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Eye on Extremism
May 5, 2021
Reuters: Far-Right Crime Hits Record High In Germany
“Germany saw a big jump last year in politically motiviated crimes, and offences commited by far-right supporters hit a record high, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Tuesday. Far-right offences were up nearly 6% from the previous year at 23,064, and accounted for more than half of all politically motivated crimes, the highest level since police started collecting such data in 2001. Violent crimes classified as political in nature rose by nearly 20% year-on-year to 3,365 and included 11 murders and 13 attempted murders, Seehofer said. “These numbers are very alarming mainly because a trend has been established over the last few years,” he said. “During the pandemic we observed a further polarisation of the political discussion.” Security is emerging as a key political issue ahead of a national election in September. German intelligence fears that far-right activists are trying to exploit public frustration over lockdowns imposed to halt the spread of COVID-19 to incite violence against state institutions. Recent politically motivated murders include the shooting of nine people in shisha bars by a racist gunman in the western city of Hanau and a knife attack by a Syrian man on a gay couple in Dresden in which one person was killed, Seehofer said.”
The National: UK Fighter Jets To Attack ISIS In Syria And Iraq From 'HMS Queen Elizabeth' Warship
“UK stealth fighter jets are to be dispatched from the £3 billion ($4.16bn) warship HMS Queen Elizabeth to “pack a potent punch” against the remnants of ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The Ministry of Defence said the F-35B Lightning jets would support operations in the countries from the Carrier Strike Group – a flotilla of British warships on a six-month global mission. Leading the fleet is aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, which left its base in Portsmouth in southern England on Sunday. The ship is accompanied by a US destroyer and Dutch frigate to provide extra protection. Eight Royal Air Force and 10 US Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter jets will operate on board the vessel. Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston said the jets would help to weed out terrorists in Iraq and Syria. He said he had no doubt violent extremism was still rooted in the region despite the weakening of the ISIS foothold. The F-35Bs are equipped with advanced sensors, mission systems and stealth technology allowing them to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance tasks in remote areas. He told PA that ISIS was “no longer the ground-holding force, the occupying force that it was in 2015 and 2016”. “For the last two years, we have been identifying pockets where they have dug into strongholds in the mountains in remote areas, and have been helping the government of Iraq to clear out those remnants.”
United States
The New York Times: Justice Dept. Seeks Funding To Fight Domestic Extremism And Inequality
“Attorney General Merrick B. Garland told lawmakers on Tuesday that the Justice Department needs more money for Biden administration priorities including combating domestic extremism, racial inequality, environmental degradation and gender violence. In his first congressional hearing since his confirmation, Mr. Garland appeared before the House Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees the Justice Department to discuss his $35.2 billion budget request for the fiscal year that begins in October, an 11 percent increase from the previous year. The budget proposal, which includes funding for gun safety measures and immigration courts, reflects a commitment to ensure “the civil rights and the civil liberties” of Americans, Mr. Garland said in his opening remarks. It also showed that Mr. Garland has prioritized efforts to fight domestic terrorism and protect civil rights over the department’s focus during the Trump administration on street crime and gangs. Democrats generally expressed support for the proposed budget. Representative Matt Cartwright, Democrat of Pennsylvania and the chairman of the subcommittee, called the funding request a “historic opportunity to address systemic barriers to full participation in society, ensure access to economic opportunities and protect the right to vote.”
The Washington Post: Former Leader Of Neo-Nazi Atomwaffen Group Sentenced For Swatting
“A former leader in a violent neo-Nazi group was sentenced Tuesday to 41 months in prison for harassing journalists who reported on his activities and others. John Cameron Denton, 27, was the Texas leader of the Atomwaffen Division when he took part in what Assistant U.S. Attorney Carina Cuellar called “the most widespread swatting conspiracy in the country” known to federal law enforcement. Swatting is the practice of making fake bomb and hostage threats to provoke an overwhelming law enforcement response. “The fear and anxiety you created in all these victims . . . will remain in their memory for far too long,” U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady said in federal court in Alexandria. “All for you and this group to get your jollies off? It’s incomprehensible.” Atomwaffen, which calls for acts of random violence in hopes of starting a race war, was founded in 2015 on the neo-Nazi website Iron March and has been linked to several killings. One founder is now facing trial in Florida where he is accused of murdering his two roommates; the other is in prison for possession of explosives. While much of its activity occurred online, members also met for “hate camps” and traveled abroad to meet like-minded extremists in Europe.”
Star Tribune: Minnesota Man Is Second Boogaloo Member To Plead To Federal Terror Charges
“A second member of the antigovernment Boogaloo Bois extremist group pleaded guilty to Minnesota terrorism charges Tuesday, telling a judge that the group sought to leverage unrest after George Floyd's police killing to raise money for its movement. Michael Robert Solomon, 31, of New Brighton, admitted Tuesday to selling silencers and other firearm components last year to people be believed were members of the Hamas terror group but who turned out to be FBI informants. “Honestly, the money was if nothing else more just to keep prepping, to purchase more firearms, more ammunition, more body armor just to prepare for what … we always called the '[expletive] hitting the fan,' “ Solomon told U.S. District Judge Michael Davis in court. Solomon entered his plea in person in a St. Paul federal courtroom Tuesday. He is one of four men charged since last September to have been identified as members of the Boogaloo Bois, an armed anti-government group that rose in prominence amid the 2020 protests over COVID-19 shutdowns and police brutality. Solomon's guilty plea comes with the possibility of a 20-year sentence. It follows a December plea from co-defendant Benjamin Ryan Teeter, a 22-year-old who traveled from North Carolina in response to a Facebook post from Solomon calling for fellow Boogaloo Bois members to join him in participating in the protests after Floyd's death.”
“White supremacist and domestic terrorist F. Glenn Miller Jr. died in a Kansas prison Monday, awaiting execution for a murderous rampage in Overland Park in 2014. Miller was a coward and a killer. He should not be mourned. Mindy Corporon, whose father and oldest son were shot and killed by Miller outside the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park 7 years ago, told us just last month that she could barely remember his name: “Actually, I forget his name because we don’t ever say his name,” she said in a Star Opinion Live interview. “I would say if I thought about it, it would cause me disgust, so I don’t think about it.” But we must remember his crimes, which stretched for decades. Miller stands as a warning to us about the ways racism and hate can turn into real bloodshed and tragedy. We must learn from his sorry life. On a rainy April Sunday in 2014, Miller murdered Corporon’s son 14-year-old son Reat Underwood and her 69-year-old father, William Corporon, then shot and killed 53-year-old Terri LaManno outside the Village Shalom care center nearby. After a short search, Miller surrendered to authorities, spewing vulgarities and hate. He remained in custody until his death.”
Turkey
Daily Sabah: Turkey Foiled 25 Terrorist Attacks In April, Interior Ministry Says
“Turkish security forces foiled 25 terrorist attacks, eliminated 115 terrorists in April, Interior Ministry spokesperson Ismail Çataklı said Tuesday. Speaking at the monthly news conference in the capital Ankara, Çataklı said 25 terrorist attacks, including a bomb attack targeting the Istanbul Bus Terminal, were foiled in the past month. Sixteen members of the PKK terrorist group, including eight senior figures, were killed, while 72 PKK and Daesh terrorists were captured and 25 terrorists surrendered to security forces in April, according to Çataklı. Turkish security forces also destroyed 248 hideouts and shelters used by the PKK terrorists. In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women and children. Turkish security forces regularly conduct counterterrorism operations in the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey, where the PKK has attempted to establish a strong presence. In July, the country also launched the first of a series of “Lightning” operations in the southeastern province of Şırnak, and its associated operations are meant to target terrorists believed to be hiding out in eastern and southeastern Turkey.”
Afghanistan
Reuters: Taliban Launches Major Afghan Offensive After Deadline For U.S. Pullout
“Afghan security forces fought back a major Taliban offensive in southern Helmand province in the last 24 hours, officials and residents said on Tuesday, as militants launched assaults around the country after a missed U.S. deadline to withdraw troops. Although the United States did not meet the May 1 withdrawal deadline agreed in talks with the Taliban last year, its pull-out has begun, with President Joe Biden announcing all troops will be out by Sept. 11. Critics of the decision to withdraw say the Islamist militants will try to sweep back into power. “There was a thunderstorm of heavy weapons and blasts in the city and the sound of small arms was like someone was making popcorn,” Mulah Jan, a resident of a suburb of the Helmand provincial capital Lashkar Gah, told Reuters. “I took all my family members to the corner of the room, hearing the heavy blasts and bursts of gunfire as if it was happening behind our walls,” he said. Families that could afford to leave had fled, but he had been unable to go, waiting with his family in fear before the Taliban were pushed back. Attaullah Afghan, the head of Helmand's provincial council, said the Taliban had launched their offensive on Monday from multiple directions, attacking checkpoints around the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, taking over some of them.”
Associated Press: Bomb Targets Health Workers In Afghan Capital, Killing 1
“A bomb targeted a minibus carrying medical workers in the Afghan capital Wednesday morning, killing one person, a Kabul police official said. Three medics were wounded and taken to hospitals by police, said Ferdaws Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. The bus was taking the doctors, nurses and other health workers from Kabul toward northern Panjsher province when it was attacked in the northern district of Kalakan in Kabul province, he added. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and Faramarz said police were investigating. The attack comes a few days after the remaining 2,500 to 3,500 American troops officially began leaving the country. They will be out by Sept. 11 at the latest. The pullout comes amid a resurgent Taliban, who control or hold sway over half of Afghanistan. The top U.S. military officer said Sunday that Afghan government forces face an uncertain future and possibly some “bad possible outcomes” against Taliban insurgents as the withdrawal accelerates in the coming weeks.”
Foreign Affairs: Afghanistan’s Moment Of Risk And Opportunity
“President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September represents a turning point for the country and our neighbors. The Afghan government respects the decision and views it as a moment of both opportunity and risk for itself, for Afghans, for the Taliban, and for the region. For me, as the elected leader of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, it is another opportunity to reiterate and further my commitment to peace. In February 2018, I made an unconditional offer of peace to the Taliban. That was followed by a three-day cease-fire in June of that year. In 2019, a loya jirga (grand council) that I convened mandated negotiations with the Taliban, and since then, my government has worked to build a national consensus on the need for a political settlement that would comport with the values of the Afghan constitution and the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. My government remains ready to continue talks with the Taliban. And, if it meant peace would be secured, I am willing to end my term early. For the Afghan nation, the announcement of the U.S. withdrawal is another phase in our long-term partnership with the United States. Afghanistan has been through consequential withdrawals before.”
Reuters: Taliban Would 'Roll Back' Afghan Women's Rights - US Intelligence Report
“The Taliban “would roll back much” of the gains in Afghan women's rights if the insurgents regain national power, according to an assessment released on Tuesday by top US intelligence analysts. Those gains are probably due more to external pressure than domestic support, and likely will be at risk after the withdrawal by the US-led military coalition, said the assessment by the US National Intelligence Council.”
Nigeria
“The Nigerian government is set to arraign about 400 alleged Boko Haram sponsors and financiers arrested in a nationwide operation last month, the PUNCH reports. The businessmen, who included bureau de change operators, were arrested in Kano, Borno, Abuja, Lagos, Sokoto, Adamawa, Kaduna and Zamfara. It was gathered on Monday that criminal charges bordering on terrorism were already being prepared against them as investigations continued into their nefarious activities. The arrest of the men was sequel to the jailing of six Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates over allegations of terrorism financing. The media aide to the Minister of Justice, Dr Umar Gwandu on Monday said that the prosecution of the suspects “will commence as quickly as possible.” Gwandu hinted that charges would soon be preferred against the suspects but he declined further comment when asked for update on the investigation. But findings indicated that the government was still probing the level of the businessmen’s connections to the terrorist group. Daily Trust had reported the arrest of the 400 suspected terror financiers by the Defence Intelligence Agency in collaboration with the Department of State Services, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
Africa
Associated Press: Suspected Extremist In Kenya's East Blow Up Truck Killing 2
“At least two people were killed near Kenya's eastern border with Somalia when the vehicle they were travelling in ran over an explosive device suspected to have been planted by the extremist al-Shabab rebels, officials said Tuesday. It is the second attack in two months targeting vehicles delivering supplies to a construction site where Kenya is building a fence and trenches along the Somali border to prevent extremists, bandits and illegal immigrants from entering the East African country. The incident happened Monday in the eastern part of Lamu county, Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia said. Three people were in the water bowser - the driver, his assistant and a passenger - all employees of a private contractor building a wall at the Kenya-Somalia border wall construction site. The passenger survived with slight injuries, he said. “We strongly believe the improvised explosive device was planted by al-Shabab militants but our teams are pursuing them,” he said. Last month militants attacked another truck ferrying water to the remote site killing one person. Somalia has not had an effective central government since the 1991 overthrow of dictator Siad Barre by warlords who then turned on each other.”
France
The New York Times: Far-Right French Leader Marine Le Pen Acquitted Over Isis Tweets
“Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, was acquitted on Tuesday in a criminal case involving graphic photographs of acts of violence by the Islamic State that she posted on Twitter in 2015 after comparisons were drawn between the group and her party. Ms. Le Pen, the head of the National Rally party, was acquitted by a court in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris. The charge against her — the dissemination of violent messages — carried a sentence of up to three years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros, about $90,000, but prosecutors had only sought a fine of €5,000. Rodolphe Bosselut, Ms. Le Pen’s lawyer in the case, said, “The court judged that by publishing the photos, she was exercising her freedom of expression.” He added that the ruling underlined that the posts clearly were not Islamic State propaganda and had an “informative value” instead. Prosecutors opened their investigation in December 2015, shortly after Ms. Le Pen — furious over a televised interview in which a French journalist compared her party to the Islamic State — posted three pictures on Twitter that showed killings carried out by the group. One showed the body of James Foley, an American journalist who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 and later beheaded by the group.”
Germany
The New York Times: German Police Arrest Man With Right-Wing Links Over Death Threats
“The police in Germany have arrested a 53-year-old man with a history of support for the far right in connection with a series of death threats sent to well-known progressives, including a lawyer, a politician and a comedian, the authorities said on Tuesday. The threats usually included information not publicly known, such as the names of the targets’ children or their home addresses, initially leading investigators to suspect that police officers were involved and adding to concerns about the increasing influence of far-right extremists within the ranks of law enforcement. But the authorities say the suspect has never worked as a police officer and has no known links to the police. With the arrest, authorities say they’ve caught the man responsible for the death threats signed with “NSU 2.0,” a reference to a far-right terrorist group that killed 10 people, planted bombs and committed robberies for more than a decade, starting in 1999. Earlier this year, the authorities in the western state of Hesse, who were investigating the cases, counted 115 threatening messages they believed to be from the same source. The arrest in Berlin was heralded by Peter Beuth, Hesse state’s interior minister, who had come under fire after investigations into the leaked personal data revealed far-right chat groups included police officers who would have had access to victims’ personal details.”
Europe
U.S. News & World Report: Norway Sentences Woman For Supporting IS By Being Homemaker
“A 30-year-old Norwegian woman who was repatriated by Norway from a refugee camp in Syria because her son was sick was sentenced Tuesday to 3 1/2 years in prison by an Oslo court for participating in the Islamic State group. The case was a first in Norway. Oslo District Court Judge Ingemar Nestor Nilsen said the woman, who was not identified, “has participated in a terrorist organization, and that she did so knowingly and on purpose,” Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported. The woman was not an IS fighter but as homemaker her role “was highlighted as invaluable supporters who enabled jihad (and) provided a basis for the IS recruits to be highly motivated at the front,” Nilsen said. “They contributed to the arrival of new generations of IS recruits who could follow suit.” The woman, who has appealed both the sentence and the verdict, was 22 years old when she travelled via Sweden to Syria, where she lived from 2013 to 2019. She and her 5-year-old son ended up in the Al Hol refugee camp in northeast Syria. from where she was repatriated last year. She was arrested upon her return to Norway. The camp houses refuges, families and supporters of the Islamic State group. The majority of al-Hol’s residents are Iraqis and Syrians, but it includes some 10,000 foreigners from 57 other countries.”
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