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Eye on Extremism
December 2, 2020
The Washington Post: Car Plows Through Pedestrian Street In German City Of Trier, At Least 4 Dead
“A man deliberately plowed an SUV through pedestrian streets and a central square in the southwestern German city of Trier on Tuesday, police said, killing at least four people including a 9-month-old baby. Authorities said they arrested the suspected driver, a 51-year-old German who lived in the area. While the incident bore the hallmarks of past terrorism attacks with vehicles used as weapons, police said they had no evidence of possible political, religious or terrorist motives. At least 15 people were injured, four severely. The suspect, who had been living in his car, was intoxicated and would undergo a psychological evaluation, said the state’s interior minister, Roger Lewentz. The car sped for more than a half-mile through the picturesque medieval city center and past the city’s Christmas tree, zigzagging to apparently maximize casualties, before being cornered by police, he added. Video posted online showed a man being pinned to the ground by police next to a silver-gray vehicle along a bike lane. Another showed the mayhem inflicted: ambulances and paramedics on a shopping street strewn with debris. One witness quoted in the local media described a stroller flying in the air as the car flew through the market area.”
Reuters: U.N. Warns Child Labor, Trafficking On The Rise In Troubled Mali
“More children have been trafficked, forced to work in gold mines and to fight as soldiers in Mali this year as conflict worsened and COVID-19 shut schools, the United Nations said on Tuesday. With security in Mali deteriorating, a network of humanitarian agencies led by the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) documented 230 cases of child recruitment by armed groups in the first half of 2020, compared to 215 cases in all of 2019. The agencies also found about 6,000 children, mostly boys, working in eight gold mining sites, after 24 children bound for the mines were rescued in June in the West African nation, one of the continent’s largest gold producers. “As a result of conflict and socio-economic deterioration worsened by the pandemic, we are seeing some of the most egregious human rights violations in the Sahel,” said UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs. “Children are being forced to fight by armed groups, trafficked, raped, sold, forced into sexual or domestic servitude, or married off,” she said in a statement, which said the victims were Malian, as well as refugees and migrants. Millions of children were out of school for about six months due to the coronavirus pandemic in Mali, where security is worsening as militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have gained ground, making swathes of the country ungovernable.”
United States
“Federal authorities in Seattle on Monday charged two women with a terrorist attack on train tracks, suggesting they were working with an anarchist community to stand in solidarity with a Native American tribe to oppose the construction of a natural gas pipeline across the Canadian province of British Columbia by trying to derail trains in Washington state. Samantha Frances Brooks, 27, and Ellen Brennan Reiche, 23, were arrested Saturday night in Bellingham, located in Whatcom County, which borders Canada, as they allegedly placed “shunts” on Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks, according to a complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Washington Monday. A shunt is comprised of wire and magnets that are strung across the tracks, mimicking the electrical signal of a train. The two women were charged in connection to Saturday’s incident, but there have been 41 incidents of shunts placed on the BNSF tracks in Whatcom and Skagit counties since January. Shunts were placed in areas that disrupt the crossing guards where the tracks cross streets, so vehicles could have tried to cross the tracks unaware of the oncoming train, U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran said.”
The Hill: Anonymous Shell Companies Fund Crime And Terror; It's Time To Crack Down
“For nearly 30 years, a 36-story office building in the heart of midtown Manhattan — around the corner from Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center — was secretly owned by the government of Iran. How was a government that was under economic sanctions able to own a highly coveted piece of real estate in the middle of the largest city in the United States? The answer is surprisingly simple: It used anonymous shell companies. What’s worse, those shell companies were not created in some shady foreign jurisdiction — they were formed right here in the U.S. In 2016, bombshell reports by “60 Minutes” and The New York Times showed how easy it is for terrorists, drug dealers and other criminals to launder money in the U.S. through anonymous shell companies. These reports, along with a multi-year undercover investigation by Global Witness, documented numerous examples where loopholes in U.S. state and federal laws are used to hide the identities of the true owners of these shell companies, allowing criminals to launder their money by purchasing real estate and other assets with illegal funds. Corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) are formed at the state level in the U.S., and no U.S. state currently requires companies to disclose their true, beneficial owners.”
Iran
Atlantic Council: A Top Baluchi Terrorist Was Killed—How Will This Impact Insurgencies In Iran?
“The headline is familiar: “Leader of the Insurgent Group Killed.” Also familiar is Iran’s reaction and position on regional insurgencies. Instead of implementing much-needed actions in easing discriminations, Tehran’s approach has been to expand its military presence in the deprived Sistan and Baluchistan province. Top terrorist Omar Shahoozi—nom de guerre Mullah Omar Baluchi or Mullah Omar Irani—was killed along with his two sons in Turbat, Pakistan on November 17. Shahoozi was described by Fararou, a media outlet close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as the leader of the Sunni extremist militant group Jaish-ul-Adl. The Salafi group Jaish-ul-Adl (Army of Justice), operates mainly in the Baluchistan region. In recent years, it has adapted to a more political tone, justifying its terrorist attacks in retaliation for Iran’s “crimes against the oppressed peoples of Iran and Syria.” The militant group is responsible for a number of attacks in Iran targeting both military personnel and civilians. This includes one that killed fourteen Iranian border guards in October 2013 in the city of Seravan in the Sistan and Baluchistan province on the Iran-Pakistan border; the abduction of twelve Iranian security forces members near the border with Pakistan in October 2018; and a suicide bombing in February 2019, targeting a bus carrying IRGC personnel, which killed twenty-seven people.”
Afghanistan
France 24: Afghan Army Kills Mastermind Of Taliban Car Bomb Attack On Military Base
“Afghan forces have killed the Taliban mastermind of a suicide car bomb attack that left at least 30 security personnel dead, officials said Monday. Hamza Waziristani was killed in an air strike overnight in the eastern province of Ghazni where the bomber struck an Afghan military base on Sunday. “The mastermind behind yesterday's terrorist attack on the (Ghazni) base was killed along with seven other terrorists,” the defence ministry said in a statement. Ministry spokesman Fawad Aman told AFP that Waziristani was a Taliban militant from the Pakistani border region of Waziristan. The attack was one of the deadliest in months targeting government forces in Afghanistan, where violence has surged since the start of peace talks between President Ashraf Ghani's administration and the Taliban in Qatar. No group has claimed the attack. The Taliban often do not comment on deadly attacks they are accused of carrying out. The insurgents have launched near daily attacks against Afghan forces, primarily in rural areas, since signing a deal with Washington in February that paved the way for the withdrawal of foreign troops by May 2021. Health officials in Ghazni said 30 people died in Sunday's attack, but the defence ministry -- which is known to downplay tolls in attacks against its forces -- said 10 were killed.”
Middle East
The Interpreter: Al-Qaeda: The Core Problem
“For year after year, the moustached face Abu Mohammed al-Masri has stared blankly from a photo on an FBI most-wanted poster. A founding senior member of al-Qaeda, al-Masri was responsible for the 1998 US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania that left more than 200 dead. Also known as Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, he’d been hunted ever since. Until 7 August, when al-Masri was reportedly killed in Iran, along with his daughter Maryam, on the anniversary of the attacks he orchestrated in East Africa 22 years earlier. News of his death has taken months to trickle out. The killing was first reported as an Israeli assassination against a man called Habib Dawoud – an academic with ties to Hezbollah. But it didn’t take enterprising regional journalists long to figure out that there was no such Hezbollah associate by that name, and that the man who was killed in a drive-by shooting was in fact the senior al-Qaeda operative. There was an erroneous suggestion the strike had taken place in Afghanistan. Iran still denies the reports of his death, and neither Israel nor the United States has taken responsibility, although al-Qaeda has finally confirmed it. Iran has played a significant role in keeping al-Qaeda’s fortunes alive by sheltering the al-Qaeda exiles from Afghanistan.”
Nigeria
Agence France-Presse: Boko Haram Claims Nigeria Farm Massacre As Toll Rises To 76
“The Boko Haram jihadist group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a brutal massacre of farm workers in northeast Nigeria over the weekend as the death toll rose to 76. The grim search for bodies continues after gunmen on motorbikes attacked the area outside Borno state's capital Maiduguri on Saturday, slaughtering dozens of labourers in rice fields near the village of Zabarmari. It was initially unclear which Boko Haram faction was behind the assault, but the main group loyal to shadowy leader Abubakar Shekau said in a video Tuesday it was “responsible for what happened around Maiduguri in recent days... especially in Zabarmari.” Borno state information commissioner Babakura Abba Jatau meanwhile said the death toll had risen from 70 to 76. “Forty-three bodies were buried on Sunday and another 33 were buried on Monday,” he told AFP, adding that the death toll could rise further. “Residents of Zabarmari village where the victims were buried said many more bodies could be scattered in the marshy rice fields.” The United Nations on Sunday said that 110 civilians were killed, but later scaled that back to “tens” of victims, admitting its initial toll was “unconfirmed”. The bloodletting centred on the village of Koshobe, where Boko Haram fighters tied up farm workers and slit their throats.”
Deutsche Welle: Nigeria: President Buhari's War On Boko Haram 'Far From Over'
“Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari came to power promising to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency and end the insecurity in Nigeria's restive northeastern region. Five years after Nigerians swore in Buhari as president of Africa's most populous nation, an Islamist insurgency in the north, armed banditry and insecurity remain a huge challenge. Last weekend's slaughter of civilians by jihadists has raised questions on Buhari's ability to fulfill his promises. The United Nations said gunmen brutally killed “tens” of civilians and wounded many other workers who were harvesting rice in Koshobe village, near Maiduguri, capital of Borno State. Edward Kallon, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, said he was concerned about reports of women being kidnapped. In a series of tweets, President Muhammadu Buhari condemned what he described as “insane and senseless killings by terrorists.” No one has yet claimed responsibility, but residents suspect Boko Haram of being behind the attack. “The last week was largely an appraisal of the performance of the president or the current administration in terms of security,” Awwal Faruq, a Nigerian security analyst, said. “The killings and the kidnappings of worshippers in Kanoma, Zamfara State and the slaughter of peasant farmers in cold blood, are another appraisal of what is happening,” Faruq told DW.”
Pulse Nigeria: Military Kills Scores Of Boko Haram Terrorists In Air Raids
“The Defence Headquarters says the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole has hit terrorists' camps in Sambisa forest and Yale area of Borno, killing scores in separate air strikes on Monday. The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. Lai Mohammed says 'badly degraded' Boko Haram can only attack 'soft targets' Enenche said the air interdiction missions destroyed some dwellings of Boko Haram terrorists' leaders in the Sambisa Forest area and at a settlement about 1.7 Km East of Yale, both in Borno. He said the air raids were undertaken after credible intelligence and series of aerial surveillance missions. He said that this indicated that some terrorists that carried out recent attacks against innocent civilians were harboured in makeshift structures in the areas. According to him, the military dispatched Nigerian Air Force fighter jets and helicopter gunships to attack the two locations. “The attack aircraft, while taking turns to engage the targets, delivered lethal bomb and rocket strikes, resulting in the destruction of some of the structures and the killing of several terrorists,” he said.”
Mali
SOFREP: Al-Qaeda-Linked Jihadists Attack Several Bases In Mali
“For the first time, Islamic jihadists have conducted coordinated attacks on the three military bases in Mali. The jihadists, who are reportedly linked to al-Qaeda, targeted French military bases in Kidal, Menaka, and Gao in northern Mali within the space of a few hours on Monday as they tried to coordinate attacks. The bases were hit by rocket attacks as well as mortars but no one was injured. “There were no casualties, but there was some material damage,” a Malian military official told AFP. Thomas Romiguier, a spokesman for the French-led coalition added that the only base damaged was the United Nations base in Kidal, which is next to the French base. Al-Qaeda released a statement through its affiliated media network, al-Thabat saying that, “The rocket attacks of the mujahideen, in support of Islam and Muslims, targeted the bases of the French infidel army.” Locals in the town of Gao reported that the rocket attack began at 5:30 a.m. on Monday morning. The attack on the base at Kidal was conducted after a group of men on motorcycles were observed riding around the camp before dawn, a camp security officer said. “It was after they passed by that there was fire from rockets and machine guns. There were no deaths but there was significant material damage,” the official specified.”
United Kingdom
BBC News: Birmingham Woman Denies Terrorist Videos Charges
“A woman accused of sending Islamic State videos to an undercover police officer has appeared in court. Aaminah Amatullah faces two charges of disseminating terrorist publications in September last year. The 38-year-old, of Livingstone Road in Handsworth, Birmingham, pleaded not guilty to both at Westminster Magistrates Court. She is set to appear next at the Old Bailey on December 18. The charges relate to two videos allegedly sent to an online contact, whom she did not know was an undercover officer, on September 17 and 22 last year. Ms Amatullah was arrested at her studio apartment on Livingstone Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, on November 24 as part of an investigation by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.”
Germany
Al Jazeera: Germany Bans Far-Right, Pro-Nazi Group, Police Raid Homes
“Police raided homes in three German states early on Tuesday after the German government banned a far-right group, a spokesman for the interior ministry said. The homes of 13 members of the far-right group, Wolfbrigade 44, were searched in Hesse, Mecklenburg West-Pomerania and North Rhine-Westphalia to confiscate the group’s funds and far-right propaganda material, German news agency dpa reported. “Whoever fights against the basic values of our free society will get to feel the resolute reaction of our government,” Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said, according to his spokesman, Steve Alter. The group’s goal is to re-establish a Nazi dictatorship, according to security officials. The 44 in their name stands for the fourth letter in the alphabet, DD, and is an abbreviation for Division Dirlewanger. Oskar Dirlewanger was a known Nazi war criminal and commander of a Nazi SS special unit. The far-right group was founded in 2016. It is known for possessing illegal weapons and members have participated in far-right protests. Earlier this year, the German government banned other far-right groups including the Combat 18 and the Nordadler, dpa reported.”
Reuters: Germany Uncovers Suspected Far-Right “Reichsbuerger” In Armed Forces
“Germany military intelligence has opened an investigation into eight civilian employees of the armed forces suspected of belonging to the far-right “Reichsbuerger” movement that denies the existence of the modern German state. “We don’t tolerate enemies of the constitution in the Bundeswehr,” Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said on Tuesday, referring to the armed forces. The tip-off leading to the investigation came from the military, she added. Members of the Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) do not recognise modern-day Germany as a legitimate state, and insist the former, far larger “Deutsche Reich” still exists despite Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War Two. “It is very important to act wherever there is suspicion, no matter if we are talking about small or major cases,” Alexander Neu, a lawmaker from the opposition far-left Linke party, told Reuters. Last week, German authorities uncovered a group of soldiers suspected of organising a chat group relating to anti-Semitism, right-wing extremism and pornography, according to a Defence Ministry document seen by Reuters.”
Europe
The National: European Countries Scrambling To Adopt New Terror Laws Before ISIS Fighters Return
“A terrorism expert says a growing number of countries across Europe are rushing to introduce new terror laws as they accept the inevitability of ISIS fighters returning. Tanya Mehra, a senior research fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague, says the repatriation of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) is the “only way forward” … Speaking in a webinar hosted by the Counter Extremism Project, Ms Mehra said many European politicians are against the repatriation of their citizens, fearing they will commit atrocities. But she argued doing nothing will lead to more escapes and the unmonitored return of fighters to Europe. “Countries like Austria, Belgium and the UK have stripped some citizens of their nationalities,” she said. “In the Netherlands 11 people have been deprived of their nationalities since 2017. “But there is a shift taking place in Europe, and several countries, Sweden, Germany, France and the Netherlands, have been looking at how their crimes can be prosecuted as international crimes which could provide longer sentences.”
Southeast Asia
“Muslim extremists with the terrorist group Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) are believed to be responsible for the gruesome attack on The Salvation Army’s service post in central Sulawesi that left four Christians dead. According to International Christian Concern, on Nov. 27, Poso-based MIT militants Ali Kalora and Jaka Ramada, who pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, set fire to a church and burned down the homes of six churchgoers after they attacked the Lewonu Lembantongoa Service Post of The Salvation Army, slitting the throats of three Christians and beheading another. The leader of the outlawed Islamic group, Ali Kalora, was also seen at the scene of the crime. According to Yoga Priyautama, the chief of police in Sigi, a joint team has spread out and conducted searches in a number of areas that are suspected to be the killers’ escape routes. Following the attack, ICC followed up with local Christians to receive more information about the case. Survivors said that on the day of the murders, a Christian woman, Nei, was having breakfast with her husband, Yasa, when she saw approximately 10 unknown people visiting someone named Naka, who was at a nearby house in Tokelemo, Lembantongoa Village.”
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