgrace.” At a news conference on Wednesday, he described the
images that were shared among officers as “far-right extremist propaganda” and
the “ugliest, most despicable, neo-Nazi immigrant-baiting.” The 126 images
shared included swastikas, a fabricated picture of a refugee in a gas chamber
and the shooting of a Black man, officials said. The number of cases of
far-right extremists in Germany’s police and military, some of whom hoard
weapons and keep lists of enemies, have multiplied in recent years. On Monday,
the authorities raided the home of a 40-year-old soldier in connection with an
investigation of a suspected far-right terrorism plot. For years, German
politicians and security chiefs rejected the notion of far-right infiltration
of the security services, speaking only of “individual cases.”

 

United States

 

CBS New York: Investigation Continues Into Bomb-Making Materials Found In
Astoria Home
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“A Queens man is facing charges after investigators found bomb-making
materials at his home late Tuesday night. Police said Marak Squires is facing a
reckless endangerment charge, but more charges could be added as the
investigation continues. Police sources told CBS2’s Andrea Grymes on Wednesday
evidence points to a mentally unstable man with no political or terror
affiliations, adding motives remain unclear. FBI agents carried bags of
evidence from a home on 19th Street in Astoria. Federal and local investigators
swarmed the block for hours, trying to piece together why the man who lives
there allegedly had bomb-making materials and manuals inside. It was a stark
scene as joggers and dog walkers passed by for their morning strolls across the
street in Astoria Park. “I felt surprised, shock. I can’t believe it happens in
your own backyard,” one man said. The unsettling find came after a fire at the
house on Tuesday afternoon. Investigators said the tenant, 37-year-old Squires,
was acting erratically outside and taken to the hospital for a psychiatric
evaluation. Meanwhile, when the scene cleared neighbors noticed a suspicious
box on the sidewalk out front and opened it.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Voice Of America: Taliban Attacks Continue As Peace Negotiations Progress 
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“Multiple Taliban attacks in three provinces across northern Afghanistan since
Tuesday killed at least 17 people, including six civilians, and wounded scores
of others even as a Taliban political team was negotiating peace with Afghan
government representatives in Doha, Qatar. According to local officials,
Taliban fighters targeted security checkpoints or outposts of local
anti-Taliban militias that operate with government support. In Balkh province,
the chief of Char Kent district, Salima Mazari, confirmed two separate Taliban
attacks, one on a local force outpost and the other near the district center.
She said three local fighters and six civilians were killed and multiple others
wounded. This was in addition to a third attack the previous day that killed
two security personnel. In nearby Kunduz province, Taliban attacks killed six
security personnel, according to Esmatullah Muradi, a spokesman for the
provincial governor. The head of the provincial council, Mohammad Yosouf Ayubi,
said the death toll was higher. Meanwhile, in Takhar province, two civilians
were killed and 12 wounded from a blast caused by an improvised explosive
device. Police said the device was hidden on a motorcycle.”

 

Middle East

 

The Jerusalem Post: PIJ Leader: Gaza Terror Groups Have Military Presence In
West Bank
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“The Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group, Ziyad
Al-Nakhalah, stated that Palestinian terror groups have military presence in
the West Bank in an interview with Al-Mayadeen on Wednesday, warning that there
are “no redlines” if war breaks out with Israel. Referring to a recent decision
to establish a joint leadership of the Palestinian terrorist organizations, the
PIJ leader stated that “important changes” will take place in the Palestinian
territories, “especially in the West Bank.” Nakhalah added that military
structures which belong to the terrorist groups are present there. “Soon we
will develop new equations that may reach joint military action,” said
Nakhalah, stressing that there is “no binding truce” for the terrorist groups
in Gaza and that they are in a “continuous war and conflict at the borders of
the Strip.” The PIJ leader warned that all of Israel “is a target for
resistance rockets” and that there are “no redlines” if war breaks out. “We are
attached to Palestine from the sea to the river and this is our right,”
Nakhalah told Al-Mayadeen.

 

Nigeria

 

Agence France-Presse: Jihadists Kill 11 Villagers In Northeast Nigeria
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“Fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in several
pickup trucks opened fire on Wasaram, 90 kilometers (55 miles) from regional
capital Maiduguri on Tuesday, killing eight villagers and injuring 20, they
said. Three villagers were also killed in a separate attack in Auno earlier
that day. “We recovered 11 bodies from the two attacks which occurred yesterday
in Kaga district,” militia leader Ibrahim Liman told AFP. The insurgents had
accused the villagers of alerting troops about their movement on their way to
rob traders in the nearby town of Ngamdu, he said. Soldiers intercepted the
jihadists and engaged them in a gun battle, forcing them to retreat, said
militiaman Umar Ari, who gave the same death toll. “They (ISWAP) attacked the
village on their way back, accusing residents of informing soldiers about their
movement to rob local traders at the weekly market”, Ari told AFP. Earlier on
Tuesday, ISWAP fighters slaughtered three farmers that they seized as they
worked on their fields outside Auno village, 65 kilometers away, the militia
leaders added. ISWAP, which split from Boko Haram in 2016 and initially focused
on attacking the military, has increasingly been targeting civilians, in
particular abducting and killing motorists at bogus checkpoints on highways.”

 

Daily Trust: Nigeria: 'Boko Haram, Bandits On The Rampage In Northeast,
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“The Coalition of Northern Groups says Boko Haram insurgents and bandits are
still on the rampage in the Northeast and Northwest killing people and
destroying property. At a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the
spokesperson of the coalition, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, urged the Federal
Government to show courage in arresting and prosecuting the “criminals” and
their sponsors. He said the fight against the current security challenges in
the north must be isolated from partisan influence. “Despite repeated claims by
the government that federal troops have decimated the capacity of the armed
insurgents in the Northeast, the group (insurgents) has continued to show the
capacity to launch attacks and overrun military formations, seize equipment and
vandalise local communities,” Suleiman said.”

 

Somalia

 

BBC News: Al-Shabab Militant Jailed For Attack On US Base In Kenya
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“A military court in Somalia has sentenced a militant Islamist to life in
prison for his role in a deadly attack on a US base in Kenya. Farhan Mohamud
Hassan was also convicted of being a member of al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate
headquartered in Somalia. Its fighters cross the border into Kenya to carry out
attacks.A US soldier and two contractors were killed in January's attack on the
base in the coastal region of Lamu. It was the first attack by al-Shabab on US
forces in Kenya, which has troops in the 20,000-strong Africa Union force
battling the militants in Somalia. The US often carries out air strikes in
Somalia to target al-Shabab. On Tuesday, the New York Times quoted unnamed US
government sources as saying that the US military was seeking approval to carry
out drone strikes against al-Shabab in eastern Kenya. There has been no
independent confirmation of the report. In an interview broadcast by Somali
state television after his sentencing, Hassan said he helped transport
explosives in jerrycans to Kenya. “I was with 70 men on this side [Somalia].
There were about 115 on the other side [Kenya],” he said. Hassan added that he
joined al-Shabab in 2010 and took part in many attacks in southern Somalia.”

 

Shabelle Media Network: Somalia: Somali Army Kills 7 Militants In Southern
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“At least seven al-Shabab fighters were killed in fierce fighting with Somali
National Army (SNA) in the southern town of Awdhigle in Lower Shabelle, a
military commander said on Wednesday. SNA commander for section 66 Ahmed Maslah
said the army clashed with the militants, injuring several of them during the
gun battle. “We have killed seven al-Shabab militants in the fighting. We also
removed landmines which the militants placed along Awdhigle road,” Maslah said.
The commander added the forces later pursued other militants who ran towards
the forest. The government forces have intensified security operations in the
recent past against al-Shabab extremists in the southern regions.”

 

Mali

 

Reuters: Mali Junta Moves Toward Selecting Interim President After Embargo
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“Mali’s ruling junta said on Wednesday that it had started the process of
naming an interim president, after West African presidents threatened a total
embargo on the landlocked country. Leaders of the 15-member Economic Community
of West African States (ECOWAS) met on Tuesday with the heads of the junta that
overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last month to try to speed up the
transition back to civilian rule. West African leaders, nervous the coup could
set a dangerous precedent and undermine a fight against Islamist militants
across the Sahel region, imposed economic sanctions after the coup, but they
appear to have had a limited effect so far. Speaking to reporters after
returning to Mali, junta spokesman Colonel Ismael Wague said ECOWAS leaders had
given one week for a civilian interim president and prime minister to be in
place. Wague said the junta told the heads of state it could not give an
immediate response. A transitional charter approved at multi-party talks says
the interim president can be a soldier or a civilian and will be chosen by
electors selected by the junta.”

 

Africa

 

Gulf News: Sudan Busts Terror Cell With Explosive Materials
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“Sudanese security forces have busted a terrorist cell with explosive
materials that posed threat to Sudan and neighbouring countries, Sudan’s public
prosecutor Taj Al Sir Ali Al Hebr said on Wednesday. Al Hebr said at a press
briefing in capital Khartoum that the terrorist cell consists of 41 members,
pointing out that investigations are still underway to disclose the details.
Meanwhile, Jamal Jumma Adam, spokesman of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF),
said at the press briefing that the RSF forces have also seized 3,594 blasting
caps, 1,000 detonating cord, and four bags of aluminium nitrate. He noted that
the terrorist cell was pursued from August 19 to September 13. Adam further
warned that large quantities of explosives could possibly leak into countries
neighboring Sudan. Analysts say the busting of this terrorist cell could help
expedite the lifting of the terrorism designation. Last month, the Trump
administration reached an agreement in principle with Sudan’s new transitional
government to settle a series of long-standing claims by American terrorism
victims, laying the groundwork for the country’s removal from the US list of
states that sponsor terrorism, officials and congressional aides familiar with
the matter told Foreign Policy.”

 

United Kingdom

 

The National: UK Police Make Terror Arrest At Luton Airport
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“British police have arrested a man on suspicion of terrorism offences after
his arrival at Luton airport. The 24-year-old man, who had flown in from
Turkey, was detained on Monday as part of an investigation by the Metropolitan
Police's Counter Terrorism Command. The man was suspected of being part of a
banned organisation, police said. The suspect was taken into police custody and
subsequently released, the Met police said, but remains under investigation.”

 

Germany

 

The New York Times: Jewish Students Aid Owners Of Kebab Shop Hit In Synagogue
Attack
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“When a heavily armed, far-right extremist tried to storm a synagogue in
eastern Germany a year ago, the failed attack revived the worst fears of
anti-Semitism. Thanks to clumsily built explosives and a locked door, the
congregation inside narrowly escaped a massacre. The thwarted gunman then
trained his weapons on other targets of his hatred in the city of Halle,
killing a young man having lunch at a nearby kebab shop, where he presumed he
would find Muslims. Since then, that kebab shop and the Turkish brothers who
own it have fallen on hard times. But their plight recently drew the attention
of several young Jews who also survived the Oct. 9 attack, and they decided to
try to help, launching a GoFundMe campaign that immediately surpassed their
expectations. “We wanted to do something that would draw attention” to the
owners’ struggles, “but would also provide concrete financial support,” said
Ruben Gerczikow, vice president of the Jewish Student Union in Germany, which
opened the drive last week. “We were surprised by the positive reaction,” Mr.
Gerczikow said. “We never dreamed that we could raise so much so quickly.”

 

Europe

 

European Jewish Press: ‘For The Time Being, The EU Position On Hezbollah
Remains Unchanged’, Says EU Foreign Policy Chief
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“For the time being, the EU position on Hezbollah remains unchanged,’’ EU’s
foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the European Parliament as he addressed
the assembly members on the situation in Lebanon. Noting that members of the
European Parliament have asked the EU to change its position towards the
Lebanese group and declare it a terrorist organization in its entirety, Borrell
responsed that only the ‘’military’’ wing of Hezbollah ‘’is under our sanctions
regime.’’ The EU has so far only recognized Hezbollah’s military wing as a
terrorist organization as it continues to make an artificial distinction
between the group’s ‘’political’’ and ‘’military’’ wings.“The presence of
Hezbollah in the (Lebanese) government is not new. We are convinced that
engaging in a constructive dialogue with all political parties is a  way of
strengthening Lebanon’s institutions, including the Lebanese Armed Forces,
state security agencies, and this is key for the stability of Lebanon and the
Middle East.’’ He added that to change the EU position on Hezbollah would
require once again unanimity of all Member States. ‘’This is not the case,’’ he
said. In the EU, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and the UK (before it went
out of the EU) have listed the entire Hezbollah as a terror organization.”

 



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