“A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a resolution on Monday to
urge the European Union “to fully designate Hezbollah a terrorist organiza

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


July 28, 2021 

 

The Jerusalem Post: Bipartisan US Lawmakers Urge EU To Fully Label Hezbollah A
Terror Group
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“A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a resolution on Monday to
urge the European Union “to fully designate Hezbollah a terrorist
organization.” According to Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), Chair of the House Foreign
Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Global
Counterterrorism, the EU currently includes only Hezbollah’s military wing –
and not its political wing – on its list of sanctioned terrorist organizations.
“The United States makes no distinction between its branches and includes
Hezbollah in its entirety on the US Foreign Terrorist Organization list,”
Deutch said in a statement. The resolution was introduced by Deutch, Gus
Bilirakis (FL-12), Kathy Manning (NC-06), and Peter Meijer (MI-03). Six
additional members from both parties joined to support the resolution: Rep.
French Hill (AR-02), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Bradley Schneider (IL-10), Ritchie
Torres (NY-15), Ann Wagner (MO-02), and Joe Wilson (SC-02). “When you are
dealing with a ruthless terrorist organization like Hezbollah, there is no
distinction between political and militant wings,” Deutch said in a statement.”

 

Al Monitor: Militias Call For Revenge Against Sunni Town Over Suicide Attacks
In Baghdad
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“Shortly after a suicide bombing in Baghdad’s eastern Shia-dominant, largely
poverty-stricken neighborhood of Sadr City on July 19, speculation ran rife
that the attack originated from a Sunni-majority town roughly 50 kilometers (30
miles) north of the Iraqi capital. Concerns about the potential for rekindling
sectarianism were raised. An Arabic hashtag that translated as “Tarmiya is
blowing us up” placed blame on the Sunni-majority town and surrounding area
north of Baghdad, rich in agriculture, orchards and dense vegetation. Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced the arrest of a “terror cell” on July 24,
and it was reported early the next day that men from Anbar and Kirkuk had been
arrested in connection with the attack. At least 35 people were killed in the
attack on the densely populated Shia area of the capital, which happened on the
eve of the important Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.
Many families with children were shopping at the market when the suicide bomber
detonated his vest. The Islamic State (IS) claimed the attack and said that one
of its adherents known as “Abu Hamza al-Iraqi” had been “martyred” in it. It
did not, however, give any other details about the attacker.”

 

United States

 

Associated Press: Appeals Court Upholds Conviction Of NY Man In Terror Case
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“The conviction of a New Yorker charged with providing material support to
Hezbollah by seeking targets in New York City for terrorist attacks was upheld
Tuesday by an appeals court, though one of three judges questioned the 40-year
prison sentence, saying it was too long because nobody was harmed directly by
the crimes. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled on Ali
Kourani’s appeal challenging the conviction and the sentence. Prosecutors said
the Lebanon-born Kourani spent years conducting surveillance at federal
buildings, airports and day care centers after he was recruited, trained and
deployed by Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization. In a majority opinion
written by Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes, the appeals judges concluded that a
trial was properly conducted before Kourani’s 2019 conviction and that the
judge did not error by allowing prosecutors to use confessions he made during
2017 interviews with the FBI at his trial. The 2nd Circuit said FBI agents were
not coercive when they met with Kourani at a conference room at Seton Hall
University, where the agents were dressed in business-casual clothing and did
not display weapons.”

 

Politico: Officers Label Jan. 6 Rioters 'Terrorists' In Select Committee
Hearing
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“Daniel Hodges, one of the police officers who testified at the first Jan. 6
select committee meeting on Tuesday, called those who breached the Capitol that
day “terrorists” -- rejecting GOP Rep. Andrew Clyde's comparison of the riot to
a typical “tourist visit.” Asked how he felt about Clyde's description of the
deadly riot as a “tourist visit,” Hodges said: “If that's what American
tourists are like, I can see why foreign countries don't like American
tourists.” The comment sparked some brief laughter in the committee room,
mostly staff and lawmakers. Hodges, a Metropolitan Police officer who was among
scores wounded by pro-Trump insurrectionists at the Capitol, acknowledged that
defenders of the rioters and allies of the former president might object to the
term “terrorists.” But the label was accurate, Hodges told select committee
members as he read aloud the definition of domestic terrorism from federal law.
“I can see why someone would take issue with the title of terrorist. It's
gained a lot of notoriety in our vocabulary in the past few decades, and we'd
like to believe that no, that couldn't happen here. No domestic terrorism. No
homegrown threats,” Hodges said.”

 

Iraq

 

Al Monitor: Iraq's Military Disputes Militia Claim About Drone Attack
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“Iraq’s military pushed back on a claim by a pro-Iran militia that one of the
militia’s storage facilities in Najaf had been attacked by a drone. Iraq’s
security media cell said that an explosion July 26 at the site “was caused by
poor storage” and high temperatures and that no breach of Iraqi airspace had
been detected. The pro-Iran Imam Ali Division militia released a statement
earlier on July 26 claiming that the storage site had been hit by two “enemy
drones” roughly two hours apart. The militia also claimed drones had scouted
out the base earlier in the morning. The US-led military coalition in Iraq said
it did not launch any airstrikes in Iraq or Syria on July 26. The explosion
occurred at a camp known as al-Dawik, roughly a dozen miles northwest of Najaf,
according to local reports. Iraq’s security media cell also noted that the
government ordered in 2019 the removal of explosive materials from populated
areas and issued guidelines for safe storage. In the summer of 2019, Iraq saw a
series of large explosions at munitions storage sites across the country.
Reports of drone activity around the sites fueled speculation and accusation by
some militias of sabotage. Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes across
the border in neighboring Syria against Iran-linked groups.”

 

Afghanistan

 

CNBC: U.S. Will Conduct Airstrikes In Afghanistan Against The Taliban As
Foreign Forces Withdraw
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“The United States will maintain a steady drumbeat of airstrikes in
Afghanistan as foreign forces exit the country amid rapid battlefield advances
by the Taliban. “The United States has increased airstrikes in the support of
Afghan forces over the last several days, and we’re prepared to continue this
heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continue their
attacks,” wrote U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie in a statement. Mckenzie,
the combatant commander who oversees America’s wars in the Middle East, told
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani over the weekend that the U.S. would continue to
provide airstrikes but made no promise about what will happen after Aug. 31. “I
reassured the government that we are continuing to provide airstrikes in
defense of ANDSF [Afghan National Defense and Security Forces] forces under
attack by the Taliban, contract logistics support both here in Kabul and
over-the-horizon in the region, funding for them, intelligence sharing and
advising and assisting through security consultations at the strategic level,”
McKenzie wrote. Last week, the Pentagon confirmed media reports of overnight
airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan.”

 

Middle East

 

The Times Of Israel: Jordan Said To Nab Islamic State Terrorists For Plot To
Attack Israeli Soldiers
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“Four Jordanians allegedly involved with the extremist Islamic State terror
group have been charged with plotting to attack Israeli soldiers near the
Jordanian border, the Jordanian newspaper al-Rai reported. The four suspects,
who were arrested by Jordanian intelligence, planned to attack and overcome
Jordanian border guards before reaching the Israelis on the other side of the
border near Wadi Araba in the south, the Monday night report said.
“Intelligence operations by intelligence agents resulted in the detection and
arrest of the cell’s members, preventing them from completing their terror
plot,” the report said. According to the reported indictment, the four suspects
met in the Jordanian cities of Irbid and Karak. All were inspired by the
extremist Islamic State, which has conducted an insurgency in Iraq and Syria
for years as well as terror attacks around the world. Their plans grew more
sophisticated, and the four allegedly discussed targeting not just Israeli
soldiers, but also Jews — likely foreign nationals — living in the kingdom. One
of the four cell members was arrested at the end of last year, and the
remaining three were caught in February, the report said. According to the
indictment, issued by the Jordanian State Security Prosecutor, the four
intended to acquire firearms to execute the plot, but were arrested before they
could purchase them, al-Rai said.”

 

Nigeria

 

Sahara Reporters: Boko Haram Terrorists Release Pictures Of Abducted Soldiers,
Yobe Government Official
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“The Boko Haram terrorists and their Islamic State West African Province
faction have released the pictures of two soldiers and a Yobe State liaison
officer they abducted on the Damaturu/Maiduguri highway on Saturday. In the
display of their Identification cards, two of the cards belonged to Mai Lalle,
one for Mustapha while the fourth one belongs to Lance Corporal Oyediran
Adedotun of the Nigerian Army. The ID card of the fourth abductee was not
sighted from the list of the cards provided by the insurgents. According to
Nation, the four victims were abducted on Saturday along Maiduguri/Damaturu
highway. While Mai Lalle and Mustapaha were travelling to Maiduguri, the two
army personnel were, however, travelling to Kano State on a pass permit. Though
the pictures of the victims have been released, no contact has been made with
their families yet.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: Attackers Kill Five Soldiers, One Civilian In North Cameroon, Say
Officials
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“Unidentified attackers killed five Cameroonian soldiers and one civilian
during a raid on a military outpost in the far north of the country, local
authorities said on Tuesday, the second deadly raid in the area in the past
week. An army post in the village of Zigue was attacked at around 9 p.m. (2000
GMT) on Monday, according to two officials who asked not to be identified. The
attack follows a raid that took place around 50 km (30 miles) north of Zigue on
Saturday, which was claimed by Islamic State. read more Eight soldiers were
killed in that raid, according to the defence ministry. Cameroon, alongside
neighbouring Nigeria and Chad, has been battling the Boko Haram militant group
for years, but more recently has clashed with fighters who identify themselves
as Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP). In the aftermath of the death
of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in May, ISWAP has sought to absorb Boko
Haram fighters and unify the groups which had hitherto fought one another for
control of territory.”

 

Al Jazeera: Gunmen On Motorbikes Raid Niger Village, Kill 14
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“Armed men on motorbikes have killed at least 14 civilians in an attack in
western Niger, near the restive border with Mali, the government said. The
attack happened on Sunday at approximately 3pm (14:00 GMT), when the
unidentified assailants arrived at the village of Wiye in the Banibangou
district, about 50km (30 miles) from the border with Mali. They “targeted
civilians, killing 14, including nine working in fields”, the interior ministry
said in a statement read on national television on Monday. One person who was
wounded had been evacuated for treatment in the capital, Niamey, it added.
Security measures had been stepped up and an investigation was under way to
identify and bring to trial those responsible for “these cowardly and barbaric
attacks”, it said. There has been no claim of responsibility so far. Banibangou
falls inside what is known as the three-borders region between Niger, Burkina
Faso and Mali, which for years has been the scene of bloody attacks by armed
groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). Previous attacks in Niger’s western
Tillabery region have been attributed by local officials to an affiliate of
ISIL, including raids in January that killed at least 100 civilians.”

 

The Defense Post: 7 Soldiers, 15 Islamist Rebels Killed In DR Congo Clashes
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“Seven soldiers and 15 members of a notorious armed Islamist group have died
in three days of clashes in northeastern DR Congo, the army said Tuesday. The
armed forces launched an offensive on Saturday against positions held by the
Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Tchabi, in Ituri province, the region’s
military governor, Lieutenant-General Johnny Luboya, told AFP. “We lost seven
troops and on the ADF side, 15 rebels were neutralized,” he said. The operation
also led to the release of 150 hostages “who had been used as human shields,”
he said, confirming an earlier military report issued on Sunday. At the end of
May, authorities accused the rebels of killing at least 50 civilians in Boga
and Tchabi in Irumu territory, where they also attacked a refugee camp. A
historically Ugandan Islamist group, the ADF is the deadliest of scores of
armed militias that roam the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC). The DRC’s Catholic Church says the ADF has killed around 6,000 civilians
since 2013, while a respected US-based monitor, the Kivu Security Tracker
(KST), blames it for more than 1,200 deaths in the Beni area alone since 2017.
The toll has risen sharply since 2019, when the militia appears to have become
more radicalized, carrying out massacres in remote villages and taking
survivors hostage.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Security Expert To Lead Fresh London Terror Review
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“A security expert has been appointed to assess whether coronavirus has had
any impact on how well the capital would cope with another major terror attack.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said extremists had used the lockdowns to “spread
disinformation” and “radicalise the vulnerable”. Lord Toby Harris' review will
examine learning points from terror attacks in London in 2017 and recent
attacks in Streatham and Fishmongers' Hall. His report is due later this year.
In 2016 Lord Harris made 127 recommendations in a review published in the wake
of attacks across Europe. Explaining why he had ordered the review, Mr Khan
said extremists had used the internet during the recent coronavirus lockdowns
to “spread disinformation as well as attempting to radicalise the vulnerable to
commit violent acts”. He added: “Whilst we have made some significant
improvements since 2016, a lot has changed. “The attacks on our city in 2017,
the Manchester Arena bombing, and more recently, the attacks in Streatham and
at Fishmongers' Hall, means there's much more to be learned. “We must adapt and
strengthen our city's capability to prepare and respond to the evolving threat
of terrorism and the impact of the pandemic.”

 

Evening Standard: Counter-Terrorism Officers Investigating Speaker’s Corner
Knife Attack On Woman In Charlie Hebdo T-Shirt
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“Counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation into a knife attack
at Speaker’s Corner on a woman wearing a Charlie Hebdo t-shirt. Police were
called to Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park at 3.34pm on Sunday to reports of an
assault. A 39-year-old woman was taken to a London hospital for treatment to
her injuries and has now been discharged. Scotland Yard said the incident, in
which the woman was slashed in the head, was not “being treated as
terrorism-related at this time”. However, the force said officers are keeping
an open mind about possible motives. The Met said: “A number of people
witnessed the incident and took mobile phone footage. We would ask those people
to contact police and tell us what they know, if they have not already done
so.” The investigation is now being led by the Met’s SO15 Counter Terrorism
Command, the force said on Monday. Footage shared on social media showed
someone dressed in black approaching a woman wearing a Charlie Hebdo T-shirt.
The woman was later seen clutching her right hand close to her body and with
what appeared to be blood at her temple as she was helped into a police van by
officers who were nearby. No arrests have been made and a knife was found near
the scene of the attack.”

 

France

 

France 24: Cuban Embassy In Paris Attacked With Petrol Bombs
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“French authorities said Tuesday they are investigating a gasoline bomb attack
that caused minor damage to the Cuban Embassy. The Paris prosecutor’s office
said an investigation is under way. No one has been arrested or claimed
responsibility, police said. Paris police said two gasoline bombs hit the
embassy late Monday night. The flames were out by the time firefighters
arrived, police said. The Cuban foreign ministry’s international press centre
said three Molotov cocktails were thrown, with two hitting the embassy and
setting a fire. Cuban diplomats extinguished the blaze as French firefighters
and police arrived at the scene, it said. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno
Rodriguez blamed the United States for the attack. A spokeswoman for the French
foreign ministry said on Tuesday that France condemned the attack against the
Cuban embassy and that a judicial investigation has been opened. She added that
security has been stepped up in the vicinity of the embassy. Cuban embassies in
many cities around the world have been the scene of demonstrations both against
and for Cuba’s government in reaction to protests that erupted across the
island on July 11-12.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Reuters: First Person Charged Under HK Security Law Found Guilty Of Terrorism,
Inciting Secession
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“The first person charged under Hong Kong's national security law was found
guilty on Tuesday of terrorism and inciting secession in a landmark case that
carries long-term implications for how the legislation will reshape the city's
common law traditions. Former waiter Tong Ying-kit, 24, was accused of driving
his motorcycle into three riot policemen while carrying a flag with the protest
slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” which prosecutors said
was secessionist. The widely anticipated ruling, much of which has hinged on
the interpretation of the slogan, imposes new limits on free speech in the
former British colony, activists say. Human rights groups have also criticised
the decision to deny Tong bail and a jury trial, which have been key features
of Hong Kong's rule of law. The government did not immediately respond to a
request for comment on the accusations. Tong's trial was presided over by
judges Esther Toh, Anthea Pang and Wilson Chan, picked by city leader Carrie
Lam to hear national security cases. Toh read out a summary of the ruling in
court, saying “such display of the words was capable of inciting others to
commit secession.” She added that Tong was aware of the slogan's secessionist
meaning, and that he intended to communicate this meaning to others.”

 

The Jerusalem Post: How Do Experts Prevent The Risk Of Terror Attack At The
Olympics?
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“After a year of waiting, the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics are underway and
the excitement is electric. But what are the risks of a terror attack during
the Games? A new study published in the journal Risk Analysis offers insight to
the likelihood of terrorism during the Olympics or other major events such as
the Superbowl or FIFA World Cup, which are attractive targets for terrorist
groups due to the large scale of spectators and athletes. Using a novel method
to analyze the risk and strategy defense against terrorist attacks in
sports-mega events, researchers at Loughborough University in England suggest
the findings could help improve security at events by identifying the optimal
allocation of defense resources through sophisticated decision analytics.
According to the study, certain defense investments lower the chances of
success by the assailant, resulting in terrorists not carrying out the attack.
The research cites the Munich Olympics attack in 1972, when 11 Israeli athletes
were killed by Palestinian gunmen, offering hope that the new findings will
prevent a similar tragedy.”

 

Technology

 

The Straits Times: Tech Giants Step Up Efforts To Stop Online Extremist Posts
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“A counterterrorism organisation formed by some of the biggest US tech
companies including Facebook and Microsoft is significantly expanding the types
of extremist content shared between firms in a key database, aiming to crack
down on material from white supremacists and far-right militias, the group told
Reuters. The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism's (GIFCT) database has,
till now, focused on videos and images from terrorist groups on a United
Nations list and so has largely consisted of content from Islamist extremist
organisations such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Al-Qaeda and the
Taleban. Over the next few months, the group will add attacker manifestos -
often shared by sympathisers after white supremacist violence - and other
publications and links flagged by the UN initiative Tech Against Terrorism. It
will use lists from intelligence-sharing group Five Eyes, adding URLs and PDFs
from more groups, including the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters and neo-Nazis.
The firms, which include Twitter and YouTube, share “hashes”, unique numerical
representations of original pieces of content that have been removed from their
services. Other platforms use these to identify the same content on their own
sites to review or remove it.”



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