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Eye on Extremism
May 17, 2021
BBC News: National Action: Co-Founder To Stand Trial Over Terrorism Offences
“A co-founder of the British neo-Nazi group National Action will stand trial charged with terror offences. Ben Raymond, 32, from Swindon, is accused of remaining in the group for months after it was banned in 2016. He is also charged with three counts of possessing material likely to be useful for terrorism. Mr Raymond appeared by video link at the Old Bailey in London where a trial date was set for 1 November at Bristol Crown Court. The extreme far-right group was created in 2013, but it was banned as a terrorist organisation three years later. Mr Raymond is alleged to have stayed in the group between December 2016 and September 2017. He is also accused of possessing documents on explosives, allegedly held on his hard-drives in 2016 and 2017. According to the charges, the material includes documents entitled “pipe hand grenade”, “cluster bomb” and “homemade Molotov cocktail”. He was granted conditional bail ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing in Bristol on 17 September.”
The Jerusalem Post: ISIS Claims Responsibility For Kabul Mosque Terror Attack - Report
“Islamic State claimed responsibility for Friday's attack on a mosque in Shakar Dara district in the Afghan capital Kabul, the group's Nasheer news agency said on Telegram on Saturday. At least 12 people were killed in the explosion at a mosque during Friday prayers as worshippers gathered for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, officials had said.”
United States
Associated Press: US Warns Extremists May Strike As Virus Restrictions Ease
“A national terrorism alert issued Friday warns that violent extremists may take advantage of the easing of pandemic restrictions to conduct attacks. The alert does not cite any specific threats. But it warns of potential danger from an increasingly complex and volatile mix that includes domestic terrorists inspired by various grievances, racial or ethnic hatred and influences from abroad. Those threats were exacerbated by COVID-19, which spawned conspiracy theories and deepened anger at the government in some quarters over the shutdown of the economy. As virus conditions improve, the alert says new dangers loom. “Violent extremists may seek to exploit the easing of COVID-19-related restrictions across the United States to conduct attacks against a broader range of targets after previous public capacity limits reduced opportunities for lethal attacks,” the bulletin said. Without naming any specific potential targets, it notes that, historically, extremists motivated by racial and ethnic hatred have targeted religious institutions and businesses or gatherings. The National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin issued by the Department of Homeland Security is an extension of one issued earlier this year in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. That alert was expiring Saturday.”
ABC News: US Joins Global Push Against Violent Extremism Online
“Two years after a white supremacist in New Zealand livestreamed the slaughter of 51 Muslim worshippers on Facebook, French President Emmanuel Macron says the internet continues to be be used by terrorists as a weapon to propagate hate. Macron and other leaders from tech giants and governments around the world — including the U.S. for the first time — gathered virtually on Saturday to find better ways to stop extremist violence from spreading online, while also respecting freedom of expression. It was part of a global effort started by Macron and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after deadly attacks in their countries were streamed or shared on social networks. The U.S. government and four other countries joined the effort, known as the Christchurch Call, for the first time this year. It involves some 50 nations plus tech companies including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon, and is named for the New Zealand city where the slaughter at the two mosques took place. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a prerecorded video that authorities in his country alone had taken down more than 300,000 pieces of terrorist material from the internet over the past decade, which he described as a tsunami of hate.”
“Brandon Rapolla is not who springs to mind as the face of the far right. Rapolla’s brown skin, a reflection of his multiracial ancestry, is at odds with images of White guys in self-styled militias wearing camouflage in the woods. The militia stereotype is so entrenched, Rapolla said, that airline ticket agents have refused to believe him when he gives them a heads-up that he’s on a domestic terrorism watch list. “This one lady — she was Asian — she said, ‘Darling, you don’t look like a domestic terrorist. It’s a mistake,’ ” Rapolla recalled. “I said, ‘Nope, I am. That’s what I’m labeled as.’ ” Rapolla, a 46-year-old former Marine, has participated in four armed standoffs with the federal government, including the “Bundy Ranch” episode in 2014. He was active in two far-right factions — the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters — and co-founded the Pacific Patriots Network to boost cooperation. His trajectory, he said, shows how people of color are carving space in movements that are generalized as exclusively White in membership and racist in ideology.”
Orlando Sentinel: Florida Man Pleads Guilty To Facilitating Bomb-Making Video For ISIS
“In December 2018 and January 2019, Langhorne in a chat room expressed interest in making a video on how to improve the organization’s bomb-making capabilities, prosecutors say. In February 2019, Langhorne, unbeknownst to him, was talking to an undercover FBI agent posing as someone working on behalf of ISIS, the DOJ reported. He allegedly talked about his plans to create and disseminate the video and sought the agent’s assistance to make it, and told the agent to make sure it included disclaimers it was for educational purposes so the video wouldn’t be taken down. However, Langhorne is accused of telling the agent his real reason for making the video was to arm ISIS adherents with the knowledge to make the bomb for terroristic purposes.”
“A lawyer for a Hillside man charged in a long-running Chicago terrorism case told a judge Friday he wants to talk to his client about withdrawing the unusual guilty plea he entered in 2018, potentially adding another chapter to the lengthy legal odyssey. Adel Daoud, now 27, had been sentenced in 2019 to 16 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman for trying to set off what turned out to be an inert 1,000-pound car bomb outside a downtown Chicago bar in 2012. The feds say he also tried to have an undercover federal agent killed and later attacked a fellow inmate in jail. Ahead of his sentencing, Coleman accepted a specialized guilty plea from Daoud, in which he admitted the facts revolving around his arrest but still denied culpability. It’s known as an Alford plea. The judge accepted the plea over the objection of prosecutors. But the feds also took the unusual step of appealing the sentence Coleman handed down. And late last year, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that sentence and took Daoud’s case away from Coleman, finding that she “downplayed the extreme seriousness” of the matter. The case was later re-assigned to U.S. District Judge John Lee, who presided over his first status hearing in the case Friday.”
Syria
Asharq Al-Awsat: 180 Russian Air Strikes Target ISIS Hideouts In Syrian Desert
“The Russian army has expanded its military operations in the Syrian desert region, according to recent reports. Moscow did not comment or disclose details about its raids in the region, however, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that more than 180 raids were carried out by Russian fighter jets within two days. The war monitor stated that the raids are aimed at curbing activities by the ISIS group that enjoys wide presence in the desert (Badia). Russian jets launched dozens of airstrikes in the vicinity of Jabal al-Bishri at the administrative borders between Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, and the frontlines in Hama’s eastern countryside, especially the surrounding areas of Athria, in addition to Homs’ eastern desert. Thirteen ISIS terrorists were killed and several of their vehicles were destroyed. The Observatory has documented the killing of at least 1,423 regime soldiers and loyalists from Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, including at least two Russians, and 149 Iranian-backed militiamen of non-Syrian nationalities, since March 2019. All were killed in ISIS attacks and bombings in the deserts of Deir Ezzor, Homs and al-Sweida.”
Iran
International Business Times: How Iran Regime's Terrorism Overshadows Its Other Policies
“European and American diplomats are convening with Iranian diplomats in Vienna to hammer out a nuclear deal. However, the center of gravity for decision-making is not in Vienna; it is in Tehran. And understanding Tehran's policy-making process proves that elusive “moderates” are small pawns serving at the command of a dictatorship in deep trouble. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rightly pointed out on May 4, “It's clear who the decider is in the Iranian system, and that's the supreme leader. He is the one who has to make the fundamental decisions about what Iran's approach would be.” The regime's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, saw fit to reiterate that point earlier in May after an uproar about a leaked taped interview of the mullahs' Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Khamenei publicly slammed his foreign minister in a televised appearance, saying that he parrots the “words of the enemy.” For good measure, Khamenei added that the entire foreign ministry merely “executes” his diplomatic policies instead of “designing” them. So much for diplomacy, theocracy style.”
Afghanistan
Reuters: Taliban And Afghan Government Negotiators Meet In Doha
“Taliban and Afghan government negotiators met in Qatar on Friday, the second day of a three-day ceasefire announced by the Taliban for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, both sides said after a long pause in peace talks between the two. They began negotiations in September last year to find a way to end decades of war. But the talks stalled after a few rounds and violence has escalated since the United States started a final pullout of troops from Afghanistan on May 1. “The two sides discussed the on-going situation of the country and emphasised speeding up the peace talks in Doha,” the negotiating team representing the Afghan government said on Twitter. The spokesman for the Taliban's political office, Mohammad Naeem, posted a similar message on Twitter, and added that both sides agreed to continue talks after the Eid holidays. Finding common ground between the two warring sides has been a top priority for Western capitals, particularly Washington, which has announced it will withdraw all U.S. troops by September to end its 20-year military presence in Afghanistan.”
Nigeria
Eurasia Review: Nigeria: Religious Extremism Fueling Violence
“Escalating bloodshed in Nigeria is fueled in part by religious extremism – and the United States must recognize this in order to achieve peace, says the former U.S. religious freedom ambassador. “This thing’s going to blow up on us, as we would say, ‘bigger than Dallas,’ if we don’t get into there and really start taking this seriously at this point,” Sam Brownback, former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, told CNA on Wednesday of violence in Nigeria. Due to the scope of violence against civilians in Nigeria, the State Department in December designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern (CPC)” for the first time ever—a listing reserved for the countries with the worst records on religious freedom, such as China, Iran, and North Korea. In addition, the agency’s annual religious freedom report published on Wednesday cited numerous terror attacks on civilians in Nigeria in the past year in the country’s northeast, including attacks on churches and mosques. “Terrorist groups including Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa (ISIS-WA) attacked population centers and religious targets,” the report noted, targeting “the local civilian population, including churches and mosques.”
Mali
The National: British Troops Seize Hidden Weapons Cache From ISIS-Linked Militants In Mali
“British troops operating in Mali have seized AK47 rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition hidden by ISIS-linked terrorists. The “cordon and search” operation was launched in early May at the border near Niger after extremists in the area had intimidated local people. French Military Working Dog Leuk training with French Navy commandos at a training centre in Brittany, northwest France, in 2016. AFPTop UK gallantry award for French dog that ran through flames in Mali to attack terrorists About 100 soldiers from the Light Dragoons and Royal Anglian Regiment overcame challenging conditions including temperatures of up to 50°C and a sandstorm during the operation, which was supported by a specialist Royal Engineer search team. Their find included AK47 rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, camouflage, mobile phones and hundreds of litres of fuel. Fighters from ISIS-affiliated group Islamic State in the Greater Sahel fled across the Niger river before the peacekeepers arrived to the scene. The haul was destroyed by the UN Mine Action Service, UN Police and Malian authorities. The UK's Ministry of Defence said it was the first such seizure since its soldiers arrived in the region in December to stop attacks on local civilians.”
Africa
Lawfare: The Islamic State Is In Congo. What Now?
“On March 10, the U.S. State Department designated the Islamic State’s affiliate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (ISIS-DRC) a foreign terrorist organization and the group’s leader, Musa Baluku, a specially designated global terrorist. It is the latest and most prominent acknowledgment that the Baluku-led faction of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) is part of the Islamic State’s global enterprise. Yet the ADF’s links to the Islamic State are highly contentious among Congo watchers. For example, a U.N. Group of Experts report released in December 2020 denied ties between the Islamic State and the ADF. The U.N. assessment was perplexing given that only three months earlier, in September 2020, Baluku had declared, “There is no ADF anymore. ... [W]e are a province, the Central Africa Province which is one province among the numerous provinces that make up the Islamic State.” The Islamic State first began formally claiming attacks in Congo in April 2019 and since then has claimed dozens of actions by its Congolese “soldiers of the caliphate.” Three factors explain the dogged commitment by some to denying links between the Islamic State and its Congo affiliate: persistent misunderstandings about the Islamic State’s global strategy, lack of access to primary sources, and justifiable fears about the policy implications of such an assessment.”
United Kingdom
The National: British Extremist Who Spread Hatred Of Minorities Admits Terrorism Charges
“An extremist who encouraged fellow users of right-wing chat groups to carry out attacks on ethnic minorities has admitted 16 terrorism offences. Michael Nugent, 37, ran a number of groups on the messaging app Telegram, where he expressed his hatred of minorities and shared an edited video of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand. He shared explosives and firearms manuals and told members of his groups how to deliver bombs disguised as Amazon packages, London police said. Nugent, of Ashford, Surrey, in southern England, used different names in the chat rooms but police linked his online accounts to track him down. Nugent was an active member of internet chat rooms where he freely shared his abhorrent extremist views with others,” said Cdr Richard Smith, head of the Metropolitan Police counterterrorism command. “He sought to influence and encourage other members to commit acts of violence, and passed on manuals detailing how to produce deadly weapons and explosive devices.” Nugent was arrested in August last year and refused to comment throughout seven days of police interviews.”
“A group of alleged far-right extremists have appeared in court charged with terror offences and possessing 3D-printed gun components. The four defendants were arrested in a coordinated counter-terror policing operation that saw raids in West Yorkshire, North Wales and Wiltshire earlier this month. Daniel Wright, 29, Liam Hall, 30, and Stacey Salmon, 28, all of Keighley, are accused of possessing components of a 3D-printed firearm “for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”. Samuel Whibley, 28, of Menai Bridge in Anglesey, is accused of providing a service to others to enable them to obtain terrorist publications, as a direct or indirect encouragement for acts of terrorism. Mr Wright has been charged with manufacturing and possessing a firearm, possessing an article for terrorist purposes, disseminating a terrorist publication and three counts of possessing documents useful to a terrorist. Mr Whibley has been charged with six counts of encouraging terrorism and two of disseminating terrorist publications. The four defendants appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court via video-link on Friday morning. They were not asked to enter pleas and were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 28 May.”
Technology
Reuters: New Zealand PM Says To Fight Hate, Study Social Media Algorithms
“New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday that world leaders and tech firms looking to stamp out violent extremism online would need to focus efforts on understanding social media algorithms that drive content. Ardern was speaking at a virtual summit to mark the second anniversary of the global initiative to end online hate, called the Christchurch Call, launched by Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 after a white supremacist killed 51 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch while live-streaming his rampage on Facebook. Since then more than 50 countries, international organisations and tech firms have supported the initiative including firms like Facebook, Google, Twitter and Microsoft. “The existence of algorithms themselves is not necessarily the problem, it's whether or not they are ethically used. That is one of the biggest focus for the community over the next year alongside expanding the network itself,” Ardern said a news conference after the forum. Ardern said major tech firms expressed a real desire at the forum to use algorithms for positive interventions. She, however, did not elaborate on how firms would change the use of algorithms that drive harmful content and lead to radicalisation.”
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