The Department of Homeland Security issued its first-ever national terrorism
bulletin about violent domestic extremists, warning they could attack in

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


January 28, 2021

 

The Wall Street Journal: DHS Issues Its First National Terrorism Bulletin For
Domestic Extremists
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“The Department of Homeland Security issued its first-ever national terrorism
bulletin about violent domestic extremists, warning they could attack in the
coming weeks, emboldened by the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. DHS, in an
advisory Wednesday, said violent extremists opposed to the government and the
presidential transition “could continue to mobilize to incite or commit
violence,” though the department said it doesn’t have evidence of a specific
plot. The bulletin said that violent extremists have been “motivated by a range
of issues, including anger over Covid-19 restrictions, the 2020 election
results, and police use of force” as well as “long-standing racial and ethnic
tension, including opposition to immigration.” DHS has commonly issued
terrorism bulletins, though those warnings usually focus on foreign-inspired
threats. While this advisory mentions terrorists inspired by foreign
ideologies, it is notable for its focus on domestic violent extremists—the
first such bulletin ever published, according to a DHS spokesman. The most
recent DHS bulletin—a warning that Iran had the potential to carry out
cyberattacks—came a year ago. DHS didn’t issue a bulletin ahead of the planned
Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C. that devolved into a mob attack at the
Capitol, despite public chatter online about the extremists’ plans.”

 

Reuters: Killings Of Civilians Rise As Afghan Violence Threatens Peace Moves
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“Killings of civilians in Afghanistan's conflict rose to more than 2,900 last
year, the country's human rights commission said on Wednesday, despite stepped
up diplomacy to end the war including peace talks taking place in Qatar. The
deaths are part of a wider increase in violence that threatens a delicate peace
process, undermining international calls for a ceasefire as the Afghan
government takes part in peace negotiations with the insurgent Taliban. There
were 8,500 civilian casualties in 2020, according to the Afghanistan
Independent Human Rights Commission's (AIHRC) annual report, including 2,958
deaths. That was an increase from the 2,817 civilians killed in 2019, though
overall casualties had dropped from more than 10,000 the previous year with
fewer civilians injured. A series of assassinations of human rights officials,
mid-level government employees and journalists began last year as well as
attacks on civilians that shocked the country, including a massacre of new
mothers and newborn babies at a maternity ward in May. The AIHRC expressed
“grave concern” over the findings, adding just over half of the casualties were
caused by the Taliban, 15% by government forces and its international partners
and the remainder from groups like the Islamic State and from unknown actors.”

 

United States

 

The New York Times: Member Of Extremist Group Pleads Guilty In Michigan
Governor Kidnapping Plot
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“One member of an antigovernment group accused of plotting to kidnap Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan last fall pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal
court, with documents revealing new details about the group’s plans to storm
the Michigan Capitol and commit other violence. Ty G. Garbin, a 25-year-old
airplane mechanic, agreed to testify against the other five defendants charged
in federal court in Western Michigan, according to the plea agreement filed by
prosecutors. Eight other men have been accused in state court of cooperating
with the violent plans, and Mr. Garbin will serve as a witness against them,
too, it said. Under questioning by Judge Robert J. Jonker in court, Mr. Garbin
said he realized that his testimony might end up hurting people he knows. His
sentencing was scheduled for July 8. The defendants, arrested in October, were
accused of planning to kidnap Ms. Whitmer around the time of the Nov. 3
election and to either abandon her in a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan or
take her to another state, possibly Wisconsin, and put her on trial. They
accused Ms. Whitmer of acting like a “tyrant” for restrictions the state had
put in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The plot came amid
heightened political tensions surrounding the presidential election, tensions
that had been building all year in Michigan with protests against lockdowns
that armed groups helped to organize starting in April.”

 

CNBC: Man Arrested On Pipe Bomb Charges Discussed Attacking Twitter And
Facebook, Aimed To Keep Trump President
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“A California man charged with possessing five pipe bombs talked about
targeting Democrats and the social media giants Twitter and Facebook, as part
of a discussion about going “to war” to ensure former President Donald Trump
remained in the White House. “I want to blow up a democratic building so bad,”
the man, Ian Benjamin Rogers of Napa County, wrote in a text message detailed
in a criminal complaint filed in federal court for the Northern District of
California. The complaint described a large array of firearms, ammunition,
bomb-making equipment and warfare manuals found in his possession. “The
democrats need to pay,” wrote Rogers, a married father of two, who owns British
Auto Repair of the Napa Valley. In another text message, Rogers said he was
“thinking sac office first target,” which an FBI agent said is suspected of
being the Sacramento office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Then maybe bird
and face offices,” the 44-year-old wrote, according to the complaint. “Sad it’s
come to this but I’m not going down without a fight ... These commies need to
be told what’s up.” The agent said the text appeared to reference Twitter,
whose logo is a blue bird, and Facebook, “because both social media platforms
had locked Trump’s accounts to prevent him from sending messages on those
platforms” on the heels of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his
supporters.”

 

NPR: 3 People From Extremist 'Oath Keepers' Indicted On Capitol Riot
Conspiracy Charges
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“Individuals tied to what the Justice Department calls a paramilitary group
were indicted Wednesday on federal charges related to the attack on the Capitol
on Jan. 6. They face up to 20 years in prison. Jessica Marie Watkins, 38, and
Donovan Ray Crowl, 50, both from Champaign County, Ohio, and Thomas Caldwell,
65, of Clarke County, Va., were arrested about two weeks after the insurrection
in Washington, D.C., a Justice Department news release said. They face a slew
of charges: conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding, destruction of
government property and unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds. All
three have ties to the Oath Keepers, which is described by the Justice
Department as “a paramilitary organization focused on recruitment of current
and former military, law enforcement, and first responder personnel.” The
organization encourages its members and prospective recruits to uphold their
sworn oath to defend the Constitution, according to the Oath Keepers website.
Watkins, Crowl and Caldwell are accused of communicating their plans long
before the assault in Washington. The Justice Department said the three
coordinated their attack on the Capitol. Additionally, they documented their
participation in the attack on social media, investigators said. Watkins posted
a video of herself inside the Capitol on Parler.”

 

Iraq

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Iraqi President Calls For International Cooperation To Combat
Terrorism
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“Iraqi President Barham Salih said that the world and the region are facing
challenges posed by terrorism and extremism, including recent escalation in
tensions. Saleh 's remarks came during his meeting with the Pakistani Minister
of Military Production, Zubaida Jalal, and her accompanying delegation at
al-Salam Palace in Baghdad. The President asserted the importance of promoting
bilateral cooperation between Iraq and Pakistan in the defense field. Both
countries would benefit from the shared expertise of their military
institutions, he said, adding that it would also help Iraq develop the
capacities of its armed forces. “International cooperation was also necessary
to deal with the escalation of tensions that impact international security and
stability.” For her part, the Pakistani minister affirmed her country's
commitment to supporting Iraq and consolidating bilateral relations and
military cooperation in the field of developing and training Iraqi armed
forces. Recently, the ISIS terror group increased its operations in Iraq,
including an attack by two suicide bombers who blew themselves in Baghdad,
killing dozens and injuring hundreds. A second attack occurred in al-Eith of
Saladin governorate where ISIS terrorists killed and wounded dozens of the
Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). In response, the Iraqi government began
devising plans to confront the new challenge, prompting Prime Minister Mustafa
al-Kadhimi to relocate a number of security and military units.”

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Iraq Sees Sharp Decline In Power Supply Due To Terrorism, Cut
In Iranian Gas
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“Electricity supply has declined in all Iraqi provinces, sometimes reaching
only two hours for every six hours of power cut. As people’s anger mounted
against government authorities and the Ministry of Electricity in particular,
the latter presented excuses and explained the obstacles hindering production.
A decision by Tehran at the end of 2020 to stop gas supplies for some Iraqi
production plants has caused the loss of more than a third of energy
production. Moreover, the recent escalation of terrorist attacks on power
transmission lines further exacerbated the problem in the country. Spokesman
for the Ministry of Electricity, Ahmed Musa Al-Abadi, said that seven
high-voltage transmission lines in Diyala, Nineveh, Salah al-Din and Anbar
governorates were targeted with explosive devices over the last week, which
caused a great loss in energy production. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he
said: “The recent attacks on the electricity towers isolated the northern
region from the central region, causing severe damage to the processing hours
for the governorates of Nineveh, Salaheddine, Kirkuk and Diyala and the decline
of power system capacity by 500 to 600 megawatts.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Radio Free Europe: Taliban Delegation Meets Iranian Officials Amid Stalled
Afghan Peace Talks
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“A Taliban delegation has held talks with high-ranking Iranian officials in
Tehran amid ongoing peace talks between the Afghan government and the militant
group. Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem tweeted that the delegation led by
deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met with Ali Shamkhani, the secretary
of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and other officials on January 27.
Naeem said the two sides discussed the Afghan peace process, border issues, and
Afghan refugees. Shamkhani was quoted by Iranian state media as saying that
Tehran would “never recognize a group that wants to come to power through war,”
and urged the Taliban to reach a peace settlement with the internationally
recognized government in Kabul. Baradar was quoted as saying that the militant
group does not “trust the United States and we will fight any group that is a
mercenary for the United States,” in reference to the Afghan government. The
relationship between Shi’ite-majority Iran and the Taliban, a fundamentalist
Sunni group, is complex. Iran officially opposes the Taliban, but a number of
experts claim that Tehran provides some military support to the Taliban. The
Taliban’s visit to Afghanistan's western neighbor comes as peace talks in the
Gulf state of Qatar remain deadlocked.”

 

Middle East

 

The Times Of Israel: The Power Struggle Of Anti-Semitism
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“As the United Nations this week marks International Holocaust Remembrance
Day, anti-Semitism remains just as pervasive. True, there are no stormtroopers
rounding up Jews into concentration camps today. Nor are Jews widely barred
from owning land or gaining citizenship rights as they had been in the past.
But there are still those who idealize those times and believe mankind remains
under threat from the Jews. To them, Jews remain the shadowy puppeteers who
orchestrated the Great Depression and the world wars. Radical Islamists view
Jews as rejected by God. On the far left, Israel is vilified as a Nazi state
and individual Jews are condemned for her actions based solely on their
religious affiliation. The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) has completed a
comprehensive historical overview of anti-Semitism that looks at the historical
causes and evolution of anti-Semitism. CEP has concluded that, contrary to
reports of a new anti-Semitism, what we see in the world today is very much the
same anti-Semitism we have witnessed for thousands of years but repackaged to
fit modern narratives. And at the core of that historic anti-Semitism is power
—accusing Jews of having too much power and seeking to take it away.”

 

Nigeria

 

Africanews: 'We Want To Kill Boko Haram': Nigerians Welcome New Army Chiefs
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“Residents of an internally displaced camp in the northeastern Nigerian city
of Maiduguri have welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari's decision to replace the
country's top military commanders as security issues mount. “To be sincere, the
outgoing service chiefs have tried their best but in some instances their best
isn't enough at all, despite the fact that we are not security experts, but we
know that they have failed.” said Ummate Abubakar, an internally displaced
person from the village of Monguno. The Boko Haram insurgency and its deadly
affiliate, the Islamic State in West Africa, has killed some 36,000 people and
displaced millions since it waged its war for a caliphate in the northeast in
2009. The group controlled vast swathes of the region in 2015 but were pushed
back. But Boko Haram still conducts deadly attacks and ambushes on civilians
and the military. “What we want is not to repel the Boko Haram but to kill
them, not to repel them but to kill them, to finish them at once, not to repel
them again,” said Sunday Ishaya, an internally displaced person from the
village of Monguno.”

 

Somalia

 

Shabelle Media Network: Somalia: Army Kills Militants In Operation Against
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“Somali security forces on Tuesday killed seven Al-Shabaab militants and
wounded several others in the country's southwestern Bay region, officials
said. The forces targeted al-Shabaab positions in the town of Seydhelow and its
surrounding areas and liberated the town, according to Amiin Mohamed Daruur,
Bay region police commissioner. “The operation was carried out by our forces in
Seydhelow where at least seven al-Shabaab terrorists were killed. The area is
now under the control of the government forces,” Daruur told Somali National
News Agency (SONNA). Ali Isack Hassan, a military official in Baidoa, the
administrative capital of the Bay region, told Anadolu Agency by phone that no
soldier was killed or wounded during the military operation. He said the
operation against al-Shabaab will continue until the group is kicked out of the
region. Seydhelow is a strategic town located 205 kilometers (127 miles)
southwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu. The Horn of Africa country is
battling al-Shabaab militants who have intensified attacks on security forces.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: Militant Killings More Than Doubled In Congo In 2020, UN Says
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“Killings by armed groups in the Democratic Repubic of Congo more than doubled
last year, the United Nations said on Wednesday, underlining spiralling
violence in the country’s east two years after Felix Tshisekedi became
president. The U.N. Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) said militias executed
at least 2,487 civilians in 2020, up from 1,029 the previous year. Fighters
from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan Islamist armed group, were
responsible for a third of the deaths, which included the killing of more than
200 women and 26 children in the restive provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, it
said. “These attacks are part of the ADF’s strategy of sowing terror in these
areas in retaliation against the operations by the (army) and to control
territory in order to carry out various trafficking activities,” UNJHRO said in
a statement. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for many suspected ADF
attacks in the past, although U.N. experts have been unable to confirm any
direct link between the two groups. Tshisekedi emerged as the victor of a
disputed election in January 2019, pledging to address decades of armed
conflict in the mineral-rich east.”

 

Germany

 

Associated Press: German Woman Charged With Plotting Attack On Muslims, Others
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“A German woman has been charged with preparing a far-right attack and other
crimes on allegations she was in the process of building a bomb to target
Muslims and local politicians in Bavaria, Munich prosecutors said Wednesday.
Susanne G., whose last name wasn't given in line with privacy laws, also faces
charges of making threats and violations of weapons laws, among other things.
She has been in custody since her arrest. Prosecutors allege that the woman
started planning a firebombing attack no later than May 2020, motivated by her
xenophobic and extreme-right views. She is alleged to have downloaded
information on bomb building online and have gathered materials for the
construction, including gasoline, fireworks and fuses, by the time of her
arrest in September. Between December 2019 and March 2020 the suspect is
alleged to have sent six anonymous letters, five including a live bullet, with
death threats to a local politician in the Nuremberg area, a Muslim community
association, and an asylum seeker aid organization. During the summer of 2020,
she started focusing on local police officers and a different local politician
than the one threatened by letter as other possible targets, and began scouting
their homes and cars.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Al Jazeera: Singapore Teenager Arrested For Plotting Attack On Muslims
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“A teenager in Singapore has been detained under the country’s strict Internal
Security Act (ISA) for plotting to kill Muslims in two mosques on the March 15
anniversary of the deadly 2019 Christchurch attacks, the government said on
Wednesday. The 16-year-old student, who is a Protestant Christian of Indian
ethnicity, is the youngest to be detained under such laws, the Ministry of Home
Affairs (MOHA) said in a statement, adding that the teenager, who was inspired
by “far-right extremist ideology”, was detained last month. “A secondary school
student at the time, he was found to have made detailed plans and preparations
to conduct terrorist attacks using a machete against Muslims at two mosques in
Singapore,” the ministry said. The ISA law allows for detention without trial.
The teenager, who has not been identified, had mapped out his route and chosen
Assyafaah Mosque and Yusof Ishak Mosque as his targets near his home in
northern Singapore, the ministry said, adding that he also had the intention of
live-streaming his planned attack. “He was self-radicalised, motivated by a
strong antipathy towards Islam and a fascination with violence.”



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