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Eye on Extremism
August 4, 2021
NBC News: 'White Supremacy, Racism': Remembering The El Paso Massacre That Targeted Latinos
“Pastor Michael Grady was in a store on a Saturday morning two years ago when he got a call from his wife. She had learned that their daughter was lying in a pool of blood in a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, after having been shot three times. When Grady arrived to see his daughter Michelle Grady, then 33, they had to lift her body outside using a shopping cart, fighting other wounded victims to get her inside an ambulance. “I prayed for the Lord to spare her life, and he did,” he said. Authorities say that on Aug. 3, 2019, a Texas man drove 700 miles to El Paso from a Dallas suburb and opened fire with an automatic rifle, killing 23 people, including a man who died as a result of his injuries nine months later, and injuring about two dozen more. The suspect, who according to an indictment, told authorities that he targeted Latinos, had railed against immigrants and Hispanics in writing, law enforcement officials said. The attack is considered to be the deadliest against Hispanics in modern U.S. history. Grady, who advocates for gun control legislation and immigrant border reform, stood alongside members of the nonprofit Border Network for Human Rights, or BNHR, survivors of the massacre and elected officials at one of the events Tuesday to remember those who lost their lives.”
“Hate preacher Anjem Choudary has had his Instagram account suspended - just days after he was also booted off Twitter and Facebook. The 54-year-old joined the social networking site as anjemchoudary1967 and began posting on Monday. But within hours, Instagram's parent company Facebook moved to take the account down for violating its policies. It comes days after Choudary's accounts on Facebook and Twitter were 'permanently suspended for violating the rules' of its violent organisations policy. The firebrand preacher began setting up online profiles two weeks ago after legal conditions that prevented him from speaking publicly expired on July 18. He had been the subject of legal restrictions since he was released from prison in October 2018 following a five-and-a-half-year stretch for inviting support for Islamic State. But after they became void, Choudary joined a number of social networks. He also began sending essays promoting Shariah Law to a network of Whatsapp contacts, where he promoted his Instagram account. 'Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah) I am now on instagram, feel free to follow me for updates on anjemchoudary1967,' he texted the group. While active, his Instagram account showed a picture of him in glasses and another snap read: 'I bear witness that there is no Ilah (God/diety) except Allah (God Almighty).”
United States
The New York Times: Biden Officials Open To Tightening Law Authorizing War On Terrorist Groups
“The Biden administration is open to several potential ways to tighten a much-stretched 2001 law that serves as the domestic legal basis for the open-ended “forever war” against terrorists around the world, a senior State Department official told Congress on Tuesday. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the deputy secretary of state, Wendy R. Sherman, favorably — but vaguely — cited ideas to give Congress some role in any future decisions to expand counterterrorism operations to additional terrorist groups or to new countries, as well as to require periodic reviews of such groups and countries. “I think that there is a lot of work to be done,” she said. “It may be that those kinds of ideas aren’t the right ones, but those are things that we are willing to discuss — as well as other things that the Senate might put on the table.” Ms. Sherman made her comments at a hearing that was officially devoted to pending legislation to repeal two other aging war-powers laws: the 1991 law that authorized the Persian Gulf War and the 2002 law that authorized President George W. Bush to invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein. The committee has scheduled a session on Wednesday to mark up and vote on legislation to repeal the two laws.”
Syria
ABC News: UN Chief: Threat To Global Peace From Islamic State Rising
“Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says in a new report that the threat to international peace and security from the Islamic State extremist group is rising, pointing to an “alarming” expansion of its affiliates in Africa and its focus on a comeback in its former self-declared “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq. The report to the U.N. Security Council, which was circulated Tuesday, said IS and other terrorist groups have taken advantage of “the disruption, grievances and development setbacks” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, both on the ground and online. While lockdowns in non-conflict areas suppressed terrorist activity, in conflict areas where pandemic restrictions have less impact the threat from IS, also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh, “has already increased,” Guterres said. “As pandemic-related restrictions gradually ease, there is an elevated near-term threat of Daesh-inspired attacks outside conflict zones by lone actors or small groups that have been radicalized, incited and possibly directly remotely online,” he said. The U.N. chief said this exemplifies a wider and evolving risk from the accelerated use of digital technologies during the pandemic, and the potential for “new and emerging technologies to be used for terrorist purposes.”
Voice Of America: Islamic State Group Smuggling Boys To Desert Training Camps
“More than two years after the collapse of its self-declared caliphate, the Islamic State terror group appears to be trying to rebuild its army in the eastern Syrian desert on the backs of boys and teenagers, many smuggled out of the displaced persons camps that dot Syria's northeast. The revelation, based on U.S. military intelligence, is part of a report issued Tuesday by the U.S. Defense Department's inspector general on American and allied operations in Syria and Iraq. In particular, the report warned that despite a series of crackdowns by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, IS, also known as ISIS or Daesh, retains significant influence in many of the camps, as well as freedom of movement, allowing it to target “the most susceptible” for recruitment. “ISIS has given priority to smuggling boys out of these camps to training locations in the Syrian desert,” the report said, citing assessments from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. U.S. military officials further warned that the al-Hol displaced persons camp, in particular, has been a hotbed for IS recruitment and radicalization. U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, told the inspector general that in exchange for more money, female IS supporters increased their radicalization efforts at al-Hol between April and June, using social media to target children and teenagers.”
Fox News: American Girl Whose Mother Took Her To Join ISIS Rescued In Syria
“An 8-year-old, U.S.-born girl whose parents joined ISIS was rescued from a Syrian camp and is awaiting approval to return back to the U.S. “She clearly self-identified as Aminah and talked about her family with deep sadness,” said Anne Speckhard, after the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism interviewed the rescued girl named Aminah Mohamad on Saturday, according to BuzzFeed. The young girl was born in Chattanooga, Tenn., in 2011 and lived under ISIS rule since 2014, before she was sent to a Kurdish-controlled detention camp and then rescued on July 17. Speckhard added that the girl “doesn’t have a clear context as to where she is from,” and needs “a safe, predictable and loving environment to replace the traumatic one (she) lived under.” Her American mother, Ariel Bradley, was an evangelical Christian who joined ISIS and married the girl’s father Yasin Mohamad, a Swedish Muslim, in 2011. Bradley gave birth to her daughter in the United States, before going back to Sweden and eventually relocating to Syria. Both of the parents are now deceased, with Mohamad dying in an airstrike some time after June 2015 and Bradley dying in an airstrike in late 2018. The girl is now in a secure location in northeast Syria, which was made possible by former U.S. diplomat Peter Galbraith, as well as a Canadian woman who met Bradley while living under ISIS.”
Iraq
Kurdistan 24: Two Iraqi Federal Police Killed In ISIS Attack In Kirkuk: Official
“Two members of the Iraqi federal police were killed south of Kirkuk early Tuesday in an attack a police source said was carried out by ISIS. A militant was also killed and another wounded in the attack, the Iraqi Media Security Cell said, confirming the confrontation between federal police and ISIS in Safra village in the district of Rashad. A security source from the Kirkuk Federal Police told Kurdistan 24 that two members of the police service were also killed in the attack. Kirkuk province is one of the territories whose control is disputed between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s federal government where, following its ouster from most territory in Iraq, ISIS has continued hit-and-run attacks against security forces and civilians. The Iraqi security forces and Peshmerga have recently formed a number of joint cooperation centers to try to bring stability to areas disputed by Baghdad and Erbil. There are also plans to form additional joint Peshmerga-Iraqi brigades in the contested areas.”
Turkey
The Independent: Concern Over Struggle To Prosecute Isis Returnees As Turkey Deportations Loom
“Concern is mounting over legal barriers that mean Isis fighters being sent back to the UK from Turkish jails cannot be prosecuted for joining the terrorist group. Stefan Aristidou, who travelled to Syria in 2015, was charged with the less serious offence of sharing Isis propaganda because he has already served a sentence for his activities abroad. The 27-year-old was deported to Britain from Turkey, where he had been among several British jihadis including alleged ‘Beatle’ Aine Davis jailed as Isis members. Aristidou had been arrested on the Syrian border in April 2017, after spending time in the so-called Islamic State’s former capital of Raqqa, and was jailed for Isis membership in October 2018. He was released early from a six-year prison sentence because of the coronavirus pandemic, and sent back to the UK in February. British authorities are bracing for further deportations from Turkey, but under one in 10 returnees from Syria have been prosecuted so far. Not all of the around 40 prosecutions involved terror offences, and only a tiny proportion were convicted of Isis membership. Officials say their hands are tied by legal and practical issues, including the difficulty of proving what people did after crossing into Syria.”
Afghanistan
“Several explosions and gunfights rocked Kabul on Tuesday night as the conflict between the Taliban and Afghan government forces is intensifying elsewhere in the country ahead of the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces this month. The attack began with a car bomb followed by gunmen on foot targeting the guesthouse of a senior Afghan security official in downtown Kabul, one of the largest assaults on the city in months, according to two Afghan officials. A vehicle laden with explosives detonated at a checkpoint in the city center and was followed by a barrage of gunfire, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Other blasts, rocket and small-arms fire could be heard in downtown Kabul following the attack. Gunmen entered the acting defense minister’s compound, but Bismillah Khan Mohammadi was not present, according to one of the security officials. The acting minister tweeted, “Don’t worry. Everything is fine,” about an hour after the attack began. It is unclear whether clashes were ongoing. No group claimed responsibility, and the ministry of interior did not immediately release information about casualties.”
“The Taliban commander overseeing an assault on the key southern city of Lashkargah is one of 5,000 former prisoners released by the Afghan government last year under pressure from the U.S., Afghan and Western officials say. The commander, Mawlavi Talib, is one of thousands of former prisoners freed to further peace talks who have returned to the battlefield to join the Taliban onslaught against cities around the country, Afghan officials say. The presence of the Taliban fighters is a fresh strain in relations between Washington and Kabul, as the U.S.-backed government struggles to fend off Taliban attacks throughout the country. Afghan officials said fierce fighting continued Tuesday in Lashkargah, the provincial capital of Helmand province, after heavy U.S. airstrikes and a counterattack by U.S.-trained Afghan commandos overnight. Under Mr. Talib’s command, hundreds of Taliban have pushed toward the city center over the past week. On Tuesday they launched an attack on Lashkargah’s prison in a bid to release more inmates and recruit them into the fight. The fighting in Lashkargah is part of a wider countrywide Taliban offensive that had captured half of the country’s remote districts by last month and now threatens provincial capitals.”
Saudi Arabia
Gulf News: Saudi Man Executed For ‘Terrorist’ Acts
“Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry announced the execution Tuesday of a man it said had been found guilty of armed rebellion and protesting against the state in the Shiite populated eastern region of Qatif. The ministry said in a statement the execution of the convict was carried out in the Eastern Province’s administrative capital of Dammam. The statement said the convict had participated in the attempted killing of police by opening fire at various security points and patrols throughout Qatif. It added he also assisted in weapons smuggling and took part in marches and riots, which Saudi law deems as undermining the social fabric and cohesion of society. The statement described them as “terrorist” acts. The statement said interrogations resulted in related charges and that a death sentence was administered as punishment. The statement did not identify the man or specify when the alleged crimes had taken place.”
Middle East
Arab News: Efforts To Fight Global Terrorism Discussed
“Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajjraf, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), met with Jehangir Khan, director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Center (UNCCT). During the meeting, they reviewed the efforts of the GCC in combating terrorism. Al-Hajjraf affirmed the council’s continuous support for the UN in combating crimes of terrorism and extremism, in addition to strengthening their cooperation while achieving security and peace in the world. A day earlier, Khan met with Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and supervisor general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief). The UN Security Council has adopted additional resolutions, often under Chapter VII, to address new avenues of terrorist financing, including by targeting the nexus between terrorists and organized crime groups and tackling fundraising through kidnapping for ransom. The council focuses on enhancing capacities of member states and private organizations in preventing and mitigating the misuse of technological developments by terrorists and extremists.”
Nigeria
Reuters: Kidnappers In Nigeria Demand Ransom To Release 80 Schoolchildren
“Kidnappers are demanding a ransom of one million naira each to release around 80 children snatched from a boarding school in northern Nigeria last month, according to a pastor involved in the negotiations for their release. The attack on the Bethel Baptist High School in the state of Kaduna was the 10th mass school kidnapping since December in northwest Nigeria, which authorities have attributed to criminal gangs seeking ransom payments. “(Bandits) are asking for one million naira on each of the 80 students remaining with them,” Reverend Ite Joseph Hayab told Reuters by telephone. Kidnappers released 28 children last month after a first batch of 28 was released two days after the raid. But another 81 remain in captivity. Hayab said three students escaped before the 28 were released last month but they were kidnapped again by an unidentified person in the forest who demanded a ransom and was paid over one million naira by parents. Nigerian authorities have attributed the kidnappings to what they call armed bandits seeking ransom payments.”
Africa
“Authorities in Cameroon say there are seeing an increase in the number of Boko Haram militants surrendering at a disarmament center on the northern border with Nigeria. Officials say there have been hundreds of defections from the terrorist group since May, when Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Islamist group, was declared killed. Cameroonian authorities said they are overwhelmed by the number of militants fleeing the extremist group Boko Haram. The National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, or the DDR, a center set up by the government, hosts about 750 former militants in Meri, a town on the northern border with Nigeria. Dieudonne Nkollo Zanga is one of the administrators of the DDR center in Meri. He said the center received more than 155 militants within the past seven days and a total of about 450 militants have arrived at the center since May. Zanga said the government of Cameroon has provided space in Meme, another northern town not far from Nigeria, for the construction of a center that can host 1,500 former Boko Haram fighters. He said funds to construct the DDR center are available and construction work will begin soon.”
The Defense Post: 16 Killed In Attack In DR Congo’s Restive East: Army
“At least 16 people were killed in an attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s conflict-plagued east, believed to be the work of armed Islamists, military and local sources said Tuesday. According to local civilian sources the victims of Monday’s attack, including two women, had been taken hostage weeks earlier by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which the US says is linked to the Islamic State group. The hostages were knifed to death along a main highway near Idohu, in the restive Ituri province, local official Dieudonne Malangai said. Ituri’s military governor Johnny Luboya Nkashama speaking in Komanda, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the incident, condemned the killings. “We will reinforce our presence in the region,” he told AFP. The vast central African country’s government has placed Ituri and the neighboring North Kivu province under a state of siege since May, in a move aimed at stepping up the fight against armed groups. The ADF is the deadliest of the militias operating in the region. It began as an armed Ugandan Muslim group, and has been active in mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for 30 years.”
Europe
Reuters: Prosecutors Probe Terrorism Among Reasons Behind Italy Region Hacking - Sources
“Italian prosecutors are considering terrorism among the reasons behind a cyber attack that shut down all services offered by the Lazio region through its website, two investigative sources told Reuters on Tuesday. On Sunday the region, which manages services for 5.9 million people living in a large area surrounding Rome, said that hackers had attacked and closed down the IT systems of the company that manages COVID-19 vaccination appointments. It said all systems had been deactivated, including those of the region’s health portal, and warned the vaccine inoculation programme could suffer a delay. Two sources told Reuters on Tuesday that Rome’s prosecutors had opened an investigation into the attack and cited terrorism as a potential aggravating factor for people behind the hack. “Lazio had been hit by a ransomware attack”, one of the sources said, adding that all the computers normally managing online services for citizens, including appointments for coronavirus vaccinations and swabs, were still paralysed. The hackers had not yet made a request for money or other payments, the source said, but added they had opened a dialogue with the region that could result in a ransom request later on.”
Technology
NPR: Antisemitic Posts Are Rarely Removed By Social Media Companies, A Study Finds
“Five major social media companies, including Facebook and Twitter, took no action to remove 84% of antisemitic posts, a new report from the Center to Counter Digital Hate (CCDH) found. Despite promising to crack down on antisemitic hate, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and TikTok did not act on these posts even as they were flagged through the existing tools used for reporting malignant content. Researchers from the CCDH, a nongovernmental organization based in the United States and the United Kingdom, examined 714 anti-Jewish posts on the five platforms published between May and June. Collectively, they had been viewed 7.3 million times, the report said. “The study of antisemitism has taught us a lot of things ... if you allow it space to grow, it will metastasize. It is a phenomenally resilient cancer in our society,” Imran Ahmed, the CEO of CCDH told NPR. He said social media spaces have been “unable or unwilling” to take action against antisemitic posts effectively. This study differs from others, he said, in that CCDH wanted to prove that social media companies aren't unable to moderate content — they just choose not to.”
Axios: A Model To Predict Terror Attacks Ahead Of Time
“A new study details a theoretical model that can help predict where terrorism attacks will occur up to a week in advance. Why it matters: Much of the power of a terror attack derives from the quality of surprise. Being able to reliably predict when and where attacks are likely to occur would potentially blunt terror as a tool and reduce the costs of security. What's happening: In a study published Friday in Science Advances, researchers outlined a framework that uses publicly available data about terror incidents around the world between 2002 and 2016 to identify which factors might reliably tip off authorities in advance of a likely attack. The locations of previous attacks had the best predictive value — if terrorists thought a location was worth attacking once, there's a higher chance it'll be worth attacking again. In addition, population density, the travel time to the nearest city, road network density, and economic activity (in part as quantified in night lighting that can be seen via satellite) all correspond to higher likelihood of attack. By the numbers: In regions with a high prevalence of terrorism, the model was capable of predicting up to 51% of attacks a week in advance.”
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