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Eye on Extremism
February 12, 2021
**NOTE: CEP’s Eye on Extremism will be suspended on Monday, February 15 in observance of President’s Day. It will resume Tuesday, February 16.**
Agence France-Presse: Fourteen Arrested In Germany, Denmark Over Attack Plots
“German and Danish authorities announced on Thursday (Feb 11) they had arrested 14 people over alleged attack plots, including three Syrian brothers accused of planning an attack with several kilos of explosive chemicals. Denmark’s intelligence service PET, announced a total of 14 people had been arrested, including one in Germany, during a targeted operation, focusing on the Copenhagen area. Seven of the suspects arrested in Denmark had already been remanded in custody. PET did not provide details of the suspects, but said in a statement that seven people had been remanded in custody for having “planned one or more terror attacks or having participated in attempted terror acts”. More specificially, the arrested were suspected of having “gathered ingredients and components for the manufacture of explosive materials, as well as weapons or having helped”. The other six were also connected to the same case and would go before a court on Thursday, which would decide if they could also be kept in custody. “It is still PET’s assessment that the terror threat against Denmark is serious, and that this concrete matter does not change this assessment,” the intelligence service said in the statement.”
Voice Of America: Attack On UN Convoy Near Kabul Kills 5 Afghan Security Force Members
“The United Nations confirmed Thursday an attack on its convoy in Afghanistan killed at least five members of the local security force escorting it. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said its staff and vehicles were unhurt in the incident. The convoy was traveling in the morning through the Surobi district, 60 kilometers east of the Afghan capital, Kabul, when unknown gunmen ambushed it. UNAMA said the attack hit a vehicle of Afghan security personnel escorting the convoy. Afghan sources confirmed the assault occurred on the main highway linking Kabul to eastern Nangarhar province, saying the Afghan security vehicle careened off the road and plunged into a river after the driver was shot. “The U.N. family in Afghanistan mourns the loss of five Afghan Directorate of Protection Service personnel in an incident today in Surobi District of Kabul,” UNAMA wrote Thursday on Twitter. No one immediately took responsibility for the deadly shooting, which comes amid an upsurge in violence in Afghanistan. A string of almost daily roadside bombings in Kabul in recent weeks has killed high-profile Afghan figures, including government officials, judges, journalists and activists.”
United States
The Washington Post: Five More Charged In Capitol Riot Allegedly Teamed With Kansas City Proud Boys
“Five people worked with Proud Boys from Kansas City and other unnamed individuals to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, U.S. prosecutors alleged, unsealing charges Thursday in one of the largest co-defendant cases yet brought in an investigation in which more than 200 have been charged. The defendants, wearing helmets, vests and tactical gear marked with fluorescent orange tape, “appeared to gesture and communicate to one another” to coordinate efforts during and after forcing entry to the Capitol, the FBI alleged. Surveillance footage showed at least four taking actions to prevent police from deploying descending metal barriers to seal off underground access to the Capitol, allowing the invading crowd to surge forward, the FBI said in a 28-page affidavit dated Wednesday. The arrests of William Chrestman, Christopher Kuehne, Louis Enrique Colon, all of Kansas City, and siblings Felicia and Cory Konold bring the number of those affiliated with the Proud Boys to nearly 18 among those charged with battling law enforcement and obstructing the electoral vote confirmation of President Biden’s victory. Federal prosecutors and the FBI have accused self-identified Proud Boys of leading some of the earliest, most destructive and critical efforts to overrun police lines and break into the Capitol building.”
Fox News: Yellen Warns 'Misuse' Of Cryptocurrencies In Terrorism A 'Growing Problem'
“Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned about an “explosion of risk” from digital markets, including the misuse of cryptocurrencies that can be used to launder to profits of online drug traffickers and to finance terrorism. “We’re living amidst an explosion of risk related to fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, and data privacy,” Yellen said in opening remarks at the Treasury's innovation policy roundtable released on Wednesday evening. “As the pandemic has moved more of life online, crime has moved with it. We’re seeing more – and more sophisticated – cyberattacks aimed at institutions that hold up our society: hospitals, schools, banks, and even our government.” While the former Federal Reserve chairwoman said there's promise in the technology, she also called the “misuse of cryptocurrencies” a “growing problem.” “I also see the reality: cryptocurrencies have been used to launder the profits of online drug traffickers; they’ve been a tool to finance terrorism,” she said. “From my time at the Fed, I know the crucial role your institutions play in combating crimes like these. The private sector invests enormous resources, finding ways to stop bad actors from misusing existing technologies. You also develop new ones.”
Iran
Foreign Affairs: Why Are Al Qaeda Leaders In Iran?
“On January 12, during an event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered an address accusing Iran of being al Qaeda’s “new home base.” Pompeo alleged that after 30 years of cooperation, Iran and al Qaeda had taken their relationship to a new level in recent years. In 2015, Tehran supposedly “decided to allow al Qaeda to establish a new operational headquarters” on its territory and now the terrorist organization “is operating under the hard shell of the Iranian regime’s protection.” Pompeo was hardly the first American political figure (or analyst, or pundit) to charge Iran with providing support for al Qaeda, but his allegation was of a different kind entirely. Many listeners dismissed the outgoing secretary of state’s remarks as propaganda aimed at interfering with the Biden administration’s hoped-for rapprochement with Tehran. But Pompeo’s claim—however exaggerated—in fact rests on a grain of truth: something did happen in 2015 between al Qaeda and Iran. At the time, Iran was detaining certain al Qaeda leaders on its territory. In a prisoner exchange with the terrorist group, Tehran granted those leaders freedom of movement that allowed them to oversee al Qaeda’s global operations with greater ease than in the past.”
“A resolution co-signed by more than 100 House lawmakers from both parties, and supporting a democratic, secular Iran and condemning the regime’s terror plots, was introduced Thursday. The move came a week after an Iranian diplomat was jailed for a bomb plot in Paris. The resolution condemns past and present Iranian-sponsored terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and Iranian dissidents and calls on the government to work with European allies to “hold Iran accountable for breaching diplomatic privileges” and to call on other countries to stop its “malign activities.” It also says the House “stands with the people of Iran” in their struggle against the regime and “recognizes the rights of the Iranian people and their struggle to establish a democratic, secular and nonnuclear Republic of Iran.” The resolution, led by Reps. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., and Brad Sherman, D-Calif., has 112 co-sponsors. It comes a week after a Vienna-based diplomat was convicted and sentenced in Belgium for masterminding a bomb plot against a top dissident group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Paris. Three other defendants were also found guilty.”
Iraq
Al Jazeera: Three Turkish Soldiers Killed In Northern Iraq
“At least three Turkish soldiers have been killed during a new offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq, according to the Turkish defence ministry. Turkey on Wednesday launched an operation, dubbed “Claw-Eagle 2”, against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in the northern Iraqi region of Dohuk. Two Turkish soldiers died and two others were wounded on Wednesday in clashes with the “terrorists” in the region of Gara, the defence ministry said. Another soldier was killed on Thursday, said the ministry, without proving casualty figures for the PKK. The PKK, listed as a “terrorist” group by Turkey and much of the international community, has for decades used Iraq’s mountainous areas as a springboard for its attacks against positions inside Turkey. The Turkish army regularly conducts cross-border operations and air raids on PKK bases in northern Iraq. It justifies the operations as being within its “legitimate” right to “self-defence”. Last month, defence minister Hulusi Akar visited the Iraqi capital, Baghdad and the northern part of the country from where he said Turkey intended to eliminate PKK attacks to ensure border security and regional peace.”
Kurdistan 24: UK Warns For Continued ISIS Threat In Iraq And Syria
“UK Ambassador Jonathan Allen on Wednesday has warned the UN Security Council of the continued threat by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, adding that despite its loss of territory, the group remains able to carry out deadly attacks in both countries. “As the [UN] Secretary-General’s report underscores, Daesh [ISIS] continues to pose a global threat. Despite territorial losses, the group remains able to inflict deadly harm in Syria and Iraq,” he said during a Security Council briefing on Wednesday. The latest report of the Secretary-General cautioned that the threat ISIS poses has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and “may rise further in the coming months, in conflict zones,” emboldening the extremist group’s regional affiliates. ISIS claims affiliates around the world, including in the Sahel region of Africa and southeast Asia. The pandemic could also lead to “form of inspired attacks [in non-conflict zones] as a result of a surge in online propaganda during the pandemic,” according to the report published on Jan. 27. The report also warned that ISIS “could regain the capacity to orchestrate international attacks over the coming year.”
Middle East
The Jerusalem Post: Hamas Member Urges Palestinians Not To Vote For Terror Group
“A member of Hamas in the Gaza Strip has called on Palestinians not to vote for the party in the upcoming general elections, cursing it with profanities, and claiming the Islamist movement was “trampling on the dignity” of the people. Bilal al-Abadseh posted a video on Facebook in which he swore and cursed Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The video apparently came in response to a parking ticket he received from Hamas policemen. Abadseh is the nephew of Yayha Musa, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip. “People vote for Hamas while it is oppressing them and trampling on their dignity,” Abadeseh said in the video, which he later removed from Facebook. “The Hamas government are sons of prostitutes. They are screwing us. They are bastards. They do not fear God. Their place is in hell. Anyone who votes for Hamas is a son of 66 dogs.” Hours later, Abadseh apologized for cursing Hamas and said that he realized he had made a mistake. He said that he was proud to belong to Hamas. “I was very nervous because I had been provoked by the [Hamas] government,” he said in a new video. “I departed from the values on which I was raised by my family. I sincerely apologize to the police and the government for insulting them. I appeal to anyone who sees the video to remove or report it.”
Mali
Africanews: UN 'Strongly Condemns' Attack On Peacekeepers In Central Mali
“The United Nations has strongly condemned an attack on a peacekeepers base in central Mali. 28 peacekeepers from Togo were injured when the temporary UN base in Kerena, near Douentza, was hit by fire early Wednesday morning. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, regularly attack UN peacekeepers and soldiers. “The UN mission on the ground has taken all necessary measures to ensure that the injured receive prompt and appropriate treatment. We of course wish them all a speedy and full recovery. The head of the UN mission on the ground, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, said that for several months now, peacekeepers have been carrying out numerous security operations in central Mali to help reduce violence against civilians, and to restore calm in areas where community tensions have been reported. He said they are also working to reduce the threat of improvised explosive devices, which is an issue in that region'', Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-Genera said. Attacks by jihadists in northern Mali has killed at least 5 UN peacekeepers this year alone.”
Africa
RFI: Jihadist Attacks In Northern Mozambique Dwindling, Says Military
“Recent reports indicate that attacks by Islamist militants in the Cabo Delgado area of northern Mozambique are dwindling. But the death of the chief of operations this week calls for strategic changes, local media reports. Commander Eugênio Ussene Mussa allegedly died of Covid-19, but the cause of death was not officially given. “President Filipe Nyusi thought that with Mussa in charge of that area, maybe they were going to win the battle,” Mozambique correspondent Charles Mwangiro tells Africa Calling podcast. “But with his death now, things are going to change,” he adds. Jihadists calling themselves al-Shabab have been launching attacks in Cabo Delgado province since 2017, but violence escalated last year. At least 2,500 have been killed and more than half a million people have been displaced over the three-year period. The government has touted its recent success, especially as it has been dealing with at least 800 strikes by jihadists in the past year alone. “Insurgent activity remained low in Cabo Delgado last week, while actions by government forces and their allies appeared to increase,” according to the US-run ACLED database, which tracks violence in the region. They were referring to the first week of February.”
United Kingdom
BBC News: The Powers Being Used To Disrupt A Terror Group
“Two members of the banned group al-Muhajiroun have lost an appeal against counter terrorism measures used by the government to limit their activities. The BBC has investigated how the measures are being employed to disrupt the organisation's leadership. At the High Court, listening to evidence about a notorious terrorist organisation, you don't expect to hear about Legoland. But the efforts to control leading members of the banned group al-Muhajiroun (ALM), revealed during hearings at the Court of Appeal, were occasionally surreal. The hearing was told that one man's request to visit the theme park with his children was refused as he might have used the “trip to Legoland as cover” to meet other extremists. Home Office officials, taking advice from MI5, concluded being at Legoland could have enabled the man to “engage in terrorism-related activity by promoting ALM's extremist ideology and encouraging others to engage in terrorism-related activity”. Details of the decision were contained in evidence seen by BBC News that reveals how Britain's security services are combating the leadership of ALM, a group which has been linked to multiple attacks and plots in the UK and abroad.”
“A man accused of plotting a terror attack called himself a “straight Isis supporter” and rapped about violent ways of killing non-Muslims days before his arrest, a court has heard. Sahayb Abu, 27, had previously said he did not want to live until the age of 30, and purchased a sword, knife, body armour and balaclava. A rap sent to two of his brothers on 5 July ended with the words: “My shank [knife] penetrate ya, got my suicide vest - one click, boom, and I'll see you later.” In reference to the 2013 terror attack where two Islamist extremist murdered a soldier, Abu said: “I'm trying to see many Lee Rigby’s heads rolling on the ground.” He added: “I shoot up a crowd cos I'm a night stalker, got my shank, got my guns - straight Isis supporter - reject democracy ... advocate sharia supporter.” On Thursday, the Old Bailey was also played a video Abu sent to his brothers on 28 June. It showed him singing: “No matter the way the wind blows, I will always be down with my bros, I will always be ready to eliminate the foes.” In a text message to his brothers on 3 July, Abu said he “aspired not to live to be 30”. The defendant claimed that the “world is against Muslims” and that he did not want to die until he had “gained some type of revenge.”
France
The Times Of Israel: French Far-Right Leader Le Pen On Trial For Tweeting Islamic State Death Images
“French far-right leader Marine Le Pen appeared in court Wednesday on charges she broke hate-speech laws by tweeting pictures of Islamic State atrocities, a case she slammed as a politically motivated attempt to silence her. The trial comes as opinion polls show Le Pen will likely face off again against Emmanuel Macron in next year’s presidential contest after her National Rally made its strongest showing ever in the 2017 vote. Le Pen shared the gruesome images in December 2015, a few weeks after Islamic State group jihadists killed 130 people in attacks in Paris, in response to a journalist who drew a comparison between IS and her party. One of the pictures showed the body of James Foley, an American journalist beheaded by the Islamist militants. Another showed a man in an orange jumpsuit being run over by a tank, and the third a Jordanian pilot being burned alive in a cage. “Daesh is this!” Le Pen wrote in a caption, using an Arabic acronym for IS. “I am obviously the victim of a political trial,” Le Pen told journalists at the courthouse in Nanterre, a Paris suburb. “The media published them, editorialists, newspapers, TV channels, and nobody was ever prosecuted for doing so — only Marine Le Pen is being prosecuted,” she said.”
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Germany: Syrian Man Charged In Dresden Knife Attack
“German federal prosecutors charged a Syrian national suspected of stabbing two men last yearin the eastern city of Dresden, German media outlets reported Thursday. The 20-year-old suspect is said to have been motivated by a radical Islamist ideology, and targeted the couple because they were homosexual, prosecutors say. He is facing charges of murder and attempted murder with Islamist and homophobic motives, according to Der Spiegel magazine. The attack in Dresden's old town on October 4, 2020 left one 55-year-old man dead and his 53-year-old partner seriously injured. The couple had been visiting the city as tourists from the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The alleged attacker fled the scene after the stabbing, and was apprehended on October 20. The attack was the first Islamist-motivated killing of a homosexual in Germany, according to Der Spiegel. “Investigations have shown that the dreadful killing in Dresden had an Islamist background,” Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said following the attack in October. “Islamist terror is a major, enduring threat to our society that we have to tackle determinedly.”
Europe
Bloomberg: Danish Police Charge 7 People For Planning Terrorist Attacks
“Danish police have detained and charged seven people for allegedly planning one or more terrorist attacks in the Nordic country. The seven, who weren’t identified, tried to obtain components to make explosives as well as other kinds of weapons, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service said in a statement on Thursday. Another six people linked to the case have also been detained in Denmark, as well as one person in Germany.”
Australia
“The use of social media to spread propaganda that glorifies indiscriminate violence poses an “enormous ongoing challenge” for Australia’s security agencies, amid a rapid expansion of extreme rightwing material, a new report says. The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor’s annual report has provided an insight into the “evolving” threat of terrorism in Australia, noting that both Islamist and rightwing extremists have increased their propagandising efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report flagged a forthcoming review of Australia’s espionage and foreign interference laws and said the independent security monitor was wrestling with complicated questions of how to investigate concerns about secrecy in national security-related court cases. Grant Donaldson SC, a former solicitor general of Western Australia who was appointed to the independent monitoring role last year, noted the terrorist threat level remained at “probable” but the nature of the challenge continued to change. Donaldson informed parliament, in the report tabled late on Thursday, that Australian security agencies continued to pursue a large number of high-priority investigations, mainly concerning Islamist extremists.”
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