“A man has been charged in Norway for his alleged role in plans to carry out
three extremist attacks in Denmark and in London, and for purportedly spr

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


April 13, 2021

 

The Associated Press: Norway Charges Man Over Thwarted Attacks In London,
Denmark
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“A man has been charged in Norway for his alleged role in plans to carry out
three extremist attacks in Denmark and in London, and for purportedly spreading
Islamic State group propaganda on the internet. Authorities believe the
24-year-old man, who wasn’t identified, was part of a group that sought to
strike a church in England, possibly St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, but
British police thwarted the plot, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported Monday.
The man was also allegedly involved in plans for one or more attacks in Denmark
in March and April 2019 with help from at least one Danish citizen, prosecutor
Geir Evanger told NRK. Those attacks are believed to have been prevented as
well. The man has maintained his innocence. If found guilty, the man who claims
to be innocent, faces up to 21 years in jail, NRK said. The trial starts in
Oslo on May 18. Evanger was quoted as saying by NRK that as to his involvement
in IS, the man spread “extremist material, violent material and material with
religious content” online. He was an administrator for several groups on social
media, including some he had created, the prosecutor said, adding they consider
him to be “a relatively central participant in many of these groups.”

 

Africanews: International Aid Group Offices Set Ablaze In Northeast Nigeria
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“Offices of several international aid groups in northeast Nigeria were
attacked and set on fire on Saturday. Although there was no immediate claim of
responsibility for these weekend attacks in Damasak, a faction of Islamist
extremists aligned with the Islamic State group is suspected to be behind the
assaults. These most recent attacks have renewed fears for the safety of
humanitarian workers, who support 8,800 internally displaced people and 76,000
local residents. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said the attack has
jeopardised its work and threatened the lives of many of the organisation’s aid
workers. An NRC guesthouse was reported to have gone up in flames -- destroying
aid supplies and a number of vehicles. Nevertheless, a representative of the
aid group said the five staff members staying in Damasak escaped unharmed. This
attack is the fourth in Damasak and its surrounding area this year and the
second on humanitarians in the past two months in northeast Nigeria. The region
of the country sees a now over decade-long insurgency by militants from Boko
Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) aimed at establishing
an Islamic state.”

 

United States

 

The Washington Post: The Rise Of Domestic Extremism In America
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“Domestic terrorism incidents have soared to new highs in the United States,
driven chiefly by white-supremacist, anti-Muslim and anti-government extremists
on the far right, according to a Washington Post analysis of data compiled by
the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The surge reflects a
growing threat from homegrown terrorism not seen in a quarter-century, with
right-wing extremist attacks and plots greatly eclipsing those from the far
left and causing more deaths, the analysis shows. The number of all domestic
terrorism incidents in the data peaked in 2020. Since 2015, right-wing
extremists have been involved in 267 plots or attacks and 91 fatalities, the
data shows. At the same time, attacks and plots ascribed to far-left views
accounted for 66 incidents leading to 19 deaths. “What is most concerning is
that the number of domestic terror plots and attacks are at the highest they
have been in decades,” said Seth Jones, director of the database project at
CSIS, a nonpartisan Washington-based nonprofit that specializes in national
security issues. “It’s so important for Americans to understand the gravity of
the threat before it gets worse.”

 

The New York Times: Former Pentagon Official Chosen To Run The National
Counterterrorism Center.
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“President Biden plans to nominate a former Pentagon official as the director
of the National Counterterrorism Center, he announced on Monday, giving her the
task of adapting the agency to a world in which domestic threats loom as large
as foreign ones. Mr. Biden’s selection, Christine S. Abizaid, served as a
deputy assistant secretary of defense during the Obama administration, focusing
on Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as working on counterterrorism on the
National Security Council. If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Abizaid would be the
first woman to hold the post on a permanent basis. Lora Shiao, a career
official, served as an acting director of the center last year. Avril B.
Haines, the director of national intelligence, who oversees the
counterterrorism center, praised the choice. “Christy brings a command of
counterterrorism issues, leadership acumen and enterprising approach that will
enable her to effectively steer N.C.T.C.,” Ms. Haines said in a statement. Ms.
Abizaid, who works for Dell Technologies, is the daughter of the retired Gen.
John P. Abizaid, who oversaw the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as the head of
the U.S. military’s Central Command and also served as ambassador to Saudi
Arabia during the Trump administration.”

 

The Baltimore Sun: Fort Meade Units Undergo Mandatory Extremism Training
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“After a career in the Army, little surprises Col. Christopher Nyland,
garrison commander at Fort George G. Meade. He knows that there are members of
the Army and the military as a whole that express extremist behaviors. That was
only reinforced by the training he underwent and led regarding extremism in the
military. “I would challenge you to find any group of 3 million people that
didn’t have some members in their ranks that didn’t have some of those beliefs…
So that was about overcoming the ‘we don’t have a problem,’” Nyland said. “And
I think no one in the room was surprised, at least in the group that I led or
the group that I participated in, that that kind of behavior was unacceptable.”
In February, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin authorized every Department of
Defense unit to take a one-day stand down in order to train on extremism. The
stand-down was in response to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. An NPR
report found that at least 20% of those charged had or were currently serving
in the military. All units needed to complete the stand down by April 6, and
those at Fort Meade were no different.”

 

Iraq

 

Voice Of America: Iraqi Kurds Say Major IS Attack On Capital Was Foiled
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“Iraqi Kurdish officials announced Monday that their counterterrorism unit
arrested five Islamic State (IS) suspects who had penetrated the autonomous
Kurdistan Region from war-torn Syria to carry out explosions and assassinations
in the region's capital, Irbil. The announcement included a televised
confession with five suspects and a statement from Masrour Barzani, the prime
minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Barzani said all the
suspects had come from Syria's al-Hol camp, which houses more than 60,000
refugees, internally displaced Syrians, and family members of former and
current IS terrorists. “I am deeply concerned that our intelligence points to
(IS) operating from the al-Hol camp, indicating the group is still capable of
crossing borders illegally,” Barzani said in a statement published on KRG's
website. “I urge the global coalition and our partners to recognize the
seriousness of this threat, both here and abroad, to peace and stability,” he
added. U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) recently conducted a major
security operation against IS cells inside al-Hol. Dozens of IS operatives were
detained in the multiday campaign. In the confession video, all five suspects
said they were Iraqi nationals who had joined IS before the group's caliphate
was declared defeated in 2017.”

 

Voice Of America: Iraqi Military Launches Operation Against IS Remnants
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“Iraq's military and allied militias have launched a new security operation
against remnants of the Islamic State (IS) terror group in a northeastern
province. The military campaign, supported by airpower from the Iraqi air
force, is focused on eliminating active IS cells in the restive province of
Diyala, Iraqi military officials said. “The security units have begun the
mission of searching and purging the mountain range surrounding Hamrin Lake and
adjacent areas … in Diyala,” Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rasool said on
Twitter Sunday. At least five IS terrorists have been killed and four of their
hideouts were destroyed in the multiday campaign, Rasool said. The Iraqi
official added that pro-government Shiite militias, known as Popular
Mobilization Forces, also destroyed several vehicles belonging to IS militants
in Diyala. Despite its territorial defeat, IS remains active in several
provinces of Iraqi's north, particularly in areas that are considered
“disputed” between the central government and the Kurdistan Regional
Government. Last month, IS militants carried out multiple attacks against
security forces and civilians in the area, including an attack in the province
of Salahuddin that killed seven members of a family.”

 

Turkey

 

Daily Sabah: Turkish Security Forces Nab 6 Suspects With Daesh Links
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“Turkish security forces arrested six suspects for their suspected links to
the Daesh terror group, security sources said on Monday. The southeastern
Kahramanmaraş-based operation was carried out simultaneously in central Kayseri
and southeastern Gaziantep provinces, in which gendarmerie teams arrested the
suspects who operated on behalf of Daesh in conflict zones in Syria. They were
identified by the initials S.A, A.S, H.H, E.K. H.E.H. and A.S. Authorities
discovered that A.S. had received training on bomb mechanisms and that the
suspect was involved in many attacks in Syria's Aleppo between 2013 and 2015.
S.A., meanwhile, acted as one of the so-called leaders in the organization and
engaged in armed activities. In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries
to declare Daesh a terrorist group. The country has since been attacked by the
terror group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more
injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed
assaults. In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and
abroad to prevent further attacks.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The Wall Street Journal: Taliban Back Out Of Turkey Talks, Dealing A Blow To
Afghanistan Peace Efforts
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“International efforts to broker a peace settlement in Afghanistan suffered a
setback on Monday after the Taliban backed out of participating in a
U.S.-backed summit that was slated to start later this week in Turkey,
officials said. A Taliban spokesman said the group wouldn’t attend the
conference because “our consultations have not ended on this topic.” Facing a
May 1 deadline to withdraw U.S. troops from the country, the Biden
administration has spent weeks laying the groundwork for the conference in the
hope it would accelerate the slow-moving peace process that began last year.
The conference has now been postponed until a later date. The administration
had hoped the Turkey talks would yield a cease-fire agreement and an interim
government that included the Taliban, enabling U.S. and NATO allies to withdraw
their troops after 20 years. The talks were designed to replicate the format of
the conference held in Bonn, Germany, where senior Afghans selected a leader
for Afghanistan after the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001. In an article
posted to its English-language Voice of Jihad website, which often reflects the
thinking among the group’s members, the Taliban denounced the U.S. proposal for
an interim government and said similar efforts had failed.”

 

Africa

 

The New York Times: Pentagon Chief Orders New Review Of Attack That Killed 3
Americans In Kenya
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“Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has ordered a high-level review of an
initial military investigation into an attack on a Kenyan base by Islamic
extremists in January 2020 that left three Americans dead, the Pentagon said on
Monday. The brazen assault by about a dozen Shabab fighters at Manda Bay, a
sleepy seaside base near the Somali border, marked the largest number of U.S.
military-related fatalities in Africa since four soldiers were killed in an
ambush in Niger in October 2017. The attack by the Shabab, Al Qaeda’s East
Africa affiliate, revealed several glaring security shortfalls, an examination
by The New York Times found soon after the assault, and underscored the
American military’s limits on the continent, where a lack of intelligence,
along with Manda Bay’s reputation as a quiet and unchallenged locale, allowed a
lethal strike. American commandos took about an hour to respond. Many of the
local Kenyan forces, assigned to defend the base, hid in the grass while other
American troops and support staff members were corralled into tents, with
little protection, to wait out the battle. It would require hours to evacuate
one of the wounded to a military hospital in Djibouti, roughly 1,000 miles
away.”

 

Bloomberg: Mozambique Terror Threat Level Undergoes Regional Bloc Probe
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“A Southern African Development Community technical team will assess the
threat that Islamist militants pose to Mozambique to determine how to respond
to the insurgency, the nation’s foreign minister said. The bloc agreed to
deploy the team after regional leaders met April 8 to discuss the escalating
violence in the northeast of the country. Zimbabwean President Emmerson
Mnangagwa said the meeting also agreed to revive a so-called SADC brigade to
intervene in the conflict. Foreign Minister Veronica Macamo didn’t directly
answer a question on whether Mozambique had agreed that SADC forces will help
the government fight the Islamic State-linked insurgency, only highlighting
that the technical team would make a determination on what’s needed. Under SADC
rules, a member state must make an official request for the group to deploy the
brigade. SADC leaders are scheduled to meet again on April 29 to discuss the
issue. The organization has already held a series of meetings on the conflict
and is yet to announce any definitive response other than condemning the
violence and expressing solidarity to those it impacts.”

 

Reuters: Rebels Attacked Chad Border Post On Election Day - Govt
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“A group of Libya-based rebels attacked a Chadian border post in the north of
the country as polling stations began counting votes from the weekend
presidential election, the Chad government said late on Monday. President
Idriss Deby, an ally of western powers in the fight against Islamist militants
in West and Central Africa, sought to extend his 30-year-rule over the central
African country in an election boycotted by several opposition groups. Results
have not yet been announced. A group of heavily armed vehicles crossed the
border from Libya and attacked the border post at Zouarké at around 6 p.m.
(1700 GMT) on Sunday, government spokesman Chérif Mahamat Zene said in a
statement. The rebels were on the run and being pursued by the air force,
Mahamat said, without providing further details of the clashes. The Front for
Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), a political-military group founded by
dissident army officers in 2016, claimed responsibility for the attack and
disputed the government’s portrayal. FACT, like opposition politicians and
rights groups in Chad, accuse President Deby of repression surrounding the
election. The militia claimed to have seized several army garrisons including
in Wour and Zouarké, and called Sunday’s election a masquerade.”

 

The Africa Report: Mozambique: Following The Rise Of Islamist Group Al-Shabab
In Cabo Delgado
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“The seizure of Mozambique's key port of Palma by jihadist militants has
marked an unprecedented turning point in this conflict impacting southern
Africa. Our infographics explain how it all began. Even with reinforcements in
the form of Russian and South African mercenaries, the Mozambican armed forces
seems powerless and incapable of holding back the advance of jihadist fighters
from al-Shabab, an insurgent group that has an unclear affiliation with the
Islamic State (IS) and is not related to Al-Shabab in Somalia. On 24 March, its
militants seized the key port of Palma in the province of Cabo Delgado, near
Tanzania, in north-eastern Mozambique. The latest dramatic offensive has cast a
harsh light on al-Shabab’s ultra-violent modus operandi and led the Mozambican
government to call on the international community for assistance as it
continues to confront the militant group’s insurgency, which has been on the
rise since 2017. Portugal pledged to send a team of military personnel to help
train Mozambican forces, while the United States said it is “determined” to
cooperate with the government of Mozambique. On 1 April, the African Union (AU)
called for an “urgent and coordinated regional and international action.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Daily Mail: Lifting Lockdown 'Will Make It Easier For Terrorists To Operate',
Top Anti-Terror Officer Claims, As He Warns Public To 'Be Alert' To Threat Of
Extremist Attacks As Well As Covid
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“A senior police officer has urged the UK to be on alert as terrorists could
have a 'greater opportunity to operate' as coronavirus lockdown restrictions
are eased. Deputy assistant commissioner Matt Twist, one of Counter Terrorism
Policing's senior national coordinators, warned the public and businesses to
'be alert' to more than just the dangers of Covid-19 this summer. According to
a police statement, he believes the easing of lockdown restrictions could
provide a 'greater opportunity for terrorists to operate'. The terrorism threat
level is currently listed as 'substantial', meaning an attack is likely.
Counter Terrorism Policing has launched a campaign to encourage people to
report anything suspicious to security guards and police. Deputy assistant
commissioner Twist said: 'Following a year of restrictions impacting all our
lives, we recognise people will be keen to get out and about as the lockdown
begins to ease, and the importance of businesses being able to return to more
regular trading patterns. 'But we must continue to follow public health
guidance and remain vigilant, not just against the threat of the virus but
against the threat of terrorism as well. 'Terrorism will understandably not
have been high on anyone's mind in recent months, and I would describe the
threat as temporarily suppressed during lockdown, because it was difficult to
go out in public and actually do anything.’”

 

Germany

 

The Associated Press: Syrian On Trial In Germany For Killing Man, Injuring
Another
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“A Syrian man went on trial Monday accused of killing a German man and
seriously injuring another in an attack last year that prosecutors said was
motivated by Islamic extremist ideology. The trial of Abdullah A.H.H., whose
full name wasn’t released due to German privacy laws, began in the eastern city
of Dresden, where the attack took place on Oct. 4. Federal prosecutors allege
that the defendant used kitchen knives to attack the two men in their 50s from
behind because they were holding hands and he believed they were a gay couple,
which he considered to be a “grave sin.” The 21-year-old was arrested almost
three weeks after the crime and has been in custody since then. The defendant
is charged with murder in the killing of the 55-year-old victim and the
attempted murder and serious bodily harm of the 53-year-old man. A forensic
psychiatrist testified in court that the defendant had told him after the
attack that he regretted not killing both men, German news agency dpa reported.
The defendant’s lawyer acknowledged that his client had admitted to carrying
out the attack and that the requirements for a murder conviction had been met,
but suggested that juvenile law should be applied in the case as he was still
immature, dpa reported.”

 

BBC News: Gruppe S: German Far-Right Group On Trial For 'Terror Plot'
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“The trial of 11 suspected members of a far-right “terror” group opens in the
German city of Stuttgart on Tuesday. The suspects, aged between 32 and 61, were
arrested in February last year. Prosecutors say the 11 men - all Germans - were
members of Gruppe S (Group S), which planned attacks on migrants, Muslims and
politicians, with the aim of sparking a civil war. A twelfth man, a former
police officer, is accused of offering material support to the group. He is
also on trial. One of the group is still at large and is being tried in
absentia. Has Germany done enough to tackle far-right violence? What are the
men accused of? The men in Gruppe S intended to “shake and ultimately topple
the state and social order” in Germany, the indictment says. Werner S, the
group's alleged ringleader, organised an initial meeting in September 2019.
Over the next few months others joined and kept in touch by phone and internet
chat. According to investigation files seen by German public broadcaster ZDF
and the Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspaper, Werner S planned to acquire a
Kalashnikov assault rifle with 2,000 rounds of ammunition, an Uzi submachine
gun and hand grenades. The group already had 27 unlicensed weapons, mostly
pistols, it is alleged.”

 

New Zealand

 

Yahoo News: NZ Terror Laws To Include Fear Incitement
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“The New Zealand government is broadening its terror laws following
recommendations from the Royal Commission into the Christchurch Mosques attack.
However it cannot say whether the intimidatory act of a bomb scare or placing a
pig's head outside a Mosque would fall under a new definition of terror, which
includes inciting fear. On Tuesday, Justice Minister Kris Faafoi introduced
changes to suppression, search and surveillance powers to parliament, which he
says will give authorities broader ability to fight terror. “The nature of
terrorism is changing,” he said. “We need to ensure New Zealand has laws that
can respond to those changes. “The Royal Commission highlighted the need for
offences to cover the preparatory steps a terrorist might take before attempt a
terrorist act ... this bill contains offences to close that gap.” Those
offences include criminalising terrorism preparations, terrorist weapons and
combat training, international travel linked to terrorism and supporting or
financing terrorism. The changes allow for the detention of anyone who has
completed jail time for a terror offence if authorities believe they present a
risk of further terror offences. Mr Faafoi said the new laws would not have
stopped the 2019 attack, when Australian man Brenton Tarrant stormed two
mosques and killed 51 worshippers.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

The Christian Post: US Embassy Warns Of 'High' Terror Threat In Indonesia
After Church Bombing
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“The U.S. Embassy in Indonesia has issued a security alert for American
citizens, asking them to maintain increased security awareness and heightened
vigilance at places of worship following a slew of terrorist attacks, including
a church bombing on Palm Sunday. “The U.S. Embassy encourages American citizens
in Indonesia to maintain increased security awareness,” reads the notice issued
last Wednesday. “Indonesian authorities warn that the terrorism threat level
remains high.” The warning comes after two suspected terrorists attacked a
church in Makassar, Sulawesi, on March 28 and after an assailant with an
Airsoft gun attacked the Indonesian National Police headquarters in South
Jakarta on March 31. According to the alert, national police may visibly
increase its presence at Indonesian government buildings, tourist sites,
churches, malls and other venues. The U.S. Embassy advises heightened personal
security awareness, particularly in public areas. The embassy also asks
American citizens to exercise additional vigilance, especially in places of
worship, crowded streets, shopping areas and locations with large crowds.
People are also advised to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings. People
should also refrain from displaying “signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive
jewelry or watches.”



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