“The US on Wednesday placed a bounty of up to $7 million on the leader of Al
Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the organisation’s North African branch. Th

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


June 3, 2021

 

The National: US Places Bounty On Al Qaeda Chief In North Africa
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“The US on Wednesday placed a bounty of up to $7 million on the leader of Al
Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the organisation’s North African branch. The
State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme announced that it would offer
the money “for information leading to the location or identification of Abu
Ubaydah Yusef Al Anabi”, who now leads the group. Mr Al Anabi, an Algerian
citizen, had led Aqim's media and propaganda operations but became the leader
of the group last year after French troops killed his predecessor, Abdelmalek
Droukdel, in Mali. A new France-led special operations group called Barkhane
Task Force Takuba, which includes soldiers from Estonia, the Czech Republic and
Sweden, is setting up in Gao, Mali to fight ISIS and Al Qaeda affiliates in the
region. AFPFrench forces kill Al Qaeda-linked commander in Mali. The US imposed
sanctions on Mr Al Anabi in 2015, as did the UN in 2016. While most of the
group’s fighters are engaged in ground combat in Mali, he and many of the
organisation’s leaders are thought to be based in Algeria. Washington first
designated Aqim's predecessor organisation, the Salafist Group for Preaching
and Combat, a terrorist entity in 2001.”

 

The Wall Street Journal: Israel-Gaza Conflict Spurs Bitcoin Donations To Hamas
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“…Between May 10 and 20, while Hamas and Israeli forces clashed, al-Qassam’s
flagship website, alqassam.ps, saw a sizable increase in traffic and
engagement, which is the length of time visitors remain on the site, according
to an analysis by the Counter Extremism Project, a New York-based nonprofit
group that describes Hamas as a violent Islamist extremist group…After last
year’s seizure, the armed group shifted its cryptocurrency away from the U.S.
platform it had previously used and tightened the techniques used to anonymize
the transactions, says Hans-Jakob Schindler, a senior director at the Counter
Extremism Project.”

 

United States

 

The New York Times: The M.T.A. Is Breached By Hackers As Cyberattacks Surge
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“A hacking group believed to have links to the Chinese government penetrated
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s computer systems in April, exposing
vulnerabilities in a vast transportation network that carries millions of
people every day, according to an M.T.A. document that outlined the breach. The
hackers did not gain access to systems that control train cars and rider safety
was not at risk, transit officials said, adding that the intrusion appeared to
have done little, if any, damage. But a week after the agency learned of the
attack, officials raised concerns that hackers could have entered those
operational systems or that they could continue to penetrate the agency’s
computer systems through a back door, the document also shows. Transit
officials say a forensic analysis of the attack has not revealed evidence of
either and that hackers did not compromise customers’ personal information. The
agency reported the attack to law enforcement and other state agencies, but has
not disclosed it publicly. The breach was the third — and most significant —
cyberattack on the transit network, North America’s largest, by hackers thought
to be connected to foreign governments in recent years, according to transit
officials.”

 

ABC News: Seattle Man Accused Of Trying To Join ISIS, Telling FBI He Would Be
An 'Executioner'
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“A Washington state man has been arrested for alleged efforts to join the
Islamic State group, federal prosecutors said. Elvin Hunter Bgorn Williams, 20,
of Seattle, was taken into custody at the departure gate of the Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport last Friday as he attempted to board a flight to Cairo,
federal prosecutors said. After being arrested, Williams agreed to speak with
agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and allegedly stated that he
intended to become an "executioner" or a "machine-gunner" for ISIS, according
to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in the United States District Court
for the Western District of Washington at Seattle. "It doesn’t matter what you
guys do to me. I get rewarded for it," Williams told the FBI agents, according
to the complaint. "I want to die. We love our deaths more than you love your
lives." Williams was charged with attempting to provide material support to a
foreign terrorist organization. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted,
federal prosecutors said. He made an initial video appearance in court on
Tuesday and was ordered detained pending further proceedings. A federal public
defender who was appointed to represent Williams did not immediately respond to
ABC News' request for comment.”

 

WTOP News: The Hunt: Anti-Semitic Attacks On The Rise
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“There has been a sharp rise in anti-Semitic attacks around the world, and
here in the U.S. On this week’s edition of “The Hunt with WTOP National
Security Correspondent J.J. Green,” Dr. Hans Jakob Schindler, senior director
of the Counter Extremism Project, says it’s because of the recent conflict
between Israel and Palestine.”

 

Vice News: How White Supremacists Tried To Exploit The Anniversary Of George
Floyd’s Murder
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“This was an attempt by the Telegram channel admin to enlarge his reputation,
mock the murder of George Floyd, seek to sow discord, and spread white
supremacist ideology very publicly,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a terrorism
researcher at the Counter Extremism Project. He said the admin of that
particular channel not only sold banners but “flags, patches, and other items”
used in the event to advertise their brand in an effort to legitimize and take
advantage of the present momentum of far-right activism. Fisher-Birch said the
move to target local media was significant and shows white supremacists, even
while organizing a national effort, think it can reach and profit off of a
localized audience in parts of the U.S. “Like many propaganda actions, getting
media attention to amplify the event and its message was key, and in at least
one case, an individual who allegedly participated encouraged others on
Telegram to contact local news,” said Fisher-Birch. “This is an example of
individuals in multiple groups, and those who are unaffiliated, coordinating
for the purpose of advancing a specific white supremacist message.”

 

Syria

 

Associated Press: In Syria Camp, Forgotten Children Left To Be Molded By IS
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“At the sprawling al-Hol camp, children pass their days roaming the dirt
roads, playing with mock swords and black banners in imitation of Islamic State
group militants. Few can read or write. For some, the only education is from
mothers giving them IS propaganda. It has been more than two years since the
Islamic State group’s self-declared “caliphate” was brought down. And for more
than two years, some 27,000 children have been left to languish in al-Hol camp
in northeast Syria where families of IS members have been housed. They are
spending their childhood in a limbo of miserable conditions with no schools, no
place to play or develop and seemingly no international interest in resolving
their situation. Only one institution is left to mold them: sympathizers and
remnants of the Islamic State group who operate within the camp, even as it is
run by the Kurdish-led forces that defeated the militants. Kurdish authorities
and aid groups fear the camp will create a new generation of militants. They
are pleading with home countries to take the women and children back. The
problem is that home governments often see the children as posing a danger
rather than as needing rescue. “These children are ISIS’s first victims,” said
Save the Children’s Syria Response Director Sonia Khush.”

 

Daily Sabah: Terror Attack Wounds 2 In Syria’s Northern Jarablus
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“Two civilians were injured in a suspected terrorist attack in Syria’s
northern Jarablus district Wednesday, local sources stated. A bomb placed on a
vehicle went off in the center of Jarablus, which was cleared of terrorists by
Turkey's Euphrates Shield Operation, the sources said. The injured civilians
were rushed to the hospital for treatment. Local security forces investigating
the scene are looking into the possibility that the attack was carried out by
the PKK’s Syrian wing, the YPG terrorist group, the sources said. The YPG,
which continues its occupation in Tal Rifat and Manbij regions, frequently
stages terrorist acts by targeting al-Bab, Azaz, Jarablus, and Afrin regions.
Jarablus was liberated from Daesh terrorists by Turkey's Operation Euphrates
Shield in September 2016. The operation, which concluded in March 2017, was
meant to clear terrorists from areas of Syria that border Turkey. Since 2016,
Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terrorist operations across its
border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of locals, including Euphrates Shield, Olive
Branch in 2018 and Peace Spring in 2019.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Reuters: Bombings On Two Transport Buses Kill 12 Afghans In Kabul
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“Two separate bomb blasts on two public transport buses killed at least 12
civilians in the Afghan capital Kabul, security officials said on Wednesday,
the latest in a series of such attacks in recent weeks as foreign forces
withdraw. Both attacks took place on Tuesday evening in western parts of the
capital that are home to many from the country's Shia community, a religious
minority in Afghanistan targeted in the past by groups such as Islamic State,
the officials said. Ferdaws Faramarz, Kabul police spokesman, said both buses
were carrying passengers when the explosion occurred that killed at least 12
and wounded 10 more. The police launched an investigation, he said. Roadside
bombs, small magnetic bombs attached under vehicles, and other attacks have
targeted members of security forces, judges, government officials, civil
society activists and journalists in recent months in Afghanistan. No group
claimed responsibility for the twin bombings. The government usually blames the
Taliban for such attacks but the insurgent group denies involvement. Violence
has sharply increased since Washington announced plans to withdraw all U.S.
troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11.”

 

CNN: UN Sounds Alarm Over Threat Posed By Emboldened Taliban, Still Closely
Tied To Al Qaeda
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“An emboldened Taliban poses a severe and expanding threat to the government
of Afghanistan, remains close to al Qaeda, and believes it can return to power
by force if necessary, according to a United Nations Security Council report
released on Wednesday. With the last remaining US troops due to leave
Afghanistan in the coming months, the report compiled by the UN Monitoring
Team, which is charged with tracking security threats in Afghanistan, paints a
bleak picture of the security outlook. It will be uncomfortable reading for the
Biden administration as it works to end the US military presence in the
country. Biden has pledged to withdraw all remaining US forces by September 11
— the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. As part of last year's agreement between
the preceding Trump administration and the Taliban, the militant Islamist
organization promised to instruct its members "not to cooperate with groups or
individuals threatening the security of the United States and its allies" as a
quid pro quo for U.S. troop withdrawal. But the UN Monitoring Team says the
Taliban remains "closely aligned" with terrorist network al-Qaeda — which has
threatened "war on all fronts" against the US.”

 

Voice Of America: Absence Of Afghan Peace Deal Will Fuel Chaos, Terrorism
After US Exit, Pakistan Warns
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“Pakistan’s prime minister warned Wednesday that if warring parties in
Afghanistan fail to reach a peace arrangement, “anarchy” will erupt in the
turmoil-hit neighbor after the withdrawal of the United States and allied
troops, threatening regional stability. Imran Khan issued the warning a day
after Washington said almost half of U.S. troops and equipment had been sent
home or destroyed since the drawdown formally began on May 1. The withdrawal is
the outcome of a February 2020 deal the U.S. negotiated with the Afghan
Taliban, which is waging a deadly insurgency against the internationally backed
Kabul government. “It is very important for Afghanistan to have a political
settlement and stability when the Americans leave and a government with
consensus is established that could prevent the country from descending into
anarchy,” Khan said. The Pakistani leader spoke at a news conference in
Islamabad with visiting President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, which also
borders Afghanistan. He stressed the need for regional countries to jointly
push the Afghan political reconciliation, saying it would help boost much
needed regional trade and economic links.”

 

The Daily Caller: Taliban Celebrates ‘Jihadist’ Victory As US Reportedly Plans
To Hand Over Largest Base In Afghanistan To Afghan Forces
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“The United States transferred six facilities in Afghanistan to the Afghan
Ministry of Defense, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The U.S. will
also reportedly be handing over its largest base in Afghanistan, the Bagram Air
Base, to Afghan forces as it withdraws from the country. The Taliban hailed the
U.S.’ ongoing withdrawal in a statement Wednesday as a victory scored by jihad,
claiming it was similar to the success the mujahideen (Islamic guerrilla
fighters) achieved in expelling Soviet invaders from Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The statement said, “The Muslim nation once waged a holy jihad against the
Soviet invasion and offered great sacrifices for the Islamic system and
independence of the country.” “Now, once again, it has brought the struggle
against the American occupation, the most lopsided invasion in history of
mankind, to victory with the help of Allah,” the Taliban’s statement continued.
For the troop withdrawal, the Pentagon announced it moved nearly “300 C-17
loads” of cargo out of Afghanistan, according to a Monday CENTCOM update. The
Defense Logistics Agency was given about 13,000 pieces of equipment for
disposal. The Taliban’s statement celebrated the reports as a victory.”

 

Lebanon

 

The Jerusalem Post: Can Hezbollah Survive Nasrallah?
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“Iran recently released an interesting photo. It shows the head of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force Qasem Soleimani sitting with one of his
deputies, named Mohammed Hejazi, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Soleimani was killed by the US in 2020. Hejazi died in April. Nasrallah appears
to be sick now. Rumors have suggested he could die. Even if he doesn’t it leads
to questions about a post-Nasrallah Hezbollah. Men like Nasrallah are key to
Iran’s role in the region. These men, along with Imad Mughniyeh, a Hezbollah
leader who was killed in 2008 and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, head of Kataib
Hezbollah in Iraq, were key to Iran’s dominance of the region. Muhandis was
killed in 2020 alongside Soleimani. Hejazi was a key to Iran’s precision-guided
munitions project and building up Iran’s network in the region by moving those
missiles to Hezbollah. Nasrallah likes to give speeches, usually in his bunker
where he has been hiding since the 2006 war on Israel. Even in the bunker
though he has appeared impressive and he articulates a growing command of the
region and Hezbollah’s role in Iran’s worldview. Hezbollah is a powerful terror
organization with some 150,000 missiles and a parallel state-within-a-state in
Lebanon.”

 

Nigeria

 

The Punch Nigeria: Customs To Partner African Countries Against Terrorism
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“Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Hameed Ali, on
Tuesday, expressed the agency’s readiness to partner with neighbouring
countries to combat terrorism and other border challenges. He added that part
of the NCS’ collaborative efforts will include opening sufficient space to
train Customs officers from other African countries. Ali disclosed this in
Abuja when he hosted the Director-General, Customs Administration of Central
African Republic, Mr Fredrick Inamo, and his team. He said, “We have a plan to
open the space to absorb officers from overseas to come here and train. We will
let you know when the time is right. We will share ideas on insurgency and
other criminal issues bordering on border issues. “It’s good to share ideas to
assist one another. As brothers, in terms of population and landmass, we are
bigger than CAR. We will open our works to you so you can see how we do it. We
don’t mind exchanging handshake to bring you to speed as regards the level you
want to be with us. We can send our officers to train your people if need be.
While expressing his gratitude for the proposed learning opportunity, Inamo
stated that previous collaborations between the countries have been effective.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Andrew Dymock: Alleged Neo-Nazi Denies Packing Extremist Books
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“An alleged neo-Nazi has told a court that extremist texts were placed in his
luggage after he was arrested. Andrew Dymock, 24, from Bath, is on trial at the
Old Bailey charged with 15 terrorism and public order offences. Mr Dymock, who
denies all charges, told the court his bag was taken by "unknown men" as he
described being arrested by police at Gatwick Airport in June 2018. He said he
had not packed neo-Nazi books and T-shirts shown in videos police took of his
luggage. The defendant admitted packing another neo-Nazi book and said it was
for academic purposes. He also said that a pair of his grey shorts were moved
from one bag to another. Jurors have been told that Mr Dymock was planning to
fly to the USA to meet a notorious neo-Nazi individual. Mr Dymock denied being
racist and told jurors: "I'm friends with an individual who's black".
Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward said his account was "nonsense" and that he had
"longstanding racist views". Mr Dymock also said that a teenage girl, who he
claimed had tried to "incriminate" him, had "pressured" him into posing for
photos wearing a skull mask while doing a salute and holding extremist flags.
"I had kidney issues which were affecting my judgment", he told the court.”

 

Sky News: Suspected Extremist Broke Terror Prevention Order By Meeting Woman
For Dinner And Sex, Court Hears
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“A suspected extremist admitted breaking a terrorism prevention order by
inviting a woman to his home for a dinner date. The man, known only as QT,
admitted the breach of the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures
(TPIM) order at the Old Bailey. TPIM orders allow the authorities to monitor
suspected terrorists who have not been convicted of criminal charges. QT was
handed down a TPIM order in 2018 after being acquitted of terror offences. He
was allegedly a member of the banned extremist group al-Muhajiroun, which was
co-founded by Anjem Choudary and linked to the 2017 Borough Market attacks and
the murder of fusilier Lee Rigby. The TPIM order QT was subjected to required
him to tell the Home Office if he was meeting someone. Prosecutor Emma
Gargitter said QT met a woman near where he was living while they were both
exercising - before handing her a business card with his contact details on it.
The pair then agreed for the woman to go to QT's home for a date on 21 November
2020. The evening "concluded with consensual sexual activity", according to
Judge Sarah Munro QC. Describing his actions as a "blatant breach", the judge
said QT "knew the rules" which he broke.”

 

Europe

 

The Times Of Israel: Hungary Arrests Islamist Terror Suspect Targeting Euro
2020: Media
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“Hungarian counterterror police say they’ve arrested an Islamist terror
suspect who plotted to attack mass events, including the Euro 2020 football
tournament venue in Budapest, local media reports. The 21-year-old male was “a
completely average young Hungarian” who identified as an Islamist, Janos Hajdu,
head of the counterterror police tells reporters. The man, a university student
in Budapest, communicated on websites containing “explicit jihadist propaganda”
linked to the Islamic State about how to carry out attacks, says Hajdu. “He
committed to making a pipe-bomb and using it at a mass event, in Budapest or
elsewhere in Hungary… in the near future,” says Hajdu. The man had also
discussed driving a car into a large group of people, says Hajdu, without
elaborating.”



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