The Trump administration is preparing to designate Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi
insurgents a terrorist organization before leaving office in January

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


November 17, 2020

 

Foreign Policy: Trump Administration Plans To Designate Yemen’s Houthis As
Terrorists
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“The Trump administration is preparing to designate Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi
insurgents a terrorist organization before leaving office in January, fueling
fears the move will disrupt international aid efforts and upend United
Nations-brokered peace efforts between the Shiite movement and the Saudi-backed
Yemeni government, according to several diplomatic sources. The U.N. and
international relief agencies have tried to dissuade the Trump administration
from designating the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization, but the
apparently imminent decision would give U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
another victory in his anti-Iran strategy as he visits Israel, Saudi Arabia,
and the United Arab Emirates this week. Riyadh, which has been at war with the
Houthis for over five years, has already designated the Houthis a terrorist
organization and has been urging Washington to do the same. “They have been
contemplating this for a while, but Pompeo wants this fast-tracked,” said one
diplomatic source. “It’s part of the scorched-earth policy the sour grapes in
the White House are taking.” In recent weeks, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen,
Martin Griffiths, has been pressing the United States to back down and
appealing to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to intervene with Pompeo,
according to diplomatic sources.”

 

Associated Press: Trial In France For Extremist Foiled By 3 Americans On Train
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“Head lowered, an Islamic State operative listened silently as a Paris judge
on Monday detailed his alleged plot to unleash mass slaughter on a high-speed
train before he was tackled and subdued by American vacationers whose heroics
inspired Clint Eastwood to direct a Hollywood re-enactment. Opening a
month-long trial for Ayoub El Khazzani, the judge said the 31-year-old Moroccan
with ties to a notorious mastermind intended to “kill all the passengers”
aboard the Amsterdam to Paris train in 2015 but “lost control of events.” El
Khazzani, who is on trial with three suspected accomplices, acknowledged the
charges against him with a simple “Yes.” He risks life in prison if convicted
of attempted terrorist murder. The heavily-armed and bare-chested El Khazzani
wounded a French-American who managed to briefly yank a Kalashnikov from his
hands before the three vacationing Americans took him down. The drama on the
train is portrayed by investigators as one of a series of IS-linked attacks in
Europe that include the Nov. 13, 2015 massacre in Paris at a music hall and
cafes that killed 130 people. A failed 2015 attack in Verviers, Belgium, and
2016 attacks in Brussels are also among them.”

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United States

 

Voice Of America: FBI: Hate Crime Incidents Rose 2.7% In 2019
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“U.S. hate crime incidents increased 2.7% last year, rising to their highest
level in more than a decade, the FBI says in a new report. There were 7,314
hate crime incidents last year, up from 7,120 in 2018 — the highest number
since 2008, according to the report released on Monday. Despite a slight
decline in 2018, hate crimes surged nearly 21% during the first three years of
President Donald Trump’s administration, a period marked by the rise of an
increasingly violent far-right movement. While Trump has denounced white
supremacists, the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism notes that hate
crimes have spiked against groups vilified by the president. Anti-Latino hate
crime, for example, rose 53% during Trump’s first three years in office to its
highest level in a decade, FBI data show. “The latest rise in hate crime
signals a new brutal landscape, where targeted attacks against rotating victim
groups not only result in spikes, but increases are also being driven by a more
widely dispersed rise in the most violent offenses,” said Brian Levin,
executive director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at
California State University. The FBI defines hate crimes as criminal acts
motivated by race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation,
disability, gender and gender identity.”

 

Vice: Accused Canadian Neo-Nazi Soldier Offered U.S. Terror Group Paramilitary
Training
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“A former Canadian soldier facing terrorism-related charges in the U.S.
promised fellow members of a neo-Nazi terror group that he could train them at
a secretive paramilitary camp in the U.S. Patrik Mathews, 27, made the comments
in a call with members of the Base, a recording of which was obtained by VICE
News. Mathews disappeared in August 2019 along the U.S.-Canada border near
Minnesota only to reappear months later in handcuffs after a January 2020 FBI
raid in Delaware. In the January phone call, Mathews is heard recounting how he
could drill the group in military tactics at a paramilitary camp that was to be
held in Michigan later that month. “We want to go from point A, to point B
[with] as much stealth as possible,” he said in the call. “And then when we're
there, we strike like thunder. At least I see that being proper guerrilla
operations.” Mathews, arrested along with two other members of the Maryland
cell of the Base, was allegedly plotting to shoot up a gun-rights rally in
Virginia and derail trains—attacks meant to help incite a “Second Civil
War”—before the FBI intervened. Mathews has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer,
Joseph Balter, filed a series of motions to quash evidence pointing to Mathews’
role in the plot. Balter did not respond to a request for comment from VICE
News.”

 

Iraq

 

Reuters: Iraq Hangs 21 On Terrorism Charges In Latest Mass Executions
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“Iraq hanged 21 convicted terrorists and murderers on Monday, an interior
ministry statement said, the latest in a series of mass executions it has
carried out since defeating the Islamic State group in 2017. Among those
executed at a prison in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya were people
involved in two suicide attacks that killed dozens of people the northern town
of Tal Afar, the statement said. It gave no further details of the identities
of the people who were executed or the crimes for which they were convicted.
Iraq has put hundreds of suspected jihadists on trial and carried out several
mass executions since defeating Islamic State fighters in a 2014-2017
U.S.-backed military campaign. Human rights groups have accused Iraqi and other
regional forces of inconsistencies in the judicial process and flawed trials
leading to unfair convictions. Iraq says its trials are fair. Islamic State
captured a third of Iraq in 2014 and was largely defeated both there and in
neighbouring Syria over the following three years.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Los Angeles Times: Born Into Occupation, Young Afghans Fear The Taliban Will
Crush Their Freedoms When U.S. Troops Exit
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“His hair in a bun, face shadowed by his hoodie, Jawad Sezdah raps with his
“homies” about Afghanistan’s darkening future. He and his friends sit in a
circle at what they call their club, a second-floor makeshift studio in west
Kabul’s Pul-e-Surkhta neighborhood. They smoke weed, drink tea and practice
freestyle lyrics. A picture of Tupac Shakur is taped on the wall. But the lives
the 22-year-old Kabul University student and others of his generation have
forged in the nearly two decades since America invaded their country are at
risk as never before. The U.S.-led invasion has brought the trappings of the
West and a small degree of its promised freedoms, but many here are fearful
those gains are about to evaporate. They are a generation not so much adrift as
stuck between opposing forces. They live with fresh graves and echoes of
firefights and marketplaces spoiled by suicide bombers. Theirs is land that has
not been conquered, a nation that has attuned them to hardship and the hope
that the Taliban and the government will peacefully coexist after U.S. troops
crate their weapons, fold their banners and leave.  Born into occupation,
Sezdah is a man with a wary eye on what lies ahead. He and his friends’ latest
rap — a haunting five-minute cry for tolerance posted on YouTube — opens with
aerial shots of the city’s teeming markets and mosques.”

 

Pakistan

 

Agence France-Presse: Pakistan's 'University Of Jihad' Proud Of Taliban Alumni
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“Maulana Yousaf Shah cracks a wide smile as he rattles off a list of former
students turned Taliban leaders, revelling in their victories over superpowers
on Afghanistan's battlefields after graduating from Pakistan's “university of
jihad”. The Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary has churned out a who's who of
Taliban top brass -- including many now on the hardline group's negotiating
team holding talks with the Kabul government to end a 20-year war. “Russia was
broken into pieces by the students and graduates of Darul Uloom Haqqania and
America was also sent packing,” beamed Shah, an influential cleric at the
seminary that critics have dubbed the “university of jihad”. “We are proud.”
The sprawling campus in Pakistan's Akora Khattak, about 60 kilometres (35
miles) east of Peshawar, is home to roughly 4,000 students who are fed, clothed
and educated for free. It has sat at the crossroads of regional militant
violence for years, educating many Pakistanis and Afghan refugees -- some of
whom returned home to wage war against the Russians and Americans or preach
jihad. Despite its infamy in some quarters, it has enjoyed state support in
Pakistan, where mainstream political parties are heavily boosted by links with
religious factions.”

 

The Hindu: Pakistan Continues To Raise Terror Charges
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“A day after the Ministry of External Affairs described Pakistan’s Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s allegations against India as ‘diversion’,
Islamabad cited a recent U.N. report and claimed presence of the Islamic State
and al-Qaeda in India. The Ministry did not respond to the allegation but
officials told The Hindu earlier that the Pakistani statements are aimed at
targeting India ahead of January 2021 when India will begin its stint as a
non-permanent member of the Security Council. The office of the spokesperson of
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday claimed that India has
‘mischievously’ presented itself as a ‘victim’ of terrorism and said, “The
presence of ISIL and AQIS in India as highlighted in recent U.N. report
indicates that India is emerging as a hotbed of U.N.-designated international
terrorist organisations and posing a great risk to the region”. The claim
indicates a change in Pakistani campaign for global platforms where it is often
accused of harbouring top international terrorists from a wide variety of
groups like the al-Qaeda. A U.N. report in June had pointed out “significant
numbers” of IS and al-Qaeda members in Kerala and Karnataka.”

 

Saudi Arabia

 

Gulf News: 'Terrorist Motive' In Saudi Embassy Shooting: Dutch Prosecutors
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“A man suspected of firing a gun at the Saudi Arabian embassy in The Hague
last week acted with “terrorist intent”, Dutch prosecutors said on Monday. The
40-year-old suspect was held on Thursday last week hours after the incident, in
which nobody was hurt. The shots came a day after a bomb blast struck a World
War I commemoration attended by foreign diplomats in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The man is suspected of carrying out violence against the embassy building,
trying to kill the caretaker of the building and making threats, all “with a
terrorist aim”, prosecutors said in a statement. “Terrorist intent is apparent
from the fact that the suspect appeared to want to impose his will on the
embassy through his actions,” the statement added, without giving further
details. Judges extended the suspect's detention for another two weeks at a
hearing Monday.”

 

Lebanon

 

The Jerusalem Post: Is Hezbollah’s Ammonium Nitrate Linked To Plot Against
Jews In Argentina?
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“Argentina said over the weekend that it had increased security on its border
with Paraguay due to an “anonymous tip” to authorities that was passed on via
its embassy in the United Kingdom. There was a possibility of “bomb-making
materials entering across Argentina’s northern border,” the report by Reuters
noted. The specifics of the case raise questions about the possible involvement
of Hezbollah. The article noted on Saturday that the tip “warned of a person
seeking to ship ammonium nitrate from Paraguay to Argentina.” The chemical
would then be used to make a bomb to target a “Jewish objective.” The 1994 bomb
against the AMIA Jewish Center, which killed 86 people in Buenos Aires, has
been linked to Iran. A 2006 report by Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman
pointed to Iran and Hezbollah as likely behind the attack. Nisman was killed in
2015. Allegations of cover-ups and conspiracies have rocked the country since
the bombing in the 1990s. The Paraguay connection is interesting because it was
believed that the 1994 attack may also have been linked to perpetrators who
crossed over from Paraguay. The porous borders of the area where the borders of
Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet have often been referenced by the US and
other countries as a safe haven for Islamist extremist groups such as Hezbollah
and Hamas.”

 

Middle East

 

Agence France-Presse: Questions Over Al-Qaeda Future After Leaders’ Reported
Deaths
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“The reported deaths of Al-Qaeda’s top two leaders in recent months have
raised questions about the future strategy and strength of the terror network,
already a shadow of the global force it was two decades ago. The New York Times
reported last week that Al-Qaeda’s deputy leader Abdullah Ahmad Abdullah, who
went by the nom-de-guerre Abu Muhammad al-Masri, was secretly killed in Tehran
in August by two Israeli operatives at Washington’s behest. Meanwhile,
prominent experts on Al-Qaeda have quoted sources as saying that Ayman
al-Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama Bin Laden as the chief of the group behind the
September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, is also dead. Iran has
strongly denied the report over the killing of Abdullah, while Al-Qaeda has not
issued any confirmation of the purported death of al-Zawahiri through its usual
media channels … According to the US-based Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
think tank, he was arrested in Iran in 2003 and freed in 2015 in a prisoner
exchange. He was still believed to be in Iran in 2018 as one of al-Zawahiri’s
key deputies. “Adel played a crucial role in building Al-Qaeda’s operational
capabilities and quickly ascended the hierarchy,” the CEP said.”

 

Egypt

 

Daily News Egypt: Egypt Condemns Terrorist Attack On Military Control In
Burkina Faso
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“Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned, on Sunday, the terrorist
attack that targeted a military patrol in Tin-Akoff, Oudalan province, in
Burkina Faso, killing and injuring several soldiers. The Ministry extended
Egypt’s condolences to the victims’ families, and hoped speedy recovery for
those who were injured in the attack. The Ministry asserted that Cairo stands
with the government and people of Burkina Faso in the fight against terrorism.
Egypt also called for regional and international cooperation to defeat
terrorism and extremism. On Wednesday, at least 14 people were killed and eight
others were wounded in the attack which took place near Burkinabe borders with
Mali and Niger. The Burkinabe armed forces have suffered several attacks from
terrorist groups in the Sahel region over the past two years, which claimed the
lives of dozens of soldiers. The attack came ahead of the country’s
presidential and legislative elections scheduled for 22 November. On Saturday,
the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara terrorist group claimed responsibility
for the attack. The group claimed that it had killed 20 soldiers in the
operation, but the government spokesperson said that 14 soldiers were killed by
“armed terrorist groups."

 

Somalia

 

Associated Press: At Least Two Dead In Somalia Bomb Attack
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“At least two people have been in Somalia's capital Mogadishu after a bomber
blew himself up in a restaurant near a police base. It was unclear who was
behind the attack. "A blast occurred at a restaurant near School Policio
(police base), we shall give details later," police spokesman Sadik Ali told
Reuters in a WhatsApp message. A witness, shopkeeper Mohamed Ali, told Reuters
at least two people were dead from the blast. "I understand this includes the
restaurant owner. Police opened fire after the blast," Ali said, adding that he
could see huge clouds of smoke rising above the restaurant and ambulances
trying to reach the blast site. Al Qaeda-allied Islamist group al Shabaab
frequently carries out bombings in Mogadishu and else where in Somalia as part
of its campaign to topple the central government. The group wants to establish
its own rule in the Horn of African country based on its own strict
interpretation of Islam's sharia law.”

 

France

 

Al Jazeera: French Far-Right Activist On Trial After Al Jazeera Investigation
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“A French far-right activist will stand trial in a French court on Tuesday
after being charged with incitement to terrorism and aggravated assault, based
on evidence gathered during an investigation by Al Jazeera. Rémi Falize, 33, a
former leading member of the Lille branch of the far-right group Generation
Identity, will appear at the Tribunal de Grande Instance (High Court) in the
northern city of Lille. He is charged with violence committed with a group of
people in Lille in January 2018 and with incitement to a terrorist act later
that month. Two others also featured in the Al Jazeera investigation will also
go on trial for lesser charges. Falize was filmed by an undercover Al Jazeera
reporter at the Citadelle bar, Generation Identity’s headquarters in Lille,
declaring that his dying wish would be to drive a car into a crowded Lille
market popular with Muslims. It followed a six-month undercover operation,
during which a reporter from Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit infiltrated the
Lille branch of Generation Identity. The potential sentence for the assault
charge is three years in prison and a 45,000-euro ($53,300) fine. The terrorism
charge carries a maximum five-year prison sentence and a 75,000-euro ($88,800)
fine.”

 

Europe

 

El País: The Young Spanish Woman Who Went From ‘Fallera’ To Jihadist
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“Up until January 2017, Cristina B. was like any other young woman in Cullera,
a small town in the Spanish region of Valencia. On social media, the
24-year-old was seen dressed as a fallera, wearing an elaborate traditional
dress used during Valencia’s famous Las Fallas festival. There are also
pictures of her in sports competitions, going out with friends and sharing
romantic moments with someone who appeared to be her partner at the time. But
for the past 11 months, she had been known in her town as “the woman in black.”
She had swapped the colorful trims, ribbons and petticoats of the fallera dress
for a niqab, which only allowed her almond-shaped eyes to be seen. It was a
change that did not go unnoticed by her family, or her friends or even the rest
of the town, which is home to 22,000 people. It was someone from Cullera who
alerted the police: “She is the only person who dresses like that.” For more
than a decade Cristina had belonged to the Raval de Sant Agustí Falla, a group
that helped organize the annual fiestas. She left the group two years ago, but
recently returned with one of her best friends. A food enthusiast, Cristina had
completed a cooking training course at the Joan Llopis Marí School, and in
recent years she had been making a living by making cakes and working in the
hostelry industry.”



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