Forty-six people from the ethnic Pygmy group were killed -- some of them
decapitated -- on Wednesday in a suspected militant attack in northeast

 

 


<[link removed]>
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Eye on Extremism


January 19, 2021

 

CNN: Dozens Killed, Some Decapitated, In Suspected Rebel Attack In The
Democratic Republic Of Congo
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“Forty-six people from the ethnic Pygmy group were killed -- some of them
decapitated -- on Wednesday in a suspected militant attack in northeast
Democratic Republic of Congo, according to an NGO official based in the central
African country. An armed group shot civilians and decapitated others with
machetes in Ambedi, a village in Irumu territory in Ituri province, said
Christophe Munyanderu, regional coordinator for the NGO Convention pour le
respect de droit de l'homme, or Convention for the Respect of Human Rights. A
spokesman for the Armed Forces of the DRC in Ituri attributed the attack to the
Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group that operates in the region. Two of the
assailants were arrested and are currently under interrogation, the spokesman
said. Most of the victims were women and children, said Rachel Taruwayo, the
regional coordinator for the provincial government. Munyanderu said that a
Pygmy who was hunting during the attack determined the death toll. When he
returned to the village, Munyanderu said, he found a female survivor with a
gunshot wound and a two-year-old child whose hand had been chopped off.”

 

Voice Of America: Pakistan Arrests Suspected Islamic State 'Fundraiser'
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“Authorities in Pakistan said Monday they have arrested a university student
in the southern port city of Karachi for allegedly collecting and sending funds
to Islamic State militants fighting in Syria. Separately, the Pakistani
military said its forces raided a hideout near the country’s western border
with Afghanistan and killed two senior “terrorists” in the ensuing firefight.
It said that a third militant “got injured and apprehended.” The
counterterrorism department in Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital,
identified the detained suspected IS operative as Umar Bin Khalid, a final year
student at the city’s NED University of Engineering and Technology. He was
trying to board a train before being taken into custody on Sunday. The
department noted that a “forensic examination” of Khalid’s two cellphones
established his links to a group “raising funds in Pakistan for Daesh and
sending them to Syria.” Daesh is the Arabic name for Islamic State. The
statement said the detainee was involved in the fundraising activity for the
last two years, and he was in contact “directly with families of terrorists
plotting terrorism in Pakistan and Syria.” IS has taken credit for plotting
deadly attacks in Pakistan in recent years.”

 

United States

 

ABC News: Beyond Domestic Terrorists, Officials Eye Foreign Influence, Drones
As Threats To Biden Inauguration
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“Since a violent mob of President Donald Trump's supporters attacked the U.S.
Capitol last week, U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that like-minded
domestic terrorists could strike again when President-elect Joe Biden is sworn
in as commander-in-chief next week. But a wide-ranging threat assessment issued
Thursday by several federal and local agencies makes it clear that U.S.
agencies are preparing for the possibility that Biden's inauguration could
inspire additional threats to the U.S. homeland, including foreign influence
operations and even drone attacks from extremists. “Since the incident at the
U.S. Capitol, Russian, Iranian, and Chinese influence actors have seized the
opportunity to amplify narratives in furtherance of their policy interest amid
the presidential transition,” the threat assessment noted, citing at least once
instance in which a Russian “proxy” promoted claims the rioters at the Capitol
last week were actually members of the radical left-wing antifa movement who
“disguised themselves” as Trump supporters. Still, the assessment said the U.S.
government has not identified any “specific, credible” information that
suggests foreign nations might target critical infrastructure or U.S. personnel
supporting the inauguration.”

 

The Washington Post: FBI Probes Possible Connections Between Extremist Groups
At Heart Of Capitol Violence
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“The FBI investigation of the Capitol riot has begun to zero in on potential
key figures in the chaos, including some self-styled militia members who in
some videos and photos appear to be planning or urging further violence. Though
no one has been charged with leading or directing the violence, investigators
are working to find out whether certain individuals helped coordinate aspects
of the attack, before and during the chaos, or were merely opportunistic
instigators. In nearly two weeks since the assault, the Justice Department has
charged more than 100 people — mostly individuals who revealed themselves as
participating in the Jan. 6 riot through social media boasts. But the weekend
arrests of people with alleged ties to extremist groups reflects the FBI’s
increasing attention to the more prepared, organized and determined groups
among the larger mass of rioters. One of those newly charged was Robert
Gieswein, 24, of Woodland Park, Colo. Charging documents and videos indicate he
may have links to the three extremist groups that have drawn the most attention
from the FBI: the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters. Some of the
videos appear to include members who discussed storming the Capitol about an
hour ahead of the riot.”

 

Mother Jones: Ahead Of Biden’s Inauguration, Extremists Trade Bomb Making
Instructions And Tactics Guides
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“Ahead of an Inauguration that experts and federal officials have warned could
culminate in violence, extremists are trading tactics in fringe online
platforms on how to carry out deadly attacks. In posts on 8kun, the home of
QAnon and successor to the banned extremist hotbed 8chan, and on right-wing
extremist channels on the messaging app, Telegram, anonymous users are sharing
instructions on how to make bombs and other weapons, as well as military
tactical guides. On 8kun, Mother Jones reviewed a collection of files called
“Civil War Tools” that had been shared on the site using MediaFire, a
file-hosting service, with instruction guides for building homemade explosives,
silencers, and other weapons. The files also contain guides on guerrilla
warfare and operational security. Similarly on Telegram, in a channel for
Boogaloos, a loose group of extremists who are preparing for an anticipated
second civil war have shared materials including a United States Marine Corps
manual on “Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain.” … Joshua Fisher-Birch, a
researcher at the Counter Extremism Project, also shared with Mother Jones
several instances of neo-Nazis calling on their followers to carry out
lone-wolf attacks and sharing other tactics on Telegram and 8kun.

 

Syria

 

Al Monitor: Did Islamic State Make Comeback To Opposition Areas In Countryside
Of Aleppo?
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“Syria TV correspondent and journalist Bahaa al-Halabi survived an
assassination attempt Jan. 6 in the Turkish-backed opposition-controlled city
of al-Bab in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo. The attempt took place
outside Halabi's home, as masked individuals intercepted his private car and
fired their bullets directly at him. The incident sparked controversy and fear
among activists and journalists in the opposition areas in the countryside of
Aleppo. Speculations soared about the entity behind this type of operations.
Some believe the incident is due to the security chaos that al-Bab and other
opposition-controlled areas are experiencing in the countryside of Aleppo. They
believe bombings and assassinations are usually carried out by agents of the
Syrian regime or the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which both share an
interest in perpetuating the security chaos in the region. Other journalists
believe the attempt to assassinate Halabi has the Islamic State's (IS)
fingerprints all over it. IS members excel in this type of assassination. In
their view, the incident ushers in the return of the organization to the
opposition areas in the countryside of Aleppo through its agents. On Dec. 12,
2020, journalist Hussein Khattab was assassinated in a similar manner in
al-Bab. Two masked individuals shot him in the city center while he was
preparing a press report.”

 

Voice Of America: Obscure Islamist Group Targets Turkish Military In Northwest
Syria
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“A small Islamist militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack on
Turkish forces in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib. The Ansar Abu Bakr
al-Siddiq Squadron said it was behind the attack Saturday that targeted a
Turkish military outpost in the northern countryside of Idlib. “The sniper
platoon of the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Squadron targeted one of the main bases of
the ‘Turkish NATO’ military stationed near the town of Batbo, north of Idlib,”
the extremist group said Sunday in a statement published on social media. Three
Turkish soldiers were wounded as a result of the assault, according to local
news media. The Turkish government has not commented. Idlib is the last major
stronghold controlled by forces opposed to the government of Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad.Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is the most powerful Islamist group
present in Idlib, but other al-Qaida-affiliated groups and Turkish-backed
rebels also have a significant presence in the Syrian enclave. The HTS,
formerly known as al-Nusra Front, is considered a terrorist organization by the
United States.”

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: ISIS Landmines Kill 10 Russia-Backed Fighters In Syria’s Homs
<[link removed]>

 

“Ten Russia-backed fighters were killed when ISIS landmines exploded in
al-Tayba area in al-Sukhna, in Syria's eastern Homs countryside near the
administrative border with the Deir Ezzor province. Meanwhile, Russian
warplanes carried out on Sunday 40 airstrikes targeting ISIS positions in
Aleppo, Hama and Raqqa. The Russia-backed forces launched a security campaign
in the deserts of Deir Ezzor and Homs, where forces from the al-Quds Brigade,
5th Corps and National Defense militias continue to comb the area from Kabajib
and al-Shoula to al-Sukhna, in an attempt to secure the Deir Ezzor-Homs road.
ISIS has recently increased its attacks against regime forces, killing and
injuring dozens. Analysts believe this reflects the difficulty of completely
eliminating ISIS remnant cells operating in the Badia desert area stretching
from eastern Homs, in central Syria, to the easternmost parts of the Deir Ezzor
province in the east. On December 30, ISIS targeted three busses carrying
pro-regime militants and members of the 4th Division, in al-Shula desert on
Deir Ezzor-Homs road, killing 39 and injuring others. The terrorist
organization also ambushed various vehicles on the Damascus-al-Raqqah highway
in the beginning of the year.”

 

Iraq

 

Kurdistan 24: ISIS Attacks In Disputed Iraqi Town Leave Security Force Member
Dead, 3 More Injured
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“Islamic State fighters launched a double attack late Friday evening, killing
one security force member and wounding three more in one of Iraq's territories
disputed by Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdistan Region. The attack took place
in the town of Jalawla, located outside the disputed city of Khanaqin. A
security source told Kurdistan 24 that Islamic State militants infiltrated
Jalawla's al-Shuhada neighborhood late at night, catching both the army and
police by surprise with two attacks near or on the Helwan Bridge. The attack is
just the latest after a series of similar incidents targeting security forces
and civilians in disputed areas in Diyala, Salahuddin, and Kirkuk provinces.
The extremist group often launches attacks in areas between those controlled by
Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga, taking advantage of the security vacuum in
multiple disputed territories. At the same time, Kurdistan 24 correspondent
also reported that an Iraqi soldier was wounded by sniper fire at a checkpoint
in the Tarmiyah area in the northern suburbs of Baghdad. Kurdistan Region
security officials have repeatedly stated that the Islamic State continues to
pose a threat to the region and the whole of Iraq.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The New York Times: She Killed An American In 2012. Why Was She Freed In The
Taliban Deal?
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“Nargis Mohammad Hasan was serving as an Afghan police officer when she shot
and killed an American civilian adviser on Dec. 24, 2012, in Afghanistan’s
capital. It was considered the first known attack by a woman in the Afghan
security forces on a coalition member since the U.S. invasion in 2001. Ms.
Hasan’s possible motives for the killing have always been murky. Having
emigrated from Iran, she was portrayed by internal investigations and Afghan
and U.S. officials as someone who was either mentally unwell, or was an Iranian
agent, or both — theories that were further clouded by the Taliban’s decision
last year to call for her release even though they acknowledge that she was not
a member. Originally sentenced to death by Afghan courts, she had remained in
prison. Then this past summer, she was freed as part of the United States’
peace deal with the Taliban after U.S. State Department negotiators dismissed
the F.B.I. and diplomats’ opposition to her release, according to U.S. and
Afghan officials. As peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the
Taliban continue in Qatar, the internal debate in Washington over Ms. Hasan’s
fate illustrates one of the difficult decisions that efforts to end a war can
bring.”

 

NBC News: Airstrike In Afghanistan Bombs Taliban Target. Now 18 Members Of One
Family Feared Dead.
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“Mir Hatim says he spent the early hours of Jan. 10 sifting through the
bombed-out house of his relatives, searching for their bodies in the rubble.
“Everyone there was crying,” Hatim, 29, told NBC News by phone in the days
after a nighttime Afghan airstrike killed and injured civilians in the rural
Nimroz province around midnight on Jan. 9. “We witnessed one of the most savage
acts by the government,” he said. Hatim said 18 of his relatives, all members
of the same family, were killed in the airstrike in Manzari village in Khashrod
district overnight Saturday. The next day, he says he and others took their
remains to the provincial capital, Zaranj, on the border with Iran, to show
local officials that women and children were among those killed. “Why did they
attack us, we’re not terrorists or Taliban fighters … what’s our crime?” he
said. The Afghan Ministry of Defense tweeted Monday that a strike in the
district had targeted a Taliban hideout, and said that nine Pakistani
terrorists and five local Taliban militants had been killed, and six others had
been injured. An investigation into allegations of civilian casualties was
underway, it added.”

 

Al Jazeera: Two Afghan Female Judges Shot Dead In Kabul Ambush
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“Two female judges have been killed by unknown gunmen in an ambush early on
Sunday in Afghanistan’s capital. The attack on the Supreme Court judges took
place as they were driving to work, Ahmad Fahim Qaweem, a court spokesman,
said. Kabul police confirmed the attack. Mujahid said the group was not
responsible. Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent months despite
ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and government – especially in Kabul
where a new trend of targeted killings aimed at high-profile figures has sown
fear in the city. The latest attack comes two days after the Pentagon announced
it cut American troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500, the lowest in nearly two
decades. More than 200 female judges work for the country’s top court, Qaweem
said. Afghanistan’s Supreme Court was a target in February 2017 when a suicide
bomb in its car park killed at least 20 court employees and wounded 41. In
recent months, several prominent Afghans – including politicians, journalists,
activists, doctors and prosecutors – have been assassinated in often brazen
daytime attacks in Kabul and other cities. Afghan officials have blamed the
Taliban for the attacks, a charge the militia has denied.”

 

Bloomberg: Taliban Call On Biden To Honor Trump Deal To Remove U.S. Troops
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“The Taliban has called on President-elect Joe Biden to honor a U.S. agreement
to withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan by May in order to secure
intra-Afghan peace talks and end the two-decade-long war. “Steps must now be
taken to end the war, not to prolong it, and the agreement was made for the
purpose,” Mohammad Naeem, a senior spokesman in the Taliban’s political office
in Doha, said on Monday, referring to their accord with the U.S. signed last
February which paves the way for a complete withdrawal of American troops by
May in exchange for Taliban security guarantees. “The lack of complete
implementation of the agreement can affect the ongoing process of
negotiations,” he added. The call from the insurgent group comes just days
after the U.S. reduced its troop levels from 4,500 to 2,500 at President Donald
Trump’s direction, despite opposition from both Republican and Democrat
lawmakers who’ve warned of the potential impact on counter-terrorism
operations. Naeem cheered the reduction on Twitter, saying the move was a “good
advancement.”

 

Yemen

 

Al Jazeera: Calls Grow For Biden To Reject Houthi ‘Terrorist’ Designation
<[link removed]>

 

“Dozens of civil society and faith-based groups in the United States are
urging President-elect Joe Biden to overturn the Trump administration’s
decision to label Yemen’s Houthis a “terrorist” organisation. In a letter (PDF)
to Biden on Friday, 50 organisations including the National Council of Churches
and Health Alliance International said “rather than being a catalyst for peace,
these designations are a recipe for more conflict and famine”. They will
“prevent the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance to millions of
innocent people, greatly hurt the prospects for a negotiated settlement to the
conflict, and further undermine U.S. national security interests in the
region”, the letter reads. Outgoing President Donald Trump’s administration
said on Monday it was designating the Houthis a “Foreign Terrorist
Organization” and a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist”. The foreign policy
move – part of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran and its allies,
such as the Houthis – is expected to come into effect on January 19, the day
before Biden takes office.”

 

Nigeria

 

Reuters: Residents Flee Islamist Insurgent Attack On Town In Northeast Nigeria
<[link removed]>

 

“Government troops and several hundred residents have been forced to flee
after Islamist insurgents overran a town in northeast Nigeria in an attack
claimed by Islamic State, security sources said on Saturday. Friday’s assault
on Marte, which lies on Lake Chad in Borno state, came just two months after
residents driven from their homes by Islamist attacks had returned to the town
under a government programme. It underscores the precarious security situation
in northeast Nigeria, where Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province
(ISWAP) are active, and the difficulties the government faces as it tries to
return people displaced by the violence. Soldiers fled during Friday’s assault
and Marte remained under the control of the militants on Saturday, the sources
said. An unspecified number of wounded people could not be reached, and it was
not immediately clear whether there had been any deaths. The sources said they
believed the insurgents were part of ISWAP. An army statement said troops
“tactically withdrew” to defend against a militant attack outside Marte. Troops
had “effectively destroyed” seven gun trucks and “decimated” an unconfirmed
number of attackers, it said.”

 

Al Jazeera: Armed Group Captures Military Base In Northeast Nigeria
<[link removed]>

 

“Government troops and hundreds of residents have been forced to flee after an
armed group overran a town and captured a military base in northeast Nigeria’s
Borno state in an attack claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) group, security sources
said. Machinegun-wielding fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province
(ISWAP) attacked the base in the town of Marte in the Lake Chad area overnight
on Friday into Saturday, two sources told AFP news agency. “The priority now is
to reclaim the base from the terrorists and an operation is under way,” one of
the sources said on Saturday. “We took a hit from ISWAP terrorists. They raided
the base in Marte after a fierce battle.” The second source said the army had
“incurred losses” but it was not yet clear how many people had died or the
level of destruction inflicted by the armed group. An army statement said
troops “tactically withdrew” to defend against an attack outside Marte. Troops
had “effectively destroyed” seven gun trucks and “decimated” an unconfirmed
number of attackers, it said. The ISIL later posted a statement on its Amaq
news channel on Telegram claiming responsibility for the attack. Without giving
further details, it said seven people had been killed, and one captured, and
that its fighters had seized weapons, ammunition and six four-wheel-drive
vehicles, as well as burning down the army barracks.”

 

Somalia

 

SOFREP: US Airstrike Kills Al-Shabaab Extremist Leader In Somalia
<[link removed]>

 

“The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) is keeping the pressure on the terrorist
group al-Shabaab in Somalia despite the redeployment of troops from Somalia to
other countries in East Africa. AFRICOM conducted another airstrike against the
group on Wednesday, striking a compound in the vicinity of Buulo Fulaay in
southern Somalia killing one of the group’s members. In a released statement,
AFRICOM said that according to its initial assessment no civilians were injured
or killed as a result of the operation. “This strike in Buulo Fulaay combined
with recent strikes, shows our resolve and degrades al-Shabaab’s ability to
threaten Somalia and its neighbors,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Dagvin
Anderson, Joint Task Force – Quartz commander. “Side by side with our partners,
we plan to leave no safe place for al-Shabaab to hide.” This was the third time
this month that AFRICOM has hit al-Shabaab in Somalia with airstrikes. On
January 1, the command conducted two drone strikes that targeted al-Shabaab
compounds near Qunyo Barrow. The drone strikes killed three and wounded one
al-Shabaab member; they destroyed six and damaged one al-Shabaab compound
buildings.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: At Least 48 Dead In Militia Attack On El Geneina, West Darfur - SUNA
<[link removed]>

 

“At least 48 people died and 97 people were injured in a militia attack on the
West Darfur city of El Geneina on Saturday, Sudan’s state news agency SUNA
said, citing a local doctors union. The attack came just weeks after UN
peace-keepers began withdrawing from the region, where violence is increasing,
and was triggered when a member of the Masalit tribe stabbed a member of an
Arab tribe, human rights organisation the Darfur Bar Association said in a
statement. “Armed militias took advantage of the incident and attacked El
Geneina from all sides,” the association said, as well as the nearby Kreinding
camp for internally displaced people, from where SUNA said there was now a wave
of people moving towards the city. The association accused the militias of
looting and human rights abuses. Similar incidents have occurred in Darfur
since conflict began in 2003, when the government of Omar al-Bashir armed
militias to help repress a revolt. “We have warned several times about the
deteriorating security situation in Darfur ... as armed militias still pose a
constant threat,” a coordinating committee for IDP camp residents said in
statement.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Daily Mail: Britain's Youngest Terrorist Who Was Jailed For Plotting To Behead
A Police Officer In Australia On Anzac Day When He Was 14 Can Be Freed From
Prison
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“Britain's youngest convicted terrorist who planned to behead police officers
at an Anzac Day parade can be freed from jail, a parole board has ruled. The
terrorist, who can be identified only as 'RXG', was just 14 when he told Sevdet
Besim, 18, to carry out the massacre at the parade in Melbourne. He exchanged
more than 3,000 encrypted mobile app messages with Besim after he became
swiftly radicalised by online Islamic State propaganda. They also discussed
packing a kangaroo with explosives, painting it with an Islamic State symbol
and setting it loose on police officers.  The teenager, from Blackburn in
Lancashire, was jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court in October 2015 after
he admitted inciting terrorism overseas.  He is among a group of child
offenders, including the killers of the toddler James Bulger, to be granted
lifelong anonymity by the High Court.  In a document detailing the decision,
the Parole Board said: 'After considering the circumstances of his offending,
the progress made while in detention, and the evidence presented at the
hearings, the panel was satisfied that RXG was suitable for release.' At the
age of just 14, the teenager took on the role of 'organiser and adviser' and
suggested beheading or using a car to kill officers.”

 

Metro: Brexit Will Disrupt Hunt For UK’s Most Wanted Fugitives, Terrorism
Expert Warns
<[link removed]>

 

“The hunt for some of the UK’s most wanted terrorists will be disrupted by
Brexit, a former counter terrorism chief has warned. Sir Ivor Roberts, former
Head of Counter Terrorism at the Foreign Office, says ‘White Widow’ Samantha
Lewthwaite is among the fugitives who could go further off the radar after the
end of mutual security arrangements with the EU. The British diplomat was
involved in a key test of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) – one of the tools
the UK no longer has access to. He claims the fast-track extradition of
terrorist Hussain Osman will be ‘impossible to replicate’ after the January 1
departure from the EU. Sir Ivor was the British Ambassador to Italy at the time
Osman was arrested in Rome over the failed plot to bomb London on July 21,
2005. The UK is no longer part of the EAW and has also forfeited its membership
of Europol and the Schengen Information System II (SIS II), which British law
enforcement accessed around half a billion times annually … Sir Ivor, senior
advisor to US think-tank the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), has spoken of the
continued threat posed by Lewthwaite and other fugitives at a time the world’s
focus shifts to the far-right in the wake of the deadly riot at the US Capitol.”

 

Germany

 

Associated Press: 2 Syrians Charged With Terrorism Over Army Officer's Killing
<[link removed]>

 

“Two Syrians have been charged in Germany for alleged links to a terrorist
organization on suspicion they were involved in the killing of an army officer
in their homeland in 2012, prosecutors said Monday. Khedr A.K. was charged with
membership in a terrorist organization while Sami A.S. was charged with
supporting a terrorist organization on allegations they were acting on behalf
of the Nusra Front, as al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria was known at the time of
the alleged offenses. Neither of their last names were given in line with
German privacy laws. The two were arrested last summer in Naumburg, in eastern
Germany, and in the western city of Essen. The pair are suspected of taking
part in the killing of a captured lieutenant colonel of the Syrian government
forces in July 2012, prosecutors said. They said that Khedr A.K. guarded the
man as he was brought to the execution site. Sami A.S. is suspected of filming
the officer’s shooting and preparing the footage for use as propaganda. It was
not immediately clear when the two came to Germany.”

 

Europe

 

Reuters: Greece Arrests Suspected Syrian Militant Wanted In Netherlands
<[link removed]>

 

“Greek authorities have arrested a 37-year-old Syrian asylum seeker wanted in
the Netherlands for suspected terrorism offences, a police official said on
Friday. The man arrived on the island of Samos from Turkey on Oct. 4, 2018, and
was later transferred to a migrant facility near Thessaloniki where he was
arrested on Wednesday under an international arrest warrant issued by Dutch
authorities, according to the official. Two earlier applications for asylum in
Greece had been rejected, he added. The unnamed man was suspected of terrorist
offences and being a member of al Nusra, a Syrian group affiliated with al
Qaeda as well as migrant trafficking. Extradition procedures were under way.
Tens of thousands of migrants have arrived in Greece in recent years, many
fleeing the civil war in Syria.”

 

Australia

 

The Australian: ‘Extremist’ Sydney Man Accused Of Breaching Anti-Terrorism
Control Order Over Online Material
<[link removed]>

 

“A Sydney man has been arrested after he allegedly failed to comply with a
condition of a control order by accessing online material that supported
executions, beheadings and torture. Australian Federal Police acting commander
Alex Nicholson fronted the media on Saturday, detailing how the 25-year-old was
accused of breaching the Federal Court of Australia direction. The man, who was
released from jail on January 1, was subject to the control order until
December 30. “The man has an extremist ideology aligned to the ISIS terror
network,” acting commander Nicholson said. The AFP High Risk Terrorist
Offenders team arrested the man at his Denistone home on Saturday morning. 
Commander Nicholson said there was no threat to the community. “This man is now
the fifth person arrested by the AFP for breaching a control order since July,”
he said. “While we are continuing to see high risk terrorist offenders breach
their control orders, police are ensuring offenders who breached their orders
are arrested, charged and face the consequences of their actions. “AFP offices
continue to work with our state and territory counterparts and security
agencies to protect the community from extremist material and the violence it
promotes.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

International Business Times: Indonesian Terror Outfits 'Actively Recruiting
And Raising Funds' Says Counterterror Chief
<[link removed]>

 

“Even as Indonesia is in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorism cells
are thriving in the country, the authorities have said. Terrorists are actively
recruiting operatives, plotting attacks and spreading radical messages, the
counterterrorism officials in the country said. “They are actively recruiting,
spreading their ideology, raising funds and conducting training,” said the
National Counter Terrorism Agency's (BNPT) director for enforcement, Eddy
Hartono. In an exclusive interview with the Channel News Asia, the brigadier
said terror cells in the country “are not sitting back and relaxing.” However,
he added that terror cells have not been able to dispatch as many militants to
join outfits like the Al-Qaeda and the Isis as they used to do before the
pandemic. The counterterrorism wing of the police arrested as many as 232
people in 2020 for alleged involvement in terrorism. “They are indeed planning
attacks on security officials, state institutions, military and the police ...
Thank goodness we have been able to prevent (these attacks) from happening,”
Hartono added. The authorities also said terror cells have been using raising
funds from the public through thousands of 'charity boxes on the pretext of
donations for natural disasters, social aid as well as COVID-19 relief
efforts.'“

 

Technology

 

Associated Press: Extremists Exploit A Loophole In Social Moderation: Podcasts
On Apple, Google
<[link removed]>

 

“Major social platforms have been cracking down on the spread of
misinformation and conspiracy theories in the leadup to the presidential
election, and expanded their efforts in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
But Apple and Google, among others, have left open a major loophole for this
material: podcasts. Podcasts made available by the two Big Tech companies let
you tune into the world of the QAnon conspiracy theory, wallow in President
Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election and bask in other extremism.
Accounts that have been banned on social media for election misinformation,
threatening or bullying, and breaking other rules also still live on as
podcasts available on the tech giants' platforms. Conspiracy theorists have
peddled stolen-election fantasies, coronavirus conspiracies and violent
rhetoric. One podcaster, RedPill78, called the Capitol siege a “staged event”
in a Jan. 11 episode of Red Pill News. The day before the Capitol riot, a more
popular podcast, X22 Report, spoke confidently about a Trump second term,
explained that Trump would need to “remove” many members of Congress to further
his plans, and said “We the people, we are the storm, and we're coming to DC.”



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