Eye on Extremism

February 24, 2021

Al Jazeera: Afghan Peace Talks Resume In Doha As US Reviews Taliban Deal

“Peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government have resumed in the Qatari capital Doha after weeks of delays, escalating violence and a change in US diplomatic leadership as the Biden administration began. Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem tweeted on Monday night the resumption of the talks, which were the outcome of an agreement between the Afghan armed group and the US in February 2020. But the administration of President Joe Biden is reviewing the agreement, which was aimed at ending the longest war the US has fought. The Taliban has been fighting the combined forces of the Western-backed Kabul government and foreign troops since it was toppled in a US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Last week, the Taliban in an open letter called on the US to fully implement the Doha accord, including the withdrawal of all international troops, saying it had committed to its side of the deal – to secure US security interests in the war-torn country. There were no details about the talks except for an announcement that the first item of business would be setting the agenda.”

Associated Press: 9 Women Accused Of Suspected Abu Sayyaf Suicide Bomb Plots

“Philippine forces have arrested nine women who were related to Abu Sayyaf commanders and militants in the south and could have been “potential suicide bombers,” the military said Tuesday. The women were captured Friday in raids on houses in three towns in the predominantly Muslim province of Sulu, said Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Jr., who heads the military’s Western Mindanao Command. The southern province is the stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, which is known for ransom kidnappings, beheadings and bombings. Troops also seized bomb parts, including batteries, detonating cords, suspected explosive powder and oil, an iron pipe and nails, along with a grenade, cellphones, backpacks and a sketch of a suspected targeted bombing area, the military said in a statement. “We are always ready to welcome those who wish to return to the folds of the law but if you will refuse to do so, we will surely hunt you down and prevent you from inflicting havoc in the communities,” said Maj. Gen. William Gonzales, who heads government forces in Sulu. “May this serve as a clear message to the supporters and remaining members of the Abu Sayyaf,” Gonzales said.”

United States

Associated Press: Florida Man Indicted, Accused Of Trying To Join Terror Group

“A former Florida resident accused of traveling to Turkey and attempting to join the Islamic State group was indicted Tuesday on a terrorism charge. A federal grand jury in Gainesville formally charged Mohamed Fathy Suliman, 33, a U.S. citizen, with attempting to provide material support for a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to court records. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. “Protecting national security is a top priority of this office,” Lawrence Keefe, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, said in a statement. “We are absolutely committed to deterring, disrupting and dismantling the plans of anyone who seeks to support a designated foreign terrorist organization.” According to the criminal complaint, Suliman booked a one-way flight in June 2014 from Orlando to Alexandria, Egypt, with stops in Chicago and Istanbul. Rather than traveling on to Egypt, Suliman paid cash for a one-way airline ticket to the Turkish/Syrian border, officials said. Suliman was arrested by Turkish authorities and accused of illegally crossing into Syria. He was eventually returned to the United States. A search of Suliman’s emails revealed attachments that contained various audio files that consisted of messages calling for jihad, officials said.”

Vice: Neo-Nazi Terrorists Planned Fortified Compound In Michigan

“In the same state where an anti-government militia plotted to kidnap the governor, a separate group of neo-Nazi terrorists hatched their own plot: Establishing a white nationalist, heavily armed, and fortified “community” to launch the so-called race war. At the center of it all was Justen Watkins, 25, a former leader of the Base—the domestic terror group under the shadow of a persistent FBI crackdown—now awaiting trial in Michigan. Following a joint FBI and Michigan State Police investigation, Watkins was charged with gang membership for his association with the Base and using computers to commit a felony. (Part of those charges stem from a December 2019 incident, where Watkins allegedly attempted to intimidate and threaten the life of an antifascist activist.) According to secret chats obtained by VICE News between known accelerationist neo-Nazis, a subset of the far right that believes terrorism will hasten the collapse of the U.S. government, Watkins claimed he was going to be purchasing and occupying land in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, not far from where he was eventually arrested. “We are buying houses and land and fortifying them,” said Watkins under an alias on the encrypted chat app, Wire, in early 2020. “Land is cheap [...] I’m setting up a community up there. Going to have houses set up to get guys moved in and situated.”

Syria

Al Monitor: How Islamic State Returned To Haunt Civilians In Northeast Syria

“The provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah and Raqqa, and the Manbij area in the countryside of Aleppo, which are under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have been subject to a series of attacks by the Islamic State (IS) over the past few weeks. These attacks, carried out by IS-affiliated cells and locals who previously fought with IS, are targeting civilians and SDF members in those areas. IS has stepped up its operations in early 2020 after having faded away since losing its last strongholds in eastern Deir ez-Zor on March 23, 2019. These operations included directly attacking checkpoints and patrols, assassinating SDF members or collaborators, and planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the roads. IS activity in the areas in the east of the Euphrates is not limited to specific geographical points, but rather stretches across the provinces of Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor, and mostly focus on SDF-controlled areas in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, specifically the area extending between the cities of al-Suwar and al-Busayrah, as well as the towns of al-Zer, al-Hawaij, al-Shehail and Darnaj. Orabi Orabi, a researcher on Islamic groups, told Al-Monitor, “IS follows a strategy of striking and draining during the stage of weakening [its opponents].”

France 24: Dozens Of French Children Await Repatriation From Jihadist Camps In Syria

“Some 200 children of French jihadists are spending their fourth winter in muddy tents at al-Roj camp in northeastern Syria, where dozens of arrested Europeans have been grouped together. Since the defeat of the Islamic State group two years ago, France has repatriated 35 children, mainly orphans or those in fragile health. Fearing they could still be radicalised, France has barred mothers from returning. As a result, some prefer to keep their children with them, while others have made the difficult choice to let them go. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's James Vasina.”

Afghanistan

Al Jazeera: Afghan Peace Talks Resume In Doha As US Reviews Taliban Deal

Lebanon

The Jerusalem Post: Gantz: If Hezbollah Attacks, All Of Lebanon Will Sadly Suffer

“Defense Minister Benny Gantz spoke about the ongoing threats posed by Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon in a Tuesday visit to the IDF's 91st Division located in Northern Israel. “I’ve completed a situational assessment in a division protecting what is currently Israel’s most sensitive border,” Gantz said at the meeting in which a number of high-ranking government ministers received the assessment from senior IDF staff in the Northern Command. Joining the meeting was Head of Strategy and Third-Circle Directorate Maj.-Gen. Tal Kelman, and Minister of Civil and Social Affairs in the Defense Ministry, Michael Biton. Among the topics of discussion were the threats being posed by Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies that have stationed themselves along Israel's borders with Lebanon and Syria. Regarding the consequences of a clash with Hezbollah, Gantz said that “If Nasrallah and Hezbollah’s threats become actions, the outcome will be painful for Hezbollah and its leaders. And unfortunately for the Lebanese people, who are being used as human shields by Nasrallah - who is hiding weapons and missiles beneath their homes.”

Egypt

Asharq Al-Awsat: Egypt Postpones Trial Of 5 ISIS Terrorists Till March

“Egypt postponed the trial of five persons accused of “joining a terrorist group” to March 28 in the case known as the “October ISIS Cell.” The investigations of the Egyptian Prosecution indicated that between 2013 and 2015, the first convict founded a terrorist group affiliated with ISIS in the 6th October suburb of Giza governorate. The purpose of this group was to disrupt public order, endanger the safety of society, attack the general freedom of citizens, assault members of the armed forces and the police, harm national unity and social cohesion, and target churches. The Public Prosecution charged the second, third, fourth, and fifth defendants with “joining a terrorist group.” It also charged the first to fourth offenders of traveling outside the country, joining ISIS in Syria where they received training on weapons and manufacturing and detonating explosive devices. Meanwhile, the Cairo Criminal Court postponed the retrial of Mahmoud Ezzat, the acting leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, in the case during the events of January 25 in 2011, when terrorists stormed Wadi al-Natrun prison and attacked security institutions.”

United Kingdom

BBC News: Sahayb Abu Trial: Terror Plot Accused 'Wanted To Be Famous Rapper'

“A man who wanted to become a rapper has denied buying an 18-inch (46cm) sword for a terror attack, saying he had only wanted to be “famous”. Sahayb Abu, 27, from Dagenham, admits buying the sword, as well as a knife, a combat vest and balaclavas but denies they were for a terror attack. His brother Muhamed Abu, 32, from Norwood, south London, is also on trial at the Old Bailey. He is accused of failing to disclose Sahayb's activities. The court has previously been shown videos of a masked Sahayb rapping about bombs and eliminating opponents. Giving evidence, he told jurors he had wanted to “create a rap character” that would make people “cry with laughter” through “rap parody and comedy”. He said the name of his “persona” was the “Masked Menace” and that he hoped to get famous through his music and that his videos would get noticed and lead to sponsorship. “I'm trying to become somebody”, he added. The court heard that Sahayb discussed guns with an undercover police officer he met through a Telegram app chat group for Islamic State supporters. Giving evidence, he told jurors that when growing up in Ilford, he had the Koran “battered into him” at home with “fist, hand, belt”, The local culture also included listening to grime artists and he said: “I just wanted to be a musician, a rapper, famous. I wanted to be famous instead of just books.”

Germany

Associated Press: Far-Right Incidents Surge In German Military

“The number of suspected far-right incidents in the German military surged to 477 last year from 363 in 2019, parliament's commissioner for the military said Tuesday. Eva Hoegl stressed as she presented her annual report that “soldiers are not under general suspicion and the absolute majority does a responsible job every day.” But she said the number of incidents involving far-right extremism are a source of concern and show that “there's a lot to do.” “There's no place for far-right extremism in the army,” Hoegl wrote in the report. “We need investigations, sanctions and prevention — in a consistent, complete and fast way.” Hoegl demanded that more staff be hired to speed up investigations. The report comes at a time of broader concerns that Germany has not done enough to tackle right-wing extremism within its Bundeswehr military in general. The country's special forces, the KSK, have faced particular scrutiny after numerous allegations of far-right extremism in recent years. As a consequence of far-right scandals involving the special forces, the defense minister disbanded one of the KSK's units in July and vowed to to further investigate extremism and implement reforms. The rise in far-right extremism in the army mirrors a growing overall number of anti-Semitic, anti-migrant or homophobic attacks in Germany.”

Agence France-Presse: German 'IS Leader' Faces Verdict

“A German court will hand down Wednesday its ruling in a case against Abu Walaa, a notorious Iraqi preacher believed to be the Islamic State jihadist group's de facto leader in Germany. Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah Abdullah, better known as Abu Walaa, is accused of being “IS' representative in Germany” and directing a jihadist network which radicalised young people in Europe and helped them travel to Iraq and Syria. The Iraqi preacher, 37, is in the dock with three other men in a costly and high-security trial that began in 2017 in the northern German town of Celle. Abu Walaa is charged for his membership of IS, while the other three defendants are accused of backing the jihadist organisation. Prosecutors have sought a prison sentence of eleven and a half years for Abu Walaa. The defence however demanded an acquittal, with Abu Walaa himself declining to make a closing statement last week. Abu Walaa arrived in Germany as an asylum seeker in 2001, and was arrested in November 2016 after a long investigation by Germany's security services. Based in a mosque in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, he is alleged to have recruited at least eight jihadists -- most of them “very young” -- to IS, including a pair of German twin brothers who committed a bloody suicide attack in Iraq in 2015.”

Technology

The Independent: New App Launched For Reporting Terrorist Material As Extremists ‘Exploit Pandemic’

“A new app is being launched for the anonymous reporting of terrorist material found online. The project comes amid concerns that the coronavirus pandemic has created fertile conditions for isolated and vulnerable people, including children, to become radicalised. The iREPORTit app, which will become available on Wednesday morning, will allow users to flag online material to the national Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). Neil Basu, the head of UK counterterror policing, said: “Specialist officers are ready and waiting to look at each and every single referral sent via the app. “Where material breaches UK terrorism legislation, they will seek its removal, even if the website host is based in another country, because every piece that is removed from the internet is no longer out in the ether, potentially radicalising vulnerable people and encouraging them to cause serious harm to others.” Developers Raven Science said the app was confidential and anonymous, and that no personally identifiable information would be collected. Reports will be seen only by the CTIRU. Jon, a former far-right extremist who did not want his full name published, said that terrorist material like Isis propaganda videos can be used by radicalisers on both sides of the spectrum.”