“The German government banned the flag of Hamas this week following a spat of
antisemitic incidents that took place during the pro-Palestinian protest

 

 


<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Eye on Extremism


June 21, 2021

 

The Jerusalem Post: Germany Bans Hamas Flag After Antisemitic Incidents
Occurred Amid Escalation
<[link removed]>

 

“The German government banned the flag of Hamas this week following a spat of
antisemitic incidents that took place during the pro-Palestinian protests that
took place in the country during the most recent escalation between Israel and
allied terror groups in the Gaza Strip last month. According to Deutsche Welle,
citing the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, all parties in the coalition of the
German government agreed that the symbol should be marked as a symbol of hate
following the antisemitic incidents – even though one party raised the
constitutional ramifications that could arise from such as ban. According to
the report, the law was proposed by Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian
Democratic Union party. “We do not want the flags of terrorist organizations to
be waved on German soil,” said a spokesperson for the party Thorsten Frei,
according to DW. In Germany last month, the “most violent [antisemitic]
incidents were in the southern Berlin district of Neukölln, where demonstrators
who gathered in solidarity with Palestinians burned Israeli flags, chanted
anti-Israel slogans and waved Hamas banners,” a report in The Guardian noted.
The German anti-Israel attacks may have been fueled from Ankara where the
pro-Hamas ruling party has used its diaspora for years to increase extremism.”

 

Reuters: Boko Haram Cleric Confirms Shekau's Death, Urges Fighters' Loyalty
<[link removed]>

 

“A senior cleric with Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram confirmed the death
of its leader and urged fighters to stay loyal in its fight against rival
Islamic State militants, according to a video seen by Reuters on Friday. Bakura
Sahalaba, a cleric with the Lake Chad branch of Boko Haram, urged its men to
fight on in the video, which appeared on social media after the rival Islamic
State West Africa Province (ISWAP) said Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had
died. Three Boko Haram researchers verified its authenticity. ISWAP had said
Shekau, one of the world's most notorious extremists, had died around May 18
after fleeing a battle with ISWAP and detonating an explosive device before he
could be captured. The regional affiliate of Islamic State, ISWAP has sought to
absorb Shekau's fighters and unify the groups which during Shekau's tenure
fought one another for control of territory in northeast Nigeria and around
Lake Chad. “The Lake Chad branch of (Boko Haram) is clearly willing to keep
fighting ISWAP until it can speak directly with (Islamic State) on next steps,”
said Jacob Zenn, editor of The Jamestown Foundation's Terrorism Monitor
publication.”

 

United States

 

The Washington Post: Fierce Capitol Attacks On Police In Newly Released Videos
<[link removed]>

 

“Videos released under court order provide a chilling new look at the chaos at
the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, including body camera footage that shows a man
charging at a police officer with a flagpole and tackling him to the ground.
Federal judges ordered the release of the videos after media organizations,
including The Associated Press, went to court to request that the Department of
Justice provide access. The videos are being presented as evidence in
prosecutors’ cases against three men charged with assaulting police. The new
videos show a Marine Corps veteran and former New York City police officer
wielding a flagpole as he attacks police, as well as rioters crushing another
officer into a door as he screams in pain. Still another video shows a New
Jersey man punching an officer in the head. The release comes at a time when
Republican lawmakers in Washington increasingly try to downplay the siege,
portraying the breach of the Capitol as a mostly peaceful protest despite the
shocking violence that unfolded. Supporters of former President Donald Trump
fought past police lines to storm the building and interrupt the certification
of President Joe Biden’s election win over Trump.”

 

Associated Press: Judge Denies Bid To Move Trial Over White Nationalist Rally
<[link removed]>

 

“A federal judge on Friday denied a request to move the trial in a lawsuit
filed against organizers of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally out of
Charlottesville. U.S. District Court Judge Norman Moon first floated the idea
of moving the trial during a telephone conference in the case earlier this
month, citing potential logistical and safety issues associated with holding
the trial in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville. After that hearing, the
defendants in the case filed motions supporting transferring the trial to
either Lynchburg or Roanoke. In a ruling Friday, Moon rejected the transfer,
noting that many of the plaintiffs lived, worked and studied in
Charlottesville, where they allege they were injured. The judge also said
convenience for the parties and the witnesses weighed in favor of keeping the
trial in Charlottesville. “The Court finds that the interests of justice factor
continues to support holding this trial in Charlottesville rather than
transferring it, so that the trial may take place in the community most
directly affected by the Unite the Right rally,” Moon wrote in his ruling.
Violent street clashes broke out in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017, before a
man fascinated with Adolf Hitler plowed his car into a crowd of
counterprotesters, killing a woman.”

 

Syria

 

Al Monitor: Does Kurdish Jihadist Group Threaten Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham In North
Syria?
<[link removed]>

 

“Ansar al-Islam is considered a Salafist-jihadist movement seeking to
establish an “Islamic state” according to its own vision and Islamic governance
in a bid to obtain and preserve the “legitimate rights” of the Kurdish people.
The group was established in September 2001, basing itself in northeastern
Iraq, notably in the areas of Iraqi Kurdistan. In 2014, Ansar al-Islam
established itself in Syria, notably in Damascus and its countryside, and
Quneitra, through a merger with the Usama ibn Zayd Brigade, Al-Ezz bin Abdul
Salam Brigade and Al-Adiyat Brigade. In February 2015, it announced the
establishment of its northern branch in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib,
and has been mainly active in the northern countryside of Latakia. Ansar
al-Islam operates under the umbrella of the Rouse the Believers operations
room, which was founded in October 2018 and includes Hurras al-Din, Ansar
al-Tawhid and Ansar al-Din Front. According to sources close to Ansar al-Islam
who spoke to Al-Monitor, the group is led by Syrian individuals of Kurdish
origin, who despite the fact that they espouse a similar ideology of al-Qaeda,
deny having any organizational ties to it. In fact, Ansar al-Islam refuses to
fight outside Syria and does not support al-Qaeda’s operations around the
world, according to the sources.”

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Syria Regime Reroutes Forces From Idlib To Badia Desert In
Clampdown On ISIS
<[link removed]>

 

“Syrian regime forces renewed shelling the southern parts of the northwestern
governorate of Idlib, with reports citing fighters retreating from contact
lines there to the Badia desert to fight ISIS with support from the Russian air
force. “On Thursday morning, rocket and artillery shells targeted areas in
Ihsim, Al-Bara, Ibilin, Balshon, Jawsaf, Abdeta, Arnaba, Al-Fatirah Fleifel,
Benin, and Sifwuhun in the southern Idlib countryside,” local sources told the
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Shelling on Abdeta resulted in the
death of two combatants from the Turkey-backed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
factions. Many injuries were also reported as witnessed said warplanes and
reconnaissance aircraft flew over Zawiya Mountain, a highland region in Idlib.
Regime forces also targeted and destroyed a civilian car with a guided missile
east of Al-Ziyadiya region in Al-Ghab Plain. SOHR sources indicated that
several regime rocket shells hit the vicinity of a Turkish outpost in the
village of Sarjah at the base of Zawiya Mountain. Turkish forces, accompanied
by the Syrian opposition factions named “Al-Fateh al-Mubeen,” responded to the
attack by targeting regime areas with dozens of rocket and artillery shells in
Kafrnabel and other regions of the southern and eastern Idlib countryside.”

 

Iraq

 

PBS News Hour: As ISIS Presence Dwindles, U.S. Troops In Iraq Face Other
Threats
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“In the latest targeting of American troops in Iraq, an unexploded rocket
landed close to a military base on Sunday. There were no serious damages. Today
around 2,500 U.S. troops remain in the country as part of a multinational fight
against ISIS. While it is the lowest U.S. military presence there in two
decades, and ISIS has lost significant territory, fears of resurgence in case
of a troop pullout remain. Special Correspondent Leila Molana-Allen and
videographer Adrian Hartrick report. Hari Sreenivasan: An unexploded rocket
landed close to a military base hosting U.S. troops in northern Iraq today.
There was no significant damage but the attack was the latest targeting the
American military presence in the country. About 2,500 U.S. troops remain in
Iraq as part of the multinational coalition force in the fight against ISIS.
It's the lowest U.S. Military presence in two decades. And while ISIS has lost
territorial control, the threat of a resurgence remains if the military were to
pull out all together. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Leila
Molana-Allen and videographer Adrian Hartrick were granted access to travel to
bases across Iraq that still have a U.S. presence to find out what they're
doing and what their future plans are.”

 

Kurdistan 24: Iraq’s Interior Ministry Announces Dismantling Of ISIS Sleeper
Cell In Kirkuk
<[link removed]’s-interior-ministry-announces-dismantling-of-ISIS-sleeper-cell-in-Kirkuk>

 

“The Iraqi Ministry of Interior on Saturday announced the dismantling of a
sleeper cell comprising 10 suspected ISIS militants in Kirkuk province. Iraqi
security services have recently intensified their campaigns against the
remnants of the terrorist group in several provinces, mainly areas disputed
with Erbil, and managed to arrest dozens of people in recent weeks. The
interior ministry’s intelligence agency said in a statement Saturday that the
10 people arrested were “wanted for affiliation to ISIS terrorist group as
sleeper cells in Kirkuk province,” adding that they were suspected of providing
logistical support “for ISIS elements,” and some were fighters or support
forces in the “Kirkuk sector.” ISIS militants have continued to attack Iraqi
security forces and civilians in many of the areas disputed between the federal
government of Iraq and the autonomous Kurdistan Regional government, especially
Kirkuk. In May, the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces and their Iraqi
counterparts established the first joint security coordination center in
Kirkuk, following a similar model in Diyala. The Kurdistan Region’s senior
officials have repeatedly said that ISIS remains a serious threat to the
disputed areas, their residents, and vital facilities.”

 

Turkey

 

The Jerusalem Post: Turkey Is Radicalizing Extremists To Attack Kurdish Women
<[link removed]>

 

“Photos show Deniz Poyraz smiling and happy. But for Turkey’s far-right, she
was a threat, a young woman activist who was not a supporter of the
increasingly thuggish, Islamist and nationalist government of Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. She was murdered last week by a man who appears to be close to the
Turkish state. The gunman had served in Syria and enjoyed posing with weapons
and nationalist Turkish symbols. He walked into an opposition political party
office in Izmir and murdered Poyraz. Women have become key targets of Turkey’s
extremist government in recent years. Videos increasingly show violence against
women in the streets of cities, including women being beaten by men. Turkey,
once a candidate for European Union membership, now stands accused of sending
assassins to target women activists from Syria to France. Turkey’s
pro-government media often portrays women as “terrorists” despite no evidence
of them ever being armed or doing any “terrorist” activist. For the state and
the ruling AKP party, women who struggle for LGBT rights, or student or
environmental activists are “terrorists”; men who pose with weapons and support
actual terrorists in Syria, are celebrated as heroes in Ankara.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The New York Times: Taliban Enter Key Cities In Afghanistan’s North After
Swift Offensive
<[link removed]>

 

“The Taliban entered two provincial capitals in northern Afghanistan Sunday,
local officials said, the culmination of an insurgent offensive that has
overrun dozens of rural districts and forced the surrender and capture of
hundreds of government forces and their military equipment in recent weeks. In
Kunduz city, the capital of the province of the same name, the Taliban seized
the city’s entrance before dispersing throughout its neighborhoods. Kunduz was
briefly taken by the Taliban in 2015 and 2016 before they were pushed back by
American airstrikes, special operations forces and Afghan security forces.
“Right now, I hear the sound of bullets,” said Amruddin Wali, a member of
Kunduz’s provincial council. “The Taliban have appeared in the alleys and back
alleys of Kunduz, and there is panic all over the city.” The setbacks come at a
harrowing moment for Afghanistan. American and international troops, now mostly
based in Kabul, the capital, and at Bagram airfield, are set to leave the
country in weeks. To the west of Kunduz in Maimana, the capital of Faryab
Province, Taliban fighters appeared at the city’s entrance before moving into
the city’s periphery. The Taliban clashed with security forces into Sunday
night, after a series of takeovers in past days in the capital’s surrounding
districts.”

 

The Washington Post: Death Of Famed Afghan Commander In Taliban Massacre
Highlights The Country’s Struggles And Fears
<[link removed]>

 

“He was a general's son, a U.S.-trained officer with a dazzling academic
record and a daring military reputation. Col. Sohrab Azimi, a field commander
in Afghan special forces that often rescue troops and retake outposts from
Taliban attacks, symbolized the country's best hope to fend off an insurgent
takeover as U.S. troops began to withdraw from the fight. Azimi, 31, and his
squad of 22 men were massacred Wednesday by Taliban forces while defending a
base in northern Faryab province and waiting for reinforcements. The loss
unleashed a flood of emotions across social media — grief, anger and fear that
even the nation’s most skilled defenders would be undercut by poor military
leadership and the departure of Afghanistan’s major foreign military ally. At a
ceremony outside a military hospital in Kabul on Saturday morning, a Muslim
cleric blessed the velvet-draped coffins of Azimi and two other commandos,
released by the Taliban and flown to Kabul by the Afghan Air Force. They were
lifted onto artillery trucks, followed by goose-stepping soldiers and a
marching band, then loaded into ambulances. “This is the price we pay for
defending our country’s independence, freedom and dignity,” Rangin Dadfar
Spanta, a former foreign minister, told the silent, mostly uniformed crowd that
included Azimi’s father, a retired army general.”

 

Pakistan

 

Associated Press: Military: 2 Militants, Soldier Killed In Pakistan Shootout
<[link removed]>

 

“A shootout between government forces and Pakistani Taliban fighters overnight
in a northwestern territory left two militants and a soldier dead, the military
said early Sunday. A military statement said security forces conducted an
operation in the Spinwam area of North Waziristan, a tribal region that has
served as a sanctuary for local and foreign militants. North Waziristan and six
other tribal regions were merged into northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
in recent years following military offensives against militants in the area.
The military, which acted on intelligence to identify the militants’ location,
said the fighters were involved in activities against security forces and
belonged to the banned Pakistani Taliban group. They opened fire on security
forces, triggering an intense exchange of fire during which the two militants
and soldier were.”

 

Voice Of America: Taliban Donations Soar In Pakistan Ahead Of US Pullout From
Afghanistan
<[link removed]>

 

“Donations to the Afghan Taliban are on the upswing in Pakistan border regions
as the militant group intensifies attacks against Afghan forces ahead of the
U.S. troop withdrawal, locals told VOA. Multiple sources and eyewitnesses on
the ground with knowledge of these donations have confirmed to VOA that
fundraising for the Taliban has continued in various parts of Pakistan. An
informed resident of Duki, some 210 kilometers (130 miles) east of Quetta, the
capital of Baluchistan province, told VOA that Afghan Taliban militants stay
with coal miners in the nearby mountains and come to the bazaar area every
Friday to solicit 5,000-10,000 Pakistani rupees ($50 to $70) from shopkeepers.
“They are coming on motorbikes and asking larger stores for contributions. They
say that they belong to the Taliban movement and that they are fighting in
Allah's path,” said the resident, who did not want to be named because he fears
retaliation by the militants. “In the past, they were coming to a few mosques.
But recently they have started coming to collect contributions from shops,” he
added. A member of the Baluchistan assembly, who also requested anonymity
because of the sensitivity of the matter, told VOA that members of the Taliban
openly hold fundraising campaigns in several districts of the province.”

 

Middle East

 

Haaretz: The Secret Weapon That Helps Hamas Raise Millions Of Dollars
<[link removed]>

 

“…Global media coverage of the fighting drew attention to how the militant
organization had brought hundreds of thousands of viewers to its website, where
they were provided instructions on how to contribute under the eyes of the
authorities, and offered a QR code to facilitate the transactions. The QR code
is just one example of how Hamas has become something of a technology leader
among terrorist groups, which experts say are making more and more use of
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to raise money. After being driven off the
Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange two years ago by U.S. authorities, for
instance, Hamas developed software that creates a new digital-wallet address
each time a donor scans the QR code. “Now, instead of one Hamas wallet, you
have many wallets and many donors. That makes it hard to follow the money,”
explains Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism
Project, a New York-based nonprofit that builds programs to sever the
financial, recruitment and material support networks of extremist groups and
their leaders.”

 

Egypt

 

Al Monitor: Egypt Plans To Resettle Millions In Sinai Amid Anti-Terrorism
Operations
<[link removed]>

 

“The Egyptian army has yet to officially announce the end of the
anti-terrorism operation it launched in the Sinai Peninsula in 2018. But the
expansion of development projects in Sinai with the aim of resettling a large
number of residents is a sign that the government is signaling the beginning of
a return to normalcy and a reduction of the threat from terrorists. The
development sector in the northern Sinai governorate revealed June 10 that the
state has spent 4 billion Egyptian pounds (about $255 million) since 2014 on
projects in the governorate. Naji Ibrahim, head of the development sector in
the governorate, said in June 10 press statements that these projects aim to
improve roads and services (electricity, sewage and drinking water) all the
while turning Bedouin villages and areas into integrated cities and modern
housing complexes. He also mentioned industrial and agricultural projects to
cover the needs of the northern Sinai residents, namely the food supply. He
also said that there are projects that will attract more investments and
residents to permanently work and reside in the governorate, in accordance with
the directives of the political leadership.”

 

Libya

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: LNA Targets Terrorists In South Libya
<[link removed]>

 

“Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, launched
several airstrikes against ISIS terrorists in al-Haruj Mountains, in southwest
Libya. The National Army did not comment on the operation, but its Military
Information Division issued a brief statement announcing that the air force
launched a series of raids on a site of terrorist groups in the mountains. Last
Thursday, LNA spokesman Major General Ahmed al-Mismari announced a military
operation against terrorists in the south of the country, after the commander
of al-Waw Brigade, Ali al-Tabawi was killed by a landmine explosion during a
reconnaissance patrol in the Haruj Mountains. ISIS remnants reside only in the
deserts in southern Libya, after they were active in separate parts of the
country. Over four years ago, forces affiliated with the Tripoli government
launched a major offensive to liberate Sirte, ISIS’ main stronghold. Meanwhile,
the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called upon members of the
Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) to convene in person in Switzerland on
June 28, hours before the meeting of the 5 + 5 Joint Military Committee (JMC)
in Sirte. The JMC meeting on Sunday will include LNA representatives and forces
affiliated with the unity government headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibeh.”

 

Nigeria

 

Premium Times Nigeria: Nigerian Soldiers Foil Boko Haram Attack, Kill Six
Terrorists – Official
<[link removed]>

 

“The Nigerian Army has announced that soldiers, on Sunday, foiled an attack by
Boko Haram terrorists on Kumshe town of Borno State. The army spokesperson,
Onyema Nwachukwu, a brigadier general, who announced this in a statement on
Sunday, said the intervention of gallant troops forced the terrorists who came
on gun trucks and motorcycles to flee without accomplishing their mission. The
latest incident occurs a few weeks after the Nigerian army announced the
killing of over 50 terrorists in another operation. In the statement on Sunday,
the army spokesperson said at least six of the terrorists were killed during
the encounter. He added that six AK 47 rifles were recovered alongside one hand
held grenade, assorted drugs and other medical items. Read the full statement
by the army below. Troops of Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI
(OPHK) deployed at the Forward Operational Base (FOB) of 152 Battalion, Kumshe
on Sunday, 20 June 2021 gallantly dealt with elements of Boko Haram terrorists
(BHTs) on a suicidal infiltration attempt into the camp.”

 

Sahara Reporters: Nigeria Set To Begin Trial Of 800 Suspected Boko Haram
Terrorists
<[link removed]>

 

“The Nigerian government is set to commence the trial of 800 suspected members
of the terrorist sect group, Boko Haram. The Deputy Director, Prosecution and
Head of Complex Casework Group, Federal Ministry of Justice, Chioma Onuegbu,
stated this in Abuja during a media engagement on networking for justice and
accountability. She added that out of 1,000 case files reviewed, 280 had been
filed at the Federal High Court, while 170 were recommended for release for
lack of evidence. Onuegbu also said the charges had been served on the Legal
Aid Council of Nigeria, who would be defending the suspects in court. “The
military is making efforts to move the inmates, whose charges were ready to a
safe location before the commencement of their trial,” she added.”

 

Africa

 

The Washington Post: U.S. General: 'Wildfire Of Terrorism' On March In Africa
<[link removed]>

 

“A senior U.S. general warned Friday that the “wildfire of terrorism” is
sweeping across a band of Africa and needs the world’s attention. He spoke at
the close of large-scale U.S.-led war games with American, African and European
troops. The African Lion war games, which lasted nearly two weeks, stretched
across Morocco, a key U.S, ally, with smaller parts held in Tunisia and
Senegal. The annual drills were skipped last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, head of the U.S. Africa Command, praised the work
accomplished in joint operations, and painted a dark picture of threats
besetting parts of Africa. “I am concerned about the security situation across
a band of Africa,” from the Sahel region in the west to the Horn of Africa,
Townsend told reporters. He noted deadly attacks by al-Qaida- and Islamic
State-linked jihadis and al-Shabab. “All of them are on the march,” he said.
African neighbors are helping governments deal with the threat, but, he added,
“all of that does not seem to be sufficient enough to stop what I call ...
(the) wildfire of terrorism that’s sweeping that region.” African Lion saw more
than 7,000 troops from seven countries and NATO carry out air, land and sea
exercises together.”

 

United Kingdom

 

The Straits Times: British ISIS Bride Shamima Begum Was 'Trafficking Victim',
Court Told
<[link removed]>

 

“A schoolgirl who left Britain to join the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) group and had her British citizenship revoked was a victim of
human trafficking, a court heard on Friday (June 18). Shamima Begum was 15 when
she travelled from London to Syria with two fellow pupils in February 2015.
Britain's interior ministry revoked her citizenship on national security
grounds after she was discovered heavily pregnant in a Syrian refugee camp in
February 2019, amid an outcry led by right-wing newspapers. The Court of Appeal
ruled last July that Begum could return to Britain to challenge the decision.
But the Supreme Court in February overturned the lower court ruling, and
prevented her from doing so on national security grounds. Begum, now 21, is
challenging the interior ministry's decision at the Special Immigration Appeals
Commission (SIAC) that deals with deportations on national security grounds and
the revocation of citizenship. Her lawyer, Samantha Knights, claimed Begum was
“a child trafficked to and remaining in Syria for the purposes of sexual
exploitation and forced marriage”. She also argued that revoking Begum's
citizenship left her stateless and the decision was procedurally unfair.”

 

The Sun: Bluewater Bomb Plotter To Be Kicked Out Of Britain In Weeks After
Losing Appeal
<[link removed]>

 

“…Last night ex-Foreign Office anti-terror chief Sir Ivor Roberts, of pressure
group the Counter Extremism Project, called it “a watershed moment for our
justice system”. He said: “The UK justice system is intent on keeping Britain
safe and preventing a convicted terrorist from manipulating the rules for his
benefit. “Those who endanger the lives of British citizens will not set their
own terms for imprisonment.”

 

Australia

 

Reuters: Australian Police Arrest Man Over Alleged Islamic State Membership
<[link removed]>

 

“A Sydney man who posted extremist rhetoric and possessed recipes for
explosives has been arrested for allegedly being a member of the Islamic State
group, Australian police said on Saturday. “The man has been charged with
membership of a terrorist organisation, namely Islamic State,” after a
seven-month investigation, the Australian Federal Police and the New South
Wales police said in a joint statement. They did not name the 24-year-old, who
was arrested on Friday, a typical practice in Australia unless the police deem
the identification of the suspect in the interest of the victim's family or the
public. “There is no ongoing threat to the community relating to this
investigation,” the police said. The man faces up to 10 years in prison if
convicted. “The man's rhetoric online was escalating ... he had collected a
large amount of extremist material and he was in possession of several
improvised explosive recipes,” the police said. “The actions of this man do not
represent the Islamic faith,” Federal Police Commander Counter Terrorism
Investigations Stephen Dametto was quoted in the press release as saying. “His
actions are criminal and they represent hatred and terror.”

 

Europe

 

CNN: Far-Right Extremist Who Threatened Top Belgian Doctor Appears To Have
Killed Himself, Prosecutor Says
<[link removed]>

 

“A far-right extremist who became the object of a month-long manhunt after
threatening a top doctor fighting Covid-19, appears to have killed himself,
authorities in Belgium said Sunday. A body, believed to be that of Jurgen
Conings, was found on Sunday in a wooded area of the town Dislen-Stockem, in
Belgium's eastern Limburg province, according to the Federal prosecutor's
office. The first indications are that Conings took his own life using a
firearm. He had been missing since May 17, prosecutors said. “The lifeless body
of a male was found this Sunday by walkers in the woods of Dilsen-Stockem,” a
statement from the prosecutor's office read. It added that the cause of death
was “likely, according to the first findings, attributable to a suicide by
firearm,” but “yet to be confirmed through a future forensic examination.”
Conings, a 46-year-old former soldier, had threatened several citizens in
recent months, including Belgium's senior virologist Marc Van Ranst, who has
played a key role in the country's fight against Covid-19. On May 17, police
launched a search for the former soldier after he disappeared in possession of
weapons, leaving a letter in which he claimed he would do something that “would
change society forever.”



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