“The U.K. government is set to proscribe Hamas under the country’s Terrorism
Act, under plans that will be announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel on

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


November 19, 2021  

 

Politico: UK Set To Declare ‘Rabidly Anti-Semitic’ Hamas Is A Terrorist
Organization
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“The U.K. government is set to proscribe Hamas under the country’s Terrorism
Act, under plans that will be announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel on
Friday. Anyone who “recklessly” supports the Palestinian group, arranges
meetings to back it, invites people to endorse it or is a member will face up
to 10 years in prison under new laws to be tabled in the U.K. parliament.
“Hamas is fundamentally and rabidly anti-Semitic,” Patel will say during a
speech in Washington on Friday, according to multiple media reports.
“Anti-Semitism is an enduring evil which I will never tolerate. Jewish people
routinely feel unsafe — at school, in the streets, when they worship, in their
homes, and online.” Hamas, which was founded in 1987, holds a majority in the
Palestinian parliament and is the largest of several Palestinian militant
Islamic groups. The U.K. has previously banned its military wing, but the ban
will now extend to the group’s political arm.”

 

Reuters: Pakistan Frees Hardline Islamist Under A Deal To End Violence
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“Pakistan freed a hardline Islamist leader on Thursday, a week after removing
his name from a terrorism watch list under a deal to end weeks of deadly
protests by his followers, the government and his lawyer said. Saad Hussain
Rizvi, the chief of a Sunni militant group - Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) -
was released from a jail in Lahore city, a government spokesman, Hasaan Khawar,
told Reuters. His lawyer Muhammad Rizwan confirmed the release. “By the grace
of God, he is a free man now,” he said. The release came two weeks after the
government of Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed to free over 2,000 detained
members of the TLP movement, lifted a ban on the group and agreed to let it
contest elections. In return, the TLP would shun the politics of violence and
withdraw a demand to have France's ambassador expelled over the publication of
caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad by a French magazine, negotiators have
said. The TLP took to the streets in mid-October, kicking off weeks of protests
and clashes that killed at least seven policemen, injured scores on both sides
and blocked the country's busiest highway. Khan's government had designated the
TLP a terrorist group and arrested Rizvi amid similar violent protests earlier
this year.”

 

United States

 

Vice: Whatever Kyle Rittenhouse's Verdict Is, The Far-Right Wins
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“…Specifically, it’s the celebration of violence against left-wing protesters
and vigilantism that has the extreme-right salivating, Joshua Fisher-Birch, a
research analyst with the Counter-Extremism Project, told VICE News. “Many
extreme right-wing and white supremacist groups and propagandists view the
trial as an opportunity to spread their message and recruit,” said
Fisher-Birch. “These groups and individuals are acting on an agenda to portray
Rittenhouse as both a hero and a victim who justly defended himself. Many of
these groups seek to similarly portray acts of violence committed by their
members as defensive in nature.” There is, of course, a very real difference
between believing what Rittenhouse did was self-defense and pushing for
vigilantism. The sheer amount of memes, videos, articles, or speeches
supporting Rittenhouse is staggering, and in many cases, speeds straight by
legal arguments into outright cheering on the killings.”

 

Pakistan

 

The New York Times: Fury In Kashmir After Deadly Police Raid At Shopping
Complex
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“Tensions in Kashmir are rising days after four people were killed in a raid
by Indian security forces, fueling outraged protests over impunity and stirring
fears that the conflict-torn region could be sliding into another especially
deadly phase. The Indian police said that two militants and two businessmen
whom they described as “terrorist supporters” had been killed when the police
raided a shopping complex on Monday. The police initially said they were fired
on by the militants, who had also killed the two businessmen in the process.
They later amended that account, saying the businessmen may have been caught in
the crossfire and that it was unclear whose bullets had killed them. Family
members of three of the dead disputed both those versions of events, accusing
the police of having staged the gunfight. Demanding that the bodies of their
relatives be returned to them for a proper burial, they joined a demonstration
of about two dozen people that ended brutally on Wednesday when the protesters
were hauled away by the police, in images captured on video and broadcast via
the internet across the Kashmir Valley.”

 

Yemen

 

Republic World: Al-Qaeda Members Have Settled In Houthi-Controlled Yemeni
Provinces: Report
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“Al-Qaeda members have settled in Yemen’s Al Bayda’s province which is
presently under the control of Houthi rebels. Yemeni Interior Minister Ibrahim
Ali Hidan told Sputnik said, “Extremist elements exist in Yemen, but their main
stronghold is now in the province of Al Bayda and it is under the control of
the Houthis, which is why we say that they support terrorism.” Hidan also said
that Houthis fight the Yemeni military but did not take any measures in
tackling al-Qaeda. He told the Russian news agency, “When al-Qaeda fighters
left a base in Al-Mukalla, the capital of the coastal Hadhramaut province in
2017, in a long convoy of cars with weapons, no one bombed the convoy and they
were allowed to leave in peace. They are now in a place called Yakla. This is
well known, and even American intelligence has prepared a full report on this
matter.” Yemen has been affected severely due to civil war since late 2014 when
Houthi forces seized control of Sanaa in a mass uprising including the fight
against the forces which were loyal to the government of President Abdrabbuh
Mansur Hadi. Saudi Arabia-led coalition entered the conflict in 2015 at the
request of Hadi and carried out air strikes against Houthis.”

 

Lebanon

 

Reuters: Kuwait Detains 18 Suspected Of Financing Lebanon's Hezbollah - Media
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“Prosecutors in Kuwait have detained 18 people suspected of financing
Lebanon's powerful Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah, the newspapers Al-Qabas and
Al-Rai reported on Thursday. Al Qabas said the prosecution ordered the
detainees to be held at the central prison for 21 days while investigations
continue into alleged “membership in a prohibited party, money laundering and
spying”. The Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request
for comment. Gulf Arab states in 2016 designated Iran-allied Hezbollah a
terrorist oganisation. Lebanon is facing a diplomatic crisis as Gulf states
become increasingly dismayed by Hezbollah's expanding influence over Lebanese
politics. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain last month expelled Lebanese
diplomats and recalled their own envoys following a minister's critical
comments about the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen. Riyadh banned all
imports from Lebanon. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said the measures were
driven not just by the comments by information minister George Kordahi, made
before a new cabinet was formed, but rather by Riyadh's objections to the
“domination” of Hezbollah. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran have been
locked for decades in proxy conflicts across the region.”

 

Middle East

 

The Times Of Israel: Israel Yet To Prove Banned Palestinian Groups Have Terror
Ties, Says Top EU Diplomat
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“European Union High Representative Josep Borrell declared on Wednesday that
Israel had yet to send definitive proof that six recently banned Palestinian
organizations were linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
terror group. “We are asking for answers from the Israeli government, and we
have not yet received convincing answers,” Borrell said in a closed-door
meeting of international donors to the Palestinians in Oslo. Borrell’s speech,
like others given at the conference, was not public. The Times of Israel
received a transcript of the address from another official. Israel declared the
six civil groups to be PFLP-linked terror groups in late October. The
announcement sparked a firestorm of coverage and condemnations, as most of them
received European and international funding. Israeli officials have doubled
down on the designation, repeating that there is “ironclad” classified evidence
that proves the organizations’ terror links. “We need proof of these claims,”
Borrell said in his remarks on Wednesday, according to the transcript. An EU
spokesperson declined to comment on the closed-door speech, citing departmental
regulations.”

 

Egypt

 

Human Rights Watch: Egypt: Terrorism Laws Abused In Businessmen’s Arrests
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“Two Egyptian businessmen have been detained for months, reportedly after they
refused to surrender their shares in their company to a state-owned business,
Human Rights Watch said today. Egyptian authorities should immediately release
the men, Safwan Thabet and his son, Seif Thabet, owners of the Juhayna Company,
a major dairy producer. Egyptian National Security Agency officers had arrested
them in December 2020 and February 2021 after they refused to surrender the
family’s shares in the company, according to two sources who spoke with Human
Rights Watch and a legal memo that a third source shared. The Supreme State
Security Prosecution has jailed them in violation of their basic due process
rights on vague charges of “funding terrorism, undermining the national economy
and joining an unlawful organization,” apparently without presenting any
evidence to support these charges. “The abusive and apparently arbitrary
detention of Seif and Safwan Thabet exposes how the government is using Egypt’s
flawed terrorism laws to punish successful businessmen who refuse to surrender
their property to the state,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North
Africa director at Human Rights Watch.”

 

Nigeria

 

Sahara Reporters: Tension As Hundreds Of Repentant Boko Haram Terrorists Riot
In Borno
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“Hundreds of Nigerian Boko Haram terrorists who are being held in a camp in
Borno State after surrendering to the military rioted on Wednesday to demand
the right to slaughter cows for meat, AFP reports. The riot prompted residents
in the Northeast city of Maiduguri to lay siege to the camp, wielding swords,
daggers and clubs, and threatening to kill anyone who left the facility,
security sources said. The incident illustrated the sensitive task which
authorities face in re-inserting former fighters back into communities that
have often suffered from years of attacks and kidnappings during a 12-year
Islamist insurgency. The army presents the surrender of hundreds of Boko Haram
fighters and families in recent months as a sign of success in ending the
conflict centred in northeast Borno State, but many residents still see them as
a security risk. Around 250 Boko Haram members, including women and children,
staged a violent protest in the Gidan Taki outskirts of the city, smashing
windows and doors and threatening to move out of the camp if their demand was
not met, the sources and residents said. “The Boko Haram inmates went on a
rampage this morning, breaking doors and windows and even attempted to leave
the camp,” said Konto Garga, a member of an anti-jihadist militia that helps
the army.”

 

Somalia

 

All Africa: Somalia: Military Receives Vehicles From Turkey To Fight
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“The war on the Al-Shabaab group in Somalia got a boost on Tuesday after
Turkey donated vehicles to the Somali army. The Turkish government has donated
military vehicles to help fight in the fight against Al-Qaeda affiliated group
Al-Shabaab who have been fighting the central government for over a decade.
Among equipment received by the Somali army include military trucks and
Ambulances. The vehicles will be used by the Turkish trained to fight
Al-Shabaab. Somalia army chief, Gen. Odawa Yusuf Rageh said that the Turkish
military supports key in fighting Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated terror group
al-Shabaab. The Turkish government announced an aid of 30 million US dollars
for Somalia on 5 August. The Turkish government also assists the Somali
government in training soldiers.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: Three Convicted Militants Recaptured After Kenya Prison Break
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“Three convicted militants, one of whom had taken part in a 2015 attack that
killed 148 people, were recaptured on Thursday after they escaped from a
maximum security prison in Nairobi, the directorate of criminal investigations
said. The three men were arrested as they tried to make their way to Somalia
and were now being brought back to the Kenyan capital, the Director of Criminal
Investigations, George Kinoti, told Reuters. The escapees included Mohamed Ali
Abikar, sentenced to 41 years for a 2015 attack on Garissa University in
eastern Kenya that killed 148 people, mostly students. The two other escapees
from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison were Joseph Juma Odhiambo, jailed for
trying to join Somali militant Islamist group al Shabaab in 2019, and Musharaf
Abdalla Akhulunga, arrested for his participation in a foiled 2012 attack on
parliament. Police had described all three escapees as “dangerous” and offered
a 60 million Kenyan shilling ($535,240) reward for information that could lead
to their recapture. The group raised suspicions when they sought directions to
Boni Forest, close to the Somali border, the Daily Nation reported. The
escapees looked dishevelled and one was limping, the Daily Nation said, quoting
witnesses.”

 

Associated Press: Uganda Police Kill 5, Including Cleric, After Bomb Blasts
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“Ugandan authorities have killed at least five people, including a Muslim
cleric, accused of having ties to the extremist group responsible for Tuesday's
suicide bombings in the capital, police said Thursday. Four men were killed in
a shootout in a frontier town near the western border with Congo as they tried
to cross back into Uganda. A fifth man, a cleric named Muhammad Kirevu, was
killed in “a violent confrontation” when security forces raided his home
outside Kampala, police spokesman Fred Enanga said. A second cleric, Suleiman
Nsubuga, is the subject of a manhunt, he said, accusing the two clerics of
radicalizing young Muslim men and encouraging them to join underground cells to
carry out violent attacks. The police raids come after the explosions on
Tuesday in which at least four civilians were killed when suicide bombers
detonated their explosives at two locations in Kampala. One attack happened
near the parliamentary building and the second near a busy police station. The
attacks sparked chaos and confusion in the city as well as outpourings of
concern from the international community. A total of 21 suspects with alleged
links to the perpetrators are in custody, Enanga said.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Daily Mail: More People Are Referred To Prevent For Having Extreme Far-Right
Views Than Islamist Radicalisation For First Time Making Up 25% Of Cases
Compared To 22% Amid Concern Over 'Politically Correct' Anti-Terror Strategy
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“…Ian Acheson, a former prison governor and senior adviser at the Counter
Extremism Project, today suggested research was needed about what was driving
referrals and why they were 'out of kilter'. He told MailOnline: 'Nobody can
dispute these statistics as a matter of fact. Nor is it sensible to ignore
extreme right wing ideology as a driver of violent extremism. 'But we should
also be asking about what is driving these referrals and why they are so out of
kilter with the clear and present danger of Islamist extremism which in terms
of lethality and potential dwarfs extreme right wing ones.' Under the Prevent
programme, local authority staff and other professionals such as doctors,
teachers and social workers have a duty to flag concerns about an individual
being radicalised or drawn into a terrorism. This report is then be passed to a
local official charged with deciding whether the tip-off merits a formal
referral. Prevent referrals are handled by expert officers in the local police
force. Cases are then categorised depending on the nature of the individual's
alleged beliefs - based on evidence ranging from comments they have been
overheard saying to their social media history. People who are not viewed as
either far-right or Islamist are categorised as having a 'mixed, unstable or
unclear' ideology.”

 

The National: UK Christmas Crowds Warned Of Increased Terror Threat From
Emboldened Extremists
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“Patrols by armed police will be increased and security plans for major events
reviewed after Britain's terrorist threat level was raised following the
Liverpool attack. Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, the head of UK
counterterrorism policing, said the public will see an increased police
presence in key locations and officers will boost their work online. The
British public were also asked to remain alert during the Christmas period and
report anything suspicious to the police. Speaking in Leicester Square in
London’s West End on Wednesday, Mr Jukes told the PA news agency: “All across
the country you will have seen plans for major events reviewed, you will see an
increased armed policing presence in some key locations. “In places like London
where we have dedicated counterterror patrols, they will be very focused. “You
will see some more visible policing but, of course, also we will be very active
in other places. Online, in our communities talking to people about their
concerns.” The terrorist threat was raised from substantial to severe, meaning
an attack is “highly likely” rather than “likely”, after the blast outside
Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Remembrance Sunday. Emad Al Swealmeen spent
months planning his bomb attack and had been buying components “at least since
April”, investigators said.”

 

Australia

 

The Guardian: Australian Law Preventing Sharing Video Of Terror Attacks
Results In Zero Convictions Or Fines
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“No one has been convicted or fined under laws passed soon after the
Christchurch shootings aimed at preventing depictions of terror attacks being
distributed online, authorities admit, but they say the threat of prosecution
has helped reduce such content. In the wake of the massacre of 50 Muslim
worshippers in New Zealand, which was live-streamed on Facebook and shared
across the internet in March 2019, the Australian government quickly passed the
Sharing of Abhorrent Violent Material (AVM) bill. The law created new offences
for content service providers and hosting services for failing to notify the
Australian federal police about, or fail to expeditiously remove, videos
depicting “abhorrent violent conduct”. That conduct is defined as videos
depicting terrorist acts, murders, attempted murders, torture, rape or
kidnapping. Companies face fines of up to $10.5m or 10% of annual turnover for
failing to remove material, while individuals face up to three years in jail
and/or a $2.1m fine. More than two years on, no fines have been issued, and no
one has been prosecuted under the legislation, the attorney general’s
department said in a submission to a parliamentary review of the law.”

 

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