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Eye on Extremism
April 15, 2021
Reuters: Islamists Kill At Least Eight In Nigeria's Damasak, Hundreds Flee To Niger
“Suspected Islamists attacked the northeast Nigerian border town of Damasak, killing at least eight people and causing hundreds to flee to neighbouring Niger, local officials and a resident said on Wednesday. No group claimed responsibility but militant Islamist group Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, carry out attacks in the northeast. Some 2 million people have fled their homes and 30,000 have been killed since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009 aimed at creating an Islamic state in the region. Nigeria, which has Africa’s biggest economy, faces a raft of security challenges. Authorities are grappling with the insurgency, a spate of school kidnappings in the northwest and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The insurgents attacked Damasak, a few kilometres from the border with Niger, at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, three soldiers speaking on condition of anonymity said. “Ten residents were killed in attacks on Tuesday. Our people have fled to villages in Niger while some are trapped in the bush,” local government official Bukar Mustapha told Reuters on Wednesday. “Boko Haram men are still at Damasak,” he said.”
The Guardian: Christchurch Terrorist Chooses Not To Attend Court To Launch His Own Legal Challenge
“The Christchurch terrorist who said he wanted to take the government to court over a lack of access to news and letters in jail and his designation as a terrorist entity has failed to attend the first court hearing on the matter. The hearing in Auckland, New Zealand, was indefinitely postponed and the terrorist must ask to have it rescheduled after his no show on Thursday. Brenton Tarrant, a 30-year-old Australian, was jailed for life in August last year without the chance of parole for the murder of 51 Muslim worshippers at al Noor and Linwood mosques on 15 March 2019, the attempted killing of dozens more, and a terrorism charge. He remains in a maximum security prison in Auckland, where he is in solitary confinement. He was due to represent himself over the phone at Thursday’s high court hearing. It was convened after he said in a letter to the high court on 27 February that he wanted to challenge his conditions in jail and official designation as a terrorist. His complaint was made shortly before the second anniversary of the attacks.”
United States
The Washington Post: Top Intelligence Officials Testify On China, Pandemic And Other Global Threats
“The nation’s top intelligence and law enforcement officials testified Wednesday before the Senate on a range of threats facing the United States, including a rising China and the origins of the virus that caused the covid-19 pandemic. The annual hearing brings together the top leadership of the intelligence community for what often amounts to a tour of the world’s tribulations. This year, officials faced questions from members of the Senate Intelligence Committee about President Biden’s decision to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that drew the United States into the longest war in the nation’s history. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked whether the departure of U.S. troops put the country at a greater risk of terrorist attacks should al-Qaeda or Islamic State fighters gain a new foothold in Afghanistan. CIA Director William J. Burns said that the presence of U.S. and coalition forces has enhanced the intelligence community’s ability to monitor terrorist threats in the country, including those that could affect the United States directly, and that that ability will diminish when forces leave. But, he said, the agency will “retain a suite of capabilities,” some of which are already in place, and some which will have to be developed, to help provide warnings to U.S. officials.”
“Rep. Elissa Slotkin last week sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken asking him to take the unprecedented step of designating 13 extremist movements as foreign terrorist organizations, arguing that such a move “will help apply more stress to curtail these violent organizations’ and their leaders’ ability to operate their groups.” But of the 13 groups listed in her letter, which her office provided to BuzzFeed News, at least four are defunct, one is an American club founded in California that has splintered and rebranded, and another changed the name used in Slotkin’s letter six years ago when it became part of an allied nation’s national guard. …Kacper Rekawek, a Slovakia-based researcher at the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project, said Slotkin’s list is the type of list someone searching for far-right extremist groups on Google might draw up. “The effort of Rep. Slotkin is commendable. Designations, underused in the European context, should help with countering the threat of violence from extreme right-wing organizations,” Rekawek told BuzzFeed News. “However, this must be informed by a thorough analysis of the local far-right scenes which include a plethora of actors who often talk the talk, but do not walk the walk as far as violence is concerned.”
Fox News: 'America's Most Wanted' Profiles Oregon Arson Fugitive Tied To Domestic-Terrorist Group
“A fugitive wanted for arson in Oregon due to her ties to a domestic terrorist organization was profiled on the new “America’s Most Wanted” this week after being on the run for more than 16 years. Josephine Sunshine Overaker is a wanted woman after starting fires and committing other crimes in the late 1990s and early 2000s as part of her work with the eco-terrorism organization known as “The Family.” Special Agent Tim Suttles told FOX 12 in Oregon that the group acted in the name of extremist groups such as the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front to commit a series of domestic terrorist crimes in the state as well as Washington, California, Colorado and Wyoming. “Locally it involved the arson of a Detroit Ranger Station, Oakridge Ranger Station, Cabel West in Redmond. Most famously is Vail ski resort arson. Overaker was involved in all of those actions and has been a fugitive since 2004,” Suttles told FOX 12. According to the FBI, the Vail ski resort remains the largest eco-related arson in history. The Bureau believes that Overaker was responsibile for shoplifting many of the components “The Family” needed to build their firebombs. Overaker is the one remaining member of “The Family” to evade justice after an FBI operation led to a national takedown of every other member in 2004.”
Syria
Asharq Al-Awsat: Remains Of ISIS-Beheaded Syria Archaeologist Still Missing, Says Son
“The remains of Khaled al-Assaad, a Syrian archaeologist beheaded by ISIS militants, have yet to be recovered, his son told AFP on Wednesday. The official SANA news agency reported in February that authorities had uncovered three corpses in Kahloul, 10 kilometres (six miles) east of the ancient city of Palmyra where Assaad was killed in 2015. Assaad was believed to be among them, SANA said at the time, ahead of DNA testing. But two months later, DNA results have shown that the remains of the archaeologist have yet to be found, his son Tareq said. “Authorities have just informed us that the DNA test results are not compatible with my father,” he said. “Our sorrows and wounds have returned,” he said. “We had hoped to close this wound.” Assaad, known as “the father of Palmyra”, was 82 when ISIS militants executed him on August 18, 2015, three months after they overran the so-called “Pearl of the Desert”. Seen as a pioneer of Syrian archaeology, Assaad was director of antiquities in Palmyra for 40 years until 2003. He was responsible for the discovery of several ancient cemeteries and oversaw the excavation of 1,000 columns as well as the site's stunning necropolis of 500 tombs.”
Iraq
Voice Of America: Drone Attack Targets Kurdish Iraq's Irbil Airport
“An attack Wednesday at the airport of Irbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, was carried out by drone, the Kurdish interior ministry said — an unprecedented escalation of the arms used to target U.S. soldiers based there. “A drone charged with TNT targeted a coalition base at Irbil's airport,” the ministry said, adding that no one was hurt in the blast but a building was damaged. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which caused a loud explosion heard across the city. However, a shadowy pro-Iranian group, blamed for a similar attack in mid-February, hailed the blast in pro-Iran channels on the messaging app Telegram. A security cordon blocked all access to the airport, witnesses reported. The governor said air links were not interrupted. Some 20 bomb or rocket attacks have targeted bases housing U.S. soldiers or diplomats in Iraq since U.S. President Joe Biden took office at the end of January. Dozens more took place during the preceding 18 months, with Washington consistently blaming pro-Iran armed factions. Washington and Tehran are both allies of Baghdad but remain sharply at odds over Iran's nuclear program. On February 15, more than a dozen rockets targeted a military complex inside Irbil airport, killing an Iraqi civilian and a foreign contractor working with U.S.-led troops.”
Afghanistan
“The Taliban on Wednesday issued a warning in response to President Biden’s decision to extend the presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, increasing fears that the withdrawal of foreign forces will be met with widespread violence. “If the [Doha] agreement is breached and foreign forces fail to exit our country on the specified date, problems will certainly be compounded and those whom failed to comply with the agreement will be held liable,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid tweeted Wednesday. Biden’s new withdrawal timeline will keep thousands of American troops in Afghanistan months past the May 1 deadline negotiated by the Trump administration last year. Biden’s plan is a phased drawdown to be completed by or before Sept. 11. He announced the decision Wednesday. Just hours after news of Biden’s decision broke Tuesday, the Taliban also distanced itself from a U.S.-led intensified push for peace. The group announced its representatives would not attend a peace conference in Turkey intended to jump-start stalled talks between the militants and the Afghan government.”
Axios: CIA Director: Afghanistan Withdrawal Poses “Significant Risk” Of Terrorist Resurgence
“CIA director William Burns acknowledged Wednesday that there is a “significant risk” that the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces from Afghanistan could allow al-Qaeda and ISIS to rebuild, but stressed that these groups currently do not have the capacity to attack the U.S. homeland. Why it matters: President Biden is set to formally announce on Wednesday that the U.S. will withdraw all forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, potentially bringing America's longest war to a close after 20 years. Driving the news: “We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result,” Biden will say as he sets out a plan for withdrawal that will ultimately not be conditions-based. The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, ending a war has that killed 2,200+ American troops, wounded 20,000 and cost the U.S. as much as $1 trillion, has prompted a wide range of reactions from Democrats and Republicans. Some, like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), warned that the withdrawal undermines the U.S. commitment to the Afghan people and could destabilize the country.”
Foreign Policy: Taliban Issues Cold Response To U.S. Withdrawal Plans
“U.S. President Joe Biden is to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11 of this year, bringing an end to a 20-year war. Although the news was first reported by the Washington Post on Tuesday, Biden is expected to make the announcement official today. The date of withdrawal, two decades after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, is months later than a previous agreement made between the Taliban and the Trump administration. Under the so-called Doha agreement, U.S. troops were to have left the country by May 1. That detail has not been lost on Taliban leaders, who issued a statement following the news that puts its future participation in peace talks in question. “Until all foreign forces completely withdraw from our homeland, the Islamic Emirate will not participate in any conference that shall make decisions about Afghanistan,” Mohammed Naeem, a Taliban spokesman, said on Tuesday. The latest round of peace talks is set for April 24, the Turkish foreign ministry announced on Tuesday. Withdrawal, not isolation. Although the unconditional withdrawal represents a departure from the nation-building policy adopted by Biden’s predecessors, it doesn’t signal a broader retrenchment in U.S. ambitions, at least where spending is concerned.”
Pakistan
The Telegraph: Pakistan Outlaws Extremist Group After Days Of Anti-France Riots
“An extremist anti-blasphemy party which has brought parts of Pakistan's major cities to a standstill in three days of violent protests will now be banned, a senior minister has said. Followers of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have fought police and blocked major road arteries in protests demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador in the Prophet Mohammad cartoons row. Two policemen have died of their wounds and another 340 have been injured in clashes as officers have fought to keep control. “We have decided to ban the TLP and the draft is going to the cabinet for approval,” Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told a press conference. He said the party's demand risked making Pakistan look like a “radical nation” to the outside world and the group would be outlawed under anti-terrorism legislation. The protests had struck as the country is enduring its third wave of Covid-19 cases and road blockages have disrupted oxygen deliveries, officials said. The TLP has amassed huge grassroots support with its rallying cry to protect the honour of the Prophet against blasphemy. Its members brought parts of Pakistan to a standstill in 2018 to denounce the acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Christian farm worker wrongly accused of blasphemy.”
Nigeria
Sahara Reporters: Boko Haram Fighters Attack Another Borno Town During Ramadan Prayer
“Boko Haram militants in gun trucks have attacked residents who were observing the Ramadan fasting break and prayer in Gajiram town in the Nganzai Local Government Area of Borno State. SaharaReporters learnt that some other Muslim faithful were attacked in Damasak in the Mobbar LGA on Tuesday evening. Security sources stated that on Tuesday around the time to break the Ramadan fast, the terrorists invaded the two towns on a reprisal because the military had killed some of their commanders in the Lake Chad region a week earlier. “The fighters came at about Ramadan break on Tuesday in order to catch the troops unawares. But the Air Task Force component was on standby to repel them. That was the first day of this year's Ramadan and the terrorists wanted to destabilise the residents of the two towns,” a security official stated. “They were on a reprisal over the recent military air bombardments on their strongholds in Tudun Wulgo, Zari, Tumbun Alhaji, Kusuma, Sigir in Ngala and Arijallamari, in Abadam, Marte and Ngala LGAs which resulted in the killing of top Islamic State West African Province leaders.”
Somalia
Reuters: Somalia's President Signs Law Extending His Term, 15 Killed In Attack
“Somalia’s president has signed a disputed law extending his mandate for two years, the state news agency reported, setting the Horn of Africa nation on a collision course with donors who strongly oppose the move. Somalia, with only limited central government since 1991, is trying to rebuild with international help but the path back to stability has been obstructed by a political crisis caused by a failure to hold elections that were due in February. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s four-year term expired in February and his successor was meant to be chosen by a new crop of legislators. Uncertainty deepened after opponents accused Mohamed of packing regional and national election boards with his own supporters. On Monday, the lower house of parliament passed legislation to extend Mohamed’s tenure by up to two years, the state news agency reported, citing Information Minister Osman Dubbe, and Mohamed signed the bill late on Tuesday. But the decision was swiftly rejected by the upper chamber of the Mogadishu parliament, sowing confusion that could abet further attacks by Islamist al Shabaab militants, who have been trying for years to topple the government.”
Africa
The New Times: New Report Pins Tribert Rujugiro On Illicit Dealings, Terrorism Financing
“A new report on East Africa’s war against extremism, crime, corruption and related illicit trade has pinned Rwandan dissident Tribert Ayabatwa Rujugiro on illicit trade and terrorism financing. The report, released this month by Counter Extremism Project, entitled, ‘An Unholy Alliance: Links between Extremism and Illicit Trade in East Africa’ says that regional stability is increasingly threatened by the continued existence of illicit markets and trade fueled by corruption. The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is an international policy organization led by a renowned group of former world leaders and diplomats operating out of Germany, New York and London. According to the report, in the East Africa region, illicit tobacco trade has been singled out to fund extremist groups, with the exiled Rwandan businessman Rujugiro at the centre of this.”
United Kingdom
BBC News: Terror Offender Monitoring Rules Lawful
“The High Court has upheld the Ministry of Justice's power to impose tighter curbs on the movements of convicted terrorists in the wake of the Fishmongers' Hall attack. Two judges rejected challenges from an associate of the man who carried out the 2019 attack saying he had been largely treated lawfully, except on one specific issue. Omar Latif, from Cardiff, said officials had placed greater and illegal restrictions on his life after he had been released, amid fears of copycat attacks. Latif's former associate, Usman Khan, stabbed Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt at a conference at Fishmongers' Hall in London after he had been earlier released from prison. Inquests into the circumstances of their deaths are continuing. In a comprehensive ruling, judges said officials had acted legally when they changed and toughened Latif's licence conditions. While the court ruled that Latif should have had the opportunity to make representations, officials had recognised and corrected that mistake long before the matter came to court. Latif was jailed in 2012 for his role in a terror cell operating across England and Wales that had aspirations to set up training camps in Pakistan and carry out bombings in the UK. Usman Khan was one of the people jailed alongside Latif.”
Europe
The National: Norway Charges Alleged ISIS Extremist With Terror Plot Targeting London Landmark
“A man has been charged with three ISIS-inspired terror plots, including one targeting a London landmark. Prosecutors say the man, 24, who has not been named, shared bomb-making instructions on social media and plotted two attacks in Denmark and one in London, claiming Denmark would be the “new France”. Police in Norway have charged the man with a series of terrorism offences and say he was the administrator of a number of extremist online communities. He is also accused of sharing ISIS propaganda and other material produced by the terrorist group. The man was apprehended after chat messages were discovered in which he planned the attacks with a second, unknown person. Public prosecutor Geir Evanger said that police in the UK were able to thwart a planned attack in London to target St Paul's Cathedral and that two other attacks were planned in Denmark. “Charges have been brought against a person for three attempts at participating in terror (attacks),” Mr Evanger said. “We believe that this is part of the new form of participation in ISIS. It is based on sharing extremist material, violent material and material with religious content.” Mr Evanger said the man was an administrator for several groups on social media, including some he had created, and was considered to be “a relatively central participant in many of these groups.”
Technology
Bloomberg: A 23-Year-Old Coder Kept QAnon Online When No One Else Would
“Two and a half months before extremists invaded the U.S. Capitol, the far-right wing of the internet suffered a brief collapse. All at once, in the final weeks of the country’s presidential campaign, a handful of prominent sites catering to White supremacists and adherents of the QAnon conspiracy movement stopped functioning. To many of the forums’ most devoted participants, the outage seemed to prove the American political struggle was approaching its apocalyptic endgame. “Dems are making a concerted move across all platforms,” read one characteristic tweet. “The burning of the land foreshadows a massive imperial strike back in the next few days.” In fact, there’d been no conspiracy to take down the sites; they’d crashed because of a technical glitch with VanwaTech, a tiny company in Vancouver, Wash., that they rely on for various kinds of network infrastructure. They went back online with a simple server reset about an hour later, after the proprietor, 23-year-old Nick Lim, woke up from a nap at his mom’s condo. Lim founded VanwaTech in late 2019. He hosts some websites directly and provides others with technical services including protection against certain cyberattacks; his annual revenue, he says, is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“The iPhone used by a terrorist in the San Bernardino shooting was unlocked by a small Australian hacking firm in 2016, ending a momentous standoff between the U.S. government and the tech titan Apple. Azimuth Security, a publicity-shy company that says it sells its cyber wares only to democratic governments, secretly crafted the solution the FBI used to gain access to the device, according to several people familiar with the matter. The iPhone was used by one of two shooters whose December 2015 attack left more than a dozen people dead. The identity of the hacking firm has remained a closely guarded secret for five years. Even Apple didn’t know which vendor the FBI used, according to company spokesman Todd Wilder. But without realizing it, Apple’s attorneys came close last year to learning of Azimuth’s role — through a different court case, one that has nothing to do with unlocking a terrorist’s device. Five years ago, Apple and the FBI both cast the struggle over the iPhone as a moral battle. The FBI believed Apple should help it obtain information to investigate the terrorist attack. Apple believed that creating a back door into the phone would weaken security and could be used by malicious actors.”
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